title: Nonasymptotic critical behavior of a ternary ionic system.
abstract: Refractive indices n and salt concentrations ms of coexisting phases of the ternary system 1,4-dioxane + water + potassium chloride were measured along the liquid-liquid-solid coexistence curve near the liquid-liquid critical end point. Refractive index measurements were carried out in the range 0.689 x 10-3 < t = (T - Tc)/Tc < 0.118 while salt concentrations were determined for the temperature range 1.84 x 10-3 < t < 8.07 x 10-2. From these experimental results, compositions fD (mass fraction of dioxane on a salt-free basis) and densities rho of coexisting phases were obtained. The shape of the coexistence curve was analyzed using alternatively n, ms, fD, and rho as order parameters. In all cases, the obtained coexistence curve displays, asymptotically, Ising behavior. Outside the asymptotic critical domain, n, ms, and rho show significant deviations of the effective critical exponent from its Ising value, while the concentration variable fD requires no corrections to simple scaling. On the basis of the present results, we conclude that this system shows no indication of multicritical behavior.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Actividad Química, Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica, Av. del Libertador 8250, 1429 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Karin I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Gutkowski
authors.forename: Hugo L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: M Laura
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Japas