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Molten salt
 
 
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Molten salt refers to a salt that is in the liquid phase that is normally a solid at standard temperature and pressure (STP). A salt that is normally a liquid at STP is usually called a room temperature ionic liquid
Ionic liquid

An ionic liquid is a liquid that contains essentially only ion s. Some ionic liquids, such as ethylammonium nitrate are in a dynamic equilibrium where at any time more than 99.99% of the liquid is made up of ionic rather than molecular species....
, although technically molten salts are a class of ionic liquids.

en salts have a variety of uses. Molten chloride
Chloride

The chloride ion is formed when the chemical element chlorine picks up one electron to form an anion Cl−....
 salt mixtures are commonly used as baths for various alloy heat treatment
Heat treatment

Heat treatment is a method used to alter the physical property, and sometimes chemical property, properties of a material. The most common application is metallurgy....
s, such as annealing
Annealing

Annealing may refer to:*Annealing , a heat treatment that alters the microstructure of a material causing changes in properties such as strength and hardness...
 and martempering
Martempering

Martempering is a heat treatment for steel involving Austenite followed by step quenching, at a rate fast enough to avoid the formation of ferrite, pearlite or bainite to a temperature slightly above the Ms point....
 of steel.






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Encyclopedia


Molten salt refers to a salt that is in the liquid phase that is normally a solid at standard temperature and pressure (STP). A salt that is normally a liquid at STP is usually called a room temperature ionic liquid
Ionic liquid

An ionic liquid is a liquid that contains essentially only ion s. Some ionic liquids, such as ethylammonium nitrate are in a dynamic equilibrium where at any time more than 99.99% of the liquid is made up of ionic rather than molecular species....
, although technically molten salts are a class of ionic liquids.

Uses

Molten salts have a variety of uses. Molten chloride
Chloride

The chloride ion is formed when the chemical element chlorine picks up one electron to form an anion Cl−....
 salt mixtures are commonly used as baths for various alloy heat treatment
Heat treatment

Heat treatment is a method used to alter the physical property, and sometimes chemical property, properties of a material. The most common application is metallurgy....
s, such as annealing
Annealing

Annealing may refer to:*Annealing , a heat treatment that alters the microstructure of a material causing changes in properties such as strength and hardness...
 and martempering
Martempering

Martempering is a heat treatment for steel involving Austenite followed by step quenching, at a rate fast enough to avoid the formation of ferrite, pearlite or bainite to a temperature slightly above the Ms point....
 of steel. Cyanide
Cyanide

A cyanide is any chemical compound that contains the nitrile , which consists of a carbon atom chemical bond to a nitrogen atom. Inorganic cyanides are hydrogen cyanide salts in which cyanide is generally the anion CN-....
 and chloride salt mixtures are used for surface modification of alloys such as carburizing and nitrocarburizing of steel. Cryolite
Cryolite

Cryolite is an uncommon mineral identified with the once large deposit at Ivittuut on the west coast of Greenland, which ran out in 1987....
 (a fluoride
Fluoride

Fluoride is the Redox form of fluorine. Both organic compounds and inorganic compounds containing the chemical element fluorine are considered fluorides....
 salt) is used as a flux
Flux (metallurgy)

In metallurgy, a flux is a chemical cleaning agent which facilitates soldering, brazing, and welding by removing oxidation from the metals to be joined....
 in the production of aluminum. Fluoride, chloride, and hydroxide salts can be used as solvent
Solvent

A solvent is a liquid or gas that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution.The most common solvent in everyday life is water....
s in pyroprocessing
Pyroprocessing

Pyroprocessing is a process in which materials are subjected to high temperatures in order to bring about a chemical or physical change. Pyroprocessing includes such terms as roasting , calcination and sintering....
 of nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel

Nuclear fuel is any material that can be consumed to derive nuclear energy, by analogy to chemical fuel that is Combustioned to derive energy....
. Molten salts (fluoride, chloride, and nitrate
Nitrate

In inorganic chemistry, a nitrate is a salt of nitric acid with an ion composed of one nitrogen and three oxygen atoms . In organic chemistry the esters of nitric acid and various alcohols are called nitrates....
) can also be used as heat transfer fluids as well as for thermal storage.

Ambient Temperature Molten Salts

Ambient temperature molten salts are present in the liquid phase at standard conditions for temperature and pressure
Standard conditions for temperature and pressure

In physical sciences, standard conditions for temperature and pressure are standard sets of conditions for experimental measurements, to allow comparisons to be made between different sets of data....
. The first such salt, an N-ethylpyridinium bromide and aluminum chloride mix, was discovered in 1951.

See also

  • Molten salt battery
    Molten salt battery

    Molten salt batteries are a class of primary cell and secondary cell high temperature electric battery that use molten salts as an electrolyte....
  • Molten salt reactor
    Molten salt reactor

    A molten salt reactor is a type of nuclear reactor where the primary coolant is a molten salt. There have been many designs put forward for use of this type of reactor as a nuclear power plant and a few prototypes built....
  • Parabolic trough
    Parabolic trough

    A parabolic trough is a type of solar thermal energy collector. It is constructed as a long parabolic mirror with a Dewar tube running its length at the focal point....