Theory 02/Molecular & anomalous/Hydrophobic effect
Hydrophobicity Is Cavity Against Tension
The claim
The strength of the hydrophobic interaction is set by the ratio of cavity volume to interfacial tension, so small solutes pair more strongly per unit area than large ones.
01Mechanism
Creating a cavity costs energy proportional to area; bringing solutes together reduces total area.
02Prediction
Pairing strength per unit area should fall with solute size.
03Refutation
Strength scaling with volume would remove the area argument.