Dynamic anti-correlations of water hydrogen bonds

Abstract Water is characterized by strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) between molecules. The two hydrogen atoms in one water molecule can form H-bonds of dissimilar length. Although intimately connected to water’s anomalous properties, the details and the origins of the asymmetry have re...

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Main Authors: Lucas Gunkel, Amelie A. Ehrhard, Carola S. Krevert, Bogdan A. Marekha, Mischa Bonn, Maksim Grechko, Johannes Hunger
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-12-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54804-y
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author Lucas Gunkel
Amelie A. Ehrhard
Carola S. Krevert
Bogdan A. Marekha
Mischa Bonn
Maksim Grechko
Johannes Hunger
author_facet Lucas Gunkel
Amelie A. Ehrhard
Carola S. Krevert
Bogdan A. Marekha
Mischa Bonn
Maksim Grechko
Johannes Hunger
author_sort Lucas Gunkel
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Water is characterized by strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) between molecules. The two hydrogen atoms in one water molecule can form H-bonds of dissimilar length. Although intimately connected to water’s anomalous properties, the details and the origins of the asymmetry have remained elusive. We study water’s H-bonds using the O-D stretching vibrations as sensitive reporters of H-bonding of D2O and HOD in dimethylformamide. Broader inhomogeneous linewidths of the OD band of HOD compared to the symmetric and asymmetric OD stretching modes of D2O together with density functional theory calculations provide evidence for markedly anti-correlated H-bonds: water preferentially forms one weak and one strong H-bond. Coupling peaks in the spectra for D2O directly demonstrate anti-correlated H-bonds and these anti-correlations are modulated by thermal motions of water on a sub-picosecond timescale. Experimentally inferred H-bond distributions suggest that the anti-correlations are a direct consequence of the H-bonding potential of XH2 groups, which we confirm for the ND2 group of urea. These structural and dynamic insights into H-bonding are essential for understanding the relationship between the H-bonded structure and phase behavior of water.
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spelling doaj-art-c1cdb74f36e44fd78b7fd0797e5f40142024-12-01T12:33:31ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232024-12-011511910.1038/s41467-024-54804-yDynamic anti-correlations of water hydrogen bondsLucas Gunkel0Amelie A. Ehrhard1Carola S. Krevert2Bogdan A. Marekha3Mischa Bonn4Maksim Grechko5Johannes Hunger6Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10Abstract Water is characterized by strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) between molecules. The two hydrogen atoms in one water molecule can form H-bonds of dissimilar length. Although intimately connected to water’s anomalous properties, the details and the origins of the asymmetry have remained elusive. We study water’s H-bonds using the O-D stretching vibrations as sensitive reporters of H-bonding of D2O and HOD in dimethylformamide. Broader inhomogeneous linewidths of the OD band of HOD compared to the symmetric and asymmetric OD stretching modes of D2O together with density functional theory calculations provide evidence for markedly anti-correlated H-bonds: water preferentially forms one weak and one strong H-bond. Coupling peaks in the spectra for D2O directly demonstrate anti-correlated H-bonds and these anti-correlations are modulated by thermal motions of water on a sub-picosecond timescale. Experimentally inferred H-bond distributions suggest that the anti-correlations are a direct consequence of the H-bonding potential of XH2 groups, which we confirm for the ND2 group of urea. These structural and dynamic insights into H-bonding are essential for understanding the relationship between the H-bonded structure and phase behavior of water.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54804-y
spellingShingle Lucas Gunkel
Amelie A. Ehrhard
Carola S. Krevert
Bogdan A. Marekha
Mischa Bonn
Maksim Grechko
Johannes Hunger
Dynamic anti-correlations of water hydrogen bonds
Nature Communications
title Dynamic anti-correlations of water hydrogen bonds
title_full Dynamic anti-correlations of water hydrogen bonds
title_fullStr Dynamic anti-correlations of water hydrogen bonds
title_full_unstemmed Dynamic anti-correlations of water hydrogen bonds
title_short Dynamic anti-correlations of water hydrogen bonds
title_sort dynamic anti correlations of water hydrogen bonds
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-54804-y
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