Thermochemistry of electrolyte solutions

Abstract

The results of calorimetric investigations of electrolyte solutions in the mixtures of water, methanol, N,N-dimethylformamide, and acetonitrile with numerous organic cosolvents are discussed with regard to the intermolecular interactions that occur in the solution. Particular attention is given to answer the questions how and to what extent the properties of the systems examined are modified by the cosolvent added and how much the properties of the cosolvent are revealed in the mixtures with the solvents mentioned above. To this goal, the analysis of the electrolyte dissolution enthalpies, single ionic transfer enthalpies, and enthalpic pair interaction coefficients as well as the preferential solvation (PS) model are applied. The analysis performed shows that in the case of the dissolution enthalpies of simple inorganic electrolytes in water–organic solvent mixtures, the shape of the dependence of the standard dissolution enthalpy on the mixed solvent composition reflects to a large extent the hydrophobic properties of the organic cosolvent. In the mixtures of methanol with organic cosolvents, the ions are preferentially solvated either by methanol molecules or by molecules of the cosolvent, depending on the properties of the mixed solvent components. The behavior of inorganic salts in the mixtures containing N,N-dimethylformamide is mostly influenced by the DMF which is a relatively strongly ion solvating solvent, whereas in acetonitrile mixtures, the thermochemical behavior of electrolyte solutions is influenced to a large extent by the properties of the cosolvent particularly due to the PS of cation by the cosolvent molecules.