Hofmeister series: The quantum mechanical viewpoint

It is suggested that electromagnetic quantum vacuum fluctuations are at the very deep root of the so-called “specific ions effects” in concentrated solutions or in living cells. A many-body quantum-mechanical frame of thinking is proposed based on the concept of quantum coherence taking into account explicitly density and excitation frequencies of molecules and/or ionic species. It is also proposed that Hofmeister phenomena could have a natural explanation in the harmonic relationships between sets of characteristic frequencies ruled by quantum mechanical laws. It then follows that physical chemistry of concentrated media and biology should be ruled more by a quantum “symphony” between indistinguishable constituents rather than localized two-body electrical interactions between molecular or ionic species.