Study on the structure of aqueous potassium chloride solutions using the X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy methods

Comparative Investigation of the Microstructure of MgCl2 Aqueous Solutions Using Different X-ray Scattering Sources, Raman Spectroscopy, and Atomistic Simulations

Aqueous solutions of magnesium chloride (MgCl2(aq)) are often used to test advances in the theory of electrolyte solutions because they are considered an ideal strong 2:1 electrolyte. However, there is evidence that some ion association occurs in these solutions, even at low concentrations. Even a small ion-pairing constant can have a significant impact on the chemical speciation of ions, so it is important to determine whether ion pairing actually occurs. In this study, MgCl2(aq) with concentrations ranging from 1 to 35% was studied using three methods: X-ray scattering (XRS) with the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF) and silver-anode laboratory sources, Raman spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the COMPASS-II and Madrid force fields. XRS results were analyzed in the framework of PDF theory to obtain the reduced structure function F(Q) and the reduced pair distribution function G(r). The F(Q) values from synchrotron radiation and laboratory sources both showed that the tetrahedral hydrogen bonds in bulk water were destroyed with the increased MgCl2 concentration. The results of G(r) indicated that the main peaks centered at 2.05 and 2.80 Å can be ascribed to the interactions of Mg-O and O-O, respectively. The peak at 3.10 Å is attributed to the combined effect of O-O and Cl-O. By comparing the structural information on MgCl2 solution obtained from the two light sources, it was found that both SSRF and silver-anode laboratory sources can reflect the above-mentioned structural information on MgCl2 solution. The radial distribution function (RDF) obtained from MD simulations of MgCl2 solutions assigned the peaks at 2.0, 2.8, and 3.2 Å to the Mg-O, O-O, and Cl-O interatomic pairs, respectively. The decrease in the O-O coordination number confirms that the hydrogen-bonding network of water is disrupted by increasing MgCl2 observed by X-ray scattering. The proportion of Mg-Cl contact ion pairs gradually increases with MgCl2 concentration as does the coordination number. Raman spectroscopy results show that the bond type changes from double donor double acceptor (DDAA) to single donor-single acceptor (DA) with increasing concentration, providing explicit details of the hydrogen-bond evolution in the aqueous solution.

Lifting Hofmeister's Curse: Impact of Cations on Diffusion, Hydrogen Bonding, and Clustering of Water

Water plays a role in the stability, reactivity, and dynamics of the solutes that it contains. The presence of ions alters this capacity by changing the dynamics and structure of water. However, our understanding of how and to what extent this occurs is still incomplete. Here, a study of the low-frequency Raman spectra of aqueous solutions of various cations by using optical Kerr-effect spectroscopy is presented. This technique allows for the measurement of the changes that ions cause in both the diffusive dynamics and the vibrations of the hydrogen-bond structure of water. It is found that when salts are added, some of the water molecules become part of the ion solvation layers, while the rest retain the same diffusional properties as those of pure water. The slowing of the dynamics of the water molecules in the solvation shell of each ion was found to depend on its charge density at infinite dilution conditions and on its position in the Hofmeister series at higher concentrations. It is also observed that all cations weaken the hydrogen-bond structure of the solution and that this weakening depends only on the size of the cation. Finally, evidence is found that ions tend to form amorphous aggregates, even at very dilute concentrations. This work provides a novel approach to water dynamics that can be used to better study the mechanisms of solute nucleation and crystallization, the structural stability of biomolecules, and the dynamic properties of complex solutions, such as water-in-salt electrolytes.

Study on the Structure of a Mixed KCl and K2SO4 Aqueous Solution Using a Modified X-ray Scattering Device, Raman Spectroscopy, and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

The microstructure of a mixed KCl and K2SO4 aqueous solution was studied using X-ray scattering (XRS), Raman spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics simulation (MD). Reduced structure functions [F(Q)], reduced pair distribution functions [G(r)], Raman spectrum, and pair distribution functions (PDF) were obtained. The XRS results show that the main peak (r = 2.81 Å) of G(r) shifted to the right of the axis (r = 3.15 Å) with increased KCl and decreased K2SO4. The main peak was at r = 3.15 Å when the KCl concentration was 26.00% and the K2SO4 concentration was 0.00%. It is speculated that this phenomenon was caused by the main interaction changing, from K-OW (r = 2.80 Å) and OW-OW (r = 2.80 Å), to Cl−-OW (r = 3.14 Å) and K+-Cl− (r = 3.15 Å). According to the trend of the hydrogen bond structure in the Raman spectrum, when the concentration of KCl was high and K2SO4 was low, the destruction of the tetrahedral hydrogen bond network in the solution was more serious. This shows that the destruction strength of the anion to the hydrogen bond network structure in solution was Cl− > SO42−. In the MD simulations, the coordination number of OW-OW decreased with increasing KCl concentration, indicating that the tetrahedral hydrogen bond network was severely disrupted, which confirmed the results of the Raman spectroscopy. The hydration radius and coordination number of SO42− in the mixed solution were larger than Cl−, thus revealing the reason why the solubility of KCl in water was greater than that of K2SO4 at room temperature.

Electronic and relativistic contributions to ion-pairing in polyoxometalate model systems

Experiment and theory delineate covalency, electrostatic association, and relativistic effect contributions to polyoxometalate-alkali ion-pairs in water.