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Updated: Jan 19, 2026

Molten-Salt Synthesis of Complex Metal Oxide Nanoparticles
Published on: October 27, 2018
Collisions and reactions of gaseous propanol with molten NaOH/KOH
David J Castro1, Sonia M Dragulin, Michelle Manning
1Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1101 University Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1322, USA.
Abstract:
Molecular beam scattering experiments are used to investigate collisions of a protic molecule, deuterated 1-propanol (PrOD), with an extremely basic solvent, the 5149 mol % NaOH/KOH eutectic mixture. This powerful deprotonating medium readily absorbs PrOD from the gas phase. Nearly all PrOD molecules that thermalize at the surface of the melt enter the liquid and dissolve for long times, most likely residing as PrO- after deprotonation by OH-. The PrO- solvation time is controlled by dissolved H2O, which reprotonates the anion and liberates D --> H exchanged PrOH. We find no evidence for decomposition of the alcohol; at the 463 K temperature of the experiments, the hydroxide solution appears to store propanol reversibly.
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