Crisis of stability of hydration shell of Na+ ion in condensing water vapor

The Gibbs energy and equilibrium work of the formation of nuclei of the condensed phase on sodium ions are calculated on the molecular level by a Monte Carlo simulation using a detailed interaction model. The stationary rate of nucleation is estimated based on the data obtained. The presence of ionic impurities only substantially affects the rate of nucleation at strong vapor supersaturation. The nucleus losses its thermodynamic stability with an increase in the size of the nucleus and the barrier is formed depending on the work of formation on the size of the nucleus. An abrupt loss of stability is accompanied by pushing the ion off of the microdroplet surface and the restoration of the network of hydrogen bonds. The effect of pushing an ion to the surface of a cluster greatly depends on many-particle polarization interactions.