Hydrogen Bonding in Liquid Water and in the Hydration Shell of Salts

A near‐IR spectral study on pure water and aqueous salt solutions is used to investigate stoichiometric concentrations of different types of hydrogen‐bonded water species in liquid water and in water comprising the hydration shell of salts. Analysis of the thermodynamics of hydrogen‐bond formation signifies that hydrogen‐bond making and breaking processes are dominated by enthalpy with non‐negligible heat capacity effects, as revealed by the temperature dependence of standard molar enthalpies of hydrogen‐bond formation and from analysis of the linear enthalpy–entropy compensation effects. A generalized method is proposed for the simultaneous calculation of the spectrum of water in the hydration shell and hydration number of solutes. Resolved spectra of water in the hydration shell of different salts clearly differentiate hydrogen bonding of water in the hydration shell around cations and anions. A comparison of resolved liquid water spectra and resolved hydration‐shell spectra of ions highlights that the ordering of absorption frequencies of different kinds of hydrogen‐bonded water species is also preserved in the bound state with significant changes in band position, band width, and band intensity because of the polarization of water molecules in the vicinity of ions.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of atomistic hydration structures of poly(vinyl methyl ether)

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed on the aqueous solutions of poly(vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) at various concentrations. Both radial and spatial distribution functions are used to investigate the detailed hydration structures. The structures of water are found to get increasingly concentrated when polymers are introduced and the water motions are severely hindered by the polymer matrix. At low concentrations, larger populations of tt conformers in meso dyads than those at higher concentrationsare found and this phenomenon is believed to be due to the increasing in bonding of water molecule to two ether oxygens in meso dyad. At higher concentrations, the size and conformations of polymers are quite similar to those in bulk. A transition of hydrogen bond fractions between PVME and water at around the concentration of 0.3 is observed and this value is perfectly in agreement with the results of conformational analysis and Raman spectra. Second neighbor hydrogen bond statistics revealed the domination of complicated hydrogen bond networks at low concentrations, but single hydrogen bonds as well as isolated clusters composed of 2-4 water molecules are usual around each polymer repeat unit.     

Anomalously Enhanced Hydration of Aqueous Electrolyte Solution in Hydrophobic Carbon Nanotubes to Maintain Stability

An understanding of the structure and behavior of electrolyte solutions in nanoenvironements is crucial not only for a wide variety of applications, but also for the development of physical, chemical, and biological processes. We demonstrate the structure and stability of electrolyte in carbon nanotubes using hybrid reverse Monte Carlo simulations of X‐ray diffraction patterns. Hydrogen bonds between water are adequately formed in carbon nanotubes, although some hydrogen bonds are restricted by the interfaces of carbon nanotubes. The hydrogen bonding network of water in electrolyte in the carbon nanotubes is further weakened. On the other hand, formation of the ion hydration shell is significantly enhanced in the electrolyte in the carbon nanotubes in comparison to ion hydration in bulk electrolyte. The significant hydrogen bond and hydration shell formation are a result of gaining stability in the hydrophobic nanoenvironment.     

甘油对冰晶生长抑制作用的分子动力学模拟

采用分子模拟方法研究了正交晶系冰晶(020)生长面在不同浓度甘油水溶液中的生长情况. 通过统计分析氢键数、 密度分布函数、 均方根偏差和原子间径向分布函数研究了水分子和甘油分子的动态行为. 结果表明, 甘油分子在水溶液中可与水分子形成大量氢键, 这使水分子间的氢键作用受到抑制, 降低了水分子的扩散性, 致使冰晶不易成核和生长; 另外, 一些甘油分子可代替水分子吸附在晶面上, 甚至占据晶格位点, 这种行为打破了冰晶的对称性并且降低了冰晶的生长速率. 因此, 甘油可同时在晶面和液相中抑制冰晶的生长.     

Ultrafast energy transfer in water-AOT reverse micelles

A spectroscopic investigation of the vibrational dynamics of water in a geometrically confined environment is presented. Reverse micelles of the ternary microemulsion H2O/AOT/n-octane (AOT = bis-2-ethylhexyl sulfosuccinate or aerosol-OT) with diameters ranging from 1 to 10 nm are used as a model system for nanoscopic water droplets surrounded by a soft-matter boundary. Femtosecond nonlinear infrared spectroscopy in the OH-stretching region of H2O fully confirms the core/shell model, in which the entrapped water molecules partition onto two molecular subensembles: a bulk-like water core and a hydration layer near the ionic surfactant headgroups. These two distinct water species display different relaxation kinetics, as they do not exchange vibrational energy. The observed spectrotemporal ultrafast response exhibits a local character, indicating that the spatial confinement influences approximately one molecular layer located near the water-amphiphile boundary. The core of the encapsulated water droplet is similar in its spectroscopic properties to the bulk phase of liquid water, i.e., it does not display any true confinement effects such as droplet-size-dependent vibrational lifetimes or rotational correlation times. Unlike in bulk water, no intermolecular transfer of OH-stretching quanta occurs among the interfacial water molecules or from the hydration shell to the bulk-like core, indicating that the hydrogen bond network near the H2O/AOT interface is strongly disrupted.     

Hydrogen-Bond Structure and Low-Frequency Dynamics of Electrolyte Solutions: Hydration Numbers from ab Initio Water Reorientation Dynamics and Dielectric Relaxation Spectroscopy

We present an atomistic simulation scheme for the determination of the hydration number (h) of aqueous electrolyte solutions based on the calculation of the water dipole reorientation dynamics. In this methodology, the time evolution of an aqueous electrolyte solution generated from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations is used to compute the reorientation time of different water subpopulations. The value of h is determined by considering whether the reorientation time of the water subpopulations is retarded with respect to bulk-like behavior. The application of this computational protocol to magnesium chloride (MgCl₂) solutions at different concentrations (0.6–2.8 mol kg⁻¹) gives h values in excellent agreement with experimental hydration numbers obtained using GHz-to-THz dielectric relaxation spectroscopy. This methodology is attractive because it is based on a well-defined criterion for the definition of hydration number and provides a link with the molecular-level processes responsible for affecting bulk solution behavior. Analysis of the ab initio molecular dynamics trajectories using radial distribution functions, hydrogen bonding statistics, vibrational density of states, water-water hydrogen bonding lifetimes, and water dipole reorientation reveals that MgCl₂ has a considerable influence on the hydrogen bond network compared with bulk water. These effects have been assigned to the specific strong Mg-water interaction rather than the Cl-water interaction.     

Molecular dynamics study of effects of temperature and concentration on hydrogen-bond abilities of ethylene glycol and glycerol: implications for cryopreservation

The state of intracellular water is important in all phases of cryopreservation. Intracellular water can be transported out of the cell, transferred into its solid phase, or blocked by cryoprotectants and proteins in the cytoplasm. The purpose of the present study is to determine the amount of hydrogen-bonded water in aqueous ethylene glycol and glycerol solutions. The effects of temperature and concentration on the density and the hydrogen bonding characteristics of the solution are evaluated quantitatively in this study. To achieve these aims, a series of molecular dynamics simulations of ethylene glycol/water and glycerol/water mixtures of molalities ranging from 1 to 5 m are conducted at 1 atm and at 273, 285, and 298 K, respectively. The simulation results show that temperature and concentration have variable effects on solution density. The proportion of the hydrogen-bonded water by solute molecules increases with rising molality. The ability of the solute molecules to hydrogen bond with water molecules weakens as the solution becomes more concentrated. Moreover, it turns out that the solution concentration can influence the hydrogen bonding characteristics more greatly than the temperature. The glycerol molecule should be a stronger "water blocker" than the ethylene glycol molecule corresponding to the same conditions. These findings provide insight into the cryoprotective mechanisms of ethylene glycol and glycerol in aqueous solutions, which will confer benefits on the cryopreservation.     

氢键受体与供体数目比与溶质浓度的关系

利用分子动力学方法, 对不同浓度下的甘油水溶液进行了模拟, 分析了溶液的密度和氢键. 模拟得到的密度值与实验值吻合良好, 误差均在5%以内. 研究发现, 水的总受体个数与总供体个数的比值Ф与甘油的浓度cg存在线性关系. 随着溶液浓度的增大, Ф值不断下降, 而其下降值与溶液浓度存在线性关系, 即Ф(0)－Ф(cg)＝bcg.     

Perturbation of water structure due to monovalent ions in solution

The ion induced modification to the tetrahedral structure of water is a topic of much current interest. We address this question by interpreting neutron diffraction data from monovalent ionic solutions of NaCl and KCl using a computer assisted structural modeling technique. We investigate the effect that these ions have on the water-water O-O, O-H and H-H radial distribution functions as a function of ionic concentration. It is found that the O-H and H-H functions are only marginally affected by ionic composition, signaling that hydrogen bonding between water molecules remains largely intact, even at the highest concentrations. On the other hand the O-O functions are strongly modified by the ions. In particular the position of the second peak in g(OO)(r), is found to move inwards with increasing salt concentration, in a manner closely analogous to what happens in pure water under pressure. Furthermore by recalculating g(OO)(r) after excluding all the water molecules in the first hydration shell of each ion, we show that this structural perturbation exists outside the first hydration shell of the ions.     

Molecular dynamics study of hydration in ethanol-water mixtures using a polarizable force field

The abnormal physicochemical characteristics of ethanol solvation in water are commonly attributed to the phenomenon of hydrophobic hydration. To investigate the structural organization of hydrophobic hydration in water-ethanol mixtures, we use molecular dynamics simulations based on detailed atomic models. Induced polarization is incorporated into the potential function on the basis of the classical Drude oscillator model. Water-ethanol mixtures are simulated at 11 ethanol molar fractions, from 0.05 to 0.9. Although the water and ethanol models are parametrized separately to reproduce the vaporization enthalpy, static dielectric constant, and self-diffusion constant of neat liquids at ambient conditions, they also reproduce the energetic and dynamical properties of the mixtures accurately. Furthermore, the calculated dielectric constant for the various water-alcohol mixtures is in excellent agreement with experimental data. The simulations provide a detailed structural characterization of the mixtures. A depletion of water-water hydrogen bonding in the first hydration shell of ethanol is compensated by an enhancement in the second hydration shell. The structuring effect from the second solvation shell gives rise to a net positive hydrogen-bonding excess for ethanol molar fractions up to approximately 0.5. For larger molar fractions, the second hydration shell is not sufficiently populated to overcome the net H-bond depletion from the first shell.     

Effects of ion concentration on the hydrogen bonded structure of water in the vicinity of ions in aqueous NaCl solutions

Molecular dynamics simulations of dilute and concentrated aqueous NaCl solutions are carried out to investigate the changes of the hydrogen bonded structures in the vicinity of ions for different ion concentrations. An analysis of the hydrogen bond population in the first and second solvation shells of the ions and in the bulk water is done. Although essentially no effect of ions on the hydrogen bonding is observed beyond the first solvation shell of the ions for the dilute solutions, for the concentrated solutions a noticeable change in the average number of water-water hydrogen bonds is observed in the second solvation shells of the ions and even beyond. However, the changes in the average number of hydrogen bonds are found to be relatively less when both water-water and ion-water hydrogen bonds are counted. Thus, the changes in the total number of hydrogen bonds per water are not very dramatic beyond the first solvation shell even for concentrated solutions.     

Hydrophobic hydration in an orientational lattice model

To shed light on the microscopic mechanism of hydrophobic hydration, we study a simplified lattice model for water solutions in which the orientational nature of hydrogen bonding as well as the degeneracy related to proton distribution are taken into account. Miscibility properties of the model are looked at for both polar (hydrogen bonding) and nonpolar (non-hydrogen bonding) solutes. A quasichemical solution for the pure system is reviewed and extended to include the different kinds of solute. A Monte Carlo study of our model yields a novel feature for the local structure of the hydration layer: energy correlation relaxation times for solvation water are larger than the corresponding relaxation times for bulk water. This result suggests the presence of ordering of water particles in the first hydration shell. A nonassociating model solvent, represented by a lattice gas, presents opposite behavior, indicating that this effect is a result of the directionality of the interaction. In presence of polar solutes, we find an ordered mixed pseudophase at low temperatures, indicating the possibility of closed loops of immiscibility.     

How homogeneous are the trehalose, maltose, and sucrose water solutions? An insight from molecular dynamics simulations

The structural properties resulting from the reciprocal influence between water and three well-known homologous disaccharides, namely, trehalose, maltose, and sucrose, in aqueous solutions have been investigated in the 4-66 wt % concentration range by means of molecular dynamics computer simulations. Hydration numbers clearly show that trehalose binds to a larger number of water molecules than do maltose or sucrose, thus affecting the water structure to a deeper extent. Two-dimensional radial distribution functions of trehalose solutions definitely reveal that water is preferentially localized at the hydration sites found in the trehalose dihydrate crystal, this tendency being enhanced when increasing trehalose concentration. Over a rather wide concentration range (4-49 wt %), the fluctuations of the radius of gyration and of the glycosidic dihedral angles of trehalose indicate a higher flexibility with respect to maltose and sucrose. At sugar concentrations between 33 and 66 wt %, the mean sugar cluster size and the number of sugar-sugar hydrogen bonds formed within sugar clusters reveal that trehalose is able to form larger clusters than sucrose but smaller than maltose. These features suggest that trehalose-water mixtures would be more homogeneous than the two others, thus reducing both desiccation stresses and ice formation.     

Excess protons in water-acetone mixtures

Using molecular dynamics experiments, we analyze equilibrium and dynamical characteristics related to the solvation of excess protons in water-acetone mixtures. Our approach is based on the implementation of an extended valence-bond Hamiltonian, which incorporates translocation of the excess charge between neighboring water molecules. Different mixtures have been analyzed, starting from the pure water case down to solutions with a water molar fraction x(w) = 0.25. In all cases, we have verified that the structure of the first solvation shell of the H(3)O(+) moiety remains practically unchanged, compared to the one observed in pure water. This shell is composed by three water molecules acting as hydrogen bond acceptors, with no evidence of hydrogen bond donor-like connectivity. Moreover, the increment in the acetone concentration leads to a gradual stabilization of Eigen-like [H(3)O[middle dot](H(2)O)(3)](+) configurations, in detriment of Zundel-like [H[middle dot](H(2)O)(2)](+) ones. Rates of proton transfer and proton diffusion coefficients have been recorded at various water-acetone relative concentrations. In both cases, we have found a transition region, in the vicinity of x(w) ～ 0.8, where the concentration dependences of the two magnitudes change at a quantitative level. A crude estimate shows that, at this tagged concentration, the volumes "occupied" by the two solvents become comparable. The origins of this transition separating water-rich from acetone-rich realms is rationalized in terms of modifications operated in the nearby, second solvation shell, which in the latter solutions, normally includes at least, one acetone molecule. Our results would suggest that one possible mechanism controlling the proton transfer in acetone-rich solutions is the exchange of one of these tagged acetone molecules, by nearby water ones. This exchange would give rise to Zundel-like structures, exhibiting a symmetric, first solvation shell composed exclusively by water molecules, and would facilitate the transfer between neighboring water molecules along the resonant complex.     

Thermal signature of hydrophobic hydration dynamics

Hydrophobic hydration, the perturbation of the aqueous solvent near an apolar solute or interface, is a fundamental ingredient in many chemical and biological processes. Both bulk water and aqueous solutions of apolar solutes behave anomalously at low temperatures for reasons that are not fully understood. Here, we use (2)H NMR relaxation to characterize the rotational dynamics in hydrophobic hydration shells over a wide temperature range, extending down to 243 K. We examine four partly hydrophobic solutes: the peptides N-acetyl-glycine-N'-methylamide and N-acetyl-leucine-N'-methylamide, and the osmolytes trimethylamine N-oxide and tetramethylurea. For all four solutes, we find that water rotates with lower activation energy in the hydration shell than in bulk water below 255 +/- 2 K. At still lower temperatures, water rotation is predicted to be faster in the shell than in bulk. We rationalize this behavior in terms of the geometric constraints imposed by the solute. These findings reverse the classical "iceberg" view of hydrophobic hydration by indicating that hydrophobic hydration water is less ice-like than bulk water. Our results also challenge the "structural temperature" concept. The two investigated osmolytes have opposite effects on protein stability but have virtually the same effect on water dynamics, suggesting that they do not act indirectly via solvent perturbations. The NMR-derived picture of hydrophobic hydration dynamics differs substantially from views emerging from recent quasielastic neutron scattering and pump-probe infrared spectroscopy studies of the same solutes. We discuss the possible reasons for these discrepancies.     

FTIR study of hydrogen bonding of stearic acid with ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide,and acetonitrile in supercritical CO_2

FTIR spectroscopy was used to study the hydrogen bonding of stearic acid with ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO),and acetonitrile in supercritical CO_2 at 318.15 K, and 12.5 and 16.5 MPa. The concentrations of the cosolvents range from 0—0.6 mol·L~(-1). The area percentage of absorption bands for hydrogen-bonded and nonhydrogen-bonded species was obtained from the IR spectra. The acid and the cosolvents can form hydrogen bond even when their concentrations are very low. At fixed solute concentration, the extent of hydrogenbonding increases with cosolvent concentration. At higher ethanol concentrations, it seems that one stearic acid molecule can hydrogen bond with more than one ethanol molecules simultaneously. It is seen that the strength of the hydrogen bond formed by the acid and the cosolvents is in the order: DMSO>ethanol>acetonitrile.     

1H NMR研究溶质浓度对三碳多元醇水溶液氢键作用以及玻璃化的影响

为考察溶质浓度对三碳多元醇水溶液氢键作用以及不同物质玻璃态形成能力的影响,采用¹H NMR外标法研究不同浓度的1-丙醇（NPA）,2-丙醇（IPA）,1,2-丙二醇（PG）,1,3-丙二醇（PD）和丙三醇（glycerol）的水溶液在室温常压下质子化学位移.结果表明:具有CH₃CH（OH）一基团的PG烷基质子的化学位移变化趋势与其他几种醇相比有较大差异.醇羟基质子与水分子的氧形成较强O-H…O氢键.相同摩尔分数下,羟基数的增加导致水质子和羟基质子的化学位移降低,而且羟基位置不同也会导致水质子和羟基质子化学位移差异.这几种三碳多元醇碱性强弱的顺序和降低冰的均相成核温度能力的顺序一致,即glycerol>PG>PD>IPA>NPA,¹H NMR技术表明glycerol和PG更适合用作低温保护剂.     

二氟尼柳/水滑石插层组装结构、氢键及水合特性的分子动力学模拟

采用分子动力学方法模拟二氟尼柳插层水滑石(DIF/LDHs)的超分子结构, 研究复合材料主客体间形成的氢键以及水合膨胀特性.结果表明, 当水分子总数与DIF分子总数之比Nw≤3时, 层间距dc保持基本恒定, 约1.80 nm; 当Nw≥4时, 层间距逐渐增大, 且符合dc=1.2611Nw+13.63线性方程. 随着水分子个数增加, 水合能驻UH逐渐增大. 当Nw≤16时, 由于⊿UH<-41.84 kJ·mol-1, LDHs-DIF可以持续吸收水, 从而使材料层间距不断膨胀. 但当Nw≥24时, ⊿UH>-41.84 kJ·mol-1, 此时LDHs-DIF层间不能再进一步水合, 因此LDHs-DIF在水环境中膨胀具有一定的限度. 水滑石层间存在复杂的氢键网络. DIF/LDHs水合过程中, 水分子首先同步与层板和阴离子构成氢键; 当阴离子趋于饱和后, 水分子继续与层板形成氢键, 并逐步发生L-W型氢键取代L-A型氢键, 驱使阴离子向层间中央移动, 与层板发生隔离; 最后水分子在水滑石羟基表面形成有序结构化水层.     

Relaxation and jump dynamics of water at the mica interface

The orientational relaxation dynamics of water confined between mica surfaces is investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The study illustrates the wide heterogeneity that exists in the dynamics of water adjacent to a strongly hydrophilic surface such as mica. Analysis of the survival probabilities in different layers is carried out by normalizing the corresponding relaxation times with bulk water layers of similar thickness. A 10-fold increase in the survival times is observed for water directly in contact with the mica surface and a non-monotonic variation in the survival times is observed moving away from the mica surface to the bulk-like interior. The orientational relaxation time is highest for water in the contact layer, decreasing monotonically away from the surface. In all cases the ratio of the relaxation times of the 1st and 2nd rank Legendre polynomials of the HH bond vector is found to lie between 1.5 and 1.9 indicating that the reorientational relaxation in the different water layers is governed by jump dynamics. The orientational dynamics of water in the contact layer is particularly novel and is found to undergo distinct two-dimensional hydrogen bond jump reorientational dynamics with an average waiting time of 4.97 ps. The waiting time distribution is found to possess a long tail extending beyond 15 ps. Unlike previously observed jump dynamics in bulk water and other surfaces, jump events in the mica contact layer occur between hydrogen bonds formed by the water molecule and acceptor oxygens on the mica surface. Despite slowing down of the water orientational relaxation near the surface, life-times of water in the hydration shell of the K(+) ion are comparable to that observed in bulk salt solutions.     

Spectroscopic and acoustic study in binary mixtures of glycerol with several alkanols

Speeds of sound and densities of glycerol + methanol, glycerol + ethanol and glycerol + 2-propanol, were measured over the entire composition range at 298.15 K. The excess volumes, the isentropic compressibilities, molar isentropic compressibilities and excess molar isentropic compressibilities and excess speeds of sound were estimated from the densities and speeds of sound. The results indicated the presence of interactions between unlike molecules through intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The excess volumes, excess molar isentropic compressibilities and excess speeds of sound of the binary mixtures were fitted to the Redlich–Kister equation. The infrared spectra of glycerol + methanol, glycerol + ethanol and glycerol + 2-propanol have been recorded for various concentrations at room temperature. IR stretching frequencies, bandwidths and relative intensities have been estimated and analysed. Acoustic and spectroscopic measurements showed a good correlation to explain the existence of interactions between unlike molecules through intermolecular hydrogen bonding.