On the hydrophobic effect in water–alcohol mixtures

Solvatochromism, Preferential Solvation and Multiparametric Approach to the Spectral Shift of Methyl Orange in Aqueous Cosolvent Mixtures

In this study, the solvatochromic behavior of Methyl orange was studied visible spectrophotometrically in seven aqueous binary systems from water with methanol, ethanol, propanol, DMF, DMSO, acetone and dioxane solvents. The spectral data was interpreted in terms of solute-solvent and solvent-solvent interactions. The deviation from linearity in the plots of νmax versus x2 due to preferential solvation of the Methyl orange by one component of the mixed solvent and due to solvent microheterogeneity. The preferential solvation parameters local mole fraction X2L, solvation index δs2 and exchange constant K12 were evaluated. The preference of solute to be solvated by one of the solvating species relative to others was explained. All values of K12 were less than unity that indicates the preferential solvation of Methyl orange by water, except in case the water-propanol mixture where K12 was higher than unity. The preferential solvation index δs2 values were calculated and interpreted for each binary mixture. The magnitude of preferential solvation index was highest in water-DMSO mixtures than in the all other solvent mixtures. The energy of electronic transition in maximum absorption (ET) was calculated in each binary mixture. The extent and importance of each solute-solvent interactions to ET were analyzed by the linear solvation energy relationships using the Kamlet-Taft strategy.

The Preferential Solvation of Methyl Red in Various Binary Aqueous Solutions: Solvatochromism, Preferential Solvation Parameters, Microheterogeneity of Solvents and Polarity Scale

The solvatochromic characteristics of methyl red were examined in several aqueous solutions from pure water, with methanol, ethanol, propanol, acetonitrile, and dioxane. In order to explain the preferred solvation of the probe azo dye in the binary mixed solvents, the solvent exchange model of Bosch and Roses was used to evaluate the association between the empirical solvent polarity scale (ET) values of MR and solvent composition. Non-linear solvatochromism of methyl red was noted in all aqueous mixtures containing methanol, ethanol, propanol, acetonitrile, and dioxane. In addition to calculating the local mole fraction of each solvent composition in the cybotactic area of the probe, the impact of the solvating shell composition on the preferential solvation of the solute dye was examined in terms of both solvent-solvent and solute-solvent interactions. The local mole fraction of each solvent composition in the cybotactic region of the probe was also calculated. The results indicated that the MR solvation shell was thoroughly saturated with the solvent complex S12 in the following order: dioxane > ethanol > methanol > acetonitrile > propanol. Data from the binary systems were analyzed with KAT parameters using a multi-model; in aqueous methanol and ethanol solutions, the hydrogen acidity was more responsible for the spectral shift, whereas in aqueous acetonitrile and dioxane solutions, the basicity has a greater influence.

Dipolar Dispersion Forces in Water-Methanol Mixtures: Enhancement of Water Interactions upon Dilution Drives Self-Association

Mixtures of short-chain alcohols and water produce anomalous thermodynamic and structural quantities, including molecular segregation into water-rich and alcohol-rich components. Herein, we used molecular dynamics simulations with polarizable models to investigate interactions that could drive the self-association of water molecules in mixtures with methanol (MeOH). As water was diluted with MeOH, significant changes in the distribution of molecules and solvation properties occurred, where water exhibited a clear preference for self-association. When common structural quantities were analyzed, it was found that there was a clear reduction in water-water hydrogen bonding and tetrahedral order (both in terms of typical bulk behavior), contrary to the observed water self-association. However, when dipolar dispersion forces between all molecules as a function of system composition were analyzed, it was found that water-water dipolar interactions became significantly stronger with dilution (6-fold stronger interaction in 75% MeOH compared to 0% MeOH). This was only observed for water, where MeOH-MeOH interactions became weaker as the systems were more dilute in MeOH. These forces result from specific dipole orientations, likely occurring to adopt lower energy configurations (i.e., head-to-tail or antiparallel). For water, this may result from lost other interactions (e.g., hydrogen bonding), leading to more rotational freedom between the dipole moments. These intriguing changes in dipolar interactions, which directly result from structural changes, can therefore explain, in part, the driving force for water self-association in MeOH-water mixtures.

Rigid Cations Induce Enhancement of Microheterogeneity and Exhibit Anomalous Ion Diffusion in Water-Ethanol Mixtures

Because of the amphiphilic nature of ethanol in the aqueous solution, ions cause an interesting microheterogeneity where the water molecules and the hydroxy groups of ethanol preferentially solvate the ions, while the ethyl groups tend to occupy the intervening space. Using computer simulations, we study the dynamics of rigid monovalent cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, and Cs⁺) in aqueous ethanol solutions with chloride as the counterion. We vary both the size of the ions and the composition of the mixture to explore size- and composition-dependent ion diffusion. The relative stability of enhanced microheterogeneous configurations makes ion diffusion slower than what would be surmised by using the bulk properties of the mixture, using the Stokes-Einstein relation. We study the structure through partial radial distribution functions and the stability through coordination number fluctuations. The ion diffusion coefficient exhibits sharp re-entrant behavior when plotted against viscosity varied by composition. Our studies reveal multiple anomalous features of ion motion in this mixture. We formulate a mode-coupling theory (MCT) that takes into account the interaction between different dynamical components; MCT can incorporate the effects of heterogeneous dynamics and nonlinearity in composition dependence that arise from the feedback between mutually dependent ion-solvent dynamics.