THE LOW PRESSURE DEHYDRATION OF MAGNESIUM SULPHATE HEPTAHYDRATE AND COBALTOUS CHLORIDE HEXAHYDRATE

Abstract

Rates of dehydration under vacuum, and at a series of controlled water vapor pressures, have been carried out for powdered samples of magnesium sulphate heptahydrate and of cobaltous chloride hexahydrate. It has been found for the magnesium salt that as the pressures are increased, the rate at first drops rapidly, this decrease being followed by a period of acceleration which is followed in turn by a decline. The curves are similar to those previously reported for copper sulphate pentahydrate, but the changes occur over a much wider range of water vapor pressures. In the dehydration of cobaltous chloride hexahydrate the initial drop in rate with increase in water vapor pressure is not observed. The results are interpreted in terms of the crystallization of intermediate products in the presence of adsorbed water.