b S Supporting Information P rotein crystallization is typically realized by the addition of a salt or an organic solvent to a supersaturated protein solution to decrease the protein solubility. "Salting out" is a method for separating proteins, in which the hydrated salt ions reduce the number of water molecules available for interaction with the proteins. Protein solubility is a macroscopic property resulting from various molecular interactions, including proteinÀprotein, proteinÀion, ionÀwater, and waterÀprotein interactions, and depends on temperature, pH, ion species, and concentration. At low salt concentrations, a "salting-in" region exists, where favorable interactions occur between the protein surface charges and the salt ions in solution to increase protein solubility, which is sometimes associated with protein unfolding. At higher salt concentrations, the repulsive electrostatic interactions are screened, resulting in protein stabilization, and proteinÀprotein interactions such as hydrophobic interactions and dispersion forces can drive aggregation and precipitation. 1À4 The effect of ion species on the solubility of proteins is classified by the well-known Hofmeister series, defined by the concentration of a particular salt needed to precipitate proteins from whole egg white. 5,6 The series are usually given in terms of the ability of the ions to stabilize the structure of proteins. Although Hofmeister ion effects on protein stability are widely reported in protein research, the mechanism is not entirely clear to date. Most previous research on Hofmeister ion effects on proteinÀprotein interactions has been performed in bulk liquids by varying ion species and concentration. 4,7À11The surface tension, that is, the surface free energy per area, can be regarded as the work in bringing a molecule from the interior of a liquid to the surface and is strongly affected by molecular forces and configurations. 12 When salt ions dissociate in water, the magnitude of the surface tension increment indicates the energy required to separate the ions from the water molecules. The molar surface tension increment of the salt has been known to follow the rank order of the Hofmeister series. 13À15 Several recent experiments and computer simulations 16 looking at interfaces have revealed that the propensity for salt anions to adsorb at an airÀwater interface follows an inverse Hofmeister series, that is, strongly hydrated anions effective in precipitating proteins do not adsorb at the airÀwater interface and vice versa. 17 These results suggest that studying the surface adsorption of proteins in a salt solution could provide valuable insight into the salting out of proteins generally.Proteins adsorb at airÀwater interfaces as surfactants. The effect of salt on protein adsorption under equilibrium conditions has been studied by surface pressure measurements, surfacespecific spectroscopies, and neutron reflectometry. 18À22 The amount of adsorption and the thickness of the interfacial layer are strongly dependent on the ...