Electrolyte balance metal complexes

The use of alkali and alkaline earth group metal ions, especially those of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, for maintenance of electrolyte balance and for signaling and promotion of enzyme activity and protein function are not discussed in this text. Many of these ions, used for signaling purposes in the exciting area of neuroscience, are of great interest. In ribozymes, RNAs with catalytic activity, solvated magnesium ions stabilize complex secondary and tertiary molecular structure. Telomeres, sequences of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that are implicated in cell death or immortalization, require potassium ions for structural stabilization. 

Equations (1) and (3) provide n + 1 model equations to be solved for the n chemical species concentrations Ci and the electrostatic potential 4>. The species in the model include the metal ions formed by corrosion, and the anion (most frequently Cl ) and cation of the external electrolyte solution. Models also incorporate balances for species formed by homogeneous reactions in the cavity, such as hydrolysis reactions generating H+ ions and hydrolyzed metal ions, and complexation reactions producing metal chloride complexes. Many models of pits contain at least five chemical species. 

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