EXTRAPOLATION OF AQUEOUS DISSOLUTION DATA TO DETERMINE COMPARATIVE FREE ENERGIES OF FORMATION (CAGf ~ AND RELATIVE MINERAL STABILITIES

Abstract--Analytical data from aqueous dissolution studies of minerals, mineral systems, and naturally equilibrated so-Jutions such as surface waters and groundwaters provide the basic ingredients necessary tocalculate comparative solubility (or activity) products (CKs) and comparative free energies of formation (CAGf ~ of possible minerals or hypothetical min-erals. Using a thermodynamic approach, quasi-thermodynamic values are obtained which can help in understanding the relative stabilities of different but similar materials and changes in reacting systems. Illite equilibrated solutions demon-strated that: 1) there is a 5 kcal spread in comparative free energies of formation of the five illites used, 2) the comparative stabilities remain about he same when highly simplified but similar hypothetical mineral formulas are considered, and 3) some of these illites are probably not the most stable phase in a closed chemical system at standard temperature and pressure. A "mineral index system " composed of common rock-forming minerals, products of chemical weathering and perhaps hypothetical minerals is proposed, which offers a means of studying naturally equilibrated solutions. Such a system can show changes with respect o CAGf ~ of these minerals at a particular site through time or in relationship to spatial distri-bution and geologic hanges through synchronous sampling at different sites