THE ELEVATION OF BOILING POINTS IN H2O AND D2O ELECTROLYTES

The excess enthalpy effect in cold fusion experiments for Pd/D2O + LiOD systems is subject to positive feedback, i.e., increasing the cell temperature increases the excess enthalpy. Therefore, the largest excess enthalpy effects are often observed near or at the boiling point corresponding to that of the electrolyte solution in the cell. The exact boiling temperatures at different electrolyte concentrations are needed for cold fusion experiments. These studies of LiOH in H2O and LiOD in D2O both show boiling point elevations at higher concentrations that are significantly lower than theoretical calculations based on ideal solutions. Activity coefficients of LiOD in D2O at the boiling point of D2O (101.42°C) are also reported. These boiling point measurements suggest a purity problem with heavy water samples that may contribute to the reproducibility problem for excess enthalpy.