Abstract
The activity concept was introduced in 1907 by G. N. Lewis in order to study, from a thermodynamic viewpoint, nonideal solutions with the same mathematical formalism as that used for ideal solutions. A typical case of nonideal solutions is given by ionic solutions, which are rarely ideal except when they are very diluted. The activity concept has turned out to be very fruitful. It is one of the most important concepts in physical and analytical chemistries.
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Notes
- 1.
pKa (HSO4 −, SO4 2−) = 1.90. See Chap. 5.
- 2.
This reads “in all probability” because the calculation results cannot be directly verified experimentally (see ahead).
- 3.
Peter Debye: Dutch physicochemist, naturalized American (1884–1966); Erich Hückel: German physicochemist (1896–1980). He is also known for “Hückel method of molecular orbitals.”
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Burgot, JL. (2012). Activities and Activity Coefficients. In: Ionic Equilibria in Analytical Chemistry. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8382-4_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8382-4_3
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