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Related Concept Videos

Trends in Lattice Energy: Ion Size and Charge02:54

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An ionic compound is stable because of the electrostatic attraction between its positive and negative ions. The lattice energy of a compound is a measure of the strength of this attraction. The lattice energy (ΔHlattice) of an ionic compound is defined as the energy required to separate one mole of the solid into its component gaseous ions. For the ionic solid sodium chloride, the lattice energy is the enthalpy change of the process:
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Ions and Ionic Charges03:27

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In ordinary chemical reactions, the nucleus — which contains the protons and neutrons of each atom and thus identifies the element — remains unchanged. Electrons, however, can be added to atoms by transfer from other atoms, lost by transfer to other atoms, or shared with other atoms. The transfer and sharing of electrons among atoms govern the chemistry of the elements. During the formation of some compounds, atoms gain or lose electrons to form electrically charged particles called...
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Noncovalent attractions are associations within and between molecules that influence the shape and structural stability of complexes. These interactions differ from covalent bonding in that they do not involve sharing of electrons.
Four types of noncovalent interactions are hydrogen bonds, van der Waals forces, ionic bonds, and hydrophobic interactions.
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The movement of ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium into and out of the cell is essential to maintain the electrochemical gradient in living cells. The ion channels—a class of membrane transport proteins—help maintain this ionic gradient for the smooth functioning of physiological activities such as maintaining cell size and volume, conducting nerve impulses, and gas and nutrient exchange.
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Salts with Acidic Ions
Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions, either of which may be capable of undergoing an acid or base ionization reaction with water. Aqueous salt solutions, therefore, may be acidic, basic, or neutral, depending on the relative acid-base strengths of the salt’s constituent ions. For example, dissolving the ammonium chloride in water results in its dissociation, as described by the equation:
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Attraction between like-charged monovalent ions.

Ronen Zangi1

  • 1Department of Organic Chemistry I, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Avenida de Tolosa 72, 20018 San Sebastian, Spain. r.zangi@ikerbasque.org

The Journal of Chemical Physics
|May 16, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Molecular dynamics simulations reveal unexpected attraction between like-charged ions in salt solutions. This phenomenon, driven by ion-water interactions or counterion mediation, challenges traditional electrostatic repulsion models.

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Area of Science:

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Computational Chemistry
  • Solution Chemistry

Background:

  • Coulomb's law dictates repulsion between like-charged ions.
  • This repulsion is moderated by the dielectric constant in aqueous solutions.
  • However, experimental and simulation data sometimes suggest deviations from expected repulsion magnitudes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the counterintuitive effective attraction between like-charged monovalent ions in alkali halide salt solutions.
  • To identify and elucidate the mechanisms responsible for this observed attraction using molecular dynamics simulations.

Main Methods:

  • Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were employed.
  • Simulations focused on alkali halide salt solutions.
  • Analysis involved examining ion-ion interactions, water molecule alignment, and energy components.

Main Results:

  • Effective attraction was observed between like-charged anions and cations, forming transient dimers.
  • Two mechanisms were identified: 1) enhanced ion-water interaction energy for high-charge density ions (e.g., fluoride) at low concentrations, and 2) counterion-mediated attraction at higher concentrations.
  • These mechanisms can explain reduced effective repulsions between ions.

Conclusions:

  • Like-charged ions can experience effective attraction in aqueous solutions under specific conditions.
  • The findings challenge the universal applicability of simple electrostatic repulsion models in concentrated ionic solutions.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for accurately predicting ion behavior in electrolytes.