Diffusion Smoluchowski equation

Diffusion (Smoluchowski) Equation for Brownian Particles. The concentration p(x. t) of free Brownian particles at time t is described by the diffusion equation [250]... 

The complete analysis involves the solution of a multidimensional diffusion (Smoluchowski) equation in the coordinates of all of the available... 

The discussion so far centered on proton diffusion in an infinite space. Hence, a spherically symmetric diffusion (Smoluchowski) equation in three dimensional space has been employed in the data analysis. An inner boundary condition (at the contact distance) has been imposed to describe reaction, but no outer boundary condition. Almost all of the interesting biological applications [4] involve proton diffusion in cavities and restricted geometries. These may include the inner volume of an organelle, the water layers between membranes or pores within a membrane. 

The temperature dependence of a diffusion-controlled rate constant is very small. Actually, it is just the temperature coefficient of the diffusion coefficient, as we see from the von Smoluchowski equation. Typically, Ea for diffusion is about 8-14 kJ mol"1 (2-4 kcal mol-1) in solvents of ordinary viscosity. 

In an early attempt, Mozumder (1968) used a prescribed diffusion approach to obtain the e-ion geminate recombination kinetics in the pure solvent. At any time t, the electron distribution function was assumed to be a gaussian corresponding to free diffusion, weighted by another function of t only. The latter function was found by substituting the entire distribution function in the Smoluchowski equation, for which an analytical solution was possible. The result may be expressed by... 

For example, in the case of PS and applying the Smoluchowski equation [333], it is possible to estimate the precipitation time, fpr, of globules of radius R and translation diffusion coefficient D in solutions of polymer concentration cp (the number of chains per unit volume) [334]. Assuming a standard diffusion-limited aggregation process, two globules merge every time they collide in the course of Brownian motion. Thus, one can write Eq. 2 ... 

By comparing time-resolved and steady-state fluorescence parameters, Ross et alm> have shown that in oxytocin, a lactation and uterine contraction hormone in mammals, the internal disulfide bridge quenches the fluorescence of the single tyrosine by a static mechanism. The quenching complex was attributed to an interaction between one C — tyrosine rotamer and the disulfide bond. Swadesh et al.(()<>> have studied the dithiothreitol quenching of the six tyrosine residues in ribonuclease A. They carefully examined the steady-state criteria that are useful for distinguishing pure static from pure dynamic quenching by consideration of the Smoluchowski equation(70) for the diffusion-controlled bimolecular rate constant k0,... 

In addition to the partition coefficient, the bimolecular quenching constant (km) is obtained from quenching experiments. 1"1 "7-IIX i and, in principle, this can be used to obtain the lateral diffusion constant of the quencher by using the Smoluchowski equation ... 

In this approach, the diffusion constant, Di, is related to the corresponding characteristic time, x, describing the distortions of the normal coordinate, Westlund et al. (85) used the framework of the general slow-motion theory to incorporate the classical vibrational dynamics of the ZFS tensor, governed by the Smoluchowski equation with a harmonic oscillator potential. They introduced an appropriate Liouville superoperator ... 

The central problem in the theory of geminate ion recombination is to describe the relative motion and reaction with each other of two oppositely charged particles initially separated by a distance ro- If we assume that the particles perform an ideal diffusive motion, the time evolution of the probability density, w(r,t), that the two species are separated by r at time t, may be described by the Smoluchowski equation [1,2]... 

The analytical solution of the Smoluchowski equation for a Coulomb potential has been found by Hong and Noolandi [13]. Their results of the pair survival probability, obtained for the boundary condition (11a) with R = 0, are presented in Fig. 2. The solid lines show W t) calculated for two different values of Yq. The horizontal axis has a unit of r /D, which characterizes the timescale of the kinetics of geminate recombination in a particular system For example, in nonpolar liquids at room temperature r /Z) 10 sec. Unfortunately, the analytical treatment presented by Hong and Noolandi [13] is rather complicated and inconvenient for practical use. Tabulated values of W t) can be found in Ref. 14. The pair survival probability of geminate ion pairs can also be calculated numerically [15]. In some cases, numerical methods may be a more convenient approach to calculate W f), especially when the reaction cannot be assumed as totally diffusion-controlled. 

When the motion of electrons and positive ions in a particular system may be described as ideal diffusion, the process of bulk recombination of these particles is described by the diffusion equation. The mathematical formalism of the bulk recombination theory is very similar to that used in the theory of geminate electron-ion recombination, which was described in Sec. 10.1.2 ( Diffusion-Controlled Geminate Ion Recombination ). Geminate recombination is described by the Smoluchowski equation for the probability density w(r,i) [cf. Eq. (2)], while the bulk recombination is described by the diffusion equation for the space and time-dependent concentration of electrons around a cation (or vice versa), c(r,i). 

The breakdown of the diffusion theory of bulk ion recombination in high-mobility systems has been clearly demonstrated by the results of the computer simulations by Tachiya [39]. In his method, it was assumed that the electron motion may be described by the Smoluchowski equation only at distances from the cation, which are much larger than the electron mean free path. At shorter distances, individual trajectories of electrons were simulated, and the probability that an electron recombines with the positive ion before separating again to a large distance from the cation was determined. The value of the recombination rate constant was calculated by matching the net inward current of electrons... 

The rate coefficient (k2 enc) for the collision of two species is given by 8RT/3Z (where Z is the viscosity of the medium at the reaction temperature), the Smoluchowski equation. This is the maximum possible rate of reaction, which is controlled by the rate at which the two reacting species diffuse together. For nitration in >90% H2S04, where nitric acid is completely ionized, if exclusively the free base nitrates the rate coefficient (k2 fb) would equal k2 obs KJhx (where Ka is the ionization constant of the base, and hx the acidity function that it follows). Thus, if k2 fb> k2 enc free base nitration is precluded, but if... 

The Einstein-Smoluchowski equation, derived in Appendix 4.1, relates the mean thermal displacement, X, to the diffusion coefficient and mean lifetime. For a surface ... 

FIG. 12.8 Plot of rju/e versus f/0, that is, the zeta potential according to the Helmholtz-Smoluchowski equation, Equation (39), versus the potential at the inner limit of the diffuse part of the double layer. Curves are drawn for various concentrations of 1 1 electrolyte with / = 10 15 V-2 m2. (Redrawn with permission from J. Lyklema and J. Th. G. Overbeek, J. Colloid Sci., 16, 501 (1961).)... 

Morse and Feshbach [499] have discussed the variation approach to a description of equations of motion for diffusion. Their approach is straightforward and is generalised here to consider the cases where there is an energy of interaction, U, between the pair of particles, separated by a distance r at time t. It is relatively easy to extend this to a many-body situation. The usual Euler form of the equation of motion is the Debye— Smoluchowski equation, which has been discussed in much detail before, viz. 

The variational principle has not been widely used in diffusion kinetic problems. Nevertheless, it is such a powerful technique that it is suitable for discussing the many-body problems which have still to be tackled. Wherever approximate methods are necessary, the variational principle should be considered. The trial function(s) should be chosen with care, based on a good idea of the nature of the trial function from its behaviour in certain asymptotic limits. The only application known to the author of the variation principle to a numerical study of a diffusion kinetic problem on a molecular system is that of Delair et al. [377]. They used the variational principle to generate an implicit finite difference scheme for solving the Debye—Smoluchowski equation. Interesting comments have been made by Brykalski and Krason more in the context of heat diffusion [510]. 

Another derivation has been given by Resibois and De Leener. In principle, eqn. (287) can be applied to describe chemical reactions in solution and it should provide a better description than the diffusion (or Smoluchowski) equation [3]. Reaction would be described by a spatial- and velocity-dependent term on the right-hand side, — i(r, u) W Sitarski has followed such an analysis, but a major difficulty appears [446]. Not only is the spatial dependence of the reactive sink term unknown (see Chap. 8, Sect. 2,4), but the velocity dependence is also unknown. Nevertheless, small but significant effects are observed. Harris [523a] has developed a solution of the Fokker—Planck equation to describe reaction between Brownian particles. He found that the rate coefficient was substantially less than that predicted from the diffusion equation for aerosol particles, but substantially the same as predicted by the diffusion equation for molecular-scale reactive Brownian particles. 

The first step is described by back-reaction boundary conditions with intrinsic rate constants Aj and k.d. This is followed by a diffusion second step in which the hydrated proton is removed from the parent molecule. TTiis latter step is described by the Debye-Smoluchowski equation (DSE). 

Consider a system consisting of a particle diffusing in a viscous medium and under the influence of external forces. Such a system may be described2 by a Smoluchowski equation of the form... 

As is well known, dynamic properties of polymer molecules in dilute solution are usually treated theoretically by Brownian motion methods. Tn particular, the standard approach is to use a Fokker-Planck (or Smoluchowski) equation for diffusion of the distribution function of the polymer molecule in its configuration space. 

We shall meet more general Fokker-Planck equations the special form (1.1) is also called Smoluchowski equation , generalized diffusion equation , or second Kolmogorov equation . The first term on the right-hand side has been called transport term , convection term , or drift term the second one diffusion term or fluctuation term . Of course, these names should not prejudge their physical interpretation. Some authors distinguish between Fokker-Planck equations and master equations, reserving the latter name to the jump processes considered hitherto. 

Instead of the one-step process we now consider the generalized diffusion or Smoluchowski equation (1.9). Take a finite interval Lsplitting probabilities nL(y) and nR(y). They obey a differential equation with the adjoint operator... 

So far we studied the first passage of Markov processes such as described by the Smoluchowski equation (1.9). On a finer time scale, diffusion is described by the Kramers equation (VIII.7.4) for the joint probability of the position X and the velocity V. One may still ask for the time at which X reaches for the first time a given value R, but X by itself is not Markovian. That causes two complications, which make it necessary to specify the first-passage problem in more detail than for diffusion. 

Onsager inverted snowball theory (Com.) relation to Smoluchowski equation in, 35 relaxation time by, 34 rotational diffusion and, 36 Ozone in the atmosphere, 108 alkene reactions with, 108 Crigee intermediate from, 108 molozonide from, 108 ethylene reaction with, 109 acetaldehyde effect on, 113 formic anhydride from, 110 sulfur dioxide effect on, 113 sulfuric acid aerosols from, 114 infrared detection of, 108 tetramethylethylene (TME) reaction with, 117... 

---