Reductive Dissolution of Spinel-Type Iron Oxide by N2H4–Cu(I)–HNO3

A N2H4-Cu(I)-HNO3 solution was used to dissolve magnetite powders and a simulated oxide film on Inconel 600. The addition of Cu(I) ions to N2H4-HNO3 increased the dissolution rate of magnetite, and the reaction rate was found to depend on the solution pH, temperature, and [N2H4]. The dissolution of magnetite in the N2H4-Cu(I)-HNO3 solution followed the contracting core law. This suggests that the complexes of [Cu+(N2H4)] formed in the solution increased the dissolution rate. The dissolution reaction is explained by the complex formation, adsorption of the complexes onto the surface ferric ions of magnetite, and the effective electron transfer from the complexes to ferric ions. The oxide film formed on Inconel 600 is satisfactorily dissolved through the successive iteration of oxidation and reductive dissolution steps.