Solvation

Solvation is the interaction in which solvent molecules surround and stabilize dissolved particles through intermolecular forces. When the solvent is water, the process is called hydration.

Solvation shell: The layer of solvent molecules surrounding a dissolved particle. Its structure shows how solvation organizes solvent molecules around each particle.
Solute: A substance dissolved in a solvent to form a solution. Solvation describes how solvent molecules interact with this dissolved substance.
Solubility: The amount of a substance that can dissolve in a specified solvent under stated conditions. Solvation contributes to whether dissolved particles are stable enough to remain in solution.
Hydration: The solvation of a particle by water molecules. It is the specific name for solvation when water is the solvent.
Dielectric continuum model: A model that represents a solvent as a continuous medium with a specified dielectric response. It simplifies solvation but omits the discrete molecular structure of solvent shells.
Ion–dipole force: An electrostatic attraction between an ion and a molecule with a permanent dipole. These attractions often orient polar solvent molecules around dissolved ions.
Solvent: A substance that dissolves another substance to form a solution. Its molecular properties govern the interactions that produce solvation.
Solvation energy: The energy change associated with transferring a particle from a reference state into a solvent. It quantifies the energetic contribution of solvent stabilization.
Desolvation: The removal or loss of solvent molecules surrounding a dissolved particle. It reverses solvent-shell formation and can impose an energetic barrier.
Explicit solvation: A modeling approach that represents individual solvent molecules around a solute. It captures molecular detail that continuum descriptions cannot directly resolve.

Linked from 53 pages