Nanometer-scale ion aggregates in aqueous electrolyte solutions: guanidinium carbonate

Neutron diffraction with isotopic substitution (NDIS) experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been used to characterize the structure of aqueous guanidinium carbonate (Gdm2CO3) solutions. The MD simulations found very strong hetero-ion pairing in Gdm2CO3 solution and were used to determine the best structural experiment to demonstrate this ion pairing. The NDIS experiments confirm the most significant feature of the MD simulation, which is the existence of strong hetero-ion pairing between the Gdm+ and CO3(2-) ions. The neutron structural data also support the most interesting feature of the MD simulation, that the hetero-ion pairing is sufficiently strong as to lead to nanometer-scale aggregation of the ions. The presence of such clustering on the nanometer length scale was then confirmed using small-angle neutron scattering experiments. Taken together, the experiment and simulation suggest a molecular-level explanation for the contrasting denaturant properties of guanidinium salts in solution.     

Nanometer-scale ion aggregates in aqueous electrolyte solutions: guanidinium sulfate and guanidinium thiocyanate

Neutron diffraction experiments and molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the structure of aqueous solutions of two electrolytes: guanidinium sulfate (a mild protein conformation stabilizer) and guanidinium thiocyanate (a powerful denaturant). The MD simulations find the unexpected result that in the Gdm2SO4 solution the ions aggregated into mesoscopic (nanometer-scale) clusters, while no such aggregation is found in the GdmSCN solution. The neutron diffraction studies, the most direct experimental probe of solution structure, provide corroborating evidence that the predicted very strong ion pairing does occur in solutions of 1.5 m Gdm2SO4 but not in 3 m solutions of GdmSCN. A mechanism is proposed as to how this mesoscopic solution structure affects solution denaturant properties and suggests an explanation for the Hofmeister ordering of these solutions in terms of this ion pairing and the ability of sulfate to reverse the denaturant power of guanidinium.     

Neutron diffraction and computer simulation studies of D-xylose

Neutron diffraction with isotopic substitution (NDIS) experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been used to examine the pentose D-xylose in aqueous solution. By specifically labeling D-xylose molecules with a deuterium atom at the nonexchangeable hydrogen position on C4, it was possible to extract information about the atomic structuring around just that specific position. The MD simulations were found to give satisfactory agreement with the experimental NDIS results and could be used to help interpret the scattering data in terms of the solvent structuring as well as the intramolecular hydroxyl conformations. Although the experiment is challenging and on the limit of modern instrumentation, it is possible by careful analysis, in conjunction with MD studies, to show that the conformation trans to H4 at 180 degrees is strongly disfavored, in excellent agreement with the MD results. This is the first attempt to use NDIS experiments to determine the rotameric conformation of a hydroxyl group.     

The structure of aqueous guanidinium chloride solutions

The combination of neutron diffraction with isotopic substitution (NDIS) experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to characterize the structuring in an aqueous solution of the denaturant guanidinium chloride is described. The simulations and experiments were carried out at a concentration of 3 m at room temperature, allowing for an examination of any propensity for ion association in a realistic solution environment. The simulations satisfactorily reproduced the principal features of the neutron scattering and indicate a bimodal hydration of the guanidinium ions, with the N-H groups making well-ordered hydrogen bonds in the molecular plane, but with the planar faces relatively deficient in interactions with water. The most striking feature of these solutions is the rich ion-ion ordering observed around the guanidinium ion in the simulations. The marked tendency of the guanidinium ions to stack parallel to their water-deficient surfaces indicates that the efficiency of this ion as a denaturant is due to its ability to simultaneously interact favorably with both water and hydrophobic side chains of proteins.     

Structure of aqueous glucose solutions as determined by neutron diffraction with isotopic substitution experiments and molecular dynamics calculations

Neutron diffraction with isotopic substitution (NDIS) experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been used to examine the structuring of solvent around d-glucose in aqueous solution. As expected, no significant tendency for glucose molecules to aggregate was found in either the experiments or the simulation. To the extent that solute pairing does occur as the result of the high concentration, it was found to take place through hydroxyl-hydroxyl hydrogen bonds, in competition with water molecules for the same hydrogen-bonding sites. A detailed analysis of the hydrogen-bonding patterns occurring in the simulations found that the sugar hydroxyl groups are more efficient hydrogen bond donors than acceptors. From the comparison of the MD and NDIS data, it was found that while the modeling generally does a satisfactory job in reproducing the experimental data the force fields may produce sugar rings that are too rigid and thus may require future revisions.     

Extraction properties of organic salts of acidic phosphoryl podands and trioctylamine with respect to cesium

The extraction ability of the organic salt of acidic phosphoryl podand (1,5-bis(o-(hydroxyethoxyphosphoryl)phenoxy)-3-oxapentane) and trioctylamine with respect to cesium in nitric acid and carbonate media is investigated. The extraction ability of the organic salts of acidic phosphoryl podand and trioctylamine are compared to those of dibenzo-18-crown-6 and di-tert-butyldicyclohexano-18-crown-6. It is shown that organic salts of this type have a significant advantage in the extraction of cesium from nitric acid and carbonate solutions.     

Bonding energetics in clusters formed by cesium salts: a study by collision-induced dissociation and density functional theory

In relation to the interaction between (137)Cs and soil organic matter, electrospray mass spectrometry experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out on the dissociation of positively charged adducts formed by cesium nitrate and cesium organic salts attached to a cesium cation [Cs(CsNO(3))(CsA)](+) (A = benzoate, salicylate, hydrogen phthalate, hydrogen maleate, hydrogen fumarate, hydrogen oxalate, and hydrogen malonate ion). These mixed clusters were generated by electrospray from methanol solutions containing cesium nitrate and an organic acid. Collision-induced dissociation of [Cs(CsNO(3))(CsA)](+) in a quadrupole ion trap gave [Cs(CsNO(3))](+) and [Cs(CsA)](+) as major product ions. Loss of HNO(3) was observed, and also CO(2) loss in the case of A = hydrogen malonate. Branching ratios for the dissociation into [Cs(CsNO(3))](+) and [Cs(CsA)](+) were treated by the Cooks' kinetic method to obtain a quantitative order of bonding energetics (enthalpies and Gibbs free energies) between Cs(+) and the molecular salt (ion pair) CsA, and were correlated with the corresponding values calculated using DFT. The kinetic method leads to relative scales of Cs(+) affinities and basicities that are consistent with the DFT-calculated values. This study brings new data on the strong interaction between the cesium cation and molecular salts CsA.     

Molecular features of the air/carbonate solution interface

The nature of the air/carbonate solution interface is considered with respect to water structure by sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy (SFVS) and molecular dynamics simulations (MDS). Results from this study provide further understating regarding previous observations that the surface tensions of structure making sodium carbonate solutions have been shown to be significantly greater than the surface tensions of structure breaking bicarbonate solutions at equivalent concentrations. This difference in surface tension and its variation with salt concentration is related to the organization of water and ions at the air/solution interface. Spectral results from SFVS show at equivalent concentrations that, for the carbonate solution, the strong water structure signal of 3200 cm(-1) at the air/carbonate solution interface is increased by a factor of 4 when compared to the same signal for the air/bicarbonate solution interface, which spectrum is weaker than the spectrum for the air/water interface in the absence of salt. These results from SFVS are explained by the results from MDS which show that in the case of carbonate solutions the structure making carbonate ions are excluded from the interfacial water region which region is extended in depth. On the other hand, in the case of bicarbonate solutions, the bicarbonate ions are accommodated in the interfacial water region and there is no evidence of an increase in the extent of water structure. These SFVS experimental and MD simulation results provide further information to understand interfacial phenomena of soluble salts at the molecular level.     

Thermodynamic characterization of polyanetholesulfonic acid and its alkaline salts

Experimental and theoretical results for the thermodynamic properties of polyanetholesulfonic acid and its lithium, sodium, and cesium salts in aqueous solution at 298 K are presented. The osmotic pressure was measured using membrane and vapor pressure apparatus in the concentration range c(m) = 0.001-0.30 monomoles/dm(3). The osmotic coefficients obtained from these measurements were low, from 0.2 to 0.45 in this concentration range, indicating a strong interaction between counterions and polyions. The osmotic coefficients of the polyacid and its lithium and sodium salts appeared to be equal within experimental error, but the results for the cesium salt were lower. This indicates a somewhat stronger binding of cesium ions to the polyanion. In addition, enthalpies of dilution, DeltaH(D), from a certain concentration, m(m), to m(m) = 0.0044 monomoles/kg were measured. The measured heats of dilution were exothermic, with the acid producing the strongest and the cesium salt the weakest effect. These results were compared with previously published data for polyelectrolytes of similar structure, namely, polystyrenesulfonic acid and its alkaline salts. The osmotic pressure results indicate that polystyrenesulfonates bind the counterions more strongly than polyanetholesulfonic acid and its salts. Consistent with this finding, the enthalpies of dilution reveal that more heat is released upon dilution of polyanetholesulfonates (stronger exothermic effect) in comparison with the corresponding solutions of polystyrenesulfonic acid in its alkaline salts. These findings can be explained in terms of the structural differences between the two polyions. The experimental results were analyzed in relation to popular electrostatic theories such as the Manning condensation theory and the Poisson-Boltzmann cell model approach, where the polyion is pictured as a uniformly charged line or cylinder. In addition, we performed Monte Carlo simulations for a model polyanetholesulfonic anion having discrete charges. In all of the calculations, the solvent was treated as a continuum with the dielectric constant of pure water under the conditions of measurement. The theoretical considerations mentioned above yield results in semiquantitative agreement with the measured quantities.     

Diffusion transport of aqueous solutions of alkali metal chlorides in porous glass membranes

The diffusion coefficients of lithium, sodium, potassium, and cesium chlorides in aqueous solutions in their passage through silica membranes with the pore radius r _p = 4.5–70 nm are determined over a wide range of solution concentrations. The membrane transport of the salts is discussed in terms of the structuring of the water boundary layers near the silica surface and their disruption by cations.     

The structure of aqueous sodium hydroxide solutions: a combined solution x-ray diffraction and simulation study

To determine the structure of aqueous sodium hydroxide solutions, results obtained from x-ray diffraction and computer simulation (molecular dynamics and Car-Parrinello) have been compared. The capabilities and limitations of the methods in describing the solution structure are discussed. For the solutions studied, diffraction methods were found to perform very well in describing the hydration spheres of the sodium ion and yield structural information on the anion's hydration structure. Classical molecular dynamics simulations were not able to correctly describe the bulk structure of these solutions. However, Car-Parrinello simulation proved to be a suitable tool in the detailed interpretation of the hydration sphere of ions and bulk structure of solutions. The results of Car-Parrinello simulations were compared with the findings of diffraction experiments.     

Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulation of Fe 3+ (aq)

The optimized geometry and energetic properties of Fe(D2O)n 3+ clusters, with n = 4 and 6, have been studied with density-functional theory calculations and the BLYP functional, and the hydration of a single Fe 3+ ion in a periodic box with 32 water molecules at room temperature has been studied with Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics and the same functional. We have compared the results from the CPMD simulation with classical MD simulations, using a flexible SPC-based water model and the same number of water molecules, to evaluate the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two MD methods. The classical MD simulations and the CPMD simulations both give Fe-water distances in good agreement with experiment, but for the intramolecular vibrations, the classical MD yields considerably better absolute frequencies and ion-induced frequency shifts. On the other hand, the CPMD method performs considerably better than the classical MD in describing the intramolecular geometry of the water molecule in the first hydration shell and the average first shell...second shell hydrogen-bond distance. Differences between the two methods are also found with respect to the second-shell water orientations. The effect of the small box size (32 vs 512 water molecules) was evaluated by comparing results from classical simulations using different box sizes; non-negligible effects are found for the ion-water distance and the tilt angles of the water molecules in the second hydration shell and for the O-D stretching vibrational frequencies of the water molecules in the first hydration shell.     

Recognition and Extraction of Cesium Hydroxide and Carbonate by Using a Neutral Multitopic Ion‐Pair Receptor

Current approaches to lowering the pH of basic media rely on the addition of a proton source. An alternative approach is described herein that involves the liquid–liquid extraction‐based removal of cesium salts, specifically CsOH and Cs₂CO₃, from highly basic media. A multitopic ion‐pair receptor ( 2 ) is used that can recognize and extract the hydroxide and carbonate anions as their cesium salts, as confirmed by ¹H NMR spectroscopic titrations, ICP‐MS, single‐crystal structural analyses, and theoretical calculations. A sharp increase in the pH and cesium concentrations in the receiving phase is observed when receptor 2 is employed as a carrier in U‐tube experiments involving the transport of CsOH through an intervening chloroform layer. The pH of the source phase likewise decreases.     

Potentiometric response of poly(3-octylthiophene), poly(3-methylthiophene) and polythiophene in aqueous solutions

The potentiometric response of some polythiophenes in aqueous solutions has been investigated. Polythiophene (PT), poly(2,2'-bithiophene) (PBT), poly(3-methylthiophene) (PMT), poly(3-octylthiophene) (POT) and poly(4,4'-dioctyl2,2'-bithiophene) (POTd) were electrochemically deposited on platinum in 0.1M LiBF(4)-propylene carbonate solution containing the corresponding monomer or dimer. Polymer electrodes were also prepared by solution casting of chemically synthesized poly(3-octylthiophene) (POTc) dissolved in chloroform. After film deposition (electrochemical or chemical) the polymer coated electrodes were used as indicator electrodes in potentiometric measurements. The open-circuit potential of the polymer electrodes was measured in aqueous solutions containing inorganic salts (10(-1)-10(-4)M). Interestingly, all the polythiophenes studied were found to give a cationic response to monovalent cations such as H(+), Li(+), Na(+), K(+) and NH(+)(4) (Cl(-) salts). The slope, calculated from the linear part of the response curve, was found to depend on the polythiophene used but always remained lower than that predicted for a Nernstian response. The polythiophenes also showed some sensitivity to divalent cations such as Mg(2+) and Ca(2+) (Cl(-)-salts). POT was used as the polymer to study the influence of the polymerization conditions on the potentiometric response. By investigating different polymers from the polythiophene family it was possible to evaluate how the starting material (monomer or dimer) and the presence of alkyl side-chains influence the potentiometric response of the polymer membranes.     

Sorption and desorption of radiocesium on calcareous soil: Results from batch and column investigations

The sorption and desorption of radiocesium on a calcareous soil from Jiuqian County of Gansu Province (China) were studied by using batch and column experiments. The sorption-desorption isotherms and the breakthrough curves, displacement curves on the whole soil and two treated soils were determined. Based on these results, it was found that the sorption and retention of cesium are mainly determined by the clay minerals, that the sorption-desorption hysteresis of cesium on the calcareous soil is obvious and that the organic matter has a little positive contribution and the calcium carbonate has a little negative contribution to the sorption of cesium on the whole soil. The results from batch experiments were consistent with the results from column experiments.     

Solvation and aggregation of n,n'-dialkylimidazolium ionic liquids: a multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation study

The solvation and aggregation of the ionic liquid (IL) 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C4mim]Cl) in water and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) were examined by analysis of (1)H and (35/37)Cl chemical shift perturbations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Evidence of aggregation of the IL n-butyl chains in aqueous environments at IL concentrations of 75-80 wt% was observed both in the NMR experiments and in the MD simulations. The studies also show that [C4mim]Cl behaves as a typical electrolyte in water, with both ions completely solvated at low concentrations. On the other hand, the data reveal that the interactions between the [C4mim](+) and Cl(-) ions strengthen as the DMSO content of the solutions increases, and IL-rich clusters persist in this solvent even at concentrations below 10 wt%. These results provide an experimentally supported atomistic explanation of the effects that these two solvents have on some of the macroscopic properties of [C4mim]Cl. The implications that these findings could have on the design of IL-based solvent systems are briefly discussed.     

Neutron diffraction and simulation studies of the exocyclic hydroxymethyl conformation of glucose

The techniques of neutron diffraction with isotopic substitution (NDIS) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been used to examine the rotational conformation of the exocyclic hydroxymethyl group of D-glucopyranose. First order H/D NDIS experiments were performed on the H6 position in 3m aqueous glucose solutions where the average coherent scattering length of the exchangeable hydrogen atoms was zero (i.e., all correlations between exchangeable hydrogen atoms and other atoms cancel and thus are not present in the scattering data). This H6 experimental result suggests that no single conformation for the C4-C5-C6-O6 dihedral reproduces the observed scattering data well, but that a mixture of the gg and gt conformations, which has been suggested by NMR experiments, gives a reasonable agreement between the MD and experimental data.     

Investigations of cluster ions formed between cesium cations and benzoic, salicylic and phthalic acids by electrospray mass spectrometry and density-functional theory calculations. Toward a modeling of the interaction of Cs+ with humic substances

A concerted theoretical (density-functional theory) and experimental electrospray mass spectrometry study was conducted on the formation of cesium cation adducts with small molecules taken as models of specific interactions sites in humic substances. Electrospray experiments with phenol, benzoic acid, salicylic acid, and phthalic acid, in methanolic solution containing cesium nitrate, were performed using a quadrupole ion trap. The formation of positively charged mixed clusters, [Cs(CsNO3)(n)(CsA1)(m)(Cs2A2)(p)]+ (A1 = benzoate, salicylate, and hydrogenophthalate, A2 = phthalate), was observed. Calculations of structures and bonding energetics of Cs+ in simple adducts formed with NO3-, CsNO3, A-, AH, and CsA are reported. The observation of variable cluster stoichiometry (n, m and p values) was interpreted in terms of more or less favorable interaction energies between Cs+ and the neutral species constituting the clusters. Phenol did not form clusters in significant abundances, despite a strong calculated interaction between Cs+ and cesium phenolate. This was attributed to its weak acid dissociation in the electrospray solution.     

有机π共轭配体溶剂化效应与分子间相互作用的理论研究

采用可极化的连续介质模型(PCM), 运用密度泛函理论(DFT), 在B3LYP/6-31+G^**水平下研究了溶剂极性对有机π共轭配体N,N'-Bis-(3-pyridyl)ethylene-bis-urea(BPEBU)中syn-anti构象的分子几何和电子结构的影响, 并借助分子动力学模拟的方法, 采用明确溶剂模型研究了溶质-溶剂分子间的相互作用. 密度泛函理论计算结果表明, 随着溶剂极性的增强, BPEBU中尿素基上的CO键和N-H键以及吡啶环上的C-N键被明显极化, 使羰基氧原子和吡啶氮原子的电负性明显增强, 尿素基的N-H键上氢原子的正电荷也显著增加. 分子动力学模拟统计的结果表明, 在极性较强的乙醇溶液中, 有明确的O…H-O, N…H-O和N-H…O等3种氢键作用存在, 而在丙酮溶液中, 只有N…H-O一种氢键作用存在, 而且与乙醇溶液中的N…H-O作用相比要弱些. 另外, 采用密度泛函理论方法结合连续/明确的混合溶剂模型, 优化得到了溶质-溶剂三聚体的超分子簇结构, 与分子动力学模拟的第一溶剂层中的超分子结构相比, 两者定性一致.     

Water structure and its influence on the flotation of carbonate and bicarbonate salts

Interfacial water structure is a most important parameter that influences the collector adsorption by salt minerals such as borax, potash and trona. According to previous studies, salts can be classified as water structure makers and water structure breakers. Water structure making and breaking properties of salt minerals in their saturated brine solutions are essential to explain their flotation behavior. In this work, water structure making-breaking studies in solutions of carbonate and bicarbonate salts (Na(2)CO(3), K(2)CO(3), NaHCO(3) and NH(4)HCO(3)) in 4 wt% D(2)O in H(2)O mixtures have been performed by FTIR analysis of the OD stretching band. This method reveals a microscopic picture of the water structure making/breaking character of the salts in terms of the hydrogen bonding between the water molecules in solution. The results from the vibrational spectroscopic studies demonstrate that carbonate salts (Na(2)CO(3) and K(2)CO(3)) act as strong structure makers, whereas bicarbonate salts (NaHCO(3) and NH(4)HCO(3)) act as weak structure makers. In addition, the changes in the OD band parameters of carbonate and bicarbonate salt solutions are in agreement with the viscosity characteristics of their solutions.