Comments on Stearic acid solubility in mixed solvents of (water plus ethanol) and (ethanol plus ethyl acetate): Experimental data and comparison among different thermodynamic models

A polemic is given regarding the author's calculated values pertaining to the goodness-of-fit used to indicate the better of the predictive expressions considered to describe the observed solubility data of stearic acid. In the case of the van't Hoff model the author averaged the individual relative deviations for the solubility of stearic acid in both the ethanol and ethyl acetate mono-solvents. Positive and negative relative individual deviations would thus cancel. For the modified Apelblat model the author averaged the absolute values of the individual relative deviations for the solubility of stearic acid in the two organic mono-solvents. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The author presents a polemic regarding the goodness-of-fit values of the predictive expressions used to describe the solubility data of stearic acid. By averaging relative deviations, positive and negative deviations cancel in the van't Hoff model, while the absolute values of deviations are averaged in the modified Apelblat model.