ON SYMMETRIC MULTICOMPONENT DIFFUSION COEFFICIENTS

The symmetric set of Isotropie multicomponent diffusion coefficients introduced by Curtiss in the context of the kinetic theory of dilute gases are given a general definition and shown to possess general symmetry properties by virtue of Onsager reciprocal relations. Their relationships to Onsager coefficients, Curtiss-Hirschfelder diffusion coefficients, and Bearman-Kirkwood multicomponent friction coefficients are established and employed in stability considerations to deduce results which include the vanishing of Curtiss-Hirschfelder thermal diffusion coefficients in dilute solution as a consequence of the second law of thermodynamics.