No abstract

Vibrational studies that selectively probe molecular structure at CCl4/H2O and hydrocarbon/H2O interfaces show that the hydrogen bonding between adjacent water molecules at these interfaces is weak, in contrast to generally accepted models of water next to fluid hydrophobic surfaces that suggest strong hydrogen bonding. However, interactions between these water molecules and the organic phase result in substantial orientation of these weakly hydrogen-bonded water molecules in the interfacial region. The results have important implications for understanding water adjacent to hydrophobic surfaces and the penetration of water into hydrophobic phases.

The surfaces of aqueous solutions of NaF, NaCl, NaBr, and NaI have been examined using vibrational sum-frequency spectroscopy. Spectra of these salts in mixtures of HOD/H2O/D2O have been used to provide insight into how simple salts alter the hydrogen bonding structure of water in the surface region. As the anion is changed, the observed interfacial hydrogen bonding also changes, indicating the presence of anions in the interfacial region. The isotopic dilution experiments performed on each solution enable separation of the contributions arising from interfacial water with differing degrees of hydrogen bonding. Frequency shifts in the peaks attributed to tetrahedrally coordinated water molecules within the interfacial region display the structure-making characteristics of F- and the structure-breaking characteristics of Cl-, Br-, and I-. However, water molecules residing in the topmost surface layer show minimal perturbation by the presence of these anions as probed by the characteristics of the donor OH mode of water molecules that straddle the air/water interface. These results indicate a significantly diminished population of the anions at the uppermost layer of the surface region.

The molecular structure and orientation of interfacial water molecules at the air/water interface in the presence of soluble cationic and anionic surfactants has been characterized. We have employed vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) to probe the orientation of interfacial water molecules as a function of both bulk surfactant concentration and solution ion strength. The observed ordering of interfacial water molecules is manifested by an enhancement of the OH stretching modes in the VSFG spectra. We attribute the observed enhancement to an alignment of the interfacial water molecules induced by the large electrostatic field present at these charged interfaces. The nature of this enhancement is further explored by studying mixed (cationic and anionic) surfactant systems as well as surfactant systems at different ionic strengths. From these studies we find that the interfacial water molecules attain their highest degree of alignment at surface surfactant concentrations well below maximum surface coverage.

Vibrational sum-frequency spectroscopy (VSFS) studies of a series of HOD/H 2 O/D 2 O mixtures ranging from pure D 2 O to pure H 2 O have been performed at the vapor/water interface. The various concentrations allow an iterative fitting procedure to be applied, resulting in a set of resonant peaks which consistently describe the vibrational modes of water molecules present in the interfacial region. The resonant sum-frequency response from the contributing vibrational modes allows more definitive characterization than in previous studies of the bonding interactions between surface water molecules. Comparison of the resonant spectrum of the vapor/ H 2 O interface with the sum-frequency spectrum obtained at the CCl 4 /H 2 O interface reveals more similarity between the interfacial hydrogen-bonding environments than previously determined. Recent molecular dynamics simulations of VSF spectra of the vapor/H 2 O interface are in good agreement with the experimentally obtained spectra, and give insight into the molecular interactions in the interfacial region, as well as an estimate of the interfacial depth probed.