Towards a microscopic theory of hydrophobic solutions

The distinguishing features of water and apolar solute molecular potentials responsible for the behaviour of hydrophobic solutions are inferred from a consideration of the thermodynamic properties of bulk water. These molecular properties are built into exactly soluble models in one dimension, and their necessity underlined by a comparison of models which give normal and hydrophobic solution thermodynamics. The form of solute–solvent and solute–solute molecular distribution functions is explored, and used to infer the nature of solute induced structure and the solvent-mediated hydrophobic interaction between apolar molecules in water.