Structure and electric properties of sodium ion hydrate shell in nanopore with hydrophilic walls

The method of molecular–level computer simulation at the temperature of 298 K was used to study the fundamental regularities of formation of electric properties of the hydrate shell of the Na⁺ cation in a planar model nanopore with hydrophilic structureless walls in contact with water vapors. Electric polarizability changes nonmonotonously: as consistent with the changes in the molecular structure of the system. Hydration within the pore occurs in several stages, from formation of chain structures, microdrop compaction and ejection of the ion from its own hydrate shell to encapsulation and absorption of the ion by the solvent preceding formation of nanoelectrolyte. Despite the significant differences in the energy of retaining hydrate shells for Na⁺ and Cl^─ ions, polarizabilities of the two systems are close and behave similarly under variation of conditions. Strong spatial anisotropy of the polarizability tensor of the ion–hydrate complex is due to the effect of the nanopore walls on multiparticle spatial correlations in the system.     

Computer simulation of the hydration of a chloride anion in a nanopore with hydrophilic walls

The hydration of a single-charged chloride anion Cl^- in a model plane nanopore with structureless hydrophilic walls in water vapor at room temperature is simulated using the Monte Carlo method. It is established that the adsorption of a fraction of associate molecules Cl^-(H₂O)_N on the walls enhances its thermodynamic stability and simulates the hydration of the ion at low vapor pressures. It is shown that a second stability crisis forms on the curve of the hydration work function in the mode of weak wall hydrophilicity.     

Structure of the hydration shell of the Na+ ion in a planar nanopore with hydrophobic walls

The effect of steric hindrances in extremely narrow planar pores on the structure of the hydration shell of the single-charged sodium cation in water vapors at room temperature was studied by computer simulation. The deficiency of empty space for the motion in the slit-like pore was shown to slightly affect the radial distribution of molecules around the ion. The integrated (over the directions) numbers of ion-oxygen atom bonds of molecules in the ion’s hydration shell did not change despite the change in the shape of the hydration cluster from three- to two-dimensional. It was concluded that the changes in the positions of molecules relative to the ion were mainly reduced to azimuthal displacements; as a result, the local bulk density of molecules in the pore was higher than at the same distances outside the pore for the same total number of molecules. The distribution of molecules over layers inside the pore demonstrates the effect of molecules spread over the walls. The effect of ion displacement from its own hydration shell found earlier for the free chloride ion is steadily reproduced under the pore conditions. An alternative explanation to this effect was proposed that does not suggest high ion polarizability.     

Thermodynamic characteristics of the hydrate shell of a Na+ ion in a plane nanopore with hydrophobic walls

The chemical potential, free energy, and work of hydration of a single-charged sodium cation are calculated using the Monte Carlo method for a bicanonic statistic ensemble at the molecular level at 298 K in plane model nanopores 0.5 and 0.7 nm wide. It is shown that the nanopores have a stabilizing effect on the hydrate shell of an ion. It is concluded that the crisis of stability that occurs outside a pore is transformed into an abrupt acceleration of growth with the conservation of a stable equilibrium with vapor under the conditions of plane nanopores. It is established that the mechanism of the threshold acceleration of growth inside a pore is associated with an ion being displaced from its own hydrate shell.     

Chemical properties of positive singly charged astatine ion in aqueous solution

The mobility of oxidized astatine in solutions H(Na)ClO₄ (=0.4 M) – 1·10^–4M K₂Cr₂O₇ has been measured at 25°C in the interval 0.63pH1.68. Under these conditions astatine migrates to the cathode only. The speed of the migration depends upon the concentration of hydrogen ions in solution: pH 1.68 U_c = 1.17 · 10^-4 cm² V^-1 s^-1 pH 0.63 U_c = 2.67 · 10^-4 cm² V^-1 s^-1 The effect agrees with the opinion that the singly charged cation of astatine formed in acidic solutions is a strong aquacomplex [(H₂O)_xAt]⁺ (x=1–2) (protonated hypoastatic acid). Deprotonation constant of this cation is K_dp=0.032±0.005. Specific properties of the astatine cation are given. They can be explained, probably, through the peculiarities of its structure.     

Structure of a Na<Superscript>+</Superscript> cation hydration shell on heating in a planar nanopore

Resistance to heating above the boiling point of water of the molecular structure of a single-charged sodium cation hydration shell growing under the conditions of a model planar nanopore with a width of 5 Å is studied by computer simulation. Monte Carlo calculations of spatial correlation functions are performed in a detailed model with regard to many-body interactions between the ion and water molecules. The system demonstrates an increased resistance to thermal fluctuations along the pore plane and a decreased one in the transverse direction. The heating is accompanied by an enhanced coating effect of molecules around the ion and a diminished effect of extruding the ion out of its own hydration shell. The orientational molecular order due to strong spatial anisotropy inside the nanopore is much more stable than the hydrogen bonds between the molecules.     

Effect of hydrophilic walls on the hydration of sodium cations in planar nanopores

A computer simulation of the structure of Na⁺ ion hydration shells with sizes in the range of 1 to 100 molecules in a planar model nanopore 0.7 nm wide with structureless hydrophilic walls is performed using the Monte Carlo method at a temperature of 298 K. A detailed model of many-body intermolecular interactions, calibrated with reference to experimental data on the free energy and enthalpy of reactions after gaseous water molecules are added to a hydration shell, is used. It is found that perturbations produced by hydrophilic walls cause the hydration shell to decay into two components that differ in their spatial arrangement and molecular orientational order.     

Dissociative excitation of the singly charged lead ion in electron collisions with PbCl2 molecules

Inelastic collisions of slow electrons with lead dichloride molecules yielding excited lead ions in a single encounter event were studied by the extended crossed-beam technique. At an incident electron energy of 100 eV, 67 cross sections for dissociative excitation of PbII spectral lines were measured. Three optical excitation functions were determined in the electron energy range 0–100 eV. The obtained results are compared with data on excitation cross sections of PbII in electron-atom collisions.     

Microscopic hydration of the sodium chloride ion pair

Hydration of ion pairs is an essential process in various physicochemical phenomena occurring in solutions. Isolated clusters of an ion pair solvated with finite number of waters have been considered as a model system for the critical evaluation of microscopic interactions involved in the process, and theoretical studies have contributed exclusively to the subject up to now. Here we report the first experimental characterization of structure and internal dynamics of hydrated ion pairs, NaCl-(H2O)n (n = 1-3). The measurements of their rotational spectra have proven that the clusters have cyclic forms, in which Na+ and Cl- ions are strongly interacted with the O and H atoms of the solvent molecules, respectively. The Na-Cl distance shows a pronounced increase with the successive addition of water molecules. The separation for n = 3 approaches the value predicted for the contact ion-pair state in aqueous solution by recent molecular dynamics simulations.     

Stability and spectroscopic properties of singly and doubly charged anions

Using density functional theory and hybrid B3LYP exchange-correlation energy functional we have studied the structure, stability, and spectroscopic properties of singly and doubly charged anions composed of simple metal atoms (Na, Mg, Al) decorated with halogens such as Cl and pseudohalogens such as CN. Since pseudohalogens mimic the chemistry of halogen atoms, our objective is to see if pseudohalogens can also form superhalogens much as halogens do and if the critical size for a doubly charged anion depends upon the ligand. The electron affinities of MCl(n) (M = Na, Mg, Al) exceed the value of Cl for n ≥ (k + 1), where k is the normal valence of the metal atom. However, for M(CN)(n) complexes this is only true when n = k + 1. In addition, while the electron affinities and vertical detachment energies of MCl(n) complexes are close to each other, they are markedly different when Cl is replaced by pseudohalogen, CN. The origin of these anomalous results is found to be due to the large binding energy of cyanogen, (NCCN) molecule. Because of the tendency of CN molecules to dimerize, the ground state geometries of the neutral and anionic M(CN)(n) complexes are very different when their number exceed the normal valence of the metal atom. While our calculations support the conclusion of Skurski and co-workers that pseudohalogens can form the building blocks of superhalogens, we show that there is a limitation on the number of CN moieties where this is true. Equally important, we find large differences between the ground state geometries of the neutral and anionic M(CN)(n) complexes for n ≥ (k + 2) which could play an important role in interpreting future experimental data on M(CN)(n) complexes. This is because the electron affinity defined as the energy difference between the ground states of the anion and neutral can be very different from the adiabatic detachment energy defined as the energy difference between the ground state of the anion and its structurally similar neutral isomer.     

Water vapor clustering in the field of Na<Superscript>+</Superscript> cation inside a nanopore with hydrophilic walls. 2. Thermodynamic properties

The bicanonical statistical ensemble method has been used to calculate at the molecular level the free energy, entropy, and work of hydration of single-charged sodium cation in a model planar nanopore with structureless hydrophilic walls. The calculations have been performed in terms of a detailed many-particle model of intermolecular interactions calibrated with respect to experimental data on the free energy and enthalpy of the initial reactions of attachment in water vapor. In contrast to chlorine anion, at initial stages of formation, the hydration shell of sodium cation has a loose chain structure, which is reflected in the character of the interaction with pore walls and the behavior of entropy. Under the conditions of weakly hydrophilic walls, the system loses its stability; however, the stability remains preserved in a pore with strongly hydrophilic walls. Hydrophilic walls stabilize the system and shift the onset of hydration toward lower vapor pressures by several orders of magnitude.     

Phenomenon of the ousting of a monatomic ion from its hydration shell in flat nanopores

The structure and stability of hydrate shells of singly charged sodium and chlorine ions are studied by computer simulations under the conditions of nanoscopic flat pores with the use of the previously proposed detailed force field model containing polarization interactions, transferring charge effects as well as manybody interactions of covalent type. It is found that the effect of ousting a monatomic ion from its hydration shell, which has previously been observed by independent authors in bulk vapor, is also reproduced persistently in nanoscopic pores. Whereas the ousting of the ion from its hydration shell in bulk vapor is accompanied by the loss of thermodynamic stability of the system and at sufficiently high vapor pressure causes avalanche-like condensation, under the conditions of a nanoscopic pore the thermodynamic stability is retained. The obtained data show that the ousting of the ion from its hydration shell is a universal phenomenon covering the majority, if not all, of monatomic and, possibly, some of molecular ions.     

Dielectric permittivity in a dense layer of the hydration shell of an ion in a strong-electrolyte solution

Based on the experimental data on the dielectric dispersion and the static dielectric permittivity of solutions of strong electrolytes, the effective value of the latter in the dense layer of the hydration shell of an ion has been calculated. The calculations have been carried out in terms of the three-layer model of the hydration complex. The calculations have shown that for the solutions of strong electrolytes the value of the static dielectric permittivity (dielectric constant) in the dense layer of the hydration shell of an ion proves to be close to 2 and is almost independent of the concentration and temperature.     

A molecular chalice with hydrophobic walls and a hydrophilic rim: self-assembly and complexation properties

We describe the synthesis of a diphenylglycoluril/dibenzo-crown-6 molecular chalice, the self-assembly at the air/water interface and its complexation properties in solution and at the water/chloroform interface.     

CID of singly charged antioxidants applied in lubricants by means of a 3D ion trap and a linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometer

The aim of this study was to investigate the fragmentation behavior induced by low‐energy collision‐induced dissociation (LE‐CID) of four selected antioxidants applied in lubricants, by two different types of ion trap mass spectrometers: a three‐dimensional ion trap (3D‐IT) and a linear IT (LIT) Orbitrap MS. Two sterically hindered phenols and two aromatic amines were selected as model compounds representing different antioxidant classes and were characterized by positive‐ion electrospray ionization (ESI) and LE‐CID. Various types of molecular ions (e.g. [M]^+?, [M + H]⁺, [M + NH₄]⁺ or [M + Na]⁺) were used as precursor ions generating a significant number of structurally relevant product ions. Furthermore, the phenolic compounds were analyzed by negative‐ion ESI. For both IT types applied for fragmentation, the antioxidants exhibited the same unusual LE‐CID behavior: (1) they formed stable radical product ions and (2) C? C bond cleavages of aliphatic substituents were observed and their respective cleavage sites depended on the precursor ion selected. This fragmentation provided information on the type of structural isomer usually not obtainable for branched aliphatic substituents utilizing LE‐CID. Comparing the two instruments, the main benefit of applying the LIT‐Orbitrap was direct access to elemental composition of product ions enabling unambiguous interpretation of fragmentation trees not obtainable by the 3D‐IT device (e.g. loss of isobaric neutrals). It should be emphasized that the types of product ions formed do not depend on the type of IT analyzer applied. For characterizing degradation products of antioxidants, the LIT‐Orbitrap hybrid system, allowing the determination of accurate m/z values for product ions, is the method of choice. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structural properties of reciprocal form factor in neutral atoms and singly charged ions

Structural characteristics of the spherically averaged internally folded density or reciprocal form factor Br are studied within the Hartree-Fock framework for 103 neutral atoms, 54 singly charged cations, and 43 anions in their ground state. The function Br is classified throughout the Periodic Table into three types: (i) monotonic decrease from the origin, (ii) maximum at r=0 and a negative minimum at r>0, and (iii) a local maximum at r=0 and a pair maximum-minimum out of the origin. A detailed study of the corresponding properties for individual subshells as well as their relative weight for the total Br is also carried out. For completeness, the analytical Br for hydrogenlike atoms in both ground and excited states is also analyzed.     

Electric properties of the chloride ion

The dipole (), quadrupole (C), and dipole-quadrupole (B) polarizabilities and the dipole hyperpolarizability () of the chloride ion have been calculated by using the many-body perturbation theory approach and a series of large polarized GTO/CGTO basis sets. The complete fourth-order treatment of the electron correlation effects with a basis set comprising the s, p, d, f, and g functions gives: =38.01 a.u., C=211.5 a.u., B=–5.14×10³ a.u., and =128. 5×10³ a.u. as compared to the corresponding SCF values (=31.49 a.u., C=158.9 a.u., B=–2.92×10³ a.u., =57.7×10³ a.u.). The quenching of polarizabilities of the Cl^– ion in solutions and ionic crystals is discussed.     

Optical properties of singly charged conjugated oligomers: a coupled-cluster equation of motion study

We have implemented a coupled-cluster equation of motion approach combined with the intermediate neglect of differential overlap parametrization and applied it to study the excited states and optical absorptions in positively and negatively charged conjugated oligomers. The method is found to be both reliable and efficient. The theoretical results are in very good agreement with experiments and confirm that there appear two subgap absorption peaks upon polaron formation. Interestingly, the relative intensities of the polaron-induced subgap absorptions can be related to the extent of the lattice geometry relaxations.