Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy
Published on: May 27, 2018
Effect of the Zn2+ and Hg2+ ions on the structure of liquid water
Valentina Migliorati1, Giordano Mancini, Giovanni Chillemi
1Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Roma, Italy. valemig@caspur.it
Abstract:
The effect of ions on the structure of liquid water is still not completely understood, despite extensive experimental and theoretical studies. A combined XANES and molecular dynamics investigation on diluted Zn(2+) and Hg(2+) aqueous solutions reveals that the influence of a single ion on the bonding pattern of water molecules is strongly dependent on the nature of the ion. While the structure of water is not altered by the presence of the Zn(2+) ion, the Hg(2+) cation has a strong impact on the hydrogen-bond network of water that extends beyond the first coordination shell.
More Related Videos
12:11Computation of Atmospheric Concentrations of Molecular Clusters from ab initio Thermochemistry
Published on: April 8, 2020
11:38In situ FTIR Spectroscopy as a Tool for Investigation of Gas/Solid Interaction: Water-Enhanced CO2 Adsorption in UiO-66 Metal-Organic Framework
Published on: February 1, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Common Ion Effect
Solubility Equilibria: Ionic Product of Water
The ionic product of water varies with temperature, and its value is 1.0 x 10−14 at standard experimental conditions. Per Le Chatelier's...
Ions as Acids and Bases
Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions, either of which may be capable of undergoing an acid or base ionization reaction with water. Aqueous salt solutions, therefore, may be acidic, basic, or neutral, depending on the relative acid-base strengths of the salt’s constituent ions. For example, dissolving the ammonium chloride in water results in its dissociation, as described by the equation:
Water: A Bronsted-Lowry Acid and Base
States of Water
Water freezes when the intermolecular forces are greater than the kinetic energy. Unlike most other substances, water is less dense in its solid state than in its liquid state. This is because each water molecule can form...
Aqueous Solutions and Heats of Hydration
When ionic compounds dissolve in water, the ions in the solid separate and disperse uniformly throughout the solution because water molecules surround and solvate the ions, reducing the strong electrostatic forces between them. This process...