Single-Ion Solvation : Experimental and Theoretical Approaches to Elusive Thermodynamic Quantities

Ions are ubiquitous in chemical, technological, ecological and biological processes. Characterizing their role in these processes in the first place requires the evaluation of the thermodynamic parameters associated with the solvation of a given ion. However, due to the constraint of electroneutrality, the involvement of surface effects and the ambiguous connection between microscopic and macroscopic descriptions, the determination of single-ion solvation properties via both experimental and theoretical approaches has turned out to be a very difficult and highly controversial problem. This unique book provides an up-to-date, compact and consistent account of the research field of single-ion solvation thermodynamics that has over one hundred years of history and still remains largely unsolved. By reviewing the various approaches employed to date, establishing the relevant connections between single-ion thermodynamics and electrochemistry, resolving conceptual ambiguities, and giving an exhaustive data compilation (in the context of alkali and halide hydration), this book provides a consistent synthesis, in depth understanding and clarification of a large and sometimes very confusing research field. The book is primarily aimed at researchers (professors, postgraduates, graduates, and industrial researchers) concerned with processes involving ionic solvation properties (these are ubiquitous, eg. in physical/organic/analytical chemistry, electrochemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, geology, and ecology). Because of the concept definitions and data compilations it contains, it is also a useful reference book to have in a university library. Finally, it may be of general interest to anyone wanting to learn more about ions and solvation. Key features: - discusses both experimental and theoretical approaches, and establishes the connection between them - provides both an account of the past research (covering over one hundred years) and a discussion of current directions (