Breakage asymmetric

When using single-crystal electrodes, it is assumed that the structure of their surfaces reflects the structure of the bulk crystal. However, it appears that, frequently, the surface structure is different from that of the bulk due to their different atomic surroundings. In the bulk crystal, each metal atom is surrounded by identical atoms fixed within the well-defined structure. In contrast, the surface atoms participate in the interactions with metal atoms forming the crystal, and are involved as well in the interactions with the components of the solution at the solid/liquid interface. These asymmetrical interactions of the surface atoms may lead to the breakage of the old and formation of the new bonds, followed by the displacement of the surface atoms to the positions of the lower surface energy. The process of formation... 

A third mechanism of liquid-film breakage is observed when there is a transport of solute across the film (see Fig. 10c). This mechanism, investigated experimentally and theoretically by Ivanov and coworkers (109—111), was observed with emulsion systems (transfer of alcohols, acetic acid, and acetone across liquid films), but it could appear also in some asymmetric oil-water-air films. The diffusion transport of some solute across the film leads to the development of Marangoni instability, which manifests itself as... 

The asymmetric shape of the curve could be explained by the difficulty of breaking the interactions in the 2-ethoxyethanol-rich region In this region, the low presence of benzene fails to break the interactions of the pure 2-ethoxyethanol, while in the benzene-rich region, the breakage of the intermolecular hydrogen bonding is rather extensive. 

---