Isolating the Spectroscopic Signature of a Hydration Shell With the Use of Clusters: Superoxide Tetrahydrate

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Abstract
Cluster spectroscopy, aided by ab initio theory, was used to determine the detailed structure of a complete hydration shell around an anion. Infrared spectra of size-selected O2−· (H2O)n(n= 1 to 4) cluster ions were obtained by photoevaporation of an argon nanomatrix. Four water molecules are required to complete the coordination shell. The simple spectrum of the tetrahydrate reveals a structure in which each water molecule is engaged in a single hydrogen bond to one of the four lobes of the π* orbital of the superoxide, whereas the water molecules bind together in pairs. This illustrates how water networks deform upon accommodating a solute ion to create a distinct supramolecular species.