Chapter 3. Partitioning: Molecular Interactions and Thermodynamics
Published Online: 8 JUN 2005
DOI: 10.1002/0471649643.ch3
Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Title
Environmental Organic Chemistry
Additional Information
How to Cite
Schwarzenbach, R. P., Gschwend, P. M. and Imboden, D. M. (2005) Partitioning: Molecular Interactions and Thermodynamics, in Environmental Organic Chemistry, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, USA. doi: 10.1002/0471649643.ch3
Publication History
- Published Online: 8 JUN 2005
- Published Print: 23 AUG 2002
ISBN Information
Print ISBN: 9780471350538
Online ISBN: 9780471649649
- Summary
- Chapter
Keywords:
- Gibbs free energy, ΔG;
- enthalpy, ΔH;
- entropy, ΔS;
- chemical potential, μ;
- fugacity, f;
- activity, a;
- activity coeffcient, γ;
- adsorption;
- London dispersive energies;
- Debye dipole-induced dipole interactions;
- Keesom dipole-dipole interactions;
- hydrogen bonding;
- electron donor-acceptor interactions;
- Raoult's Law;
- partition constant, K;
- linear free energy relationships, LFERs
Summary
In order to understand the equilibrium partitioning of organic chemicals, the intermolecular forces governing interactions of individual molecules in and on various environmental media are described. Subsequently, thermodynamic functions used to characterize the intensities of such interactions are introduced and related to compound structures and media chemistry. This forms the basis for unique partition constants used to quantify the ratio of a chemical's presence in two media at equilibrium. Finally, such partition constants in different two-phase systems are shown to correlate with one another in some cases, and these form the basis of many useful linear free energy relationships (LFERs).