From Crystal To Solution | G. A. Krestov, V. A. Kobenin

Fascinated as we are with the perfect beauty of a snow flake, we must remember that when it melts on the palm to turn into water, its inner structure is not fully destroyed but only becomes invisible to the eye. The structure persists in the mutual arrangement of molecules, in the intricate ice-like structure of liquid water ...

As substances dissolve in water, they occupy their own "apartments" in this invisible but orderly "molecular building" partly destroying its separate sections and partly introducing their own new order around the ions and molecules.

So it is not for nothing that crystal and solution are put together in the title of this book. They are related and the modern scientist believes that the study of the close connections between them will give him the clue to understanding the nature of solution, which is perhaps the most important state of matter.

The book was translated from the Russian by A. Rosinkin and was first published by Mir Publishers in 1980.

Glossary 7
Editor's Preface 11

Chapter One. A Look at Past, Present, and Future 13

Chapter Two. Structure of Liquid 17

Properties of Liquids 18
Liquid Water 21
Non-aqueous and Mixed Solvents 24

Chapter Three. Electrolytes in Solution 31

Ions as Special Particles 32
Ions in Solution 35
Electrolytic Dissociation 38
Electrolyte Activity and Ionization of Medium 44
Association of Ions in Solutions 46

Chapter Four Solvation of Ions 50

Definition of Solvation and Its Types 52
Donor-Acceptor Interaction 58
Connection with Structure 62
Quantitative Characteristics 65

Chapter Five. Properties of Electrolyte Solutions 75

Chemical Properties 76
Structure of Solutions 80
Quantitative Characteristics of Structural Changes in Solvents 85
Comparison of Aqueous and Non-aqueous Solutions of Electrolytes 89

Chapter Six. Methods of Studying Electrolyte Solutions 94

Thermodynamic Methods 95
Kinetic Methods of Investigation 105
Structural Methods of Investigation 109
Experimental Determination of Solvation Numbers 111

Chapter Seven. Theories of Electrolyte Solutions 119

The Function of Distribution and Potential of the Ions 120
The Theory of Long-Range Forces 121
The Theory of Short-Range Forces 124

Chapter Eight. Instead of Conclusion 128

Solvated Electron 128
Magnetic Treatment of Electrolyte Solutions 130
Radiation Effects 133