Ratiometric detection of Raman hydration shell spectra

The micro‐structure of hydration shell of solute in water is significant for understanding the properties of aqueous solutions. However the spectra of hydration shell are difficult to be obtained. Herein, a novel Raman ratio spectra, which is obtained through dividing the Raman spectra of aqueous solutions from the spectrum of water, was applied to deduce the spectra of hydration shell of organic (acetone‐D6) and inorganic compounds (NaNO₃, NaSCN, NaClO₄, Na₂SO₄, NaCl) in water. Those spectra of the hydration shell were employed to study the micro‐structures of the first hydration shells of anions, the number of water molecules in the first hydration shell of free anions and acetone‐D6, and the aggregation behavior of ions in the concentrated aqueous NaNO₃. The number of water molecules in the hydration shell was supported by our molecular dynamic simulations. The Raman ratio spectra can be widely employed to obtain the spectra of the first hydration shell, and it is helpful to understand the micro‐structure of aqueous solutions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.