On the surface tension and shear viscosity of square-well fluids

Closed analytical expressions for the surface tension and the shear viscosity coefficient of a square-well fluid have been obtained using the mean spherical model approximation (MSMA) and the exact hard sphere equation of state given by Carnahan and Stirling. The expressions are then used to calculate these properties for some real fluids. The fair agreement between the calculated and experimental values in the case of several symmetric nonpolar molecules, suggests that the representation of the attractive tail by a square-well potential is a satisfactory one even in the calculation of these complex properties and that the use of MSMA in the elucidation of the equilibrium and transport properties of liquids provides a more or less satisfactory and convenient approach.