Study of brine-halite phase separation through optical constringence and molecular dynamics

VM Lenart and LS de Lara and SL Gomez and RF Turchiello, EUROPEAN PHYSICAL JOURNAL E, 45, 57 (2022).

DOI: 10.1140/epje/s10189-022-00214-1

This work presents a study of the reciprocal dispersive power, also known as constringence or Abbe number of an aqueous solution of NaCl in a wide range of concentrations. The constringence exhibited a distinct behavior in the region close to the phase transition between a phase containing exclusively brine and a phase containing brine+halite. Molecular dynamics simulations of this system indicated the existence of halite formation below the known saturation curve, which agreed with the experimental measurements, indicating a crystal growth in the unsaturated region.

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