Thermodynamic interaction parameters for the system water/NMMO hydrate

Vapor pressures of water were measured for aqueous solutions of N-methyl-morpholine N-oxide (NMMO) at 80, 90 and 100 degrees C. The Flory-Huggins interaction parameters, chi, calculated from these data as a function of phi, the volume fraction of NMMO, are negative at all concentrations; at low phi, they decrease by more than a factor of 2 as T is raised, whereas they remain almost unchanged as phi approaches unity. Accordingly, the heat of mixing is pronouncedly endothermal at low NMMO concentrations but close to athermal at low water content. The composition dependence of chi can be equally well described by the Redlich-Kister equation and by an approach subdividing the mixing process into two separate steps. The opportunities of the latter modeling for a better molecular understanding of the mixing processes are discussed.