Lithium Isotope Effect Accompanying Electrochemical Insertion of lithium into Tin(IV) Sulfide

Abstract

Lithium was electrochemically inserted into tin(IV) Sulfide (SnS2) from a mixed solution of ethylene carbonate and methyl ethyl carbonate containing 1 M LiClO4, and the lithium isotope effect accompanying the insertion was investigated. The x value of LixSnS2 after the electrolysis ranged from 0.279 to 4.914. The single-stage separation factor, S, ranged from 1.006 to 1.023 at 25°C with the lighter isotope, 6Li, being preferentially fractionated into the SnS2 phase. This tendency of lithium isotope effects was the same as that observed for tin metal and the opposite to that observed for tin(IV) oxide (SnO2)in the direction of the lithium isotope fractionation. © 2008 Atomic Energy Society of Japan. All Rights Reserved.