Reply to the Comment on “Measurement of the hydration numbers for halide ions by the mass spectrometric method of field evaporation of ions out of solution” [Chem. Phys. Lett. 242 (1995) 390]

We do not think that we have misled readers by our use of the `hydration numberʹ N(h) and the `coordination numberʹ N(c). Our definitions coincide with the conventional ones. We agree with Symons that the number of water molecules in the ion cluster, moving in solution, fluctuates.