Prediction of heat of melting and heat capacity of inorganic liquids by the method of group contributions

Complex salts and salt/oxide combinations are being considered for the immobilization and storage or disposal of hazardous or radioactive wastes. There is very little information concerning such fundamental properties as heat of fusion and heat capacities for many of these inorganic materials. This work focuses on the use of elements or simple functional groups to estimate some of these fundamental thermodynamic properties for a variety of inorganic compounds. The major emphasis will be on properties for a variety of inorganic compounds. The major emphasis will be on properties for which some ancillary information may be easily measured, but which may be very difficult to measure directly. An example of such a property is the heat of fusion (or melting). The melting temperature for most pure materials is relatively easy to measure. However, the actual amount of energy required to liquefy, or conversely, the amount of energy which must be removed to solidify those same materials has not been measured. Similarly, important properties such as heat capacities of liquids are unavailable for many compounds. Such information is essential in the chemical industry and are paramount for chemical engineers if they are to design, build and operate plants and facilities in an economical and efficient manner