| Abstract: | Debye won the 1936 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contributions to molecular structure, dipole moment relationship and for
diffraction of X-rays and electrons. Electrochemists, however, remember him for the Debye-Hückel limiting law that describes
the behavior of strong electrolytes. In explaining the non-ideal behavior of strong electrolytes, his mathematical treatment
assumes that each ion is surrounded by an ionic cloud of oppositely charged ions, which retards the movement of ions in the
medium. The theory not only provides a method for calculation of activity coefficients, but has also helped, among other things,
in our understanding of diffusion in ionic media, change in the rate of ionic reactions upon addition of salts, and biochemical
reactions. |
