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CHEM01200604005 A. K. Pathak - Homi Bhabha National Institute

CHEM01200604005 A. K. Pathak - Homi Bhabha National Institute

CHEM01200604005 A. K. Pathak - Homi Bhabha National Institute

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SYNOPSIS<br />

The process of solvation is an interaction of a solute with the solvent, which leads<br />

to stabilization of the solute species in the solution. Studies on solvation of charged and<br />

neutral chemical species (solutes) is one of the most important and attractive area of<br />

research. If a chemical species (solute) is immersed into a solvent medium (bulk), the<br />

network of solvent in the close vicinity of the solute gets rearranged to allow the solute<br />

going through the process of solvation. In the process of solvation, a few solvent<br />

molecules in the close vicinity of solute will interact instantaneously. Afterwards more<br />

and more solvent molecules from nearby surroundings will approach the solute and<br />

encapsulate the solute to solvate it. The process of solvation involves different types of<br />

intermolecular interactions namely ion-ion, hydrogen bonding, ion-dipole, and dipoledipole<br />

attractions or van der Waals interactions. The nature of interactions depends on the<br />

nature of both solute (neutral or ionic) and solvent (ionic, polar or nonpolar). Studying<br />

the process of solvation of solutes in presence of a large number of solvent molecules<br />

(bulk) is termed as macroscopic solvation (see Fig. 1). On the other hand studying the<br />

solvation process at molecular level with only a few solvent molecules is known as<br />

microsolvation (see Fig. 1). The process of macro, micro and dual level solvation process<br />

is shown by a graphical model displayed in Fig.1.<br />

Though solvation process at the macroscopic level is well studied but till today a<br />

little effort is given to understand the solvation process at molecular level. Average<br />

information about various interactions is obtained from macroscopic solvation study.<br />

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