Time-resolved observation of the Eigen cation in liquid water

Wafa Amir (1, 2) , Guilhem Gallot (1) , François Hache (1) , S. Bratos (3) , J.-C. Leicknam (3) , R. Vuilleumier (3)

1 LOB - Laboratoire d'optique et biosciences
2 Physics Department [Golden CO]
3 LPTL - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique des Liquides

Experimental observation and time relaxation measurement of the hydrated proton Eigen form [H3 O+ (H2 O)3] are presented here. Vibrational time-resolved spectroscopy is used with an original method of investigating the proton excess in water. The anharmonicity of the time-resolved spectra is characteristic of the Eigen-type proton geometry. Proton relaxation occurs in less than 200 fs. A calculation of the potential energy confirms the experimental result and the Eigen cation lifetime is in good agreement with previous molecular dynamics simulations. Cop. 2007 American Institute of Physics.

Domains: Physics [physics]; Physics [physics]; Chemical Physics [physics.chem-ph]

Wafa Amir, Guilhem Gallot, François Hache, S. Bratos, J.-C. Leicknam, et al.. Time-resolved observation of the Eigen cation in liquid water. Journal of Chemical Physics, 2007, 126 (3), pp.34511. ⟨10.1063/1.2428299⟩. ⟨hal-00824061⟩