Comment on ‘Kinetics of salt-induced J-aggregation of anionic thiacarbocyanine dye in aqueous solution’ [Chem. Phys. Lett. 390 (2004) 240]

A recent Letter published in this journal presented very interesting experimental results, which undoubtedly provided a key to elucidate the J-aggregation mechanism of a thiacarbocyanine dye. The major conclusions of that Letter are significant and acceptable. However, the calculation in the Letter cannot be reproduced when an usual quasi-equilibrium approximation is adopted, although the Letter assumed a quasi-equilibrium state. The mathematical details of the adopted assumptions should have been described and justified clearly.