Arieh Ben-Naim - Böcker

This book presents new and updated developments in the molecular theory of mixtures and solutions. It is based on the theory of Kirkwood and Buff which was published more than fifty years ago. This theory has been dormant for almost two decades. It has recently become a very powerful and general tool to analyze, study and understand any type of mixtures from the molecular, or the microscopic point of view. The traditional approach to mixture has been, for many years, based on the study of excess thermodynamic quantities. This provides a kind of global information on the system. The new approach provides information on the local properties of the same system. Thus, the new approach supplements and enriches our information on mixtures and solutions.

This book presents new and updated developments in the molecular theory of mixtures and solutions. It is based on the theory of Kirkwood and Buff which was published more than fifty years ago. This theory has been dormant for almost two decades. It has recently become a very powerful and general tool to analyze, study and understand any type of mixtures from the molecular, or the microscopic point of view. The traditional approach to mixture has been, for many years, based on the study of excess thermodynamic quantities. This provides a kind of global information on the system. The new approach provides information on the local properties of the same system. Thus, the new approach supplements and enriches our information on mixtures and solutions.

The Kirkwood-Buff Theory of Solutions: With Selected Applications to Solvation and Proteins presents the Kirkwood-Buff (KB) Theory of solution in a simple and didactic manner, making it understandable to those with minimal background in thermodynamics. Aside from the fact that the KB Theory may be the most important and useful theory of solutions, it is also the most general theory that can be applied to all possible solutions, including aqueous solutions of proteins and nucleic acids. Introductory chapters give readers grounding in the necessary chemical thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, but then move to a systematic derivation of Kirkwood-Buff theory and its inversion.

Originally published in 1951, the KB theory was dormant for over 20 years. It became extremely useful after the publication of the "Inversion of the KB theory" by the author Arieh Ben-Naim in 1978. The book explains all necessary concepts in statistical mechanics featured in the theory in a simple and intuitive way. Researchers will find the theory useful in solving any problem in mixtures or solutions in any phase. Some examples of applications of the KB theory, to water, aqueous solutions, protein folding, and self-association of proteins, are provided in the book.

Presents an authoritative accounting of the Kirkwood-Buff (KB) Theory of solution as well as the derivation of the inversion of the Kirkwood-Buff TheoryProvides a grounding in the necessary chemical thermodynamics and statistical mechanicsFeatures useful examples of the applications of KB Theory to water, aqueous solutions, protein folding, and self-association of proteinsWritten by world-renowned expert Arieh Ben-Naim, who himself developed the "inversion" of Kirkwood-Buff theory

The molecular theory of water and aqueous solutions has only recently emerged as a new entity of research, although its roots may be found in age-old works. The purpose of this book is to present the molecular theory of aqueous fluids based on the framework of the general theory of liquids. The style of the book is introductory in character, but the reader is presumed to be familiar with the basic properties of water [for instance, the topics reviewed by Eisenberg and Kauzmann (1969)] and the elements of classical thermodynamics and statistical mechanics [e.g., Denbigh (1966), Hill (1960)] and to have some elementary knowledge of probability [e.g., Feller (1960), Papoulis (1965)]. No other familiarity with the molecular theory of liquids is presumed. For the convenience of the reader, we present in Chapter 1 the rudi­ ments of statistical mechanics that are required as prerequisites to an under­ standing of subsequent chapters. This chapter contains a brief and concise survey of topics which may be adopted by the reader as the fundamental "rules of the game," and from here on, the development is very slow and detailed.

The book introduces the concept of frustration and discusses the question of the quantification of this concept within information theory (IT), while it also focuses on the interpretation of the entropy of systems of interacting particles in terms of the SMI and of mutual information.

This book focuses on analysing the applications of the Shannon Measure of Information (SMI). The book introduces the concept of frustration and discusses the question of the quantification of this concept within information theory (IT), while it also focuses on the interpretation of the entropy of systems of interacting particles in terms of the SMI and of mutual information. The author examines the question of the possibility of measuring the extent of frustration using mutual information and discusses some classical examples of processes of mixing and assimilation for which the entropy changes are interpreted in terms of SMI. A description of a few binding systems and the interpretation of cooperativity phenomena in terms of mutual information are also presented, along with a detailed discussion on the general method of using maximum SMI in order to find the “best-guess” probability distribution. This book is a valuable contribution to the field of information theory and will be of great interest to any scientist who is interested in IT and in its potential applications.

This monograph presents the molecular theory and necessary tools for the study of solvent-induced interactions and forces. After introducing the reader to the basic definitions of solvent-induced interactions, the author provides a brief analysis of the statistical thermodynamics. The book thoroughly overviews the connection of those interactions with thermodynamics and consequently focuses on specifically discussing the hydrophobic-hydrophilic interactions and forces. The importance of the implementation of hydrophilic interactions and forces in various biochemical processes is thoroughly analyzed, while evidence based on theory, experiments, and simulated calculations supporting that hydrophilic interactions and forces are far more important than the corresponding hydrophobic effects in many biochemical processes such as protein folding, self-assembly of proteins, molecular recognitions, are described in detail. This title is of great interest to students and researchers working in the fields of chemistry, physics, biochemistry, and molecular biology.

This monograph presents the molecular theory and necessary tools for the study of solvent-induced interactions and forces. After introducing the reader to the basic definitions of solvent-induced interactions, the author provides a brief analysis of the statistical thermodynamics. The book thoroughly overviews the connection of those interactions with thermodynamics and consequently focuses on specifically discussing the hydrophobic-hydrophilic interactions and forces. The importance of the implementation of hydrophilic interactions and forces in various biochemical processes is thoroughly analyzed, while evidence based on theory, experiments, and simulated calculations supporting that hydrophilic interactions and forces are far more important than the corresponding hydrophobic effects in many biochemical processes such as protein folding, self-assembly of proteins, molecular recognitions, are described in detail. This title is of great interest to students and researchers working in the fields of chemistry, physics, biochemistry, and molecular biology.

This monograph explores the interdisciplinary applications of information theory, focusing on the concepts of entropy, mutual information, and their implications in various fields.

This monograph explores the interdisciplinary applications of information theory, focusing on the concepts of entropy, mutual information, and their implications in various fields. It explains the fundamental differences between entropy and Shannon’s Measure of Information (SMI), presents the application of information theory to living systems and psychology, and also discusses the role of entropy in art. It critically overviews the definition of correlations and multivariate mutual information.These notions are used to build a new perspective for understanding the irreversibility of processes in macroscopic systems, while the dynamical laws governing the microscopic components are reversible. It also delves into the use of mutual information in linguistics, cryptography, steganography, and communication systems. The book details the theoretical and practical aspects of information theory across a spectrum of disciplines and is a useful tool for any scientist interested in what is usually called entropy.

This book is unique in presenting all aspects of water. It includes discussion of the theory of a water molecule, its properties, both in the pure state and as a solvent. In particular, it emphasizes the relevance of water to life.Water is the most important liquid. It is also a vital component of all living systems. It has very unusual properties which makes it the most interesting for research and study.

This book is unique in presenting all aspects of water. It includes discussion of the theory of a water molecule, its properties, both in the pure state and as a solvent. In particular, it emphasizes the relevance of water to life.Water is the most important liquid. It is also a vital component of all living systems. It has very unusual properties which makes it the most interesting for research and study.

In this unique book, Arieh Ben-Naim invites the reader to experience the joy of appreciating something which has eluded understanding for many years — entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics.The book has a two-pronged message: first, that the Second Law is not “infinitely incomprehensible” as commonly stated in textbooks of thermodynamics but can, in fact, be comprehended through sheer common sense; and second, that entropy is not a mysterious quantity that has “resisted understanding” but a simple, familiar and easily comprehensible concept.Written in an accessible style, the book guides the reader through an abundance of dice games and examples from everyday life. The author paves the way for readers to discover for themselves what entropy is, how it changes, and most importantly, why it always changes in one direction in a spontaneous process.

In this unique book, Arieh Ben-Naim invites the reader to experience the joy of appreciating something which has eluded understanding for many years — entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics.The book has a two-pronged message: first, that the Second Law is not “infinitely incomprehensible” as commonly stated in textbooks of thermodynamics but can, in fact, be comprehended through sheer common sense; and second, that entropy is not a mysterious quantity that has “resisted understanding” but a simple, familiar and easily comprehensible concept.Written in an accessible style, the book guides the reader through an abundance of dice games and examples from everyday life. The author paves the way for readers to discover for themselves what entropy is, how it changes, and most importantly, why it always changes in one direction in a spontaneous process.

The principal message of this book is that thermodynamics and statistical mechanics will benefit from replacing the unfortunate, misleading and mysterious term “entropy” with a more familiar, meaningful and appropriate term such as information, missing information or uncertainty. This replacement would facilitate the interpretation of the “driving force” of many processes in terms of informational changes and dispel the mystery that has always enshrouded entropy.It has been 140 years since Clausius coined the term “entropy”; almost 50 years since Shannon developed the mathematical theory of “information” — subsequently renamed “entropy”. In this book, the author advocates replacing “entropy” by “information”, a term that has become widely used in many branches of science.The author also takes a new and bold approach to thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. Information is used not only as a tool for predicting distributions but as the fundamental cornerstone concept of thermodynamics, held until now by the term “entropy”.The topics covered include the fundamentals of probability and information theory; the general concept of information as well as the particular concept of information as applied in thermodynamics; the re-derivation of the Sackur-Tetrode equation for the entropy of an ideal gas from purely informational arguments; the fundamental formalism of statistical mechanics; and many examples of simple processes the “driving force” for which is analyzed in terms of information.

The principal message of this book is that thermodynamics and statistical mechanics will benefit from replacing the unfortunate, misleading and mysterious term “entropy” with a more familiar, meaningful and appropriate term such as information, missing information or uncertainty. This replacement would facilitate the interpretation of the “driving force” of many processes in terms of informational changes and dispel the mystery that has always enshrouded entropy.It has been 140 years since Clausius coined the term “entropy”; almost 50 years since Shannon developed the mathematical theory of “information” — subsequently renamed “entropy”. In this book, the author advocates replacing “entropy” by “information”, a term that has become widely used in many branches of science.The author also takes a new and bold approach to thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. Information is used not only as a tool for predicting distributions but as the fundamental cornerstone concept of thermodynamics, held until now by the term “entropy”.The topics covered include the fundamentals of probability and information theory; the general concept of information as well as the particular concept of information as applied in thermodynamics; the re-derivation of the Sackur-Tetrode equation for the entropy of an ideal gas from purely informational arguments; the fundamental formalism of statistical mechanics; and many examples of simple processes the “driving force” for which is analyzed in terms of information.

In this unique book, the reader is invited to experience the joy of appreciating something which has eluded understanding for many years — entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The book has a two-pronged message: first, that the second law is not infinitely incomprehensible as commonly stated in most textbooks on thermodynamics, but can, in fact, be comprehended through sheer common sense; and second, that entropy is not a mysterious quantity that has resisted understanding but a simple, familiar and easily comprehensible concept.Written in an accessible style, the book guides the reader through an abundance of dice games and examples from everyday life. The author paves the way for readers to discover for themselves what entropy is, how it changes, and, most importantly, why it always changes in one direction in a spontaneous process.In this new edition, seven simulated games are included so that the reader can actually experiment with the games described in the book. These simulated games are meant to enhance the readers' understanding and sense of joy upon discovering the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

The aim of this book is to explain the unusual properties of both pure liquid water and simple aqueous solutions, in terms of the properties of single molecules and interactions among small numbers of water molecules. It is mostly the result of the author's own research spanning over 40 years in the field of aqueous solutions. An understanding of the properties of liquid water is a prelude to the understanding of the role of water in biological systems and for the evolvement of life.The book is targeted at anyone who is interested in the outstanding properties of water and its role in biological systems. It is addressed to both students and researchers in chemistry, physics and biology.

"It can be used as a supplementary material for teaching thermodynamics and statistical physics at an undergraduate or postgraduate level and can be a great read for undergraduate and postgraduate students of Sciences and Engineering."Contemporary PhysicsIn this unique book, the reader is invited to experience the joy of appreciating something which has eluded understanding for many years — entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The book has a two-pronged message: first, that the Second Law is not infinitely incomprehensible as commonly stated in most textbooks on thermodynamics, but can, in fact, be comprehended through sheer common sense; and second, that entropy is not a mysterious quantity that has resisted understanding but a simple, familiar and easily comprehensible concept.Written in an accessible style, the book guides the reader through an abundance of dice games and examples from everyday life. The author paves the way for readers to discover for themselves what entropy is, how it changes, and, most importantly, why it always changes in one direction in a spontaneous process.In this new edition, seven simulated games are included so that the reader can actually experiment with the games described in the book. These simulated games are meant to enhance the readers' understanding and sense of joy upon discovering the Second Law of Thermodynamics.All errors in the previous edition were corrected and a whole new section (7.7) has been added in which the meaning of entropy is explain in simple lanaguage.

"It can be used as a supplementary material for teaching thermodynamics and statistical physics at an undergraduate or postgraduate level and can be a great read for undergraduate and postgraduate students of Sciences and Engineering."Contemporary PhysicsIn this unique book, the reader is invited to experience the joy of appreciating something which has eluded understanding for many years — entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The book has a two-pronged message: first, that the Second Law is not infinitely incomprehensible as commonly stated in most textbooks on thermodynamics, but can, in fact, be comprehended through sheer common sense; and second, that entropy is not a mysterious quantity that has resisted understanding but a simple, familiar and easily comprehensible concept.Written in an accessible style, the book guides the reader through an abundance of dice games and examples from everyday life. The author paves the way for readers to discover for themselves what entropy is, how it changes, and, most importantly, why it always changes in one direction in a spontaneous process.In this new edition, seven simulated games are included so that the reader can actually experiment with the games described in the book. These simulated games are meant to enhance the readers' understanding and sense of joy upon discovering the Second Law of Thermodynamics.All errors in the previous edition were corrected and a whole new section (7.7) has been added in which the meaning of entropy is explain in simple lanaguage.

"Ben-Naim convincingly argues that SMI not only gives a simpler and more broadly applicable definition of entropy, but also clears up much of the historical and modern confusion surrounding the second law. This book will interest any individual who wants to understand how SMI gives a clear definition of entroy."CHOICE ConnectThis book discusses the proper definitions of entropy, the valid interpretation of entropy and some useful applications of the concept of entropy. Unlike many books which apply the concept of entropy to systems for which it is not even defined (such as living systems, black holes and the entire universe), these applications will help the reader to understand the meaning of entropy. It also emphasizes the limitations of the applicability of the concept of entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics. As with the previous books by the author, this book aims at a clear and mystery-free presentation of the central concept in thermodynamics — the entropy.In this book, the concepts of entropy and the Second Law are presented in a friendly, simple language. It is devoid of all kinds of fancy and pompous statements made by authors of popular science books who write on this subject.

"Ben-Naim convincingly argues that SMI not only gives a simpler and more broadly applicable definition of entropy, but also clears up much of the historical and modern confusion surrounding the second law. This book will interest any individual who wants to understand how SMI gives a clear definition of entroy."CHOICE ConnectThis book discusses the proper definitions of entropy, the valid interpretation of entropy and some useful applications of the concept of entropy. Unlike many books which apply the concept of entropy to systems for which it is not even defined (such as living systems, black holes and the entire universe), these applications will help the reader to understand the meaning of entropy. It also emphasizes the limitations of the applicability of the concept of entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics. As with the previous books by the author, this book aims at a clear and mystery-free presentation of the central concept in thermodynamics — the entropy.In this book, the concepts of entropy and the Second Law are presented in a friendly, simple language. It is devoid of all kinds of fancy and pompous statements made by authors of popular science books who write on this subject.

This textbook introduces thermodynamics with a modern approach, starting from four fundamental physical facts (the atomic nature of matter, the indistinguishability of atoms and molecules of the same species, the uncertainty principle, and the existence of equilibrium states) and analyzing the behavior of complex systems with the tools of information theory, in particular with Shannon's measure of information (or SMI), which can be defined on any probability distribution. SMI is defined and its properties and time evolution are illustrated, and it is shown that the entropy is a particular type of SMI, i.e. the SMI related to the phase-space distribution for a macroscopic system at equilibrium. The connection to SMI allows the reader to understand what entropy is and why isolated systems follow the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The Second Llaw is also formulated for other systems, not thermally isolated and even open with respect to the transfer of particles. All the fundamental aspects of thermodynamics are derived and illustrated with several examples in the first part of the book. The second part addresses important applications of thermodynamics, covering phase transitions, mixtures and solutions (including the Kirkwood-Buff approach and solvation thermodynamics), chemical equilibrium, and the outstanding properties of water.This textbook is unique in two aspects. First, thermodynamics is introduced with a novel approach, based on information theory applied to macroscopic systems at equilibrium. It is shown that entropy is a particular case of Shannon's measure of information (SMI), and the properties and time evolution of the SMI are used to explain the Second Law of Thermodynamics. This represents a real breakthrough, as classical thermodynamics cannot explain entropy, nor clarify why systems should obey the Second Law. Second, this textbook offers the reader the possibility to get in touch with important and advanced applications of thermodynamics, to address the topics discussed in the second part of the book. Although they may go beyond the content of a typical introductory course on thermodynamics, some of them can be important in the curriculum chosen by the student. At the same time, they are of appealing interest to more advanced scholars.