Surface tension of electrolyte solutions

A simple analytic expression is derived for the excess surface tension of electrolyte solutions, which is in good agreement with the experimental data on NaCl in the concentration range up to as high as 1 M. This expression is consistent with the following two theories: (i) The recent theory of Levin and Flores-Mena (Europhys Lett (2001) 56:187), who demonstrated the important contribution of the formation of an ion free layer at the air–electrolyte solution interface, and (ii) the Onsager–Samaras theory (J Chem Phys (1934) 2:528) modified by taking into account the ion-free layer effect. It is shown that the excess surface tension consists of three parts: the contributions of the ion-free layer, the image interaction between the electrolyte ions and the ion-free layer, and the image interaction between the electrolyte ions and air.