skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Structure of Hydronium (H3O+)/Chloride (Cl-) Contact Ion Pairs in Aqueous Hydrochloric Acid Solution: A Zundel-like Local Configuration

Journal Article · · Journal of the American Chemical Society, 132(36):12597-12604
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ja1014458· OSTI ID:990525

Details of the H3O+ and H2O structure in the first solvation shell about Cl- in aqueous HCl solutions are reported from x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements. Results show increasing degrees of contact ion pairing between Cl- and H3O+ as the HCl concentration increases from 6.0 m, 10.0 m and finally 16.1 m HCl (concentrated acid). At the highest acid concentration there are on average, approximately 1.6 H3O+ ions and 4.2 H2O’s in the first shell about Cl-. The structure of the Cl-/H3O+ contact ion pair is distinctly different than that of the H2O structure about Cl-. The Cl-O bond length (2.98Å) for Cl-/H3O+ is approximately 0.16 Å shorter than the Cl-/H2O bond. The bridging proton resides at an intermediate position between Cl and O at 1.60 Å from the Cl- and approximately 1.37 Å from the O of the H3O+. The bridging-proton structure of this contact ion pair, [Cl-H-OH2], is similar to structure of the water Zundel ion, [H2O-H-OH2]+. In both cases there is a shortened Cl-O or O-O bond and the intervening proton bond distances are substantially longer than for the covalent bonds of either HCl or H2O. The results further our understanding of the interaction H3O+ with Cl- that is of interest to fundamental physical chemistry and that has consequences in biochemical, geochemical and atmospheric processes.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
990525
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-70962; JACSAT; KC0301020; TRN: US1007315
Journal Information:
Journal of the American Chemical Society, 132(36):12597-12604, Vol. 132, Issue 36; ISSN 0002-7863
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English