Debye-Hiickel electrolytes

Onsager, L., Samaras, N.N.T. The surface tension of Debye-Hiickel electrolytes. J. Chem. 

Debye-Hiickel theory The activity coefficient of an electrolyte depends markedly upon concentration. Jn dilute solutions, due to the Coulombic forces of attraction and repulsion, the ions tend to surround themselves with an atmosphere of oppositely charged ions. Debye and Hiickel showed that it was possible to explain the abnormal activity coefficients at least for very dilute solutions of electrolytes. 

At this point an interesting simplification can be made if it is assumed that r, as representing the depth in which the ion discrimination occurs, is taken to be just equal to 1/x, the ion atmosphere thickness given by Debye-Hiickel theory (see Section V-2). In the present case of a 1 1 electrolyte, k = (8ire V/1000eitr) / c /, and on making the substitution into Eq. XV-7 and inserting numbers (for the case of water at 20°C), one obtains, for t/ o in millivolts ... 

At sufficiently low ionic strengths the activity coefficient of each electrolyte in a mixture is given by the Debye-Hiickel limiting law... 

Incomplete Dissociation into Free Ions. As is well known, there are many substances which behave as a strong electrolyte when dissolved in one solvent, but as a weak electrolyte when dissolved in another solvent. In any solvent the Debye-IIiickel-Onsager theory predicts how the ions of a solute should behave in an applied electric field, if the solute is completely dissociated into free ions. When we wish to survey the electrical conductivity of those solutes which (in certain solvents) behave as weak electrolytes, we have to ask, in each case, the question posed in Sec. 20 in this solution is it true that, at any moment, every ion responds to the applied electric field in the way predicted by the Debye-Hiickel theory, or does a certain fraction of the solute fail to respond to the field in this way In cases where it is true that, at any moment, a certain fraction of the solute fails to contribute to the conductivity, we have to ask the further question is this failure due to the presence of short-range forces of attraction, or can it be due merely to the presence of strong electrostatic forces ... 

It is important to realise that whilst complete dissociation occurs with strong electrolytes in aqueous solution, this does not mean that the effective concentrations of the ions are identical with their molar concentrations in any solution of the electrolyte if this were the case the variation of the osmotic properties of the solution with dilution could not be accounted for. The variation of colligative, e.g. osmotic, properties with dilution is ascribed to changes in the activity of the ions these are dependent upon the electrical forces between the ions. Expressions for the variations of the activity or of related quantities, applicable to dilute solutions, have also been deduced by the Debye-Hiickel theory. Further consideration of the concept of activity follows in Section 2.5. 

Calculation of the Thermodynamic Properties of Strong Electrolyte Solutes The Debye-Hiickel Theory... 

It can be seen from Figure 7.8(b) that the curved lines predicted by the extended form of the Debye-Hiickel equation follow the experimental results to higher ionic strengths than do the limiting law expressions for the (1 1) and (2 1) electrolytes. However, for the (2 2) electrolyte, the prediction is still not very good even at the lowest measured molality.0... 

Experience shows that solutions of other electrolytes behave in a manner similar to the examples we have used. The conclusion we reach is that the Debye-Hiickel equation, even in the extended form, can be applied only at very low concentrations, especially for multivalent electrolytes. However, the behavior of the Debye-Hiickel equation as we approach the limit of zero ionic strength appears to give the correct limiting law behavior. As we have said earlier, one of the most useful applications of Debye-Hiickel theory is to... 

We refer those who are interested in the details of the Debye Hiickel derivation to the following sources R. A. Robinson and R. H. Stokes. "Electrolyte Solutions", Academic Press, Inc., New York (1955). The Robinson/Stokes reference does an especially good job of summarizing and evaluating the assumptions made in the derivation H. S. Harned and B. B. Owen, The Physical Chemistry of Electrolytic Solutions." Rcinhold Publishing Corporation, New York (1958) K. S. Pitzer. "Thermodynamics." Third Edition, McGraw Hill, Inc., New York (1995). 

Chapters 7 to 9 apply the thermodynamic relationships to mixtures, to phase equilibria, and to chemical equilibrium. In Chapter 7, both nonelectrolyte and electrolyte solutions are described, including the properties of ideal mixtures. The Debye-Hiickel theory is developed and applied to the electrolyte solutions. Thermal properties and osmotic pressure are also described. In Chapter 8, the principles of phase equilibria of pure substances and of mixtures are presented. The phase rule, Clapeyron equation, and phase diagrams are used extensively in the description of representative systems. Chapter 9 uses thermodynamics to describe chemical equilibrium. The equilibrium constant and its relationship to pressure, temperature, and activity is developed, as are the basic equations that apply to electrochemical cells. Examples are given that demonstrate the use of thermodynamics in predicting equilibrium conditions and cell voltages. 

The nature of the Debye-Hiickel equation is that the activity coefficient of a salt depends only on the charges and the ionic strength. The effects, at least in the limit of low ionic strengths, are independent of the chemical identities of the constituents. Thus, one could use N(CH3)4C1, FeS04, or any strong electrolyte for this purpose. Actually, the best choices are those that will be inert chemically and least likely to engage in ionic associations. Therefore, monovalent ions are preferred. Anions like CFjSO, CIO, /7-CIC6H4SO3 are usually chosen, accompanied by alkali metal or similar cations. 

Finally, it must be recalled that the transport properties of any material are strongly dependent on the molecular or ionic interactions, and that the dynamics of each entity are narrowly correlated with the neighboring particles. This is the main reason why the theoretical treatment of these processes often shows similarities with models used for thermodynamic properties. The most classical example is the treatment of dilute electrolyte solutions by the Debye-Hiickel equation for thermodynamics and by the Debye-Onsager equation for conductivity. 

The hole correction of the electrostatic energy is a nonlocal mechanism just like the excluded volume effect in the GvdW theory of simple fluids. We shall now consider the charge density around a hard sphere ion in an electrolyte solution still represented in the symmetrical primitive model. In order to account for this fact in the simplest way we shall assume that the charge density p,(r) around an ion of type i maintains its simple exponential form as obtained in the usual Debye-Hiickel theory, i.e.,... 

So far in our revision of the Debye-Hiickel theory we have focused our attention on the truncation of Coulomb integrals due to hard sphere holes formed around the ions. The corresponding corrections have redefined the inverse Debye length k but not altered the exponential form of the charge density. Now we shall take note of the fact that the exponential form of the charge density cannot be maintained at high /c-values, since this would imply a negative coion density for small separations. Recall that in the linear theory for symmetrical primitive electrolyte models we have... 

Can the species activity coefficients be calculated accurately An activity coefficient relates each dissolved species concentration to its activity. Most commonly, a modeler uses an extended form of the Debye-Hiickel equation to estimate values for the coefficients. Helgeson (1969) correlated the activity coefficients to this equation for dominantly NaCl solutions having concentrations up to 3 molal. The resulting equations are probably reliable for electrolyte solutions of general composition (i.e., those dominated by salts other than NaCl) where ionic strength is less than about 1 molal (Wolery, 1983 see Chapter 8). Calculated activity coefficients are less reliable in more concentrated solutions. As an alternative to the Debye-Hiickel method, the modeler can use virial equations (the Pitzer equations ) designed to predict activity coefficients for electrolyte brines. These equations have their own limitations, however, as discussed in Chapter 8. 

Helgeson, H. C. and D. H. Kirkham, 1974, Theoretical prediction of the thermodynamic behavior of aqueous electrolytes at high pressures and temperatures, II. Debye-Hiickel parameters for activity coefficients and relative partial molal properties. American Journal of Science 274, 1199-1261. 

Another arena for the application of stochastic frictional approaches is the influence of ionic atmosphere relaxation on the rates of reactions in electrolyte solutions [19], To gain perspective on this, we first recall the early and often quoted triumph of TST for the prediction of salt effects, in connection with Debye-Hiickel theory, for reaction rates In kTST varies linearly with the square root of the solution ionic strength I, with a sign depending on whether the charge distribution of the transition state is stabilized or destabilized by the ionic atmosphere compared to the reactants. 

Among other applications of electrolyte solution theory to defect problems should be mentioned the application of the Debye-Hiickel activity coefficients by Harvey32 to impurity ionization problems in elemental semiconductors. Recent reviews by Anderson7 and by Lawson45 emphasizing the importance of Debye-Hiickel effects in oxide semiconductors and in doped silver halides, respectively, and the book by Kroger41 contain accounts of other applications to defect problems. However, additional quantum-mechanical problems arise in the treatment of semiconductor systems and we shall not mention them further, although the studies described below are relevant to them in certain aspects. 

Equations (87)-(89) apply in aqueous solutions of two electrolytes in which the interaction potentials are conformal. For example, the assumptions utilized in the extensions of the Debye-Hiickel theory (e.g. water is considered as a continuous dielectric medium of dielectric constant D, that the cation-anion repulsive potential is that of hard spheres, and that all the... 

The first satisfactory explanation of these effects was given, in the twenties, by Debye, Hiickel, Onsager, and Falkenhagen (see, for instance, Ref. 8). Using a remarkably clever combination of microscopic and macroscopic concepts, they were able to describe the behavior of dilute electrolytes by the famous limiting laws . 

Edwards et al. (6) made the assumption that was equal to 4>pure a at the same pressure and temperature. Further theyused the virial equation, truncated after the second term to estimate pUre a These assumptions are satisfactory when the total pressure is low or when the mole fraction of the solute in the vapor phase is near unity. For the water, the assumption was made that <(>w, , aw and the exponential term were unity. These assumptions are valid when the solution consists mostly of water and the total pressure is low. The activity coefficient of the electrolyte was calculated using the extended Debye-Hiickel theory ... 

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