The presence of freely moving charges gives peculiar properties to electrolyte solutions, such as electric conductance, charge transfer, and junction potentials in electrochemical systems. These charges play a dominant role in transport processes, by contrast with classical equilibrium thermodynamics which considers the electrically neutral electrolyte compounds. The present status of transport theory does not permit a first prin- ciples analys1s of all transport phenomena with a detailed model of the relevant interactions. Host of the models are still unsufficient for real systems of...

Understanding chemical reactivity has been the permanent concern of chemists from time immemorial. If we were able to understand it and express it quantitatively there would practically remain no unsolved mystery, and reactions would be fully predictable, with their products and rates and even side reactions. The beautiful developments of thermodynamics through the 19th century supplied us with the knowledge of the way a reactions progresses, and the statistical view initiated by Gibbs has progressively led to an unders tanding closer to the microscopic phenomena. But is was always evident to...