Dissecting the hydrogen bond network of water: Charge transfer and nuclear quantum effects

The molecular structure of water is dynamic, with intermolecular hydrogen (H) bond interactions being modified by both electronic charge transfer and nuclear quantum effects (NQEs). Electronic charge transfer and NQEs potentially change under acidic or basic conditions, but such details have not been measured. In this work, we developed correlated vibrational spectroscopy, a symmetry-based method that separates interacting from noninteracting molecules in self- and cross-correlation spectra, giving access to previously inaccessible information. We found that hydroxide (OH<sup>-</sup>) donated ~8% more negative charge to the H bond network of water, and hydronium (H<sub>3</sub>O<sup>+</sup>) accepted ~4% less negative charge from the H bond network of water. Deuterium oxide (D<sub>2</sub>O) had ~9% more H bonds compared with water (H<sub>2</sub>O), and acidic solutions displayed more dominant NQEs than basic ones.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Science
Published
2024-10-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ads4369
Citations
106
Primary Topic
Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
35.78

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Dissecting the hydrogen bond network of water: Charge transfer and nuclear quantum effects

Mischa Flór, Sylvie Roke, David M. Wilkins, Giuseppe Cassone et al.
106 citations
Science
Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies
35.78
article

Dissecting the hydrogen bond network of water: Charge transfer and nuclear quantum effects

Mischa Flór, Sylvie Roke, David M. Wilkins, Giuseppe Cassone, Miguel de la Puente, Damien Laage, Ali A. Hassanali
article en
106 citations

Abstract

The molecular structure of water is dynamic, with intermolecular hydrogen (H) bond interactions being modified by both electronic charge transfer and nuclear quantum effects (NQEs). Electronic charge transfer and NQEs potentially change under acidic or basic conditions, but such details have not been measured. In this work, we developed correlated vibrational spectroscopy, a symmetry-based method that separates interacting from noninteracting molecules in self- and cross-correlation spectra, giving access to previously inaccessible information. We found that hydroxide (OH<sup>-</sup>) donated ~8% more negative charge to the H bond network of water, and hydronium (H<sub>3</sub>O<sup>+</sup>) accepted ~4% less negative charge from the H bond network of water. Deuterium oxide (D<sub>2</sub>O) had ~9% more H bonds compared with water (H<sub>2</sub>O), and acidic solutions displayed more dominant NQEs than basic ones.

ScienceVol. 386(6726)
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) (IT), Queen's University Belfast (GB), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR), École Normale Supérieure - PSL (FR), Sorbonne Université (FR), Institute for Chemical and Physical Processes (IT), National Research Council (IT), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (CH)
National Science Foundation, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Julia Jacobi Foundation
Clean water and sanitation
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies
35.78
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.