Hydration of ions in confined spaces and ion recognition selectivity

The hydration of ions in confined spaces, such as the interior of ion-exchange resins, micelles, and surface monolayers, is discussed on the basis of results obtained with X-ray absorption fine structure studies, electrophoresis, and ion-transfer voltammetry. The general trends are that anions are partly dehydrated therein, whereas cations are likely to keep their first hydration shells. For bromide ions, the hydration numbers under various circumstances have been determined. The extents of dehydration depend not only on the structure of the cationic sites electrostatically attracting bromide ions but also on whether the cationic sites are exposed to a solution or are effectively shielded from it. These findings will be useful for designing the systems for ionic recognition and separation.

Local Structure around Chloride Ion in Anion Exchange Resin

Neutron diffraction measurements on 35Cl/37Cl isotopically substituted anion exchange resins were carried out in order to obtain direct information on the local structure around the chloride ion absorbed in the resin. Structural parameters concerning the first nearest-neighbor interaction of chloride ions were determined through a least-squares fitting procedure of the observed first-order difference function, DeltaCl(Q). It has been revealed that the chloride ion is neighboring an ion exchange group (-CH2(CH3)3N+) with a Cl-...N distance of 3.10(3) A, and simultaneously bonded with 2.4(1) D2O molecules with a Cl-...D distance of 2.25(2) A. The second and third nearest water molecules around Cl- have also been observed. These results indicate that the direct ionic interaction between Cl- and -CH2(CH3)3N+ drastically reduces the number of first-neighbor water molecules around Cl- but enhances the long-distance structuring of the remaining water molecules in the environment surrounded by a hydrophobic polymer matrix.