Webbläsaren som du använder stöds inte av denna webbplats. Alla versioner av Internet Explorer stöds inte längre, av oss eller Microsoft (läs mer här: * https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Var god och använd en modern webbläsare för att ta del av denna webbplats, som t.ex. nyaste versioner av Edge, Chrome, Firefox eller Safari osv.

Molecular Sinkers: X-ray Photoemission and Atomistic Simulations of Benzoic Acid and Benzoate at the Aqueous Solution/Vapor Interface

Författare

  • Niklas Ottosson
  • Anastasia O. Romanova
  • Johan Soderstrom
  • Olle Bjorneholm
  • Gunnar Öhrwall
  • Maxim V. Fedorov

Summary, in English

In this work, we provide a detailed microscopic picture of the behavior of benzoic acid at the aqueous solution/vapor interface in its neutral as well as in its dissociated form (benzoate). This is achieved through a combination of highly surface-sensitive X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments and fully atomistic molecular simulations. We show that significant changes occur in the interface behavior of the neutral acid upon release of the proton. The benzoic acid molecules are found to be strongly adsorbed at the interface layer with the planes of the aromatic rings oriented almost parallel to the water surface. In contrast, in the benzoate form, the carboxylate group shows a sinker-like behavior while the aromatic ring acts as a buoy, oriented nearly perpendicular to the surface. Furthermore, a significant fraction of the molecular ions move from the interface layer into the bulk of the solution. We rationalize these findings in terms of the very different hydration properties of the carboxylic group in the two charge states. The molecule has an amphiphilic nature, and the deprotonation thus changes the hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance between the nonpolar aromatic and the polar carboxylic parts of the molecule. That, consequently, leads to a pronounced reorientation and depletion of the molecules at the interface.

Publiceringsår

2012

Språk

Engelska

Sidor

13017-13023

Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie

The Journal of Physical Chemistry Part B

Volym

116

Issue

43

Dokumenttyp

Artikel i tidskrift

Förlag

The American Chemical Society (ACS)

Ämne

  • Physical Sciences
  • Natural Sciences

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt

  • ISSN: 1520-5207