Long-lived water clusters in hydrophobic solvents investigated by standard NMR techniques

Kouki Oka; Toshimichi Shibue; Natsuhiko Sugimura; Yuki Watabe; Bjorn Winther-Jensen; Hiroyuki Nishide

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-36787-1

Long-lived water clusters in hydrophobic solvents investigated by standard NMR techniques

Sci Rep. 2019 Jan 18;9(1):223. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-36787-1.

Authors

Kouki Oka¹, Toshimichi Shibue², Natsuhiko Sugimura³, Yuki Watabe³, Bjorn Winther-Jensen⁴, Hiroyuki Nishide^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Applied Chemistry, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 165-8555, Japan.
² Materials Characterization Central Laboratory, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 165-8555, Japan. shib@waseda.jp.
³ Materials Characterization Central Laboratory, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 165-8555, Japan.
⁴ Department of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 165-8555, Japan.
⁵ Department of Applied Chemistry, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 165-8555, Japan. nishide@waseda.jp.
⁶ Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo, 165-8555, Japan. nishide@waseda.jp.

Abstract

Unusual physical characteristics of water can be easier explained and understood if properties of water clusters are revealed. Experimental investigation of water clusters has been reported by highly specialized equipment and/or harsh experimental conditions and has not determined the properties and the formation processes. In the current work, we used standard ¹H-NMR as a versatile and facile tool to quantitatively investigate water clusters in the liquid phase under ambient conditions. This approach allows collection of data regarding the formation, long lifetime, stability, and physical properties of water clusters, as a cubic octamer in the liquid phase.