Zinc(II) oxide solubility and phase behavior in aqueous sodium phosphate solutions at elevated temperatures

A platinum-lined, flowing autoclave facility is used to investigate the solubility/phase behavior of zinc(II) oxide in aqueous sodium phosphate solutions at temperatures between 17 and 287°C. ZnO solubilities are observed to increase continuously with temperature and phosphate concentration. At higher phosphate concentrations, a solid phase transformation to NaZnPO₄ is observed. NaZnPO₄ solubilities are retrograde with temperature. The measured solubility behavior is examined via a Zn(II) ion hydrolysis/complexing model and thermodynamic functions for the hydrolysis/complexing reaction equilibria are obtained from a least-squares analysis of the data. The existence of two new zinc(II) ion complexes, Zn(OH)₂(HPO₄)^2– and Zn(OH)₃(H₂PO₄)^2–, is reported for the first time. A summary of thermochemical properties for species in the systems ZnO–H₂O and ZnO–Na₂O–P₂O₅–H₂O is also provided.