Faraday law, oxidation numbers, and ionic conductivity: The role of topology

Faraday's experiment measures-within a modern view-the charge adiabatically transported over a macroscopic distance by a given nuclear species in insulating liquids: the reason why it is an integer is deeply rooted in topology. Whole numbers enter chemistry in a different form: atomic oxidation states. They are not directly measurable and are determined instead from an agreed set of rules. Insulating liquids are a remarkable exception; Faraday's experiment indeed measures the oxidation numbers of each dissociated component in the liquid phase, whose topological values are unambiguous. Ionic conductivity in insulating liquids is expressed in terms of the autocorrelation function of the fluctuating charge current at a given temperature in a zero electric field; topology plays a major role in this important observable as well. The existing literature deals with the above issues by adopting the independent-electron framework; here, I provide the many-body generalization of all the above findings, which, furthermore, allows for compact and very transparent notations and formulas. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.

Automated summary

Faraday's experiment measures the adiabatic transport of charge in insulating liquids, with integers deeply rooted in topology. Atomic oxidation states, though important in chemistry, are not directly measurable. Topology plays a major role in ionic conductivity in insulating liquids.