Evidence of deeply supercooled liquid water in interaction with LiCl

The properties of water above the glass transition temperature are highly controversial. By using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), the presence of deeply supercooled water is manifested by dissolution of LiCl in the pure amorphous water films heated at 140-155 K and the formation of aqueous LiCl solutions. Two phases of deeply supercooled water, that lead to the dilute and concentrated LiCl solutions, are clearly identified. The former is short-lived and merges into the latter, whereas the latter is basically identical to normal liquid water as far as the solubility of LiCl is concerned.     

Roles of deeply supercooled ethanol in crystallization and solvation of LiI

The mechanisms of glass-liquid transition and crystallization of amorphous solid ethanol were investigated through detailed analyses of the interaction with LiI using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy. The LiI species adsorbed on the surface are incorporated into the bulk of ethanol at temperatures higher than 100 K, concomitantly with the reorganization of the ethanol molecules at the surface. This behavior is explicable by self-diffusion of the ethanol molecules as a consequence of the glass-liquid transition. The resulting liquid is a distinct phase, as revealed from the similarity of the IR absorption band to that of amorphous solid ethanol rather than liquid ethanol. The liquid-liquid phase transition occurs at 130 K, and a supercooled liquid ethanol is formed, as evidenced by formation of a metastable LiI solution when ethanol is deposited on the LiI film. The supercooled liquid ethanol is unstable, so that it crystallizes immediately at 130 K on the Ni(111) substrate. The film morphology changes continuously, even after crystallization, and the film abruptly becomes smoother before film evaporation. This behavior implies that crystallization is not completed and that a liquidlike phase coexists.     

Two liquid phases of water in the deeply supercooled region and their roles in crystallization and formation of LiCl solution

The properties of supercooled liquid water and the mechanism of crystallization in it were investigated using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy. The self-diffusion of the water molecules commences at 136 K, and then the liquid-liquid phase transition occurs at 160-165 K. The latter is evidenced not only by the occurrence of fluidity but also by the formation of a LiCl solution. The infrared absorption band also changes drastically above 160 K due to crystallization of water (on the Au film) and the formation of LiCl solution (on the LiCl film). The immediate crystallization and dissolution of LiCl are thought to be characteristic of normal water that is created in a deeply supercooled region, indicating that viscous liquid water (T > 136 K) is transformed into supercooled liquid water at around 160 K. The crystallization kinetics is different between these two phases because the former (latter) involves nuclear growth (spontaneous nucleation). Without nuclei, crystallization is quenched below 160 K in the present experiment. It is suggested that the viscous liquid phase coexists at the surface or grain boundaries of metastable ice Ic.     

Fragile-to-strong liquid transition in deeply supercooled confined water

Confining water in lab synthesized nanoporous silica matrices MCM-41-S with pore diameters of 18 and 14 A, we have been able to study the molecular dynamics of water in deeply supercooled states, down to 200 K. Using quasielastic neutron scattering and analyzing the data with the relaxing cage model, we determined the temperature variation of the average translational relaxation time and its Q-dependence. We find a clear evidence of an abrupt change of the relaxation time behavior at T approximately equal to 225 K, which we interpreted as the predicted fragile-to-strong liquid-liquid transition.     

Liquid-liquid transition in supercooled water investigated by interaction with LiCl and Xe

The hypothesis that supercooled water consists of two distinct liquid phases has been explored on the basis of their ability to hydrate nonpolar (Xe) and electrolytic (LiCl) species. Xe incorporated in the bulk of amorphous solid water survives in the deeply supercooled regime above the glass-transition temperature of 136 K and is finally dehydrated at 165 K, whereas LiCl dissolves only in the liquid phase appearing above 165 K. The second liquid phase connects with normal water as inferred from high (poor) solubility of LiCl (Xe). This result also suggests that decoupling of translational diffusion and viscosity in the deeply supercooled regime is caused by domain structures of the two liquid phases formed during a possible liquid-liquid transition.     

Ring-opening reaction of methylenecyclopropanes with LiCl, LiBr or NaI in acetic acid

The methylenecyclopropanes 1 react with LiCl, LiBr or NaI at 80 °C to give the corresponding gem-disubstituted homoallylic halides 2 in good to excellent yields in acetic acid. In some cases, the ring-opening reaction can be completed within 5 min to give the corresponding gem-disubstituted homoallylic halides in high yields.     

The low frequency dynamics of supercooled LiBr, 6H2O

We present results of a series of experiments performed on LiBr, 6H(2)0 from room temperature down to 172 K ≈ 1.2T(g). These ultrasound, Brillouin and depolarized light scattering, and transient grating experiments show that, above 215 K, this solution behaves like supercooled water: its zero frequency sound velocity C(0) continuously decreases with decreasing temperature, and the reorientational dynamics of the water molecules can be directly detected at some temperatures of this domain. Conversely, below 215 K, a new regime sets in, where the apparent C(0) is practically temperature independent and where a β, Arrenhius like, relaxation process coexists with the usual, Vogel-Fulcher like, α relaxation process of the supercooled liquid. These results are similar to those recently obtained in LiCl, 6H(2)O. The onset of the new regime is possibly due to an increase of the interaction of the water molecules with a neighboring Li(+) ion when lowering the temperature. We also compare our results with published dielectric data on water solutions of glass forming polyalcohols. Some of them present a low temperature splitting of their relaxation time similar to what is found in LiBr, 6H(2)O.     

Structural study of low concentration LiCl aqueous solutions in the liquid, supercooled, and hyperquenched glassy states

Neutron diffraction experiments on a solution of LiCl in water (R = 40) at ambient conditions and in the supercooled and hyperquenched states are reported and analyzed within the empirical potential structure refinement framework. Evidence for the modifications of the microscopic structure of the solvent in the presence of such a small amount of salt is found at all investigated thermodynamic states. On the other hand, it is evident that the structure of the hyperquenched salty sample is similar to that of pure low density amorphous water, although all the peaks of the radial distribution functions are broader in the present case. Changes upon supercooling or hyperquenching of the ion's hydration shells and contacts are of limited size and evidence for segregation phenomena at these states does not clearly show up, although the presence of water separated contacts between ion of the same sign is intriguing.     

NMR spectroscopy of organolithium compounds. XXVI--The aggregation behaviour of methyllithium in the presence of LiBr and LiI in diethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran

1H, 6Li and 13C NMR spectroscopy were used to determine the structure of aggregates formed in mixtures of methyllithium, H3CLi, and lithium bromide and iodide in diethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran. From the chemical shifts, the signal intensity distribution and the isotope shifts observed for partially deuterated systems, it was shown that generally tetrameric structures with different halogen contents dominate. For methyllithium-lithium bromide (1:1) in THF a considerable concentration of an H3CLi-LiBr dimer was found. For the first time, deuterium-induced 6Li isotope shifts over four bonds were observed.     

Vapour pressures,densities, and viscosities of the aqueous solutions containing (triethylene glycol or propylene glycol) and (LiCl or LiBr)

In this work, new results for density, viscosity, and vapour pressure of (triethylene glycol or propylene glycol) in H₂O with LiCl or LiBr systems over temperatures ranging from 303.15 K to 343.15 K are presented. For each ternary system, four systems of which (4 to 25) mass% salt mixed with various glycols (50 to 80) mass% were studied. Incorporated with the pseudo-solvent approach, a vapour pressure model based on the mean spherical approximation for aqueous electrolyte solutions was used to represent the measured vapour pressure of the investigated systems. The present density and viscosity results were also correlated as a function of temperature and composition. The correlations yield satisfactory results. Compared to the conventionally used liquid desiccants, the vapour pressures of the systems studied yield smaller values of vapour pressures. The properties presented in this work are, in general, of sufficient accuracy for most engineering-design calculations.     

Dynamics of supercooled water in various mesopore sizes

Double-quantum-filtered NMR and T(1) inversion-recovery spectroscopy were employed to exploit the temperature-dependent dynamics of D(2)O confined in MCM-41. Samples with three pore sizes of 1.58, 2.03, and 2.34 nm and two D(2)O contents were investigated. The reorientation correlation times of confined D(2)O in variously sized pores exhibit different temperature dependencies. The results reveal that the D(2)O molecules at fast motion site remain mobile below approximately 225 K and a liquid-liquid phase transition occurs around this temperature for all samples studied. This temperature is thought to be unreachable for supercooled D(2)O. Particularly, in 20 wt % D(2)O loaded samples with pore diameters of 1.58 and 2.03 nm, the reorientational correlation times of D(2)O at fast motion site exhibit Arrhenius behavior between 225 and 290 K, while other samples show power law dependency. Thus, a liquid phase of the fragile type in bigger pores changes to the strong type in samples with smaller pores.     

Influence of alcohols on the crystallization of supercooled water

T. G. Shevchenko Kiev State University. Translated from Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 141–143, May–June, 1990.     

Structural transformations of supercooled water in nanopores, studied by microwave radiation

It is shown that the state of supercooled water in nanoporous materials can be studied by measuring the attenuation of microwave radiation. By analyzing variations in the intensity of radiation transmitted through a moistened medium during the supercooling of water in the range of ?37 to ?190°C, the temperatures at which structural transformations take place can be determined. Using the example of KSKG silica gel with a mean pore size of 8 nm, it is shown that at a moisture of 3?C18%, water is found in the liquid state up to a temperature of ?130°C, at which the transition to glass occurs.     

Role of critical phenomena in the heterogenous crystalization of supercooled water

We consider the mechanism of heterogenous nucleation of ice, taking into account the effect of critical phenomena in supercooled water on the rate of ice crystal formation.Taras Shevchenko Kiev National University, 64 Vladimirskaya St., 252601, Kiev-17, UkraineYagellon University, 3 Ingarden St., Krakow, Poland. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 32, No. 3, pp. 190–193, May–June, 1996. Original article submitted July 12, 1995.     

Oxoacidobasic properties of water in the molten LiCl−KCl eutectic

The quantitative study of the oxoacidobasic properties of water, in the LiCl?KCl eutectic, was carried out by means of a galvanic cell consisting of a pO^2? indicator electrode (made of a calcia-stabilized zirconia tube filled with a Ni+NiO mixture and an Ag/AgCl reference electrode). The equilibrium constants of the following reactions:2OH^? agO^2?+H₂O (K₁)H₂O+2Cl^? agO^2?+2HCl (K₂) have been determined in the temperature range 642–742°C and are given by:log K₁=7.86?7.68×10³/Tlog K₂=2.29?10.03×10³/T where T is the thermodynamic temperature, K₁ and K₂ being expressed in the atm and molar fraction scale.     

Volume of supercooled water under pressure and the liquid-liquid critical point

The volume of water (H(2)O) was obtained at about 200-275 K and 40-400 MPa by using emulsified water. The plot of volume against temperature showed slightly concave-downward curvature at pressures higher than ≈200 MPa. This is compatible with the liquid-liquid critical-point hypothesis, but hardly with the singularity-free scenario. When the critical point is assumed to exist at ≈50 MPa and ≈223 K, the experimental volume and the derived compressibility are qualitatively described by the modified Fuentevilla-Anisimov scaling equation.