This award supports cooperative research in the chemistry of ionic solutions and interfaces to be carried out by Lesser Blum of the University of Puerto Rico in Rio Piedras working with two Argentine scientists, J.R. Grigera and F. Vericat of the Physics Institute in La Plata, Argentina. They will study the theory of ionic solutions in the bulk phase and near surfaces with the aim of finding simple, analytical expressions for the thermodynamic and structural properties. One of these is the electrical microfield seen by an ion or molecule in solution. This quantity plays a central role in the theory of chemical kinetics and the spectroscopy of molecules in solution. The microfield will be investigated near a charged and structured electrode surface. This work will continue an extraordinarily productive collaboration over the last ten years. Blum is well known for his work in the statistical mechanics of liquids and solutions. The Argentine effort has built up a capable and active group. Each side has a good track record and this collaboration is fundamentally important for the continued research productivity of both.
