Extended corresponding-states behavior for particles with variable range attractions

Abstract

We propose an extension of the law of corresponding states that can be applied to systems—such as colloidal suspensions—that have widely different ranges of attractive interactions. We argue that the “reduced” second virial coefficient is a convenient parameter to quantify the effective range of attraction. Knowledge of the pair-potential alone allows one to estimate the relative location of the liquid–vapor and solid–fluid coexistence curves.