Structure and dynamics at the surface of a concentrated aqueous solution of CsF

A molecular dynamics simulation of a liquid layer of a concentrated CsF solution in water has been performed in order to compare the results with those obtained in an experimental study of our group. The main result of the experiment was the existence of a monolayer of nearly pure water constituting the surface and a homogeneous mixture constituting the bulk of the system. The simulation reveals the same phenomena which can be explained by the circumstance that the ions near the surface mostly keep their first solvation shell intact. The water molecules belonging to these shells and being placed on the vapor side constitute this monolayer. The density profiles of the ions indicate that the Cs ions penetrate further into the surface than the F ions. The orientational structure of the first shell of water molecules around an ion is the same for ions in the surface and ions in the bulk in contrast to the dynamics which is altered. The spectra of the librational motion are shifted to lower frequencies. In addition to that the spectra belonging to libration which involves motion of the dipole moment develop a peak in the low frequency range irrespective of whether the water molecules are bonded to Cs or to F ions. This can be correlated with an overall preferred orientation of the water molecules in the surface which is most pronounced for the dipole moment. The calculation of the diffusion coefficients shows that the top surface layer of nearly pure water is a region of enhanced and extremely anisotropic mobility. The mean residence time of water molecules in the surface in the first shell of an ion is reduced according to the enhanced mobility.