Towards a microscopic theory of hydrophobic solutions

Abstract

The distinguishing features of water and apolar solute molecular potentials responsible for the behaviour of hydrophobic solutions are inferred from a consideration of the thermodynamic properties of bulk water. These molecular properties are built into exactly soluble models in one dimension, and their necessity underlined by a comparison of models which give normal and hydrophobic solution thermodynamics. The form of solute-solvent and solute-solute molecular distribution functions is explored, and used to infer the nature of solute induced structure and the solvent-mediated hydrophobic interaction between apolar molecules in water.