Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 7, 2026
06:35
Construction and Systematical Symmetric Studies of a Series of Supramolecular Clusters with Binary or Ternary Ammonium Triphenylacetates
Published on: February 15, 2016
8.5K
Unveiling Guest Structure and Hydrogen Bonding in Cyclohexanemethanol Clathrate Hydrates
Ki Hun Park1,2, Dong Hyun Kim3, Ji-Ho Yoon4
1Department of Integrative Engineering for Hydrogen Safety, Kangwon National University, 1 Kangwondaehak-gil, Chuncheon, Gangwon 24341, Republic of Korea.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters
|March 6, 2026
Summary
Cyclohexanemethanol forms novel structure H clathrate hydrates with methane. Weak hydrogen bonds between the guest and water lattice influence hydrate stability, challenging traditional van der Waals models.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Physical Chemistry
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Clathrate hydrates are host-guest systems primarily stabilized by van der Waals forces.
- Recent findings suggest polar guests can form transient hydrogen bonds with hydrate water frameworks.
- This challenges the classical understanding of hydrate stabilization mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate cyclohexanemethanol as a novel structure H hydrate former with methane.
- To elucidate the molecular-level guest-host interactions in these hydrates.
- To understand the role of hydrogen bonding in hydrate stabilization.
Main Methods:
- 13C NMR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction were used to confirm hydrate structure.
- Density functional theory (DFT) calculations assessed guest molecule conformational stability.
- Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations investigated guest-host interactions and lattice dynamics.
Main Results:
- Formation of structure H (sH) hydrate confirmed, with methane in small/medium cages and cyclohexanemethanol in large cages.
- Cyclohexanemethanol adopts a low-energy conformation within the hydrate cage.
- Weak, temperature-dependent hydrogen bonding was observed between the cyclohexanemethanol hydroxyl group and the hydrate lattice, alongside transient lattice distortions.
Conclusions:
- Cyclohexanemethanol acts as a new sH hydrate former.
- Hydrates with hydrogen-bond-capable guests exhibit properties intermediate between clathrate and semiclathrate hydrates.
- This study provides molecular-level insights into hydrate stabilization beyond van der Waals interactions.
Related Concept Videos
02:11Conformations of Cyclohexane
16.6K
Cyclohexane does not exist in a planar form due to the high angle and torsional strain it would experience in the planar structure. Instead, it adopts non-planar chair and boat conformations.
The chair form is the most stable and derives its name from its resemblance to the “easy chair.” In the chair conformation, two carbon atoms are arranged out-of-plane — one above and one below, minimizing the torsional strain. In the chair form, the bond angle is very close to the ideal...
The chair form is the most stable and derives its name from its resemblance to the “easy chair.” In the chair conformation, two carbon atoms are arranged out-of-plane — one above and one below, minimizing the torsional strain. In the chair form, the bond angle is very close to the ideal...
16.6K
02:02Chair Conformation of Cyclohexane
20.3K
The chair conformation is the most stable form of cyclohexane due to the absence of angle and torsional strain. The absence of angle strain is a result of cyclohexane’s bond angle being very close to the ideal tetrahedral bond angle of 109.5° in its chair conformer. Similarly, the torsional strain is also absent owing to the perfectly staggered arrangement of bonds.
The hydrogen atoms linked to carbons are arranged in two different axial and equatorial orientations to achieve this...
The hydrogen atoms linked to carbons are arranged in two different axial and equatorial orientations to achieve this...
20.3K
02:30Stability of Substituted Cyclohexanes
16.5K
This lesson discusses the stability of substituted cyclohexanes with a focus on energies of various conformers and the effect of 1,3-diaxial interactions.
The two chair conformations of cyclohexanes undergo rapid interconversion at room temperature. Both forms have identical energies and stabilities, each comprising equal amounts of the equilibrium mixture. Replacing a hydrogen atom with a functional group makes the two conformations energetically non-equivalent.
For example, in...
The two chair conformations of cyclohexanes undergo rapid interconversion at room temperature. Both forms have identical energies and stabilities, each comprising equal amounts of the equilibrium mixture. Replacing a hydrogen atom with a functional group makes the two conformations energetically non-equivalent.
For example, in...
16.5K
01:04Hydrogen Bonds
15.6K
A hydrogen bond is formed when a weakly positive hydrogen atom already bonded to one electronegative atom (for example, the oxygen in the water molecule) is attracted to another electronegative atom from another polar molecule, such as water (H2O), hydrogen fluoride (HF), or ammonia (NH3). The huge electronegativity difference between the H atom (2.1) and the atom to which it is bonded (4.0 for an F atom, 3.5 for an O atom, or 3.0 for an N atom), combined with the very small size of an H atom...
15.6K
00:26Hydrogen Bonds
135.8K
Hydrogen bonds are weak attractions between atoms that have formed other chemical bonds. One of these atoms is electronegative, like oxygen, and has a partial negative charge. The other is a hydrogen atom that has bonded with another electronegative atom and has a partial positive charge.
Hydrogen Bonds Control the World!
Because hydrogen has very weak electronegativity when it binds with a strongly electronegative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen, electrons in the bond are unequally shared....
Hydrogen Bonds Control the World!
Because hydrogen has very weak electronegativity when it binds with a strongly electronegative atom, such as oxygen or nitrogen, electrons in the bond are unequally shared....
135.8K
02:34Regioselectivity and Stereochemistry of Acid-Catalyzed Hydration
9.8K
The rate of acid-catalyzed hydration of alkenes depends on the alkene's structure, as the presence of alkyl substituents at the double bond can significantly influence the rate.
9.8K