Aqueous Basic Solutions: Hydroxide Solvation, Structural Diffusion, and Comparison to the Hydrated Proton

A scientific review informed about the anomalous diffusion of hydroxide in basic solutions OH-. The discussion was initiated with a review of structural diffusion of H+ in acidic solutions, enabling a comparison to be made. The presentation was based on the formal and unifying 'presolvation concept' that was explained within the context of the H+ diffusion process. A theoretical formalism was used by the researchers to connect the qualitative predictions of the presolvation concept to actual mechanisms and the resulting kinetics in quantitative detail. The theoretical formalism allowed structural diffusion to be analyzed on the basis of appropriately defined population correlation functions. This theoretical framework led to consistent sets of various lifetimes and rates for OH- that were directly compared to H+.