Thermodynamics of aqueous solutions of noble gases. I

The thermodynamic behavior of aqueous solutions of noble gases is discussed in terms of a "two-structure" model for liquid water. The entropy and enthalpy of solution are treated as composed of two terms, the "static" and the "relaxation" one. The first refers to a solution in which the chemical equilibrium between the various forms is "frozen in." The latter arose from the shift in the equilibrium concentrations of the two forms toward the more ordered one. The origin of the "stabilization of the structure of water" by the noble gas, based on the compact nature of the clusters of water molecules, is discussed.