STRUCTURE OF WATER SURFACES

Abstract

Two of the three previously (the polyshell and polychair) proposed model structures for surface water are thermodynamically analyzed finding the excess surface enthalpy for air adsorption of the polyshell network close to the experimental one. The surface roughness of the model polyshell network is also close to experiment. The previously postulated Hydrogen Bond Formation Theory of Surface Activity, rests on the shell and chair structures, acquires predictive value for the calculation of the surface tensions of aqueous solutions of n-alkanols. The proposed models based on the contribution of hydrogen bonds and clusters to the thermodynamic properties are shown to allow useful quantitative estimations of some properties of the water–gas interphase.