Bubston structure of water and aqueous solutions of electrolytes

Theoretical concepts of the existence of stable gas bubbles (bubstons) in pure water and aqueous solutions of electrolytes that are in equilibrium with an external gas medium have been developed. A theoretical model of ion adsorption on the water surface is proposed, and the double electric layer forming due to this absorption is quantitatively described within this model. These results allowed us to make a thermodynamic description of the bubston structure in the water-external gas medium system. It is shown that the formation of this structure at certain temperatures and concentrations of dissolved impurity ions is a first-order phase transition. The unique role of helium as an external gas medium in the problem under consideration is established: bubston structures in this case do not arise at any initial ion concentrations, whereas the helium solubility increases with temperature. The mechanism of formation for experimentally observed bubston clusters is considered.