THE HOFMEISTER SERIES - SALT AND SOLVENT EFFECTS ON INTERFACIAL PHENOMENA

Advances in experimental and computational methodologies have led to a recent renewed interest in the Hofmeister series and its molecular or igins. New results are surveyed and assessed. Insights into the underl ying mechanisms have been gained, although deeper molecular understand ing still seems to be elusive. The principal reason appears to be that the Hofmeister series emerges from a combination of a general effect of cosolutes (salts, etc.) on solvent structure, and of specific inter actions between the cosolutes and the solute (protein or other biopoly mer). Hence every system needs to be studied individually in detail, a state of affairs which is likely to continue for some time. A deeper understanding of the Hofmeister series can be an extraordinarily valua ble guide to designing experiments, including not only those probing t he series per se, but also those designed to elucidate the adsorption, aggregation and stabilization phenomena which underlie so many biolog ical events. The aim of this review is to provide an up-to-date framew ork to guide such understanding, consolidating recent advances in the many fields on which. the Hofmeister series impinges.