Theory of the solvent effect on the molar refraction, polarization, Kerr and Cotton-Mouton constants of non-polar solutes

Abstract

Classical statistical-mechanical theories for refractivity, dielectric polarization, and the Kerr and Cotton-Mouton effects are extended to examine interactions between anisotropic non-dipolar solutes and isotropically polarizable solvent molecules. These solvent effects are related to molecular polarizabilities and susceptibilities by correlation tensors which describe the anisotropy in the molecular distribution near a solute molecule. The solvent effects on molecular refraction and dielectric polarization are normally small but they may be large in the Kerr and Cotton-Mouton effects.