Manifestation of macroscopic correlations in elementary reaction kinetics. II. Irreversible reaction A+B→C

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The applicability of the Encounter Theory (ET) (the prototype of the Collision Theory) concepts for widely occurring diffusion assisted irreversible bulk reaction A+B→C (for example, radical reaction) in dilute solutions with arbitrary ratio of initial concentrations of reactants has been treated theoretically with modern many-particle method for the derivation of non-Markovian binary kinetic equations. The method shows that, just as in the reaction A+A→C considered earlier, the agreement with the Encounter Theory is observed when the familiar Integral Encounter Theory is used which is just a step in the derivation of kinetic equations in the framework of the method employed. It allows for two-particle correlations only, and fails to consider the correlation of reactant simultaneously with a partner and with a reactant in the bulk. However, the next step leading to the Modified Encounter Theory under reduction of equations to a regular form both extends the time applicability interval of ET homogeneous rate equation (as for reactions proceeding in excess of one of the reactants), and yields the inhomogeneous equation of the Generalized Encounter Theory (GET) that reveals macroscopic correlations induced by the encounters in a reservoir of free walks in full agreement with physical considerations. This means that the encounters of reactants in solution are correlated at rather large time interval of the reaction course. However, unlike the reaction A+A→C of identical reactants, the reaction A+B→C accumulation of the above macroscopic correlations (even with the initial concentrations of reactants being equal) proceeds much slower. Another distinction is that for the reaction A+A→C the long-term behavior of ET and GET kinetics is the same, while in the reaction A+B→C these kinetics behave differently. It is of interest that just taking account of the above macroscopic correlations in the reaction A+B→C (in GET) results in the universal character of the long-term behavior of the kinetics for the case of equal initial concentrations of reactants and that where one of the reactants is in excess. This is more natural from the point of view of the reaction course on the encounters of reactants in solutions.