Hydration of methylamine and methylammonium ion: structural and thermodynamic properties from the data of the integral equation method in the RISM approximation

The structural and thermodynamic properties of hydration of methylamine and methyl-ammonium ion were investigated by the integral equations method in the RISM approximation. According to calculations, the average number of water molecules in the first hydration shell of CH₃ group is 14.4 for aqueous methylamine and 12.7 for aqueous methylammonium solution. The first hydration shells of the NH₂ group of methylamine and the NH₃ ⁺ group of methylammonium ion contain 6.9 and 5.6 water molecules, respectively. The average number of H-bonds formed by the NH₂ group is 2.4 and that formed by the NH₃ ⁺ group is 3. The results obtained show no H-bonding between the nitrogen atom of NH^{3 +} group of methylammonium and water molecules. The hydrogen atom of water participating in the hydrogen bonding with the nitrogen atom of methylamine now is a constituent of the NH₃ ⁺ group of methylammonium ion. The hydration free energies and the ionization constant calculated within the framework of the RISM theory are in good agreement with experimental data.