Interior and Interfacial Aqueous Solvation of Benzene Dicarboxylate Dianions and Their Methylated Analogues: A Combined Molecular Dynamics and Photoelectron Spectroscopy Study
Aqueous solvation of benzene dicarboxylate dianions (BCD2-) was studied by means of photoelectron spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. Photoelectron spectra of hydrated ortho-, and para-BCD2- with up to 25 water molecules were obtained. An even-odd effect was observed for the p-BCD2- system as a result of the alternate solvation of the two negative charges. However, the high polarizability of the benzene ring makes the two carboxylate groups interact with each other in p-BCD2-, suppressing the strength of this even-odd effect compared with the linear dicarboxylate dianions linked by an aliphatic chain. No even-odd effect was observed for the o-BCD2- system, because each solvent molecule can interact with the two carboxylate groups at the same time due to their proximity. For large solvated clusters, the spectral features of the solute decreased while the solvent features became dominant, suggesting that both o- and p-BCD2- are situated in the center of the solvated clusters. Molecular dynamics simulations with both non-polarizable and polarizable force fields confirmed that all three isomers (o-, m-, and p-BCD2-) solvate in the aqueous bulk. However, upon methylation the hydrophobic forces overwhelm electrostatic interactions and, as a result, the calculations predict that the tetra-methyl o-BCD2- is located at the water surface with the carboxylate groups anchored in the liquid and the methylated benzene ring tilted away from the aqueous phase.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (US), Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 15016478
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-45085; 8592; KC0301020; TRN: US200513%%385
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Vol. 109, Issue 23; Other Information: PBD: 16 Jun 2005
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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