H-Bonding network in fully deuterated N-methylformamide-water mixtures as studied by neutron scattering. Complementarity to X-ray study

Eur Phys J E Soft Matter. 2015 Jan;38(1):5. doi: 10.1140/epje/i2015-15005-8. Epub 2015 Jan 29.

Abstract

In complementarity with X-ray scattering and as extension of our previous publication, neutron scattering measurements are combined to DFT calculation to investigate the structural features of N-methylformamide-water mixtures (NMF-water) for three water molar fractions x w = 0.5 , 0.66 and x w = 0.75 . The recorded data at atmospheric pressure and room temperature are analyzed to yield the structure factor, the molecular form factor and the pair correlation function. Neutron investigations corroborate the X-ray ones and clearly show that liquid order in solutions is well accounted for by a tetramer. In this cluster, an NMF molecule is connected to three water molecules by one N-D···O and two O-D···O hydrogen bonds.

MeSH terms

  • Deuterium Oxide / chemistry*
  • Formamides / chemistry*
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Neutron Diffraction
  • X-Ray Diffraction

Substances

  • Formamides
  • Deuterium Oxide
  • methylformamide