Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
Experimental studies of silicate glass/water reactions at low temperatures have previously identified the glass surface area-to-solution volume ratio (SA/V) as a significant rate determining parameter [1-4]. The value produced when SA/V is multiplied by reaction time, hereafter referred to as SVT, has been proposed as a scaling factor for comparing experimental results collected under different test conditions and for extrapolating short-term results to longer periods of time. Developing an understanding of the effect of SAN is needed for modeling experimental results where SA/V ranges in value or may vary during experiments. It is also useful to understand the effect of SA/V for modeling natural systems where this value almost certainly varies, such as during the hydrothermal diagenesis of natural glasses or projecting the long-term reaction of water and borosilicate nuclear waste glass in a geologic repository.