Distorted five-fold coordination of Cu2+(aq) from a Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulation

The solvation shell structure and dynamics of a single Cu2+ ion in a periodic box with 32 water molecules under ambient conditions has been investigated using Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations in a time-window of 18 ps. Five-fold coordination with four equidistant equatorial water molecules at 2.00 A and one axial water molecule at 2.45 A from the Cu2+ ion is found. A "hole" without water molecules is found on the opposite side of the axial water. The ion-water bonding character for the equatorial water molecules is different from that of the axial water molecules, as shown by a localized orbital analysis of the electronic structure. Moreover, the calculated OD stretching vibrational band for the equatorial water molecules lies ca. 175 cm-1 below the axial-water band, in good agreement with experimental data. The equatorial-water band lies below, and the axial-water band above, the pure liquid D2O band, also in agreement with experimental data.