Solubility of hydrogen and its isotopes in metals from mixed gases

This short communication reviews the classical thermodynamics governing dissolution of hydrogen in metals. Classical thermodynamics is then applied to equilibrium dissolution of hydrogen and its isotopes in metals from mixtures of their diatomic gases. For simplicity in presentation, we use the specific example of H2 and D2 gas mixtures to demonstrate the general principles of equilibrium solubility; however, other systems may be treated analogously. The formation of HD gas is shown to have a significant effect on equilibrium solubility since it affects the chemical potentials of the H2 and D2 gases. Finally, we compare this thermodynamic analysis with empirical solutions from the literature.