Corrosion of samarium and lanthanum in molten eutectoid mixture of lithium and potassium chlorides

The effect of temperature and duration of the process on the corrosion rate of samarium and lanthanum is studied in the melt of LiCl (60 mol %)-KCl. It is found that the corrosion rate of samarium is by an order of magnitude higher than that of lanthanum at similar temperatures. Satisfactory coincidence of the corrosion current density of lanthanum calculated on the basis of the gravimetric data, experimental data on steady-state potentials, and information on anodic polarization points to the electrochemical mechanism of lanthanum corrosion in the LiCl-KCl melt.