Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol.105, No.6, 2161-2166, 1996
Rubidium Ion Hydration in Ambient and Supercritical Water
X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements and analyses are presented for Rb+ in supercritical water solutions. The structure of the first hydration shell at ambient conditions is compared to that in the supercritical region at a temperature of 424 degrees C and pressures from 382 to 633 bar. For al reported studies, RbBr at a concentration of 0.5 molal was used. XAFS results show that there is a well-defined hydration shell around the cation even at 424 degrees C but at these high temperatures the extent of hydration of the Rb cation is reduced by about 40%. A slight contraction of this first shell distance by about 0.10 Angstrom is also observed under supercritical conditions. The reduction in the number of water-ion bonds is analogous to the reduction in the amount of water-water hydrogen bonding that has been observed by others under supercritical conditions. The reduction in waters-of-hydration under supercritical conditions may also be in part due to formation of contact-ion pairs.
Keywords:ABSORPTION FINE-STRUCTURE;AQUEOUS-SOLUTIONS;DIELECTRIC-CONSTANT;COMPUTER-SIMULATION;ASSOCIATION;CHEMISTRY;HYDROGEN;CLUSTERS;EXAFS