Intermediates in the cation reactions in solution probed by an in situ surface enhanced Raman scattering method

For chemical reactions in liquid state, such as catalysis, understanding of dynamical changes is conducive to practical applications. Solvation of copper salts in aqueous solution has implications for life, the environment, and industry. In an ongoing research, the question arises that why the color of aqueous CuCl2 solution changes with solution concentration? In this work, we have developed a convenient and efficient in situ surface enhanced Raman scattering technique to probe the presence of many intermediates, some of them are responsible for color change, in crystallization of aqueous copper chloride solution. The versatility of the novel technique was confirmed in the identification of five intermediates states in the transition from CdS to MoS2 nanowires in solution. The facile in situ method is expected to be widely applicable in probing intermediate states in a variety of chemical reactions in solution.