Molecular association at the microscopic level
For the molecular equilibrium A + B ⇔ AB occurring in a dilute solution or gas, the two-particle Helmholtz free energy, W, is used to evaluate the association constant, KAB, which, for ionic A and B, is identical to the Bjerrum result. The criterion defining the bound species AB is not arbitrary; the cutoff separation distance in the configuration integral used to calculate KAB arises directly from the definition of W. For a one-component dense fluid, W permits the derivation of the phase-condensation temperature, which, for a gas, is the critical temperature and for a liquid the freezing temperature. For ionic A and B (e.g., molten salt), the Kosterlitz–Thouless expression for the freezing temperature is obtained.