Electrochemical Surface Potential Due to Classical Point Charge Models Drives Anion Adsorption to the Air–Water Interface

Abstract

We demonstrate that the driving forces for ion adsorption to the air–water interface for point charge models result from both cavitation and a term that is of the form of a negative electrochemical surface potential. We carefully characterize the role of the free energy due to the <i>electrochemical</i> surface potential computed from simple empirical models and its role in ionic adsorption within the context of dielectric continuum theory. Our research suggests that the electrochemical surface potential due to point charge models provides anions with a significant driving force for adsoprtion to the air–water interface. This is contrary to the results of ab initio simulations that indicate that the <i>average electrostatic</i> surface potential should favor the desorption of anions at the air–water interface. The results have profound implications for the studies of ionic distributions in the vicinity of hydrophobic surfaces and proteins