Computer simulation of dissociative equilibrium in aqueous NaCl electrolyte with account for polarization and ion recharging. Ionization mechanism

The Monte Carlo method in a system with periodic boundary conditions was used within the model with explicit account for many-bod interactions to calculate ion-water correlation functions and the mean force ion-ion potential for extremely dilute aqueous electrolyte. Many-body interactions result in a decrease in the first coordination number of ions by approximately one molecule. The same effect is observed in the case of hydration in water vapors. Partial displacement of molecules from the lower layer into the higher hydrate layers occurs mainly by means of interactions of dipoles induced on molecules. Many-body interactions enhance the stability of unrecombined ion pairs separated by solvent molecules (SSIP states). The depth of the minimum in the dependence of the ion-ion mean force potential with account for many-body interaction forces is several times higher than in primitive interaction models. The value of effective relative dielectric permeability of the solvent at short distances from the ions grows faster than 1/R. Due to solvent polarization, counterions are strongly repelled at distances corresponding to overlapping of their hydrate shells and are weakly attracted at large distances. Stability of ion pair SSIP states in liquid electrolyte is due to rearrangement of the molecular structure of the solvent in the interion space and is an entropy effect. This mechanism differs qualitatively from that observed under hydration in water vapor and the depth of the minimum corresponding to SSIP states is by an order of magnitude lower in liquid electrolyte as compared to that in saturated water vapor.