Effect of ionic solutes on the hydrogen bond network dynamics of water: power spectral analysis of aqueous NaCl solutions

To understand the modifications of the hydrogen bond network of water by ionic solutes, power spectra as well as static distributions of the potential energies of tagged solvent molecules and solute ions have been computed from molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous NaCl solutions. The key power spectral features of interest are the presence of high-frequency peaks due to localized vibrational modes, the existence of a multiple time scale or 1/falpha frequency regime characteristic of networked liquids, and the frequency of crossover from 1/falpha type behavior to white noise. Hydrophilic solutes, such as the sodium cation and the chloride anion, are shown to mirror the multiple time scale behavior of the hydrogen bond network fluctuations, unlike hydrophobic solutes which display essentially white noise spectra. While the power spectra associated with tagged H2O molecules are not very sensitive to concentration in the intermediate frequency 1/falpha regime, the crossover to white noise is shifted to lower frequencies on going from pure solvent to aqueous alkali halide solutions. This suggests that new and relatively slow time scales enter the picture, possibly associated with processes such as migration of water molecules from the hydration shell to the bulk or conversion of contact ion pairs into solvent-separated ion pairs which translate into variations in equilibrium transport properties of salt solutions with concentration. For anions, cations, and solvent molecules, the trends in the alpha exponents of the multiple time scale region and the self-diffusivities are found to be strongly correlated.     

Hydrogen bonding mediated ion pairs of some aprotic ionic liquids and their structural transition in aqueous solution

Ion pair speciation of ionic liquids(ILs) has an important effect on the physical and chemical properties of ILs and recognition of the structure of ion pairs in solution is essential. It has been reported that ion pairs of some ILs can be formed by hydrogen bonding interactions between cations and anions of them. Considering the fact that far-IR(FIR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool in indicating the intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonding, in this work, this spectroscopic technique has been combined with molecular dynamic(MD) simulation and nuclear magnetic resonance hydrogen spectroscopy(~1H NMR) to investigate ion pairs of aprotic ILs [Bmim][NO_3], [BuPy][NO_3], [Pyr_(14)][NO_3], [PP_(14)][NO_3] and [Bu-choline][NO_3] in aqueous IL mixtures. The FIR spectra have been assigned with the aid of density functional theory(DFT) calculations, and the results are used to understand the effect of cationic nature on the structure of ion pairs. It is found that contact ion pairs formed in the neat aprotic ILs by hydrogen bonding interactions between cation and anion, were still maintained in aqueous solutions up to high water mole fraction(say 0.80 for [BuPy][NO3]). When water content was increased to a critical mole fraction of water(say 0.83 for [BuPy][NO3]), the contact ion pairs could be transformed into solvent-separated ion pairs due to the formation of the hydrogen bonding between ions and water. With the further dilution of the aqueous ILs solution, the solvent-separated ion pairs was finally turned into free cations and free anions(fully hydrated cations or anions). The concentrations of the ILs at which the contact ion pairs were transformed into solvent-separated ion pairs and solvent-separated ion pairs were transformed into free ions(fully hydrated ion) were dependent on the cationic structures. These information provides direct spectral evidence for ion pair structures of the aprotic ILs in aqueous solution. MD simulation and ~1H NMR results support the conclusion drawn from FIR spectra investigations.     

Hydration of NaCl on glassy, supercooled-liquid, and crystalline water

Interactions of sodium chloride with amorphous and crystalline water films, leading to the possible formation of a dilute NaCl solution, were investigated using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry as a function of temperature. A monolayer of NaCl tends to remain on the surface or in subsurface sites of thick amorphous solid water films (200 monolayers); the Na+ ion is hydrated preferentially, whereas the Cl- ion is segregated at the surface. The hydration structure of NaCl is fundamentally unchanged for viscous liquid water that appears at temperatures higher than 136 K. The solubility of NaCl increases abruptly at 160 K because of the evolution of supercooled liquid water, which can hydrate the Cl- ion efficiently. However, the diffusion of the ions toward the bulk of supercooled liquid water is interrupted by crystallization; therefore, the dilute NaCl solution that is characterized by completely separated Na+-Cl- pairs may not be formed. When NaCl is deposited on the crystalline ice film, hydration of NaCl is enhanced above 160 K as well, indicating that a liquidlike phase coexists with crystals.     

A density functional theory based study of the microscopic structure and dynamics of aqueous HCl solutions

The aqueous solvation of hydrochloric acid is studied using density functional theory based molecular dynamics simulations at two concentrations. The large simulation boxes that we use allow us to investigate larger-scale structures such as the water-bridged chloride ion network. We find a strong concentration dependence for almost all structural and dynamical properties. Excess protons are mostly present both as Eigen and Zundel structures, either as a direct hydronium-chloride contact-ion pair or a solvent-separated ion pair. Increasing the concentration has a detrimental effect on the natural hydrogen bonded network of water molecules. This effect is visible in our studies as a decrease in the persistence time of the solvation shells around the chloride ions. Also the number of proton hops, determined by a new and well defined identification procedure, suffers from the breakdown of the natural hydrogen bond network.     

Electron transfer in a radical ion pair: quantum calculations of the solvent reorganization energy

Results are presented for an investigation of intermolecular electron transfer (ET) in solution by means of quantum calculations. The two molecules that are involved in the ET reaction form a solvent-separated radical ion pair. The solvent plays an important role in the ET between the two molecules. In particular, it can give rise to specific solute-solvent interactions with the solutes. An example of specific interactions is the formation of a hydrogen bond between a protic solvent and one of the molecules involved in the ET. We address the study of this system by means of quantum calculations on the solutes immersed in a continuum solvent. However, when the solvent can give rise to hydrogen bond formation with the negatively charged ion after ET, we explicitly consider solvent molecules in the solute cavity, determining the hydrogen bond energetic contribution to the overall interaction energy. Solute-solvent pair distribution functions, showing the different arrangement of solvent molecules before and after ET in the first solvation shell, are reported. We provide results of the solvent reorganization energy from quantum calculations for both the two isolated fragments and the ion pair in solution. Results are in agreement with available experimental data.     

Helium diffusion in aqueous sodium chloride solution at high pressures

A molecular dynamic investigation of self-diffusion coefficients of helium and water in aqueous NaCl solution is performed. To understand the nonlinear behavior of the self-diffusion coefficients, a number of structural characteristics (radial distribution functions, hydrogen bond network topology) are calculated. The electrolyte concentration range is discussed in which a local increase in helium self-diffusion coefficient is observed. It is shown that this behavior is caused by a breakdown of the network of hydrogen bonds due to competition between ion positions in the states of solvent-separated and contact pairs.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of solution structure and dynamics of aqueous sodium chloride solutions from dilute to supersaturated concentration

Constant-temperature and constant-pressure (NpT) molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the effects of salt concentration ranging from dilute to supersaturated concentrations on solution structure and dynamical properties of aqueous sodium chloride solutions at 298 K. The rigid SPC/E model was used for water molecules, and sodium and chloride ions were modeled as charged Lennard–Jones particles. Na⁺–Cl⁻ radial distribution functions showed the presence of contact ion pairs and solvent separated ion pairs. The coordination numbers of Na⁺–Cl⁻ ion pairs increased with salt concentration up to saturated concentration, although the number of contact ion pairs was almost constant in supersaturated regions. The tracer diffusion coefficients of both ions decreased with salt concentration up to saturated concentration, while that of sodium ion was almost constant in supersaturated regions. The tracer diffusion coefficients of both ions were therefore quite close to each other. The constant number of the contact ion pairs and the almost equality of the tracer diffusion coefficients of both ions would lead to the formation of clusters in supersaturated solutions.     

不同浓度下NaCl水溶液的分子动力学模拟

采用分子动力学模拟的方法在298K时对1.33mol/L,2.71mol/L,4.14mol/L和5.12mol/L的NaCl水溶液的微观结构进行了研究。模拟发现浓度对离了近程水化结构的影响不大,浓溶液中Na^+,Cl^-之间有两种缔合方式,接触缔合离子对和溶剂分隔的缔合离子对。这表明在建立可适用于高浓度条件下的电解质溶液热力学模型时应考虑离子缔合的贡献。     

Local order in aqueous NaCl solutions and pure water: X-ray scattering and molecular dynamics simulations study

The microstructures of pure water and aqueous NaCl solutions over a wide range of salt concentrations (0-4 m) under ambient conditions are characterized by X-ray scattering and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. MD simulations are performed with the rigid SPC water model as a solvent, while the ions are treated as charged Lennard-Jones particles. Simulated data show that the first peaks in the O...O and O...H pair correlation functions clearly decrease in height with increasing salt concentration. Simultaneously, the location of the second O...O peak, the signature of the so-called tetrahedral structure of water, gradually disappears. Consequently, the degree of hydrogen bonding in liquid water decreases when compared to pure fluid. MD results also show that the hydration number around the cation decreases as the salt concentration increases, which is most likely because some water molecules in the first hydration shell are occasionally substituted by chlorine. In addition, the fraction of contact ion pairs increases and that of solvent-separated ion pairs decreases. Experimental data are analyzed to deduce the structure factors and the pair correlation functions of each system. X-ray results clearly show a perturbation of the association structure of the solvent and highlight the appearance of new interactions between ions and water. A model of intermolecular arrangement via MD results is then proposed to describe the local order in each system, as deduced from X-ray scattering data.     

高温及超临界条件下 MgCl2与CaCl2水溶液中离子水化与缔合的量子化学计算

对NaCl等碱金属水溶液的研究表明,室温条件下,离子在溶液中以水合形式存在,而在高温及超临界时,阴阳离子将结合成为离子对．采用量子化学计算,研究了MgCl2与CaCl2水溶液中水化与缔合的情况．通过Gaussian98软件包计算了阳离子的水化自由能以及离子对的生成能,从而获得水合离子与离子对的热力学稳定性及其随温度、压力的变化情况．通过比较热力学稳定性,考察了两种溶液中水化与缔合的变化情况．研究结果表明,MgCl2与CaCl2水溶液中离子水化与缔合的变化趋势与碱金属溶液基本一致,但是存在一个过渡区域,该区域内离子对与水合离子共存,因此需要采用不同于碱金属溶液的方法处理MgCl2与CaCl2水溶液．     

Shape-controlled synthesis of gold icosahedra and nanoplates using Pluronic P123 block copolymer and sodium chloride

Gold icosahedra with an average diameter of about 600 nm were easily prepared by heating an aqueous solution of the amphiphilic block copolymer, poly(ethylene oxide)₂₀-poly(propylene oxide)₇₀-poly(ethylene oxide)₂₀ (Pluronic P123), and hydrogen tetrachloroaurate(III) trihydrate (HAuCl₄·3H₂O) at 60 °C for 25 min. When sodium chloride (NaCl:HAuCl₄ molar ratio=10:1) was added to this aqueous solution, gold nanoplates were produced. The chloride ion was found to be a key component in the formation of the gold nanoplates by facilitating the growth of {111} oriented hexagonal/triangular gold nanoplates, because similar gold nanoplates were produced when LiCl or KCl was added to the aqueous solution instead of NaCl, while gold nanocrystals having irregular shapes were produced when NaBr or NaI was added.     

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.     

Potassium and sodium chloride ion pairs are presumed to constitute a complex during elution from a Sephadex G-15 column with sodium phosphate buffer

When a mixed solution of 0.72 M potassium and sodium chloride was eluted from a Sephadex G-15 column with 0.025 M sodium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0), the elution profiles of ions showed that the potassium and chloride ion pair from the sample and the sodium and chloride ion pair produced by ion-exchange reaction, were eluted in the same fractions as if they constituted a complex. When a mixed solution of different concentrations of potassium and sodium chloride was eluted with the same buffer, the excess amount of one ion pair over the other was eluted freely from the presumed complex.     

Rise in the pH of an unfrozen solution in ice due to the presence of NaCl and promotion of decomposition of gallic acids owing to a change in the pH

Oxidative decomposition of gallic acid occurs in alkaline solutions but hardly arises in acidic solutions. We have found that the addition of sodium chloride promotes the decomposition of gallic acid caused by freezing even under neutral and acidic conditions. Even at pH 4.5, gallic acid was decomposed by freezing in the presence of NaCl; however, in the absence of NaCl, it was hardly decomposed by freezing at pH lower than 7. Chloride ions are more easily incorporated in ice than sodium ions when the NaCl solution is frozen. The unfrozen solution in ice becomes positively charged, and as a result, protons transfer from the unfrozen solution to the ice. We measured the pH in the unfrozen solution which coexists with single-crystal ice formed from a 5 mmol dm(-3) NaCl solution and determined the pH to be 8.6 at equilibrium with CO(2) of 380 ppm or 11.3 in the absence of CO(2) compared to pH 5.6 in the original solution. From the model calculation performed for gallic acid solution in the presence of 5 mmol dm(-3) NaCl, it can be estimated that the amount of OH(-) transferred from the ice to the solution corresponds to 1.26 x 10(-5) mol dm(-3). The amount of OH(-) transferred is concentrated into the unfrozen solution and affects the pH of the unfrozen solution. Therefore, the pH in an unfrozen gallic acid solution in ice becomes alkaline, and the decomposition of gallic acid proceeds. It is expected that other base-catalyzed reactions in weakly acidic solutions also proceed by freezing in the presence of NaCl without the need for any alkaline reagents.     

Ice growth from supercooled aqueous solutions of benzene, naphthalene, and phenanthrene

Classical molecular dynamics (MD) were performed to investigate the growth of ice from supercooled aqueous solutions of benzene, naphthalene, or phenanthrene. The main objective of this study is to explore the fate of those aromatic molecules after freezing of the supercooled aqueous solutions, i.e., if these molecules become trapped inside the ice lattice or if they are displaced to the QLL or to the interface with air. Ice growth from supercooled aqueous solutions of benzene, naphthalene, or phenanthrene result in the formation of quasi-liquid layers (QLLs) at the air/ice interface that are thicker than those observed when pure supercooled water freezes. Naphthalene and phenanthrene molecules in the supercooled aqueous solutions are displaced to the air/ice interface during the freezing process at both 270 and 260 K; no incorporation of these aromatics into the ice lattice is observed throughout the freezing process. Similar trends were observed during freezing of supercooled aqueous solutions of benzene at 270 K. In contrast, a fraction of the benzene molecules become trapped inside the ice lattice during the freezing process at 260 K, with the rest of the benzene molecules being displaced to the air/ice interface. These results suggest that the size of the aromatic molecule in the supercooled aqueous solution is an important parameter in determining whether these molecules become trapped inside the ice crystals. Finally, we also report potential of mean force (PMF) calculations aimed at studying the adsorption of gas-phase benzene and phenanthrene on atmospheric air/ice interfaces. Our PMF calculations indicate the presence of deep free energy minima for both benzene and phenanthrene at the air/ice interface, with these molecules adopting a flat orientation at the air/ice interface.     

Spectroscopic signatures of halogens in clathrate hydrate cages. 2. Iodine

UV-vis and Raman spectroscopy were used to study iodine molecules trapped in sII clathrate hydrate structures stabilized by THF, CH(2)Cl(2), or CHCl(3). The spectra show that the environment for iodine inside the water cage is significantly less perturbed than either in aqueous solution or in amorphous water-ice. The resonance Raman progression of I(2) in THF clathrate hydrate can be observed up to v = 6 when excited at 532 nm. The extracted vibrational frequency omega e = 214 +/- 1 cm(-1) is the same as that of the free molecule to within experimental error. At the same time, the UV-vis absorption spectrum of I(2) in the sII hydrate exhibits a relatively large, 1440 cm(-1), blue-shift. This is mainly ascribed to the differential solvation of the I(2) electronic states. We conclude that iodine in sII hydrate resides in a 5(12)6(4) cavity, in which the ground-state I(2) potential is not significantly perturbed by the hydrate lattice. In contrast, in water and in ice, the valence absorption band of I(2) is dramatically broadened and blue-shifted by 3000 cm(-1), and the resonance Raman scattering is effectively quenched. These observations are shown to be consistent with a strong interaction between water molecule and iodine through the lone pair of electrons on water as in the case of bromine in the same media. The results presented here, and the stability of other halogen hydrates, were used to test the predictions of simple models and force-field calculations of the host cage-guest association energy.     

The hydrogen bond in ice probed by soft x-ray spectroscopy and density functional theory

We combine photoelectron and x-ray absorption spectroscopy with density functional theory to derive a molecular orbital picture of the hydrogen bond in ice. We find that the hydrogen bond involves donation and back-donation of charge between the oxygen lone pair and the O-H antibonding orbitals on neighboring molecules. Together with internal s-p rehybridization this minimizes the repulsive charge overlap of the connecting oxygen and hydrogen atoms, which is essential for a strong attractive electrostatic interaction. Our joint experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that an electrostatic model based on only charge induction from the surrounding medium fails to properly describe the internal charge redistributions upon hydrogen bonding.     

Temperature dependence of fractionation of hydrogen isotopes in aqueous sodium chloride solutions

The D/H ratios of hydrogen gas in equilibrium with aqueous sodium chloride solutions of 2, 4 and 6 molalities were determined within the range 10 to 95°C, using a hydrophobic platinum catalyst. With each of the different sodium chloride concentrations, the hydrogen isotope effect between the solution and pure water changes linearly with the square of the reciprocal temperature. On the basis of the results for hydrogen isotope fractionation observed in this study, and those of hydrogen isotope fractionation between pure water and vapor, it is concluded that the structure of the aqueous sodium chloride solution does not change significantly with temperature. The hydrogen isotope effect is evidently different from the results of vapor pressure isotope effects (VPIE) on sodium chloride solutions measured on separated isotopes. The difference between the present work and the VPIE studies is probably due to a non-ideal behavior in a mixture of isotopic water molecules and/or to a H₂O-D₂O disproportionation reaction in sodium chloride solutions. The distinction between the latter two mechanisms can not be differentiated at present.     

Study on Segmental Motion and Ion Binding in Polyelectrolyte Solutions by Ultrasonic Spectroscopy

The ultrasonic absorption spectra of aqueous solutions of polyacrylate (PA), polyphosphate (PP), and polystyrenesulfonate (PSS), neutralized by tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH), were measured. The effects of addition of tetramethylammonium chloride (TMACl) and sodium chloride (NaCl) to the polyelectrolyte solutions were investigated in the frequency range from 500 kHz to 100 MHz. Two ultrasonic relaxation processes due to the local segmental motions were observed. The relaxation frequency for TMAPP solution decreased as the ionic strength was increased by the addition of TMACl. For the other two polymer solutions, the ionic strength did not affect the relaxation spectra. The addition of NaCl led to an increase of the ultrasonic absorption, which was ascribed to ion binding. The ultrasonic absorption due to the ion binding was estimated by subtracting the contribution of the segmental motion from the measuring ultrasonic spectra. The volume changes accompanying the ion binding for polyacrylate and polyphosphate salts were estimated to be 5 and 8 cm³-mol^?1, respectively.