Electrolyte theory (e.g. Robinson and Stokes, 1965; Nordstrom and Munoz, 1985), addresses the behavior of solutions containing components such as sodium chloride which dissociate into ionic species. The term ‘electrolyte theory’ is generally used to address the properties of aqueous electrolyte solutions, usually at a fundamental level including the use of methods of statistical mechanics (e.g. Barker and Henderson, 1976; Mazo and Mou, 1979). The role of electrolyte theory in geochemistry is to help explain the physical chemistry and thermodynamics of natural waters, ranging from rainwater to concentrated brines (e.g. Nordstrom and Munoz, 1985).
The role of liquid water in aqueous solutions is primarily to act as the solvent. However, water is itself a weak electrolyte, dissociating according to the reactions:
The dissociation of acids (e.g. HCl, H2CO3), bases (e.g. NaOH, KOH), and salts (e.g. NaCl, CaCl2) into ionic species is favored by the high dielectric constant of water at...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Bibliography
Barker, J.A. and Henderson, D. (1976) What is ‘liquid’? Understanding the states of matter. Rev. Mod. Phys., 48, 587–671.
Mazo, R.M. and Mou, C.Y. (1979) Introduction to the statistical mechanics of solutions, in Activity Coefficients in Aqueous Electrolyte Solutions, 1st edn, Vol. 1 (ed. R. M. Pytkowicz). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, pp. 65–79.
Nordstrom, D. K. and Munoz, J. L. (1985) Geochemical Thermodynamics. Menlo Park, CA: The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Co., Inc., 477 pp.
Pitzer, K.S. (1973). Thermodynamics of electrolytes–I. Theoretical basis and general equations. J. Phys. Chem., 77, 268–77.
Pitzer, K S. (1991) Ion interaction approach: theory and data correlation, in Activity Coefficients in Electrolyte Solutions, 2nd edn (ed. K. S. Pitzer). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, pp. 75–153.
Robinson, R. A. and Stokes, R. H. (1965). Electrolyte Solutions, 2nd edn, revised. London: Butterworths, 571 pp.
Triolo, R., Grigera, J. R. and Blum, L. (1976). Simple electrolytes in the mean spherical approximation. J. Phys. Chem., 80, 1856–61.
Cross-references
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this entry
Cite this entry
Wolery, T.J. (1998). Electrolyte theory . In: Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4496-8_90
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4496-8_90
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-0-412-75500-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4496-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive