Failures of meso-phase hypothesis near vapor-liquid critical point

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the meso-phase hypothesis does not accurately predict key thermodynamic properties of argon near the critical point, while Van der Waals EOS provides qualitative insights.

Contribution

It critically evaluates the meso-phase hypothesis and shows its failure to describe thermodynamic properties near the critical point, contrasting with Van der Waals EOS.

Findings

Meso-phase hypothesis fails to match experimental data near critical point.

Van der Waals EOS qualitatively describes excess Gibbs energy and rigidity.

Thermodynamic properties like heat capacities and compressibility are not captured by meso-phase hypothesis.

Abstract

It is shown that the meso-phase hypothesis of Woodcock L. V. fails to describe quantitatively and qualitatively the isochoric and isobaric heat capacities, speed of sound, long wavelength limit of the structural factor, isothermal compressibility, density fluctuations, Joule-Thompson coefficient and isothermal throttling coefficient of argon in the meso-phase region. It is also shown that VdW-EOS can describe qualitatively the excess Gibbs energy and rigidity of argon near critical point.