Effect of free solvent on the solvation of electrolytes and nonelectrolytes

An approach is developed for analyzing hydration of sodium and magnesium sulfate electrolytes over a wide range of concentrations up to 1.8 mol/L at temperatures from 278.15 to 318.15 K. The model of free water (water that does not enter hydrate complexes) is used to analyze the hydration numbers, mean compressibility of water in the hydration sphere, its temperature dependence, and several other solvation parameters that are determined with difficulty. A comparative analysis of the behavior of the beta(h) V-h = f(h) function is carried out for zwitterions and electrolytes. This function has an identical slope for amino acids, halides, and nitrates; that is, the adiabatic compressibility of water in the hydrate complex of an electrolyte or nonelectrolyte (beta(1h) V-1h) is independent of the solution concentration over a wide range of compositions. This suggests that the clathrate solvation mechanism operates both for a stoichiometric ion mixture and for zwitterions. Aqueous solutions of sodium sulfate and magnesium sulfate behave quite differently: they appreciably deviate from the solutions of the specified systems.