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Strengthening of the Coordination Shell by Counter Ions in Aqueous Th 4+ Solutions

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry. A, Molecules, Spectroscopy, Kinetics, Environment, and General Theory

The presence of counter ions in solutions containing highly charged metal cations can trigger processes such as ion-pair formation, hydrogen bond breakages and subsequent reformation, and ligand exchanges. In this work, it is shown how halide (Cl-, Br-) and perchlorate (ClO4-) anions affect the strength of the primary solvent coordination shells around Th4+ using explicit solvent and finite temperature ab initio molecular dynamics modeling methods. The 9-fold solvent geometry was found to be the most stable hydration structure in each aqueous solution. Relative to the dilute aqueous solution, the presence of the counter ions did not significantly alter the geometry of the primary hydration shell. However, the free energy analyses indicated that the 10-fold hydrated states were thermodynamically accessible in dilute and bromide aqueous solutions within 1 kcal/mol. Analysis of the results showed that the hydrogen bond lifetimes were longer and solvent exchange energy barriers were larger in solutions with counter ions in comparison with the solution with no counter ions. This implies that the presence of the counter ions induces a strengthening of the Th4+ hydration shell.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF); Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1343177
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA--122830; KP1704020
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry. A, Molecules, Spectroscopy, Kinetics, Environment, and General Theory, Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry. A, Molecules, Spectroscopy, Kinetics, Environment, and General Theory Journal Issue: 51 Vol. 120; ISSN 1089-5639
Publisher:
American Chemical Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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