Transference Experiments on Lead and Thallous Ions in Potassium Chloride Crystals

Abstract

The electrolytic migration of lead and thallium in potassium chloride crystals to which small additions of lead chloride and thallous chloride have been made has been studied in a transference experiment. Lead was found to migrate toward the anode, indicating that it is bound in a negatively charged complex. Thallium did not migrate appreciably at temperatures below 600°; at higher temperatures it moved toward the cathode. Thallium clearly may exist as the simple cation at elevated temperatures; however, the results at lower temperatures do not permit a conclusion to be drawn with certainty regarding the existence of complex ions.