The structure of adsorbed water in cellulose acetate membranes

 The structure of water adsorbed in cellulose acetate membranes is determined by the fundamental and overtone IR spectra. Water is weakly H-bonded to ester and ether groups of the membrane, at low water contents. With increasing water content, more and more liquid-like water is observed. In addition, a small amount of a third type of water is present. The amounts of these three species are estimated from the spectra. At high water contents, the amount of liquid-like water increases strongly. The H-bond cooperativity of such water may be the cause for this increase and for the common anomalous water adsorption isotherms. The H-bond energy of the first hydration shell is relatively small, contrary to the anomalous large adsorption heats ΔH _ad. This could be described by larger van der Waals interactions between this type of water and the membrane groups as a result of a higher coordination number compared with Z=4.4 of liquid-like water. This model is in agreement with the decrease of ΔH _ad with increasing water sorption reaching the evaporization enthalpy of pure water at high water contents. Received: 24 May 1997 Accepted: 1 July 1997     

Anti-cooperativity of the two water OH groups

This paper presents the results concerning anti-cooperativity effects between two H-bonds of a water molecule. The IR OH stretching band shifts Δν—as a measure of the H-bond energy—are compared for HOD with different bases B of 1:1 complexes B…HOD…Cl₄ (Δν₁₁) and 1:2 complexes B…HOD…B (Δν₁₂). We found that Δν₁₂ of the 1:2 complexes for different bases B are 25% smaller than Δν₁₁ for the 1:1 complexes. Corrections for the solvent shifts are introduced. This effect is in line with different observations concerning cooperativity effects of OH H-bonds by polarization with neighbouring molecules. The reduction of Δν₁₂ in 1:2 complexes can be understood on the assumption of a negative polarization by the first H-bond to the second OH or OD group and is called anti-cooperativity. This anti-effect has been already detected by NMR observation on NH₂.

We already observe a decrease of the CCl₄ solvent shift by van der Waals forces OH…CCl₄ of 1:1 complexes, induced by the H-bond of the other OH or OD group. This decrease is measured by the CCl₄ solvent effect for monomers. This indicates a real negative polarization by the H-bond in 1:1 complexes on the second OH/OD. This experiment establishes the real polarization and excludes the importance of repulsions of the bases as the cause. The dependence of intermolecular forces is known on the polarizability. Our method demonstrates directly the polarization by interactions.

The anti-cooperativity of symmetric complexes B₁…HOD…B₁ by a strong base B₁ can be reduced in unsymmetric 1:2 complexes B₁…HOD…B₂ by weaker bases B₂. This weakening of the anti-cooperativity of the stronger base could be predicted quantitatively. Similarly, the anti-cooperativity of the weaker base B₂ is strengthened in unsymmetric 1:2 complexes by stronger bases B₁.

It is known that H-bonds XH…B can be strengthened by cooperativity with a second H-bond XH…XH…B. They can be weakened for water by anti-cooperativity of two H-bonds B…HOH…B. The H-bond B₁…HO of 1:2 complexes B₁…HOH…B₂ can be weakened if the base strength of B₂ is stronger than of B₁ or strengthened if B₂ is weaker than B₁. Nature may use these possibilities in biochemistry.     

Water desorption isotherms of cellulose-acetate membranes

 The water desorption isotherms are determined in three cellulose acetate membranes with different acetyl content as a function of p/p ₀ at 10–40 °C. The partition coefficients (adsorbed water over water pressure) show a minimum at p/p ₀=0.5–0.6. This indicates a two energy mechanism. The agreement of our results with the BET adsorption isotherms only till p/p ₀<0.3 shows that a two energy adsorption mechanism is valid only for small water contents, probably one hydrate layer and a second more liquid-like water layer. At large p/p ₀, the adsorbed water becomes more and more liquid like by polarization of the hydrogen bonds. The heat of desorption is larger than the vaporization heat of water ΔH _vap(H₂O). It decreases with increasing water content asymptotically to ΔH _vap(H₂O). The cause may be a larger van der Waals interaction of the hydrate layer due to coordination numbers larger than 4.4 as in liquid water. Additionally, we found a hole adsorption process by sorbing unpolar solvents. The water and methonal adsorption are 100 times larger due to a swelling mechanism depending on the number of acetyl groups in the membranes. The amounts of n-alcohols sorbed decrease with their chain length. Received: 25 April 1997 Accepted: 10 June 1997     

Study of ethylene adsorption on zeolite NaY modified with group I metal ions

The adsorption of ethylene by zeolite NaY and zeolite NaY modified by cation exchange with potassium, rubidium, and cesium ions was studied. Cation exchanges were carried out using KNO₃, RbNO₃, and CsNO₃ in the concentration ranges of 0.2-10 mM. XRD patterns and specific surface areas illustrated that modification of NaY zeolite by very dilute solutions containing K⁺, Rb⁺ and Cs⁺ did not lead to significant changes in the crystallinity. Analysis of metals content (ICP-OES) showed that Cs⁺ can replace Na⁺ better than Rb⁺ and K⁺. Particle analysis indicated slight decreases in surface area but pore volumes and pore diameters remained unchanged. Ethylene adsorption isotherms indicated that Na-Y zeolite which was modified by 5.0 mM KNO₃, 0.5 mM RbNO₃ and 1.0 mM CsNO₃ could adsorb ethylene better than zeolite Na-Y. K-NaY zeolite adsorbed up to 102.45 cm³/g ethylene, while Rb-NaY and Cs-NaY zeolites adsorbed up to 98.50 cm³/g and 90.15 cm³/g ethylene, respectively. Ethylene adsorption capacities depended on number of adsorption sites and surface interactions.