Structures and Spectra of Halide Hydrate Clusters in the Solid State: A Link between the Gas Phase and Solution State

This Review describes and assesses known solid-state examples of halide hydrates that are discrete in nature. Most of these are chloride hydrates, and most discrete clusters are dihalides, with very few mono- or multi-halide species found in the solid state. Polymeric chloride hydrates, on the other hand, are mostly 2D layered structures. We also observe that there is a gap in the chloride:water ratio between 8-20 waters per chloride. Isolated clusters can be found with 1-3 waters per chloride, 2D layers with 2-8 waters, and 3D semiclathrates with 20-38 waters. However, 1D chains comprise only 1-2 waters per chloride. [Cl(H₂ O)]^- is the only species found in both the solid state and gas phase and is also the only halide hydrate with a free OH group. Infrared spectra in the ν(OH) region are distinctive and useful for identification. Agreement between computed (gas phase) and experimentally-observed solid state structures and their vibrational spectra gives us confidence that discrete halide hydrate species observed in the solid state provide a useful link between gas phase species and structural motifs of halide hydrates in solution, especially microsolvated ion-pairs.