Highlights in Solute-Solvent Interactions (Monatshefte Fur Chemie/Chemical Monthly, 132)

Most organic molecules retain their integrity when dissolved, and even though in such cases the effects exerted by solvents are, in the language of the coordination chemist, of the "outer sphere" kind, the choice of solvent can be critical to the successful outcome of an operation or preparation. Solubilities of reactants and products must be taken into account, and even if the organic principals in the reactions retain their integrity, many of the reagents are electrolytes, and their state of aggregation will affect their reactivity. In testifying to the importance of understanding solute-solvent interactions I draw attention to a large class of inorganic species for which the involvement in the chemical and physical properties by the solvent is even more deeply seated. It is comprised by the large body of metal atoms in low oxidation states for which solvent molecules intervene as reagents. At the same time, because the ions carry charges, the effects arising from outer sphere interactions are usually greater than they are for neutral molecules. To cite an example: when FeCb(s) is dissolved in water to form a dilute - say O. OlO- solution there is a complete reorganization of the coordination sphere of the cation. Whereas in the solid each cation is surrounded by six chloride ions, in the solution the dominant form is [Fe(H20)6]3+ followed by [Fe(H20)sCI]2+, [Fe(H20)4CI2]+, etc. in rapidly decreasing abundance. Front Matter....Pages I-IX Ionic Solvation in Aqueous and Nonaqueous Solutions....Pages 1-32 Spin Equilibrium in Solutions....Pages 33-41 Invited Review Thermochromism and Solvatochromism in Solution....Pages 43-58 Recent Advances in the Description of the Structure of Water, the Hydrophobic Effect, and the Like-Dissolves-Like Rule....Pages 59-90 Thermodynamic Investigation of Phase Equilibria in Metal Carbonate-Water-Carbon Dioxide Systems....Pages 91-110 The Solvent-Like Nature of Silica Particles in Organic Solvents....Pages 111-125 Prediction of Electrolyte Solubilities from Minimal Thermodynamic Information....Pages 127-150 Preferential Solvation in Mixed Solvents X. Completely Miscible Aqueous Co-Solvent Binary Mixtures at 298.15 K....Pages 151-175 Phase Transitions and Critical Behaviour of Binary Liquid Mixtures....Pages 177-196 Extraction of Unprotected Amino Acids by Mixed-Ligand Nickel(II) and Copper(II) Chelates....Pages 197-202 Solvent Effects on Ion-Pair Distribution and Dimerization of Tetraalkylammonium Salts....Pages 203-214 Back Matter....Pages 215-222 This book emphasizes a broad spectrum of features in solution chemistry, reaching from recent developments in the empirical characterization of solvent-solute interactions up to modern theoretical descriptions of liquid-state systems, from solid-liquid interfaces to preferential solvation in mixed solvents. Accordingly, this collection presents the most important, though strongly different approaches to the understanding of the mutual influences between solute and solvent. Descriptions of actual and practically useful applications of these concepts are included.