Infrared Action Spectra of Ca2+(H2O)11−69 Exhibit Spectral Signatures for Condensed-Phase Structures with Increasing Cluster Size

Solvation structures of calcium and magnesium ions in water with the presence of hydroxide: a study by deep potential molecular dynamics

The solvation structures of calcium (Ca²⁺) and magnesium (Mg²⁺) ions with the presence of hydroxide (OH^-) ion in water are essential for understanding their roles in biological and chemical processes but have not been fully explored. Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) is an important tool to address this issue, but two challenges exist. First, an accurate description of OH^- from AIMD needs an appropriate exchange-correlation functional. Second, a long trajectory is needed to reach an equilibrium state for the Ca²⁺-OH^- and Mg²⁺-OH^- ion pairs in aqueous solutions. Herein, we adopt a deep potential molecular dynamics (DPMD) method to simulate 1 ns trajectories for the Ca²⁺-OH^- and Mg²⁺-OH^- ion pairs in water; the DPMD method provides efficient machine-learning-based models that have the accuracy of the SCAN exchange-correlation functional within the framework of density functional theory. The solvation structures of the cations and the OH^- in terms of three different species have been systematically investigated. On the one hand, we find that OH^- have more significant effects on the solvation structure of Ca²⁺ than that of Mg²⁺. We observe that the OH^- substantially affects the orientation angles of water molecules surrounding the cation. Through the time correlation functions, we conclude that the water molecules in the first solvation shell of Ca²⁺ change their preferred orientation faster than those of Mg²⁺. On the other hand, with the presence of the cation in the first solvation shell of OH^-, we find that the hydrogen bonds of OH^- are severely altered, and the adjacent water molecules of OH^- are squeezed. The two cations have substantially different effects on the solvation structure of OH^-. Our work provides new insight into the solvation structures of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ in water with the presence of OH^-.

Hydration and Charge-Transfer Effects of Alkaline Earth Metal Ions Binding to a Carboxylate Anion, Phosphate Anion, and Guanine Nucleobase

To investigate the ability of alkaline earth metal ions to tune ion-mediated DNA adsorption, hydrated Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, and Ba²⁺ ions bound to a carboxylate anion, phosphate anion, and guanine nucleobase were modeled using density functional theory (DFT) and a combined explicit and continuum solvent model. The large first solvation shell of Ba²⁺ requires a larger solute cavity defined by a solvent-accessible surface, which is used to model all hydrated ions. Alkaline earth metal ions bind indirectly or directly to each binding site. DFT binding energies decrease with increasing ion size, which is likely due to ion size and hydration structure, rather than quantum effects such as charge transfer. However, charge transfer explains weaker ion binding to guanine compared to phosphate or carboxylate. Overall, carboxylate and phosphate anions are expected to compete equally for hydrated Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, and Ba²⁺ ions and larger alkaline earth metal ions may induce weaker ion-mediated adsorption. The ion size and hydration structure of alkaline earth metal ions may effectively tune ion-mediated adsorption processes, such as DNA adsorption to functionalized surfaces.

Ground-State Structures of Hydrated Calcium Ion Clusters From Comprehensive Genetic Algorithm Search

We searched the lowest-energy structures of hydrated calcium ion clusters Ca2+(H2O)n (n = 10-18) in the whole potential energy surface by the comprehensive genetic algorithm (CGA). The lowest-energy structures of Ca2+(H2O)10-12 clusters show that Ca2+ is always surrounded by six H2O molecules in the first shell. The number of first-shell water molecules changes from six to eight at n = 12. In the range of n = 12-18, the number of first-shell water molecules fluctuates between seven and eight, meaning that the cluster could pack the water molecules in the outer shell even though the inner shell is not full. Meanwhile, the number of water molecules in the second shell and the total hydrogen bonds increase with an increase in the cluster size. The distance between Ca2+ and the adjacent water molecules increases, while the average adjacent O-O distance decreases as the cluster size increases, indicating that the interaction between Ca2+ and the adjacent water molecules becomes weaker and the interaction between water molecules becomes stronger. The interaction energy and natural bond orbital results show that the interaction between Ca2+ and the water molecules is mainly derived from the interaction between Ca2+ and the adjacent water molecules. The charge transfer from the lone pair electron orbital of adjacent oxygen atoms to the empty orbital of Ca2+ plays a leading role in the interaction between Ca2+ and water molecules.

Mg(II) and Ca(II) Microsolvation by Ammonia: Born-Oppenheimer Molecular Dynamics Studies

We report the structural and energetic features of the Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ cations in ammonia microsolvation environments. Born-Oppenhemier molecular dynamics studies are carried out for [Mg(NH₃)_n]²⁺ and [Ca(NH₃)_n]²⁺ clusters with n = 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 20, and 27 at 300 K based on hybrid density functional theory calculations. We determine binding energies per ammonia molecule and the metal cation solvation patterns as a function of the number of molecules. The general trend for Mg²⁺ is that the Mg-N distances increase as a function of n until the first solvation shell is populated by six ammonia molecules, and then the distances slightly decrease while CN = 6 does not change. For Ca²⁺, the first solvation shell at room temperature is populated by eight ammonia molecules for clusters with more than one solvation shell, leading to a different structure from that of [Ca(NH₃)₆]²⁺ hexamine. The evaporation of NH₃ molecules was found at 300 K only for Mg²⁺ clusters with n ≥ 10; this was not the case for Ca²⁺ clusters. Vibrational spectra are obtained for all of the clusters, and the evolution of the main features is discussed. EXAFS spectra are also presented for the [Mg(NH₃)₂₇(NH₃)₂₇]²⁺ and [Ca(NH₃)₂₇]²⁺ clusters, which yield valuable data to be compared with experimental data in the liquid phase, as previously done for the aqueous solvation of these dications.

Comparison of the Microsolvation of CaX2 (X = F, Cl, Br, I) in Water: Size-Selected Anion Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Theoretical Calculations

To understand the microsolvation of alkaline-earth dihalides in water and provide information about the dependence of solvation processes on different halides, we investigated CaBr₂(H₂O)_n^-, CaI₂(H₂O)_n^-, and CaF₂(H₂O)_n^- (n = 0-6) clusters using size-selected anion photoelectron spectroscopy and conducted theoretical calculations on these clusters and their neutrals. The results are compared with those of CaCl₂(H₂O)_n^-/0 clusters reported previously. It is found that the vertical detachment energies (VDEs) of CaCl₂(H₂O)_n^-, CaBr₂(H₂O)_n^-, and CaI₂(H₂O)_n^- show a similar trend with increasing cluster size, while the VDEs of CaF₂(H₂O)_n^- show a different trend. The VDEs of CaF₂(H₂O)_n^- are much lower than those of CaCl₂(H₂O)_n^-, CaBr₂(H₂O)_n^-, and CaI₂(H₂O)_n^-. A detailed probing of the structures shows that a significant increase of the Ca-X distance (separation of Ca²⁺-X^- ion pair) in CaCl₂(H₂O)_n^-/0, CaBr₂(H₂O)_n^-/0, and CaI₂(H₂O)_n^-/0 clusters occurred at about n = 5. However, for CaF₂(H₂O)_n^-/0, no abrupt change of the Ca-F distance with the increasing cluster size has been observed. In CaCl₂(H₂O)₆^-/0, CaBr₂(H₂O)₆^-/0, and CaI₂(H₂O)₆^-/0, the Ca atom coordinates directly with 5 H₂O molecules. However, in CaF₂(H₂O)_n^-/0, the Ca atom coordinates directly with only 2 or 3 H₂O molecules. The similarity or differences in the structures and coordination numbers are consistent with the fact that CaCl₂, CaBr₂, and CaI₂ have similar solubility, while CaF₂ has much lower solubility.

The Many-Body Expansion for Aqueous Systems Revisited: II. Alkali Metal and Halide Ion-Water Interactions

We present a detailed study of the many-body expansion (MBE) for alkali metal and halide ion-water interactions and quantify the effect of these ions on the strength of the surrounding aqueous hydrogen bonding environment. Building on our previous work on neutral water clusters [J. P. Heindel and S. S. Xantheas, J. Chem. Theor. Comput. 16 (11), 6843-6855 (2020)], we carry out the MBE for the alkali metal and halide ion-water clusters, Z^+/-(H₂O)₉, where Z = Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, Cs⁺, F^-, Cl^-, Br^-, and I^- and compare them with the results for a pure water cluster with the same number of "bodies", viz., (H₂O)₁₀. The 2-B ion-water (I-W) interaction accounts for a larger percentage of the total cluster binding energy compared to a pure water cluster of the same size, with the total 3-B term being smaller and of opposite sign (repulsive), whereas higher order terms are essentially negligible. The same oscillating behavior around zero for the MBE terms higher than the 5-B with a basis set that was reported for water clusters is also observed for the ion-water clusters considered here, with the basis set superposition error (BSSE) corrections amending this as in the water cluster case. A remarkable, linear anticorrelation between the total 2-B (I-W), the total 2-B (W-W), and also the 3-B (W-W-W) interactions is found, quantifying the effect of the different ions in disrupting and altering (weakening) the neighboring hydrogen bonded water network: stronger (I-W) interactions result in weaker (W-W) interactions. Additional linear correlations across the two series of alkali metals and halide ions were found between the 3-B (I-W-W) and the 2-B (I-W) as well as between the 3-B (I-W-W) and the 3-B (W-W-W) interactions, suggesting the existence of previously unrealized underlying physics governing these 2-B intermolecular and 3-B collective interactions. Our results further suggest a universal behavior of the two different families of ions (alkali metals and halides) for both the correlations of the various components of the total binding energies and the estimate of the 2-B BSSE correction, which is reported to follow a common profile for ion-water and water-water interactions when cast in terms of reduced distances and energies of the respective dimers. We expect the current results that quantify the interplay between ion-water and water-water interactions in aqueous clusters to impact the development of classical, ab initio-based force fields for monatomic ion solvation, whereas the insights into the nature of the BSSE to be critical in future ab initio-based, many-body molecular dynamics studies.

Infrared spectroscopy of RG-Co+(H2O) complexes (RG = Ar, Ne, He): The role of rare gas "tag" atoms

RG_n-Co⁺(H₂O) cation complexes (RG = Ar, Ne, He) are generated in a supersonic expansion by pulsed laser vaporization. Complexes are mass-selected using a time-of-flight spectrometer and studied with infrared laser photodissociation spectroscopy, measuring the respective mass channels corresponding to the elimination of the rare gas "tag" atom. Spectral patterns and theory indicate that the structures of the ions with a single rare gas atom have this bound to the cobalt cation opposite the water moiety in a near-C_2v arrangement. The O-H stretch vibrations of the complex are shifted compared to those of water because of the metal cation charge-transfer interaction; these frequencies also vary systematically with the rare gas atom attached. The efficiencies of photodissociation also vary with the rare gas atoms because of their widely different binding energies to the cobalt cation. The spectrum of the argon complex could only be measured when at least three argon atoms were attached. In the case of the helium complex, the low binding energy allows the spectra to be measured for the low-frequency H-O-H scissors bending mode and for the O-D stretches of the deuterated analog. The partially resolved rotational structure for the antisymmetric O-H and O-D stretches reveals the temperature of these complexes (6 K) and establishes the electronic ground state. The helium complex has the same ³B₁ ground state as the tag-free complex studied previously by Metz and co-workers ["Dissociation energy and electronic and vibrational spectroscopy of Co⁺(H₂O) and its isotopomers," J. Phys. Chem. A 117, 1254 (2013)], but the A rotational constant is contaminated by vibrational averaging from the bending motion of the helium.

Local vibrational mode analysis of ion-solvent and solvent-solvent interactions for hydrated Ca2+ clusters

Hydrated calcium ion clusters have received considerable attention due to their essential role in biological processes such as bone development, hormone regulation, blood coagulation, and neuronal signaling. To better understand the biological role of the cation, the interactions between the Ca²⁺ ions and water molecules have been frequently investigated. However, a quantitative measure for the intrinsic Ca-O (ion-solvent) and intermolecular hydrogen bond (solvent-solvent) interactions has been missing so far. Here, we report a topological electron density analysis and a natural population analysis to analyze the nature of these interactions for a set of 14 hydrated calcium clusters via local mode stretching force constants obtained at the ωB97X-D/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. The results revealed that the strength of inner Ca-O interactions for Ca(H₂O)_n ²⁺ (n = 1-8) clusters correlates with the electron density. The application of a second hydration shell to Ca(H₂O)_n ²⁺ (n = 6-8) clusters resulted in stronger Ca-O interactions where a larger electron charge transfer between lp(O) of the first hydration shell and the lower valence of Ca prevailed. The strength of the intermolecular hydrogen bonds, formed between the first and second hydration shells, became stronger when the charge transfers between hydrogen bond (HB) donors and HB acceptors were enhanced. From the local mode stretching force constants of implicitly and explicitly solvated Ca²⁺, we found the six-coordinated cluster to possess the strongest stabilizations, and these results prove that the intrinsic bond strength measures for Ca-O and hydrogen bond interactions form new effective tools to predict the coordination number for the hydrated calcium ion clusters.

Boosting Neutral Water Oxidation through Surface Oxygen Modulation

Developing efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in pH-neutral electrolyte is crucial for microbial electrolysis cells and electrochemical CO₂ reduction. Unfortunately, the OER kinetics in neutral electrolyte is sluggish due to the low concentration of adsorbed reactants, with overpotentials of neutral OER at present much higher than that in acidic or alkaline electrolyte. Here, hydrated metal cations (Ca²⁺ ) are sought to be incorporated into the state-of-the-art Ru-Ir binary oxide to tailor the surface oxygen environments (lattice-oxygen and adsorbed oxygen species) for efficient neutral OER. Using a sol-gel method, ternary Ru-Ir-Ca oxides are synthesized in atomically homogenous manner, and the obtained catalyst on glassy carbon electrode achieves 10 mA cm^-2 at a low overpotential of 250 mV, with no degradation for 200 h of operation. In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy, in situ ¹⁸ O isotope-labeling differential electrochemical mass spectrometry, and ¹⁸ O isotope-labeling secondary ion mass spectroscopy studies are carried out. The results reveal that incorporation of Ca²⁺ can enhance the covalency of metal-oxygen bonds and the electrophilic nature of surface metal-bonded oxygen sites; and simultaneously facilitate the adsorption of water molecules on catalyst surface, which accelerates the lattice-oxygen-involved reaction, thus improving the overall OER performance of RuIrCaO_x catalyst.

Microsolvation in V+(H2O)n Clusters Studied with Selected-Ion Infrared Spectroscopy

Gas-phase ion-molecule clusters of the form V⁺(H₂O)_n (n = 1-30) are produced by laser vaporization in a supersonic expansion. These ions are analyzed and mass-selected with a time-of-flight mass spectrometer and investigated with infrared laser photodissociation spectroscopy. The small clusters (n ≤ 7) are studied with argon tagging, while the larger clusters are studied via the elimination of water molecules. The vibrational spectra for the small clusters include only free O-H stretching vibrations, while larger clusters exhibit redshifted hydrogen bonding vibrations. The spectral patterns reveal that the coordination around V⁺ ions is completed with four water molecules. A symmetric square-planar structure forms for the n = 4 ion, and this becomes the core ion in larger structures. Clusters up to n = 8 have mostly two-dimensional structures, but hydrogen bonding networks evolve to three-dimensional structures in larger clusters. The free O-H vibration of acceptor-acceptor-donor (AAD)-coordinated surface molecules converges to a frequency near that of bulk water by the cluster size of n = 30. However, the splitting of this vibration for AAD- versus AD-coordinated molecules is still different compared to other singly charged or doubly charged cation-water clusters. This indicates that cation identity and charge-site location in the cluster can produce discernable spectral differences for clusters in this size range.

Molecular dynamics simulations of alkaline earth metal ions binding to DNA reveal ion size and hydration effects

Classical molecular dynamics simulations reveal size-dependent trends of alkaline earth metal ions binding to DNA are due to ion size and hydration behavior.

The Solvation of Ca2+ with Gas Phase Clusters of Alcohol Molecules

A comprehensive examination of how the identity of an alcohol molecule can change the behavior of a solvated, alkaline earth dication has been undertaken. The metal dication of Ca²⁺ has been clustered with a range of different alcohols to form [Ca(ROH)_n]²⁺ complexes, where n lies in the range 2-20. Following collisional activation via electron capture from nitrogen gas, complexes for n in the range 2-6 exhibit a switch in reaction product as a function of n. For low values, solvated CaOH⁺ is the dominant fragment, but as n increases beyond 4, this is displaced by the appearance of solvated CaOR⁺. A separate study of unimolecular metastable decay by [Ca(ROH)_n]²⁺ complexes found evidence of charge separation to form CaOH⁺(ROH)_n-1 + R⁺. For two isomers of butanol, the n = 3 complexes were found to follow parallel, but different metastable pathways: one leading to the appearance of CaOH⁺ and another that resulted in proton abstraction to form ROH₂⁺. These differences have been attributed to the precursor complexes adopting geometries where one ROH molecule occupies a secondary solvation shell. Comparisons were made with a previous study of magnesium complexes; [Mg(ROH)_n]²⁺ show that the difference in second ionization energy Mg⁺ (15.09 eV) as opposed to Ca⁺ (11.88 eV) influences behavior. A complex between Ca²⁺ and 1-chloroethanol is shown to favor the formation of CaCl⁺ as opposed to CaOH⁺ as a unimolecular charge separation product, which is attributed to differences in bond energy in the precursor molecule.

Terahertz Spectra of Microsolvated Ions: Do They Reveal Bulk Solvation Properties?

Complementing mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectroscopy mainly in the OH stretching region, liquid-state far-IR spectroscopy is successful in elucidating the properties of aqueous solutions by providing direct access to the hallmark of H-bonding at terahertz (THz) frequencies, namely, the H-bond network peak of water at roughly 200 cm^-1 and its modifications in the hydration shells around solutes. Here, the idea is scrutinized whether ion hydration can be understood by studying the THz regime of "small" ion-water clusters in the gas phase as a function of size with subsequent extrapolation to the bulk limit. Our ab initio simulations of Na⁺(H₂O) _n clusters followed by rigorous decomposition of their THz response demonstrate that the 200 cm^-1 network peak is suppressed even at n = 20 in the gas phase, yet it emerges when transferring ion-water complexes as small as n = 7 out of the liquid into vacuum. The underlying physical reason is not missing electronic polarization or charge-transfer effects in the gas phase, but rather the distinctly different structural dynamics of finite ion-water clusters in the gas phase compared to ion-water complexes of the same size in the liquid phase.

Uptake and accommodation of water clusters by adamantane clusters in helium droplets: interplay between magic number clusters

We report an experimental study of water clusters as guests in interactions with clusters of adamantane (Ad) as hosts that occur in doped helium droplets at extremely low temperatures. Separate experiments with pure water as dopant showed ready formation of a distribution of water clusters (H2O)mH+ that peaks at m = 11 and extends beyond m = 100 with local maxima at m = 4, 11, 21, 28 and 30 with (H2O)21H+ being the most anomalous and showing the greatest stability with respect to clusters immediately adjacent in water content. When adamantane is also added as a dopant, extensive hydration is seen in the formation of water/adamantane clusters, (H2O)mAdn+; magic number clusters (H2O)21Adn+ are seen for all the adamantane clusters. Other magic numbers for water clusters attached to adamantane, (H2O)mAdn+, are as for pristine protonated water, with m = 28 and m = 30. The icosahedral shell closure of pure adamantane at n = 13 and 19 appears to be preserved with (H2O)21 replacing one adamantane. (H2O)21Ad12+ and (H2O)21Ad18+ stand out in intensity and demonstrate the interplay of magic number water clusters with magic number adamantane clusters, observed perhaps for the first time in gas-phase cluster chemistry. There was no clear evidence for the formation of clathrate hydrates in which adamantane is trapped within structured water.

Aqueous solvation of Mg(ii) and Ca(ii): A Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics study of microhydrated gas phase clusters

The hydration features of [Mg(H₂O)_n]²⁺ and [Ca(H₂O)_n]²⁺ clusters with n = 3-6, 8, 18, and 27 were studied by means of Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics simulations at the B3LYP/6-31+G** level of theory. For both ions, it is energetically more favorable to have all water molecules in the first hydration shell when n ≤ 6, but stable lower coordination average structures with one water molecule not directly interacting with the ion were found for Mg²⁺ at room temperature, showing signatures of proton transfer events for the smaller cation but not for the larger one. A more rigid octahedral-type structure for Mg²⁺ than for Ca²⁺ was observed in all simulations, with no exchange of water molecules to the second hydration shell. Significant thermal effects on the average structure of clusters were found: while static optimizations lead to compact, spherically symmetric hydration geometries, the effects introduced by finite-temperature dynamics yield more prolate configurations. The calculated vibrational spectra are in agreement with infrared spectroscopy results. Previous studies proposed an increase in the coordination number (CN) from six to eight water molecules for [Ca(H₂O)_n]²⁺ clusters when n ≥ 12; however, in agreement with recent measurements of binding energies, no transition to a larger CN was found when n > 8. Moreover, the excellent agreement found between the calculated extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy spectra for the larger cluster and the experimental data of the aqueous solution supports a CN of six for Ca²⁺.

Strategy for Modeling the Infrared Spectra of Ion-Containing Water Drops

Hydrated ions are ubiquitous in environmental and biological media. Understanding the perturbation exerted by an ion on the water hydrogen bond network is possible in the nanodrop regime by recording vibrational spectra in the O-H bond stretching region. This has been achieved experimentally in recent years by forming gaseous ions containing tens to hundreds of water molecules and recording their infrared photodissociation spectra. In this paper, we demonstrate the capabilities of a modeling strategy based on an extension of the AMOEBA polarizable force field to implement water atomic charge fluctuations along with those of intramolecular structure along the dynamics. This supplementary flexibility of nonbonded interactions improves the description of the hydrogen bond network and, therefore, the spectroscopic response. Finite temperature IR spectra are obtained from molecular dynamics simulations by computing the Fourier transform of the dipole moment autocorrelation function. Simulations of 1-2 ns are required for extensive sampling in order to reproduce the experimental spectra. Furthermore, bands are assigned with the driven molecular dynamics approach. This method package is shown to compare successfully with experimental spectra for 11 ions in water drops containing 36-100 water molecules. In particular, band frequency shifts of the free O-H stretching modes at the cluster surface are well reproduced as a function of both ion charge and drop size.

Sequential water molecule binding enthalpies for aqueous nanodrops containing a mono-, di- or trivalent ion and between 20 and 500 water molecules

Sequential water molecule binding enthalpies, ΔH_n,n-1, are important for a detailed understanding of competitive interactions between ions, water and solute molecules, and how these interactions affect physical properties of ion-containing nanodrops that are important in aerosol chemistry. Water molecule binding enthalpies have been measured for small clusters of many different ions, but these values for ion-containing nanodrops containing more than 20 water molecules are scarce. Here, ΔH_n,n-1 values are deduced from high-precision ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) measurements as a function of ion identity, charge state and cluster size between 20-500 water molecules and for ions with +1, +2 and +3 charges. The ΔH_n,n-1 values are obtained from the number of water molecules lost upon photoexcitation at a known wavelength, and modeling of the release of energy into the translational, rotational and vibrational motions of the products. The ΔH_n,n-1 values range from 36.82 to 50.21 kJ mol^-1. For clusters containing more than ∼250 water molecules, the binding enthalpies are between the bulk heat of vaporization (44.8 kJ mol^-1) and the sublimation enthalpy of bulk ice (51.0 kJ mol^-1). These values depend on ion charge state for clusters with fewer than 150 water molecules, but there is a negligible dependence at larger size. There is a minimum in the ΔH_n,n-1 values that depends on the cluster size and ion charge state, which can be attributed to the competing effects of ion solvation and surface energy. The experimental ΔH_n,n-1 values can be fit to the Thomson liquid drop model (TLDM) using bulk ice parameters. By optimizing the surface tension and temperature change of the logarithmic partial pressure for the TLDM, the experimental sequential water molecule binding enthalpies can be fit with an accuracy of ±3.3 kJ mol^-1 over the entire range of cluster sizes.

Experimental measurements of water molecule binding energies for the second and third solvation shells of [Ca(H2O) n ]2+ complexes

Further understanding of the biological role of the Ca²⁺ ion in an aqueous environment requires quantitative measurements of both the short- and long-range interactions experienced by the ion in an aqueous medium. Here, we present experimental measurements of binding energies for water molecules occupying the second and, quite possibly, the third solvation shell surrounding a central Ca²⁺ ion in [Ca(H₂O) _n ]²⁺ complexes. Results for these large, previously inaccessible, complexes have come from the application of finite heat bath theory to kinetic energy measurements following unimolecular decay. Even at n = 20, the results show water molecules to be more strongly bound to Ca²⁺ than would be expected just from the presence of an extended network of hydrogen bonds. For n > 10, there is very good agreement between the experimental binding energies and recently published density functional theory calculations. Comparisons are made with similar data recorded for [Ca(NH₃) _n ]²⁺ and [Ca(CH₃OH) _n ]²⁺ complexes.

Experimental measurements of water molecule binding energies for the second and third solvation shells of [Ca(H2O) n ]2+ complexes

Further understanding of the biological role of the Ca²⁺ ion in an aqueous environment requires quantitative measurements of both the short- and long-range interactions experienced by the ion in an aqueous medium. Here, we present experimental measurements of binding energies for water molecules occupying the second and, quite possibly, the third solvation shell surrounding a central Ca²⁺ ion in [Ca(H₂O) _n ]²⁺ complexes. Results for these large, previously inaccessible, complexes have come from the application of finite heat bath theory to kinetic energy measurements following unimolecular decay. Even at n = 20, the results show water molecules to be more strongly bound to Ca²⁺ than would be expected just from the presence of an extended network of hydrogen bonds. For n > 10, there is very good agreement between the experimental binding energies and recently published density functional theory calculations. Comparisons are made with similar data recorded for [Ca(NH₃) _n ]²⁺ and [Ca(CH₃OH) _n ]²⁺ complexes.

An infrared spectroscopic and theoretical study on (CH3)3N–H+–(H2O)n, n = 1–22: highly polarized hydrogen bond networks of hydrated clusters

Highly polarized water networks are found in the micro hydaration of protonated trimethylamine.

Locating protonated amines in clathrates

The structures and inherent stabilities of hydrated, protonated ammonia, select protonated primary, secondary, and tertiary amines as well as tetramethylammonium with 19-21 water molecules were investigated using infrared photodissociation (IRPD) spectroscopy and blackbody infrared radiative dissociation (BIRD) at 133 K. Magic number clusters (MNCs) with 20 water molecules were observed for all ions except tetramethylammonium, and the BIRD results indicate that these clusters have stable structures, which are relatively unaffected by addition of one water molecule but are disrupted in clusters with one less water molecule. IRPD spectra in the water free O-H stretch region are consistent with clathrate structures for the MNCs with 20 water molecules, whereas nonclathrate structures are indicated for tetramethylammonium as well as ions at the other cluster sizes. The locations of protonated ammonia and the protonated primary amines either in the interior or at the surface of a clathrate were determined by comparing IRPD spectra of these ions to those of reference ions; Rb(+) and protonated tert-butylammonia with 20 water molecules were used as references for an ion in the interior and at the surface of a clathrate, respectively. These results indicate that protonated ammonia is in the interior of the clathrate, whereas protonated methyl- and n-heptylamine are at the surface. Calculations suggest that the number of hydrogen bonds in these clusters does not directly correlate with structural stability, indicating that both the number and orientation of the hydrogen bonds are important. These experimental results should serve as benchmarks for computational studies aimed at elucidating ion effects on the hydrogen-bonding network of water molecules and the surface activity of ions.

Microsolvation and hydration enthalpies of CaC₂O₄(H₂O) n (n=0-16) and C₂O₄²⁻(H₂O) n (n=0-14): an ab initio study

We studied hydrated calcium oxalate and its ions at the restricted Hartree-Fock RHF/6-31G* level of theory. Performing a configurational search seems to improve the fit of the HF/6-31G* level to experimental data. The first solvation shell of calcium oxalate contains 13 water molecules, while the first solvation shell of oxalate ion is formed by 14 water molecules. The first solvation shell of Ca(II) is formed by six water molecules, while the second shell contains five. At 298.15 K, we estimate the asymptotic limits (infinite dilution) of the total standard enthalpies of hydration for Ca(II), oxalate ion and calcium oxalate as -480.78, -302.78 and -312.73 kcal mol(-1), resp. The dissociation of hydrated calcium oxalate is an endothermic process with an asymptotic limit of +470.84 kcal mol(-1).

Coordination numbers of hydrated divalent transition metal ions investigated with IRPD spectroscopy

Hydration of the divalent transition metal ions, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn, with 5-8 water molecules attached was investigated using infrared photodissociation spectroscopy and photodissociation kinetics. At 215 K, spectral intensities in both the bonded-OH and free-OH stretch regions indicate that the average coordination number (CN) of Mn(2+), Fe(2+), Co(2+), and Ni(2+) is ~6, and these CN values are greater than those of Cu(2+) and Zn(2+). Ni has the highest CN, with no evidence for any population of structures with a water molecule in a second solvation shell for the hexa-hydrate at temperatures up to 331 K. Mn(2+), Fe(2+), and Co(2+) have similar CN at low temperature, but spectra of Mn(2+)(H(2)O)(6) indicate a second population of structures with a water molecule in a second solvent shell, i.e., a CN < 6, that increases in abundance at higher temperature (305 K). The propensity for these ions to undergo charge separation reactions at small cluster size roughly correlates with the ordering of the hydrolysis constants of these ions in aqueous solution and is consistent with the ordering of average CN values established from the infrared spectra of these ions.

Ions in size-selected aqueous nanodrops: sequential water molecule binding energies and effects of water on ion fluorescence

The effects of water on ion fluorescence were investigated, and average sequential water molecule binding energies to hydrated ions, M(z)(H(2)O)(n), at large cluster size were measured using ion nanocalorimetry. Upon 248-nm excitation, nanodrops with ~25 or more water molecules that contain either rhodamine 590(+), rhodamine 640(+), or Ce(3+) emit a photon with average energies of approximately 548, 590, and 348 nm, respectively. These values are very close to the emission maxima of the corresponding ions in solution, indicating that the photophysical properties of these ions in the nanodrops approach those of the fully hydrated ions at relatively small cluster size. As occurs in solution, these ions in nanodrops with 8 or more water molecules fluoresce with a quantum yield of ~1. Ce(3+) containing nanodrops that also contain OH(-) fluoresce, whereas those with NO(3)(-) do not. This indirect fluorescence detection method has the advantages of high sensitivity, and both the size of the nanodrops as well as their constituents can be carefully controlled. For ions that do not fluoresce in solution, such as protonated tryptophan, full internal conversion of the absorbed 248-nm photon occurs, and the average sequential water molecule binding energies to the hydrated ions can be accurately obtained at large cluster sizes. The average sequential water molecule binding energies for TrpH(+)(H(2)O)(n) and a doubly protonated tripeptide, [KYK + 2H](2+)(H(2)O)(n), approach asymptotic values of ~9.3 (n ≥ 11) and ~10.0 kcal/mol (n ≥ 25), respectively, consistent with a liquidlike structure of water in these nanodrops.

Hybrid quadrupole mass filter∕quadrupole ion trap∕time-of-flight-mass spectrometer for infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy of mass-selected ions

We present a laboratory-constructed mass spectrometer optimized for recording infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectra of mass-selected ions using a benchtop tunable infrared optical parametric oscillator∕amplifier (OPO∕A). The instrument is equipped with two ionization sources, an electrospray ionization source, as well as an electron ionization source for troubleshooting. This hybrid mass spectrometer is composed of a quadrupole mass filter for mass selection, a reduced pressure (∼10(-5) Torr) quadrupole ion trap (QIT) for OPO irradiation, and a reflectron time-of-flight drift tube for detecting the remaining precursor and photofragment ions. A helium gas pulse is introduced into the QIT to temporarily increase the pressure and hence enhance the trapping efficiency of axially injected ions. After a brief pump-down delay, the compact ion cloud is subjected to the focused output from the continuous wave OPO. In a recent study, we implemented this setup in the study of protonated tryptophan, TrpH(+), as well as collision-induced dissociation products of this protonated amino acid [W. K. Mino, Jr., K. Gulyuz, D. Wang, C. N. Stedwell, and N. C. Polfer, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2, 299 (2011)]. Here, we give a more detailed account on the figures of merit of such IRMPD experiments. The appreciable photodissociation yields in these measurements demonstrate that IRMPD spectroscopy of covalently bound ions can be routinely carried out using benchtop OPO setups.