WorldWideScience

Sample records for hydration water molecules

  1. Fractionation of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes between hydrated and free water molecules in aqueous urea solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kakiuchi, M.; Matsuo, S.

    1985-01-01

    Ratios of D/H and 18 O/ 16 O in the vapor phase in equilibrium with aqueous urea solution with different urea molalities were measured at 15 and 25 0 C. Under the assumption that urea solutions consist of two species, i.e., the urea-water cluster and free water, the results are interpreted to give the average hydration number, i.e., the number of water molecules per urea molecule in the urea-water cluster. Good agreement was obtained for the hydration number estimated independently from hydrogen and oxygen isotopic fractions. On the basis of hydrogen isotopic data at 25 0 C, the average hydration number of urea in the cluster is 6.3 +/- 0.8 at 2.1 m and 2.75 +/- 0.08 at saturation (20.15 m). The corresponding average hydration numbers based on oxygen isotopic data were calculated to be 6.7 +/- 2.4 at 2.1 m and 2.75 +/- 0.25 at urea saturation. HD 16 O is enriched in the urea-water cluster and H 2 18 O is enriched in free water. Isotopic partitioning between the cluster and free water is markedly different from those between hydration spheres and free water in aqueous electrolyte solutions. 29 references, 6 figures, 5 tables

  2. Relationship between diffusivity of water molecules inside hydrating tablets and their drug release behavior elucidated by magnetic resonance imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kikuchi, Shingo; Onuki, Yoshinori; Kuribayashi, Hideto; Takayama, Kozo

    2012-01-01

    We reported previously that sustained release matrix tablets showed zero-order drug release without being affected by pH change. To understand drug release mechanisms more fully, we monitored the swelling and erosion of hydrating tablets using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Three different types of tablets comprised of polyion complex-forming materials and a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) were used. Proton density- and diffusion-weighted images of the hydrating tablets were acquired at intervals. Furthermore, apparent self-diffusion coefficient maps were generated from diffusion-weighted imaging to evaluate the state of hydrating tablets. Our findings indicated that water penetration into polyion complex tablets was faster than that into HPMC matrix tablets. In polyion complex tablets, water molecules were dispersed homogeneously and their diffusivity was relatively high, whereas in HPMC matrix tablets, water molecule movement was tightly restricted within the gel. An optimal tablet formulation determined in a previous study had water molecule penetration and diffusivity properties that appeared intermediate to those of polyion complex and HPMC matrix tablets; water molecules were capable of penetrating throughout the tablets and relatively high diffusivity was similar to that in the polyion complex tablet, whereas like the HPMC matrix tablet, it was well swollen. This study succeeded in characterizing the tablet hydration process. MRI provides profound insight into the state of water molecules in hydrating tablets; thus, it is a useful tool for understanding drug release mechanisms at a molecular level.

  3. Water Dynamics in the Hydration Shells of Biomolecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    The structure and function of biomolecules are strongly influenced by their hydration shells. Structural fluctuations and molecular excitations of hydrating water molecules cover a broad range in space and time, from individual water molecules to larger pools and from femtosecond to microsecond time scales. Recent progress in theory and molecular dynamics simulations as well as in ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy has led to new and detailed insight into fluctuations of water structure, elementary water motions, electric fields at hydrated biointerfaces, and processes of vibrational relaxation and energy dissipation. Here, we review recent advances in both theory and experiment, focusing on hydrated DNA, proteins, and phospholipids, and compare dynamics in the hydration shells to bulk water. PMID:28248491

  4. Adsorption Mechanism of Inhibitor and Guest Molecules on the Surface of Gas Hydrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yagasaki, Takuma; Matsumoto, Masakazu; Tanaka, Hideki

    2015-09-23

    The adsorption of guest and kinetic inhibitor molecules on the surface of methane hydrate is investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations. We calculate the free energy profile for transferring a solute molecule from bulk water to the hydrate surface for various molecules. Spherical solutes with a diameter of ∼0.5 nm are significantly stabilized at the hydrate surface, whereas smaller and larger solutes exhibit lower adsorption affinity than the solutes of intermediate size. The range of the attractive force is subnanoscale, implying that this force has no effect on the macroscopic mass transfer of guest molecules in crystal growth processes of gas hydrates. We also examine the adsorption mechanism of a kinetic hydrate inhibitor. It is found that a monomer of the kinetic hydrate inhibitor is strongly adsorbed on the hydrate surface. However, the hydrogen bonding between the amide group of the inhibitor and water molecules on the hydrate surface, which was believed to be the driving force for the adsorption, makes no contribution to the adsorption affinity. The preferential adsorption of both the kinetic inhibitor and the spherical molecules to the surface is mainly due to the entropic stabilization arising from the presence of cavities at the hydrate surface. The dependence of surface affinity on the size of adsorbed molecules is also explained by this mechanism.

  5. Effect of hydration on the organo-noble gas molecule HKrCCH: role of krypton in the stabilization of hydrated HKrCCH complexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biswas, Biswajit; Singh, Prashant Chandra

    2015-11-11

    The effect of hydration on the fluorine free organo-noble gas compound HKrCCH and the role of krypton in the stabilization of the hydrated HKrCCH complexes have been investigated using the quantum chemical calculations on the HKrCCH-(H2O)n=1-6 clusters. Structure and energetics calculations show that water stabilizes HKrCCH through the π hydrogen bond in which the OH group of water interacts with the C[triple bond, length as m-dash]C group of HKrCCH. A maximum of four water molecules can directly interact with the C[triple bond, length as m-dash]C of HKrCCH and after that only inter-hydrogen bonding takes place between the water molecules indicating that the primary hydration shell contains four water molecules. Atom in molecule analysis depicts that π hydrogen bonded complexes of the hydrated HKrCCH are cyclic structures in which the OKr interaction cooperates in the formation of strong O-HC[triple bond, length as m-dash]C interaction. Structure, energetics and charge analysis clearly established that krypton plays an important role in the stabilization as well as the formation of the primary hydration shell of hydrated HKrCCH complexes.

  6. UV-visible and resonance Raman spectroscopy of halogen molecules in clathrate hydrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Janda, K.C.; Kerenskaya, G.; Goldsheleger, I.U.; Apkarian, V.A.; Fleischer, E.B. [California Univ., Irvine, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry

    2008-07-01

    Resonance Raman spectroscopy was used to study halogen clathrate hydrate solids. In particular, this paper presented an ultraviolet-visible spectra for a polycrystalline sample of chlorine clathrate hydrate and two single crystal samples of bromine clathrate hydrate. UV-visible spectroscopy was used to study the interactions between the halogen guest molecule and the host water lattice. The spectrum for chlorine hydrate had a strong temperature dependence, while the spectra for bromine clathrate hydrate single crystals had a stable cubic type 2 structure as well as a tetragonal structure. A metastable cubic type 1 structure was also observed. Resonance Raman spectroscopy showed how the molecules fit into the host cages. 25 refs., 2 tabs., 7 figs.

  7. In silico studies of the properties of water hydrating a small protein

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinha, Sudipta Kumar; Chakraborty, Kausik; Bandyopadhyay, Sanjoy; Jana, Madhurima

    2014-01-01

    Atomistic molecular dynamics simulation of an aqueous solution of the small protein HP-36 has been carried out with explicit solvent at room temperature. Efforts have been made to explore the influence of the protein on the relative packing and ordering of water molecules around its secondary structures, namely, three α-helices. The calculations reveal that the inhomogeneous water ordering and density distributions around the helices are correlated with their relative hydrophobicity. Importantly, we have identified the existence of a narrow relatively dehydrated region containing randomly organized “quasi-free” water molecules beyond the first layer of “bound” waters at the protein surface. These water molecules with relatively weaker binding energies form the transition state separating the “bound” and “free” water molecules at the interface. Further, increased contribution of solid-like caging motions of water molecules around the protein is found to be responsible for reduced fluidity of the hydration layer. Interestingly, we notice that the hydration layer of helix-3 is more fluidic with relatively higher entropy as compared to the hydration layers of the other two helical segments. Such characteristics of helix-3 hydration layer correlate well with the activity of HP-36, as helix-3 contains the active site of the protein

  8. In silico studies of the properties of water hydrating a small protein

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sinha, Sudipta Kumar; Chakraborty, Kausik; Bandyopadhyay, Sanjoy, E-mail: sanjoy@chem.iitkgp.ernet.in [Molecular Modeling Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur - 721302 (India); Jana, Madhurima [Molecular Simulation Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela - 769008 (India)

    2014-12-14

    Atomistic molecular dynamics simulation of an aqueous solution of the small protein HP-36 has been carried out with explicit solvent at room temperature. Efforts have been made to explore the influence of the protein on the relative packing and ordering of water molecules around its secondary structures, namely, three α-helices. The calculations reveal that the inhomogeneous water ordering and density distributions around the helices are correlated with their relative hydrophobicity. Importantly, we have identified the existence of a narrow relatively dehydrated region containing randomly organized “quasi-free” water molecules beyond the first layer of “bound” waters at the protein surface. These water molecules with relatively weaker binding energies form the transition state separating the “bound” and “free” water molecules at the interface. Further, increased contribution of solid-like caging motions of water molecules around the protein is found to be responsible for reduced fluidity of the hydration layer. Interestingly, we notice that the hydration layer of helix-3 is more fluidic with relatively higher entropy as compared to the hydration layers of the other two helical segments. Such characteristics of helix-3 hydration layer correlate well with the activity of HP-36, as helix-3 contains the active site of the protein.

  9. Hydration of ammonia, methylamine, and methanol in amorphous solid water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Souda, Ryutaro

    2016-02-01

    Interactions of polar protic molecules with amorphous solid water (ASW) have been investigated using temperature-programmed desorption and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The ammonia and methylamine are incorporated into the interior of porous ASW films. They are caged by water molecules and are released during water crystallization. In contrast, the methanol-water interaction is not influenced by pores of ASW. The methanol additives tend to survive water crystallization and are released during ASW film evaporation. The hydration of n-hexane in ASW is influenced significantly by methanol additives because n-hexane is accommodated in a methanol-induced hydration shell.

  10. A geometry-based simulation of the hydration of ions and small molecules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Plumridge, T.H.

    2001-01-01

    The behaviour of solutes in water is of universal significance, but still not fully understood. This thesis provides details of a new computer simulation technique used to investigate the hydration of ions and small molecules. In contrast to conventional techniques such as molecular dynamics, this is a purely geometric method involving no forcefield or energy terms. Molecules of interest are modelled using crystallographic data to ensure that the structures are accurate. Water molecules are added randomly at any hydrogen bonding site in chains. At each addition the chain is rotated through all available space testing for the possibility of ring formation. The constraints used by the program to decide whether a ring should be conserved, i.e. whether the ring-forming hydrogen bond is viable were derived from a survey of (i) all available ice and clathrate hydrate structures and (ii) the hydrates of small biological molecules from the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre. If a ring forms, it is conserved and the process restarted with the addition of another random water. If the chain reaches a certain length and no hydrogen bonding opportunities are detected, the water chain is dissolved, and the process restarted. Using these techniques structure makers such as sulfate will readily allow structured water to form around them leading to large networks, whereas structure breakers such as urea will not allow any water chains to bridge the hydrogen bonding groups. The software has been tested with a set of twenty widely varying solutes and has produced results which generally agree with experimental data for structure makers and breakers, and also agrees well with traditional techniques such as molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo techniques. (author)

  11. Desalination of Produced Water via Gas Hydrate Formation and Post Treatment

    OpenAIRE

    Niu, Jing

    2012-01-01

    This study presents a two-step desalination process, in which produced water is cleaned by forming gas hydrate in it and subsequently dewatering the hydrate to remove the residual produced water trapped in between the hydrate crystals. All experiments were performed with pressure in the range of 450 to 800psi and temperature in the range of -1 to 1°C using CO? as guest molecule for the hydrate crystals. The experiments were conducted using artificial produced waters containing different amoun...

  12. Hydration water and microstructure in calcium silicate and aluminate hydrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fratini, Emiliano; Ridi, Francesca; Chen, Sow-Hsin; Baglioni, Piero

    2006-01-01

    Understanding the state of the hydration water and the microstructure development in a cement paste is likely to be the key for the improvement of its ultimate strength and durability. In order to distinguish and characterize the reacted and unreacted water, the single-particle dynamics of water molecules in hydrated calcium silicates (C 3 S, C 2 S) and aluminates (C 3 A, C 4 AF) were studied by quasi-elastic neutron scattering, QENS. The time evolution of the immobile fraction represents the hydration kinetics and the mobile fraction follows a non-Debye relaxation. Less sophisticated, but more accessible and cheaper techniques, like differential scanning calorimetry, DSC, and near-infrared spectroscopy, NIR, were validated through QENS results and they allow one to easily and quantitatively follow the cement hydration kinetics and can be widely applied on a laboratory scale to understand the effect of additives (i.e., superplasticizers, cellulosic derivatives, etc) on the thermodynamics of the hydration process. DSC provides information on the free water index and on the activation energy involved in the hydration process while the NIR band at 7000 cm -1 monitors, at a molecular level, the increase of the surface-interacting water. We report as an example the effect of two classes of additives widely used in the cement industry: superplasticizers, SPs, and cellulose derivatives. SPs interact at the solid surface, leading to a consistent increment of the activation energy for the processes of nucleation and growth of the hydrated phases. In contrast, the cellulosic additives do not affect the nucleation and growth activation energy, but cause a significant increment in the water availability: in other words the hydration process is more efficient without any modification of the solid/liquid interaction, as also evidenced by the 1 H-NMR. Additional information is obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultra small angle neutron scattering (USANS) and wide

  13. Dual reorientation relaxation routes of water molecules in oxyanion’s hydration shell: A molecular geometry perspective

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xie, Wen Jun; Yang, Yi Isaac; Gao, Yi Qin, E-mail: gaoyq@pku.edu.cn [Institute of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering and Biodynamic Optical Imaging Center, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)

    2015-12-14

    In this study, we examine how complex ions such as oxyanions influence the dynamic properties of water and whether differences exist between simple halide anions and oxyanions. Nitrate anion is taken as an example to investigate the hydration properties of oxyanions. Reorientation relaxation of its hydration water can occur through two different routes: water can either break its hydrogen bond with the nitrate to form one with another water or switch between two oxygen atoms of the same nitrate. The latter molecular mechanism increases the residence time of oxyanion’s hydration water and thus nitrate anion slows down the translational motion of neighbouring water. But it is also a “structure breaker” in that it accelerates the reorientation relaxation of hydration water. Such a result illustrates that differences do exist between the hydration of oxyanions and simple halide anions as a result of different molecular geometries. Furthermore, the rotation of the nitrate solute is coupled with the hydrogen bond rearrangement of its hydration water. The nitrate anion can either tilt along the axis perpendicularly to the plane or rotate in the plane. We find that the two reorientation relaxation routes of the hydration water lead to different relaxation dynamics in each of the two above movements of the nitrate solute. The current study suggests that molecular geometry could play an important role in solute hydration and dynamics.

  14. Dual reorientation relaxation routes of water molecules in oxyanion’s hydration shell: A molecular geometry perspective

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xie, Wen Jun; Yang, Yi Isaac; Gao, Yi Qin

    2015-01-01

    In this study, we examine how complex ions such as oxyanions influence the dynamic properties of water and whether differences exist between simple halide anions and oxyanions. Nitrate anion is taken as an example to investigate the hydration properties of oxyanions. Reorientation relaxation of its hydration water can occur through two different routes: water can either break its hydrogen bond with the nitrate to form one with another water or switch between two oxygen atoms of the same nitrate. The latter molecular mechanism increases the residence time of oxyanion’s hydration water and thus nitrate anion slows down the translational motion of neighbouring water. But it is also a “structure breaker” in that it accelerates the reorientation relaxation of hydration water. Such a result illustrates that differences do exist between the hydration of oxyanions and simple halide anions as a result of different molecular geometries. Furthermore, the rotation of the nitrate solute is coupled with the hydrogen bond rearrangement of its hydration water. The nitrate anion can either tilt along the axis perpendicularly to the plane or rotate in the plane. We find that the two reorientation relaxation routes of the hydration water lead to different relaxation dynamics in each of the two above movements of the nitrate solute. The current study suggests that molecular geometry could play an important role in solute hydration and dynamics

  15. Nonlinear fluid dynamics of nanoscale hydration water layer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jhe, Wonho; Kim, Bongsu; Kim, Qhwan; An, Sangmin

    In nature, the hydration water layer (HWL) ubiquitously exists in ambient conditions or aqueous solutions, where water molecules are tightly bound to ions or hydrophilic surfaces. It plays an important role in various mechanisms such as biological processes, abiotic materials, colloidal interaction, and friction. The HWL, for example, can be easily formed between biomaterials since most biomaterials are covered by hydrophilic molecules such as lipid bilayers, and this HWL is expected to be significant to biological and physiological functions. Here (1) we present the general stress tensor of the hydration water layer. The hydration stress tensor provided the platform form for holistic understanding of the dynamic behaviors of the confined HWL including tapping and shear dynamics which are until now individually studied. And, (2) through fast shear velocity ( 1mm/s) experiments, the elastic turbulence caused by elastic property of the HWL is indirectly observed. Our results may contribute to a deeper study of systems where the HWL plays an important role such as biomolecules, colloidal particles, and the MEMS. This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) Grant funded by the Korea government(MSIP) (2016R1A3B1908660).

  16. The anomalous halogen bonding interactions between chlorine and bromine with water in clathrate hydrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dureckova, Hana; Woo, Tom K; Udachin, Konstantin A; Ripmeester, John A; Alavi, Saman

    2017-10-13

    Clathrate hydrate phases of Cl 2 and Br 2 guest molecules have been known for about 200 years. The crystal structure of these phases was recently re-determined with high accuracy by single crystal X-ray diffraction. In these structures, the water oxygen-halogen atom distances are determined to be shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radii, which indicates the action of some type of non-covalent interaction between the dihalogens and water molecules. Given that in the hydrate phases both lone pairs of each water oxygen atom are engaged in hydrogen bonding with other water molecules of the lattice, the nature of the oxygen-halogen interactions may not be the standard halogen bonds characterized recently in the solid state materials and enzyme-substrate compounds. The nature of the halogen-water interactions for the Cl 2 and Br 2 molecules in two isolated clathrate hydrate cages has recently been studied with ab initio calculations and Natural Bond Order analysis (Ochoa-Resendiz et al. J. Chem. Phys. 2016, 145, 161104). Here we present the results of ab initio calculations and natural localized molecular orbital analysis for Cl 2 and Br 2 guests in all cage types observed in the cubic structure I and tetragonal structure I clathrate hydrates to characterize the orbital interactions between the dihalogen guests and water. Calculations with isolated cages and cages with one shell of coordinating molecules are considered. The computational analysis is used to understand the nature of the halogen bonding in these materials and to interpret the guest positions in the hydrate cages obtained from the X-ray crystal structures.

  17. Effect of hydration of sugar groups on adsorption of Quillaja bark saponin at air/water and Si/water interfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wojciechowski, Kamil; Orczyk, Marta; Marcinkowski, Kuba; Kobiela, Tomasz; Trapp, Marcus; Gutberlet, Thomas; Geue, Thomas

    2014-05-01

    Adsorption of a natural glycoside surfactant Quillaja bark saponin ("QBS", Sigma Aldrich 84510) was studied at the air/water and Si/water interfaces using a combination of surface pressure (SP), surface dilatational rheology, neutron reflectivity (NR), Infra-Red Attenuated Total Reflection Spectroscopy (IR ATR) and Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM). The adsorbed layers formed at the air/water interface are predominantly elastic, with the dilatational surface storage modulus reaching the maximum value of E'=184 mN/m. The NR results point to a strong hydration of the adsorbed layers (about 65% hydration, corresponding to about 60 molecules of water per one QBS molecule), most likely related to the presence of multiple sugar groups constituting the glycone part of the QBS molecules. With a layer thickness of 19 Å, the adsorbed amount obtained from NR seems largely underestimated in comparison to the value obtained from the surface tension isotherm. While this high extent of hydration does not prevent formation of dense and highly elastic layers at the air-water surface, QBS adsorption at the Si/water interface is much weaker. The adsorption isotherm of QBS on Si obtained from the QCM study reflects much lower affinity of highly hydrated and negatively charged saponin molecules to the Si/water interface. We postulate that at the air/water interface, QBS adsorbs through the triterpene aglycone moiety. In contrast, weak hydrogen bonding between the glycone part and the surface silanol groups of Si is responsible for QBS adsorption on more polar Si/water interface. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Application of empirical hydration distribution functions around polar atoms for assessing hydration structures of proteins

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuoka, Daisuke; Nakasako, Masayoshi

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Empirical distribution functions of water molecules in protein hydration are made. ► The functions measure how hydrogen-bond geometry in hydration deviate from ideal. ► The functions assess experimentally identified hydration structures of protein. - Abstract: To quantitatively characterize hydrogen-bond geometry in local hydration structures of proteins, we constructed a set of empirical hydration distribution functions (EHDFs) around polar protein atoms in the main and side chains of 11 types of hydrophilic amino acids (D. Matsuoka, M. Nakasako, Journal of Physical Chemistry B 113 (2009) 11274). The functions are the ensemble average of possible hydration patterns around the polar atoms, and describe the anisotropic deviations from ideal hydrogen bond geometry. In addition, we defined probability distribution function of hydration water molecules (PDFH) over the hydrophilic surface of a protein as the sum of EHDFs of solvent accessible polar protein atoms. The functions envelop most of hydration sites identified in crystal structures of proteins (D. Matsuoka, M. Nakasako, Journal of Physical Chemistry B 114 (2010) 4652). Here we propose the application of EHDFs and PDFHs for assessing crystallographically identified hydration structures of proteins. First, hydration water molecules are classified with respect to the geometry in hydrogen bonds in referring EHDFs. Difference Fourier electron density map weighted by PDFH of protein is proposed to identify easily density peaks as candidates of hydration water molecules. A computer program implementing those ideas was developed and used for assessing hydration structures of proteins

  19. Structural Interpretation of the Large Slowdown of Water Dynamics at Stacked Phospholipid Membranes for Decreasing Hydration Level: All-Atom Molecular Dynamics

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    Carles Calero

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Hydration water determines the stability and function of phospholipid membranes as well as the interaction of membranes with other molecules. Experiments and simulations have shown that water dynamics slows down dramatically as the hydration decreases, suggesting that the interfacial water that dominates the average dynamics at low hydration is slower than water away from the membrane. Here, based on all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we provide an interpretation of the slowdown of interfacial water in terms of the structure and dynamics of water–water and water–lipid hydrogen bonds (HBs. We calculate the rotational and translational slowdown of the dynamics of water confined in stacked phospholipid membranes at different levels of hydration, from completely hydrated to poorly hydrated membranes. For all hydrations, we analyze the distribution of HBs and find that water–lipids HBs last longer than water–water HBs and that at low hydration most of the water is in the interior of the membrane. We also show that water–water HBs become more persistent as the hydration is lowered. We attribute this effect (i to HBs between water molecules that form, in turn, persistent HBs with lipids; (ii to the hindering of the H-bonding switching between water molecules due to the lower water density at the interface; and (iii to the higher probability of water–lipid HBs as the hydration decreases. Our interpretation of the large dynamic slowdown in water under dehydration is potentially relevant in understanding membrane biophysics at different hydration levels.

  20. Small molecule hydration energy and entropy from 3D-RISM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, J.; Case, D. A.; Yamazaki, T.; Gusarov, S.; Kovalenko, A.; Luchko, T.

    2016-09-01

    Implicit solvent models offer an attractive way to estimate the effects of a solvent environment on the properties of small or large solutes without the complications of explicit simulations. One common test of accuracy is to compute the free energy of transfer from gas to liquid for a variety of small molecules, since many of these values have been measured. Studies of the temperature dependence of these values (i.e. solvation enthalpies and entropies) can provide additional insights into the performance of implicit solvent models. Here, we show how to compute temperature derivatives of hydration free energies for the 3D-RISM integral equation approach. We have computed hydration free energies of 1123 small drug-like molecules (both neutral and charged). Temperature derivatives were also used to calculate hydration energies and entropies of 74 of these molecules (both neutral and charged) for which experimental data is available. While direct results have rather poor agreement with experiment, we have found that several previously proposed linear hydration free energy correction schemes give good agreement with experiment. These corrections also provide good agreement for hydration energies and entropies though simple extensions are required in some cases.

  1. Small molecule hydration energy and entropy from 3D-RISM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, J; Case, D A; Yamazaki, T; Gusarov, S; Kovalenko, A; Luchko, T

    2016-01-01

    Implicit solvent models offer an attractive way to estimate the effects of a solvent environment on the properties of small or large solutes without the complications of explicit simulations. One common test of accuracy is to compute the free energy of transfer from gas to liquid for a variety of small molecules, since many of these values have been measured. Studies of the temperature dependence of these values (i.e. solvation enthalpies and entropies) can provide additional insights into the performance of implicit solvent models. Here, we show how to compute temperature derivatives of hydration free energies for the 3D-RISM integral equation approach. We have computed hydration free energies of 1123 small drug-like molecules (both neutral and charged). Temperature derivatives were also used to calculate hydration energies and entropies of 74 of these molecules (both neutral and charged) for which experimental data is available. While direct results have rather poor agreement with experiment, we have found that several previously proposed linear hydration free energy correction schemes give good agreement with experiment. These corrections also provide good agreement for hydration energies and entropies though simple extensions are required in some cases. (paper)

  2. Dynamic lifetimes of cagelike water clusters immersed in liquid water and their implications for hydrate nucleation studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guo, G.J.; Zhang, Y.G.; Li, M.; Wu, C.H. [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Inst. of Geology and Geophysics, Beijing (China). Key Laboratory of the Study of Earth' s Deep Interior

    2008-07-01

    In hydrate research fields, the hydrate nucleation mechanism still remains as an unsolved question. The static lifetimes of cagelike water clusters (CLWC) immersed in bulk liquid water have recently been measured by performing molecular dynamics simulations in the methane-water system, during which the member-water molecules of CLWCs are not allowed to exchange with their surrounding water molecules. This paper presented a study that measured the dynamic lifetimes of CLWCs permitting such water exchanges. The study involved re-analysis of previous simulation data that were used to study the effect of methane adsorption on the static lifetimes of a dodecahedral water cluster (DWC). The dynamic lifetimes of the DWC were calculated. The results of lifetime measurements of DWC in different systems were provided. The implications of this study for hydrate nucleation were also discussed. It was found that the dynamic lifetimes of CLWCs were not less than the static lifetimes previously obtained, and their ratio increased with the lifetime values. The results strengthened that CLWCs are metastable structures in liquid water and the occurrence probability of long-lived CLWCs will increase if one uses the dynamic lifetimes instead of the static lifetimes. 13 refs., 1 tab., 3 figs.

  3. α-chymotrypsin in water-acetone and water-dimethyl sulfoxide mixtures: Effect of preferential solvation and hydration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sirotkin, Vladimir A; Kuchierskaya, Alexandra A

    2017-10-01

    We investigated water/organic solvent sorption and residual enzyme activity to simultaneously monitor preferential solvation/hydration of protein macromolecules in the entire range of water content at 25°C. We applied this approach to estimate protein destabilization/stabilization due to the preferential interactions of bovine pancreatic α-chymotrypsin with water-acetone (moderate-strength H-bond acceptor) and water-DMSO (strong H-bond acceptor) mixtures. There are three concentration regimes for the dried α-chymotrypsin. α-Chymotrypsin is preferentially hydrated at high water content. The residual enzyme activity values are close to 100%. At intermediate water content, the dehydrated α-chymotrypsin has a higher affinity for acetone/DMSO than for water. Residual enzyme activity is minimal in this concentration range. The acetone/DMSO molecules are preferentially excluded from the protein surface at the lowest water content, resulting in preferential hydration. The residual catalytic activity in the water-poor acetone is ∼80%, compared with that observed after incubation in pure water. This effect is very small for the water-poor DMSO. Two different schemes are operative for the hydrated enzyme. At high and intermediate water content, α-chymotrypsin exhibits preferential hydration. However, at intermediate water content, in contrast to the dried enzyme, the initially hydrated α-chymotrypsin possesses increased preferential hydration parameters. At low water content, no residual enzyme activity was observed. Preferential binding of DMSO/acetone to α-chymotrypsin was detected. Our data clearly demonstrate that the hydrogen bond accepting ability of organic solvents and the protein hydration level constitute key factors in determining the stability of protein-water-organic solvent systems. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Supramolecular Organization of Nonstoichiometric Drug Hydrates: Dapsone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Braun, Doris E.; Griesser, Ulrich J.

    2018-01-01

    The observed moisture- and temperature dependent transformations of the dapsone (4,4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone, DDS) 0. 33-hydrate were correlated to its structure and the number and strength of the water-DDS intermolecular interactions. A combination of characterization techniques was used, including thermal analysis (hot-stage microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis), gravimetric moisture sorption/desorption studies and variable humidity powder X-ray diffraction, along with computational modeling (crystal structure prediction and pair-wise intermolecular energy calculations). Depending on the relative humidity the hydrate contains between 0 and 0.33 molecules of water per molecule DDS. The crystal structure is retained upon dehydration indicating that DDS hydrate shows a non-stoichiometric (de)hydration behavior. Unexpectedly, the water molecules are not located in structural channels but at isolated-sites of the host framework, which is counterintuitively for a hydrate with non-stoichiometric behavior. The water-DDS interactions were estimated to be weaker than water-host interactions that are commonly observed in stoichiometric hydrates and the lattice energies of the isomorphic dehydration product (hydrate structure without water molecules) and (form III) differ only by ~1 kJ mol−1. The computational generation of hypothetical monohydrates confirms that the hydrate with the unusual DDS:water ratio of 3:1 is more stable than a feasible monohydrate structure. Overall, this study highlights that a deeper understanding of the formation of hydrates with non-stoichiometric behavior requires a multidisciplinary approach including suitable experimental and computational methods providing a firm basis for the development and manufacturing of high quality drug products. PMID:29520359

  5. Probing the hydration water diffusion of macromolecular surfaces and interfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ortony, Julia H; Cheng, Chi-Yuan; Franck, John M; Pavlova, Anna; Hunt, Jasmine; Han, Songi; Kausik, Ravinath

    2011-01-01

    We probe the translational dynamics of the hydration water surrounding the macromolecular surfaces of selected polyelectrolytes, lipid vesicles and intrinsically disordered proteins with site specificity in aqueous solutions. These measurements are made possible by the recent development of a new instrumental and methodological approach based on Overhauser dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. This technique selectively amplifies 1 H NMR signals of hydration water around a spin label that is attached to a molecular site of interest. The selective 1 H NMR amplification within molecular length scales of a spin label is achieved by utilizing short-distance range (∼r -3 ) magnetic dipolar interactions between the 1 H spin of water and the electron spin of a nitroxide radical-based label. Key features include the fact that only minute quantities (<10 μl) and dilute (≥100 μM) sample concentrations are needed. There is no size limit on the macromolecule or molecular assembly to be analyzed. Hydration water with translational correlation times between 10 and 800 ps is measured within ∼10 A distance of the spin label, encompassing the typical thickness of a hydration layer with three water molecules across. The hydration water moving within this time scale has significant implications, as this is what is modulated whenever macromolecules or molecular assemblies undergo interactions, binding or conformational changes. We demonstrate, with the examples of polymer complexation, protein aggregation and lipid-polymer interaction, that the measurements of interfacial hydration dynamics can sensitively and site specifically probe macromolecular interactions.

  6. Prediction of Water Binding to Protein Hydration Sites with a Discrete, Semiexplicit Solvent Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Setny, Piotr

    2015-12-08

    Buried water molecules are ubiquitous in protein structures and are found at the interface of most protein-ligand complexes. Determining their distribution and thermodynamic effect is a challenging yet important task, of great of practical value for the modeling of biomolecular structures and their interactions. In this study, we present a novel method aimed at the prediction of buried water molecules in protein structures and estimation of their binding free energies. It is based on a semiexplicit, discrete solvation model, which we previously introduced in the context of small molecule hydration. The method is applicable to all macromolecular structures described by a standard all-atom force field, and predicts complete solvent distribution within a single run with modest computational cost. We demonstrate that it indicates positions of buried hydration sites, including those filled by more than one water molecule, and accurately differentiates them from sterically accessible to water but void regions. The obtained estimates of water binding free energies are in fair agreement with reference results determined with the double decoupling method.

  7. Analysis of Decomposition for Structure I Methane Hydrate by Molecular Dynamics Simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Na; Sun, Wan-Tong; Meng, Ying-Feng; Liu, An-Qi; Zhou, Shou-Wei; Guo, Ping; Fu, Qiang; Lv, Xin

    2018-05-01

    Under multi-nodes of temperatures and pressures, microscopic decomposition mechanisms of structure I methane hydrate in contact with bulk water molecules have been studied through LAMMPS software by molecular dynamics simulation. Simulation system consists of 482 methane molecules in hydrate and 3027 randomly distributed bulk water molecules. Through analyses of simulation results, decomposition number of hydrate cages, density of methane molecules, radial distribution function for oxygen atoms, mean square displacement and coefficient of diffusion of methane molecules have been studied. A significant result shows that structure I methane hydrate decomposes from hydrate-bulk water interface to hydrate interior. As temperature rises and pressure drops, the stabilization of hydrate will weaken, decomposition extent will go deep, and mean square displacement and coefficient of diffusion of methane molecules will increase. The studies can provide important meanings for the microscopic decomposition mechanisms analyses of methane hydrate.

  8. AGOA: A Hydration Procedure and Its Application to the 1-Phenyl-beta-Carboline Molecule

    OpenAIRE

    Hernandes, Marcelo Z.; Silva, João B. P. da; Longo, Ricardo L.

    2002-01-01

    A new procedure, named AGOA, has been developed and implemented in a computer program written in FORTRAN 77 to explore the hydration structures of polar solutes using its molecular electrostatic potential (MEP). This procedure can be generalized to polar solvents other than water. It has been tested for several small molecules, and applied to complex molecules of pharmacological interest, such as the beta-carbolinic systems derived from indole. This is a stringent, but not general, test of th...

  9. Hydration of urea and alkylated urea derivatives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaatze, Udo

    2018-01-01

    Compressibility data and broadband dielectric spectra of aqueous solutions of urea and some of its alkylated derivatives have been evaluated to yield their numbers Nh of hydration water molecules per molecule of solute. Nh values in a broad range of solute concentrations are discussed and are compared to hydration numbers of other relevant molecules and organic ions. Consistent with previous results, it is found that urea differs from other solutes in its unusually small hydration number, corresponding to just one third of the estimated number of nearest neighbor molecules. This remarkable hydration behavior is explained by the large density φH of hydrogen bonding abilities offered by the urea molecule. In terms of currently discussed models of reorientational motions and allied dynamics in water and related associating liquids, the large density φH causes a relaxation time close to that of undisturbed water with most parts of water encircling the solute. Therefore only a small part of disturbed ("hydration") water is left around each urea molecule. Adding alkyl groups to the basic molecule leads to Nh values which, within the series of n-alkylurea derivatives, progressively increase with the number of methyl groups per solute. With n-butylurea, Nh from dielectric spectra, in conformity with many other organic solutes, slightly exceeds the number of nearest neighbors. Compared to such Nh values, hydration numbers from compressibility data are substantially smaller, disclosing incorrect assumptions in the formula commonly used to interpret the experimental compressibilities. Similar to other series of organic solutes, effects of isomerization have been found with alkylated urea derivatives, indicating that factors other than the predominating density φH of hydrogen bond abilities contribute also to the hydration properties.

  10. Supramolecular Organization of Nonstoichiometric Drug Hydrates: Dapsone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Doris E. Braun

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The observed moisture- and temperature dependent transformations of the dapsone (4,4′-diaminodiphenyl sulfone, DDS 0. 33-hydrate were correlated to its structure and the number and strength of the water-DDS intermolecular interactions. A combination of characterization techniques was used, including thermal analysis (hot-stage microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis, gravimetric moisture sorption/desorption studies and variable humidity powder X-ray diffraction, along with computational modeling (crystal structure prediction and pair-wise intermolecular energy calculations. Depending on the relative humidity the hydrate contains between 0 and 0.33 molecules of water per molecule DDS. The crystal structure is retained upon dehydration indicating that DDS hydrate shows a non-stoichiometric (dehydration behavior. Unexpectedly, the water molecules are not located in structural channels but at isolated-sites of the host framework, which is counterintuitively for a hydrate with non-stoichiometric behavior. The water-DDS interactions were estimated to be weaker than water-host interactions that are commonly observed in stoichiometric hydrates and the lattice energies of the isomorphic dehydration product (hydrate structure without water molecules and (form III differ only by ~1 kJ mol−1. The computational generation of hypothetical monohydrates confirms that the hydrate with the unusual DDS:water ratio of 3:1 is more stable than a feasible monohydrate structure. Overall, this study highlights that a deeper understanding of the formation of hydrates with non-stoichiometric behavior requires a multidisciplinary approach including suitable experimental and computational methods providing a firm basis for the development and manufacturing of high quality drug products.

  11. Hydrophobic hydration and anomalous excess partial molar volume of tert-butyl alcohol-water mixture studied by quasielastic neutron scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakada, Masaru; Maruyama, Kenji; Misawa, Masakatsu; Yamamuro, Osamu

    2007-01-01

    Quasielastic neutron scattering has been used to investigate the hydration of alcohol clusters in tert-butyl alcohol-water mixture. The measurements were made in a range of alcohol concentration, x TBA , from 0.0 to 0.17 in mole fraction at 25degC. Fraction, α, of water molecules hydrated to fractal-surface of alcohol clusters in tert-butyl alcohol-water mixture was obtained as a function of alcohol concentration. Average hydration number N WS of tert-butyl alcohol molecule was derived from the value of α as a function of alcohol concentration. The value of N WS for an isolated alcohol molecule in water was 19-21. The anomalous excess partial molar volume of tert-butyl alcohol-water mixture was interpreted successfully by applying the same model with the same values of volume parameter as used for 1-propanol-water mixture, δ 1 (=-0.36 cm 3 ·mol -1 ) and δ 2 (=0.60 cm 3 ·mol -1 ). (author)

  12. Reconsideration on Hydration of Sodium Ion: From Micro-Hydration to Bulk Hydration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yongquan, Zhou; Chunhui, Fang; Yan, Fang; Fayan, Zhu; Haiwen, Ge; Hongyan, Liu

    2017-12-01

    Micro hydration structures of the sodium ion, [Na(H2O) n ]+, n = 1-12, were probed by density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ level in both gaseous and aqueous phase. The predicted equilibrium sodium-oxygen distance of 0.240 nm at the present level of theory. The four-, five- and six-coordinated cluster can transform from each other at the ambient condition. The analysis of the successive water binding energy and natural charge population (NBO) on Na+ clearly shows that the influence of Na+ on the surrounding water molecules goes beyond the first hydration shell with the hydration number of 6. The Car-Parrinello molecular dynamic simulation shows that only the first hydration sphere can be found, and the hydration number of Na+ is 5.2 and the hydration distance ( r Na-O) is 0.235 nm. All our simulations mentioned in the present paper show an excellent agreement with the diffraction result from X-ray scattering study.

  13. The effect of the condensed-phase environment on the vibrational frequency shift of a hydrogen molecule inside clathrate hydrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powers, Anna; Scribano, Yohann; Lauvergnat, David; Mebe, Elsy; Benoit, David M; Bačić, Zlatko

    2018-04-14

    We report a theoretical study of the frequency shift (redshift) of the stretching fundamental transition of an H 2 molecule confined inside the small dodecahedral cage of the structure II clathrate hydrate and its dependence on the condensed-phase environment. In order to determine how much the hydrate water molecules beyond the confining small cage contribute to the vibrational frequency shift, quantum five-dimensional (5D) calculations of the coupled translation-rotation eigenstates are performed for H 2 in the v=0 and v=1 vibrational states inside spherical clathrate hydrate domains of increasing radius and a growing number of water molecules, ranging from 20 for the isolated small cage to over 1900. In these calculations, both H 2 and the water domains are treated as rigid. The 5D intermolecular potential energy surface (PES) of H 2 inside a hydrate domain is assumed to be pairwise additive. The H 2 -H 2 O pair interaction, represented by the 5D (rigid monomer) PES that depends on the vibrational state of H 2 , v=0 or v=1, is derived from the high-quality ab initio full-dimensional (9D) PES of the H 2 -H 2 O complex [P. Valiron et al., J. Chem. Phys. 129, 134306 (2008)]. The H 2 vibrational frequency shift calculated for the largest clathrate domain considered, which mimics the condensed-phase environment, is about 10% larger in magnitude than that obtained by taking into account only the small cage. The calculated splittings of the translational fundamental of H 2 change very little with the domain size, unlike the H 2 j = 1 rotational splittings that decrease significantly as the domain size increases. The changes in both the vibrational frequency shift and the j = 1 rotational splitting due to the condensed-phase effects arise predominantly from the H 2 O molecules in the first three complete hydration shells around H 2 .

  14. The effect of the condensed-phase environment on the vibrational frequency shift of a hydrogen molecule inside clathrate hydrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Powers, Anna; Scribano, Yohann; Lauvergnat, David; Mebe, Elsy; Benoit, David M.; Bačić, Zlatko

    2018-04-01

    We report a theoretical study of the frequency shift (redshift) of the stretching fundamental transition of an H2 molecule confined inside the small dodecahedral cage of the structure II clathrate hydrate and its dependence on the condensed-phase environment. In order to determine how much the hydrate water molecules beyond the confining small cage contribute to the vibrational frequency shift, quantum five-dimensional (5D) calculations of the coupled translation-rotation eigenstates are performed for H2 in the v =0 and v =1 vibrational states inside spherical clathrate hydrate domains of increasing radius and a growing number of water molecules, ranging from 20 for the isolated small cage to over 1900. In these calculations, both H2 and the water domains are treated as rigid. The 5D intermolecular potential energy surface (PES) of H2 inside a hydrate domain is assumed to be pairwise additive. The H2-H2O pair interaction, represented by the 5D (rigid monomer) PES that depends on the vibrational state of H2, v =0 or v =1 , is derived from the high-quality ab initio full-dimensional (9D) PES of the H2-H2O complex [P. Valiron et al., J. Chem. Phys. 129, 134306 (2008)]. The H2 vibrational frequency shift calculated for the largest clathrate domain considered, which mimics the condensed-phase environment, is about 10% larger in magnitude than that obtained by taking into account only the small cage. The calculated splittings of the translational fundamental of H2 change very little with the domain size, unlike the H2 j = 1 rotational splittings that decrease significantly as the domain size increases. The changes in both the vibrational frequency shift and the j = 1 rotational splitting due to the condensed-phase effects arise predominantly from the H2O molecules in the first three complete hydration shells around H2.

  15. Water Dynamics in Protein Hydration Shells: The Molecular Origins of the Dynamical Perturbation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Protein hydration shell dynamics play an important role in biochemical processes including protein folding, enzyme function, and molecular recognition. We present here a comparison of the reorientation dynamics of individual water molecules within the hydration shell of a series of globular proteins: acetylcholinesterase, subtilisin Carlsberg, lysozyme, and ubiquitin. Molecular dynamics simulations and analytical models are used to access site-resolved information on hydration shell dynamics and to elucidate the molecular origins of the dynamical perturbation of hydration shell water relative to bulk water. We show that all four proteins have very similar hydration shell dynamics, despite their wide range of sizes and functions, and differing secondary structures. We demonstrate that this arises from the similar local surface topology and surface chemical composition of the four proteins, and that such local factors alone are sufficient to rationalize the hydration shell dynamics. We propose that these conclusions can be generalized to a wide range of globular proteins. We also show that protein conformational fluctuations induce a dynamical heterogeneity within the hydration layer. We finally address the effect of confinement on hydration shell dynamics via a site-resolved analysis and connect our results to experiments via the calculation of two-dimensional infrared spectra. PMID:24479585

  16. Hydration of a Large Anionic Charge Distribution - Naphthalene-Water Cluster Anions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, J. Mathias; Adams, Christopher L.

    2010-06-01

    We report the infrared spectra of anionic clusters of naphthalene with up to three water molecules. Comparison of the experimental infrared spectra with theoretically predicted spectra from quantum chemistry calculations allow conclusions regarding the structures of the clusters under study. The first water molecule forms two hydrogen bonds with the π electron system of the naphthalene moiety. Subsequent water ligands interact with both the naphthalene and the other water ligands to form hydrogen bonded networks, similar to other hydrated anion clusters. Naphthalene-water anion clusters illustrate how water interacts with negative charge delocalized over a large π electron system. The clusters are interesting model systems that are discussed in the context of wetting of graphene surfaces and polyaromatic hydrocarbons.

  17. Study on molecular controlled mining system of methane hydrate; Methane hydrate no bunshi seigyo mining ni kansuru kenkyu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuriyagawa, M; Saito, T; Kobayashi, H; Karasawa, H; Kiyono, F; Nagaoki, R; Yamamoto, Y; Komai, T; Haneda, H; Takahashi, Y [National Institute for Resources and Environment, Tsukuba (Japan); Nada, H [Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo (Japan)

    1997-02-01

    Basic studies are conducted for the collection of methane from the methane hydrate that exists at levels deeper than 500m in the sea. The relationship between the hydrate generation mechanism and water cluster structure is examined by use of mass spectronomy. It is found that, among the stable liquid phase clusters, the (H2O)21H{sup +} cluster is the most stable. Stable hydrate clusters are in presence in quantities, and participate in the formation of hydrate crystal nuclei. For the elucidation of the nucleus formation mechanism, a kinetic simulation is conducted of molecules in the cohesion system consisting of water and methane molecules. Water molecules that array near methane molecules at the normal pressure is disarrayed under a higher pressure for rearray into a hydrate structure. Hydrate formation and breakdown in the three-phase equilibrium state of H2O, CH4, and CO2 at a low temperature and high pressure are tested, which discloses that supercooling is required for formation, that it is possible to extract CH4 first for replacement by guest molecule CO2 since CO2 is stabler than CH4 at a lower pressure or higher temperature, and that formation is easier to take place when the grain diameter is larger at the formation point since larger grain diameters result in a higher formation temperature. 3 figs.

  18. Animated molecular dynamics simulations of hydrated caesium-smectite interlayers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sposito Garrison

    2002-09-01

    Full Text Available Computer animation of center of mass coordinates obtained from 800 ps molecular dynamics simulations of Cs-smectite hydrates (1/3 and 2/3 water monolayers provided information concerning the structure and dynamics of the interlayer region that could not be obtained through traditional simulation analysis methods. Cs+ formed inner sphere complexes with the mineral surface, and could be seen to jump from one attracting location near a layer charge site to the next, while water molecules were observed to migrate from the hydration shell of one ion to that of another. Neighboring ions maintained a partial hydration shell by sharing water molecules, such that a single water molecule hydrated two ions simultaneously for hundreds of picoseconds. Cs-montmorillonite hydrates featured the largest extent of this sharing interaction, because interlayer ions were able to inhabit positions near surface cavities as well as at their edges, close to oxygen triads. The greater positional freedom of Cs+ within the montmorillonite interlayer, a result of structural hydroxyl orientation and low tetrahedral charge, promoted the optimization of distances between cations and water molecules required for water sharing. Preference of Cs+ for locations near oxygen triads was observed within interlayer beidellite and hectorite. Water molecules also could be seen to interact directly with the mineral surface, entering its surface cavities to approach attracting charge sites and structural hydroxyls. With increasing water content, water molecules exhibited increased frequency and duration of both cavity habitation and water sharing interactions. Competition between Cs+ and water molecules for surface sites was evident. These important cooperative and competitive features of interlayer molecular behavior were uniquely revealed by animation of an otherwise highly complex simulation output.

  19. Animated molecular dynamics simulations of hydrated caesium-smectite interlayers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutton, Rebecca; Sposito, Garrison

    2002-01-01

    Computer animation of center of mass coordinates obtained from 800 ps molecular dynamics simulations of Cs-smectite hydrates (1/3 and 2/3 water monolayers) provided information concerning the structure and dynamics of the interlayer region that could not be obtained through traditional simulation analysis methods. Cs+ formed inner sphere complexes with the mineral surface, and could be seen to jump from one attracting location near a layer charge site to the next, while water molecules were observed to migrate from the hydration shell of one ion to that of another. Neighboring ions maintained a partial hydration shell by sharing water molecules, such that a single water molecule hydrated two ions simultaneously for hundreds of picoseconds. Cs-montmorillonite hydrates featured the largest extent of this sharing interaction, because interlayer ions were able to inhabit positions near surface cavities as well as at their edges, close to oxygen triads. The greater positional freedom of Cs+ within the montmorillonite interlayer, a result of structural hydroxyl orientation and low tetrahedral charge, promoted the optimization of distances between cations and water molecules required for water sharing. Preference of Cs+ for locations near oxygen triads was observed within interlayer beidellite and hectorite. Water molecules also could be seen to interact directly with the mineral surface, entering its surface cavities to approach attracting charge sites and structural hydroxyls. With increasing water content, water molecules exhibited increased frequency and duration of both cavity habitation and water sharing interactions. Competition between Cs+ and water molecules for surface sites was evident. These important cooperative and competitive features of interlayer molecular behavior were uniquely revealed by animation of an otherwise highly complex simulation output.

  20. The role of hydrophobic interactions for the formation of gas hydrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoon, R.H.; Wang, J.; Eriksson, J.C. [Virginia Polytech Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (United States). Center for Advanced Separation Technologies; Sum, A.K. [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

    2008-07-01

    The process of hydrate formation remains largely unexplained due to a lack of evidence for the water molecules around the hydrophobic solute such as methane, and the nucleation process leading to the clustering that induces hydrate growth. However, the water structure is known to play a major role in the mechanism for hydrate nucleation. This paper presented evidence that hydrophobic solutes promote the structuring of water. Water molecules at room temperature tend to form ice structures around the hydrocarbon chains of surfactant molecules dissolved in water. An atomic force microscope (AFM) was used in this study to measure the surface forces between thiolated gold surfaces. The purpose was to better understand the structure of the thin films of water between hydrophobic surfaces. The water molecules tended to reorganize themselves to form ordered structures, which may be related to the nucleation of hydrates. The entropy reduction associated with the ice structure can be considered as the net driving force for self-assembly. Recent studies have revealed that long-range attractive forces exist between hydrophobic surfaces, which are likely to result from structuring of the water molecules in the vicinity of the hydrophobic surfaces. Similarly, the hydrophobic nature of most gas hydrate formers may induce ordering of water molecules in the vicinity of dissolved solutes. It was concluded that the results of this study may be used to develop a new mechanism for the formation of gas hydrates, including methane. 20 refs., 2 figs.

  1. Dynamics of hydration in hen egg white lysozyme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sterpone, F; Ceccarelli, M; Marchi, M

    2001-08-10

    We investigate the hydration dynamics of a small globular protein, hen egg-white lysozyme. Extensive simulations (two trajectories of 9 ns each) were carried out to identify the time-scales and mechanism of water attachment to this protein. The location of the surface and integral water molecules in lysozyme was also investigated. Three peculiar temporal scales of the hydration dynamics can be discerned: two among these, with sub-nanosecond mean residence time, tau(w), are characteristic of surface hydration water; the slower time-scale (tau(w) approximately 2/3 ns) is associated with buried water molecules in hydrophilic pores and in superficial clefts. The computed tau(w) values in the two independent runs fall in a similar range and are consistent with each other, thus adding extra weight to our result. The tau(w) of surface water obtained from the two independent trajectories is 20 and 24 ps. In both simulations only three water molecules are bound to lysozyme for the entire length of the trajectories, in agreement with nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion estimates. Locations other than those identified in the protein crystal are found to be possible for these long-residing water molecules. The dynamics of the hydration water molecules observed in our simulations implies that each water molecule visits a multitude of residues during the lifetime of its bound with the protein. The number of residues seen by a single water molecule increases with the time-scale of its residence time and, on average, is equal to one only for the water molecules with shorter residence time. Thus, tau(w) values obtained from inelastic neutron scattering and based on jump-diffusion models are likely not to account for the contribution of water molecules with longer residence time. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

  2. Methane hydrate dissociation using inverted five-spot water flooding method in cubic hydrate simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Gang; Li, Xiao-Sen; Li, Bo; Wang, Yi

    2014-01-01

    The combination forms of the hydrate dissociation methods in different well systems are divided into 6 main patterns. Dissociation processes of methane hydrate in porous media using the inverted five-spot water flooding method (Pattern 4) are investigated by the experimental observation and numerical simulation. In situ methane hydrate is synthesized in the Cubic Hydrate Simulator (CHS), a 5.832-L cubic reactor. A center vertical well is used as the hot water injection well, while the four vertical wells at the corner are the gas and water production wells. The gas production begins simultaneously with the hot water injection, while after approximately 20 min of compression, the water begins to be produced. One of the common characteristics of the inverted five-spot water flooding method is that both the gas and water production rates decrease with the reduction of the hydrate dissociation rate. The evaluation of the energy efficiency ratio might indicate the inverted five-spot water flooding as a promising gas producing method from the hydrate reservoir. - Highlights: • A three-dimensional 5.8-L cubic pressure vessel is developed. • Gas production of hydrate using inverted five-spot flooding method is studied. • Water/gas production rate and energy efficiency ratio are evaluated. • Temperature distributions of numerical simulation and experiment agree well. • Hydrate dissociation process is a moving boundary problem in this study

  3. Sequence Dependencies of DNA Deformability and Hydration in the Minor Groove

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yonetani, Yoshiteru; Kono, Hidetoshi

    2009-01-01

    Abstract DNA deformability and hydration are both sequence-dependent and are essential in specific DNA sequence recognition by proteins. However, the relationship between the two is not well understood. Here, systematic molecular dynamics simulations of 136 DNA sequences that differ from each other in their central tetramer revealed that sequence dependence of hydration is clearly correlated with that of deformability. We show that this correlation can be illustrated by four typical cases. Most rigid basepair steps are highly likely to form an ordered hydration pattern composed of one water molecule forming a bridge between the bases of distinct strands, but a few exceptions favor another ordered hydration composed of two water molecules forming such a bridge. Steps with medium deformability can display both of these hydration patterns with frequent transition. Highly flexible steps do not have any stable hydration pattern. A detailed picture of this correlation demonstrates that motions of hydration water molecules and DNA bases are tightly coupled with each other at the atomic level. These results contribute to our understanding of the entropic contribution from water molecules in protein or drug binding and could be applied for the purpose of predicting binding sites. PMID:19686662

  4. Theoretical description of biomolecular hydration - Application to A-DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcia, A.E.; Hummer, G.; Soumpasis, D.M.

    1994-01-01

    The local density of water molecules around a biomolecule is constructed from calculated two- and three-points correlation functions of polar solvents in water using a Potential-of-Mean-Force (PMF) expansion. As a simple approximation, the hydration of all polar (including charged) groups in a biomolecule is represented by the hydration of water oxygen in bulk water, and the effect of non-polar groups on hydration are neglected, except for excluded volume effects. Pair and triplet correlation functions are calculated by molecular dynamics simulations. We present calculations of the structural hydration for ideal A-DNA molecules with sequences [d(CG) 5 ] 2 and [d(C 5 G 5 )] 2 . We find that this method can accurately reproduce the hydration patterns of A-DNA observed in neutron diffraction experiments on oriented DNA fibers

  5. Effects of cyclopentane on CO2 hydrate formation and dissociation as a co-guest molecule for desalination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, Jia-nan; Yang, Ming-jun; Liu, Yu; Wang, Da-yong; Song, Yong-chen

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • CP decreases CO 2 hydrate phase equilibrium pressure by forming CO 2 -CP hydrates. • The increase of CP can’t decrease hydrates phase equilibrium pressure unlimitedly. • Higher CP concentration lowers CO 2 hydrate gas uptake. • The optimal CP molar ratio is 0.01 based on hydrate phase equilibrium and gas uptake. - Abstract: Cyclopentane (CP) is considered to be a potential co-guest molecule in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) hydrate-based desalination. The experimental thermodynamic data of CO 2 -CP hydrates were measured for a salt solution, where CP was chosen as a hydrate promoter. Seven experimental cases (62 cycles) were studied with different molar ratios of CP/water (0, 0.0025, 0.005, 0.0075, 0.01, 0.02, and 0.03). Hydrate phase equilibrium data were generated using an isochoric method, and the hydrate saturations were calculated based on gas uptake. The results indicated that the increase in CP concentration significantly decreased the CO 2 hydrate equilibrium pressure to a certain limit; the hydrate saturation also decreased during this process. Also, it was determined that CP encouraged the formation of s-II double CO 2 -CP hydrates, which are different from s-I simple CO 2 hydrate. The CO 2 -CP guest provides a strengthened stability and moderate hydrate phase equilibrium conditions for hydrate-based desalination. The recommended optimal molar ratio of CP is 0.01 when the increase in equilibrium was more than 10 K, and the decrease in hydrate saturation was less than 2%.

  6. Vibrational dynamics of hydration water in amylose

    CERN Document Server

    Cavatorta, F; Albanese, G; Angelini, N

    2002-01-01

    We present a study of the dynamical properties of hydration water associated with amylose helices, based on low-temperature vibrational spectra collected using the TOSCA inelastic spectrometer at ISIS. The structural constraints of the polysaccharidic chains favour the formation of a high-density structure for water, which has been suggested by Imberty and Perez on the basis of conformational analysis. According to this model, hydration water can only enter the pores formed by six adjacent helices and completely fills the pores at a hydration level of about 0.27-g water/g dry amylose. Our measurements show that the dynamical behaviour of hydration water is similar to that observed in high-density amorphous ice. (orig.)

  7. Adsorption of water and carbon dioxide on hematite and consequences for possible hydrate formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kvamme, Bjørn; Kuznetsova, Tatiana; Kivelae, Pilvi-Helina

    2012-04-07

    The interest in carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery is increasing proportional to the decline in naturally driven oil production and also due to the increasing demand for reduced emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Transport of carbon dioxide in offshore pipelines involves high pressure and low temperatures, conditions which may lead to formation of hydrates from residual water dissolved in carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide. The critical question is whether the water at certain temperatures and pressures will drop out as liquid droplets first, and then form hydrates, or alternatively, adsorb on the pipeline surfaces, and subsequently form hydrates heterogeneously. In this work, we used several different basis sets of density functional theory in ab initio calculations to estimate the charge distribution of hematite (the dominating component of rust) crystals. These rust particles were embedded in water and chemical potential for adsorbed water molecules was estimated through thermodynamic integration and compared to similar estimates for water clusters of the same size. While the generated charges were not unique, the use of high order approximations and different basis sets provides a range of likely charge distributions. Values obtained for the chemical potential of water in different surroundings indicated that it would be thermodynamically favorable for water to adsorb on hematite, and that evaluation of potential carbon dioxide hydrate formation conditions and kinetics should be based on this formation mechanism. Depending on the basis set and approximations, the estimated gain for water to adsorb on the hematite surface rather than condense as droplets varied between -1.7 kJ mole(-1) and -3.4 kJ mole(-1). The partial charge distribution on the hematite surface is incompatible with the hydrate structure, and thus hydrates will be unable to attach to the surface. The behavior of water outside the immediate vicinity of hematite (beyond 3

  8. Theoretical description of biomolecular hydration - Application to A-DNA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcia, A.E.; Hummer, G. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, NM (United States); Soumpasis, D.M. [Max Planck Inst. for Biophysical Chemistry, Goettingen (Germany)

    1994-12-31

    The local density of water molecules around a biomolecule is constructed from calculated two- and three-points correlation functions of polar solvents in water using a Potential-of-Mean-Force (PMF) expansion. As a simple approximation, the hydration of all polar (including charged) groups in a biomolecule is represented by the hydration of water oxygen in bulk water, and the effect of non-polar groups on hydration are neglected, except for excluded volume effects. Pair and triplet correlation functions are calculated by molecular dynamics simulations. We present calculations of the structural hydration for ideal A-DNA molecules with sequences [d(CG){sub 5}]{sub 2} and [d(C{sub 5}G{sub 5})]{sub 2}. We find that this method can accurately reproduce the hydration patterns of A-DNA observed in neutron diffraction experiments on oriented DNA fibers.

  9. Hydration of alcohol clusters in 1-propanol-water mixture studied by quasielastic neutron scattering and an interpretation of anomalous excess partial molar volume.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Misawa, M; Inamura, Y; Hosaka, D; Yamamuro, O

    2006-08-21

    Quasielastic neutron scattering measurements have been made for 1-propanol-water mixtures in a range of alcohol concentration from 0.0 to 0.167 in mole fraction at 25 degrees C. Fraction alpha of water molecules hydrated to fractal surface of alcohol clusters in 1-propanol-water mixture was obtained as a function of alcohol concentration. Average hydration number N(ws) of 1-propanol molecule is derived from the value of alpha as a function of alcohol concentration. By extrapolating N(ws) to infinite dilution, we obtain values of 12-13 as hydration number of isolated 1-propanol molecule. A simple interpretation of structural origin of anomalous excess partial molar volume of water is proposed and as a result a simple equation for the excess partial molar volume is deduced in terms of alpha. Calculated values of the excess partial molar volumes of water and 1-propanol and the excess molar volume of the mixture are in good agreement with experimental values.

  10. Thermodynamic Stability of Structure H Hydrates Based on the Molecular Properties of Large Guest Molecules

    OpenAIRE

    Tezuka, Kyoichi; Taguchi, Tatsuhiko; Alavi, Saman; Sum, Amadeu K.; Ohmura, Ryo

    2012-01-01

    This paper report analyses of thermodynamic stability of structure-H clathrate hydrates formed with methane and large guest molecules in terms of their gas phase molecular sizes and molar masses for the selection of a large guest molecule providing better hydrate stability. We investigated the correlation among the gas phase molecular sizes, the molar masses of large molecule guest substances, and the equilibrium pressures. The results suggest that there exists a molecular-size value for the ...

  11. Hydration dynamics of hyaluronan and dextran.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunger, Johannes; Bernecker, Anja; Bakker, Huib J; Bonn, Mischa; Richter, Ralf P

    2012-07-03

    Hyaluronan is a polysaccharide, which is ubiquitous in vertebrates and has been reported to be strongly hydrated in a biological environment. We study the hydration of hyaluronan in solution using the rotational dynamics of water as a probe. We measure these dynamics with polarization-resolved femtosecond-infrared and terahertz time-domain spectroscopies. Both experiments reveal that a subensemble of water molecules is slowed down in aqueous solutions of hyaluronan amounting to ∼15 water molecules per disaccharide unit. This quantity is consistent with what would be expected for the first hydration shell. Comparison of these results to the water dynamics in aqueous dextran solution, a structurally similar polysaccharide, yields remarkably similar results. This suggests that the observed interaction with water is a common feature for hydrophilic polysaccharides and is not specific to hyaluronan. Copyright © 2012 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. The formation of gas hydrates and the effect of inhibitiors on their ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Natural gas hydrate is a solid crystalline compound produced by combining water and gas and it is considered as the clathrates. Guest gas molecules are stuck insider the pores of water networks produced by hydrogen bonds between molecules of water. There are different ways to analyze the hydrate formation operating ...

  13. Hydration of DNA by tritiated water and isotope distribution: a study by 1H, 2H, and 3H NMR spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mathur-De Vre, R.; Grimee-Declerck, R.; Lejeune, P.; Bertinchamps, A.J.

    1982-01-01

    The hydration layer of DNA (0.75%) in tritiated water represents 3.5% of solvent 3 HHO. The combined effects of temperature (-6 to -40 0 C) and H 2 O/ 2 H 2 O solvent composition on the spin-lattice relaxation times of water protons and deuterons suggest selective distribution of isotopes in the hydration layer. The ''hydration isotope'' effect and the localization of tritiated water molecules in the hydration layer of DNA have important implications in describing the radiobiological effects of tritiated water because the initial molecular damage caused by 3 HHO (internal radiation source) localizes close to 3 H due to the short range and low energy of 3 H β rays

  14. Experimental determination of methane hydrate formation in the presence of ammonia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dong, T.B.; Wang, L.Y.; Liu, A.X.; Guo, X.Q.; Chen, G.J.; Ma, Q.L.; Li, G.W. [China Univ. of Petroleum, Beijng (China). State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing

    2008-07-01

    Gas hydrates are non-stoichiometric inclusion compounds that are created by a lattice of water molecules. The host molecule has a strong hydrogen bond and encages low molecular weight gases or volatile liquids. The guest molecules favor hydrate formation. Historically, gas hydrates have been thought to be problematic during natural gas transportation because the formed solid hydrate can block pipelines and cause tubing and casing collapse. However, the discovery of huge deposits of gas hydrates in deep-sea sediments and in permafrost has renewed interest in gas hydrates as a new energy resource. This paper discussed a study that is a part of an ongoing experimental and computational program dealing with the thermodynamics of gas hydrate formation in ammonia-water systems. The purpose of the study was to develop a new method to separate and recycle the vent gas of ammonia synthesis by forming or dissociating hydrate. The hydrate-forming conditions of methane in ammonia and water system were studied and reported in this paper with reference to the experimental apparatus and procedure. The materials and preparation of samples were also explained. The experimental results showed that the ammonia had an inhibitive effect on the hydrate formation. 26 refs., 2 tabs., 3 figs.

  15. Characterization of water in hydrated Bombyx mori silk fibroin fiber and films by 2H NMR relaxation and 13C solid state NMR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asakura, Tetsuo; Isobe, Kotaro; Kametani, Shunsuke; Ukpebor, Obehi T; Silverstein, Moshe C; Boutis, Gregory S

    2017-03-01

    The mechanical properties of Bombyx mori silk fibroin (SF), such as elasticity and tensile strength, change remarkably upon hydration. However, the microscopic interaction with water is not currently well understood on a molecular level. In this work, the dynamics of water molecules interacting with SF was studied by 2 H solution NMR relaxation and exchange measurements. Additionally, the conformations of hydrated [3- 13 C]Ala-, [3- 13 C]Ser-, and [3- 13 C]Tyr-SF fibers and films were investigated by 13 C DD/MAS NMR. Using an inverse Laplace transform algorithm, we were able to identify four distinct components in the relaxation times for water in SF fiber. Namely, A: bulk water outside the fiber, B: water molecules trapped weakly on the surface of the fiber, C: bound water molecules located in the inner surface of the fiber, and D: bound water molecules located in the inner part of the fiber were distinguishable. In addition, four components were also observed for water in the SF film immersed in methanol for 30s, while only two components for the film immersed in methanol for 24h. The effects of hydration on the conformation of Ser and Tyr residues in the site-specific crystalline and non-crystalline domains of 13 C selectively labeled SF, respectively, could be determined independently. Our measurements provide new insight relating the characteristics of water and the hydration structure of silk, which are relevant in light of current interest in the design of novel silk-based biomaterials. The mechanical properties of Bombyx mori silk fibroin (SF) change remarkably upon hydration. However, the microscopic interaction between SF and water is not currently well understood on a molecular level. We were able to identify four distinct components in the relaxation times for water in SF fiber by 2 H solution NMR relaxation and exchange measurements. In addition, the effects of hydration on the conformation of Ser and Tyr residues in the site-specific crystalline and

  16. Separation of water through gas hydrate formation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boch Andersen, Torben; Thomsen, Kaj

    2009-01-01

    Gas hydrate is normally recognized as a troublemaker in the oil and gas industry. However, gas hydrate has some interesting possibilities when used in connection with separation of water. Nordic Sugar has investigated the possibility of using gas hydrates for concentration of sugar juice. The goal...... of the project was to formulate an alternative separation concept, which can replace the traditional water evaporation process in the sugar production. Work with the separation concept showed that gas hydrates can be used for water separation. The process is not suitable for sugar production because of large...... volumes and the needs for high pressure. The process could be interesting for concentration of heat sensitive, high value products...

  17. Experimental flowloop study on methane hydrate formation and agglomeration in high water cut emulsion systems

    OpenAIRE

    Pham , Trung-Kien; Cameirao , Ana ,; Herri , Jean-Michel

    2016-01-01

    Thème de cette communication: International Conference on Integrated Petroleum Engineering (IPE); International audience; hydrate risk also increases. Especially in the offshore systems, operating at low temperature and high pressure, conditions are favourable to the formation of gas hydrate, from the combination of liquid water and gas molecules, under the form of a solid phase. It is a serious issue in the flow assurance; it may cause many troubles, up to plugging.This work brings new under...

  18. Direct phase coexistence molecular dynamics study of the phase equilibria of the ternary methane-carbon dioxide-water hydrate system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michalis, Vasileios K; Tsimpanogiannis, Ioannis N; Stubos, Athanassios K; Economou, Ioannis G

    2016-09-14

    Molecular dynamics simulation is used to predict the phase equilibrium conditions of a ternary hydrate system. In particular, the direct phase coexistence methodology is implemented for the determination of the three-phase coexistence temperature of the methane-carbon dioxide-water hydrate system at elevated pressures. The TIP4P/ice, TraPPE-UA and OPLS-UA forcefields for water, carbon dioxide and methane respectively are used, in line with our previous studies of the phase equilibria of the corresponding binary hydrate systems. The solubility in the aqueous phase of the guest molecules of the respective binary and ternary systems is examined under hydrate-forming conditions, providing insight into the predictive capability of the methodology as well as the combination of these forcefields to accurately describe the phase behavior of the ternary system. The three-phase coexistence temperature is calculated at 400, 1000 and 2000 bar for two compositions of the methane-carbon dioxide mixture. The predicted values are compared with available calculations with satisfactory agreement. An estimation is also provided for the fraction of the guest molecules in the mixed hydrate phase under the conditions examined.

  19. Hydration sites of unpaired RNA bases: a statistical analysis of the PDB structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carugo Oliviero

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Hydration is crucial for RNA structure and function. X-ray crystallography is the most commonly used method to determine RNA structures and hydration and, therefore, statistical surveys are based on crystallographic results, the number of which is quickly increasing. Results A statistical analysis of the water molecule distribution in high-resolution X-ray structures of unpaired RNA nucleotides showed that: different bases have the same penchant to be surrounded by water molecules; clusters of water molecules indicate possible hydration sites, which, in some cases, match those of the major and minor grooves of RNA and DNA double helices; complex hydrogen bond networks characterize the solvation of the nucleotides, resulting in a significant rigidity of the base and its surrounding water molecules. Interestingly, the hydration sites around unpaired RNA bases do not match, in general, the positions that are occupied by the second nucleotide when the base-pair is formed. Conclusions The hydration sites around unpaired RNA bases were found. They do not replicate the atom positions of complementary bases in the Watson-Crick pairs.

  20. On the intermolecular vibrational coupling, hydrogen bonding, and librational freedom of water in the hydration shell of mono- and bivalent anions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Mohammed; Namboodiri, V; Singh, Ajay K; Mondal, Jahur A

    2014-10-28

    The hydration energy of an ion largely resides within the first few layers of water molecules in its hydration shell. Hence, it is important to understand the transformation of water properties, such as hydrogen-bonding, intermolecular vibrational coupling, and librational freedom in the hydration shell of ions. We investigated these properties in the hydration shell of mono- (Cl(-) and I(-)) and bivalent (SO4(2-) and CO3(2-)) anions by using Raman multivariate curve resolution (Raman-MCR) spectroscopy in the OH stretch, HOH bend, and [bend+librational] combination bands of water. Raman-MCR of aqueous Na-salt (NaCl, NaI, Na2SO4, and Na2CO3) solutions provides ion-correlated spectra (IC-spectrum) which predominantly bear the vibrational characteristics of water in the hydration shell of respective anions. Comparison of these IC-spectra with the Raman spectrum of bulk water in different spectral regions reveals that the water is vibrationally decoupled with its neighbors in the hydration shell. Hydrogen-bond strength and librational freedom also vary with the nature of anion: hydrogen-bond strength, for example, decreases as CO3(2-) > SO4(2-) > bulk water ≈ Cl(-) > I(-); and the librational freedom increases as CO3(2-) ≈ SO4(2-) water water in the hydration shell of anions.

  1. Solvation numbers and hydration constant for thorium(IV) in ethanol-water medium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sedaira, H.; Idriss, K.A.; Hashem, E.Y.

    1996-01-01

    The solvation number and hydration constant of Th 4+ in ethanol-water medium were determined at 25 degrees C using UV-spectral and electrochemical measurements. A solvate formation equilibrium is demonstrated and characterized. Three molecules of ethanol (S) can bond to the metal cation with strengths comparable to that for H 2 O to form ThS 3 (H 2 O) 3 4+ . Formation of thorium monochelate with lawsone (2-hydroxy-1.4-naphthoquinone) eliminates bonding with alcohol molecules. The dissociation constant of the chelating agent s K a and the formation contant of the monochelated metal ion s K f * that are essentially independent of the solution composition are evaluated. Hydration titrations involving thorium-lawsone monochlate are performed and the data obtained from the changes of pH with solvent composition are analyzed. The solution independent constant, s K f * for thorium-lawsone complex formation in mixed aqueous ethanol is given by log x K f * =vpK a + log s K h - log [LH] - vpH + 3 log v where vpK a is the dissociation constant of the chelating agent LH in the solvent system of v volume fraction of water and s K h is the solution-independent hydration constant of thorium (IV) in the solvent system. Log-values for the constants s K h , s K f * and s K z * are found to be 7.8 ±0.02, 11.38±0.04 and -0.753, respectively

  2. Theoretical investigation of the ultrafast dissociation of core-ionized water and uracil molecules immersed in liquid water

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stia, C.R.; Fojon, O.A. [Instituto de Fisica Rosario - CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario (Argentina); Gaigeot, M.P. [Laboratoire Analyse et Modelisation pour la Biologie et l' Environnement, LAMBE, UMR-CNRS 8587, Universite d' Evry-Val-d' Essonne, 91 - Evry (France); Institut Universitaire de France, 75 - Paris (France); Vuilleumier, R. [Departement de chimie, Ecole Normale Superieure, 75 - Paris (France); Herve du Penhoat, M.A.; Politis, M.F. [Institut de Mineralogie et de Physique des Milieux Condenses, IMPMC, UMR-CNRS 7590, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, 75 - Paris (France)

    2010-10-15

    We present a series of ab initio density functional based calculations of the fragmentation dynamics of core-ionized biomolecules. The computations are performed for pure liquid water, aqueous and isolated Uracil. Core ionization is described by replacing the 1s{sup 2} pseudopotential of one atom of the target molecule (C, N or O) with a pseudopotential for a 1s{sup 1} core-hole state. Our results predict that the dissociation of core-ionized water molecules may be reached during the lifetime of inner-shell vacancy (less than 10 fs), leading to OH bond breakage as a primary outcome. We also observe a second fragmentation channel in which total Coulomb explosion of the ionized water molecule occurs. Fragmentation pathways are found similar for pure water or when the water molecule is in the primary hydration shell of the uracil molecule. In the latter case, the proton may be transferred towards the uracil oxygen atoms. When the core hole is located on the uracil molecule, ultrafast dissociation is only observed in the aqueous environment and for nitrogen-K vacancies, resulting in proton transfers towards the hydrogen-bonded water molecule. (authors)

  3. 1H NMR relaxometry as an indicator of setting and water depletion during cement hydration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Biyun; Faure, Paméla; Thiéry, Mickaël; Baroghel-Bouny, Véronique

    2013-01-01

    Proton nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry has been used to detect setting and microstructure evolution during cement hydration. NMR measurements were performed since casting, during setting and until hardening (from 0 to 3 days). The mobility of water molecules was assessed by an analysis focused on the diagram of longitudinal relaxation time T 1 generated by an Inversion Recovery sequence. The initial stiffening of the solid network was identified by an analysis of the relaxation rate 1/T 1 . The kinetics of water depletion was investigated by using a simple one-pulse acquisition sequence. In parallel, conventional techniques (Vicat needle and temperature monitoring), as well as numerical simulations of hydration, were used to complement and validate these NMR results. Cement pastes and mortars with different water-to-cement ratios made of grey or white OPCs were tested. Furthermore, the effects of the addition of sand, super-plasticizer and silica fume on the hydration kinetics were investigated

  4. A dynamic model to explain hydration behaviour along the lanthanide series

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duvail, M.; Spezia, R.; Vitorge, P.

    2008-01-01

    An understanding of the hydration structure of heavy atoms, such as transition metals, lanthanides and actinides, in aqueous solution is of fundamental importance in order to address their solvation properties and chemical reactivity. Herein we present a systematic molecular dynamics study of Ln 3+ hydration in bulk water that can be used as reference for experimental and theoretical research in this and related fields. Our study of hydration structure and dynamics along the entire Ln 3+ series provides a dynamic picture of the CN behavioural change from light (CN=9 predominating) to heavy (CN=8 predominating) lanthanides consistent with the exchange mechanism proposed by Helm, Merbach and co-workers. This scenario is summarized in this work. The hydrated light lanthanides are stable TTP structures containing two kinds of water molecules: six molecules forming the trigonal prism and three in the centre triangle. Towards the middle of the series both ionic radii and polarizabilities decrease, such that first-shell water-water repulsion increases and water-cation attraction decreases. This mainly applies for molecules of the centre triangle of the nine-fold structure. Thus, one of these molecules stay in the second hydration sphere of the lanthanide for longer average times, as one progresses along the lanthanide series. The interchange between predominantly CN=9 and CN=8 is found between Tb and Dy. Therefore, we propose a model that determines the properties governing the change in the first-shell coordination number across the series, confirming the basic hypothesis proposed by Helm and Merbach. We show that it is not a sudden change in behaviour, but rather that it results from a statistical predominance of one first hydration shell structure containing nine water molecules over one containing eight. This is observed progressively across the series. (O.M.)

  5. Measurements of gas permeability and non-Darcy flow in gas-water-hydrate systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ersland, G.; Husebo, J.; Graue, A.; Kvamme, B. [Bergen Univ., Bergen (Norway). Dept. of Physics and Technology; Baldwin, B. [Green Country Petrophysics LLC, Dewey, OK (United States); Stevens, J.; Howard, J. [ConocoPhillips, OK (United States)

    2008-07-01

    Storage of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) in natural gas hydrate reservoirs may offer stable long-term storage of a greenhouse gas while benefiting from methane production, without requiring heat. By exposing hydrate to a thermodynamically preferred hydrate former, CO{sub 2}, the hydrate may be maintained macroscopically in the solid state and retain the stability of the formation. However, there is concern over the flow capacity in such reservoirs. This depends on several factors, notably thermodynamic destabilization of hydrate in small pores due to capillary effects; the presence of liquid channels separating the hydrate from the mineral surfaces; and, the connectivity of gas or liquid filled pores and channels. This paper described a technique for measuring gas permeability in gas-water-hydrate systems. It reported on several experiments that measured gas permeability during stages of hydrate growth in sandstone core plugs. Interactions between minerals and surrounding molecules were also discussed. The formation of methane hydrate in porous media was monitored and quantified with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI images of hydrate growth within the porous rock were provided along with measurements of gas permeability and non-Darcy flow effects at various hydrate saturations. Gas permeability was measured at steady state flow of methane through the hydrate-bearing core sample. Significant gas permeability was recorded for porous sandstone even when hydrates occupied up to 60 per cent of the pore space. It was concluded that MRI imaging can be used effectively to map and quantify hydrate saturation in sandstone core plugs. 27 refs., 2 tabs., 10 figs.

  6. Study of hydrogen-molecule guests in type II clathrate hydrates using a force-matched potential model parameterised from ab initio molecular dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burnham, Christian J.; Futera, Zdenek; English, Niall J.

    2018-03-01

    The force-matching method has been applied to parameterise an empirical potential model for water-water and water-hydrogen intermolecular interactions for use in clathrate-hydrate simulations containing hydrogen guest molecules. The underlying reference simulations constituted ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) of clathrate hydrates with various occupations of hydrogen-molecule guests. It is shown that the resultant model is able to reproduce AIMD-derived free-energy curves for the movement of a tagged hydrogen molecule between the water cages that make up the clathrate, thus giving us confidence in the model. Furthermore, with the aid of an umbrella-sampling algorithm, we calculate barrier heights for the force-matched model, yielding the free-energy barrier for a tagged molecule to move between cages. The barrier heights are reasonably large, being on the order of 30 kJ/mol, and are consistent with our previous studies with empirical models [C. J. Burnham and N. J. English, J. Phys. Chem. C 120, 16561 (2016) and C. J. Burnham et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 19, 717 (2017)]. Our results are in opposition to the literature, which claims that this system may have very low barrier heights. We also compare results to that using the more ad hoc empirical model of Alavi et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 123, 024507 (2005)] and find that this model does very well when judged against the force-matched and ab initio simulation data.

  7. The inhibition of methane hydrate formation by water alignment underneath surface adsorption of surfactants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nguyen, Ngoc N.; Nguyen, Anh V.; Dang, Liem X.

    2017-06-01

    Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) has been widely shown to strongly promote the formation of methane hydrate. Here we show that SDS displays an extraordinary inhibition effect on methane hydrate formation when the surfactant is used in sub-millimolar concentration (around 0.3 mM). We have also employed Sum Frequency Generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG) and molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) to elucidate the molecular mechanism of this inhibition. The SFG and MDS results revealed a strong alignment of water molecules underneath surface adsorption of SDS in its sub-millimolar solution. Interestingly, both the alignment of water and the inhibition effect (in 0.3 mM SDS solution) went vanishing when an oppositely-charged surfactant (tetra-n-butylammonium bromide, TBAB) was suitably added to produce a mixed solution of 0.3 mM SDS and 3.6 mM TBAB. Combining structural and kinetic results, we pointed out that the alignment of water underneath surface adsorption of dodecyl sulfate (DS-) anions gave rise to the unexpected inhibition of methane hydration formation in sub-millimolar solution of SDS. The adoption of TBAB mitigated the SDS-induced electrostatic field at the solution’s surface and, therefore, weakened the alignment of interfacial water which, in turn, erased the inhibition effect. We discussed this finding using the concept of activation energy of the interfacial formation of gas hydrate. The main finding of this work is to reveal the interplay of interfacial water in governing gas hydrate formation which sheds light on a universal molecular-scale understanding of the influence of surfactants on gas hydrate formation. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences. The calculations were carried out using computer resources provided by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences.

  8. Exploring the role of water in molecular recognition: predicting protein ligandability using a combinatorial search of surface hydration sites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vukovic, Sinisa; Brennan, Paul E.; Huggins, David J.

    2016-09-01

    The interaction between any two biological molecules must compete with their interaction with water molecules. This makes water the most important molecule in medicine, as it controls the interactions of every therapeutic with its target. A small molecule binding to a protein is able to recognize a unique binding site on a protein by displacing bound water molecules from specific hydration sites. Quantifying the interactions of these water molecules allows us to estimate the potential of the protein to bind a small molecule. This is referred to as ligandability. In the study, we describe a method to predict ligandability by performing a search of all possible combinations of hydration sites on protein surfaces. We predict ligandability as the summed binding free energy for each of the constituent hydration sites, computed using inhomogeneous fluid solvation theory. We compared the predicted ligandability with the maximum observed binding affinity for 20 proteins in the human bromodomain family. Based on this comparison, it was determined that effective inhibitors have been developed for the majority of bromodomains, in the range from 10 to 100 nM. However, we predict that more potent inhibitors can be developed for the bromodomains BPTF and BRD7 with relative ease, but that further efforts to develop inhibitors for ATAD2 will be extremely challenging. We have also made predictions for the 14 bromodomains with no reported small molecule K d values by isothermal titration calorimetry. The calculations predict that PBRM1(1) will be a challenging target, while others such as TAF1L(2), PBRM1(4) and TAF1(2), should be highly ligandable. As an outcome of this work, we assembled a database of experimental maximal K d that can serve as a community resource assisting medicinal chemistry efforts focused on BRDs. Effective prediction of ligandability would be a very useful tool in the drug discovery process.

  9. Exploring the role of water in molecular recognition: predicting protein ligandability using a combinatorial search of surface hydration sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vukovic, Sinisa; Brennan, Paul E; Huggins, David J

    2016-09-01

    The interaction between any two biological molecules must compete with their interaction with water molecules. This makes water the most important molecule in medicine, as it controls the interactions of every therapeutic with its target. A small molecule binding to a protein is able to recognize a unique binding site on a protein by displacing bound water molecules from specific hydration sites. Quantifying the interactions of these water molecules allows us to estimate the potential of the protein to bind a small molecule. This is referred to as ligandability. In the study, we describe a method to predict ligandability by performing a search of all possible combinations of hydration sites on protein surfaces. We predict ligandability as the summed binding free energy for each of the constituent hydration sites, computed using inhomogeneous fluid solvation theory. We compared the predicted ligandability with the maximum observed binding affinity for 20 proteins in the human bromodomain family. Based on this comparison, it was determined that effective inhibitors have been developed for the majority of bromodomains, in the range from 10 to 100 nM. However, we predict that more potent inhibitors can be developed for the bromodomains BPTF and BRD7 with relative ease, but that further efforts to develop inhibitors for ATAD2 will be extremely challenging. We have also made predictions for the 14 bromodomains with no reported small molecule K d values by isothermal titration calorimetry. The calculations predict that PBRM1(1) will be a challenging target, while others such as TAF1L(2), PBRM1(4) and TAF1(2), should be highly ligandable. As an outcome of this work, we assembled a database of experimental maximal K d that can serve as a community resource assisting medicinal chemistry efforts focused on BRDs. Effective prediction of ligandability would be a very useful tool in the drug discovery process.

  10. Waters of Hydration of Cupric Hydrates: A Comparison between Heating and Absorbance Methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barlag, Rebecca; Nyasulu, Frazier

    2011-01-01

    The empirical formulas of four cupric hydrates are determined by measuring the absorbance in aqueous solution. The Beer-Lambert Law is verified by constructing a calibration curve of absorbance versus known Cu[superscript 2+](aq) concentration. A solution of the unknown hydrate is prepared by using 0.2-0.3 g of hydrate, and water is added such…

  11. Active-Site Hydration and Water Diffusion in Cytochrome P450cam: A Highly Dynamic Process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miao, Yinglong [ORNL; Baudry, Jerome Y [ORNL

    2011-01-01

    Long-timescale molecular dynamics simulations (300 ns) are performed on both the apo- (i.e., camphor-free) and camphor-bound cytochrome P450cam (CYP101). Water diffusion into and out of the protein active site is observed without biased sampling methods. During the course of the molecular dynamics simulation, an average of 6.4 water molecules is observed in the camphor-binding site of the apo form, compared to zero water molecules in the binding site of the substrate-bound form, in agreement with the number of water molecules observed in crystal structures of the same species. However, as many as 12 water molecules can be present at a given time in the camphor-binding region of the active site in the case of apo-P450cam, revealing a highly dynamic process for hydration of the protein active site, with water molecules exchanging rapidly with the bulk solvent. Water molecules are also found to exchange locations frequently inside the active site, preferentially clustering in regions surrounding the water molecules observed in the crystal structure. Potential-of-mean-force calculations identify thermodynamically favored trans-protein pathways for the diffusion of water molecules between the protein active site and the bulk solvent. Binding of camphor in the active site modifies the free-energy landscape of P450cam channels toward favoring the diffusion of water molecules out of the protein active site.

  12. Atomistic simulations of cation hydration in sodium and calcium montmorillonite nanopores

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Guomin; Neretnieks, Ivars; Holmboe, Michael

    2017-08-01

    During the last four decades, numerous studies have been directed to the swelling smectite-rich clays in the context of high-level radioactive waste applications and waste-liners for contaminated sites. The swelling properties of clay mineral particles arise due to hydration of the interlayer cations and the diffuse double layers formed near the negatively charged montmorillonite (MMT) surfaces. To accurately study the cation hydration in the interlayer nanopores of MMT, solvent-solute and solvent-clay surface interactions (i.e., the solvation effects and the shape effects) on the atomic level should be taken into account, in contrast to many recent electric double layer based methodologies using continuum models. Therefore, in this research we employed fully atomistic simulations using classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the software package GROMACS along with the CLAYFF forcefield and the SPC/E water model. We present the ion distributions and the deformation of the hydrated coordination structures, i.e., the hydration shells of Na+ and Ca2+ in the interlayer, respectively, for MMT in the first-layer, the second-layer, the third-layer, the fourth-layer, and the fifth-layer (1W, 2W, 3W, 4W, and 5W) hydrate states. Our MD simulations show that Na+ in Na-MMT nanopores have an affinity to the ditrigonal cavities of the clay layers and form transient inner-sphere complexes at about 3.8 Å from clay midplane at water contents less than the 5W hydration state. However, these phenomena are not observed in Ca-MMT regardless of swelling states. For Na-MMT, each Na+ is coordinated to four water molecules and one oxygen atom of the clay basal-plane in the first hydration shell at the 1W hydration state, and with five to six water molecules in the first hydration shell within a radius of 3.1 Å at all higher water contents. In Ca-MMT, however each Ca2+ is coordinated to approximately seven water molecules in the first hydration shell at the 1W hydration state and

  13. Manufacture of Methane Hydrate using Carbon Nano Tubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Sung Seek

    2010-02-01

    Methane hydrate is formed by physical binding between water molecule and gas such as methane, ethane, propane, or carbon dioxide, etc., which is captured in the cavities of water molecule under the specific temperature and pressure. More than 99% of naturally produced methane hydrate consists of methane, and is widely dispersed in the continental slope and continental Shelf of the Pacific and the Atlantic, the Antarctica etc. The reserve of fossil fuel is 500 billion carbon ton and the reserve of methane is 360 million carbon ton. The reserve of gas hydrate is more than 1 trillion carbon ton, which is twice the fossil fuel. Therefore, natural gas hydrate as a kind of gas hydrate is expected to replace fossil fuel as new energy source of 21st century. Also 1 m 3 hydrate of pure methane can be decomposed to the maximum of 216 m 3 methane at standard condition. If these characteristics of hydrate are reversely utilized, natural gas is fixed into water in the form of hydrate solid. Therefore, the hydrate is considered to be a great way to transport and store natural gas in large quantity. Especially the transportation cost is known to be 18∼25% less than the liquefied transportation. However, when natural gas hydrate is artificially formed, its reaction time may be too long and the gas consumption in water becomes relatively low, because the reaction rate between water and gas is low. Therefore, for the practical purpose in the application, the present investigation focuses on the rapid production of hydrates and increases gas consumption by adding MWCNT and NaCl into pure water. The results show that the equilibrium pressure in seawater is more higher than that in pure water, and methane hydrate could be formed rapidly during pressurization if the subcooling is maintained at 9K or above in seawater and 8K or above in pure water, respectively. Also, amount of consumed gas volume in pure water is more higher that in seawater at the same experimental conditions

  14. The impact of kosmotropes and chaotropes on bulk and hydration shell water dynamics in a model peptide solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russo, Daniela

    2008-01-01

    Kosmotropic (order-making) and chaotropic (order-breaking) co-solvents influence stability and biochemical equilibrium in aqueous solutions of proteins, acting indirectly through the structure and dynamics of the hydration water that surrounds the protein molecules. We have investigated the influence of kosmotropic and chaotropic co-solvents on the hydrogen bonding network dynamics of both bulk water and hydration water. To this end the evolution of bulk water and hydration water dynamics of a prototypical hydrophobic amino acid with polar backbone, N-acetyl-leucine-methylamide (NALMA), has been studied by quasielastic neutron scattering as a function of solvent composition. The results show that bulk water and hydration water dynamics, apart from a dynamical suppression that depends on the NALMA solute, exhibit the same dependence on addition of co-solvent for all of the co-solvents studied (urea, glycerol, MgSO 4 , and dimethyl sulfoxide). The hydrophobic solute and the high concentration water-structuring additive have the same effect on the water hydrogen bonding network. Water remains the preferential hydration of the hydrophobic side chain and backbone. We also find that the reorganization of the bulk water hydrogen bond network, upon addition of kosmotrope and chaotrope additives, is not dynamically perturbed, and that the hydrogen bond lifetime is maintained at 1 ps as in pure bulk water. On the other hand the addition of NALMA to the water/co-solvent binary system causes reorganization of the hydrogen bonds, resulting in an increased hydrogen bond lifetime. Furthermore, the solute's side chain dynamics is not affected by high concentrations of co-solvent. We shall discuss the hydration dynamics results in the context of protein folding and protein-solvent interactions

  15. Hydrates on tap: scientists say natural gas hydrates may be tough nut to crack

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mahoney, J.

    2001-12-01

    Gas hydrates are methane molecules trapped in cages of water molecules, yielding a substance with a slushy, sherbet-like consistency. Drilling for hydrates is similar to conventional oil and gas drilling, however, the secret to economic production still remains hidden. Hydrates exist in abundance in such places as deep ocean floor and below ground in some polar regions. The real challenge lies in producing gas from this resource, inasmuch as there is no existing technology for production of gas specifically from methane hydrates. This paper describes an international research program, involving a five-country partnership to spud the first of three wells into the permafrost of the Mackenzie River Delta in the Northwest Territories. The project, worth about $15 million, has brought together public funding and expertise from Japan, Germany, India as well as the Canadian and US Geological Surveys and the US Dept. of Energy in an effort to gain information on the production response of gas hydrates. The operator of the project is Japan Petroleum Exploration Company of Canada, a subsidiary of Japan National Oil Corporation. Since Japan is poor in domestic hydrocarbon resources, but is surrounded by deep water that contains potential for gas hydrates, Japan has a great deal riding on the success of this project. Germany and the United States are also very much interested. Current thinking is that gas is in contact with the hydrates and that it should be possible to develop a free gas reservoir as if it were a conventional deposit. As the free gas is drawn off, the pressure is reduced on the hydrates in contact with it , the hydrates dissociate from the gas and replenish the conventional reservoir. So far this is still only a theory, but it appears to be a sensible approach to hydrate production. 1 photo.

  16. Hydration states of clays followed by water and hydroxyls vibrational analyses in the near infrared: application to saponite and bentonite systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rinnert, E.

    2004-01-01

    The study of the feasibility of a deep geological disposal facility conducted by ANDRA - the French national radioactive waste management agency -, requires the knowledge of water status and water content in clays. Thanks to an original lab-built device coupling vibrational spectroscopies and water adsorption isotherms, adsorbed water and clay's structure are described quantitatively and qualitatively. A multidisciplinary approach allows the description of hydration mechanisms and water molecules network in the inter lamellar space of synthetic saponites. The effects of density and nature of inter-foliar cations and the influence of temperature on hydration are presented. Using mechanisms and important parameters established on saponites, hydration of bentonite MX80 is carried out. In order to describe and quantify simultaneously two different water states, a simple but relevant method of spectra analysis was developed. (author)

  17. Thermodynamic analysis of water molecules at the surface of proteins and applications to binding site prediction and characterization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beuming, Thijs; Che, Ye; Abel, Robert; Kim, Byungchan; Shanmugasundaram, Veerabahu; Sherman, Woody

    2012-03-01

    Water plays an essential role in determining the structure and function of all biological systems. Recent methodological advances allow for an accurate and efficient estimation of the thermodynamic properties of water molecules at the surface of proteins. In this work, we characterize these thermodynamic properties and relate them to various structural and functional characteristics of the protein. We find that high-energy hydration sites often exist near protein motifs typically characterized as hydrophilic, such as backbone amide groups. We also find that waters around alpha helices and beta sheets tend to be less stable than waters around loops. Furthermore, we find no significant correlation between the hydration site-free energy and the solvent accessible surface area of the site. In addition, we find that the distribution of high-energy hydration sites on the protein surface can be used to identify the location of binding sites and that binding sites of druggable targets tend to have a greater density of thermodynamically unstable hydration sites. Using this information, we characterize the FKBP12 protein and show good agreement between fragment screening hit rates from NMR spectroscopy and hydration site energetics. Finally, we show that water molecules observed in crystal structures are less stable on average than bulk water as a consequence of the high degree of spatial localization, thereby resulting in a significant loss in entropy. These findings should help to better understand the characteristics of waters at the surface of proteins and are expected to lead to insights that can guide structure-based drug design efforts. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. WatAA: Atlas of Protein Hydration. Exploring synergies between data mining and ab initio calculations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Černý, Jiří; Schneider, Bohdan; Biedermannová, Lada

    2017-07-14

    Water molecules represent an integral part of proteins and a key determinant of protein structure, dynamics and function. WatAA is a newly developed, web-based atlas of amino-acid hydration in proteins. The atlas provides information about the ordered first hydration shell of the most populated amino-acid conformers in proteins. The data presented in the atlas are drawn from two sources: experimental data and ab initio quantum-mechanics calculations. The experimental part is based on a data-mining study of a large set of high-resolution protein crystal structures. The crystal-derived data include 3D maps of water distribution around amino-acids and probability of occurrence of each of the identified hydration sites. The quantum mechanics calculations validate and extend this primary description by optimizing the water position for each hydration site, by providing hydrogen atom positions and by quantifying the interaction energy that stabilizes the water molecule at the particular hydration site position. The calculations show that the majority of experimentally derived hydration sites are positioned near local energy minima for water, and the calculated interaction energies help to assess the preference of water for the individual hydration sites. We propose that the atlas can be used to validate water placement in electron density maps in crystallographic refinement, to locate water molecules mediating protein-ligand interactions in drug design, and to prepare and evaluate molecular dynamics simulations. WatAA: Atlas of Protein Hydration is freely available without login at .

  19. Distribution of binding energies of a water molecule in the water liquid-vapor interface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chempath, Shaji [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Pratt, Lawrence R [TULANE UNIV

    2008-01-01

    Distributions of binding energies of a water molecule in the water liquid-vapor interface are obtained on the basis of molecular simulation with the SPC/E model of water. These binding energies together with the observed interfacial density profile are used to test a minimally conditioned Gaussian quasi-chemical statistical thermodynamic theory. Binding energy distributions for water molecules in that interfacial region clearly exhibit a composite structure. A minimally conditioned Gaussian quasi-chemical model that is accurate for the free energy of bulk liquid water breaks down for water molecules in the liquid-vapor interfacial region. This breakdown is associated with the fact that this minimally conditioned Gaussian model would be inaccurate for the statistical thermodynamics of a dilute gas. Aggressive conditioning greatly improves the performance of that Gaussian quasi-chemical model. The analogy between the Gaussian quasi-chemical model and dielectric models of hydration free energies suggests that naive dielectric models without the conditioning features of quasi-chemical theory will be unreliable for these interfacial problems. Multi-Gaussian models that address the composite nature of the binding energy distributions observed in the interfacial region might provide a mechanism for correcting dielectric models for practical applications.

  20. LABORATORY STRATEGIES FOR HYDRATE FORMATION IN FINE-GRAINED SEDIMENTS

    KAUST Repository

    Lei, L.; Santamarina, Carlos

    2018-01-01

    Fine‐grained sediments limit hydrate nucleation, shift the phase boundary and hinder gas supply. Laboratory experiments in this study explore different strategies to overcome these challenges, including the use of a more soluble guest molecule rather than methane, grain‐scale gas‐storage within porous diatoms, ice‐to‐hydrate transformation to grow lenses at predefined locations, forced gas injection into water saturated sediments, and long‐term guest molecule transport. Tomographic images, thermal and pressure data provide rich information on hydrate formation and morphology. Results show that hydrate formation is inherently displacive in fine‐grained sediments; lenses are thicker and closer to each other in compressible, high specific surface area sediments subjected to low effective stress. Temperature and pressure trajectories follow a shifted phase boundary that is consistent with capillary effects. Exo‐pore growth results in freshly formed hydrate with a striped and porous structure; this open structure becomes an effective pathway for gas transport to the growing hydrate front. Ice‐to‐hydrate transformation goes through a liquid stage at pre‐melt temperatures; then, capillarity and cryogenic suction compete, and some water becomes imbibed into the sediment faster than hydrate reformation. The geometry of hydrate lenses and the internal hydrate structure continue evolving long after the exothermal response to hydrate formation has completely decayed. Multiple time‐dependent processes occur during hydrate formation, including gas, water and heat transport, sediment compressibility, reaction rate and the stochastic nucleation process. Hydrate formation strategies conceived for this study highlight the inherent difficulties in emulating hydrate formation in fine‐grained sediments within the relatively short time‐scale available for laboratory experiments.

  1. LABORATORY STRATEGIES FOR HYDRATE FORMATION IN FINE-GRAINED SEDIMENTS

    KAUST Repository

    Lei, L.

    2018-04-02

    Fine‐grained sediments limit hydrate nucleation, shift the phase boundary and hinder gas supply. Laboratory experiments in this study explore different strategies to overcome these challenges, including the use of a more soluble guest molecule rather than methane, grain‐scale gas‐storage within porous diatoms, ice‐to‐hydrate transformation to grow lenses at predefined locations, forced gas injection into water saturated sediments, and long‐term guest molecule transport. Tomographic images, thermal and pressure data provide rich information on hydrate formation and morphology. Results show that hydrate formation is inherently displacive in fine‐grained sediments; lenses are thicker and closer to each other in compressible, high specific surface area sediments subjected to low effective stress. Temperature and pressure trajectories follow a shifted phase boundary that is consistent with capillary effects. Exo‐pore growth results in freshly formed hydrate with a striped and porous structure; this open structure becomes an effective pathway for gas transport to the growing hydrate front. Ice‐to‐hydrate transformation goes through a liquid stage at pre‐melt temperatures; then, capillarity and cryogenic suction compete, and some water becomes imbibed into the sediment faster than hydrate reformation. The geometry of hydrate lenses and the internal hydrate structure continue evolving long after the exothermal response to hydrate formation has completely decayed. Multiple time‐dependent processes occur during hydrate formation, including gas, water and heat transport, sediment compressibility, reaction rate and the stochastic nucleation process. Hydrate formation strategies conceived for this study highlight the inherent difficulties in emulating hydrate formation in fine‐grained sediments within the relatively short time‐scale available for laboratory experiments.

  2. Gas hydrate inhibition by perturbation of liquid water structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sa, Jeong-Hoon; Kwak, Gye-Hoon; Han, Kunwoo; Ahn, Docheon; Lee, Kun-Hong

    2015-06-01

    Natural gas hydrates are icy crystalline materials that contain hydrocarbons, which are the primary energy source for this civilization. The abundance of naturally occurring gas hydrates leads to a growing interest in exploitation. Despite their potential as energy resources and in industrial applications, there is insufficient understanding of hydrate kinetics, which hinders the utilization of these invaluable resources. Perturbation of liquid water structure by solutes has been proposed to be a key process in hydrate inhibition, but this hypothesis remains unproven. Here, we report the direct observation of the perturbation of the liquid water structure induced by amino acids using polarized Raman spectroscopy, and its influence on gas hydrate nucleation and growth kinetics. Amino acids with hydrophilic and/or electrically charged side chains disrupted the water structure and thus provided effective hydrate inhibition. The strong correlation between the extent of perturbation by amino acids and their inhibition performance constitutes convincing evidence for the perturbation inhibition mechanism. The present findings bring the practical applications of gas hydrates significantly closer, and provide a new perspective on the freezing and melting phenomena of naturally occurring gas hydrates.

  3. How Sodium Chloride Salt Inhibits the Formation of CO2 Gas Hydrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holzammer, Christine; Finckenstein, Agnes; Will, Stefan; Braeuer, Andreas S

    2016-03-10

    We present an experimental Raman study on how the addition of sodium chloride to CO2-hydrate-forming systems inhibits the hydrate formation thermodynamically. For this purpose, the molar enthalpy of reaction and the molar entropy of reaction for the reaction of weakly hydrogen-bonded water molecules to strongly hydrogen bonded water molecules are determined for different salinities from the Raman spectrum of the water-stretching vibration. Simultaneously, the influence of the salinity on the solubility of CO2 in the liquid water-rich phase right before the start of hydrate formation is analyzed. The results demonstrate that various mechanisms contribute to the inhibition of gas hydrate formation. For the highest salt concentration of 20 wt % investigated, the temperature of gas hydrate formation is lowered by 12 K. For this concentration the molar enthalpy and entropy of reaction become smaller by 50 and 20%, respectively. Concurrently, the solubility of carbon dioxide is reduced by 70%. These results are compared with data in literature for systems of sodium chloride in water (without carbon dioxide).

  4. Hydrate phase equilibrium and structure for (methane + ethane + tetrahydrofuran + water) system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Changyu; Chen Guangjin; Zhang Lingwei

    2010-01-01

    The separation of methane and ethane through forming hydrate is a possible choice in natural gas, oil processing, or ethylene producing. The hydrate formation conditions of five groups of (methane + ethane) binary gas mixtures in the presence of 0.06 mole fraction tetrahydrofuran (THF) in water were obtained at temperatures ranging from (277.7 to 288.2) K. In most cases, the presence of THF in water can lower the hydrate formation pressure of (methane + ethane) remarkably. However, when the composition of ethane is as high as 0.832, it is more difficult to form hydrate than without THF system. Phase equilibrium model for hydrates containing THF was developed based on a two-step hydrate formation mechanism. The structure of hydrates formed from (methane + ethane + THF + water) system was also determined by Raman spectroscopy. When THF concentration in initial aqueous solution was only 0.06 mole fraction, the coexistence of structure I hydrate dominated by ethane and structure II hydrate dominated by THF in the hydrate sample was clearly demonstrated by Raman spectroscopic data. On the contrary, only structure II hydrate existed in the hydrate sample formed from (methane + ethane + THF + water) system when THF concentration in initial aqueous solution was increased to 0.10 mole fraction. It indicated that higher THF concentration inhibited the formation of structure I hydrate dominated by ethane and therefore lowered the trapping of ethane in hydrate. It implies a very promising method to increase the separation efficiency of methane and ethane.

  5. Clathrate Hydrates for Thermal Energy Storage in Buildings: Overview of Proper Hydrate-Forming Compounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beatrice Castellani

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Increasing energy costs are at the origin of the great progress in the field of phase change materials (PCMs. The present work aims at studying the application of clathrate hydrates as PCMs in buildings. Clathrate hydrates are crystalline structures in which guest molecules are enclosed in the crystal lattice of water molecules. Clathrate hydrates can form also at ambient pressure and present a high latent heat, and for this reason, they are good candidates for being used as PCMs. The parameter that makes a PCM suitable to be used in buildings is, first of all, a melting temperature at about 25 °C. The paper provides an overview of groups of clathrate hydrates, whose physical and chemical characteristics could meet the requirements needed for their application in buildings. Simulations with a dynamic building simulation tool are carried out to evaluate the performance of clathrate hydrates in enhancing thermal comfort through the moderation of summer temperature swings and, therefore, in reducing energy consumption. Simulations suggest that clathrate hydrates have a potential in terms of improvement of indoor thermal comfort and a reduction of energy consumption for cooling. Cooling effects of 0.5 °C and reduced overheating hours of up to 1.1% are predicted.

  6. Structure of the ordered hydration of amino acids in proteins: analysis of crystal structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Biedermannová, Lada, E-mail: lada.biedermannova@ibt.cas.cz; Schneider, Bohdan [Institute of Biotechnology CAS, Videnska 1083, 142 20 Prague (Czech Republic)

    2015-10-27

    The hydration of protein crystal structures was studied at the level of individual amino acids. The dependence of the number of water molecules and their preferred spatial localization on various parameters, such as solvent accessibility, secondary structure and side-chain conformation, was determined. Crystallography provides unique information about the arrangement of water molecules near protein surfaces. Using a nonredundant set of 2818 protein crystal structures with a resolution of better than 1.8 Å, the extent and structure of the hydration shell of all 20 standard amino-acid residues were analyzed as function of the residue conformation, secondary structure and solvent accessibility. The results show how hydration depends on the amino-acid conformation and the environment in which it occurs. After conformational clustering of individual residues, the density distribution of water molecules was compiled and the preferred hydration sites were determined as maxima in the pseudo-electron-density representation of water distributions. Many hydration sites interact with both main-chain and side-chain amino-acid atoms, and several occurrences of hydration sites with less canonical contacts, such as carbon–donor hydrogen bonds, OH–π interactions and off-plane interactions with aromatic heteroatoms, are also reported. Information about the location and relative importance of the empirically determined preferred hydration sites in proteins has applications in improving the current methods of hydration-site prediction in molecular replacement, ab initio protein structure prediction and the set-up of molecular-dynamics simulations.

  7. Far-Infrared Spectroscopy of Weakly Bound Hydrated Cluster Molecules

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Jonas

    The thermodynamic properties of condensed phases, the functionality of many materials and the molecular organization in biological organisms are all governed by the classes of non-covalent interactions that occur already on the microscopic scale between pairs of molecules. A detailed investigation...... of the intermolecular interactions between prototypical molecular assemblies are valuable for accurate descriptions of larger supramolecular systems such as materials, gas hydrates and biological macromolecules. The aim of this PhD dissertation is to investigate intermolecular interactions fora series of medium...... vibrational bands of the cluster molecules in the challenging far-infrared and terahertz spectral regions.A key parameter in the validation of the performance of theoretical predictions for weak non-covalent intermolecular interactions is the dissociation energy D0 that depends heavily on the class of large...

  8. Structural changes and intermolecular interactions of filled ice Ic structure for hydrogen hydrate under high pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Machida, S; Hirai, H; Kawamura, T; Yamamoto, Y; Yagi, T

    2010-01-01

    High-pressure experiments of hydrogen hydrate were performed using a diamond anvil cell under conditions of 0.1-44.2 GPa and at room temperature. Also, high pressure Raman studies of solid hydrogen were performed in the pressure range of 0.1-43.7 GPa. X-ray diffractometry (XRD) for hydrogen hydrate revealed that a known high-pressure structure, filled ice Ic structure, of hydrogen hydrate transformed to a new high-pressure structure at approximately 35-40 GPa. A comparison of the Raman spectroscopy of a vibron for hydrogen molecules between hydrogen hydrate and solid hydrogen revealed that the extraction of hydrogen molecules from hydrogen hydrate occurred above 20 GPa. Also, the Raman spectra of a roton revealed that the rotation of hydrogen molecules in hydrogen hydrate was suppressed at around 20 GPa and that the rotation recovered under higher pressure. These results indicated that remarkable intermolecular interactions in hydrogen hydrate between neighboring hydrogen molecules and between guest hydrogen molecules and host water molecules might occur. These intermolecular interactions could produce the stability of hydrogen hydrate.

  9. Differential scanning calorimetric study of the binding between native DNA and its primary water of hydration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marlowe, R. L.; Lukan, A. M.; Lee, S. A.; Anthony, L.; Rupprecht, A.

    1996-03-01

    Differential scanning calorimetry was used to measure the binding strength between calf-thymus DNA and its primary water of hydration. The specific heat of wet-spun films was found to have a broad endothermic transition near 80 ^oC and a sharp exothermic transition near 250 ^oC. The broad transition is believed to be mainly due to the breaking of the bonds of the strongly bound water of hydration. This transition was found to be reversible, as expected. Kissinger analysis indicates that the activation barrier for breaking the bonds of these water molecules is about 0.6 eV. The sharp transition appeared to be an indication of a thermal decomposition of the DNA. Samples taken above this transition lost mass, showed evidence of having melted, and had turned black in color. This transition is irreversible.

  10. Hydration and nutrition knowledge in adolescent swimmers. Does water intake affect urine hydration markers after swimming?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cesare Altavilla

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Little data exists regarding nutritional knowledge and hydration in adolescent swimmers. The aim of this study was to assess the level of nutrition and hydration knowledge and to describe the fluid balance in adolescent swimmers during training. A study was carried out with a cross-sectional descriptive part and a longitudinal part with repeated measurements over five swimming sessions. Eighty-six adolescent swimmers completed a questionnaire to assess their sport nutrition and hydration knowledge. Fluid balance and urine hydration markers were studied during training. Swimmers showed a limited nutrition knowledge (33.26 % ± SD 12.59 and meagre hydration knowledge (28.61 % ± SD 28.59. Females showed lower scores than male swimmers in nutrition and hydration knowledge. Based on urine specific gravity, swimmers started the training close to the euhydrated threshold (1.019 g/mL ± SD 0.008. Although urine specific gravity and urine colour were reduced after the training, there were minimal changes in body mass (-0.12 Kg ± SD 0.31. Sweat loss (2.67 g/min ± SD 3.23 and the net changes in the fluid balance (-0.22 % ± SD 0.59 were low. The poor knowledge in nutrition and hydration encountered in the swimmers can justify the development of a strategy to incorporate nutritional education programmes for this group. Body water deficit from swimming activity seems to be easily replaced with the water intake to maintain hydration. After the training, the urine of swimmers was diluted regardless of their water intake. Dilution of urine did not reflect real hydration state in swimming.

  11. Effect of Gemini-type surfactant on methane hydrate formation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeong, K.E.; Park, J.M.; Kim, C.U.; Chae, H.J.; Jeong, S.Y. [Korea Research Inst. of Chemical Technology, Jang-Dong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2008-07-01

    Natural gas hydrates are formed from water and natural gas molecules at particular temperatures and pressures that become ice-like inclusion compounds. Gas hydrates offer several benefits such as energy resource potential and high storage capacity of natural gas in the form of hydrates. However, the application of natural gas hydrates has been deterred by its low formation rate and low conversion ratio of water into hydrate resulting in low actual storage capacity. This paper presented an experimental study to determine the effect of adding a novel Gemini-type surfactant on methane hydrate formation. The experimental study was described with reference to the properties of prepared diols and properties of prepared disulfonates. Gemini surfactant is the family of surfactant molecules possessing more than one hydrophobic tail and hydrophilic head group. They generally have better surface-active properties than conventional surfactants of equal chain length. The paper presented the results of the study in terms of the reactions of diols with propane sultone; storage capacity of hydrate formed with and without surfactant; and methane hydrate formation with and without disulfonate. It was concluded that the methane hydrate formation was accelerated by the addition of novel anionic Gemini-type surfactants and that hydrate formation was influenced by the surfactant concentration and alkyl chain length. For a given concentration, the surfactant with the highest chain length demonstrated the highest formation rate and storage capacity. 5 refs., 3 tabs., 4 figs.

  12. The effect of stereochemistry on carbohydrate hydration in aqueous solutions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Galema, Saskia Alexandra

    1992-01-01

    Although-carbohydrates are widely used, not much is known about the stereochemical aspects of hydration of carbohydrates. For D-aldohexoses, for example, there are eight different stereoisomers. Just how the hydroxy topology of a carbohydrate molecule influences the hydration behaviour in water is

  13. Differential Scanning Calorimetric Study and Potential Model of the Binding of the Primary Water of Hydration to K-Hyaluronate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitson, K. B.; Marlowe, R. L.; Lukan, A. M.; Lee, S. A.; Anthony, L.; Rupprecht, A.

    1997-11-01

    DSC was performed on samples of K-hyaluronate (KHA) through a temperature range of 25-180^oC. A transition peak was observed which is due to the desorption of the primary water of hydration. The maximum position of the peak was observed to change with different scan rates. The average energy of activation, E_A, and enthalpy for desorption of the primary water of hydration was determined to be 0.62 and 0.17 eV per water molecule, respectively. Analysis of Mossbauer data(G. Albanese et al., Hyperfine Int.,) 95, 97 (1995) allowed us to determine the effective force constant, k_eff, of the water bound to KHA to be approximately 19.4 eV/nm^2. The parameters E_A, ΔH,and k_eff allow us to construct a potential model for the primary water of hydration of KHA. Comparison of these parameters with the same parameters for HA and DNA with different counterions reveal that the energy of activation is similar, as well as the enthalpy change.

  14. Preliminary report on the economics of gas production from natural gas hydrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walsh, M.; Wilson, S.; Patil, S.; Moridis, G.; Boswell, R.; Koh, C.; Sloan, D.

    2008-01-01

    Gas hydrates are solid crystalline compounds in which gas molecules reside inside cages that are formed by hydrogen-bonded water molecules in a crystal lattice. At particularly low temperatures and high pressures, a guest molecule will combine with water to form gas hydrates. Gas hydrates are found in two different settings in which the temperature and pressure conditions are suitable for their existence, notably in Arctic permafrost regions and below the seafloor. Because of the size of this possible future resource, if any of the gas in hydrates can be proven to be economically recoverable, then production from gas hydrates could become an important portion of the world's energy portfolio as demand for natural gas increases along with the technology to compress and distribute natural gas to distant markets. This paper presented a compilation of economic research that was conducted on the resource potential of gas hydrates. The paper reported a preliminary estimate of the price of natural gas that may lead to economically-viable production from North American Arctic region hydrates. The paper also discussed the implications of a recent study on the production of class 3 marine hydrate deposits from the Gulf of Mexico. The state of the art technologies and methods in hydrate reservoir modeling and hydrate reservoir production and petrophysical testing were also discussed. It was concluded that the somewhat optimistic results presented in this report should be interpreted with caution, however, the economically-viable gas production from hydrates was not an unreasonable scenario. 23 refs., 2 tabs., 10 figs

  15. Influence of surfactants on gas-hydrate formation' kinetics in water-oil emulsion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zemenkov, Yu D.; Shirshova, A. V.; Arinstein, E. A.; Shuvaev, A. N.

    2018-05-01

    The kinetics of gas hydrate formation of propane in a water-oil emulsion is experimentally studied when three types of surfactants (SAA (surface acting agent)) - anionic type emulsifiers - are added to the aqueous phase. It is shown that all three types of surfactants decelerate the growth of the gas-hydrate in the emulsion and can be considered as anti-agglutinating and kinetic low-dose inhibitors. The most effective inhibitor of hydrate formation in water-oil emulsion of SV-102 surfactant was revealed. For comparison, experimental studies of gas-hydrate formation under the same conditions for bulk water have been carried out. It is shown that in bulk water, all the surfactants investigated act as promoters (accelerators) of hydrate formation. A qualitative explanation of the action mechanisms of emulsifiers in the process of gas-hydrate formation in water-oil emulsion is given.

  16. Macroscopic investigation of water volume effects on interfacial dynamic behaviors between clathrate hydrate and water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cha, Minjun; Couzis, Alexander; Lee, Jae W

    2013-05-14

    This study investigated the effects of the water volume on the interfacial dynamics between cyclopentane (CP) hydrate and water droplet in a CP/n-decane oil mixture. The adhesion force between CP hydrate and various water droplets was determined using the z-directional microbalance. Through repetition of precise measurements over several cycles from contact to detachment, we observed abnormal wetting behaviors in the capillary bridge during the retraction process when the water drop volume is larger than 100 μL. With the increase in water droplet volumes, the contact force between CP hydrate and water also increases up to 300 μL. However, there is a dramatic reduction of increasing rate in the contact forces over 300 μL of water droplet. With the addition of the surfactants of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) to the water droplet, the contact force between CP hydrate and solution droplet exhibits a lower value and a transition volume of the contact force comes with a smaller solution volume of 200 μL. The water volume effects on the liquid wetting of the probe and the size of capillary bridges provide important insight into hydrate growth and aggregation/agglomeration in the presence of free water phase inside gas/oil pipelines.

  17. Exploring the possibility to store the mixed oxygen-hydrogen cluster in clathrate hydrate in molar ratio 1:2 (O2+2H2).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Yan; Du, Qi-Shi; Xie, Neng-Zhong; Li, Jian-Xiu; Huang, Ri-Bo

    2017-05-01

    An interesting possibility is explored: storing the mixture of oxygen and hydrogen in clathrate hydrate in molar ratio 1:2. The interaction energies between oxygen, hydrogen, and clathrate hydrate are calculated using high level quantum chemical methods. The useful conclusion points from this study are summarized as follows. (1) The interaction energies of oxygen-hydrogen mixed cluster are larger than the energies of pure hydrogen molecular cluster. (2) The affinity of oxygen molecules with water molecules is larger than that of the hydrogen molecules with water molecules. (3) The dimension of O 2 -2H 2 interaction structure is smaller than the dimension of CO 2 -2H 2 interaction structure. (4) The escaping energy of oxygen molecules from the hydrate cell is larger than that of the hydrogen molecules. (5) The high affinity of the oxygen molecules with both the water molecules and the hydrogen molecules may promote the stability of oxygen-hydrogen mixture in the clathrate hydrate. Therefore it is possible to store the mixed (O 2 +2H 2 ) cluster in clathrate hydrate. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Hydrophobic hydration and the anomalous partial molar volumes in ethanol-water mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tan, Ming-Liang; Te, Jerez; Cendagorta, Joseph R.; Miller, Benjamin T.; Brooks, Bernard R.; Ichiye, Toshiko

    2015-01-01

    The anomalous behavior in the partial molar volumes of ethanol-water mixtures at low concentrations of ethanol is studied using molecular dynamics simulations. Previous work indicates that the striking minimum in the partial molar volume of ethanol V E as a function of ethanol mole fraction X E is determined mainly by water-water interactions. These results were based on simulations that used one water model for the solute-water interactions but two different water models for the water-water interactions. This is confirmed here by using two more water models for the water-water interactions. Furthermore, the previous work indicates that the initial decrease is caused by association of the hydration shells of the hydrocarbon tails, and the minimum occurs at the concentration where all of the hydration shells are touching each other. Thus, the characteristics of the hydration of the tail that cause the decrease and the features of the water models that reproduce this type of hydration are also examined here. The results show that a single-site multipole water model with a charge distribution that mimics the large quadrupole and the p-orbital type electron density out of the molecular plane has “brittle” hydration with hydrogen bonds that break as the tails touch, which reproduces the deep minimum. However, water models with more typical site representations with partial charges lead to flexible hydration that tends to stay intact, which produces a shallow minimum. Thus, brittle hydration may play an essential role in hydrophobic association in water

  19. Water Transfer Characteristics during Methane Hydrate Formation Processes in Layered Media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yousheng Deng

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Gas hydrate formation processes in porous media are always accompanied by water transfer. To study the transfer characteristics comprehensively, two kinds of layered media consisting of coarse sand and loess were used to form methane hydrate in them. An apparatus with three PF-meter sensors detecting water content and temperature changes in media during the formation processes was applied to study the water transfer characteristics. It was experimentally observed that the hydrate formation configurations in different layered media were similar; however, the water transfer characteristics and water conversion ratios were different.

  20. First-principles elasticity of monocarboaluminate hydrates

    KAUST Repository

    Moon, J.; Yoon, S.; Wentzcovitch, R. M.; Monteiro, P. J. M.

    2014-01-01

    The elasticity of monocarboaluminate hydrates, 3CaO·Al2O3·CaCO3·xH2O (x = 11 or 8), has been investigated by first-principles calculations. Previous experimental study revealed that the fully hydrated monocarboaluminate (x = 11) exhibits exceptionally low compressibility compared to other reported calcium aluminate hydrates. This stiff hydration product can contribute to the strength of concrete made with Portland cements containing calcium carbonates. In this study, full elastic tensors and mechanical properties of the crystal structures with different water contents (x = 11 or 8) are computed by first-principles methods based on density functional theory. The results indicate that the compressibility of monocarboaluminate is highly dependent on the water content in the interlayer region. The structure also becomes more isotropic with the addition of water molecules in this region. Since the monocarboaluminate is a key hydration product of limestone added cement, elasticity of the crystal is important to understand its mechanical impact on concrete. Besides, it is put forth that this theoretical calculation will be useful in predicting the elastic properties of other complex cementitous materials and the influence of ion exchange on compressibility.

  1. First-principles elasticity of monocarboaluminate hydrates

    KAUST Repository

    Moon, J.

    2014-07-01

    The elasticity of monocarboaluminate hydrates, 3CaO·Al2O3·CaCO3·xH2O (x = 11 or 8), has been investigated by first-principles calculations. Previous experimental study revealed that the fully hydrated monocarboaluminate (x = 11) exhibits exceptionally low compressibility compared to other reported calcium aluminate hydrates. This stiff hydration product can contribute to the strength of concrete made with Portland cements containing calcium carbonates. In this study, full elastic tensors and mechanical properties of the crystal structures with different water contents (x = 11 or 8) are computed by first-principles methods based on density functional theory. The results indicate that the compressibility of monocarboaluminate is highly dependent on the water content in the interlayer region. The structure also becomes more isotropic with the addition of water molecules in this region. Since the monocarboaluminate is a key hydration product of limestone added cement, elasticity of the crystal is important to understand its mechanical impact on concrete. Besides, it is put forth that this theoretical calculation will be useful in predicting the elastic properties of other complex cementitous materials and the influence of ion exchange on compressibility.

  2. Gas hydrates forming and decomposition conditions analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    А. М. Павленко

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The concept of gas hydrates has been defined; their brief description has been given; factors that affect the formation and decomposition of the hydrates have been reported; their distribution, structure and thermodynamic conditions determining the gas hydrates formation disposition in gas pipelines have been considered. Advantages and disadvantages of the known methods for removing gas hydrate plugs in the pipeline have been analyzed, the necessity of their further studies has been proved. In addition to the negative impact on the process of gas extraction, the hydrates properties make it possible to outline the following possible fields of their industrial use: obtaining ultrahigh pressures in confined spaces at the hydrate decomposition; separating hydrocarbon mixtures by successive transfer of individual components through the hydrate given the mode; obtaining cold due to heat absorption at the hydrate decomposition; elimination of the open gas fountain by means of hydrate plugs in the bore hole of the gushing gasser; seawater desalination, based on the hydrate ability to only bind water molecules into the solid state; wastewater purification; gas storage in the hydrate state; dispersion of high temperature fog and clouds by means of hydrates; water-hydrates emulsion injection into the productive strata to raise the oil recovery factor; obtaining cold in the gas processing to cool the gas, etc.

  3. Effect of water molecule distribution on the quantitative XRD analysis in the case of Na-montmorillonite exchanged Cu2+

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oueslati, W.; Meftah, M.; Ben Rhaiem, H.; Ben Haj Amara, A.

    2010-01-01

    Document available in extended abstract form only. Several theoretical models are proposed to describe hydration process for Wyoming-montmorillonite clay exchanged Na + or Cu 2+ . They propose some theoretical distribution and disposition for water molecule in the inter-lamellar space in the case of homogeneous and inter-stratified hydration states. For example, Ben Brahim et al. (1983a) studied the interlayer structure (atomic positions of interlayer cations) and associated H 2 O molecules of Na-saturated montmorillonite and beidellite samples. Moore and Hower (1986) studied ordered structures composed of mono-hydrated and collapsed interlayers in montmorillonite, and Cuadros (1996) estimated the H 2 O content of smectite as a function of the interlayer cation. Using similar approach, Ferrage et al (2005b) proposed a discreet distribution of water molecule layer in the same z coordinate of the exchangeable cation with inhomogeneous distribution. This heterogeneity was attributed to the surface charge. The main objective of this study is to characterize the structural changes in the theoretical XRD profile, induced by different water molecule distribution, used to simulate experimental XRD patterns in the case of Na-montmorillonite exchanged Cu 2+ . This problem was achieved by quantitative XRD analysis using an indirect method based on the comparison of the experimental 001 reflections obtained from oriented films patterns with those calculated from structural models. The starting materials were Ca-montmorillonite originated from bentonites of Wyoming (USA). The XRD patterns were obtained by reflection setting with a D8 ADVANCE Bruker installation using Cu-Kα radiation and equipped with solid state detector. Intensities were measured at an interval of 2Θ 0.04 deg. and 40-50 s counting time per step. The diffracted intensity was calculated according to the matrix formalism detailed by Drits and Tchoubar, (1990). The fitting strategies was detailed by Ferrage et

  4. Visual observation of gas hydrates nucleation and growth at a water - organic liquid interface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stoporev, Andrey S.; Semenov, Anton P.; Medvedev, Vladimir I.; Sizikov, Artem A.; Gushchin, Pavel A.; Vinokurov, Vladimir A.; Manakov, Andrey Yu.

    2018-03-01

    Visual observation of nucleation sites of methane and methane-ethane-propane hydrates and their further growth in water - organic liquid - gas systems with/without surfactants was carried out. Sapphire Rocking Cell RCS6 with transparent sapphire cells was used. The experiments were conducted at the supercooling ΔTsub = 20.2 °C. Decane, toluene and crude oils were used as organics. Gas hydrate nucleation occurred on water - metal - gas and water - sapphire - organic liquid three-phase contact lines. At the initial stage of growth hydrate crystals rapidly covered the water - gas or water - organics interfaces (depending on the nucleation site). Further hydrate phase accrete on cell walls (sapphire surface) and into the organics volume. At this stage, growth was accompanied by water «drawing out» from under initial hydrate film formed at water - organic interface. Apparently, it takes place due to water capillary inflow in the reaction zone. It was shown that the hydrate crystal morphology depends on the organic phase composition. In the case of water-in-decane emulsion relay hydrate crystallization was observed in the whole sample, originating most likely due to the hydrate crystal intergrowth through decane. Contacts of such crystals with adjacent water droplets result in rapid hydrate crystallization on this droplet.

  5. Modeling dissociation behaviour of methane hydrate in porous soil media

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jayasinghe, A.G.; Grozic, J.L.H. [Calgary Univ., AB (Canada). Dept. of Civil Engineering

    2008-07-01

    Gas hydrates, or clathrates, exist in the form of crystalline solid structures of hydrogen bonded water molecules where the lattice cages are occupied by guest gas molecules. Methane gas hydrates are the most common. As such, hydrate bearing sediments are considered to be a potential future energy resource. Gas hydrates also function as a source or sink for atmospheric methane, which may influence global warming. The authors emphasized that an understanding of the behaviour of soils containing gas hydrates is necessary in order to develop ways of recovering the vast gas resources that exist in the form of hydrates, particularly since hydrates are also suspected to be a potential factor in the initiation and propagation of submarine slope failures. Gas hydrate dissociation occurs when water and gas are released, resulting in an increase in pore fluid pressure, thereby causing significant reductions in effective stress leading to sediment failure. Dissociation may occur as a result of pressure reductions or increases in temperature. This study focused on the strength and deformation behaviour of hydrate bearing soils associated with temperature induced dissociation. Modeling the dissociation behavior of hydrates in porous soil media involves an understanding of the geomechanics of hydrate dissociation. This paper addressed the issue of coupling the hydrate dissociation problem with the soil deformation problem. A mathematical framework was constructed in which the thermally stimulated hydrate dissociation process in porous soil media under undrained conditions was considered with conduction heat transfer. It was concluded that a knowledge of geomechanical response of hydrate bearing sediments will enable better estimates of benefits and risks associated with the recovery process, thereby ensuring safe and economical exploration. 20 refs., 1 fig., 1 appendix.

  6. Transport of hydrate slurry at high water cut

    OpenAIRE

    Melchuna , Aline; Cameirão , Ana; Herri , Jean-Michel; Ouabbas , Yamina; Glenat , Philippe

    2014-01-01

    Poster; International audience; Oil transportation in pipelines at the end of field production life implies to flow high quantities of water which represents the dominant phase. The process of crystallization of gas hydrates in this system needs to be studied and compared to the opposite one widely studied in the literature where water is the dispersed phase. The laboratory is equipped with the Archimede flow loop where the hydrate crystallization and transport are monitored. The flow loop is...

  7. Towards an understanding of the propensity for crystalline hydrate formation by molecular compounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alankriti Bajpai

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Hydrates are technologically important and ubiquitous yet they remain a poorly understood and understudied class of molecular crystals. In this work, we attempt to rationalize propensity towards hydrate formation through crystallization studies of molecules that lack strong hydrogen-bond donor groups. A Cambridge Structural Database (CSD survey indicates that the statistical occurrence of hydrates in 124 molecules that contain five- and six-membered N-heterocyclic aromatic moieties is 18.5%. However, hydrate screening experiments on a library of 11 N-heterocyclic aromatic compounds with at least two acceptor moieties and no competing hydrogen-bond donors or acceptors reveals that over 70% of this group form hydrates, suggesting that extrapolation from CSD statistics might, at least in some cases, be deceiving. Slurrying in water and exposure to humidity were found to be the most effective discovery methods. Electrostatic potential maps and/or analysis of the crystal packing in anhydrate structures was used to rationalize why certain molecules did not readily form hydrates.

  8. Naphthenic acids hydrates of gases: influence of the water/oil interface on the dispersing properties of an acidic crude oil; Acides naphteniques hydrates de gaz de l'interface eau/huile sur les proprietes dispersantes d'un brut acide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Arla, D.

    2006-01-15

    Nowadays, the development of offshore oil production under increasing water depths (high pressures and low temperatures) has led oil companies to focus on gas hydrates risks. Hydrates are crystals containing gas and water molecules which can plug offshore pipelines. It has been shown that some asphaltenic crude oils stabilize water-in-oil emulsions (W/O) during several months and exhibit very good anti-agglomerant properties avoiding hydrate plugs formation. In this work, we have studied the 'anti-hydrate' properties of a West African acidic crude oil called crude AH. This oil contains naphthenic acids, RCOOH hydrocarbons which are sensitive to both the pH and the salinity of the water phase.The emulsifying properties of the crude AH have firstly been explored. It has been shown that heavy resins and asphaltenes are the main compounds of the crude AH responsible for the long term stability of the W/O emulsions whereas the napthenates RCOO{sup -} lead to less stable W/O emulsions. Dealing with hydrates, the crude AH exhibits moderate anti-agglomerant properties due to the presence of heavy resins and asphaltenes. However, the naphthenates RCOO{sup -} drastically increase the formation of hydrate plugs. Moreover, it has been pointed out that hydrate particles agglomeration accelerates the kinetics of hydrate formation and enhances the water/oil separation. In order to explain these behaviours, a mechanism of agglomeration by 'sticking' between a hydrate particle and a water droplet has been proposed. Finally, we have developed a model which describes the physico-chemical equilibria of the naphthenic acids in the binary system water/crude AH, in order to transpose the results obtained in the laboratory to the real oil field conditions. (author)

  9. Simulation and Characterization of Methane Hydrate Formation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dhakal, S.; Gupta, I.

    2017-12-01

    The ever rising global energy demand dictates human endeavor to explore and exploit new and innovative energy sources. As conventional oil and gas reserves deplete, we are constantly looking for newer sources for sustainable energy. Gas hydrates have long been discussed as the next big energy resource to the earth. Its global occurrence and vast quantity of natural gas stored is one of the main reasons for such interest in its study and exploration. Gas hydrates are solid crystalline substances with trapped molecules of gas inside cage-like crystals of water molecules. Gases such as methane, ethane, propane and carbon dioxide can form hydrates but in natural state, methane hydrates are the most common. Subsurface geological conditions with high pressure and low temperature favor the formation and stability of gas hydrates. While the occurrence and potential of gas hydrates as energy source has long been studied, there are still gaps in knowledge, especially in the quantitative research of gas hydrate formation and reservoir characterization. This study is focused on exploring and understanding the geological setting in which gas hydrates are formed and the subsequent changes in rock characteristics as they are deposited. It involves the numerical simulation of methane gas flow through fault to form hydrates. The models are representative of the subsurface geologic setting of Gulf of Mexico with a fault through layers of shale and sandstone. Hydrate formation simulated is of thermogenic origin. The simulations are conducted using TOUGH+HYDRATE, a numerical code developed at the Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory for modeling multiphase flow through porous medium. Simulation results predict that as the gas hydrates form in the pores of the model, the porosity, permeability and other rock properties are altered. Preliminary simulation results have shown that hydrates begin to form in the fault zone and gradually in the sandstone layers. The increase in hydrate

  10. Observation of ice sheet formation on methane and ethane gas hydrates using a scanning confocal microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nagao, J.; Shimomura, N.; Ebinuma, T.; Narita, H. [National Inst. of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Toyohira, Sapporo (Japan). Methane Hydrate Research Lab.

    2008-07-01

    Interest in gas hydrates has increased in recent years due to the discovery of large deposits under the ocean floor and in permafrost regions. Natural gas hydrates, including methane, is expected to become a new energy source and a medium for energy storage and transportation. Gas hydrates consist of an open network of water molecules that are hydrogen-bonded in a similar manner to ice. Gas molecules are interstitially engaged under high pressures and low temperatures. Although the dissociation temperature of methane hydrate under atmospheric pressure is about 193 K, studies have shown that methane hydrate can be stored at atmospheric pressure and 267 K for 2 years. Because of this phenomenon, known as self-preservation, transportation and storage of methane hydrate can occur at temperature conditions milder than those for liquefied methane gas at atmospheric pressure. This study examined the surface changes of methane and ethane hydrates during dissociation using an optical microscope and confocal scanning microscope (CSM). This paper reported on the results when the atmospheric gas pressure was decreased. Ice sheets formed on the surfaces of methane and ethane gas hydrates due to depressurizing dissociation of methane and ethane hydrates when the methane and ethane gas pressures were decreased at designated temperatures. The dissociation of methane gas hydrate below below 237 K resulted in the generation of small ice particles on the hydrate surface. A transparent ice sheet formed on the hydrate surface above 242 K. The thickness of the ice sheet on the methane hydrate surface showed the maximum of ca. 30 {mu}m at 253 K. In the case of ethane hydrates, ice particles and ice sheets formed below 262 and 267 respectively. Since the ice particles and ice sheets were formed by water molecules generated during the gas hydrate dissociation, the mechanism of ice sheet formation depends on the dissociation rate of hydrate, ice particle sintering rate, and water molecule

  11. Structure and dynamics of interfacial water. Role of hydratation water in the globular proteins dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zanotti, J.M.

    1997-01-01

    This memoir includes five chapters. In the first chapter, are given the elements of the neutrons scattering theory that is used in this study. the second chapter is devoted to a general presentation of the interaction between biological macro molecule and water. The third part is dedicated to the study of the structure and the dynamics of interfacial water in the neighbouring of model systems, the vycor and the amorphous carbon. The results presented in this part are compared with these one relative to water dynamics at the C-phycocyanin surface. This study makes the object of the fourth chapter. Then, in the fifth and last chapter are discussed the results relative to the role of hydratation on the parv-albumin dynamics for which have been combined the neutron quasi elastic incoherent scattering and the nuclear magnetic resonance of the carbon 13 solid in natural abundance

  12. Hydration of Atmospheric Molecular Clusters: Systematic Configurational Sampling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kildgaard, Jens; Mikkelsen, Kurt V; Bilde, Merete; Elm, Jonas

    2018-05-09

    We present a new systematic configurational sampling algorithm for investigating the potential energy surface of hydrated atmospheric molecular clusters. The algo- rithm is based on creating a Fibonacci sphere around each atom in the cluster and adding water molecules to each point in 9 different orientations. To allow the sam- pling of water molecules to existing hydrogen bonds, the cluster is displaced along the hydrogen bond and a water molecule is placed in between in three different ori- entations. Generated redundant structures are eliminated based on minimizing the root mean square distance (RMSD) of different conformers. Initially, the clusters are sampled using the semiempirical PM6 method and subsequently using density func- tional theory (M06-2X and ωB97X-D) with the 6-31++G(d,p) basis set. Applying the developed algorithm we study the hydration of sulfuric acid with up to 15 water molecules. We find that the additions of the first four water molecules "saturate" the sulfuric acid molecule and are more thermodynamically favourable than the addition of water molecule 5-15. Using the large generated set of conformers, we assess the performance of approximate methods (ωB97X-D, M06-2X, PW91 and PW6B95-D3) in calculating the binding energies and assigning the global minimum conformation compared to high level CCSD(T)-F12a/VDZ-F12 reference calculations. The tested DFT functionals systematically overestimates the binding energies compared to cou- pled cluster calculations, and we find that this deficiency can be corrected by a simple scaling factor.

  13. Hydration dynamics in water clusters via quantum molecular dynamics simulations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turi, László, E-mail: turi@chem.elte.hu [Department of Physical Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest 112, P. O. Box 32, H-1518 (Hungary)

    2014-05-28

    We have investigated the hydration dynamics in size selected water clusters with n = 66, 104, 200, 500, and 1000 water molecules using molecular dynamics simulations. To study the most fundamental aspects of relaxation phenomena in clusters, we choose one of the simplest, still realistic, quantum mechanically treated test solute, an excess electron. The project focuses on the time evolution of the clusters following two processes, electron attachment to neutral equilibrated water clusters and electron detachment from an equilibrated water cluster anion. The relaxation dynamics is significantly different in the two processes, most notably restoring the equilibrium final state is less effective after electron attachment. Nevertheless, in both scenarios only minor cluster size dependence is observed. Significantly different relaxation patterns characterize electron detachment for interior and surface state clusters, interior state clusters relaxing significantly faster. This observation may indicate a potential way to distinguish surface state and interior state water cluster anion isomers experimentally. A comparison of equilibrium and non-equilibrium trajectories suggests that linear response theory breaks down for electron attachment at 200 K, but the results converge to reasonable agreement at higher temperatures. Relaxation following electron detachment clearly belongs to the linear regime. Cluster relaxation was also investigated using two different computational models, one preferring cavity type interior states for the excess electron in bulk water, while the other simulating non-cavity structure. While the cavity model predicts appearance of several different hydrated electron isomers in agreement with experiment, the non-cavity model locates only cluster anions with interior excess electron distribution. The present simulations show that surface isomers computed with the cavity predicting potential show similar dynamical behavior to the interior clusters of

  14. Hydration and rotational diffusion of levoglucosan in aqueous solutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corezzi, S.; Sassi, P.; Paolantoni, M.; Comez, L.; Morresi, A.; Fioretto, D.

    2014-05-01

    Extended frequency range depolarized light scattering measurements of water-levoglucosan solutions are reported at different concentrations and temperatures to assess the effect of the presence and distribution of hydroxyl groups on the dynamics of hydration water. The anhydro bridge, reducing from five to three the number of hydroxyl groups with respect to glucose, considerably affects the hydration properties of levoglucosan with respect to those of mono and disaccharides. In particular, we find that the average retardation of water dynamics is ≈3-4, that is lower than ≈5-6 previously found in glucose, fructose, trehalose, and sucrose. Conversely, the average number of retarded water molecules around levoglucosan is 24, almost double that found in water-glucose mixtures. These results suggest that the ability of sugar molecules to form H-bonds through hydroxyl groups with surrounding water, while producing a more effective retardation, it drastically reduces the spatial extent of the perturbation on the H-bond network. In addition, the analysis of the concentration dependence of the hydration number reveals the aptitude of levoglucosan to produce large aggregates in solution. The analysis of shear viscosity and rotational diffusion time suggests a very short lifetime for these aggregates, typically faster than ≈20 ps.

  15. Water around fullerene shape amphiphiles: A molecular dynamics simulation study of hydrophobic hydration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Varanasi, S. R., E-mail: s.raovaranasi@uq.edu.au, E-mail: guskova@ipfdd.de; John, A. [Institut Theorie der Polymere, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, Dresden D-01069 (Germany); Guskova, O. A., E-mail: s.raovaranasi@uq.edu.au, E-mail: guskova@ipfdd.de [Institut Theorie der Polymere, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, Dresden D-01069 (Germany); Dresden Center for Computational Materials Science (DCMS), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden D-01069 (Germany); Sommer, J.-U. [Institut Theorie der Polymere, Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, Dresden D-01069 (Germany); Dresden Center for Computational Materials Science (DCMS), Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden D-01069 (Germany); Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Dresden, Zellescher Weg 17, Dresden D-01069 (Germany)

    2015-06-14

    Fullerene C{sub 60} sub-colloidal particle with diameter ∼1 nm represents a boundary case between small and large hydrophobic solutes on the length scale of hydrophobic hydration. In the present paper, a molecular dynamics simulation is performed to investigate this complex phenomenon for bare C{sub 60} fullerene and its amphiphilic/charged derivatives, so called shape amphiphiles. Since most of the unique properties of water originate from the pattern of hydrogen bond network and its dynamics, spatial, and orientational aspects of water in solvation shells around the solute surface having hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions are analyzed. Dynamical properties such as translational-rotational mobility, reorientational correlation and occupation time correlation functions of water molecules, and diffusion coefficients are also calculated. Slower dynamics of solvent molecules—water retardation—in the vicinity of the solutes is observed. Both the topological properties of hydrogen bond pattern and the “dangling” –OH groups that represent surface defects in water network are monitored. The fraction of such defect structures is increased near the hydrophobic cap of fullerenes. Some “dry” regions of C{sub 60} are observed which can be considered as signatures of surface dewetting. In an effort to provide molecular level insight into the thermodynamics of hydration, the free energy of solvation is determined for a family of fullerene particles using thermodynamic integration technique.

  16. Water around fullerene shape amphiphiles: A molecular dynamics simulation study of hydrophobic hydration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varanasi, S. R.; John, A.; Guskova, O. A.; Sommer, J.-U.

    2015-01-01

    Fullerene C 60 sub-colloidal particle with diameter ∼1 nm represents a boundary case between small and large hydrophobic solutes on the length scale of hydrophobic hydration. In the present paper, a molecular dynamics simulation is performed to investigate this complex phenomenon for bare C 60 fullerene and its amphiphilic/charged derivatives, so called shape amphiphiles. Since most of the unique properties of water originate from the pattern of hydrogen bond network and its dynamics, spatial, and orientational aspects of water in solvation shells around the solute surface having hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions are analyzed. Dynamical properties such as translational-rotational mobility, reorientational correlation and occupation time correlation functions of water molecules, and diffusion coefficients are also calculated. Slower dynamics of solvent molecules—water retardation—in the vicinity of the solutes is observed. Both the topological properties of hydrogen bond pattern and the “dangling” –OH groups that represent surface defects in water network are monitored. The fraction of such defect structures is increased near the hydrophobic cap of fullerenes. Some “dry” regions of C 60 are observed which can be considered as signatures of surface dewetting. In an effort to provide molecular level insight into the thermodynamics of hydration, the free energy of solvation is determined for a family of fullerene particles using thermodynamic integration technique

  17. Crystal water as the mol-ecular glue for obtaining different co-crystal ratios: the case of gallic acid tris-caffeine hexa-hydrate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vella-Zarb, L; Baisch, U

    2018-04-01

    The crystal structure of the hexa-hydrate co-crystal of gallic acid and caffeine, C 7 H 6 O 5 ·3C 8 H 10 N 4 O 2 ·6H 2 O or GAL3CAF·6H 2 O , is a remarkable example of the importance of hydrate water acting as structural glue to facilitate the crystallization of two components of different stoichiometries and thus to compensate an imbalance of hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors. The water mol-ecules provide the additional hydrogen bonds required to form a crystalline solid. Whereas the majority of hydrogen bonds forming the inter-molecular network between gallic acid and caffeine are formed by crystal water, only one direct classical hydrogen bond between two mol-ecules is formed between the carb-oxy-lic oxygen of gallic acid and the carbonyl oxygen of caffeine with d ( D ⋯ A ) = 2.672 (2) Å. All other hydrogen bonds either involve crystal water or utilize protonated carbon atoms as donors.

  18. Observation of interstitial molecular hydrogen in clathrate hydrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grim, R Gary; Barnes, Brian C; Lafond, Patrick G; Kockelmann, Winfred A; Keen, David A; Soper, Alan K; Hiratsuka, Masaki; Yasuoka, Kenji; Koh, Carolyn A; Sum, Amadeu K

    2014-09-26

    The current knowledge and description of guest molecules within clathrate hydrates only accounts for occupancy within regular polyhedral water cages. Experimental measurements and simulations, examining the tert-butylamine + H2 + H2O hydrate system, now suggest that H2 can also be incorporated within hydrate crystal structures by occupying interstitial sites, that is, locations other than the interior of regular polyhedral water cages. Specifically, H2 is found within the shared heptagonal faces of the large (4(3)5(9)6(2)7(3)) cage and in cavities formed from the disruption of smaller (4(4)5(4)) water cages. The ability of H2 to occupy these interstitial sites and fluctuate position in the crystal lattice demonstrates the dynamic behavior of H2 in solids and reveals new insight into guest-guest and guest-host interactions in clathrate hydrates, with potential implications in increasing overall energy storage properties. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Water Intake and Hydration Indices in Healthy European Adults: The European Hydration Research Study (EHRS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malisova, Olga; Athanasatou, Adelais; Pepa, Alex; Husemann, Marlien; Domnik, Kirsten; Braun, Hans; Mora-Rodriguez, Ricardo; Ortega, Juan F; Fernandez-Elias, Valentin E; Kapsokefalou, Maria

    2016-04-06

    Hydration status is linked with health, wellness, and performance. We evaluated hydration status, water intake, and urine output for seven consecutive days in healthy adults. Volunteers living in Spain, Germany, or Greece (n = 573, 39 ± 12 years (51.1% males), 25.0 ± 4.6 kg/m² BMI) participated in an eight-day study protocol. Total water intake was estimated from seven-day food and drink diaries. Hydration status was measured in urine samples collected over 24 h for seven days and in blood samples collected in fasting state on the mornings of days 1 and 8. Total daily water intake was 2.75 ± 1.01 L, water from beverages 2.10 ± 0.91 L, water from foods 0.66 ± 0.29 L. Urine parameters were: 24 h volume 1.65 ± 0.70 L, 24 h osmolality 631 ± 221 mOsmol/kg Η2Ο, 24 h specific gravity 1.017 ± 0.005, 24 h excretion of sodium 166.9 ± 54.7 mEq, 24 h excretion of potassium 72.4 ± 24.6 mEq, color chart 4.2 ± 1.4. Predictors for urine osmolality were age, country, gender, and BMI. Blood indices were: haemoglobin concentration 14.7 ± 1.7 g/dL, hematocrit 43% ± 4% and serum osmolality 294 ± 9 mOsmol/kg Η2Ο. Daily water intake was higher in summer (2.8 ± 1.02 L) than in winter (2.6 ± 0.98 L) (p = 0.019). Water intake was associated negatively with urine specific gravity, urine color, and urine sodium and potassium concentrations (p < 0.01). Applying urine osmolality cut-offs, approximately 60% of participants were euhydrated and 20% hyperhydrated or dehydrated. Most participants were euhydrated, but a substantial number of people (40%) deviated from a normal hydration level.

  20. Thermodynamic properties of water molecules in the presence of cosolute depend on DNA structure: a study using grid inhomogeneous solvation theory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakano, Miki; Tateishi-Karimata, Hisae; Tanaka, Shigenori; Tama, Florence; Miyashita, Osamu; Nakano, Shu-ichi; Sugimoto, Naoki

    2015-01-01

    In conditions that mimic those of the living cell, where various biomolecules and other components are present, DNA strands can adopt many structures in addition to the canonical B-form duplex. Previous studies in the presence of cosolutes that induce molecular crowding showed that thermal stabilities of DNA structures are associated with the properties of the water molecules around the DNAs. To understand how cosolutes, such as ethylene glycol, affect the thermal stability of DNA structures, we investigated the thermodynamic properties of water molecules around a hairpin duplex and a G-quadruplex using grid inhomogeneous solvation theory (GIST) with or without cosolutes. Our analysis indicated that (i) cosolutes increased the free energy of water molecules around DNA by disrupting water–water interactions, (ii) ethylene glycol more effectively disrupted water–water interactions around Watson–Crick base pairs than those around G-quartets or non-paired bases, (iii) due to the negative electrostatic potential there was a thicker hydration shell around G-quartets than around Watson–Crick-paired bases. Our findings suggest that the thermal stability of the hydration shell around DNAs is one factor that affects the thermal stabilities of DNA structures under the crowding conditions. PMID:26538600

  1. Gas Hydrates of Coal Layers as a Methane Source in the Atmosphere and Mine Working

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dyrdin, Valery; Shepeleva, Sofya; Kim, Tatiana

    2017-11-01

    Living conditions of gas hydrates of a methane in a coal matrix as one of possible forms of finding of molecules of a methane in coal layers are considered. However, gas hydrates are formed not in all mineral coals even under the thermobaric conditions corresponding to their equilibrium state as the minimum humidity and the corresponding pore width are necessary for each brand of coal for formation of gas hydrate. It is shown that it depends on electric electrical dipole moment of a macromolecule of coal. Coals of brands K, D, Zh were considered. The electric field created by the surface of coal does not allow molecules of water to carry out threedimensional driving, and they keep on an internal surface of a time. By means of theoretical model operation a dipole - dipole interaction of molecules of water with the steam surface of coal values of energy of fiber interaction for various functional groups located in coal "fringe" which size for the first and second layers does not allow molecules of water to participate in formation of gas hydrates are received. For coals of brands K, Zh, D, considering distribution of a time on radiuses, the percent of moisture, which cannot share in education solid coal of gas solutions, is calculated.

  2. THERMODYNAMIC MODEL OF GAS HYDRATES

    OpenAIRE

    Недоступ, В. И.; Недоступ, О. В.

    2015-01-01

    The interest to gas hydrates grows last years. Therefore working out of reliable settlement-theoretical methods of definition of their properties is necessary. The thermodynamic model of gas hydrates in which the central place occupies a behaviour of guest molecule in cell is described. The equations of interaction of molecule hydrate formative gas with cell are received, and also an enthalpy and energy of output of molecule from a cell are determined. The equation for calculation of thermody...

  3. Is Br2 hydration hydrophobic?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcaraz-Torres, A; Gamboa-Suárez, A; Bernal-Uruchurtu, M I

    2017-02-28

    The spectroscopic properties of bromine in aqueous systems suggest it can behave as either hydrophilic or hydrophobic solute. In small water clusters, the halogen bond and the hydrogen-halogen interaction are responsible for its specific way of binding. In water hydrates, it is efficiently hosted by two different cages forming the crystal structure and it has been frequently assumed that there is little or no interaction between the guest and the host. Bromine in liquid solution poses a challenging question due to its non-negligible solubility and the large blue shift measured in its absorption spectra. Using a refined semi-empirical force field, PM3-PIF, we performed a Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics study of bromine in liquid water. Here we present a detailed study in which we retrieved the most representative hydration structures in terms of the most frequent positions around bromine and the most common water orientations. Albeit being an approximate description of the total hydration phenomenon, it captures the contribution of the leading molecular interactions in form of the recurrent structures. Our findings confirm that the spectroscopic signature is mainly caused by the closest neighbors. The dynamics of the whole first hydration shell strongly suggests that the external molecules in that structure effectively isolate the bulk from the presence of bromine. The solvation structure fluctuates from a hydrophilic to a hydrophobic-like environment along the studied trajectory.

  4. Hydrated proton and hydroxide charge transfer at the liquid/vapor interface of water

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soniat, Marielle; Rick, Steven W., E-mail: srick@uno.edu [Department of Chemistry, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70148 (United States); Kumar, Revati [Department of Chemistry, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808 (United States)

    2015-07-28

    The role of the solvated excess proton and hydroxide ions in interfacial properties is an interesting scientific question with applications in a variety of aqueous behaviors. The role that charge transfer (CT) plays in interfacial behavior is also an unsettled question. Quantum calculations are carried out on clusters of water with an excess proton or a missing proton (hydroxide) to determine their CT. The quantum results are applied to analysis of multi-state empirical valence bond trajectories. The polyatomic nature of the solvated excess proton and hydroxide ion results in directionally dependent CT, depending on whether a water molecule is a hydrogen bond donor or acceptor in relation to the ion. With polyatomic molecules, CT also depends on the intramolecular bond distances in addition to intermolecular distances. The hydrated proton and hydroxide affect water’s liquid/vapor interface in a manner similar to monatomic ions, in that they induce a hydrogen-bonding imbalance at the surface, which results in charged surface waters. This hydrogen bond imbalance, and thus the charged waters at the surface, persists until the ion is at least 10 Å away from the interface.

  5. Hydrated proton and hydroxide charge transfer at the liquid/vapor interface of water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soniat, Marielle; Rick, Steven W.; Kumar, Revati

    2015-01-01

    The role of the solvated excess proton and hydroxide ions in interfacial properties is an interesting scientific question with applications in a variety of aqueous behaviors. The role that charge transfer (CT) plays in interfacial behavior is also an unsettled question. Quantum calculations are carried out on clusters of water with an excess proton or a missing proton (hydroxide) to determine their CT. The quantum results are applied to analysis of multi-state empirical valence bond trajectories. The polyatomic nature of the solvated excess proton and hydroxide ion results in directionally dependent CT, depending on whether a water molecule is a hydrogen bond donor or acceptor in relation to the ion. With polyatomic molecules, CT also depends on the intramolecular bond distances in addition to intermolecular distances. The hydrated proton and hydroxide affect water’s liquid/vapor interface in a manner similar to monatomic ions, in that they induce a hydrogen-bonding imbalance at the surface, which results in charged surface waters. This hydrogen bond imbalance, and thus the charged waters at the surface, persists until the ion is at least 10 Å away from the interface

  6. Effect of Surface Hydration on Antifouling Properties of Mixed Charged Polymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leng, Chuan; Huang, Hao; Zhang, Kexin; Hung, Hsiang-Chieh; Xu, Yao; Li, Yaoxin; Jiang, Shaoyi; Chen, Zhan

    2018-05-07

    Interfacial water structure on a polymer surface in water (or surface hydration) is related to the antifouling activity of the polymer. Zwitterionic polymer materials exhibit excellent antifouling activity due to their strong surface hydration. It was proposed to replace zwitterionic polymers using mixed charged polymers because it is much easier to prepare mixed charged polymer samples with much lower costs. In this study, using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy, we investigated interfacial water structures on mixed charged polymer surfaces in water, and how such structures change while exposing to salt solutions and protein solutions. The 1:1 mixed charged polymer exhibits excellent antifouling property while other mixed charged polymers with different ratios of the positive/negative charges do not. It was found that on the 1:1 mixed charged polymer surface, SFG water signal is dominated by the contribution of the strongly hydrogen bonded water molecules, indicating strong hydration of the polymer surface. The responses of the 1:1 mixed charged polymer surface to salt solutions are similar to those of zwitterionic polymers. Interestingly, exposure to high concentrations of salt solutions leads to stronger hydration of the 1:1 mixed charged polymer surface after replacing the salt solution with water. Protein molecules do not substantially perturb the interfacial water structure on the 1:1 mixed charged polymer surface and do not adsorb to the surface, showing that this mixed charged polymer is an excellent antifouling material.

  7. Fibrillar structure and elasticity of hydrating collagen: a quantitative multiscale approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morin, Claire; Hellmich, Christian; Henits, Peter

    2013-01-21

    It is well known that hydration of collagenous tissues leads to their swelling, as well as to softening of their elastic behavior. However, it is much less clear which microstructural and micromechanical "rules" are involved in this process. Here, we develop a theoretical approach cast in analytical mathematical formulations, which is experimentally validated by a wealth of independent tests on collagenous tissues, such as X-ray diffraction, vacuum drying, mass measurements, and Brillouin light scattering. The overall emerging picture is the following: air-drying leaves water only in the gap zones between the triple-helical collagen molecules; upon re-hydration, the extrafibrillar space is established at volumes directly proportional to the hydration-induced swelling of the (micro) fibrils, until the maximum equatorial distance between the long collagen molecules is reached. Thereafter, the volume of the fibrils stays constant, and only the extrafibrillar volume continues to grow. At all these hydration stages, the elastic behavior is governed by the same, hydration-invariant mechanical interaction pattern of only two, interpenetrating mechanical phases: transversely isotropic molecular collagen and isotropic water (or empty pores in the vacuum-dried case). Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Modelling membrane hydration and water balance of a pem fuel cell

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liso, Vincenzo; Nielsen, Mads Pagh

    2015-01-01

    Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells requires an appropriate hydration in order to ensure high efficiency and long durability. As water is essential for promoting proton conductivity in the membrane, it is important to control membrane water hydration to avoid flooding. In this study we...

  9. FY1995 molecular control technology for mining of methane-gas-hydrate; 1995 nendo methane hydrate no bunshi seigyo mining

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1997-03-01

    The objectives of the investigation are as follows: 1) developing a method to control formation/dissociation of methane-gas-hydrate, 2) developing a technology to displace methane gas by CO{sub 2} in methane-gas-hydrate deposit, 3) developing a technology to produce methane gas from the deposit efficiently. The final purpose of the project is to create new mining industry that solves both the problems of energy and global environment. 1) Clustering of water molecules is found to play the key role in the methane gas hydrate formation. 2) Equilibrium properties and kinetics of gas hydrates formation and dissociation in bulk-scale gas-hydrate are clarified in the practical environmental conditions. 3) Particle size of hydrate deposit influences the formation and dissociation of bulk-scale gas-hydrate crystal. 4) Mass transfer between gas and liquid phase in turbulent bubbly flow is a function of bubble diameter. The mass transfer depends on interfacial dynamics. (NEDO)

  10. Thermodynamic studies on semi-clathrate hydrates of TBAB + gases containing carbon dioxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eslamimanesh, Ali

    2012-01-01

    CO 2 capture has become an important area of research mainly due to its drastic greenhouse effects. Gas hydrate formation as a separation technique shows tremendous potential, both from a physical feasibility as well as an envisaged lower energy utilization criterion. Briefly, gas (clathrate) hydrates are non-stoichiometric, ice-like crystalline compounds formed through a combination of water and suitably sized guest molecule(s) under low-temperatures and elevated pressures. As the pressure required for gas hydrate formation is generally high, therefore, aqueous solution of tetra-n-butyl ammonium bromide (TBAB) is added to the system as a gas hydrate promoter. TBAB generally reduces the required hydrate formation pressure and/or increases the formation temperature as well as modifies the selectivity of hydrate cages to capture CO 2 molecules. TBAB also takes part in the hydrogen-bonded cages. Such hydrates are called 'semi-clathrate' hydrates. Evidently, reliable and accurate phase equilibrium data, acceptable thermodynamic models, and other thermodynamic studies should be provided to design efficient separation processes using the aforementioned technology. For this purpose, phase equilibria of clathrate/semi-clathrate hydrates of various gas mixtures containing CO 2 (CO 2 + CH 4 /N 2 /H 2 ) in the presence of pure water and aqueous solutions of TBAB have been measured in this thesis. In the theoretical section of the thesis, a thermodynamic model on the basis of the van der Waals and Platteeuw (vdW-P) solid solution theory along with the modified equations for determination of the Langmuir constants of the hydrate formers has been successfully developed to represent/predict equilibrium conditions of semi-clathrate hydrates of CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 . Later, several thermodynamic consistency tests on the basis of Gibbs-Duhem equation as well as a statistical approach have been applied on the phase equilibrium data of the systems of mixed/simple clathrate hydrates

  11. Optimization of linear and branched alkane interactions with water to simulate hydrophobic hydration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashbaugh, Henry S.; Liu, Lixin; Surampudi, Lalitanand N.

    2011-08-01

    Previous studies of simple gas hydration have demonstrated that the accuracy of molecular simulations at capturing the thermodynamic signatures of hydrophobic hydration is linked both to the fidelity of the water model at replicating the experimental liquid density at ambient pressure and an accounting of polarization interactions between the solute and water. We extend those studies to examine alkane hydration using the transferable potentials for phase equilibria united-atom model for linear and branched alkanes, developed to reproduce alkane phase behavior, and the TIP4P/2005 model for water, which provides one of the best descriptions of liquid water for the available fixed-point charge models. Alkane site/water oxygen Lennard-Jones cross interactions were optimized to reproduce the experimental alkane hydration free energies over a range of temperatures. The optimized model reproduces the hydration free energies of the fitted alkanes with a root mean square difference between simulation and experiment of 0.06 kcal/mol over a wide temperature range, compared to 0.44 kcal/mol for the parent model. The optimized model accurately reproduces the temperature dependence of hydrophobic hydration, as characterized by the hydration enthalpies, entropies, and heat capacities, as well as the pressure response, as characterized by partial molar volumes.

  12. Cryogenic-SEM investigation of CO{sub 2} hydrate morphologies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Camps, A.P.; Milodowski, A.; Rochelle, C.; Williams, J.F.; Jackson, P. D. [British Geological Survey, Keyworth, Nottinghamshire (United Kingdom); Camps, A.P; Lovell, M.; Williams, J.F. [Leicester Univ., Leicester (United Kingdom). Dept. of Geology

    2008-07-01

    Gas hydrates occur naturally around the world in the shallow-marine geosphere, and are seen as a drilling hazard in the petroleum industry due to their role in the carbon cycle, and their possible contribution in past and present climate change. Hydrates are ice-like structures composed of cages of water molecules containing one or more guest molecules, such as methane and carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}). CO{sub 2} hydrates also occur naturally on earth and are being investigated for their potential to store large volumes of CO{sub 2} to reduce atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases as a climate change mitigation strategy. However, the mineralogy and formation processes of hydrates are relatively poorly understood. Different imaging techniques have been utilized to study gas hydrates, such as nuclear magnetic resonance, magnetic resonance imaging, and x-ray computed tomography. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) at cryogenic temperatures is another technique to study hydrates, and has been used successfully for investigation of methane and CO{sub 2} hydrates. This paper presented a study that investigated CO{sub 2} hydrates formed in laboratories, using a cryogenic-SEM. The paper presented the study methods and observations, including euhedral crystalline carbon dioxide hydrate; acicular carbon dioxide hydrate; granoblastic carbon dioxide hydrate; and gas rich carbon dioxide hydrate. It was concluded that the investigation produced various different hydrate morphologies resulting from different formation conditions. Morphologies ranged from well-defined euhedral crystals to acicular needles, and more complex, intricate forms. 22 refs., 6 figs., 1 appendix.

  13. Instantaneous, parameter-free methods to define a solute’s hydration shell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chatterjee, Anupam; Higham, Jonathan; Henchman, Richard H.

    2015-01-01

    A range of methods are presented to calculate a solute’s hydration shell from computer simulations of dilute solutions of monatomic ions and noble gas atoms. The methods are designed to be parameter-free and instantaneous so as to make them more general, accurate, and consequently applicable to disordered systems. One method is a modified nearest-neighbor method, another considers solute-water Lennard-Jones overlap followed by hydrogen-bond rearrangement, while three methods compare various combinations of water-solute and water-water forces. The methods are tested on a series of monatomic ions and solutes and compared with the values from cutoffs in the radial distribution function, the nearest-neighbor distribution functions, and the strongest-acceptor hydrogen bond definition for anions. The Lennard-Jones overlap method and one of the force-comparison methods are found to give a hydration shell for cations which is in reasonable agreement with that using a cutoff in the radial distribution function. Further modifications would be required, though, to make them capture the neighboring water molecules of noble-gas solutes if these weakly interacting molecules are considered to constitute the hydration shell

  14. Dielectric and gravimetric studies of water binding to lysozyme

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bone, S.

    1996-01-01

    Time domain dielectric spectroscopy and hydration isotherm measurements as a function of temperature have been applied to hydrated lysozyme powder. Two dielectric dispersions were identified, the first centred at approximately 8 MHz and a second above 1 GHz. The higher dispersion is considered to be the result of rotational relaxation of water molecules bound to the enzyme. In this case the results indicate the existence of a population of 32 water molecules per lysozyme molecule which are irrotationally bound to the lysozyme structure. A larger population of water molecules is relatively free to respond to the electric field and exhibits a dipole moment close to that of vapour phase water molecules. Multi-temperature hydration isotherm measurements are used to calculate enthalpies and entropies associated with the binding of water to lysozyme. Discontinuities both in dielectric and in thermodynamic characteristics in the range 10-14% hydration are interpreted as a re-ordering of the water structure on the enzyme surface

  15. Cation Hydration Constants by Proton NMR: A Physical Chemistry Experiment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Robert L.; And Others

    1988-01-01

    Studies the polarization effect on water by cations and anions. Describes an experiment to illustrate the polarization effect of sodium, lithium, calcium, and strontium ions on the water molecule in the hydration spheres of the ions. Analysis is performed by proton NMR. (MVL)

  16. Hydration number of alkali metal ions determined by insertion in a conducting polymer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skaarup, Steen

    2008-01-01

    of all other water molecules whose properties are still influenced significantly by the cation. Knowing the hydration number is important when considering, for instance, the transport of Na+ and K+ in biological cell membranes, since their different behavior may depend on the details of ion hydration....... The solvation of alkali metal ions has been discussed for many years without a clear consensus. This work presents a systematic study of the hydration numbers of the 5 alkali metal ions, using the electrochemical insertion of the ions in a conducting polymer (polypyrrole containing the large immobile anion DBS...... direct calculation of the number of M+ ions entering the film, and therefore the inserted M+ mass. The mass of the water molecules is calculated as a difference. The results yield the following primary hydration numbers: Li+: 5.5-5.6; Na+: 4.0-4.1; K+: 2.0-2.5; Rb+: 0.6-1.2; Cs+: ~0. The most important...

  17. Dynamic morphology of gas hydrate on a methane bubble in water: Observations and new insights for hydrate film models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warzinski, Robert P.; Lynn, Ronald; Haljasmaa, Igor; Leifer, Ira; Shaffer, Frank; Anderson, Brian J.; Levine, Jonathan S.

    2014-10-01

    Predicting the fate of subsea hydrocarbon gases escaping into seawater is complicated by potential formation of hydrate on rising bubbles that can enhance their survival in the water column, allowing gas to reach shallower depths and the atmosphere. The precise nature and influence of hydrate coatings on bubble hydrodynamics and dissolution is largely unknown. Here we present high-definition, experimental observations of complex surficial mechanisms governing methane bubble hydrate formation and dissociation during transit of a simulated oceanic water column that reveal a temporal progression of deep-sea controlling mechanisms. Synergistic feedbacks between bubble hydrodynamics, hydrate morphology, and coverage characteristics were discovered. Morphological changes on the bubble surface appear analogous to macroscale, sea ice processes, presenting new mechanistic insights. An inverse linear relationship between hydrate coverage and bubble dissolution rate is indicated. Understanding and incorporating these phenomena into bubble and bubble plume models will be necessary to accurately predict global greenhouse gas budgets for warming ocean scenarios and hydrocarbon transport from anthropogenic or natural deep-sea eruptions.

  18. The cellular environment of cancerous human tissue. Interfacial and dangling water as a "hydration fingerprint".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abramczyk, Halina; Brozek-Pluska, Beata; Krzesniak, Marta; Kopec, Monika; Morawiec-Sztandera, Alina

    2014-08-14

    Despite a large number of publications, the role of water in the cellular environment of biological tissue has not been clarified. Characterizing the biological interface is a key challenge in understanding the interactions of water in the tissue. Although we often assume that the properties of the bulk water can be translated to the crowded biological environment, this approach must be considerably revised when considering the biological interface. To our knowledge, few studies have directly monitored the interactions and accumulation of water in the restricted environments of the biological tissue upon realistic crowding conditions. The present study focuses on a molecular picture of water molecules at the biological interface, or specifically, water molecules adjacent to the hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces of normal and cancerous tissues. We recorded and analyzed the IR and Raman spectra of the νs(OH) stretching modes of water at the biological interfaces of the human breast and neck tissues. The results revealed dramatic changes in the water content in the tissue and are potentially relevant to both the fundamental problems of interfacial water modeling and the molecular diagnostics of cancer as a 'hydration fingerprint'. Herein, we will discuss the origin of the vibrational substructures observed for the νs(OH) stretching modes of water, showing that the interfacial water interacting via H-bond with other water molecules and biomolecules at the biological surface and free OH vibration of the dangling water are sensitive indicators of the pathology between the normal (noncancerous) and cancerous tissue and cancer types. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Molecular dynamics study on the structure I clathrate-hydrate of methane + ethane mixture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erfan-Niya, Hamid; Modarress, Hamid; Zaminpayma, Esmaeil

    2011-01-01

    Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to study the structure I stability of methane + ethane clathrate-hydrates at temperatures 273, 275 and 277 K. NVT- and NPT-ensembles are utilized in MD simulation, and each consists of 3 x 3 x 3 replica unit cells containing 46 water molecules which are considered as the host molecules and up to eight methane + ethane molecules considered as the guest molecules. In MD simulations for host-host interactions, the potential model used was a type of simple point charge (SPC) model, and for guest-guest and host-guest interactions the potential used was Lennard-Jones model. In the process of MD simulation, achieving equilibrium of the studied system was recognized by stability in calculated pressure for NVT-ensemble and volume for NPT-ensemble. To understand the characteristic configurations of the structure I hydrate, the radial distribution functions (RDFs) of host-host, host-guest and guest-guest molecules as well as other properties including kinetic energy, potential energy and total energy were calculated. The results show that guest molecules interaction with host molecules cannot decompose the hydrate structure, and these results are consistent with most previous experimental and theoretical investigations that methane + ethane mixtures form structure I hydrates over the entire mixture composition range.

  20. Radiation-induced DNA damage as a function of DNA hydration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swarts, S.G.; Miao, L.; Wheeler, K.T.; Sevilla, M.D.; Becker, D.

    1995-01-01

    Radiation-induced DNA damage is produced from the sum of the radicals generated by the direct ionization of the DNA (direct effect) and by the reactions of the DNA with free radicals formed in the surrounding environment (indirect effect). The indirect effect has been believed to be the predominant contributor to radiation-induced intracellular DNA damage, mainly as the result of reactions of bulk water radicals (e.g., OH·) with DNA. However, recent evidence suggests that DNA damage, derived from the irradiation of water molecules that are tightly bound in the hydration layer, may occur as the result of the transfer of electron-loss centers (e.g. holes) and electrons from these water molecules to the DNA. Since this mechanism for damaging DNA more closely parallels that of the direct effect, the irradiation of these tightly bound water molecules may contribute to a quasi-direct effect. These water molecules comprise a large fraction of the water surrounding intracellular DNA and could account for a significant proportion of intracellular radiation-induced DNA damage. Consequently, the authors have attempted to characterize this quasi-direct effect to determine: (1) the extent of the DNA hydration layer that is involved with this effect, and (2) what influence this effect has on the types and quantities of radiation-induced DNA damage

  1. Hydration kinetics of cement composites with varying water-cement ratio using terahertz spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ray, Shaumik; Dash, Jyotirmayee; Devi, Nirmala; Sasmal, Saptarshi; Pesala, Bala

    2015-03-01

    Cement is mixed with water in an optimum ratio to form concrete with desirable mechanical strength and durability. The ability to track the consumption of major cement constituents, viz., Tri- and Dicalcium Silicates (C3S, C2S) reacting with water along with the formation of key hydration products, viz., Calcium-Silicate-Hydrate (C-S-H) which gives the overall strength to the concrete and Calcium Hydroxide (Ca(OH)2), a hydration product which reduces the strength and durability, using an efficient technique is highly desirable. Optimizing the amount of water to be mixed with cement is one of the main parameters which determine the strength of concrete. In this work, THz spectroscopy has been employed to track the variation in hydration kinetics for concrete samples with different water-cement ratios, viz., 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6. Results show that for the sample with water-cement ratio of 0.3, significant amount of the C3S and C2S remain unreacted even after the initial hydration period of 28 days while for the cement with water-cement ratio of 0.6, most of the constituents get consumed during this stage. Analysis of the formation of Ca(OH)2 has been done which shows that the concrete sample with water-cement ratio of 0.6 produces the highest amount of Ca(OH)2 due to higher consumption of C3S/C2S in presence of excess water which is not desirable. Samples with water-cement ratio of 0.4 and 0.5 show more controlled reaction during the hydration which can imply formation of an optimized level of desired hydration products resulting in a more mechanically strong and durable concrete.

  2. Intermolecular Hydrogen Transfer in Isobutane Hydrate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takeshi Sugahara

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Electron spin resonance (ESR spectra of butyl radicals induced with γ-ray irradiation in the simple isobutane (2-methylpropane hydrate (prepared with deuterated water were investigated. Isothermal annealing results of the γ-ray-irradiated isobutane hydrate reveal that the isobutyl radical in a large cage withdraws a hydrogen atom from the isobutane molecule through shared hexagonal-faces of adjacent large cages. During this “hydrogen picking” process, the isobutyl radical is apparently transformed into a tert-butyl radical, while the sum of isobutyl and tert-butyl radicals remains constant. The apparent transformation from isobutyl to tert-butyl radicals is an irreversible first-order reaction and the activation energy was estimated to be 35 ± 3 kJ/mol, which was in agreement with the activation energy (39 ± 5 kJ/mol of hydrogen picking in the γ-ray-irradiated propane hydrate with deuterated water.

  3. Antioxidant activity of hydrated carboxylated nanodiamonds and its influence on water γ-radiolysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santacruz-Gomez, Karla; Sarabia-Sainz, A.; Acosta-Elias, M.; Sarabia-Sainz, M.; Janetanakit, Woraphong; Khosla, Nathan; Melendrez, R.; Pedroza Montero, Martin; Lal, Ratnesh

    2018-03-01

    Water radiolysis involves chemical decomposition of the water molecule into free radicals after exposure to ionizing radiation. These free radicals have deleterious effects on normal cell physiology. Carboxylated nanodiamonds (cNDs) appear to modulate the deleterious effects of γ-irradiation on the pathophysiology of red blood cells (RBCs). In the present work, the antioxidant activity of hydrated cNDs (h-cNDs) on limiting oxidative damage (the water radiolysis effect) by γ-irradiation was confirmed. Our results show that h-cNDs have remarkable free radical scavenging ability and preserve the enzymatic activity of catalase after γ-irradiation. The underlying mechanism through which nanodiamonds exhibit antioxidant activity appears to depend on their colloidal stability. This property of detonation synthesized nanodiamonds is improved after carboxylation, which in turn influences changes in the hydrogen bond strength in water. The observed stability of h-cNDs in water and their antioxidant activity correlates with their protective effect on RBCs against γ-irradiation.

  4. Towards understanding the role of amines in the SO2 hydration and the contribution of the hydrated product to new particle formation in the Earth's atmosphere.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Guochun; Nadykto, Alexey B; Sun, Xiaomin; Zhang, Chenxi; Xu, Yisheng

    2018-08-01

    By theoretical calculations, the gas-phase SO 2 hydration reaction assisted by methylamine (MA) and dimethylamine (DMA) was investigated, and the potential contribution of the hydrated product to new particle formation (NPF) also was evaluated. The results show that the energy barrier for aliphatic amines (MA and DMA) assisted SO 2 hydration reaction is lower than the corresponding that of water and ammonia assisted SO 2 hydration. In these hydration reactions, nearly barrierless reaction (only a barrier of 0.1 kcal mol -1 ) can be found in the case of SO 2  + 2H 2 O + DMA. These lead us to conclude that the SO 2 hydration reaction assisted by MA and DMA is energetically facile. The temporal evolution for hydrated products (CH 3 NH 3 + -HSO 3 - -H 2 O or (CH 3 ) 2 NH 2 + -HSO 3 - -H 2 O) in molecular dynamics simulations indicates that these complexes can self-aggregate into bigger clusters and can absorb water and amine molecules, which means that these hydrated products formed by the hydration reaction may serve as a condensation nucleus to initiate the NPF. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Squirt flow due to interfacial water films in hydrate bearing sediments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Sell

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Sediments containing gas hydrate dispersed in the pore space are known to show a characteristic seismic anomaly which is a high attenuation along with increasing seismic velocities. Currently, this observation cannot be fully explained albeit squirt-flow type mechanisms on the microscale have been speculated to be the cause. Recent major findings from in situ experiments, using the gas in excess and water in excess formation method, and coupled with high-resolution synchrotron-based X-ray micro-tomography, have revealed the systematic presence of thin water films between the quartz grains and the encrusting hydrate. The data obtained from these experiments underwent an image processing procedure to quantify the thicknesses and geometries of the aforementioned interfacial water films. Overall, the water films vary from sub-micrometer to a few micrometers in thickness. In addition, some of the water films interconnect through water bridges. This geometrical analysis is used to propose a new conceptual squirt flow model for hydrate bearing sediments. A series of numerical simulations is performed considering variations of the proposed model to study seismic attenuation caused by such thin water films. Our results support previous speculation that squirt flow can explain high attenuation at seismic frequencies in hydrate bearing sediments, but based on a conceptual squirt flow model which is geometrically different than those previously considered.

  6. Hydration numbers of trivalent lanthanide and actinide ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    David, F.; Fourest, B.; Duplessis, J.

    1987-01-01

    Investigations on the structure of actinide aquo ions and determination of hydration numbers have to be studied, essentially, through radiochemical methods. They measured the transport numbers, diffusion coefficient D by the open end capillary method and ionic mobility u by electrophoresis. Both methods show a discontinuity in the transport number corresponding to the crystallographic radius of Eu 3+ or Bk 3+ ion. They deduced the volume of the actinide aquo ions, and the coordination number in the primary sphere. From calculations of the electrostriction phenomenon in the vicinity of central ion, they obtained effective volume of the water molecules and the dynamic hydration number corresponding to the second hydration sphere

  7. Hydration water dynamics in biopolymers from NMR relaxation in the rotating frame.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blicharska, Barbara; Peemoeller, Hartwig; Witek, Magdalena

    2010-12-01

    Assuming dipole-dipole interaction as the dominant relaxation mechanism of protons of water molecules adsorbed onto macromolecule (biopolymer) surfaces we have been able to model the dependences of relaxation rates on temperature and frequency. For adsorbed water molecules the correlation times are of the order of 10(-5)s, for which the dispersion region of spin-lattice relaxation rates in the rotating frame R(1)(ρ)=1/T(1)(ρ) appears over a range of easily accessible B(1) values. Measurements of T(1)(ρ) at constant temperature and different B(1) values then give the "dispersion profiles" for biopolymers. Fitting a theoretical relaxation model to these profiles allows for the estimation of correlation times. This way of obtaining the correlation time is easier and faster than approaches involving measurements of the temperature dependence of R(1)=1/T(1). The T(1)(ρ) dispersion approach, as a tool for molecular dynamics study, has been demonstrated for several hydrated biopolymer systems including crystalline cellulose, starch of different origins (potato, corn, oat, wheat), paper (modern, old) and lyophilized proteins (albumin, lysozyme). Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Dominant Alcohol-Protein Interaction via Hydration-Enabled Enthalpy-Driven Binding Mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chong, Yuan; Kleinhammes, Alfred; Tang, Pei; Xu, Yan; Wu, Yue

    2015-01-01

    Water plays an important role in weak associations of small drug molecules with proteins. Intense focus has been on binding-induced structural changes in the water network surrounding protein binding sites, especially their contributions to binding thermodynamics. However, water is also tightly coupled to protein conformations and dynamics, and so far little is known about the influence of water-protein interactions on ligand binding. Alcohols are a type of low-affinity drugs, and it remains unclear how water affects alcohol-protein interactions. Here, we present alcohol adsorption isotherms under controlled protein hydration using in-situ NMR detection. As functions of hydration level, Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of binding were determined from the temperature dependence of isotherms. Two types of alcohol binding were found. The dominant type is low-affinity nonspecific binding, which is strongly dependent on temperature and the level of hydration. At low hydration levels, this nonspecific binding only occurs above a threshold of alcohol vapor pressure. An increased hydration level reduces this threshold, with it finally disappearing at a hydration level of h~0.2 (g water/g protein), gradually shifting alcohol binding from an entropy-driven to an enthalpy-driven process. Water at charged and polar groups on the protein surface was found to be particularly important in enabling this binding. Although further increase in hydration has smaller effects on the changes of binding enthalpy and entropy, it results in significant negative change in Gibbs free energy due to unmatched enthalpy-entropy compensation. These results show the crucial role of water-protein interplay in alcohol binding. PMID:25856773

  9. Methane hydrates. A possible energy source in the twenty-first century

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sorassi, S.

    1998-01-01

    The morphological characteristics of particular crystal structures, to be found in nature both in arctic and Antarctic regions and under seas and oceans, and consisting of water and gas molecules, the so-called 'gas hydrates', are dealt with. Technical problems related to gas recovery (methane in particular) from hydrates, above all under sea level, mainly due to their reduced stability, are examined. On the ground of these considerations, various gas recovery methods from hydrate fields are described. An overall evaluation of methane availability as hydrates all over the world, as well as a comparison between extraction costs from hydrate and well as a comparison between extraction costs from hydrate and conventional fields, are made. Finally, short-term programmes on research and development of methane hydrate fields in some areas of the Earth are described [it

  10. Accuracy of free energies of hydration using CM1 and CM3 atomic charges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Udier-Blagović, Marina; Morales De Tirado, Patricia; Pearlman, Shoshannah A; Jorgensen, William L

    2004-08-01

    Absolute free energies of hydration (DeltaGhyd) have been computed for 25 diverse organic molecules using partial atomic charges derived from AM1 and PM3 wave functions via the CM1 and CM3 procedures of Cramer, Truhlar, and coworkers. Comparisons are made with results using charges fit to the electrostatic potential surface (EPS) from ab initio 6-31G* wave functions and from the OPLS-AA force field. OPLS Lennard-Jones parameters for the organic molecules were used together with the TIP4P water model in Monte Carlo simulations with free energy perturbation theory. Absolute free energies of hydration were computed for OPLS united-atom and all-atom methane by annihilating the solutes in water and in the gas phase, and absolute DeltaGhyd values for all other molecules were computed via transformation to one of these references. Optimal charge scaling factors were determined by minimizing the unsigned average error between experimental and calculated hydration free energies. The PM3-based charge models do not lead to lower average errors than obtained with the EPS charges for the subset of 13 molecules in the original study. However, improvement is obtained by scaling the CM1A partial charges by 1.14 and the CM3A charges by 1.15, which leads to average errors of 1.0 and 1.1 kcal/mol for the full set of 25 molecules. The scaled CM1A charges also yield the best results for the hydration of amides including the E/Z free-energy difference for N-methylacetamide in water. Copyright 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Investigation of Wyoming Bentonite Hydration in Dry to Water-Saturated Supercritical CO2: Implications for Caprock Integrity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loring, J. S.; Chen, J.; Thompson, C.; Schaef, T.; Miller, Q. R.; Martin, P. F.; Ilton, E. S.; Qafoku, O.; Felmy, A. R.; Rosso, K. M.

    2012-12-01

    The effectiveness of geologic sequestration as an enterprise for CO2 storage depends partly on the reactivity of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) with caprock minerals. Injection of scCO2 will displace formation water, and the pore space adjacent to overlying caprocks could eventually be dominated by dry to water-saturated scCO2. Caprock formations have high concentrations of clay minerals, including expandable montmorillonites. Water-bearing scCO2 is highly reactive and capable of hydrating or dehydrating clays, possibly leading to porosity and permeability changes that directly impact caprock performance. Dehydration will cause montmorillonite clay minerals in caprocks to contract, thereby decreasing solid volume and possibly increasing caprock permeability and porosity. On the other hand, water intercalation will cause these clays to expand, thereby increasing solid volume and possibly leading to self-sealing of caprock fractures. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Carbon Sequestration Initiative is developing capabilities for studying wet scCO2-mineral reactions in situ. Here, we introduce novel in situ infrared (IR) spectroscopic instrumentation that enables quantitative titrations of reactant minerals with water in scCO2. Results are presented for the infrared spectroscopic titrations of Na-, Ca-, and Mg-saturated Wyoming betonites with water over concentrations ranging from zero to scCO2 saturated. These experiments were carried out at 50°C and 90 bar. Transmission IR spectroscopy was used to measure concentrations of water dissolved in the scCO2 or intercalated into the clays. The titration curves evaluated from the transmission-IR data are compared between the three types of clays to assess the effects of the cation on water partitioning. Single-reflection attenuated total reflection (ATR) IR spectroscopy was used to collect the spectrum of the clays as they hydrate at every total water concentration during the titration. Clay hydration is evidenced by

  12. Thermodynamic properties of water solvating biomolecular surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heyden, Matthias

    Changes in the potential energy and entropy of water molecules hydrating biomolecular interfaces play a significant role for biomolecular solubility and association. Free energy perturbation and thermodynamic integration methods allow calculations of free energy differences between two states from simulations. However, these methods are computationally demanding and do not provide insights into individual thermodynamic contributions, i.e. changes in the solvent energy or entropy. Here, we employ methods to spatially resolve distributions of hydration water thermodynamic properties in the vicinity of biomolecular surfaces. This allows direct insights into thermodynamic signatures of the hydration of hydrophobic and hydrophilic solvent accessible sites of proteins and small molecules and comparisons to ideal model surfaces. We correlate dynamic properties of hydration water molecules, i.e. translational and rotational mobility, to their thermodynamics. The latter can be used as a guide to extract thermodynamic information from experimental measurements of site-resolved water dynamics. Further, we study energy-entropy compensations of water at different hydration sites of biomolecular surfaces. This work is supported by the Cluster of Excellence RESOLV (EXC 1069) funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

  13. Inter-cage dynamics in structure I, II, and H fluoromethane hydrates as studied by NMR and molecular dynamics simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trueba, Alondra Torres; Kroon, Maaike C.; Peters, Cor J.; Moudrakovski, Igor L.; Ratcliffe, Christopher I.; Ripmeester, John A.; Alavi, Saman

    2014-01-01

    Prospective industrial applications of clathrate hydrates as materials for gas separation require further knowledge of cavity distortion, cavity selectivity, and defects induction by guest-host interactions. The results presented in this contribution show that under certain temperature conditions the guest combination of CH 3 F and a large polar molecule induces defects on the clathrate hydrate framework that allow intercage guest dynamics. 13 C NMR chemical shifts of a CH 3 F/CH 4 /TBME sH hydrate and a temperature analysis of the 2 H NMR powder lineshapes of a CD 3 F/THF sII and CD 3 F/TBME sH hydrate, displayed evidence that the populations of CH 4 and CH 3 F in the D and D ′ cages were in a state of rapid exchange. A hydrogen bonding analysis using molecular dynamics simulations on the TBME/CH 3 F and TBME/CH 4 sH hydrates showed that the presence of CH 3 F enhances the hydrogen bonding probability of the TBME molecule with the water molecules of the cavity. Similar results were obtained for THF/CH 3 F and THF/CH 4 sII hydrates. The enhanced hydrogen bond formation leads to the formation of defects in the water hydrogen bonding lattice and this can enhance the migration of CH 3 F molecules between adjacent small cages

  14. Hydration structures of U(III) and U(IV) ions from ab initio molecular dynamics simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leung, Kevin; Nenoff, Tina M.

    2012-01-01

    We apply DFT+U-based ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to study the hydration structures of U(III) and U(IV) ions, pertinent to redox reactions associated with uranium salts in aqueous media. U(III) is predicted to be coordinated to 8 water molecules, while U(IV) has a hydration number between 7 and 8. At least one of the innershell water molecules of the hydrated U(IV) complex becomes spontaneously deprotonated. As a result, the U(IV)–O pair correlation function exhibits a satellite peak at 2.15 Å associated with the shorter U(IV)–(OH − ) bond. This feature is not accounted for in analysis of extended x-ray absorption fine structure and x-ray adsorption near edge structure measurements, which yield higher estimates of U(IV) hydration numbers. This suggests that it may be useful to include the effect of possible hydrolysis in future interpretation of experiments, especially when the experimental pH is close to the reported hydrolysis equilibrium constant value.

  15. Multicavity SCRF calculation of ion hydration energies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diercksen, B.H.F.; Karelson, M.; Tamm, T.

    1994-01-01

    The hydration energies of the proton, hydroxyl ion, and several inorganic ions were calculated using the multicavity self-consistent reaction field (MCa SCRF) method developed for the quantum-mechanical modeling of rotationally or flexible systems in dielectric media. The ionic complexes H 3 O + (H2O) 4 , OH - (H2O) 4 , NH + 4 (H2O) 4 , and Hal - (H2O) 4 , where Hal = F, Cl, or Br, have been studied. Each complex was divided between five spheres, corresponding to the central ion and four water molecules in their first coordination sphere, respectively. Each cavity was surrounded by a polarizable medium with the dielectric permittivity of water at room temperature (80). The ionic hydration energies of ions were divided into specific and nonspecific parts. After accounting for the cavity-formation energy using scaled particle theory, good agreement between the total calculated and experimental hydration energies was obtained for all ions studied

  16. Phase equilibria of carbon dioxide and methane gas-hydrates predicted with the modified analytical S-L-V equation of state

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Span Roland

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Gas-hydrates (clathrates are non-stoichiometric crystallized solutions of gas molecules in the metastable water lattice. Two or more components are associated without ordinary chemical union but through complete enclosure of gas molecules in a framework of water molecules linked together by hydrogen bonds. The clathrates are important in the following applications: the pipeline blockage in natural gas industry, potential energy source in the form of natural hydrates present in ocean bottom, and the CO2 separation and storage. In this study, we have modified an analytical solid-liquid-vapor equation of state (EoS [A. Yokozeki, Fluid Phase Equil. 222–223 (2004] to improve its ability for modeling the phase equilibria of clathrates. The EoS can predict the formation conditions for CO2- and CH4-hydrates. It will be used as an initial estimate for a more complicated hydrate model based on the fundamental EoSs for fluid phases.

  17. A Molecular Dynamic Simulation of Hydrated Proton Transfer in Perfluorosulfonate Ionomer Membranes (Nafion 117

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hong Sun

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A molecular dynamic model based on Lennard-Jones Potential, the interaction force between two particles, molecular diffusion, and radial distribution function (RDF is presented. The diffusion of the hydrated ion, triggered by both Grotthuss and vehicle mechanisms, is used to study the proton transfer in Nafion 117. The hydrated ion transfer mechanisms and the effects of the temperature, the water content in the membrane, and the electric field on the diffusion of the hydrated ion are analyzed. The molecular dynamic simulation results are in good agreement with those reported in the literature. The modeling results show that when the water content in Nafion 117 is low, H3O+ is the main transfer ion among the different hydrated ions. However, at higher water content, the hydrated ion in the form of H+(H2O2 is the main transfer ion. It is also found that the negatively charged sulfonic acid group as the fortified point facilitates the proton transfer in Nafion 117 better than the free water molecule. The diffusion of the hydrated ion can be improved by increasing the cell temperature, the water content in Nafion, and the electric field intensity.

  18. Fiber Optic Raman Spectroscopy for Detection of Methane Hydrates and Related Species

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Hart, Sean

    2001-01-01

    .... The feasibility of using this system for methane hydrate detection is evaluated through the use of organic surrogate molecules, due to the low solubility of methane in water at atmospheric pressures...

  19. Phase equilibrium measurements and the tuning behavior of new sII clathrate hydrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shin, Woongchul; Park, Seongmin; Ro, Hyeyoon; Koh, Dong-Yeun; Seol, Jiwoong [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Program), KAIST, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Huen, E-mail: h_lee@kaist.ac.kr [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (BK21 Program), KAIST, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Graduate School of EEWS, KAIST, Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of)

    2012-01-15

    Graphical abstract: Pyrrolidine and piperidine act as sII clathrate hydrate formers under methane gas. Highlights: > New sII clathrate hydrate formers were proposed: pyrrolidine and piperidine. > Formation of gas hydrate with methane as help gas was confirmed. > NMR, Raman, and XRD patterns were analyzed to identify the hydrate structures. > We measured (L + H + V) phase equilibrium with proposed hydrate formers. > Tuning phenomena increase gas storage in (pyrrolidine + CH{sub 4}) clathrate hydrates. - Abstract: We suggest two types of new amine-type sII formers: pyrrolidine and piperidine. These guest compounds fail to form clathrate hydrate structures with host water, but instead have to combine with light gaseous guest molecules (methane) for enclathration. First, two binary clathrate hydrates of (pyrrolidine + methane) and (piperidine + methane) were synthesized at various amine concentrations. {sup 13}C NMR and Raman analysis were done to identify the clathrate hydrate structure and guest distribution over sII-S and sII-L cages. XRD was also used to find the exact structure and corresponding cell parameters. At a dilute pyrrolidine concentration of less than 5.56 mol%, the tuning phenomenon is observed such that methane molecules surprisingly occupy sII-L cages. At the critical guest concentration of about 0.1 mol%, the cage occupancy ratio reaches the maximum of approximately 0.5. At very dilute guest concentration below 0.1 mol%, the methane molecules fail to occupy large cages on account of their rarefied distribution in the network. Direct-release experiments were performed to determine the actual guest compositions in the clathrate hydrate phases. Finally, we measured the clathrate hydrate phase equilibria of (pyrrolidine + methane) and (piperidine + methane).

  20. Phase equilibrium measurements and the tuning behavior of new sII clathrate hydrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Woongchul; Park, Seongmin; Ro, Hyeyoon; Koh, Dong-Yeun; Seol, Jiwoong; Lee, Huen

    2012-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Pyrrolidine and piperidine act as sII clathrate hydrate formers under methane gas. Highlights: → New sII clathrate hydrate formers were proposed: pyrrolidine and piperidine. → Formation of gas hydrate with methane as help gas was confirmed. → NMR, Raman, and XRD patterns were analyzed to identify the hydrate structures. → We measured (L + H + V) phase equilibrium with proposed hydrate formers. → Tuning phenomena increase gas storage in (pyrrolidine + CH 4 ) clathrate hydrates. - Abstract: We suggest two types of new amine-type sII formers: pyrrolidine and piperidine. These guest compounds fail to form clathrate hydrate structures with host water, but instead have to combine with light gaseous guest molecules (methane) for enclathration. First, two binary clathrate hydrates of (pyrrolidine + methane) and (piperidine + methane) were synthesized at various amine concentrations. 13 C NMR and Raman analysis were done to identify the clathrate hydrate structure and guest distribution over sII-S and sII-L cages. XRD was also used to find the exact structure and corresponding cell parameters. At a dilute pyrrolidine concentration of less than 5.56 mol%, the tuning phenomenon is observed such that methane molecules surprisingly occupy sII-L cages. At the critical guest concentration of about 0.1 mol%, the cage occupancy ratio reaches the maximum of approximately 0.5. At very dilute guest concentration below 0.1 mol%, the methane molecules fail to occupy large cages on account of their rarefied distribution in the network. Direct-release experiments were performed to determine the actual guest compositions in the clathrate hydrate phases. Finally, we measured the clathrate hydrate phase equilibria of (pyrrolidine + methane) and (piperidine + methane).

  1. In situ Low-temperature Pair Distribution Function (PDF) Analysis of CH4 and CO2 Hydrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cladek, B.; Everett, M.; McDonnell, M.; Tucker, M.; Keffer, D.; Rawn, C.

    2017-12-01

    Gas hydrates occur in ocean floor and sub-surface permafrost deposits and are stable at moderate to high pressures and low temperatures. They are a clathrate structure composed of hydrogen bonded water cages that accommodate a wide variety of guest molecules. CO2 and CH4 hydrates both crystallize as the cubic sI hydrate and can form a solid solution. Natural gas hydrates are interesting as a potential methane source and for CO2 sequestration. Long-range diffraction studies on gas hydrates give valuable structural information but do not provide a detailed understanding of the disordered gas molecule interactions with the host lattice. In-situ low temperature total scattering experiments combined with pair distribution function (PDF) analysis are used to investigate the gas molecule motions and guest-cage interactions. CO2 and methane hydrates exhibit different decomposition behavior, and CO2 hydrate has a smaller lattice parameter despite it being a relatively larger molecule. Total scattering studies characterizing both the short- and long-range order simultaneously help to elucidate the structural source of these phenomena. Low temperature neutron total scattering data were collected using the Nanoscale Ordered MAterials Diffractometer (NOMAD) beamline at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) on CO2 and CH4 hydrates synthesized with D2O. Guest molecule motion within cages and interactions between gases and cages are investigated through the hydrate stability and decomposition regions. Data were collected from 2-80 K at a pressure of 55 mbar on CO2 and CH4 hydrates, and from 80-270 K at 25 bar on CH4 hydrate. The hydrate systems were modeled with classical molecular dynamic (MD) simulations to provide an analysis of the total energy into guest-guest, guest-host and host-host contributions. Combined Reitveld and Reverse Monte Carlo (RMC) structure refinement were used to fit models of the data. This combined modeling and simulation characterizes the effects of CO2 and

  2. Phase equilibria and thermodynamic modeling of ethane and propane hydrates in porous silica gels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seo, Yongwon; Lee, Seungmin; Cha, Inuk; Lee, Ju Dong; Lee, Huen

    2009-04-23

    In the present study, we examined the active role of porous silica gels when used as natural gas storage and transportation media. We adopted the dispersed water in silica gel pores to substantially enhance active surface for contacting and encaging gas molecules. We measured the three-phase hydrate (H)-water-rich liquid (L(W))-vapor (V) equilibria of C(2)H(6) and C(3)H(8) hydrates in 6.0, 15.0, 30.0, and 100.0 nm silica gel pores to investigate the effect of geometrical constraints on gas hydrate phase equilibria. At specified temperatures, the hydrate stability region is shifted to a higher pressure region depending on pore size when compared with those of bulk hydrates. Through application of the Gibbs-Thomson relationship to the experimental data, we determined the values for the C(2)H(6) hydrate-water and C(3)H(8) hydrate-water interfacial tensions to be 39 +/- 2 and 45 +/- 1 mJ/m(2), respectively. By using these values, the calculation values were in good agreement with the experimental ones. The overall results given in this study could also be quite useful in various fields, such as exploitation of natural gas hydrate in marine sediments and sequestration of carbon dioxide into the deep ocean.

  3. Hydration measured by doubly labeled water in ALS and its effects on survival.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scagnelli, Connor N; Howard, Diantha B; Bromberg, Mark B; Kasarskis, Edward J; Matthews, Dwight E; Mitsumoto, Hiroshi M; Simmons, Zachary; Tandan, Rup

    2018-05-01

    We present a study of hydration in ALS patients and its effects on survival. This was a multicenter study over 48 weeks in 80 ALS patients who underwent 250 individual measurements using doubly labeled water (DLW). Total body water (TBW) and water turnover (a surrogate for water intake) were 3.4% and 8.6% lower, respectively, in patients compared to age- and gender-matched healthy controls, and both significantly decreased over study duration. In 20% of patients, water turnover measured over 10 d was 2 standard deviations below the mean value in healthy controls. In a separate clinic cohort of 208 patients, water intake estimated from a de novo equation created from common clinical endpoints was a prognostic indicator of survival. Regardless of nutritional state assessed by BMI, survival was two-fold longer in the group above the median for estimated water intake, suggesting that hydration may be a more important predictor of survival than malnutrition. Risk factors for poor hydration were identified. Water intake equations recommended by US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in healthy elderly were inaccurate for use in ALS patients. We developed equations to estimate TBW and water intake in ALS patients for use in clinics to accurately estimate hydration and improve clinical care.

  4. Dietary water affects human skin hydration and biomechanics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Palma L

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Lídia Palma,1 Liliana Tavares Marques,1 Julia Bujan,2,3 Luís Monteiro Rodrigues1,4 1CBIOS – Research Center for Health Science and Technologies, Universidade Lusófona, Campo Grande, Lisboa, Portugal; 2Department of Medicine and Medical Specialities, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; 3CIBER-BBN, Madrid, España, Spain; 4Department of Pharmacological Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal Abstract: It is generally assumed that dietary water might be beneficial for the health, especially in dermatological (age preventing terms. The present study was designed to quantify the impact of dietary water on major indicators of skin physiology. A total of 49 healthy females (mean 24.5±4.3 years were selected and characterized in terms of their dietary daily habits, especially focused in water consumption, by a Food Frequency Questionnaire. This allowed two groups to be set – Group 1 consuming less than 3,200 mL/day (n=38, and Group 2 consuming more than 3,200 mL/day (n=11. Approximately 2 L of water were added to the daily diet of Group 2 individuals for 1 month to quantify the impact of this surplus in their skin physiology. Measurements involving epidermal superficial and deep hydration, transepidermal water loss, and several biomechanical descriptors were taken at day 0 (T0, 15 (T1, and 30 (T2 in several anatomical sites (face, upper limb, and leg. This stress test (2 L/day for 30 days significantly modified superficial and deep skin hydration, especially in Group 1. The same impact was registered with the most relevant biomechanical descriptors. Thus, in this study, it is clear that higher water inputs in regular diet might positively impact normal skin physiology, in particular in those individuals with lower daily water consumptions. Keywords: dietary water, water consume, skin hydration, TEWL, skin biomechanics

  5. Hydration of non-polar anti-parallel β-sheets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Urbic, Tomaz; Dias, Cristiano L.

    2014-01-01

    In this work we focus on anti-parallel β-sheets to study hydration of side chains and polar groups of the backbone using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. We show that: (i) water distribution around the backbone does not depend significantly on amino acid sequence, (ii) more water molecules are found around oxygen than nitrogen atoms of the backbone, and (iii) water molecules around nitrogen are highly localized in the planed formed by peptide backbones. To study hydration around side chains we note that anti-parallel β-sheets exhibit two types of cross-strand pairing: Hydrogen-Bond (HB) and Non-Hydrogen-Bond (NHB) pairing. We show that distributions of water around alanine, leucine, and valine side chains are very different at HB compared to NHB faces. For alanine pairs, the space between side chains has a higher concentration of water if residues are located in the NHB face of the β-sheet as opposed to the HB face. For leucine residues, the HB face is found to be dry while the space between side chains at the NHB face alternates between being occupied and non-occupied by water. Surprisingly, for valine residues the NHB face is dry, whereas the HB face is occupied by water. We postulate that these differences in water distribution are related to context dependent propensities observed for β-sheets

  6. Effect of the sulphur atom on geometry and spectra of the biomolecule 2-thiouracil and in the WC base pair 2-thiouridine-adenosine. Influence of water in the first hydration shell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alcolea Palafox, M; Rastogi, V K; Singh, S P

    2018-04-01

    The effect of the sulphur atom on 2-thiouracil (2TU) and 2-thiouridine molecules, as compared with uracil and uridine molecules, respectively, was carried out in several environments. The predicted IR spectrum of 2TU in the isolated state was compared with that obtained for uracil molecule and with those reported experimentally in matrix isolation. Its crystal unit cell in the solid state was simulated through a tetramer form using DFT methods for the first time. The calculated Raman spectrum was compared to the experimental ones in the solid state. A linear scaling procedure was used for this task. The first hydration shell was simulated by explicit number of water molecules surrounding 2TU up to 30 and was compared with that obtained in uracil molecule. Water molecules 'distributed' around 2TU was preferred over that 'clustering', because it can better reproduce the hydration and their effects on different parameters of the molecular structure of 2TU and uracil. The total atomic charges and several calculated thermodynamic parameters were discussed. The effect of the sulphur atom on the Watson-Crick (WC) and reverse WC base pair uridine-adenosine was estimated, and the CP corrected interaction energies were calculated. 2-thiouridine has a weaker WC pair than that with uridine, although its slight higher dipole moment (μ) facilitates the interaction with the water molecules. Several helical parameters were determined.

  7. Stability conditions and guest distribution of the methane + ethane + propane hydrates or semiclathrates in the presence of tetrahydrofuran or quaternary ammonium salts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Seungmin; Lee, Youngjun; Park, Sungwon; Kim, Yunju; Cha, Inuk; Seo, Yongwon

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • We examined the stability conditions and guest distributions of natural gas hydrates. • THF, TBAB, and TBAF could remarkably stabilize the hydrate dissociation conditions. • Preferential occupation of CH 4 molecules was observed at the stoichiometric concentrations. -- Abstract: In this study, the stability conditions and guest distributions of methane (CH 4 ) + ethane (C 2 H 6 ) + propane (C 3 H 8 ) hydrates or semiclathrates are examined in the presence of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and quaternary ammonium salts such as tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (TBAB) and tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride (TBAF) through thermodynamic and spectroscopic analyses. The three-phase equilibria of hydrate or semiclathrate (H), liquid water (L W ), and vapor (V) for the quinary CH 4 + C 2 H 6 + C 3 H 8 + THF + water, CH 4 + C 2 H 6 + C 3 H 8 + TBAB + water, and CH 4 + C 2 H 6 + C 3 H 8 + TBAF + water mixtures with various concentrations were experimentally measured in order to determine the hydrate or semiclathrate stability conditions. The experimental results demonstrated that all thermodynamic promoters such as THF, TBAB, and TBAF used in this study could remarkably stabilize the hydrate dissociation conditions even though the degree of stabilization was dependent on the type of promoters and on the concentrations of each promoter used. From the 13 C NMR analysis, preferential occupation of CH 4 molecules in the hydrate or semiclathrate lattices was observed at the stoichiometric concentrations of each hydrate or semiclathrate structure. However, at the THF mole fraction lower than 0.056, the large cages of structure II were shared by CH 4 , C 2 H 6 , C 3 H 8 , and THF molecules, whereas the small cages were occupied by only CH 4 molecules. The results given in this study are very useful in understanding the thermodynamic stability, structural characteristics, and guest distribution of the hydrates or semiclathrates with multi-components in the presence of

  8. Magnetic resonance study of hydration of Na-β''-alumina. Magnetic impurity effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gobato, Y.G.; Souto, S.P.A.; Gonzalez, J.P.D.; Souza, D.P.F. de; Dept. de Engenharia de Materiais)

    1989-01-01

    The various factors that can affect the hydration of polycristalline Na-β''-alumina were investigated, using magnetic resonance methods. When absorved, water molecules diffuses very fast into the conduction layers. The activation energy for the diffusion motion was found to be 0.16 eV (15.4 KJ/mol) for a pure sample, with 150 - 250 μm particle diameter, with 18.5% of water in relation to the dry sample. A striking result was that the water absorption in a pure sample was twice than in a iron doped sample (500 ppm) hydrated in identical conditions. (author) [pt

  9. Theoretical study on microhydration of SeO42-: On the number of water molecules necessary to stabilize the dianion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pathak, Arup Kumar

    2012-01-01

    Microhydration of SeO42-·nH2O (n = 1-5) clusters are reported at B3LYP/Aug-cc-pvtz level of theory. Lower size hydrated clusters are stabilized by only double-hydrogen-bonding arrangements and the most stable conformer for higher size cluster (n > 3) contains a cyclic water ring. It is observed that at least one water molecule is necessary to stabilize the dianion in the gas phase against spontaneous electron loss. The microscopic theory based expression provides a route to predict the instability of bare SeO42- and to obtain the VDE for a wide range of cluster sizes including the bulk from the knowledge of the same for a few stable hydrated clusters.

  10. Enzyme hydration, activity and flexibility : A neutron scattering approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurkal-Siebert, V.; Finney, J.L.; Daniel, R.M.; Smith, Jeremy C.

    2006-01-01

    Recent measurements have demonstrated enzyme activity at hydrations as low as 3%. The question of whether the hydration-induced enzyme flexibility is important for activity is addressed by performing picosecond dynamic neutron scattering experiments on pig liver esterase powders at various temperatures as well as solutions. At all temperatures and hydrations investigated here, significant quasielastic scattering intensity is found in the protein, indicating the presence of anharmonic, diffusive motion. As the hydration increases a temperature-dependent dynamical transition appears and strengthens involving additional diffusive motion. At low temperature, increasing hydration resulted in lower flexibility of the enzyme. At higher temperatures, systems containing sufficient number of water molecules interacting with the protein exhibit increased flexibility. The implication of these results is that, although the additional hydration-induced diffusive motion and flexibility at high temperatures in the enzyme detected here may be related to increased activity, they are not required for the enzyme to function

  11. Feasibility Study on a Microwave-Based Sensor for Measuring Hydration Level Using Human Skin Models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brendtke, Rico; Wiehl, Michael; Groeber, Florian; Schwarz, Thomas; Walles, Heike; Hansmann, Jan

    2016-01-01

    Tissue dehydration results in three major types of exsiccosis--hyper-, hypo-, or isonatraemia. All three types entail alterations of salt concentrations leading to impaired biochemical processes, and can finally cause severe morbidity. The aim of our study was to demonstrate the feasibility of a microwave-based sensor technology for the non-invasive measurement of the hydration status. Electromagnetic waves at high frequencies interact with molecules, especially water. Hence, if a sample contains free water molecules, this can be detected in a reflected microwave signal. To develop the sensor system, human three-dimensional skin equivalents were instituted as a standardized test platform mimicking reproducible exsiccosis scenarios. Therefore, skin equivalents with a specific hydration and density of matrix components were generated and microwave measurements were performed. Hydration-specific spectra allowed deriving the hydration state of the skin models. A further advantage of the skin equivalents was the characterization of the impact of distinct skin components on the measured signals to investigate mechanisms of signal generation. The results demonstrate the feasibility of a non-invasive microwave-based hydration sensor technology. The sensor bears potential to be integrated in a wearable medical device for personal health monitoring.

  12. Feasibility Study on a Microwave-Based Sensor for Measuring Hydration Level Using Human Skin Models.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rico Brendtke

    Full Text Available Tissue dehydration results in three major types of exsiccosis--hyper-, hypo-, or isonatraemia. All three types entail alterations of salt concentrations leading to impaired biochemical processes, and can finally cause severe morbidity. The aim of our study was to demonstrate the feasibility of a microwave-based sensor technology for the non-invasive measurement of the hydration status. Electromagnetic waves at high frequencies interact with molecules, especially water. Hence, if a sample contains free water molecules, this can be detected in a reflected microwave signal. To develop the sensor system, human three-dimensional skin equivalents were instituted as a standardized test platform mimicking reproducible exsiccosis scenarios. Therefore, skin equivalents with a specific hydration and density of matrix components were generated and microwave measurements were performed. Hydration-specific spectra allowed deriving the hydration state of the skin models. A further advantage of the skin equivalents was the characterization of the impact of distinct skin components on the measured signals to investigate mechanisms of signal generation. The results demonstrate the feasibility of a non-invasive microwave-based hydration sensor technology. The sensor bears potential to be integrated in a wearable medical device for personal health monitoring.

  13. Shifting Focus: From Hydration for Performance to Hydration for Health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perrier, Erica T

    2017-01-01

    Over the past 10 years, literature on hydration biomarkers has evolved considerably - from (de)hydration assessment towards a more global definition of biomarkers of hydration in daily life. This shift in thinking about hydration markers was largely driven by investigating the differences that existed between otherwise healthy individuals whose habitual, ad-libitum drinking habits differ, and by identifying physiological changes in low-volume drinkers who subsequently increase their water intake. Aside from obvious differences in urinary volume and concentration, a growing body of evidence is emerging that links differences in fluid intake with small, but biologically significant, differences in vasopressin (copeptin), glomerular filtration rate, and markers of metabolic dysfunction or disease. Taken together, these pieces of the puzzle begin to form a picture of how much water intake should be considered adequate for health, and represent a shifting focus from hydration for performance, toward hydration for health outcomes. This narrative review outlines the key areas of research in which the global hydration process - including water intake, urinary hydration markers, and vasopressin - has been associated with health outcomes, focusing on kidney and metabolic endpoints. It will also provide a commentary on how various hydration biomarkers may be used in hydration for health assessment. Finally, if adequate water intake can play a role in maintaining health, how might we tell if we are drinking enough? Urine output is easily measured, and can take into account differences in daily physical activity, climate, dietary solute load, and other factors that influence daily water needs. Today, targets have been proposed for urine osmolality, specific gravity, and color that may be used by researchers, clinicians, and individuals as simple indicators of optimal hydration. However, there remain a large number of incomplete or unanswered research questions regarding the

  14. Revealing the influence of water-cement ratio on the pore size distribution in hydrated cement paste by using cyclohexane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bede, Andrea; Ardelean, Ioan

    2017-12-01

    Varying the amount of water in a concrete mix will influence its final properties considerably due to the changes in the capillary porosity. That is why a non-destructive technique is necessary for revealing the capillary pore distribution inside hydrated cement based materials and linking the capillary porosity with the macroscopic properties of these materials. In the present work, we demonstrate a simple approach for revealing the differences in capillary pore size distributions introduced by the preparation of cement paste with different water-to-cement ratios. The approach relies on monitoring the nuclear magnetic resonance transverse relaxation distribution of cyclohexane molecules confined inside the cement paste pores. The technique reveals the whole spectrum of pores inside the hydrated cement pastes, allowing a qualitative and quantitative analysis of different pore sizes. The cement pastes with higher water-to-cement ratios show an increase in capillary porosity, while for all the samples the intra-C-S-H and inter-C-S-H pores (also known as gel pores) remain unchanged. The technique can be applied to various porous materials with internal mineral surfaces.

  15. Thermal properties of methane hydrate by experiment and modeling and impacts upon technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Warzinski, R.P.; Gamwo, I.K.; Rosenbaum, E.J. [United States Dept. of Energy, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). National Energy Technology Laboratory; Myshakin, E.M. [NETL Support Contractor, South Park, PA (United States); Jiang, H.; Jordan, K.D. [Pittsburgh Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; English, N.J. [Dublin University College, Dublin (Ireland). Conway Inst. of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology; Shaw, D.W. [Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA (United States). Dept. of Engineering

    2008-07-01

    The current hydrate research at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) involves both experimental and theoretical work on developing models and methods for predicting the behaviour of gas hydrates in their natural environment under production of climate change scenarios. The modeling efforts include both fundamental and reservoir scale simulations and economic modeling. The thermal properties of methane hydrate are important for hydrate production, seafloor stability and climate change scenarios. A new experimental technique and advanced molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) have determined the thermal properties of pure methane hydrate under conditions similar to naturally occurring hydrate-bearing sediments. The thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity values of low-porosity methane hydrate formed in the laboratory were measured using an innovative single-sided, Transient Plane Source (TPS) technique. The results were in good agreement with results from an equilibrium MDS method using in-plane polarization of the water molecules. MDS was also performed using a non-equilibrium model with a fully polarizable force field for water. The Tough+Hydrate reservoir simulator was also used to evaluate the impact of thermal conductivity on gas production from a hydrate-bearing reservoir. 42 refs., 1 tab., 5 figs.

  16. Replacement of CH4 in the hydrate by use of liquid CO2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ota, Masaki; Morohashi, Kenji; Abe, Yuki; Watanabe, Masaru; Smith, Richard Lee Jr.; Inomata, Hiroshi

    2005-01-01

    The dynamics of CH 4 replacement in the CH 4 hydrate with saturated liquid CO 2 at 273.2 K was measured with a high pressure optical cell. The results showed that CH 4 in the hydrate gradually moved to the liquid CO 2 phase while CO 2 in the liquid phase penetrated into the hydrate from the quantitative analysis. The decomposing process of the CH 4 hydrate during the replacement was analyzed with in situ Raman spectroscopy, which allowed us to distinguish the cage structure of the CH 4 hydrate and discuss the microscopic view of the replacement in the hydrate. It was found that the decomposition of the medium cage (M-cage) in the CH 4 hydrate proceeded faster than that of the small cage (S-cage). The observed rate difference could be related to the stability of the S-cage in the CH 4 hydrate or the re-formation tendency of CH 4 and water molecules in the S-cage after decomposing the hydrate structure, whereas the guest molecule exchange of CH 4 with CO 2 could occur in the M-cage. Based on the experimental data, we developed a kinetic model for calculation of the CH 4 remaining in the hydrate considering the decomposition rate difference between the M-cage and S-cage in the CH 4 hydrate. The results indicate that the driving force could be the fugacity difference between the fluid phase and the hydrate phase for the replacement process

  17. Precise structural analysis of methane hydrate by neutron diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Igawa, Naoki; Hoshikawa, Akinori; Ishii, Yoshinobu

    2006-01-01

    Methane hydrate has attracted great interest as an energy resource to replace natural gas since this material is deposited in the seafloor and the deposits are estimated to exceed those of natural gas. Understanding the physical proprieties, such as the temperature dependence of the crystal structure, helps to specify the optimum environmental temperature and pressure during drilling, transport, and storage of methane hydrate. Clathrate hydrates consisted of encaging atomic and/or molecular species as a guest and host water formed by a hydrogen bonding. Although many studies on the clathrate hydrate including methane hydrate were reported, no detailed crystallographic property has yet been cleared. We focused on the motion of methane in the clathrate hydrate by the neutron diffraction. The crystal structure of the methane hydrate was analyzed by the applying the combination of the Rietveld refinement and the maximum entropy method (MEM) to neutron powder diffraction. Temperature dependence of the scattering-length density distribution maps revealed that the motion of methane molecules differs between the shapes of dodecahedron and tetrakaidecahedron. (author)

  18. The binding of the primary water of hydration to nucleosides, CsDNA and potassium hyaluronate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lukan, A. M.; Cavanaugh, D.; Whitson, K. B.; Marlowe, R. L.; Lee, S. A.; Anthony, L.; Rupprecht, A.; Mohan, V.

    1998-03-01

    Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has been used to study the eight nucleosides, CsDNA and KHA hydrated at 59% relative humidity. Thermograms were measured between 25 and 180 ^oC for scan rates of 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 K/min. A broad endothermic transition (due to the desorption of the water) near 80 ^oC was observed for all runs. The average enthalpy of desorption per water molecule was evaluated from the area under the peak. A Kissinger analysis of these data yielded the net activation energy for desorption. Both parameters were very similar for the two biopolymers. Rayleigh scattering of Mossbauer radiation (RSMR) data(G. Albanese et al. ) Hyperfine Int. 95, 97 (1995) were analyzed via a simple harmonic oscillator model to evaluate the effective force constant of the water bound to the biopolymer. This analysis suggests that the effective force constant of water bound to HA is much larger (about 5 times) than for water bound to DNA.

  19. Molecular dynamics study of methane hydrate formation at a water/methane interface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Junfang; Hawtin, R W; Yang, Ye; Nakagava, Edson; Rivero, M; Choi, S K; Rodger, P M

    2008-08-28

    We present molecular dynamics simulation results of a liquid water/methane interface, with and without an oligomer of poly(methylaminoethylmethacrylate), PMAEMA. PMAEMA is an active component of a commercial low dosage hydrate inhibitor (LDHI). Simulations were performed in the constant NPT ensemble at temperatures of 220, 235, 240, 245, and 250 K and a pressure of 300 bar. The simulations show the onset of methane hydrate growth within 30 ns for temperatures below 245 K in the methane/water systems; at 240 K there is an induction period of ca. 20 ns, but at lower temperatures growth commences immediately. The simulations were analyzed to calculate hydrate content, the propensity for hydrogen bond formation, and how these were affected by both temperature and the presence of the LDHI. As expected, both the hydrogen bond number and hydrate content decreased with increasing temperature, though little difference was observed between the lowest two temperatures considered. In the presence of PMAEMA, the temperature below which sustained hydrate growth occurred was observed to decrease. Some of the implications for the role of PMAEMA in LDHIs are discussed.

  20. Numerical analysis of wellbore instability in gas hydrate formation during deep-water drilling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Huaiwen; Cheng, Yuanfang; Li, Qingchao; Yan, Chuanliang; Han, Xiuting

    2018-02-01

    Gas hydrate formation may be encountered during deep-water drilling because of the large amount and wide distribution of gas hydrates under the shallow seabed of the South China Sea. Hydrates are extremely sensitive to temperature and pressure changes, and drilling through gas hydrate formation may cause dissociation of hydrates, accompanied by changes in wellbore temperatures, pore pressures, and stress states, thereby leading to wellbore plastic yield and wellbore instability. Considering the coupling effect of seepage of drilling fluid into gas hydrate formation, heat conduction between drilling fluid and formation, hydrate dissociation, and transformation of the formation framework, this study established a multi-field coupling mathematical model of the wellbore in the hydrate formation. Furthermore, the influences of drilling fluid temperatures, densities, and soaking time on the instability of hydrate formation were calculated and analyzed. Results show that the greater the temperature difference between the drilling fluid and hydrate formation is, the faster the hydrate dissociates, the wider the plastic dissociation range is, and the greater the failure width becomes. When the temperature difference is greater than 7°C, the maximum rate of plastic deformation around the wellbore is more than 10%, which is along the direction of the minimum horizontal in-situ stress and associated with instability and damage on the surrounding rock. The hydrate dissociation is insensitive to the variation of drilling fluid density, thereby implying that the change of the density of drilling fluids has a minimal effect on the hydrate dissociation. Drilling fluids that are absorbed into the hydrate formation result in fast dissociation at the initial stage. As time elapses, the hydrate dissociation slows down, but the risk of wellbore instability is aggravated due to the prolonged submersion in drilling fluids. For the sake of the stability of the wellbore in deep-water

  1. Dietary water affects human skin hydration and biomechanics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palma, Lídia; Marques, Liliana Tavares; Bujan, Julia; Rodrigues, Luís Monteiro

    2015-01-01

    It is generally assumed that dietary water might be beneficial for the health, especially in dermatological (age preventing) terms. The present study was designed to quantify the impact of dietary water on major indicators of skin physiology. A total of 49 healthy females (mean 24.5±4.3 years) were selected and characterized in terms of their dietary daily habits, especially focused in water consumption, by a Food Frequency Questionnaire. This allowed two groups to be set - Group 1 consuming less than 3,200 mL/day (n=38), and Group 2 consuming more than 3,200 mL/day (n=11). Approximately 2 L of water were added to the daily diet of Group 2 individuals for 1 month to quantify the impact of this surplus in their skin physiology. Measurements involving epidermal superficial and deep hydration, transepidermal water loss, and several biomechanical descriptors were taken at day 0 (T0), 15 (T1), and 30 (T2) in several anatomical sites (face, upper limb, and leg). This stress test (2 L/day for 30 days) significantly modified superficial and deep skin hydration, especially in Group 1. The same impact was registered with the most relevant biomechanical descriptors. Thus, in this study, it is clear that higher water inputs in regular diet might positively impact normal skin physiology, in particular in those individuals with lower daily water consumptions.

  2. Morphology studies on gas hydrates interacting with silica gel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beltran, J.; Servio, P. [McGill Univ., Montreal, PQ (Canada). Dept. of Chemical Engineering

    2008-07-01

    Clathrate hydrates or gas hydrates are non-stoichiometric, crystalline compounds that form when small molecules come in contact with water at certain temperatures and pressures. Natural gas hydrates are found in the ocean bottom and in permafrost regions. It is thought that the amount of energy stored in natural hydrates is at least twice that of all other fossil fuels combined. In addition, trapping carbon dioxide as a hydrate in the bottom of the ocean has been suggested as an alternative means of reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Naturally occurring clathrates are found in close interaction with fine grained particles of very small mean pore diameters. Even though an increasing amount of hydrate equilibrium data for small diameter porous media has become available, the morphological behavior of hydrates subject to such conditions is yet to be explored. This paper presented a study that visually examined hydrate formation and decomposition of gas hydrates while interacting with fine grains of silica gel. The study showed still frames from high-resolution video recordings for hydrate formation and decomposition. The paper discussed the experiment including the apparatus as well as the results of hydrate formation and hydrate dissociation. This study enabled for the first time to observe clathrate morphology while hydrates interacted closely with fine grain particles with small mean pore diameters. 9 refs., 8 figs.

  3. Effects of Water Molecule on CO Oxidation by OH: Reaction Pathways, Kinetic Barriers, and Rate Constants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Linyao; Yang, Li; Zhao, Yijun; Zhang, Jiaxu; Feng, Dongdong; Sun, Shaozeng

    2017-07-06

    The water dilute oxy-fuel combustion is a clean combustion technology for near-zero emission power; and the presence of water molecule could have both kinetic and dynamic effects on combustion reactions. The reaction OH + CO → CO 2 + H, one of the most important elementary reactions, has been investigated by extensive electronic structure calculations. And the effects of a single water molecule on CO oxidation have been studied by considering the preformed OH(H 2 O) complex reacts with CO. The results show little change in the reaction pathways, but the additional water molecule actually increases the vibrationally adiabatic energy barriers (V a G ). Further thermal rate constant calculations in the temperature range of 200 to 2000 K demonstrate that the total low-pressure limit rate constant for the water assisted OH(H 2 O) + CO → CO 2 + H 2 O + H reaction is 1-2 orders lower than that of the water unassisted one, which is consistent with the change of V a G . Therefore, the hydrated radical OH(H 2 O) would actually slow down the oxidation of CO. Meanwhile, comparisons show that the M06-2X/aug-cc-pVDZ method gives a much better estimation in energy and thus is recommended to be employed for direct dynamics simulations.

  4. Hydration of amino acids: FTIR spectra and molecular dynamics studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panuszko, Aneta; Adamczak, Beata; Czub, Jacek; Gojło, Emilia; Stangret, Janusz

    2015-11-01

    The hydration of selected amino acids, alanine, glycine, proline, valine, isoleucine and phenylalanine, has been studied in aqueous solutions by means of FTIR spectra of HDO isotopically diluted in H2O. The difference spectra procedure and the chemometric method have been applied to remove the contribution of bulk water and thus to separate the spectra of solute-affected HDO. To support interpretation of obtained spectral results, molecular dynamics simulations of amino acids were performed. The structural-energetic characteristic of these solute-affected water molecules shows that, on average, water affected by amino acids forms stronger and shorter H-bonds than those in pure water. Differences in the influence of amino acids on water structure have been noticed. The effect of the hydrophobic side chain of an amino acid on the solvent interactions seems to be enhanced because of the specific cooperative coupling of water strong H-bond chain, connecting the carboxyl and amino groups, with the clathrate-like H-bond network surrounding the hydrocarbon side chain. The parameter derived from the spectral data, which corresponds to the contributions of the population of weak hydrogen bonds of water molecules which have been substituted by the stronger ones in the hydration sphere of amino acids, correlated well with the amino acid hydrophobicity indexes.

  5. Gibbs Free Energy of Hydrolytic Water Molecule in Acyl-Enzyme Intermediates of a Serine Protease: A Potential Application for Computer-Aided Discovery of Mechanism-Based Reversible Covalent Inhibitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masuda, Yosuke; Yamaotsu, Noriyuki; Hirono, Shuichi

    2017-01-01

    In order to predict the potencies of mechanism-based reversible covalent inhibitors, the relationships between calculated Gibbs free energy of hydrolytic water molecule in acyl-trypsin intermediates and experimentally measured catalytic rate constants (k cat ) were investigated. After obtaining representative solution structures by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, hydration thermodynamics analyses using WaterMap™ were conducted. Consequently, we found for the first time that when Gibbs free energy of the hydrolytic water molecule was lower, logarithms of k cat were also lower. The hydrolytic water molecule with favorable Gibbs free energy may hydrolyze acylated serine slowly. Gibbs free energy of hydrolytic water molecule might be a useful descriptor for computer-aided discovery of mechanism-based reversible covalent inhibitors of hydrolytic enzymes.

  6. Structure and dynamics of interfacial water. Role of hydratation water in the globular proteins dynamics; Structure et dynamique de l`eau interfaciale. Role de l`eau d`hydratation dans la dynamique des proteines globulaires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zanotti, J.M.

    1997-01-27

    This memoir includes five chapters. In the first chapter, are given the elements of the neutrons scattering theory that is used in this study. the second chapter is devoted to a general presentation of the interaction between biological macro molecule and water. The third part is dedicated to the study of the structure and the dynamics of interfacial water in the neighbouring of model systems, the vycor and the amorphous carbon. The results presented in this part are compared with these one relative to water dynamics at the C-phycocyanin surface. This study makes the object of the fourth chapter. Then, in the fifth and last chapter are discussed the results relative to the role of hydratation on the parv-albumin dynamics for which have been combined the neutron quasi elastic incoherent scattering and the nuclear magnetic resonance of the carbon 13 solid in natural abundance.

  7. Binding of the water of primary hydration to the sodium and cesium salts of deoxyribonucleic acid and potassium hyaluronate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitson, K. B.; Lukan, A. M.; Marlowe, R. L.; Lee, S. A.; Anthony, L.; Rupprecht, A.

    1998-08-01

    Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has been used to evaluate the average enthalpy of desorption of the water of primary hydration bound to wet-spun films of potassium hyaluronate (KHA) and CsDNA. The enthalpies were measured to be 0.24+/-0.08 eV/H2O molecule for KHA and 0.32+/-0.10 eV/H2O molecule for CsDNA. A Kissinger analysis was used to extract the net activation energy (0.61+/-0.04 eV) for the desorption of this water from KHA by analyzing DSC data acquired at different heating rates. The average effective force constants at 295 K of this water bound to KHA (63+/-3 μdyn/Å) and NaDNA (17+/-4 μdyn/Å) are determined from Rayleigh scattering of Mossbauer radiation data [G. Albanese, A. Deriu, F. Cavatorta, and A. Rupprecht, Hyperfine Interact. 95, 97 (1995)] via a harmonic approximation.

  8. High protein flexibility and reduced hydration water dynamics are key pressure adaptive strategies in prokaryotes

    KAUST Repository

    Martinez, N.

    2016-09-06

    Water and protein dynamics on a nanometer scale were measured by quasi-elastic neutron scattering in the piezophile archaeon Thermococcus barophilus and the closely related pressure-sensitive Thermococcus kodakarensis, at 0.1 and 40 MPa. We show that cells of the pressure sensitive organism exhibit higher intrinsic stability. Both the hydration water dynamics and the fast protein and lipid dynamics are reduced under pressure. In contrast, the proteome of T. barophilus is more pressure sensitive than that of T. kodakarensis. The diffusion coefficient of hydration water is reduced, while the fast protein and lipid dynamics are slightly enhanced with increasing pressure. These findings show that the coupling between hydration water and cellular constituents might not be simply a master-slave relationship. We propose that the high flexibility of the T. barophilus proteome associated with reduced hydration water may be the keys to the molecular adaptation of the cells to high hydrostatic pressure.

  9. High protein flexibility and reduced hydration water dynamics are key pressure adaptive strategies in prokaryotes

    KAUST Repository

    Martinez, N.; Michoud, Gregoire; Cario, A.; Ollivier, J.; Franzetti, B.; Jebbar, M.; Oger, P.; Peters, J.

    2016-01-01

    Water and protein dynamics on a nanometer scale were measured by quasi-elastic neutron scattering in the piezophile archaeon Thermococcus barophilus and the closely related pressure-sensitive Thermococcus kodakarensis, at 0.1 and 40 MPa. We show that cells of the pressure sensitive organism exhibit higher intrinsic stability. Both the hydration water dynamics and the fast protein and lipid dynamics are reduced under pressure. In contrast, the proteome of T. barophilus is more pressure sensitive than that of T. kodakarensis. The diffusion coefficient of hydration water is reduced, while the fast protein and lipid dynamics are slightly enhanced with increasing pressure. These findings show that the coupling between hydration water and cellular constituents might not be simply a master-slave relationship. We propose that the high flexibility of the T. barophilus proteome associated with reduced hydration water may be the keys to the molecular adaptation of the cells to high hydrostatic pressure.

  10. Cage occupancies of natural gas hydrates encaging methane and ethane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kida, M.; Hachikubo, A.; Sakagami, H.; Minami, H.; Krylov, A.; Yamashita, S.; Takahashi, N.; Shoji, H. [Kitami Inst. of Technology, Kitami (Japan); Kida, M. [National Inst. of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo (Japan); Khlystov, O. [Limnological Inst., Irkutsk (Russian Federation). Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Poort, J. [Ghent Univ., Ghent (Belgium). Renard Centre of Marine Geology; Narita, H. [National Inst. of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo (Japan)

    2008-07-01

    Natural gas hydrates are crystalline compounds that contain large amounts of natural gas in its structure and are expected to provide natural gas resources in the future. The gas species are trapped in different types of polyhedral cages which consist of hydrogen bonded water molecules. Three main types of crystallographic structures exist, notably structure 1, structure 2 and structure H (sH). The crystallographic structure of natural gas hydrates depends on the encaged gas components. The cage occupancy is the ratio of the number of cages occupied by guest molecules to the number of total cages. It is also important to estimate the amount of natural gas, since it depends on the condition of the hydrate formation such as gas composition. The cages of natural gas hydrates mainly contain methane. However, other heavier hydrocarbons such as ethane (C{sub 2}H{sub 6}), propane (C{sub 3}H{sub 8}), and isobutane (i-C{sub 4}H{sub 1}0) may be encaged together with CH{sub 4}. Little is known about cage occupancies of natural gas hydrates including CH{sub 4} and heavier hydrocarbons. This paper discussed a study that developed cage occupancy estimations of natural gas hydrates encaging heavier hydrocarbons. 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements were conducted. The assignments of resonance lines were based on 13C chemical shifts obtained by artificial sample measurements. The paper presented the experimental data and discussed the results of the study. The large cages were almost fully occupied with CH{sub 4} and C{sub 2}H{sub 6} molecules, whereas the small cage occupancies of CH{sub 4} were below 0.8. The distribution of CH{sub 4} and C{sub 2}H{sub 6} in each cage were similar to that of synthetic CH{sub 4} + C{sub 2}H{sub 6} hydrate. It was concluded that these results should be useful for optimal estimation of the amount of natural gas in gas hydrates. 18 refs., 1 tab., 3 figs.

  11. Gas hydrates and clathrates. Flow assurance, environmental and economic perspectives and the Nigerian liquefied natural gas project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gbaruko, B.C.; Igwe, J.C.; Nwokeoma, R.C.; Gbaruko, P.N.

    2007-01-01

    Gas hydrates are nonstoichiometric crystalline compounds that belong to the inclusion group known as clathrates. They occur when water molecules attach themselves together through hydrogen bonding and form cavities which can be occupied by a single gas or volatile liquid molecule. Gas hydrates, asphaltenes and waxes are three major threats to flow assurance that must be well assessed by design team uptime. Gas hydrates are also looked upon as a future energy source and as a potential climate hazard. The purpose of this review is to show the chemistry and mechanism of gas hydrate formation, the problems they pose, especially to flow assurance, their system implications, their environmental and economic perspectives with respect to their prospects as storage and transport alternative to the liquefied natural gas technology. (author)

  12. [Interactions of DNA bases with individual water molecules. Molecular mechanics and quantum mechanics computation results vs. experimental data].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez, E; Lino, J; Deriabina, A; Herrera, J N F; Poltev, V I

    2013-01-01

    To elucidate details of the DNA-water interactions we performed the calculations and systemaitic search for minima of interaction energy of the systems consisting of one of DNA bases and one or two water molecules. The results of calculations using two force fields of molecular mechanics (MM) and correlated ab initio method MP2/6-31G(d, p) of quantum mechanics (QM) have been compared with one another and with experimental data. The calculations demonstrated a qualitative agreement between geometry characteristics of the most of local energy minima obtained via different methods. The deepest minima revealed by MM and QM methods correspond to water molecule position between two neighbor hydrophilic centers of the base and to the formation by water molecule of hydrogen bonds with them. Nevertheless, the relative depth of some minima and peculiarities of mutual water-base positions in' these minima depend on the method used. The analysis revealed insignificance of some differences in the results of calculations performed via different methods and the importance of other ones for the description of DNA hydration. The calculations via MM methods enable us to reproduce quantitatively all the experimental data on the enthalpies of complex formation of single water molecule with the set of mono-, di-, and trimethylated bases, as well as on water molecule locations near base hydrophilic atoms in the crystals of DNA duplex fragments, while some of these data cannot be rationalized by QM calculations.

  13. Heat of hydration measurements on cemented radioactive wastes. Part 1: cement-water pastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, D.J.

    1983-12-01

    This report describes the hydration of cement pastes in terms of chemical and kinetic models. A calorimetric technique was used to measure the heat of hydration to develop these models. The effects of temperature, water/cement ratio and cement replacements, ground granulated blast furnace slag (BFS) and pulverised fuel ash (PFA) on the hydration of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) is reported. The incorporation of BFS or PFA has a marked effect on the hydration reaction. The effect of temperature is also important but changing the water/cement ratio has little effect. Results from cement pastes containing only water and cement yield total heats of reaction of 400, 200 and 100 kJ/kg for OPC, BFS and PFA respectively. Using the results from the models which have been developed, the effect of major salts present in radioactive waste streams can be assessed. Values of the total heat of reaction, the time to complete 50 percent reaction, and the energy of activation, can be compared for different waste systems. (U.K.)

  14. Tracking all-vapor instant gas-hydrate formation and guest molecule populations: A possible probe for molecules trapped in water nanodroplets

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Uras-Aytemiz, N.; Cwiklik, Lukasz; Devlin, J. P.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 137, č. 20 (2012), s. 204501 ISSN 0021-9606 Institutional support: RVO:61388955 Keywords : Fourier transform infrared emission spectra * clathrate hydrate * simulations Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 3.164, year: 2012

  15. Examination of Hydrate Formation Methods: Trying to Create Representative Samples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kneafsey, T.J.; Rees, E.V.L.; Nakagawa, S.; Kwon, T.-H.

    2011-04-01

    Forming representative gas hydrate-bearing laboratory samples is important so that the properties of these materials may be measured, while controlling the composition and other variables. Natural samples are rare, and have often experienced pressure and temperature changes that may affect the property to be measured [Waite et al., 2008]. Forming methane hydrate samples in the laboratory has been done a number of ways, each having advantages and disadvantages. The ice-to-hydrate method [Stern et al., 1996], contacts melting ice with methane at the appropriate pressure to form hydrate. The hydrate can then be crushed and mixed with mineral grains under controlled conditions, and then compacted to create laboratory samples of methane hydrate in a mineral medium. The hydrate in these samples will be part of the load-bearing frame of the medium. In the excess gas method [Handa and Stupin, 1992], water is distributed throughout a mineral medium (e.g. packed moist sand, drained sand, moistened silica gel, other porous media) and the mixture is brought to hydrate-stable conditions (chilled and pressurized with gas), allowing hydrate to form. This method typically produces grain-cementing hydrate from pendular water in sand [Waite et al., 2004]. In the dissolved gas method [Tohidi et al., 2002], water with sufficient dissolved guest molecules is brought to hydrate-stable conditions where hydrate forms. In the laboratory, this is can be done by pre-dissolving the gas of interest in water and then introducing it to the sample under the appropriate conditions. With this method, it is easier to form hydrate from more soluble gases such as carbon dioxide. It is thought that this method more closely simulates the way most natural gas hydrate has formed. Laboratory implementation, however, is difficult, and sample formation is prohibitively time consuming [Minagawa et al., 2005; Spangenberg and Kulenkampff, 2005]. In another version of this technique, a specified quantity of gas

  16. Changes in structure and preferential cage occupancy of ethane hydrate and ethane-methane mixed gas hydrate under high pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirai, H; Takahara, N; Kawamura, T; Yamamoto, Y; Yagi, T

    2010-01-01

    Structural changes and preferential cage occupancies were examined for ethane hydrate and ethane-methane mixed gas hydrates with five compositions in a pressure range of 0.2 to 2.8 GPa at room temperature. X-ray diffractometry and Raman spectroscopy showed the following structural changes. The initial structure, structure I (sI), of ethane hydrate was retained up to 2.1 GPa without any structural change. For the mixed hydrates, sI was widely distributed throughout the region examined except for the methane-rich and lower pressure regions, where sII and sH appeared. Above 2.1 GPa ethane hydrate and all of the mixed hydrates decomposed into ice VI and ethane fluid or methane-ethane fluid, respectively. The Raman study revealed that occupation of the small cages by ethane molecules occurred above 0.1 GPa in ethane hydrate and continued up to decomposition at 2.1 GPa, although it was thought that ethane molecules were contained only in the large cage.

  17. Effect of temperature dependence of the Langmuir constant molecular pair potentials on gas hydrates formation mechanism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mokhtari, B.; Enayati, M. [Iranian Offshore Oil Co., Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Heidaryan, E. [Islamic Azad Univ., Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of). Masjidosolayman Branch

    2008-07-01

    Theoretical methods show that crystalline hydrates can form from single-phase systems consisting of both vapor water with gaseous hydrate former and liquid water with dissolved hydrate former. Two phase systems consist of both liquid water with gaseous hydrate former and with liquid hydrate former on the surface. This paper presented a Langmuir constant related model for the prediction of equilibrium pressures and cage occupancies of pure component hydrates. Intermolecular potentials were fit to quantum mechanical energies to obtain the Langmuir constants, which differed from the procedure utilized with the vdWP model. The paper described the experimental method and model calculations. This included the Fugacity model and Van der Waals and Platteeuw model. The paper also discussed pair potential of non-spherical molecules, including the multicentre (site-site) potential; Gaussian overlap potential; Lennard-Jones potential; and Kihara generalized pair potential. It was concluded that fraction of occupied cavities is a function of pair potentials between hard core and empty hydrate lattice. These pair potentials could be calculated from some model as Kihara cell potential, Gaussian potential, Lennard-Jones potential and multicentre pair potential. 49 refs., 3 figs.

  18. Absolute proton hydration free energy, surface potential of water, and redox potential of the hydrogen electrode from first principles: QM/MM MD free-energy simulations of sodium and potassium hydration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hofer, Thomas S.; Hünenberger, Philippe H.

    2018-06-01

    The absolute intrinsic hydration free energy GH+,w a t ◦ of the proton, the surface electric potential jump χwa t ◦ upon entering bulk water, and the absolute redox potential VH+,w a t ◦ of the reference hydrogen electrode are cornerstone quantities for formulating single-ion thermodynamics on absolute scales. They can be easily calculated from each other but remain fundamentally elusive, i.e., they cannot be determined experimentally without invoking some extra-thermodynamic assumption (ETA). The Born model provides a natural framework to formulate such an assumption (Born ETA), as it automatically factors out the contribution of crossing the water surface from the hydration free energy. However, this model describes the short-range solvation inaccurately and relies on the choice of arbitrary ion-size parameters. In the present study, both shortcomings are alleviated by performing first-principle calculations of the hydration free energies of the sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) ions. The calculations rely on thermodynamic integration based on quantum-mechanical molecular-mechanical (QM/MM) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations involving the ion and 2000 water molecules. The ion and its first hydration shell are described using a correlated ab initio method, namely resolution-of-identity second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation (RIMP2). The next hydration shells are described using the extended simple point charge water model (SPC/E). The hydration free energy is first calculated at the MM level and subsequently increased by a quantization term accounting for the transformation to a QM/MM description. It is also corrected for finite-size, approximate-electrostatics, and potential-summation errors, as well as standard-state definition. These computationally intensive simulations provide accurate first-principle estimates for GH+,w a t ◦, χwa t ◦, and VH+,w a t ◦, reported with statistical errors based on a confidence interval of 99%. The values obtained

  19. Topological modeling of methane hydrate crystallization from low to high water cut emulsion systems

    OpenAIRE

    Melchuna , Aline; Cameirão , Ana; Herri , Jean-Michel; Glénat , Philippe

    2016-01-01

    International audience; Hydrate formation and remediation in oil flowlines facilities represent a major concern for oil industry in respect of capital and operational costs. It is necessary to have a better understanding on the hydrate formation process to be more efficient in hydrate prevention, especially in respect to additive dosage. This work is a contribution to enhance the knowledge of hydrate formation at high water cuts, by introducing new techniques of analysis in the Archimede flow...

  20. Radiolysis of liquid water: an attempt to reconcile Monte-Carlo calculations with new experimental hydrated electron yield data at early times

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muroya, Y.; Meesungnoen, J.; Jay-Gerin, J.-P.; Filali-Mouhim, A.; Goulet, T.; Katsumura, Y.; Mankhetkorn, S.

    2002-01-01

    A re-examination of our Monte-Carlo modeling of the radiolysis of liquid water by low linear-energy-transfer (LET ∼ 0.3 keV μm -1 ) radiation is undertaken herein in an attempt to reconcile the results of our simulation code with recently revised experimental hydrated electron (e aq - ) yield data at early times. The thermalization distance of subexcitation electrons, the recombination cross section of the electrons with their water parent cations prior to thermalization, and the branching ratios of the different competing mechanisms in the dissociative decay of vibrationally excited states of water molecules were taken as adjustable parameters in our simulations. Using a global-fit procedure, we have been unable to find a set of values for those parameters to simultaneously reproduce (i) the revised e aq - yield of 4.0 ± 0.2 molecules per 100 eV at 'time zero' (that is, a reduction of ∼20% over the hitherto accepted value of 4.8 molecules per 100 eV), (ii) the newly measured e aq - decay kinetic profile from 100 ps to 10 ns, and (iii) the time-dependent yields of the other radiolytic species H . , . OH, H 2 , and H 2 O 2 (up to ∼1 μs). The lowest possible limiting 'time-zero' yield of e aq - that we could in fact obtain, while ensuring an acceptable agreement between all computed and experimental yields, was ∼4.4 to 4.5 molecules per 100 eV. Under these conditions, the mean values of the electron thermalization distance and of the geminate electron-cation recombination probability, averaged over the subexcitation electron 'entry spectrum,' are found to be equal to ∼139 A and ∼18%, respectively. These values are to be compared with those obtained in our previous simulations of liquid water radiolysis, namely ∼88 A and ∼5.5%, respectively. Our average electron thermalization distance is also to be compared with the typical size (∼64-80 A) of the initial hydrated electron distributions estimated in current deterministic models of 'spur' chemistry

  1. Thermoanalytical studies of carbamazepine: hydration/dehydration, thermal decomposition, and solid phase transitions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mônia Aparecida Lemos Pinto

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Carbamazepine (CBZ, a widely used anticonvulsant drug, can crystallize and exhibits four polymorphic forms and one dihydrate. Anhydrous CBZ can spontaneously absorb water and convert to the hydrate form whose different crystallinity leads to lower biological activity. The present study was concerned to the possibility of recovering the hydrated form by heating. The thermal behavior of spontaneously hydrated carbamazepine was investigated by TG/DTG-DTA and DSC in dynamic atmospheres of air and nitrogen, which revealed that the spontaneous hydration of this pharmaceutical resulted in a Form III hydrate with 1.5 water molecules. After dehydration, this anhydrous Form III converted to Form I, which melted and decomposed in a single event, releasing isocyanic acid, as shown by evolved gas analysis using TG-FTIR. Differential scanning calorimetry analyses revealed that Form III melted and crystallized as Form I, and that subsequent cooling cycles only generated Form I by crystallization. Solid state decomposition kinetic studies showed that there was no change in the substance after the elimination of water by heating to 120 °C. Activation energies of 98 ± 2 and 93 ± 2 kJ mol-1 were found for the hydrated and dried samples, respectively, and similar profiles of activation energy as a function of conversion factor were observed for these samples.

  2. Types and characteristics of drinking water for hydration in the elderly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casado, Ángela; Ramos, Primitivo; Rodríguez, Jaime; Moreno, Norberto; Gil, Pedro

    2015-01-01

    The role of hydration in the maintenance of health is increasingly recognized. Hydration requirements vary for each person, depending on physical activity, environmental conditions, dietary patterns, alcohol intake, health problems, and age. Elderly individuals have higher risk of developing dehydration than adults. Diminution of liquid intake and increase in liquid losses are both involved in causing dehydration in the elderly. The water used for drinking is provided through regular public water supply and the official sanitary controls ensure their quality and hygiene, granting a range of variation for most of its physical and chemical characteristics, being sometimes these differences, though apparently small, responsible for some disorders in sensitive individuals. Hence, the advantages of using bottled water, either natural mineral water or spring water, are required by law to specify their composition, their major components, and other specific parameters. It is essential to take this into account to understand the diversity of indications and favorable effects on health that certain waters can offer.

  3. Changes Of Hydration Level In Type I Collagen And Glycosaminoglycans Synthesized In The Rat’s Skin Under The Mechanical Stress

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandr M. Ponomarenko

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Changes of Hydratation Level Of Type I Collagen And Glycosaminoglycans That Are Synthesized In The Rat’s Skin Under The Mechanical Stress. The effect of the mechanical stress on the levels of hydratation of type I collagen and glycosaminoglycans that are synthesized in it, has been studied in vitro using the rats’ skin. The measured hydration of isotherms has shown that mechanical stress in the skin increases and decreases the amount of absorbed water in glycosaminoglycans and in collagen, respectively. Сalculated the average amounts of water molecules in collagen tripeptide and glycosaminoglycans disaccharide unit in the inside and outside layers of their hydrate shells

  4. Experimental observations on the competing effect of tetrahydrofuran and an electrolyte and the strength of hydrate inhibition among metal halides in mixed CO2 hydrate equilibria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabil, Khalik M.; Roman, Vicente R.; Witkamp, Geert-Jan; Peters, Cor J.

    2010-01-01

    In the present work, experimental data on the equilibrium conditions of mixed CO 2 and THF hydrates in aqueous electrolyte solutions are reported. Seven different electrolytes (metal halides) were used in this work namely sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ), magnesium chloride (MgCl 2 ), potassium bromide (KBr), sodium fluoride (NaF), potassium chloride (KCl), and sodium bromide (NaBr). All equilibrium data were measured by using Cailletet apparatus. Throughout this work, the overall concentration of CO 2 and THF were kept constant at (0.04 and 0.05) mol fraction, respectively, while the concentration of electrolytes were varied. The experimental temperature ranged from (275 to 305) K and pressure up 7.10 MPa had been applied. From the experimental results, it is concluded that THF, which is soluble in water is able to suppress the salt inhibiting effect in the range studied. In all quaternary systems studied, a four-phase hydrate equilibrium line was observed where hydrate (H), liquid water (L W ), liquid organic (L V ), and vapour (V) exist simultaneously at specific pressure and temperature. The formation of this four-phase equilibrium line is mainly due to a liquid-liquid phase split of (water + THF) mixture when pressurized with CO 2 and the split is enhanced by the salting-out effect of the electrolytes in the quaternary system. The strength of hydrate inhibition effect among the electrolytes was compared. The results shows the hydrate inhibiting effect of the metal halides is increasing in the order NaF 2 2 . Among the cations studied, the strength of hydrate inhibition increases in the following order: K + + 2+ 2+ . Meanwhile, the strength of hydrate inhibition among the halogen anion studied decreases in the following order: Br - > Cl - > F - . Based on the results, it is suggested that the probability of formation and the strength of ionic-hydrogen bond between an ion and water molecule and the effects of this bond on the ambient water

  5. Diaminoethane adsorption and water substitution on hydrated TiO2: a thermochemical study based on first-principles calculations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hémeryck, Anne; Motta, Alessandro; Swiatowska, Jolanta; Pereira-Nabais, Catarina; Marcus, Philippe; Costa, Dominique

    2013-07-14

    Epoxy-amines are used as structural adhesives deposited on Ti. The amine adhesion to a Ti surface depends highly on the surface state (oxidation, hydroxylation). Amines may adsorb above preadsorbed water molecules or substitute them to bind directly to surface Ti(4+) Lewis acid sites. The adsorption of a model amine molecule, diaminoethane (DAE), on a model surface, hydrated TiO2-anatase (101) surface, is investigated using Density Functional Theory including Dispersive forces (DFT-D) calculations. DAE adsorption and water substitution by DAE are exothermic processes and turn nearly isoenergetic at high coverage with adsorption-substitution energies around -0.3 eV (including dispersion forces and ZPE). Complementary ab initio molecular dynamics studies also suggest that the formation of an amine-water interaction induces water desorption from the surface at room temperature, a preliminary step towards the amine-Ti bond formation. An atomistic thermodynamic approach is developed to evaluate the interfacial free energy balance of both processes (adsorption and substitution). The main contributions to the energetic balance are dispersive interactions between molecules and the surface on the exergonic side, translational and rotational entropic contributions on the endergonic one. The substitution process is stabilized by 0.55 eV versus the adsorption one when free solvation, rotational and vibrational energies are considered. The main contribution to this free energy gain is due to water solvation. The calculations suggest that in toluene solvent with a water concentration of 10(-4) M or less, a full DAE layer replaces a preadsorbed water layer for a threshold concentration of DAE ≥ 0.1 M.

  6. Clathrate hydrates - the energy of the future an overview and a postulated formation mechanism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pratt, R.M.

    2000-01-01

    Clathrate hydrates are non-stoichiometric compounds that form when water and certain low molecular weight hydrocarbons coexist at high pressures and low temperatures. The majority of the earth hydrocarbons are in the hydrate phase and are primarily located along the ocean bottoms and to a lesser degree in the permafrost regions. In addition, hydrate formation is induced in undersea gas transmission lines and causes costly pipeline plugs and requires expensive inhibition measures to be taken. Therefore, both a stick and a carrot motivate hydrate research. They are a costly and dangerous nuisance to the oil and gas industry and represent a tremendous, untapped energy resource of the future. The formation mechanism of clathrate hydrate formation has always been shrouded in mystery, and an ongoing debate has ensued as to whether their formation is a bulk or surface phenomenon. Molecular dynamics simulation and fractal modeling suggest that this may be an irrelevant issue and that two independent factors contribute to the symmetrical ordered structure of clathrate hydrates: hydrophobic hydration of hydrocarbon molecules in water and formation of linked cavities as these small clusters aggregate. (Author)

  7. Quantitative analysis of the hydration of lithium salts in water using multivariate curve resolution of near-infrared spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barba, M. Isabel; Larrechi, M. Soledad; Coronas, Alberto

    2016-01-01

    The hydration process of lithium iodide, lithium bromide, lithium chloride and lithium nitrate in water was analyzed quantitatively by applying multivariate curve resolution alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) to their near infrared spectra recorded between 850 nm and 1100 nm. The experiments were carried out using solutions with a salt mass fraction between 0% and 72% for lithium bromide, between 0% and 67% for lithium nitrate and between 0% and 62% for lithium chloride and lithium iodide at 323.15 K, 333.15 K, 343.15 K and 353.15 K, respectively. Three factors were determined for lithium bromide and lithium iodide and two factors for the lithium chloride and lithium nitrate by singular value decomposition (SVD) of their spectral data matrices. These factors are associated with various chemical environments in which there are aqueous clusters containing the ions of the salts and non-coordinated water molecules. Spectra and concentration profiles of non-coordinated water and cluster aqueous were retrieved by MCR-ALS. The amount of water involved in the process of hydration of the various salts was quantified. The results show that the water absorption capacity increases in the following order LiI < LiBr < LiNO_3 < LiCl. The salt concentration at which there is no free water in the medium was calculated at each one of the temperatures considered. The values ranged between 62.6 and 65.1% for LiBr, 45.5–48.3% for LiCl, 60.4–61.2% for LiI and 60.3–63.7% for LiNO_3. These values are an initial approach to determining the concentration as from which crystal formation is favored. - Highlights: • Quantitative analysis of the hydration of lithium salts in water. • The absorption capacity of the electrolytes in function of the salt is evaluated. • The lithium salt concentration is estimated when the crystal formation is favored.

  8. Quantitative analysis of the hydration of lithium salts in water using multivariate curve resolution of near-infrared spectra

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barba, M. Isabel [Group of Research in Applied Thermal Engineering-CREVER, Mechanical Engineering Dept. (Spain); Larrechi, M. Soledad, E-mail: mariasoledad.larrechi@urv.cat [Analytical and Organic Chemistry Dept., Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona (Spain); Coronas, Alberto [Group of Research in Applied Thermal Engineering-CREVER, Mechanical Engineering Dept. (Spain)

    2016-05-05

    The hydration process of lithium iodide, lithium bromide, lithium chloride and lithium nitrate in water was analyzed quantitatively by applying multivariate curve resolution alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) to their near infrared spectra recorded between 850 nm and 1100 nm. The experiments were carried out using solutions with a salt mass fraction between 0% and 72% for lithium bromide, between 0% and 67% for lithium nitrate and between 0% and 62% for lithium chloride and lithium iodide at 323.15 K, 333.15 K, 343.15 K and 353.15 K, respectively. Three factors were determined for lithium bromide and lithium iodide and two factors for the lithium chloride and lithium nitrate by singular value decomposition (SVD) of their spectral data matrices. These factors are associated with various chemical environments in which there are aqueous clusters containing the ions of the salts and non-coordinated water molecules. Spectra and concentration profiles of non-coordinated water and cluster aqueous were retrieved by MCR-ALS. The amount of water involved in the process of hydration of the various salts was quantified. The results show that the water absorption capacity increases in the following order LiI < LiBr < LiNO{sub 3} < LiCl. The salt concentration at which there is no free water in the medium was calculated at each one of the temperatures considered. The values ranged between 62.6 and 65.1% for LiBr, 45.5–48.3% for LiCl, 60.4–61.2% for LiI and 60.3–63.7% for LiNO{sub 3}. These values are an initial approach to determining the concentration as from which crystal formation is favored. - Highlights: • Quantitative analysis of the hydration of lithium salts in water. • The absorption capacity of the electrolytes in function of the salt is evaluated. • The lithium salt concentration is estimated when the crystal formation is favored.

  9. Structural transformations of sVI tert-butylamine hydrates to sII binary hydrates with methane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prasad, Pinnelli S R; Sugahara, Takeshi; Sloan, E Dendy; Sum, Amadeu K; Koh, Carolyn A

    2009-10-22

    Binary clathrate hydrates with methane (CH(4), 4.36 A) and tert-butylamine (t-BuNH(2), 6.72 A) as guest molecules were synthesized at different molar concentrations of t-BuNH(2) (1.00-9.31 mol %) with methane at 7.0 MPa and 250 K, and were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and Raman microscopy. A structural transformation from sVI to sII of t-BuNH(2) hydrate was clearly observed on pressurizing with methane. The PXRD showed sII signatures and the remnant sVI signatures were insignificant, implying the metastable nature of sVI binary hydrates. Raman spectroscopic data on these binary hydrates suggest that the methane molecules occupy the small cages and vacant large cages. The methane storage capacity in this system was nearly doubled to approximately 6.86 wt % for 5.56 mol % > t-BuNH(2) > 1.0 mol %.

  10. Solubility profiles, hydration and desolvation of curcumin complexed with γ-cyclodextrin and hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shityakov, Sergey; Salmas, Ramin Ekhteiari; Durdagi, Serdar; Roewer, Norbert; Förster, Carola; Broscheit, Jens

    2017-04-01

    In this study, we investigated curcumin (CUR) solubility profiles and hydration/desolvation effects of this substance formulated with γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD) and hydroxypropyl-γ-cyclodextrin (HP-γ-CD) excipients. The CUR/HP-γ-CD complex was found to be more stable in solution with the highest apparent stability constant for CUR/HP-γ-CD (Kc = 1.58*104 M-1) as the more soluble form in distilled water. The in silico calculations, including molecular docking, Monte Carlo (MC), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, indicated that water molecules play an important role in host-guest complexation mediating the CUR binding to cyclodextrins via hydrogen bond formations. The CUR hydration/desolvation effects contributed to the complex formation by elevating the CUR binding affinity to both CDs. The CUR/HP-γ-CD complex after the CUR hydration was determined with a minimal Gibbs free energy of binding (ΔGbind = -9.93 kcal*mol-1) due to the major hydrophobic (vdW) forces. Overall, the results of this study can aid a development of cyclodextrin-based drug delivery vectors, signifying the importance of water molecules during the formulation processes.

  11. A role for subducted super-hydrated kaolinite in Earth's deep water cycle

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Huijeong; Seoung, Donghoon; Lee, Yongjae; Liu, Zhenxian; Liermann, Hanns-Peter; Cynn, Hyunchae; Vogt, Thomas; Kao, Chi-Chang; Mao, Ho-Kwang

    2017-12-01

    Water is the most abundant volatile component in the Earth. It continuously enters the mantle through subduction zones, where it reduces the melting temperature of rocks to generate magmas. The dehydration process in subduction zones, which determines whether water is released from the slab or transported into the deeper mantle, is an essential component of the deep water cycle. Here we use in situ and time-resolved high-pressure/high-temperature synchrotron X-ray diffraction and infrared spectra to characterize the structural and chemical changes of the clay mineral kaolinite. At conditions corresponding to a depth of about 75 km in a cold subducting slab (2.7 GPa and 200 °C), and in the presence of water, we observe the pressure-induced insertion of water into kaolinite. This super-hydrated phase has a unit cell volume that is about 31% larger, a density that is about 8.4% lower than the original kaolinite and, with 29 wt% H2O, the highest water content of any known aluminosilicate mineral in the Earth. As pressure and temperature approach 19 GPa and about 800 °C, we observe the sequential breakdown of super-hydrated kaolinite. The formation and subsequent breakdown of super-hydrated kaolinite in cold slabs subducted below 200 km leads to the release of water that may affect seismicity and help fuel arc volcanism at the surface.

  12. Exploring the conserved water site and hydration of a coiled-coil trimerisation motif: a MD simulation study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dolenc, Jozica; Baron, Riccardo; Missimer, John H; Steinmetz, Michel O; van Gunsteren, Wilfred F

    2008-07-21

    The solvent structure and dynamics around ccbeta-p, a 17-residue peptide that forms a parallel three-stranded alpha-helical coiled coil in solution, was analysed through 10 ns explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at 278 and 330 K. Comparison with two corresponding simulations of the monomeric form of ccbeta-p was used to investigate the changes of hydration upon coiled-coil formation. Pronounced peaks in the solvent density distribution between residues Arg8 and Glu13 of neighbouring helices show the presence of water bridges between the helices of the ccbeta-p trimer; this is in agreement with the water sites observed in X-ray crystallography experiments. Interestingly, this water site is structurally conserved in many three-stranded coiled coils and, together with the Arg and Glu residues, forms part of a motif that determines three-stranded coiled-coil formation. Our findings show that little direct correlation exists between the solvent density distribution and the temporal ordering of water around the trimeric coiled coil. The MD-calculated effective residence times of up to 40 ps show rapid exchange of surface water molecules with the bulk phase, and indicate that the solvent distribution around biomolecules requires interpretation in terms of continuous density distributions rather than in terms of discrete molecules of water. Together, our study contributes to understanding the principles of three-stranded coiled-coil formation.

  13. THCM Coupled Model for Hydrate-Bearing Sediments: Data Analysis and Design of New Field Experiments (Marine and Permafrost Settings)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanchez, Marcelo J. [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Santamarina, J. Carlos [King Abdullah Univ. of Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia)

    2017-02-14

    Gas hydrates are solid compounds made of water molecules clustered around low molecular weight gas molecules such as methane, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide. Methane hydrates form under pressure (P) and temperature (T) conditions that are common in sub-permafrost layers and in deep marine sediments. Stability conditions constrain the occurrence of gas hydrates to submarine sediments and permafrost regions. The amount of technically recoverable methane trapped in gas hydrate may exceed 104tcf. Gas hydrates are a potential energy resource, can contribute to climate change, and can cause large-scale seafloor instabilities. In addition, hydrate formation can be used for CO2 sequestration (also through CO2-CH4 replacement), and efficient geological storage seals. The experimental study of hydrate bearing sediments has been hindered by the very low solubility of methane in water (lab testing), and inherent sampling difficulties associated with depressurization and thermal changes during core extraction. This situation has prompted more decisive developments in numerical modeling in order to advance the current understanding of hydrate bearing sediments, and to investigate/optimize production strategies and implications. The goals of this research has been to addresses the complex thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical THCM coupled phenomena in hydrate-bearing sediments, using a truly coupled numerical model that incorporates sound and proven constitutive relations, satisfies fundamental conservation principles. Analytical solutions aimed at verifying the proposed code have been proposed as well. These tools will allow to better analyze available data and to further enhance the current understanding of hydrate bearing sediments in view of future field experiments and the development of production technology.

  14. Predicting hydration energies for multivalent ions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersson, Martin Peter; Stipp, Susan Louise Svane

    2014-01-01

    We have predicted the free energy of hydration for 40 monovalent and multivalent cations and anions using density functional theory and the implicit solvent model COnductor like Screening MOdel for Real Solvents (COSMO-RS) at the Becke-Perdew (BP)/Triple zeta valence with polarization functions...... (TZVP) level. Agreement with experimental data for monovalent and divalent ions is good and shows no significant systematic errors. Predictions are noticeably better than with standard COSMO. The agreement with experimental data for trivalent and tetravalent ions is slightly worse and shows systematic...... errors. Our results indicate that quantum chemical calculations combined with COSMO-RS solvent treatment is a reliable method for treating multivalent ions in solution, provided one hydration shell of explicit water molecules is included for metal cations. The accuracy is not high enough to allow...

  15. [Skin hydration and hydrating products].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duplan, H; Nocera, T

    2018-05-01

    One of the skin's principal functions is to protect the body against its environment by maintaining an effective epidermal barrier, not only against external factors, but also to prevent water loss from the body. Indeed, water homeostasis is vital for the normal physiological functioning of skin. Hydration levels affect not only visible microscopic parameters such as the suppleness and softness of skin, but also molecular parameters, enzyme activities and cellular signalling within the epidermis. The body is continually losing some of its water, but this phenomenon is limited and the optimal hydration gradient in skin is ensured via a set of sophisticated regulatory processes that rely on the functional and dynamic properties of the uppermost level of the skin consisting of the stratum corneum. The present article brings together data recently acquired in the fields of skin hydration and the characterisation of dehydrated or dry skin, whether through study of the regulatory processes involved or as a result of changes in the techniques used for in situ measurement, and thus in optimisation of management. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

  16. TD-NMR studies on CuSO{sub 4} salt hydrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nestle, Nikolaus; Magin, Peter; Wengeler, Robert [BASF Aktiengesellschaft, Ludwigshafen (Germany); Kleinschmidt, Sebastian [Universitaet Magdeburg, FB Chemie (Germany)

    2008-07-01

    Despite the high concentration of paramagnetic copper ions, solid CuSO{sub 4} hydrates exhibit surprizingly narrow NMR signals. This is known since the late 1940s. Using TD-NMR methods established for polymer studies, the relaxation behaviour of CuSO{sub 4} preparations with different water content was studied at room temperature. For the water content of the pentahydrate and below, the NMR signal exhibits a pure solid-state-type magnetization decay behaviour. For slightly overstoichiometric moisture contents, a liquid-like signal is observed in addition to the solid signal. However, the relative amplitudes of the solid and the liquid signal do not mirror the stoichiometric composition of the pentahydrate and the excess water. Instead, the solid signal amplitude only accounts for four hydrate water molecules while the fifth water exhibits rapid exchange with the liquid phase and thus contributes to the liquid-type signal. This finding is in good agreement to results from investigations into the crystal structure of solid CuSO4 pentahydrate.

  17. Molecular dynamics simulation of polyacrylamides in potassium montmorillonite clay hydrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang Junfang [CSIRO Petroleum Resources, Ian Wark Laboratory, Bayview Avenue, Clayton, Victoria 3168 (Australia); Rivero, Mayela [CSIRO Petroleum, PO Box 1130, Bentley, Western Australia, 6102 (Australia); Choi, S K [CSIRO Petroleum Resources, Ian Wark Laboratory, Bayview Avenue, Clayton, Victoria 3168 (Australia)

    2007-02-14

    We present molecular dynamics simulation results for polyacrylamide in potassium montmorillonite clay-aqueous systems. Interlayer molecular structure and dynamics properties are investigated. The number density profile, radial distribution function, root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), mean-square displacement (MSD) and diffusion coefficient are reported. The calculations are conducted in constant NVT ensembles, at T = 300 K and with layer spacing of 40 A. Our simulation results showed that polyacrylamides had little impact on the structure of interlayer water. Density profiles and radial distribution function indicated that hydration shells were formed. In the presence of polyacrylamides more potassium counterions move close to the clay surface while water molecules move away, indicating that potassium counterions are hydrated to a lesser extent than the system in which no polyacrylamides were added. The diffusion coefficients for potassium and water decreased when polyacrylamides were added.

  18. Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Investigation of Growth Modifiers on Hydrate Crystal Surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Thomas; Hutter, Jeffrey L.; Lin, M.; King, H. E., Jr.

    1998-03-01

    Hydrates are crystals consisting of small molecules enclathrated within an ice-like water cage. Suppression of their growth is important in the oil industry. The presence of small quantities of specific polymers during hydrate crystallization can induce a transition from an octahedral to planar growth habit. This symmetry breaking is surprising because of the suppression of two 111 planes relative to the other six crystallographically equivalent faces. To better understand the surface effects leading to this behavior, we have studied the surface adsorption of these growth-modifing polymers onto the hydrate crytals using SANS. The total hydrate surface area, as measured by Porod scattering, increases in the presence of the growth modifier, but, no significant increase in polymer concentration on the crystal surfaces is found. Implications for possible growth mechanisms will be discussed.

  19. Molecular Simulation of the Phase Diagram of Methane Hydrate: Free Energy Calculations, Direct Coexistence Method, and Hyperparallel Tempering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Dongliang; Coasne, Benoit

    2017-10-24

    Different molecular simulation strategies are used to assess the stability of methane hydrate under various temperature and pressure conditions. First, using two water molecular models, free energy calculations consisting of the Einstein molecule approach in combination with semigrand Monte Carlo simulations are used to determine the pressure-temperature phase diagram of methane hydrate. With these calculations, we also estimate the chemical potentials of water and methane and methane occupancy at coexistence. Second, we also consider two other advanced molecular simulation techniques that allow probing the phase diagram of methane hydrate: the direct coexistence method in the Grand Canonical ensemble and the hyperparallel tempering Monte Carlo method. These two direct techniques are found to provide stability conditions that are consistent with the pressure-temperature phase diagram obtained using rigorous free energy calculations. The phase diagram obtained in this work, which is found to be consistent with previous simulation studies, is close to its experimental counterpart provided the TIP4P/Ice model is used to describe the water molecule.

  20. Hydrate-melt electrolytes for high-energy-density aqueous batteries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamada, Yuki; Usui, Kenji; Sodeyama, Keitaro; Ko, Seongjae; Tateyama, Yoshitaka; Yamada, Atsuo

    2016-10-01

    Aqueous Li-ion batteries are attracting increasing attention because they are potentially low in cost, safe and environmentally friendly. However, their low energy density (water and the limited selection of suitable negative electrodes, is problematic for their future widespread application. Here, we explore optimized eutectic systems of several organic Li salts and show that a room-temperature hydrate melt of Li salts can be used as a stable aqueous electrolyte in which all water molecules participate in Li+ hydration shells while retaining fluidity. This hydrate-melt electrolyte enables a reversible reaction at a commercial Li4Ti5O12 negative electrode with a low reaction potential (1.55 V versus Li+/Li) and a high capacity (175 mAh g-1). The resultant aqueous Li-ion batteries with high energy density (>130 Wh kg-1) and high voltage (˜2.3-3.1 V) represent significant progress towards performance comparable to that of commercial non-aqueous batteries (with energy densities of ˜150-400 Wh kg-1 and voltages of ˜2.4-3.8 V).

  1. Gas hydrate in nature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruppel, Carolyn D.

    2018-01-17

    Gas hydrate is a naturally occurring, ice-like substance that forms when water and gas combine under high pressure and at moderate temperatures. Methane is the most common gas present in gas hydrate, although other gases may also be included in hydrate structures, particularly in areas close to conventional oil and gas reservoirs. Gas hydrate is widespread in ocean-bottom sediments at water depths greater than 300–500 meters (m; 984–1,640 feet [ft]) and is also present in areas with permanently frozen ground (permafrost). Several countries are evaluating gas hydrate as a possible energy resource in deepwater or permafrost settings. Gas hydrate is also under investigation to determine how environmental change may affect these deposits.

  2. Impacts of Hydrate Distribution on the Hydro-Thermo-Mechanical Properties of Hydrate-Bearing Sediments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, S.; Seol, Y.

    2015-12-01

    In general, hydrate makes the sediments hydraulically less conductive, thermally more conductive, and mechanically stronger; yet the dependency of these physical properties on hydrate saturation varies with hydrate distribution and morphology. Hydrate distribution in sediments may cause the bulk physical properties of their host sediments varying several orders of magnitude even with the same amount of hydrate. In natural sediments, hydrate morphology is inherently governed by the burial depth and the grain size of the host sediments. Compare with patchy hydrate, uniformly distributed hydrate is more destructive to fluid flow, yet leads to higher gas and water permeability during hydrate dissociation due to the easiness of forming percolation paths. Water and hydrate have similar thermal conductivity values; the bulk thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediments depends critically on gas-phase saturation. 60% of gas saturation may result in evident thermal conductivity drop and hinder further gas production. Sediments with patchy hydrate yield lower stiffness than that with cementing hydrate but higher stiffness than that with pore filling and loading bearing hydrate. Besides hydrate distribution, the stress state and loading history also play an important role in the mechanical behavior of hydrate-bearing sediments.

  3. Thermogravimetric and nuclear magnetic resonance study of hydrated Na-β''-alumina

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Donoso, P.; Panepucci, H.; Gobato, Y.G.; Oliveira, L.N.; Souza, D.P.F. de

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports thermogravimetric and proton spin-lattice relaxation times measurement of hydrated Na-β''-alumina, which yield information about the identification of the sites where the loosely bound water molecules are located in the polycrystalline sample. It examines also the influence of impurities on the motion of the protons. (autor) [pt

  4. Investigation of the Methane Hydrate Formation by Cavitation Jet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morita, H.; Nagao, J.

    2015-12-01

    Methane hydrate (hereafter called "MH") is crystalline solid compound consisting of hydrogen-bonded water molecules forming cages and methane gas molecules enclosed in the cage. When using MH as an energy resource, MH is dissociated to methane gas and water and collect only the methane gas. The optimum MH production method was the "depressurization method". Here, the production of MH means dissociating MH in the geologic layers and collecting the resultant methane gas by production systems. In the production of MH by depressurization method, MH regeneration was consider to important problem for the flow assurance of MH production system. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the effect of flow phenomena in the pipeline on hydrate regeneration. Cavitation is one of the flow phenomena which was considered a cause of MH regeneration. Large quantity of microbubbles are produced by cavitation in a moment, therefore, it is considered to promote MH formation. In order to verify the possible of MH regeneration by cavitation, it is necessary to detailed understanding the condition of MH formation by cavitation. As a part of a Japanese National hydrate research program (MH21, funded by METI), we performed a study on MH formation using by cavitation. The primary objective of this study is to demonstrate the formation MH by using cavitation in the various temperature and pressure condition, and to clarify the condition of MH formation by using observation results.

  5. Water-Protein Interactions: The Secret of Protein Dynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia Martini

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Water-protein interactions help to maintain flexible conformation conditions which are required for multifunctional protein recognition processes. The intimate relationship between the protein surface and hydration water can be analyzed by studying experimental water properties measured in protein systems in solution. In particular, proteins in solution modify the structure and the dynamics of the bulk water at the solute-solvent interface. The ordering effects of proteins on hydration water are extended for several angstroms. In this paper we propose a method for analyzing the dynamical properties of the water molecules present in the hydration shells of proteins. The approach is based on the analysis of the effects of protein-solvent interactions on water protons NMR relaxation parameters. NMR relaxation parameters, especially the nonselective (R1NS and selective (R1SE spin-lattice relaxation rates of water protons, are useful for investigating the solvent dynamics at the macromolecule-solvent interfaces as well as the perturbation effects caused by the water-macromolecule interactions on the solvent dynamical properties. In this paper we demonstrate that Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy can be used to determine the dynamical contributions of proteins to the water molecules belonging to their hydration shells.

  6. Critical guest concentration and complete tuning pattern appearing in the binary clathrate hydrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cha, J.H.; Lee, H. [Korea Advanced Inst. of Science and Technology, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of). Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Kim, D.Y. [SK Engineering and Construction, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Park, J. [Hanwha Chemical R and D Center, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, J.W. [Kongju National Univ., Cheonan, Chungnam (Korea, Republic of); Ripmeester, J.A. [National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada). Steacie Inst. for Molecular Sciences

    2008-07-01

    Clathrate hydrates, or gas hydrates, are stabilized by van der Waals interaction between a guest molecule and a host framework. Because of their property, they are a potential resource in the exploitation of natural gas hydrates, as a material for the sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}), as a means of storage and transportation of natural gas, as well as hydrogen storage. Clathrate hydrate research can be divided into two categories that emphasize either macroscopic or microscopic approaches. However, these two approaches need to be closely linked for a better understanding of the structures and processes involving both natural phenomena and hydrates for industrial processes. Details on the molecular scale that concern the less usual properties of clathrate hydrates remain unknown. This paper presented the results of a study that reported on the existence of a critical guest concentration (CGC) and established the complete tuning pattern that occurred in the binary hydrates, including water-soluble hydrate formers (promoters) and water-insoluble guests. The paper presented the experimental procedures, including formation of the methane (CH{sub 4}) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) binary hydrate; a schematic diagram of the experimental apparatus; and formation of the CH{sub 4} and t-BuNH{sub 2} binary hydrate. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic measurements and thermodynamic measurements were also presented. It was concluded that the CGC value appeared to primarily depend on the chemical nature of a liquid guest component participating in the binary hydrate formation. 10 refs., 2 tabs., 9 figs.

  7. Comparison of skin hydration in combination and single use of common moisturizers (cream, toner, and spray water).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuanxi, Li; Wei, Hua; Lidan, Xiiong; Li, Li

    2016-01-01

    This study aims to assess the moisturization in combination or single use (including seven general applications) of three common moisturizers: cream, toner, and spray water. Groups were set as C: cream only; T: toner only; C+T, T+C: cream or toner applied successively within a few minutes; C-T, C-S: cream applied with repeated toner or spray water every 2 h; T-T: toner applied with repeated toner every 2 h; and N: untreated group. Outcomes were the change in skin hydration from baseline at 2, 4, 6, and 8 h after applications. All treated zones displayed a significantly higher degree of hydration compared with the untreated zone ( p skin (hydration value at baseline >35 a.u.), C-T led to greatest hydration change rate compared with others, followed by C+T, T+C, and C. Those three applications exhibited analogous hydration at each test point ( p > 0.05). The hydration rate of C-S differed slightly from T-T, followed by those four mentioned above, with T being the last. For dry skin (hydration value at baseline 0.05), the other results were identical. When cream and toner were applied successively, the application order has little effect on skin hydration. The application of cream only was an effective and brief way to achieve favorable moisturization especially for dry skin. As a complement, repeated application of toner rather than spray water is efficacious for skin hydration.

  8. Description of gas hydrates equilibria in sediments using experimental data of soil water potential

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Istomin, V. [NOVATEK, Moscow (Russian Federation); Chuvilin, E. [Moscow State Univ., Moscow (Russian Federation). Dept. of Geology; Makhonina, N.; Kvon, V. [VNIIGAZ, Moscow (Russian Federation); Safonov, S. [Schlumberger Moscow Research, Moscow (Russian Federation)

    2008-07-01

    Analytical relationships have been developed between hydrate dissociation pressure and vapor pressure above the pore water surface. In addition, experiments have been discussed in numerous publications on the effect of narrow interconnected throats between pores on clathrate dissociation conditions in porous media. This paper presented an approach that improved upon the available thermodynamic methods for calculation of hydrate phase equilibria. The approach took into account the properties of pore water in natural sediments including three-phase equilibrium of gas-pore water-gas hydrate in a similar way as for unfrozen water in geocryology science. The purpose of the paper was to apply and adapt geocryology and soil physics method to the thermodynamic calculation of non-clathrated water content in sediments. It answered the question of how to estimate the non-clathrated water content if pore water potential was known. The paper explained the thermodynamics of water phase in porous media including the thermodynamic properties of supercooled water, the thermodynamic properties of pore water and pore ice in sediments, and the phase equilibria of pore water. The paper also discussed the quantitative techniques that were utilized for determination of unfrozen water content in sediments and its dependence on temperature variation. These included contact-saturation, calorimetric, dielectric, nuclear magnetic resonance, and others. The thermodynamic calculations of pore water phase equilibria were also presented. 30 refs., 5 tabs., 8 figs.

  9. Conserved water molecules in bacterial serine hydroxymethyltransferases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milano, Teresa; Di Salvo, Martino Luigi; Angelaccio, Sebastiana; Pascarella, Stefano

    2015-10-01

    Water molecules occurring in the interior of protein structures often are endowed with key structural and functional roles. We report the results of a systematic analysis of conserved water molecules in bacterial serine hydroxymethyltransferases (SHMTs). SHMTs are an important group of pyridoxal-5'-phosphate-dependent enzymes that catalyze the reversible conversion of l-serine and tetrahydropteroylglutamate to glycine and 5,10-methylenetetrahydropteroylglutamate. The approach utilized in this study relies on two programs, ProACT2 and WatCH. The first software is able to categorize water molecules in a protein crystallographic structure as buried, positioned in clefts or at the surface. The other program finds, in a set of superposed homologous proteins, water molecules that occur approximately in equivalent position in each of the considered structures. These groups of molecules are referred to as 'clusters' and represent structurally conserved water molecules. Several conserved clusters of buried or cleft water molecules were found in the set of 11 bacterial SHMTs we took into account for this work. The majority of these clusters were not described previously. Possible structural and functional roles for the conserved water molecules are envisaged. This work provides a map of the conserved water molecules helpful for deciphering SHMT mechanism and for rational design of molecular engineering experiments. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  10. The adsorption and dissociation of water molecule on goethite (010) surface: A DFT approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Long, E-mail: shuweixia@ouc.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (China); Xiu, Fangyuan [Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (China); Qiu, Meng [Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (China); Xia, Shuwei; Yu, Liangmin [Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (China)

    2017-01-15

    Graphical abstract: The optimized structure of hydrated goethite (010) surface with medium water coverage (water density about 6.7 H{sub 2}O/nm{sup 2}). - Highlights: • Stable adsorption and dissociation structure of H{sub 2}O on goethite (010) surface was investigated by DFT. • Reasonable path for water dissociation was proposed by transitional state analysis. • The mechanism of water adsorption on goethite and binding nature were revealed by PDOS. - Abstract: Using density functional theory (DFT) calculation, we investigate the configuration, stability and electronic properties of fresh cleaved (010) goethite surface (Pnma) and this surface exposed to water monolayer at low, medium and high coverage. Water is predicted to be chemisorbed to the surface, together with the surface reconstruction. The interaction energy of the most stable configuration of both low and medium coverage per water molecule is almost the same (−1.17 eV), while that of high coverage is much lower (less than 1.03 eV). It indicates that highly hydrated surface is less stable. PDOS analysis reveals the adsorption of H{sub 2}O is due to the formation of Fe−O bond, caused by overlapping of Fe's 3d and O's 2p orbitals. Dissociation processes at low and medium water coverage are non-spontaneous; while at high coverage, it can undertake spontaneously both thermodynamically and dynamically. The dissociation paths of all three water coverage are the similar. The proton from one adsorbed water is likely to dissociate to bind to the vicinal surface μ{sub 3}−O as an intermediate product; the proton belonged to μ{sub 3}−O transferred to the neighbor surface μ{sub 2}−O as the dissociative configuration.

  11. An experimental point of view on hydration/solvation in halophilic proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talon, Romain; Coquelle, Nicolas; Madern, Dominique; Girard, Eric

    2014-01-01

    Protein-solvent interactions govern the behaviors of proteins isolated from extreme halophiles. In this work, we compared the solvent envelopes of two orthologous tetrameric malate dehydrogenases (MalDHs) from halophilic and non-halophilic bacteria. The crystal structure of the MalDH from the non-halophilic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus (Ca MalDH) solved, de novo, at 1.7 Å resolution exhibits numerous water molecules in its solvation shell. We observed that a large number of these water molecules are arranged in pentagonal polygons in the first hydration shell of Ca MalDH. Some of them are clustered in large networks, which cover non-polar amino acid surface. The crystal structure of MalDH from the extreme halophilic bacterium Salinibacter ruber (Sr) solved at 1.55 Å resolution shows that its surface is strongly enriched in acidic amino acids. The structural comparison of these two models is the first direct observation of the relative impact of acidic surface enrichment on the water structure organization between a halophilic protein and its non-adapted counterpart. The data show that surface acidic amino acids disrupt pentagonal water networks in the hydration shell. These crystallographic observations are discussed with respect to halophilic protein behaviors in solution.

  12. Confined Water in Layered Silicates: The Origin of Anomalous Thermal Expansion Behavior in Calcium-Silicate-Hydrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krishnan, N. M. Anoop; Wang, Bu; Falzone, Gabriel; Le Pape, Yann; Neithalath, Narayanan

    2016-01-01

    Water, under conditions of nanoscale confinement, exhibits anomalous dynamics, and enhanced thermal deformations, which may be further enhanced when such water is in contact with hydrophilic surfaces. Such heightened thermal deformations of water could control the volume stability of hydrated materials containing nanoconfined structural water. Understanding and predicting the thermal deformation coefficient (TDC, often referred to as the CTE, coefficient of thermal expansion), which represents volume changes induced in materials under conditions of changing temperature, is of critical importance for hydrated solids including: hydrogels, biological tissues, and calcium silicate hydrates, as changes in their volume can result in stress development, and cracking. By pioneering atomistic simulations, we examine the physical origin of thermal expansion in calcium-silicate-hydrates (C–S–H), the binding agent in concrete that is formed by the reaction of cement with water. We report that the TDC of C–S–H shows a sudden increase when the CaO/SiO_2 (molar ratio; abbreviated as Ca/Si) exceeds 1.5. This anomalous behavior arises from a notable increase in the confinement of water contained in the C–S–H’s nanostructure. We identify that confinement is dictated by the topology of the C–S–H’s atomic network. Altogether, the results suggest that thermal deformations of hydrated silicates can be altered by inducing compositional changes, which in turn alter the atomic topology and the resultant volume stability of the solids.

  13. Confined Water in Layered Silicates: The Origin of Anomalous Thermal Expansion Behavior in Calcium-Silicate-Hydrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishnan, N M Anoop; Wang, Bu; Falzone, Gabriel; Le Pape, Yann; Neithalath, Narayanan; Pilon, Laurent; Bauchy, Mathieu; Sant, Gaurav

    2016-12-28

    Water, under conditions of nanoscale confinement, exhibits anomalous dynamics, and enhanced thermal deformations, which may be further enhanced when such water is in contact with hydrophilic surfaces. Such heightened thermal deformations of water could control the volume stability of hydrated materials containing nanoconfined structural water. Understanding and predicting the thermal deformation coefficient (TDC, often referred to as the CTE, coefficient of thermal expansion), which represents volume changes induced in materials under conditions of changing temperature, is of critical importance for hydrated solids including: hydrogels, biological tissues, and calcium silicate hydrates, as changes in their volume can result in stress development, and cracking. By pioneering atomistic simulations, we examine the physical origin of thermal expansion in calcium-silicate-hydrates (C-S-H), the binding agent in concrete that is formed by the reaction of cement with water. We report that the TDC of C-S-H shows a sudden increase when the CaO/SiO 2 (molar ratio; abbreviated as Ca/Si) exceeds 1.5. This anomalous behavior arises from a notable increase in the confinement of water contained in the C-S-H's nanostructure. We identify that confinement is dictated by the topology of the C-S-H's atomic network. Taken together, the results suggest that thermal deformations of hydrated silicates can be altered by inducing compositional changes, which in turn alter the atomic topology and the resultant volume stability of the solids.

  14. A role for subducted super-hydrated kaolinite in Earth’s deep water cycle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hwang, Huijeong; Seoung, Donghoon; Lee, Yongjae; Liu, Zhenxian; Liermann, Hanns-Peter; Cynn, Hyunchae; Vogt, Thomas; Kao, Chi-Chang; Mao, Ho-Kwang

    2017-11-20

    Water is the most abundant volatile component in the Earth. It continuously enters the mantle through subduction zones, where it reduces the melting temperature of rocks to generate magmas. The dehydration process in subduction zones, which determines whether water is released from the slab or transported into the deeper mantle, is an essential component of the deep water cycle. Here we use in situ and time-resolved high-pressure/high-temperature synchrotron X-ray diffraction and infrared spectra to characterize the structural and chemical changes of the clay mineral kaolinite. At conditions corresponding to a depth of about 75 km in a cold subducting slab (2.7 GPa and 200 °C), and in the presence of water, we observe the pressure-induced insertion of water into kaolinite. This super-hydrated phase has a unit cell volume that is about 31% larger, a density that is about 8.4% lower than the original kaolinite and, with 29 wt% H2O, the highest water content of any known aluminosilicate mineral in the Earth. As pressure and temperature approach 19 GPa and about 800 °C, we observe the sequential breakdown of super-hydrated kaolinite. The formation and subsequent breakdown of super-hydrated kaolinite in cold slabs subducted below 200 km leads to the release of water that may affect seismicity and help fuel arc volcanism at the surface.

  15. Protocol for Measuring the Thermal Properties of a Supercooled Synthetic Sand-water-gas-methane Hydrate Sample.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muraoka, Michihiro; Susuki, Naoko; Yamaguchi, Hiroko; Tsuji, Tomoya; Yamamoto, Yoshitaka

    2016-03-21

    Methane hydrates (MHs) are present in large amounts in the ocean floor and permafrost regions. Methane and hydrogen hydrates are being studied as future energy resources and energy storage media. To develop a method for gas production from natural MH-bearing sediments and hydrate-based technologies, it is imperative to understand the thermal properties of gas hydrates. The thermal properties' measurements of samples comprising sand, water, methane, and MH are difficult because the melting heat of MH may affect the measurements. To solve this problem, we performed thermal properties' measurements at supercooled conditions during MH formation. The measurement protocol, calculation method of the saturation change, and tips for thermal constants' analysis of the sample using transient plane source techniques are described here. The effect of the formation heat of MH on measurement is very small because the gas hydrate formation rate is very slow. This measurement method can be applied to the thermal properties of the gas hydrate-water-guest gas system, which contains hydrogen, CO2, and ozone hydrates, because the characteristic low formation rate of gas hydrate is not unique to MH. The key point of this method is the low rate of phase transition of the target material. Hence, this method may be applied to other materials having low phase-transition rates.

  16. Methane and carbon dioxide hydrates on Mars: Potential origins, distribution, detection, and implications for future in situ resource utilization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellenbarg, Robert E.; Max, Michael D.; Clifford, Stephen M.

    2003-04-01

    There is high probability for the long-term crustal accumulation of methane and carbon dioxide on Mars. These gases can arise from a variety of processes, including deep biosphere activity and abiotic mechanisms, or, like water, they could exist as remnants of planetary formation and by-products of internal differentiation. CH4 and CO2 would tend to rise buoyantly toward the planet's surface, condensing with water under appropriate conditions of temperature and pressure to form gas hydrate. Gas hydrates are a class of materials created when gas molecules are trapped within a crystalline lattice of water-ice. The hydrate stability fields of both CH4 and CO2 encompass a portion of the Martian crust that extends from within the water-ice cryosphere, from a depth as shallow as ~10-20 m to as great as a kilometer or more below the base of the Martian cryosphere. The presence and distribution of methane and carbon dioxide hydrates may be of critical importance in understanding the geomorphic evolution of Mars and the geophysical identification of water and other volatiles stored in the hydrates. Of critical importance, Martian gas hydrates would ensure the availability of key in situ resources for sustaining future robotic and human exploration, and the eventual colonization, of Mars.

  17. The effect of water molecules on the thiol collector interaction on the galena (PbS) and sphalerite (ZnS) surfaces: A DFT study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Long, Xianhao [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004 (China); Chen, Ye, E-mail: fby18@126.com [College of Resources and Metallurgy, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004 (China); Chen, Jianhua, E-mail: jhchen@gxu.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004 (China); College of Resources and Metallurgy, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004 (China); Xu, Zhenghe; Liu, Qingxia [Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2V4 (Canada); Du, Zheng [National Supercomputing Center in Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055 (China)

    2016-12-15

    Highlights: • Water adsorption has a greater effect on the electron distribution of ZnS surface than PbS surface. • Water adsorption decreases the reactivity of ZnS surface atoms but improves that of PbS. • Thiol collectors cannot interact with the hydrated ZnS surface. • The hydration has little influence on the interaction of thiol collectors with PbS surface. - Abstracts: In froth flotation the molecular interaction between reagents and mineral surfaces take place at the solid liquid interface. In this paper, the effect of water molecule on the three typical thiol collectors (xanthate, dithiocarbomate and dithiophosphate) interactions at the galena (PbS) and sphalerite (ZnS) surfaces has been studied adopting density functional theory (DFT). The results suggests that the presence of water molecule shows a greater influence on the electron distribution of ZnS surface than PbS surface, and reduce the reactivity of ZnS surface atoms but improves the reactivity of PbS surface atoms during the reaction with xanthate. Water adsorption could also reduce the covalent binding between Zn and S atoms but have little influence on Pb-S bond. In the presence of water, xanthate, dithiocarbomate (DTC) and dithiophosphate (DTP) could not adsorb on the sphalerite surface. And for galena (PbS) surface, the interaction of DTP is the strongest, then the DTC and the interaction of xanthate is the weakest. These results agree well with the flotation practice.

  18. Influence of smectite hydration and swelling on atrazine sorption behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chappell, Mark A; Laird, David A; Thompson, Michael L; Li, Hui; Teppen, Brian J; Aggarwal, Vaneet; Johnston, Cliff T; Boyd, Stephen A

    2005-05-01

    Smectites, clay minerals commonly found in soils and sediments, vary widely in their ability to adsorb organic chemicals. Recent research has demonstrated the importance of surface charge density and properties of exchangeable cations in controlling the affinity of smectites for organic molecules. In this study, we induced hysteresis in the crystalline swelling of smectites to test the hypothesis that the extent of crystalline swelling (or interlayer hydration status) has a large influence on the ability of smectites to adsorb atrazine from aqueous systems. Air-dried K-saturated Panther Creek (PC) smectite swelled less (d(001) = 1.38 nm) than never-dried K-PC (d(001) = 1.7 nm) when rehydrated in 20 mM KCl. Correspondingly, the air-dried-rehydrated K-PC had an order of magnitude greater affinity for atrazine relative to the never-dried K-PC. Both air-dried-rehydrated and never-dried Ca-PC expanded to approximately 2.0 nm in 10 mM CaCl2 and both samples had similar affinities for atrazine that were slightly lower than that of never-dried K-PC. The importance of interlayer hydration status in controlling sorption affinity was confirmed by molecular modeling, which revealed much greater interaction between interlayer water molecules and atrazine in a three-layer hydrate relative to a one-layer hydrate. The entropy change on moving atrazine from a fully hydrated state in the bulk solution to a partially hydrated state in the smectite interlayers is believed to be a major factor influencing sorption affinity. In an application test, choice of background solution (20 mM KCl versus 10 mM CaCl2) and air-drying treatments significantly affected atrazine sorption affinities for three-smectitic soils; however, the trends were not consistent with those observed for the reference smectite. Further, extending the initial rehydration time from 24 to 240 h (prior to adding atrazine) significantly decreased the soil's sorption affinity for atrazine. We conclude that interlayer

  19. Unraveling the reaction mechanism on nitrile hydration catalyzed by [Pd(OH2)4]2+: insights from theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tílvez, Elkin; Menéndez, María I; López, Ramón

    2013-07-01

    Density functional theory methodologies combined with continuum and discrete-continuum descriptions of solvent effects were used to investigate the [Pd(OH2)4](2+)-catalyzed acrylonitrile hydration to yield acrylamide. According to our results, the intramolecular hydroxide attack mechanism and the external addition mechanism of a water molecule with rate-determining Gibbs energy barriers in water solution of 27.6 and 28.3 kcal/mol, respectively, are the most favored. The experimental kinetic constants of the hydration started by hydroxide, k(OH), and water, k(H2O), attacks for the cis-[Pd(en)(OH2)2](2+)-catalyzed dichloroacetonitrile hydration rendered Gibbs energy barriers whose energy difference, 0.7 kcal/mol, is the same as that obtained in the present study. Our investigation reveals the nonexistence of the internal attack of a water ligand for Pd-catalyzed nitrile hydration. At the low pHs used experimentally, the equilibrium between [Pd(OH2)3(nitrile)](2+) and [Pd(OH2)2(OH)(nitrile)](+) is completely displaced to [Pd(OH2)3(nitrile)](2+). Experimental studies in these conditions stated that water acts as a nucleophile, but they could not distinguish whether it was a water ligand, an external water molecule, or a combination of both possibilities. Our theoretical explorations clearly indicate that the external water mechanism becomes the only operative one at low pHs. On the basis of this mechanistic proposal it is also possible to ascribe an (1)H NMR signal experimentally detected to the presence of a unidentate iminol intermediate and to explain the influence of nitrile concentration reported experimentally for nitriles other than acrylonitrile in the presence of aqua-Pd(II) complexes. Therefore, our theoretical point of view on the mechanism of nitrile hydration catalyzed by aqua-Pd(II) complexes can shed light on these relevant processes at a molecular level as well as afford valuable information that can help in designing new catalysts in milder and more

  20. Changes in the solid state of anhydrous and hydrated forms of sodium naproxen under different grinding and environmental conditions: Evidence of the formation of new hydrated forms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Censi, Roberta; Rascioni, Riccardo; Di Martino, Piera

    2015-05-01

    particles by liquid nitrogen and by the grinding forces that created a close contact between water and drug. The simultaneous disruption of the crystals, occurring during grinding, and their close contact with water molecules promoted the conversion in higher hydrates. Under the Method D, it was possible to highlight a certain tendency to hydration probably due to a rearrangement of water already present into the hydrates, but results were substantially different from Method B. Thus, summarizing, the different SN forms behave differently under different grinding and environmental conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Computational Dehydration of Crystalline Hydrates Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Anders Støttrup; Rantanen, Jukka; Johansson, Kristoffer E

    2017-01-01

    Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have evolved to an increasingly reliable and accessible technique and are today implemented in many areas of biomedical sciences. We present a generally applicable method to study dehydration of hydrates based on MD simulations and apply this approach...... to the dehydration of ampicillin trihydrate. The crystallographic unit cell of the trihydrate is used to construct the simulation cell containing 216 ampicillin and 648 water molecules. This system is dehydrated by removing water molecules during a 2200 ps simulation, and depending on the computational dehydration....... The structural changes could be followed in real time, and in addition, an intermediate amorphous phase was identified. The computationally identified dehydrated structure (anhydrate) was slightly different from the experimentally known anhydrate structure suggesting that the simulated computational structure...

  2. Petrophysical Characterization and Reservoir Simulator for Methane Gas Production from Gulf of Mexico Hydrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kishore Mohanty; Bill Cook; Mustafa Hakimuddin; Ramanan Pitchumani; Damiola Ogunlana; Jon Burger; John Shillinglaw

    2006-06-30

    Gas hydrates are crystalline, ice-like compounds of gas and water molecules that are formed under certain thermodynamic conditions. Hydrate deposits occur naturally within ocean sediments just below the sea floor at temperatures and pressures existing below about 500 meters water depth. Gas hydrate is also stable in conjunction with the permafrost in the Arctic. Most marine gas hydrate is formed of microbially generated gas. It binds huge amounts of methane into the sediments. Estimates of the amounts of methane sequestered in gas hydrates worldwide are speculative and range from about 100,000 to 270,000,000 trillion cubic feet (modified from Kvenvolden, 1993). Gas hydrate is one of the fossil fuel resources that is yet untapped, but may play a major role in meeting the energy challenge of this century. In this project novel techniques were developed to form and dissociate methane hydrates in porous media, to measure acoustic properties and CT properties during hydrate dissociation in the presence of a porous medium. Hydrate depressurization experiments in cores were simulated with the use of TOUGHFx/HYDRATE simulator. Input/output software was developed to simulate variable pressure boundary condition and improve the ease of use of the simulator. A series of simulations needed to be run to mimic the variable pressure condition at the production well. The experiments can be matched qualitatively by the hydrate simulator. The temperature of the core falls during hydrate dissociation; the temperature drop is higher if the fluid withdrawal rate is higher. The pressure and temperature gradients are small within the core. The sodium iodide concentration affects the dissociation pressure and rate. This procedure and data will be useful in designing future hydrate studies.

  3. Calcium Aluminate Cement Hydration Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matusinović, T.

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Calcium aluminate cement (AC is a very versatile special cement used for specific applications. As the hydration of AC is highly temperature dependent, yielding structurally different hydration products that continuously alter material properties, a good knowledge of thermal properties at early stages of hydration is essential. The kinetics of AC hydration is a complex process and the use of single mechanisms models cannot describe the rate of hydration during the whole stage.This paper examines the influence of temperature (ϑ=5–20 °C and water-to-cement mass ratio (mH /mAC = 0.4; 0.5 and 1.0 on hydration of commercial iron-rich AC ISTRA 40 (producer: Istra Cement, Pula, Croatia, which is a part of CALUCEM group, Figs 1–3. The flow rate of heat generation of cement pastes as a result of the hydration reactions was measured with differential microcalorimeter. Chemically bonded water in the hydrated cement samples was determined by thermo-gravimetry.Far less heat is liberated when cement and water come in contact for the first time, Fig. 1, than in the case for portland cement (PC. Higher water-to-cement ratio increases the heat evolved at later ages (Fig. 3 due to higher quantity of water available for hydration. A significant effect of the water-to-cement ratio on the hydration rate and hydration degree showed the importance of water as being the limiting reactant that slows down the reaction early. A simplified stoichiometric model of early age AC hydration (eq. (8 based on reaction schemes of principal minerals, nominally CA, C12A7 and C4AF (Table 1, was employed. Hydration kinetics after the induction period (ϑ < 20 °C had been successfully described (Fig. 4 and Table 2 by a proposed model (eq. (23 which simultaneously comprised three main mechanisms: nucleation and growth, interaction at phase boundary, and mass transfer. In the proposed kinetic model the nucleation and growth is proportional to the amount of reacted minerals (eq

  4. A spectroscopic study of the structure and occupancies of clathrate hydrates incorporating hydrogen

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grim, R. Gary

    -guest molecule. Finally, for all of the collective research on gas hydrates since their discovery in 1810 by Sir Humphrey Davy, the one common theme that unites them is the assumption that guest molecules are trapped at the center (or near center) of the host water cages that makes up the respective crystal structure. For the first time, this work provides evidence suggesting that this definition of clathrate hydrate guest occupancy is possibly incomplete, and should include the addition of interstitial sites within the water crystal lattice. Specifically, H2 is found within the shared heptagonal faces of the large (4 3596273) cage and in cavities formed from the disruption of smaller (445 4) water cages in structure VI hydrates. The ability of H2 to occupy these interstitial sites and fluctuate position in the crystal lattice demonstrates the dynamic behavior of H2 in solids and reveals new insight into guest-guest and guest-host interactions in clathrate hydrates with potential implications in increasing overall energy storage properties.

  5. Methane recovery from coal mine gas using hydrate formation in water-in-oil emulsions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhong, Dong-Liang; Ding, Kun; Lu, Yi-Yu; Yan, Jin; Zhao, Wei-Long

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A water-in-oil emulsion was developed for CH_4 separation from coal mine methane gas. • Stable W/O emulsions were obtained with water cut in the range of (10–70%). • Gas hydrates nucleated faster with the reduction of water–oil volume ratio. • Gas uptake increased with the decrease of water–oil volume ratio. • CH_4 recovery was greatly enhanced by hydrate formation in W/O emulsions. - Abstract: In this work, a water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion was developed using liquid water, mineral oil, Sorbitan monooleate (Span 80), and cyclopentane. It was employed to enhance gas hydrate formation for CH_4 separation from a simulated coal mine methane (CMM) gas (30 mol% CH_4, 60 mol% N_2, and 10 mol% O_2). The stability test at atmospheric pressure and at a high pressure of 3.5 MPa showed that stable W/O emulsions were obtained when the water–oil volume ratio (WOR) was below 80%. The emulsified droplets size was measured with WOR ranging from 10% to 70%. Then kinetic experiments of CH_4 separation by hydrate formation in W/O emulsions were carried out at 273.6 K and (3.5–5.0) MPa in batch operation. The results indicated that water–oil volume ratio is a key factor that affects the kinetics of gas hydrate formation from the CMM gas mixture. Hydrate nucleation was observed to occur faster while WOR was decreased, and gas uptake increased significantly with the decrease of WOR. CH_4 concentration in the recovered gas mixture was increased to 52 mol% as compared to 30 mol% in the original gas mixture through one-stage hydrate formation in the W/O emulsions. It was found that the experimental conditions of 273.6 K, 3.5 MPa and WOR = 30% were favorable for CH_4 recovery from the CMM gas. The CH_4 recovery obtained under these conditions was 43%. It was higher than those obtained at WOR = 10% and 70%, and was greatly increased as compared with those obtained in the same reactor with the presence of TBAB (26%) and CP (33%).

  6. Experimental observations on the competing effect of tetrahydrofuran and an electrolyte and the strength of hydrate inhibition among metal halides in mixed CO{sub 2} hydrate equilibria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sabil, Khalik M., E-mail: khalik_msabil@petronas.com.m [Delft University of Technology, Laboratory of Process Equipment, Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Leeghwaterstraat 44, 2628 CA Delft (Netherlands); Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Chemical Engineering Programme, Bandar Seri Iskandar, 31750 Tronoh, Perak (Malaysia); Roman, Vicente R.; Witkamp, Geert-Jan [Delft University of Technology, Laboratory of Process Equipment, Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Leeghwaterstraat 44, 2628 CA Delft (Netherlands); Peters, Cor J., E-mail: C.J.Peters@tudelft.n [Delft University of Technology, Laboratory of Process Equipment, Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Leeghwaterstraat 44, 2628 CA Delft (Netherlands); Petroleum Institute, Chemical Engineering Program, Bu Hasa Building, Room 2207A, P.O. Box 2533, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

    2010-03-15

    the strength of ionic-hydrogen bond between an ion and water molecule and the effects of this bond on the ambient water network are the major factors that contribute to hydrate inhibition by electrolytes.

  7. Enthalpy of dissociation and hydration number of methane hydrate from the Clapeyron equation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anderson, Graydon K.

    2004-01-01

    The enthalpies of the reactions in which methane hydrate is dissociated to methane vapor and either (1) water, or (2) ice are determined by a new analysis using the Clapeyron equation. The difference in enthalpies of the two reactions is used to infer the hydration number at the quadruple point where hydrate, ice, liquid water, and methane vapor coexist. By appropriate corrections, the hydration number at points removed from the quadruple point is also determined. The most important feature of the new analysis is the direct use of the Clapeyron equation. The method avoids the use of certain simplifying assumptions that have compromised the accuracy of previous analyses in which the Clausius-Clapeyron equation was used. The analysis takes into account the finite volumes of all phases, the non-ideality of the vapor phase, and the solubility of methane in water. The results show that the enthalpy of dissociation and hydration number are constant within experimental error over the entire (hydrate, liquid, vapor) coexistence region. The results are more accurate than but entirely consistent with almost all previous studies

  8. Infrared spectroscopy of anionic hydrated fluorobenzenes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schneider, Holger; Vogelhuber, Kristen M.; Weber, J. Mathias

    2007-01-01

    We investigate the structural motifs of anionic hydrated fluorobenzenes by infrared photodissociation spectroscopy and density functional theory. Our calculations show that all fluorobenzene anions under investigation are strongly distorted from the neutral planar molecular geometries. In the anions, different F atoms are no longer equivalent, providing structurally different binding sites for water molecules and giving rise to a multitude of low-lying isomers. The absorption bands for hexa- and pentafluorobenzene show that only one isomer for the respective monohydrate complexes is populated in our experiment. For C 6 F 6 - ·H 2 O, we can assign these bands to an isomer where water forms a weak double ionic hydrogen bond with two F atoms in the ion, in accord with the results of Bowen et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 127, 014312 (2007), following paper.] The spectroscopic motif of the binary complexes changes slightly with decreasing fluorination of the aromatic anion. For dihydrated hexafluorobenzene anions, several isomers are populated in our experiments, some of which may be due to hydrogen bonding between water molecules

  9. The Dependence of Water Permeability in Quartz Sand on Gas Hydrate Saturation in the Pore Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kossel, E.; Deusner, C.; Bigalke, N.; Haeckel, M.

    2018-02-01

    Transport of fluids in gas hydrate bearing sediments is largely defined by the reduction of the permeability due to gas hydrate crystals in the pore space. Although the exact knowledge of the permeability behavior as a function of gas hydrate saturation is of crucial importance, state-of-the-art simulation codes for gas production scenarios use theoretically derived permeability equations that are hardly backed by experimental data. The reason for the insufficient validation of the model equations is the difficulty to create gas hydrate bearing sediments that have undergone formation mechanisms equivalent to the natural process and that have well-defined gas hydrate saturations. We formed methane hydrates in quartz sand from a methane-saturated aqueous solution and used magnetic resonance imaging to obtain time-resolved, three-dimensional maps of the gas hydrate saturation distribution. These maps were fed into 3-D finite element method simulations of the water flow. In our simulations, we tested the five most well-known permeability equations. All of the suitable permeability equations include the term (1-SH)n, where SH is the gas hydrate saturation and n is a parameter that needs to be constrained. The most basic equation describing the permeability behavior of water flow through gas hydrate bearing sand is k = k0 (1-SH)n. In our experiments, n was determined to be 11.4 (±0.3). Results from this study can be directly applied to bulk flow analysis under the assumption of homogeneous gas hydrate saturation and can be further used to derive effective permeability models for heterogeneous gas hydrate distributions at different scales.

  10. Analysis of the hydration water around bovine serum albumin using terahertz coherent synchrotron radiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bye, Jordan W; Meliga, Stefano; Ferachou, Denis; Cinque, Gianfelice; Zeitler, J Axel; Falconer, Robert J

    2014-01-09

    Terahertz spectroscopy was used to study the absorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) in water. The Diamond Light Source operating in a low alpha mode generated coherent synchrotron radiation that covered a useable spectral bandwidth of 0.3-3.3 THz (10-110 cm(-1)). As the BSA concentration was raised, there was a nonlinear change in absorption inconsistent with Beer's law. At low BSA concentrations (0-1 mM), the absorption remained constant or rose slightly. Above a concentration of 1 mM BSA, a steady decrease in absorption was observed, which was followed by a plateau that started at 2.5 mM. Using a overlapping hydration layer model, the hydration layer was estimated to extend 15 Å from the protein. Calculation of the corrected absorption coefficient (αcorr) for the water around BSA by subtracting the excluded volume of the protein provides an alternative approach to studying the hydration layer that provides evidence for complexity in the population of water around BSA.

  11. Vibrational and orientational dynamics of water in aqueous hydroxide solutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunger, Johannes; Liu, Liyuan; Tielrooij, Klaas-Jan; Bonn, Mischa; Bakker, Huib

    2011-09-28

    We report the vibrational and orientational dynamics of water molecules in isotopically diluted NaOH and NaOD solutions using polarization-resolved femtosecond vibrational spectroscopy and terahertz time-domain dielectric relaxation measurements. We observe a speed-up of the vibrational relaxation of the O-D stretching vibration of HDO molecules outside the first hydration shell of OH(-) from 1.7 ± 0.2 ps for neat water to 1.0 ± 0.2 ps for a solution of 5 M NaOH in HDO:H(2)O. For the O-H vibration of HDO molecules outside the first hydration shell of OD(-), we observe a similar speed-up from 750 ± 50 fs to 600 ± 50 fs for a solution of 6 M NaOD in HDO:D(2)O. The acceleration of the decay is assigned to fluctuations in the energy levels of the HDO molecules due to charge transfer events and charge fluctuations. The reorientation dynamics of water molecules outside the first hydration shell are observed to show the same time constant of 2.5 ± 0.2 ps as in bulk liquid water, indicating that there is no long range effect of the hydroxide ion on the hydrogen-bond structure of liquid water. The terahertz dielectric relaxation experiments show that the transfer of the hydroxide ion through liquid water involves the simultaneous motion of ~7 surrounding water molecules, considerably less than previously reported for the proton. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

  12. Diffusion of water adsorbed in hydrotalcite: neutron scattering Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mitra, S [Solid State Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai (India); Pramanik, A [Unilever Research India, Bangalore 500 066 (India); Chakrabarty, D [Godrej Sara Lee Limited, Research and Development Centre, Mumbai 400 079 (India); Juranyi, F [Laboratory for Neutron Scattering, ETHZ and PSI, CH-5232 Villigen PSI (Switzerland); Gautam, S [Solid State Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai (India); Mukhopadhyay, R [Solid State Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai (India)

    2007-12-15

    Layered double hydroxides (LDH) are a class of ionic lamellar solids with positively charged layers of two kinds of metallic cations and exchangeable hydrated anions. Quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) measurements are performed in this type of LDH structured hydrated hydrotalcite sample to study the dynamical behaviour of the water in geometric confinement within the layers. Dynamical parameters correspond to the confined water molecules revealed that depending on the amount of excess water present, behaves differently and approaches bulk values at high concentration. Both translational and rotational dynamical parameters showed that at very low concentration of excess water, water molecules are attached to the surfaces and show the confinement effect.

  13. Studies on the fixation of tritiated water using the cement hydration, 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishimaki, Kenzo; Tsutsui, Tenson; Miake, Chiaki.

    1989-01-01

    In the previous paper, we have reported the results of basic experiments to fix tritiated water using the hydration of cement, and found that most tritiated water transfers to surrounding water, even if it is incorporated using the hydration of cement. In this report, we tried to apply a simple compartment model to the tritium transfer curves reported in the previous paper, which represent the phenomena that most water containing tritium is exchanging with a surrounding water, regardless of its forms, i.e., a crystalline water, free water and so on. We divided a solidified cement into three groupes with respect to the exchangeability of water, i.e., a compartment of fixed water, of compositions expect water, and of exchanging water. We developed a simple compartment model under the assumption that the water in the third compartment is exchangeable with the sorrounding water with a certain exchanging volume rate E, not altering by time. The transfer curves calculated with the model contains unknown parameter, E. By the method of least squares, varying the values of E, we could obtain most approximated transfer curves of tritium to those obtained by the previous experiments. In the result, we knew that the simple compartment model is applied to the tritium transfer curves reported in the previous paper. (author)

  14. IR reflectance spectroscopy of carbon dioxide clathrate hydrates. Implications for Saturn's icy moons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oancea, A.; Grasset, O.; Le Menn, E.; Bezacier, L.; Bollengier, O.; Le Mouélic, S.; Tobie, G.

    2012-04-01

    A CO2 spectral band was discovered by VIMS on the Saturn's satellites Dione, Hyperion, Iapetus and Phoebe [1]. The band position on the three first satellites corresponds to CO2 trapped in a complex material, but no indication exists whether this latter is water ice or some mineral or complex organic compound [1]. On Phoebe, the CO2 spectral band is consistent with solid CO2 or CO2 molecules trapped in the small cages of a clathrate hydrate structure [2]. It is thought that clathrate hydrates could play a significant role in the chemistry of the solar nebula [3] and in the physical evolution of astrophysical objects [4]. But so far, no clathrate hydrate structure has been observed in astrophysical environments. Moreover, identification of molecules trapped in a clathrate hydrate structure is extremely difficult because of the strong IR vibration modes of the water ice matrix. In this work, experimental IR reflectance spectra for CO2 clathrate hydrates are studied on grains and films. Clathrates are synthesized in a high pressure autoclave at low temperatures. IR spectral analysis is made with a low pressure and low temperature cryostat. These experimental conditions - 80 spectrum will be presented. A comparison between the absorption bands of CO2 clathrate hydrates obtained in our lab and CO2 absorption bands as detected by VIMS on the icy satellites of Saturn will be shown. This experimental work confirms that VIMS data are not consistent with the presence of structure I CO2 clathrate hydrates on the surface of the icy moons. Possibility of having metastable structure II still remains unsolved and will be discussed. [1] Dalton et al., Space Sci. Rev. 2010, 153 : 113-154. [2] Cruikshank D.P. et al, Icarus, 2010, 206: 561-572. [3] Mousis O. et al , Ap. J. 2009, 691: 1780-1786. [4] Choukroun M. et al, in Solar System Ices, edited by Castillo-Rogez, J. et al., 2011.

  15. Molecular simulations and density functional theory calculations of bromine in clathrate hydrate phases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dureckova, Hana, E-mail: houci059@uottawa.ca; Woo, Tom K., E-mail: tom.woo@uottawa.ca [Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5N6 (Canada); Alavi, Saman, E-mail: saman.alavi@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca [Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5N6 (Canada); National Research Council of Canada, 100 Sussex Dr., Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5 (Canada); Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3 (Canada)

    2016-01-28

    Bromine forms a tetragonal clathrate hydrate structure (TS-I) very rarely observed in clathrate hydrates of other guest substances. The detailed structure, energetics, and dynamics of Br{sub 2} and Cl{sub 2} in TS-I and cubic structure I (CS-I) clathrate hydrates are studied in this work using molecular dynamics and quantum chemical calculations. X-ray diffraction studies show that the halogen-water–oxygen distances in the cages of these structures are shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radii of halogen and oxygen atoms. This suggests that the stabilizing effects of halogen bonding or other non-covalent interactions (NCIs) may contribute to the formation of the unique tetragonal bromine hydrate structure. We performed molecular dynamics simulations of Br{sub 2} and Cl{sub 2} clathrate hydrates using our previously developed five-site charge models for the dihalogen molecules [Dureckova et al. Can. J. Chem. 93, 864 (2015)] which reproduce the computed electrostatic potentials of the dihalogens and account for the electropositive σ-hole of the halogen bond donor (the dihalogen). Analysis of the radial distribution functions, enthalpies of encapsulation, velocity and orientation autocorrelation functions, and polar angle distributions are carried out for Br{sub 2} and Cl{sub 2} guests in various cages to contrast the properties of these guests in the TS-I and CS-I phases. Quantum chemical partial geometry optimizations of Br{sub 2} and Cl{sub 2} guests in the hydrate cages using the M06-2X functional give short halogen-water distances compatible with values observed in X-ray diffraction experiments. NCI plots of guest-cage structures are generated to qualitatively show the relative strength of the non-bonding interactions between dihalogens and water molecules. The differences between behaviors of Br{sub 2} and Cl{sub 2} guests in the hydrate cages may explain why bromine forms the unique TS-I phase.

  16. On the hydration and conformation of cocaine in solution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillams, Richard J.; Lorenz, Christian D.; McLain, Sylvia E.

    2017-05-01

    In order to develop theories relating to the mechanism through which cocaine can diffuse across the blood-brain barrier, it is important to understand the interplay between the hydration of the molecule and the adopted conformation. Here key differences in the hydration of cocaine hydrochloride (CHC) and freebase cocaine (CFB) are highlighted on the atomic scale in solution, through the use of molecular dynamics simulations. By adopting different conformations, CHC and CFB experience differing hydration environments. The interplay between these two factors may account for the vast difference in solubility of these two molecules.

  17. Low frequency enzyme dynamics as a function of temperature and hydration: A neutron scattering study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kurkal, V. [Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 368, D-69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Daniel, R.M. [Department of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton (New Zealand); Finney, John L. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University college, London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, England (United Kingdom); Tehei, M. [Department of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton (New Zealand); Dunn, R.V. [Department of Biological Sciences, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton (New Zealand); Smith, Jeremy C. [Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 368, D-69120 Heidelberg (Germany)], E-mail: biocomputing@iwr.uni-heidelberg.de

    2005-10-31

    The effect of hydration and temperature on the low-frequency dynamics of the enzyme Pig liver esterase has been investigated with incoherent neutron scattering experiments. The results suggest that at low temperature, increasing hydration results in lower flexibility of the protein. At higher temperatures, systems containing sufficient number of water molecules interacting with the protein exhibit increased flexibility. The environmental force constants indicate that the environment of the protein is more rigid below than it is above the dynamical transition temperature.

  18. CO2 capture by gas hydrate crystallization: Application on the CO2-N2 mixture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bouchemoua, A.

    2012-01-01

    CO 2 capture and sequestration represent a major industrial and scientific challenge of this century. There are different methods of CO 2 separation and capture, such as solid adsorption, amines adsorption and cryogenic fractionation. Although these processes are well developed at industrial level, they are energy intensive. Hydrate formation method is a less energy intensive and has an interesting potential to separate carbon dioxide. Gas hydrates are Document crystalline compounds that consist of hydrogen bonded network of water molecules trapping a gas molecule. Gas hydrate formation is favored by high pressure and low temperature. This study was conducted as a part of the SECOHYA ANR Project. The objective is to study the thermodynamic and kinetic conditions of the process to capture CO 2 by gas hydrate crystallization. Firstly, we developed an experimental apparatus to carry out experiments to determine the thermodynamic and kinetic formation conditions of CO 2 -N 2 gas hydrate mixture in water as liquid phase. We showed that the operative pressure may be very important and the temperature very low. For the feasibility of the project, we used TBAB (Tetrabutylammonium Bromide) as thermodynamic additive in the liquid phase. The use of TBAB may reduce considerably the operative pressure. In the second part of this study, we presented a thermodynamic model, based on the van der Waals and Platteeuw model. This model allows the estimation of thermodynamic equilibrium conditions. Experimental equilibrium data of CO 2 -CH 4 and CO 2 -N 2 mixtures are presented and compared to theoretical results. (author)

  19. Electric double-layer capacitor based on an ionic clathrate hydrate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Wonhee; Kwon, Minchul; Park, Seongmin; Lim, Dongwook; Cha, Jong-Ho; Lee, Huen

    2013-07-01

    Herein, we suggest a new approach to an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC) that is based on a proton-conducting ionic clathrate hydrate (ICH). The ice-like structures of clathrate hydrates, which are comprised of host water molecules and guest ions, make them suitable for applications in EDLC electrolytes, owing to their high proton conductivities and thermal stabilities. The carbon materials in the ICH Me4NOH⋅5 H2O show a high specific capacitance, reversible charge-discharge behavior, and a long cycle life. The ionic-hydrate complex provides the following advantages in comparison with conventional aqueous and polymer electrolytes: 1) The ICH does not cause leakage problems under normal EDLC operating conditions. 2) The hydrate material can be utilized itself, without requiring any pre-treatments or activation for proton conduction, thus shortening the preparation procedure of the EDLC. 3) The crystallization of the ICH makes it possible to tailor practical EDLC dimensions because of its fluidity as a liquid hydrate. 4) The hydrate solid electrolyte exhibits more-favorable electrochemical stability than aqueous and polymer electrolytes. Therefore, ICH materials are expected to find practical applications in versatile energy devices that incorporate electrochemical systems. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Hydration Control of the Mechanical and Dynamical Properties of Cellulose

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Petridis, Loukas; O’Neill, Hugh M.; Johnsen, Mariah [Ripon College, Ripon, Wisconsin 54971, United States; Fan, Bingxin [Department; Schulz, Roland [Department; Mamontov, Eugene; Maranas, Janna [Department; Langan, Paul [Department; Smith, Jeremy C. [Department

    2014-10-13

    The mechanical and dynamical properties of cellulose, the most abundant biomolecule on earth, are essential for its function in plant cell walls and advanced biomaterials. Cellulose is almost always found in a hydrated state, and it is therefore important to understand how hydration influences its dynamics and mechanics. Here, the nanosecond-time scale dynamics of cellulose is characterized using dynamic neutron scattering experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The experiments reveal that hydrated samples exhibit a higher average mean-square displacement above ~240 K. The MD simulation reveals that the fluctuations of the surface hydroxymethyl atoms determine the experimental temperature and hydration dependence. The increase in the conformational disorder of the surface hydroxymethyl groups with temperature follows the cellulose persistence length, suggesting a coupling between structural and mechanical properties of the biopolymer. In the MD simulation, 20% hydrated cellulose is more rigid than the dry form, due to more closely packed cellulose chains and water molecules bridging cellulose monomers with hydrogen bonds. This finding may have implications for understanding the origin of strength and rigidity of secondary plant cell walls. The detailed characterization obtained here describes how hydration-dependent increased fluctuations and hydroxymethyl disorder at the cellulose surface lead to enhancement of the rigidity of this important biomolecule.

  1. Gas hydrates: entrance to a methane age or climate threat?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krey, Volker; Nakicenovic, Nebojsa; Grubler, Arnulf; O'Neill, Brian; Riahi, Keywan; Canadell, Josep G; Abe, Yuichi; Andruleit, Harald; Archer, David; Hamilton, Neil T M; Johnson, Arthur; Kostov, Veselin; Lamarque, Jean-Francois; Langhorne, Nicholas; Nisbet, Euan G; Riedel, Michael; Wang Weihua; Yakushev, Vladimir

    2009-01-01

    Methane hydrates, ice-like compounds in which methane is held in crystalline cages formed by water molecules, are widespread in areas of permafrost such as the Arctic and in sediments on the continental margins. They are a potentially vast fossil fuel energy source but, at the same time, could be destabilized by changing pressure-temperature conditions due to climate change, potentially leading to strong positive carbon-climate feedbacks. To enhance our understanding of both the vulnerability of and the opportunity provided by methane hydrates, it is necessary (i) to conduct basic research that improves the highly uncertain estimates of hydrate occurrences and their response to changing environmental conditions, and (ii) to integrate the agendas of energy security and climate change which can provide an opportunity for methane hydrates-in particular if combined with carbon capture and storage-to be used as a 'bridge fuel' between carbon-intensive fossil energies and zero-emission energies. Taken one step further, exploitation of dissociating methane hydrates could even mitigate against escape of methane to the atmosphere. Despite these opportunities, so far, methane hydrates have been largely absent from energy and climate discussions, including global hydrocarbon assessments and the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

  2. Seismic Modeling Of Reservoir Heterogeneity Scales: An Application To Gas Hydrate Reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, J.; Bellefleur, G.; Milkereit, B.

    2008-12-01

    Natural gas hydrates, a type of inclusion compound or clathrate, are composed of gas molecules trapped within a cage of water molecules. The occurrence of gas hydrates in permafrost regions has been confirmed by core samples recovered from the Mallik gas hydrate research wells located within Mackenzie Delta in Northwest Territories of Canada. Strong vertical variations of compressional and shear sonic velocities and weak surface seismic expressions of gas hydrates indicate that lithological heterogeneities control the distribution of hydrates. Seismic scattering studies predict that typical scales and strong physical contrasts due to gas hydrate concentration will generate strong forward scattering, leaving only weak energy captured by surface receivers. In order to understand the distribution of hydrates and the seismic scattering effects, an algorithm was developed to construct heterogeneous petrophysical reservoir models. The algorithm was based on well logs showing power law features and Gaussian or Non-Gaussian probability density distribution, and was designed to honor the whole statistical features of well logs such as the characteristic scales and the correlation among rock parameters. Multi-dimensional and multi-variable heterogeneous models representing the same statistical properties were constructed and applied to the heterogeneity analysis of gas hydrate reservoirs. The petrophysical models provide the platform to estimate rock physics properties as well as to study the impact of seismic scattering, wave mode conversion, and their integration on wave behavior in heterogeneous reservoirs. Using the Biot-Gassmann theory, the statistical parameters obtained from Mallik 5L-38, and the correlation length estimated from acoustic impedance inversion, gas hydrate volume fraction in Mallik area was estimated to be 1.8%, approximately 2x108 m3 natural gas stored in a hydrate bearing interval within 0.25 km2 lateral extension and between 889 m and 1115 m depth

  3. Hydrophobic hydration of poly-N-isopropyl acrylamide: a matter of the mean energetic state of water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bischofberger, I.; Calzolari, D. C. E.; de Los Rios, P.; Jelezarov, I.; Trappe, V.

    2014-03-01

    The enthalpically favoured hydration of hydrophobic entities, termed hydrophobic hydration, impacts the phase behaviour of numerous amphiphiles in water. Here, we show experimental evidence that hydrophobic hydration is strongly determined by the mean energetics of the aqueous medium. We investigate the aggregation and collapse of an amphiphilic polymer, poly-N-isopropyl acrylamide (PNiPAM), in aqueous solutions containing small amounts of alcohol and find that the thermodynamic characteristics defining the phase transitions of PNiPAM evolve relative to the solvent composition at which the excess mixing enthalpy of the water/alcohol mixtures becomes minimal. Such correlation between solvent energetics and solution thermodynamics extends to other mixtures containing neutral organic solutes that are considered as kosmotropes to induce a strengthening of the hydrogen bonded water network. This denotes the energetics of water as a key parameter controlling the phase behaviour of PNiPAM and identifies the excess mixing enthalpy of water/kosmotrope mixtures as a gauge of the kosmotropic effect on hydrophobic assemblies.

  4. Trapped electron spectra in hydrates of sodium, potassium and tetraalkylammonium hydroxides of varying H2O content

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zagorski, Z.P.; Grodkowski, J.; Bobrowski, K.

    1980-01-01

    Transient spectra of e - sub(t) in hydrates at room temperature obtained by pulse radiolysis with Cerenkov L.S.M. are presented. The decrease in number of H 2 O molecules n, in KOH.nH 2 O and NaOH.nH 2 O is accompanied by a blue shift of the absorption maximum. The same tendency is observed in concentrated solutions. The shifts in tetraalkylammonium hydroxides are not as extended as in KOH and NaOH systems, because TAAH's coordinate more H 2 O molecules and the preparation of solution of higher concentration is not possible. Freezing of hydrates does not change the e - sub(t) spectrum considerably. The concept of the trap containing one molecule of water and one electron is discussed in the general context of the phenomena. (author)

  5. Can hydrate dissolution experiments predict the fate of a natural hydrate system?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hester, K.C.; Peltzer, E.T.; Dunk, R.M.; Walz, P.M.; Brewer, P.G. [Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Inst., Moss Landing, CA (United States); Dendy Sloan, E. [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States). Center for Hydrate Research

    2008-07-01

    Gas hydrates are naturally occurring compounds found in permafrost regions and in oceans. In the natural environment, sufficient temperature and pressure conditions for hydrate formation exist over a significant portion of the ocean. However, in addition to pressure and temperature, the chemical potential of the gas in the hydrate must be equal to the surrounding waters. If the concentration of the gas in surrounding water is under-saturated with respect to the gas in the hydrate, the hydrate will dissolve to drive the system towards chemical equilibrium. This paper presented a dissolution study of exposed hydrate from outcrops at Barkley Canyon, located off Vancouver Island, British Columbia. A previous field experiment on synthetic methane hydrate samples had demonstrated that mass transfer controlled dissolution in under-saturated seawater. However, seafloor hydrate outcrops have been shown to have significant longevity compared to expected dissolution rates based upon convective boundary layer diffusion calculations. An in-situ dissolution experiment was performed on two distinct natural hydrate fabrics in order to help resolve this apparent disconnect between the dissolution rates of synthetic and natural hydrate. The paper presented a map of Barkley Canyon and discussed the field measurements and methods for the study. Exposed outcrops of gas hydrates were cored using a specially constructed stainless steel coring device and a hydraulic ram was located inside the corer. Hydrate samples were cored directly using the a manipulator arm and then injected into a sampling cell. The hydrate was then added to an open mesh exposure container, which allowed for exposure to ambient benthic currents with minimal disturbance. As well, in order to observe the slow dissolution of the hydrate in seawater at Barkley Canyon, time-lapse photography was employed. Last, the paper presented the results of the hydrate fabric porosities and hydrate dissolution rates. It was

  6. Phosphate vibrations as reporters of DNA hydration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corcelli, Steven

    The asymmetric phosphate stretch vibrational frequency is extraordinarily sensitive to its local solvent environment. Using density functional theory calculations on the model compound dimethyl phosphate, the asymmetric phosphate stretch vibrational frequency was found to shift linearly with the magnitude of an electric field along the symmetry axis of the PO2 moiety (i.e. the asymmetric phosphate stretch is an excellent linear vibrational Stark effect probe). With this linear relationship established, asymmetric phosphate stretch vibrational frequencies were computed during the course of a molecular dynamics simulation of fully hydrated DNA. Moreover, contributions to shifts in the frequencies from subpopulations of water molecules (e.g. backbone, minor groove, major groove, etc.) were calculated to reveal how phosphate vibrations report the onset of DNA hydration in experiments that vary the relative humidity of non-condensing (dry) DNA samples.

  7. Evaluation of Hydrate Inhibition Performance of Water-soluble Polymers using Torque Measurement and Differential Scanning Calorimeter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Kyuchul; Park, Juwoon; Kim, Jakyung; Kim, Hyunho; Seo, Yutaek; Lee, Yohan; Seo, Yongwon

    2014-01-01

    In this work, hydrate inhibition performance of water-soluble polymers including pyrrolidone, caprolactam, acrylamide types were evaluated using torque measurement and high pressure differential scanning calorimeter (HP µ-DSC). The obtained experimental results suggest that the studied polymers represent the kinetic hydrate inhibition (KHI) performance. 0.5 wt% polyvinylcaprolactam (PVCap) solution shows the hydrate onset time of 34.4 min and subcooling temperature of 15.9 K, which is better KHI performance than that of pure water - hydrate onset time of 12.3 min and subcooling temperature of 6.0 K. 0.5 wt% polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) solution shows the hydrate onset time of 27.6 min and the subcooling temperature of 13.2 K while polyacrylamide-co-acrylic acid partial sodium salt (PAM-co-AA) solution shows less KHI performance than PVP solution at both 0.5 and 5.0 wt%. However, PAM-co-AA solution shows slow growth rate and low hydrate amount than PVCap. In addition to hydrate onset and growth condition, torque change with time was investigated as one of KHI evaluation methods. 0.5 wt% PVCap solution shows the lowest average torque of 6.4 N cm and 0.5 wt% PAM-co-AA solution shows the average torque of 7.2 N cm. For 0.5 wt% PVP solution, it increases 11.5 N cm and 5.0 wt% PAM-co-AA solution shows the maximum average torque of 13.4 N cm, which is similar to the average torque of pure water, 15.2 N cm. Judging from the experimental results obtained by both an autoclave and a HP µ-DSC, the PVCap solution shows the best performance among the KHIs in terms of delaying hydrate nucleation. From these results, it can be concluded that the torque change with time is useful to identify the flow ability of tested solution, and the further research on the inhibition of hydrate formation can be approached in various aspects using a HP µ-DSC

  8. Physicochemical Properties of α-Form Hydrated Crystalline Phase of 3-(10-Carboxydecyl)-1,1,1,3,5,5,5-heptamethyl Trisiloxane/Higher alcohol/Polyoxyethylene (5 mol) Glyceryl monostearate/Water System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uyama, Makoto; Araki, Hidefumi; Fukuhara, Tadao; Watanabe, Kei

    2018-06-07

    The α-form hydrated crystalline phase (often called as an α-gel) is one of the hydrated crystalline phases which can be exhibited by surfactants and lipids. In this study, a novel system of an α-form hydrated crystal was developed, composed of 3-(10-carboxydecyl)-1,1,1,3,5,5,5-heptamethyl trisiloxane (CDTS), polyoxyethylene (5 mol) glyceryl monostearate (GMS-5), higher alcohol. This is the first report to indicate that a silicone surfactant can form an α-form hydrated crystal. The physicochemical properties of this system were characterized by small and wide angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and diffusion-ordered NMR spectroscopy (DOSY) experiments. SWAXS and DSC measurements revealed that a plurality of crystalline phases coexist in the CDTS/higher alcohol/water ternary system. By adding GMS-5 to the ternary system, however, a wide region of a single α-form hydrated crystalline phase was obtained. The self-diffusion coefficients (D sel ) from the NMR measurements suggested that all of the CDTS, GMS-5, and higher alcohol molecules were incorporated into the same α-form hydrated crystals.

  9. In-situ gas hydrate hydrate saturation estimated from various well logs at the Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well, Alaska North Slope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, M.W.; Collett, T.S.

    2011-01-01

    In 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed detailed analysis and interpretation of available 2-D and 3-D seismic data and proposed a viable method for identifying sub-permafrost gas hydrate prospects within the gas hydrate stability zone in the Milne Point area of northern Alaska. To validate the predictions of the USGS and to acquire critical reservoir data needed to develop a long-term production testing program, a well was drilled at the Mount Elbert prospect in February, 2007. Numerous well log data and cores were acquired to estimate in-situ gas hydrate saturations and reservoir properties.Gas hydrate saturations were estimated from various well logs such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), P- and S-wave velocity, and electrical resistivity logs along with pore-water salinity. Gas hydrate saturations from the NMR log agree well with those estimated from P- and S-wave velocity data. Because of the low salinity of the connate water and the low formation temperature, the resistivity of connate water is comparable to that of shale. Therefore, the effect of clay should be accounted for to accurately estimate gas hydrate saturations from the resistivity data. Two highly gas hydrate-saturated intervals are identified - an upper ???43 ft zone with an average gas hydrate saturation of 54% and a lower ???53 ft zone with an average gas hydrate saturation of 50%; both zones reach a maximum of about 75% saturation. ?? 2009.

  10. Molecular dynamics study of the solvation of calcium carbonate in water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruneval, Fabien; Donadio, Davide; Parrinello, Michele

    2007-10-25

    We performed molecular dynamics simulations of diluted solutions of calcium carbonate in water. To this end, we combined and tested previous polarizable models. The carbonate anion forms long-living hydrogen bonds with water and shows an amphiphilic character, in which the water molecules are expelled in a region close to its C(3) symmetry axis. The calcium cation forms a strongly bound ion pair with the carbonate. The first hydration shell around the CaCO(3) pair is found to be very similar to the location of the water molecules surrounding CaCO(3) in ikaite, the hydrated mineral.

  11. Polarization and charge transfer in the hydration of chloride ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Zhen; Rogers, David M.; Beck, Thomas L.

    2010-01-01

    A theoretical study of the structural and electronic properties of the chloride ion and water molecules in the first hydration shell is presented. The calculations are performed on an ensemble of configurations obtained from molecular dynamics simulations of a single chloride ion in bulk water. The simulations utilize the polarizable AMOEBA force field for trajectory generation and MP2-level calculations are performed to examine the electronic structure properties of the ions and surrounding waters in the external field of more distant waters. The ChelpG method is employed to explore the effective charges and dipoles on the chloride ions and first-shell waters. The quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) is further utilized to examine charge transfer from the anion to surrounding water molecules. The clusters extracted from the AMOEBA simulations exhibit high probabilities of anisotropic solvation for chloride ions in bulk water. From the QTAIM analysis, 0.2 elementary charges are transferred from the ion to the first-shell water molecules. The default AMOEBA model overestimates the average dipole moment magnitude of the ion compared to the quantum mechanical value. The average magnitude of the dipole moment of the water molecules in the first shell treated at the MP2-level, with the more distant waters handled with an AMOEBA effective charge model, is 2.67 D. This value is close to the AMOEBA result for first-shell waters (2.72 D) and is slightly reduced from the bulk AMOEBA value (2.78 D). The magnitude of the dipole moment of the water molecules in the first solvation shell is most strongly affected by the local water-water interactions and hydrogen bonds with the second solvation shell, rather than by interactions with the ion.

  12. An Examination of the Prediction of Hydrate Formation Conditions in the Presence of Thermodynamic Inhibitors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carollina de M. Molinari O. Antunes

    Full Text Available Abstract Gas hydrates are crystalline compounds, solid structures where water traps small guest molecules, typically light gases, in cages formed by hydrogen bonds. They are notorious for causing problems in oil and gas production, transportation and processing. Gas hydrates may form at pressures and temperatures commonly found in natural gas and oil production pipelines, thus causing partial or complete pipe blockages. In order to inhibit hydrate formation, chemicals such as alcohols (e.g., ethanol, methanol, mono-ethylene glycol and salts (sodium, magnesium or potassium chloride are injected into the produced stream. The purpose of this work is to briefly review the literature on hydrate formation in mixtures containing light gases (hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide and water in the presence of thermodynamic inhibitors. Four calculation methods to predict hydrate formation in those systems were examined and compared. Three commercial packages (Multiflash®, PVTSim® and CSMGem and a hydrate prediction routine in Fortran90 using the van der Waals and Platteeuw theory and the Peng-Robinson equation of state were tested. Predictions given by the four methods were compared to independent experimental data from the literature. In general, the four methods were found to be reasonably accurate. CSMGem and Multiflash® showed the best results.

  13. Characterizing Natural Gas Hydrates in the Deep Water Gulf of Mexico: Applications for Safe Exploration and Production Activities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bent, Jimmy

    2014-05-31

    In 2000 Chevron began a project to learn how to characterize the natural gas hydrate deposits in the deep water portion of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Chevron is an active explorer and operator in the Gulf of Mexico and is aware that natural gas hydrates need to be understood to operate safely in deep water. In August 2000 Chevron worked closely with the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and held a workshop in Houston, Texas to define issues concerning the characterization of natural gas hydrate deposits. Specifically, the workshop was meant to clearly show where research, the development of new technologies, and new information sources would be of benefit to the DOE and to the oil and gas industry in defining issues and solving gas hydrate problems in deep water.

  14. Neutron emission during lithium deuteride hydration in heavy water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arzhannikov, A.V.; Kezerashvili, G.Ya.; Muratov, V.V.; Sinitskij, S.L.

    1989-01-01

    An experiment on neutron detection during lithium deuteride hydration in heavy water using a system of SNM-17 or SNM-18 gas counters was set up. Signals were simultaneously detected by 6 counters and the data were stored in a computer. At the same time the temperature of the reaction ampule external surface was measured. It was found that the neutron number per 1 gram of lithium deuteride reacted with water in the ampule was equal to several dozens if their initial energy was about 2.5 MeV. 4 refs.; 2 figs

  15. Thermodynamic stability and guest distribution of CH4/N2/CO2 mixed hydrates for methane hydrate production using N2/CO2 injection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, Dongwook; Ro, Hyeyoon; Seo, Yongwon; Seo, Young-ju; Lee, Joo Yong; Kim, Se-Joon; Lee, Jaehyoung; Lee, Huen

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • We examine the thermodynamic stability and guest distribution of CH 4 /N 2 /CO 2 mixed hydrates. • Phase equilibria of the CH 4 /N 2 /CO 2 mixed hydrates were measured to determine the thermodynamic stability. • The N 2 /CO 2 ratio of the hydrate phase is almost constant despite the enrichment of CO 2 in the hydrate phase. • 13 C NMR results indicate the preferential occupation of N 2 and CO 2 in the small and large cages of sI hydrates, respectively. - Abstract: In this study, thermodynamic stability and cage occupation behavior in the CH 4 – CO 2 replacement, which occurs in natural gas hydrate reservoirs by injecting flue gas, were investigated with a primary focus on phase equilibria and composition analysis. The phase equilibria of CH 4 /N 2 /CO 2 mixed hydrates with various compositions were measured to determine the thermodynamic stability of gas hydrate deposits replaced by N 2 /CO 2 gas mixtures. The fractional experimental pressure differences (Δp/p) with respect to the CSMGem predictions were found to range from −0.11 to −0.02. The composition analysis for various feed gas mixtures with a fixed N 2 /CO 2 ratio (4.0) shows that CO 2 is enriched in the hydrate phase, and the N 2 /CO 2 ratio in the hydrate phase is independent of the feed CH 4 fractions. Moreover, 13 C NMR measurements indicate that N 2 molecules preferentially occupy the small 5 12 cages of sI hydrates while the CO 2 molecules preferentially occupy the large 5 12 6 2 cages, resulting in an almost constant area ratio of CH 4 molecules in the large to small cages of the CH 4 /N 2 /CO 2 mixed hydrates. The overall experimental results provide a better understanding of stability conditions and guest distributions in natural gas hydrate deposits during CH 4 – flue gas replacement.

  16. Hydration Structure of the Quaternary Ammonium Cations

    KAUST Repository

    Babiaczyk, Wojtek Iwo

    2010-11-25

    Two indicators of the hydropathicity of small solutes are introduced and tested by molecular dynamics simulations. These indicators are defined as probabilities of the orientation of water molecules\\' dipoles and hydrogen bond vectors, conditional on a generalized distance from the solute suitable for arbitrarily shaped molecules. Using conditional probabilities, it is possible to distinguish features of the distributions in close proximity of the solute. These regions contain the most significant information on the hydration structure but cannot be adequately represented by using, as is usually done, joint distance-angle probability densities. Our calculations show that using our indicators a relative hydropathicity scale for the interesting test set of the quaternary ammonium cations can be roughly determined. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

  17. On the hydration of subnanometric antifouling organosilane adlayers: a molecular dynamics simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheikh, Sonia; Blaszykowski, Christophe; Nolan, Robert; Thompson, Damien; Thompson, Michael

    2015-01-01

    The connection between antifouling and surface hydration is a fascinating but daunting question to answer. Herein, we use molecular dynamics (MD) computer simulations to gain further insight into the role of surface functionalities in the molecular-level structuration of water (surface kosmotropicity)--within and atop subnanometric organosilane adlayers that were shown in previous experimental work to display varied antifouling behavior. Our simulations support the hypothesized intimate link between surface hydration and antifouling, in particular the importance of both internal and interfacial hydrophilicity and kosmotropicity. The antifouling mechanism is also discussed in terms of surface dehydration energy and water dynamicity (lability and mobility), notably the crucial requirement for clustered water molecules to remain tightly bound for extensive periods of time--i.e. exhibit slow exchange dynamics. A substrate effect on surface hydration, which would also participate in endowing antifouling adlayers with hydrogel-like characteristics, is also proposed. In contrast, the role of adlayer flexibility, if any, is assigned a secondary role in these ultrathin structures made of short building blocks. The conclusions from this work are well in line with those previously drawn in the literature. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Raman studies of methane-ethane hydrate metastability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohno, Hiroshi; Strobel, Timothy A; Dec, Steven F; Sloan, E Dendy; Koh, Carolyn A

    2009-03-05

    The interconversion of methane-ethane hydrate from metastable to stable structures was studied using Raman spectroscopy. sI and sII hydrates were synthesized from methane-ethane gas mixtures of 65% or 93% methane in ethane and water, both with and without the kinetic hydrate inhibitor, poly(N-vinylcaprolactam). The observed faster structural conversion rate in the higher methane concentration atmosphere can be explained in terms of the differences in driving force (difference in chemical potential of water in sI and sII hydrates) and kinetics (mass transfer of gas and water rearrangement). The kinetic hydrate inhibitor increased the conversion rate at 65% methane in ethane (sI is thermodynamically stable) but retards the rate at 93% methane in ethane (sII is thermodynamically stable), implying there is a complex interaction between the polymer, water, and hydrate guests at crystal surfaces.

  19. Selective and reactive hydration of nitriles to amides in water using silver nanoparticles stabilized by organic ligands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawai, Koji; Kawakami, Hayato; Narushima, Takashi; Yonezawa, Tetsu

    2015-01-01

    Water-dispersible silver nanoparticles stabilized by silver–carbon covalent bonds were prepared. They exhibited high catalytic activities for the selective hydration of nitriles to amides in water. The activation of a nitrile group by the functional groups of the substrates and the hydrophobic layer on the nanoparticles influenced the catalyzed reaction were confirmed. Alkyl nitriles could also be selectively hydrated

  20. Transparent hydrogel with enhanced water retention capacity by introducing highly hydratable salt

    OpenAIRE

    Bai, Yuanyuan; Chen, Baohong; Xiang, Feng; Zhou, Jinxiong; Wang, Hong; Suo, Zhigang

    2014-01-01

    Polyacrylamide hydrogels containing salt as electrolyte have been used as highly stretchable transparent electrodes in flexible electronics, but those hydrogels are easy to dry out due to water evaporation. Targeted, we try to enhance water retention capacity of polyacrylamide hydrogel by introducing highly hydratable salts into the hydrogel. These hydrogels show enhanced water retention capacity in different level. Specially, polyacrylamide hydrogel containing high content of lithium chlorid...

  1. Historical methane hydrate project review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collett, Timothy; Bahk, Jang-Jun; Frye, Matt; Goldberg, Dave; Husebo, Jarle; Koh, Carolyn; Malone, Mitch; Shipp, Craig; Torres, Marta

    2013-01-01

    In 1995, U.S. Geological Survey made the first systematic assessment of the volume of natural gas stored in the hydrate accumulations of the United States. That study, along with numerous other studies, has shown that the amount of gas stored as methane hydrates in the world greatly exceeds the volume of known conventional gas resources. However, gas hydrates represent both a scientific and technical challenge and much remains to be learned about their characteristics and occurrence in nature. Methane hydrate research in recent years has mostly focused on: (1) documenting the geologic parameters that control the occurrence and stability of gas hydrates in nature, (2) assessing the volume of natural gas stored within various gas hydrate accumulations, (3) analyzing the production response and characteristics of methane hydrates, (4) identifying and predicting natural and induced environmental and climate impacts of natural gas hydrates, and (5) analyzing the effects of methane hydrate on drilling safety.Methane hydrates are naturally occurring crystalline substances composed of water and gas, in which a solid water-­‐lattice holds gas molecules in a cage-­‐like structure. The gas and water becomes a solid under specific temperature and pressure conditions within the Earth, called the hydrate stability zone. Other factors that control the presence of methane hydrate in nature include the source of the gas included within the hydrates, the physical and chemical controls on the migration of gas with a sedimentary basin containing methane hydrates, the availability of the water also included in the hydrate structure, and the presence of a suitable host sediment or “reservoir”. The geologic controls on the occurrence of gas hydrates have become collectively known as the “methane hydrate petroleum system”, which has become the focus of numerous hydrate research programs.Recognizing the importance of methane hydrate research and the need for a coordinated

  2. Methods to determine hydration states of minerals and cement hydrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baquerizo, Luis G., E-mail: luis.baquerizoibarra@holcim.com [Innovation, Holcim Technology Ltd., CH-5113 Holderbank (Switzerland); Matschei, Thomas [Innovation, Holcim Technology Ltd., CH-5113 Holderbank (Switzerland); Scrivener, Karen L. [Laboratory of Construction Materials, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Saeidpour, Mahsa; Thorell, Alva; Wadsö, Lars [Building Materials, Lund University, Box 124, 221 000 Lund (Sweden)

    2014-11-15

    This paper describes a novel approach to the quantitative investigation of the impact of varying relative humidity (RH) and temperature on the structure and thermodynamic properties of salts and crystalline cement hydrates in different hydration states (i.e. varying molar water contents). The multi-method approach developed here is capable of deriving physico-chemical boundary conditions and the thermodynamic properties of hydrated phases, many of which are currently missing from or insufficiently reported in the literature. As an example the approach was applied to monosulfoaluminate, a phase typically found in hydrated cement pastes. New data on the dehydration and rehydration of monosulfoaluminate are presented. Some of the methods used were validated with the system Na{sub 2}SO{sub 4}–H{sub 2}O and new data related to the absorption of water by anhydrous sodium sulfate are presented. The methodology and data reported here should permit better modeling of the volume stability of cementitious systems exposed to various different climatic conditions.

  3. Methods to determine hydration states of minerals and cement hydrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baquerizo, Luis G.; Matschei, Thomas; Scrivener, Karen L.; Saeidpour, Mahsa; Thorell, Alva; Wadsö, Lars

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes a novel approach to the quantitative investigation of the impact of varying relative humidity (RH) and temperature on the structure and thermodynamic properties of salts and crystalline cement hydrates in different hydration states (i.e. varying molar water contents). The multi-method approach developed here is capable of deriving physico-chemical boundary conditions and the thermodynamic properties of hydrated phases, many of which are currently missing from or insufficiently reported in the literature. As an example the approach was applied to monosulfoaluminate, a phase typically found in hydrated cement pastes. New data on the dehydration and rehydration of monosulfoaluminate are presented. Some of the methods used were validated with the system Na 2 SO 4 –H 2 O and new data related to the absorption of water by anhydrous sodium sulfate are presented. The methodology and data reported here should permit better modeling of the volume stability of cementitious systems exposed to various different climatic conditions

  4. Water-assisted dehalogenation of thionyl chloride in the presence of water molecules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeung, Chi Shun; Ng, Ping Leung; Guan, Xiangguo; Phillips, David Lee

    2010-04-01

    A second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) and density functional theory (DFT) investigation of the dehalogenation reactions of thionyl chloride is reported, in which water molecules (up to seven) were explicitly involved in the reaction complex. The dehalogenation processes of thionyl chloride were found to be dramatically catalyzed by water molecules. The reaction rate became significantly faster as more water molecules became involved in the reaction complex. The dehalogenation processes can be reasonably simulated by the gas-phase water cluster models, which reveals that water molecules can help to solvate the thionyl chloride molecules and activate the release of the Cl(-) leaving group. The computed activation energies were used to compare the calculations to available experimental data.

  5. 2H Solid-State NMR Analysis of the Dynamics and Organization of Water in Hydrated Chitosan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fenfen Wang

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Understanding water–biopolymer interactions, which strongly affect the function and properties of biopolymer-based tissue engineering and drug delivery materials, remains a challenge. Chitosan, which is an important biopolymer for the construction of artificial tissue grafts and for drug delivery, has attracted extensive attention in recent decades, where neutralization with an alkali solution can substantially enhance the final properties of chitosan films cast from an acidic solution. In this work, to elucidate the effect of water on the properties of chitosan films, we investigated the dynamics and different states of water in non-neutralized (CTS-A and neutralized (CTS-N hydrated chitosan by mobility selective variable-temperature (VT 2H solid-state NMR spectroscopy. Four distinct types of water exist in all of the samples with regards to dynamic behavior. First, non-freezable, rigid and strongly bound water was found in the crystalline domain at low temperatures. The second component consists of weakly bound water, which is highly mobile and exhibits isotropic motion, even below 260 K. Another type of water undergoes well-defined 180° flips around their bisector axis. Moreover, free water is also present in the films. For the CTS-A sample in particular, another special water species were bounded to acetic acid molecules via strong hydrogen bonding. In the case of CTS-N, the onset of motions of the weakly bound water molecules at 260 K was revealed by 2H-NMR spectroscopy. This water is not crystalline, even below 260 K, which is also the major contribution to the flexibility of chitosan chains and thus toughness of materials. By contrast, such motion was not observed in CTS-A. On the basis of the 2H solid-state NMR results, it is concluded that the unique toughness of CTS-N mainly originates from the weakly bound water as well as the interactions between water and the chitosan chains.

  6. Enclathration of CO2 as a co-guest of structure H hydrates and its implications for CO2 capture and sequestration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Yohan; Lee, Dongyoung; Lee, Jong-Won; Seo, Yongwon

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • We examine sH hydrates with CO 2 + N 2 + neohexane for CO 2 capture and sequestration. • The structural transition occurs in the CO 2 (40%) + N 2 (60%) + neohexane system. • CO 2 molecules are enclathrated into sH hydrates in the N 2 -rich systems. • CO 2 selectivity in sH hydrates is slightly lower than that in sI hydrates. • ΔH d values provide information on the structural transition of sH to sI hydrates. - Abstract: In this study, the thermodynamic behaviors, cage-specific guest distributions, structural transition, and dissociation enthalpies of sH hydrates with CO 2 + N 2 gas mixtures were investigated for their potential applications to hydrate-based CO 2 capture and sequestration. The stability conditions of the CO 2 + N 2 + water systems and the CO 2 + N 2 + neohexane (2,2-dimethylbutane, NH) + water systems indicated that the gas mixtures in the range of flue gas compositions could form sH hydrates, thereby mitigating the pressure and temperature required for gas hydrate formation. Structure identification using powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) revealed the coexistence of sI and sH hydrates in the CO 2 (40%) + N 2 (60%) + NH system and the hydrate structure transformed from sH into sI as the CO 2 concentration increased. In addition, the Raman analysis clearly demonstrated that CO 2 molecules were enclathrated into the cages of sH hydrates in the N 2 -rich systems. It was found from direct CO 2 composition measurements that CO 2 selectivity in the sH hydrate phase was slightly lower than that in the corresponding sI hydrate phase. Dissociation enthalpy (ΔH d ) measurements using a high-pressure micro-differential scanning calorimeter (HP μ-DSC) indicated that the ΔH d values could also provide valuable information on the structural transition of sH to sI hydrates with respect to the CO 2 concentration in the feed gas. This study provides a better understanding of the thermodynamic and physicochemical background for CO 2

  7. Quantitative nanoscale water mapping in frozen-hydrated skin by low-loss electron energy-loss spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yakovlev, Sergey [Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030 (United States); Misra, Manoj; Shi, Shanling [Unilever Research and Development, Trumbull, CT 06611 (United States); Firlar, Emre [Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030 (United States); Libera, Matthew, E-mail: mlibera@stevens.edu [Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030 (United States)

    2010-06-15

    Spatially resolved low-loss electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) is a powerful method to quantitatively determine the water distribution in frozen-hydrated biological materials at high spatial resolution. However, hydrated tissue, particularly its hydrophilic protein-rich component, is very sensitive to electron radiation. This sensitivity has traditionally limited the achievable spatial resolution because of the relatively high noise associated with low-dose data acquisition. We show that the damage caused by high-dose data acquisition affects the accuracy of a multiple-least-squares (MLS) compositional analysis because of inaccuracies in the reference spectrum used to represent the protein. Higher spatial resolution combined with more accurate compositional analysis can be achieved if a reference spectrum is used that better represents the electron-beam-damaged protein component under frozen-hydrated conditions rather than one separately collected from dry protein under low-dose conditions. We thus introduce a method to extract the best-fitting protein reference spectrum from an experimental spectrum dataset. This method can be used when the MLS-fitting problem is sufficiently constrained so that the only unknown is the reference spectrum for the protein component. We apply this approach to map the distribution of water in cryo-sections obtained from frozen-hydrated tissue of porcine skin. The raw spectral data were collected at doses up to 10{sup 5} e/nm{sup 2} despite the fact that observable damage begins at doses as low as 10{sup 3} e/nm{sup 2}. The resulting spatial resolution of 10 nm is 5-10 times better than that in previous studies of frozen-hydrated tissue and is sufficient to resolve sub-cellular water fluctuations as well as the inter-cellular lipid-rich regions of skin where water-mediated processes are believed to play a significant role in the phenotype of keratinocytes in the stratum corneum.

  8. Quantitative nanoscale water mapping in frozen-hydrated skin by low-loss electron energy-loss spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yakovlev, Sergey; Misra, Manoj; Shi, Shanling; Firlar, Emre; Libera, Matthew

    2010-01-01

    Spatially resolved low-loss electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) is a powerful method to quantitatively determine the water distribution in frozen-hydrated biological materials at high spatial resolution. However, hydrated tissue, particularly its hydrophilic protein-rich component, is very sensitive to electron radiation. This sensitivity has traditionally limited the achievable spatial resolution because of the relatively high noise associated with low-dose data acquisition. We show that the damage caused by high-dose data acquisition affects the accuracy of a multiple-least-squares (MLS) compositional analysis because of inaccuracies in the reference spectrum used to represent the protein. Higher spatial resolution combined with more accurate compositional analysis can be achieved if a reference spectrum is used that better represents the electron-beam-damaged protein component under frozen-hydrated conditions rather than one separately collected from dry protein under low-dose conditions. We thus introduce a method to extract the best-fitting protein reference spectrum from an experimental spectrum dataset. This method can be used when the MLS-fitting problem is sufficiently constrained so that the only unknown is the reference spectrum for the protein component. We apply this approach to map the distribution of water in cryo-sections obtained from frozen-hydrated tissue of porcine skin. The raw spectral data were collected at doses up to 10 5 e/nm 2 despite the fact that observable damage begins at doses as low as 10 3 e/nm 2 . The resulting spatial resolution of 10 nm is 5-10 times better than that in previous studies of frozen-hydrated tissue and is sufficient to resolve sub-cellular water fluctuations as well as the inter-cellular lipid-rich regions of skin where water-mediated processes are believed to play a significant role in the phenotype of keratinocytes in the stratum corneum.

  9. The dynamics of water in hydrated white bread investigated using quasielastic neutron scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sjoestroem, J; Kargl, F; Fernandez-Alonso, F; Swenson, J

    2007-01-01

    The dynamics of water in fresh and in rehydrated white bread is studied using quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS). A diffusion constant for water in fresh bread, without temperature gradients and with the use of a non-destructive technique, is presented here for the first time. The self-diffusion constant for fresh bread is estimated to be D s = 3.8 x 10 -10 m 2 s -1 and the result agrees well with previous findings for similar systems. It is also suggested that water exhibits a faster dynamics than previously reported in the literature using equilibration of a hydration-level gradient monitored by vibrational spectroscopy. The temperature dependence of the dynamics of low hydration bread is also investigated for T = 280-350 K. The average relaxation time at constant momentum transfer (Q) shows an Arrhenius behavior in the temperature range investigated

  10. Use of salt hydrates as a heat storage medium for loading latent heat stores

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wasel-Nielen, J.; Merkenich, K.; Gehrig, O.; Sommer, K.

    1985-05-15

    The use of salt hydrate melting in the loading process is not favourable from the technical and energy point of view. According to the invention, a saturated solution is filled into the store at the required phase conversion point. This can be done by neutralization (e.g. a reaction between H/sub 3/PO4/NaOH/H/sub 2/O in the mol ratio of 1/2/10 gives Na/sub 2/HPO/sub 4/.12H/sub 2/O corresponding to Na/sub 2/SO/sub 4/.10H/sub 2/O), or by conversion of acid/basic salts with bases/acids respectively (e.g.Na/sub 3/PO/sub 4//H/sub 3/PO/sub 4//H/sub 2/O in the ratio 2/1/36 to Na/sub 2/HPO/sub 4/.12H/sub 2/O, analogous to K/sub 3/PO/sub 4/.7H/sub 2/O, KF.4H/sub 2/O or CaCl/sub 2/.6H/sub 2/O). During the process one must ensure accurate dosing and good mixing. A saturated solution is also available by dissolving salts free of water/or with little water in appropriate quantities of water below the melting point of the required hydrate. Such systems are used where the phase change heat exceeds the heat capacity of the water at this temperature and the hydrates should contain at least three crystal water molecules more than the nearest hydrate.

  11. Determination of membrane hydration numbers of alkali metal ions by insertion in a conducting polymer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skaarup, Steen; Junaid Mohamed Jafeen, Mohamed; Careem, M.A.

    2010-01-01

    , and a secondary (or outer) solvation shell, consisting of all other water molecules whose properties are still influenced significantly by the cation. Knowing the hydration number is important when considering, for instance, the transport of Na+ and K+ in biological cell membranes, since their different behavior...... may depend on the details of ion hydration. Although the solvation of alkali metal ions in aqueous solution has been discussed for many years, there is still no clear consensus. Part of the discrepancy is simply that different methods measure over different time scales, and therefore do...... not necessarily define the same hydration shell. This work presents a systematic study of one special variant of the hydration numbers of the 5 alkali metal ions, using the electrochemical insertion of the ions in a conducting polymer (polypyrrole containing the large immobile anion DBS-). The technique...

  12. Low-δD hydration rinds in Yellowstone perlites record rapid syneruptive hydration during glacial and interglacial conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bindeman, Ilya N.; Lowenstern, Jacob B.

    2016-01-01

    Hydration of silicic volcanic glass forms perlite, a dusky, porous form of altered glass characterized by abundant “onion-skin” fractures. The timing and temperature of perlite formation are enigmatic and could plausibly occur during eruption, during post-eruptive cooling, or much later at ambient temperatures. To learn more about the origin of natural perlite, and to fingerprint the hydration waters, we investigated perlitic glass from several synglacial and interglacial rhyolitic lavas and tuffs from the Yellowstone volcanic system. Perlitic cores are surrounded by a series of conchoidal cracks that separate 30- to 100-µm-thick slivers, likely formed in response to hydration-induced stress. H2O and D/H profiles confirm that most D/H exchange happens together with rapid H2O addition but some smoother D/H variations may suggest separate minor exchange by deuterium atom interdiffusion following hydration. The hydrated rinds (2–3 wt% H2O) transition rapidly (within 30 µm, or by 1 wt% H2O per 10 µm) to unhydrated glass cores. This is consistent with quenched “hydration fronts” where H2O diffusion coefficients are strongly dependent on H2O concentrations. The chemical, δ18O, and δD systematics of bulk glass records last equilibrium between ~110 and 60 °C without chemical exchange but with some δ18O exchange. Similarly, the δ18O of water extracted from glass by rapid heating suggests that water was added to the glass during cooling at higher rates of diffusion at 60–110 °C temperatures, compared with values expected from extrapolation of high-temperature (>400 °C) experimental data. The thick hydration rinds in perlites, measuring hundreds of microns, preserve the original D/H values of hydrating water as a recorder of paleoclimate conditions. Measured δD values in perlitic lavas are −150 to −191 or 20–40 ‰ lower than glass hydrated by modern Yellowstone waters. This suggests that Yellowstone perlites record the low-δD signature

  13. Interfacial water thickness at inorganic nanoconstructs and biomolecules: Size matters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cardellini, Annalisa; Fasano, Matteo; Chiavazzo, Eliodoro; Asinari, Pietro, E-mail: pietro.asinari@polito.it

    2016-04-29

    Water molecules in the proximity of solid nanostructures influence both the overall properties of liquid and the structure and functionality of solid particles. The study of water dynamics at solid–liquid interfaces has strong implications in energy, environmental and biomedical fields. This article focuses on the hydration layer properties in the proximity of Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) and biomolecules (proteins, polypeptides and amino acids). Here we show a quantitative relation between the solid surface extension and the characteristic length of water nanolayer (δ), which is confined at solid–liquid interfaces. Specifically, the size dependence is attributed to the limited superposition of nonbonded interactions in case of small molecules. These results may facilitate the design of novel energy or biomedical colloidal nanosuspensions, and a more fundamental understanding of biomolecular processes influenced by nanoscale water dynamics. - Highlights: • Properties of the water hydration layer are investigated. • New relation between extension of solid size and hydration layer established. • Possible impact on rational design of nanosuspensions.

  14. Experimental Study on Hydrate Induction Time of Gas-Saturated Water-in-Oil Emulsion using a High-Pressure Flow Loop

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lv X.F.

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Hydrate is one of the critical precipitates which have to be controlled for subsea flow assurance. The induction time of hydrate is therefore a significant parameter. However, there have been few studies on the induction time of the natural gas hydrate formation in a flow loop system. Consequently, a series of experiments were firstly performed, including water, natural gas and Diesel oil, on the hydrate induction time under various conditions such as the supercooling and supersaturation degree, water cut, anti-agglomerant dosage, etc. The experiments were conducted in a high-pressure hydrate flow loop newly constructed in the China University of Petroleum (Beijing, and dedicated to flow assurance studies. Then, based on previous research, this study puts forward a method for induction time, which is characterized by clear definition, convenient measurement and good generality. Furthermore, we investigated the influences of the experimental parameters and analyzed the experimental phenomena for the hydrate induction time in a flowing system.

  15. Na-montmorillonite hydrates under ethane rich reservoirs: NPzzT and MuPzzT simulations

    OpenAIRE

    Odriozola, G.; Aguilar, J. F.; López-Lemus, J.

    2005-01-01

    Na-montmorillonite hydrates in presence of ethane molecules are studied by means of hybrid Monte Carlo simulations in the NPzzT and MuPzzT ensembles. The NPzzT ensemble allows us to study the interlaminar distance as a function of water and ethane content. These data show clear plateaus for lower ethane contents and mainly for water contents consistent with the formation of a single water layer. In addition, from this ensemble the structure for some of these interlaminar compositions were ana...

  16. Theoretical Study of Infrared and Raman Spectra of Hydrated Magnesium Sulfate Salts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaban, Galina M.; Huo, Winifred M.; Lee, Timothy J.; Kwak, Dochan (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Harmonic and anharmonic vibrational frequencies, as well as infrared and Raman intensities, are calculated for MgSO4.nH20 (n=1-3). Electronic structure theory at the second order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) level with a triple-zeta + polarization (TZP) basis set is used to determine the geometry, properties, and vibrational spectra of pure and hydrated MgSO4 salts. The direct vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF) method and its correlation corrected (CC-VSCF) extension are used to determine anharmonic corrections to vibrational frequencies and intensities for the pure MgSO4 and its complex with one water molecule. Very significant differences are found between vibrational of water molecules in complexes with MgSO4 and pure water. Some of the O-H stretching frequencies are shifted to the red very significantly (by up to 1500-2000/cm) upon complexation with magnesium sulfate. They should be observed between 1700 and 3000/cm in a region very different from the corresponding O-H stretch frequency region of pure water (3700-3800/cm). In addition, the SO2 stretching vibrations are found at lower frequency regions than the water vibrations. They can serve as unique identifiers for the presence of sulfate salts. The predicted infrared and Raman spectra should be of valuable help in the design of future missions and analysis of observed data from the ice surface of Jupiter's moon Europa that possibly contains hydrated MgSO4 salts.

  17. Effects of Water Provision and Hydration on Cognitive Function among Primary-School Pupils in Zambia: A Randomized Trial.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victoria Trinies

    Full Text Available There is a well-established link between hydration and improved cognitive performance among adults, with evidence of similar findings among children. No trials have investigated the impact of water provision on cognitive performance among schoolchildren in hot and arid low-resource settings. We conducted a randomized-controlled trial in five schools with limited water access in Chipata district in Eastern province, Zambia, to assess the efficacy of water provision on cognition. Pupils in grades 3-6 were randomly assigned to either receive a bottle of drinking water that they could refill throughout the day (water group, n = 149 or only have access to drinking water that was normally available at the school (control group, n = 143. Hydration was assessed in the morning before provision of water and in the afternoon through urine specific gravity (Usg measured with a portable refractometer. In the afternoon we administered six cognitive tests to assess short-term memory, concentration, visual attention, and visual motor skills. Morning prevalence of dehydration, defined as Usg≥1.020, was 42%. Afternoon dehydration increased to 67% among the control arm and dropped to 10% among the intervention arm. We did not find that provision of water or hydration impacted cognitive test scores, although there were suggestive relationships between both water provision and hydration and increased scores on tests measuring visual attention. We identified key improvements to the study design that are warranted to further investigate this relationship.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01924546.

  18. Structure and hydration of membranes embedded with voltage-sensing domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krepkiy, Dmitriy; Mihailescu, Mihaela; Freites, J Alfredo; Schow, Eric V; Worcester, David L; Gawrisch, Klaus; Tobias, Douglas J; White, Stephen H; Swartz, Kenton J

    2009-11-26

    Despite the growing number of atomic-resolution membrane protein structures, direct structural information about proteins in their native membrane environment is scarce. This problem is particularly relevant in the case of the highly charged S1-S4 voltage-sensing domains responsible for nerve impulses, where interactions with the lipid bilayer are critical for the function of voltage-activated ion channels. Here we use neutron diffraction, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the structure and hydration of bilayer membranes containing S1-S4 voltage-sensing domains. Our results show that voltage sensors adopt transmembrane orientations and cause a modest reshaping of the surrounding lipid bilayer, and that water molecules intimately interact with the protein within the membrane. These structural findings indicate that voltage sensors have evolved to interact with the lipid membrane while keeping energetic and structural perturbations to a minimum, and that water penetrates the membrane, to hydrate charged residues and shape the transmembrane electric field.

  19. Balancing Accuracy and Computational Efficiency for Ternary Gas Hydrate Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, M. D.

    2011-12-01

    Geologic accumulations of natural gas hydrates hold vast organic carbon reserves, which have the potential of meeting global energy needs for decades. Estimates of vast amounts of global natural gas hydrate deposits make them an attractive unconventional energy resource. As with other unconventional energy resources, the challenge is to economically produce the natural gas fuel. The gas hydrate challenge is principally technical. Meeting that challenge will require innovation, but more importantly, scientific research to understand the resource and its characteristics in porous media. Producing natural gas from gas hydrate deposits requires releasing CH4 from solid gas hydrate. The conventional way to release CH4 is to dissociate the hydrate by changing the pressure and temperature conditions to those where the hydrate is unstable. The guest-molecule exchange technology releases CH4 by replacing it with a more thermodynamically stable molecule (e.g., CO2, N2). This technology has three advantageous: 1) it sequesters greenhouse gas, 2) it releases energy via an exothermic reaction, and 3) it retains the hydraulic and mechanical stability of the hydrate reservoir. Numerical simulation of the production of gas hydrates from geologic deposits requires accounting for coupled processes: multifluid flow, mobile and immobile phase appearances and disappearances, heat transfer, and multicomponent thermodynamics. The ternary gas hydrate system comprises five components (i.e., H2O, CH4, CO2, N2, and salt) and the potential for six phases (i.e., aqueous, liquid CO2, gas, hydrate, ice, and precipitated salt). The equation of state for ternary hydrate systems has three requirements: 1) phase occurrence, 2) phase composition, and 3) phase properties. Numerical simulation of the production of geologic accumulations of gas hydrates have historically suffered from relatively slow execution times, compared with other multifluid, porous media systems, due to strong nonlinearities and

  20. Determining the water-cement ratio, cement content, water content and degree of hydration of hardened cement paste: Method development and validation on paste samples

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, H.S.; Buenfeld, N.R.

    2009-01-01

    We propose a new method to estimate the initial cement content, water content and free water/cement ratio (w/c) of hardened cement-based materials made with Portland cements that have unknown mixture proportions and degree of hydration. This method first quantifies the composition of the hardened cement paste, i.e. the volumetric fractions of capillary pores, hydration products and unreacted cement, using high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) in the backscattered electron (BSE) mode and image analysis. From the obtained data and the volumetric increase of solids during cement hydration, we compute the initial free water content and cement content, hence the free w/c ratio. The same method can also be used to calculate the degree of hydration. The proposed method has the advantage that it is quantitative and does not require comparison with calibration graphs or reference samples made with the same materials and cured to the same degree of hydration as the tested sample. This paper reports the development, assumptions and limitations of the proposed method, and preliminary results from Portland cement pastes with a range of w/c ratios (0.25-0.50) and curing ages (3-90 days). We also discuss the extension of the technique to mortars and concretes, and samples made with blended cements.

  1. Terahertz Time Domain Spectroscopy for Structure-II Gas Hydrates

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Takeya, Kei; Zhang, Caihong; Kawayama, Iwao

    2009-01-01

    For the nondestructive inspection of gas hydrates, terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) was applied to tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrate and propane hydrate. The absorption of propane hydrate monotonically increases with frequency, similar to the case of ice, while THF hydrate has...... a characteristic broad absorption peak at 0.5 THz corresponding to the dipole moment of THF molecules. The refractive indices of THF and propane hydrates are 1.725 and 1.775 at 1 THz, respectively, and show a slight but clear difference from the refractive index of ice (1.79). THz-TDS is a potentially useful...... technique for the ondestructive inspection of gas hydrates. # 2009 The Japan Society of Applied Physics...

  2. Solvated protein-protein docking using Kyte-Doolittle-based water preferences

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kastritis, P.; Visscher, K.M.; van Dijk, A.D.J.; Bonvin, A.M.J.J.

    2013-01-01

    HADDOCK is one of the few docking programs that can explicitly account for water molecules in the docking process. Its solvated docking protocol starts from hydrated molecules and a fraction of the resulting interfacial waters is subsequently removed in a biased Monte Carlo procedure based on

  3. Solvated protein-protein docking using Kyte-Doolittle-based water preferences

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kastritis, Panagiotis L.; Visscher, Koen M.; van Dijk, Aalt D.J.; Bonvin, Alexandre M.J.J.

    HADDOCK is one of the few docking programs that can explicitly account for water molecules in the docking process. Its solvated docking protocol starts from hydrated molecules and a fraction of the resulting interfacial waters is subsequently removed in a biased Monte Carlo procedure based on

  4. Charge-Dipole Acceleration of Polar Gas Molecules towards Charged Nanoparticles: Involvement in Powerful Charge-Induced Catalysis of Heterophase Chemical Reactions and Ball Lightning Phenomenon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oleg Meshcheryakov

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available In humid air, the substantial charge-dipole attraction and electrostatic acceleration of surrounding water vapour molecules towards charged combustible nanoparticles cause intense electrostatic hydration and preferential oxidation of these nanoparticles by electrostatically accelerated polar water vapour molecules rather than nonaccelerated nonpolar oxygen gas molecules. Intense electrostatic hydration of charged combustible nanoparticles converts the nanoparticle's oxide-based shells into the hydroxide-based electrolyte shells, transforming these nanoparticles into reductant/air core-shell nanobatteries, periodically short-circuited by intraparticle field and thermionic emission. Partially synchronized electron emission breakdowns within trillions of nanoparticles-nanobatteries turn a cloud of charged nanoparticles-nanobatteries into a powerful radiofrequency aerosol generator. Electrostatic oxidative hydration and charge-catalyzed oxidation of charged combustible nanoparticles also contribute to a self-oscillating thermocycling process of evolution and periodic autoignition of inflammable gases near to the nanoparticle's surface. The described effects might be of interest for the improvement of certain nanotechnological heterophase processes and to better understand ball lightning phenomenon.

  5. Molecular Dynamics Simulation of a Membrane/Water Interface : The Ordering of Water and Its Relation to the Hydration Force

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Marrink, Siewert-Jan; Berkowitz, Max; Berendsen, Herman J.C.

    1993-01-01

    In order to obtain a better understanding of the origin of the hydration force, three molecular dynamic simulations of phospholipid/water multilamellar systems were performed. The simulated systems only differed in the amount of interbilayer water, ranging from the minimum to the maximum amount of

  6. Overview: Nucleation of clathrate hydrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warrier, Pramod; Khan, M Naveed; Srivastava, Vishal; Maupin, C Mark; Koh, Carolyn A

    2016-12-07

    Molecular level knowledge of nucleation and growth of clathrate hydrates is of importance for advancing fundamental understanding on the nature of water and hydrophobic hydrate formers, and their interactions that result in the formation of ice-like solids at temperatures higher than the ice-point. The stochastic nature and the inability to probe the small length and time scales associated with the nucleation process make it very difficult to experimentally determine the molecular level changes that lead to the nucleation event. Conversely, for this reason, there have been increasing efforts to obtain this information using molecular simulations. Accurate knowledge of how and when hydrate structures nucleate will be tremendously beneficial for the development of sustainable hydrate management strategies in oil and gas flowlines, as well as for their application in energy storage and recovery, gas separation, carbon sequestration, seawater desalination, and refrigeration. This article reviews various aspects of hydrate nucleation. First, properties of supercooled water and ice nucleation are reviewed briefly due to their apparent similarity to hydrates. Hydrate nucleation is then reviewed starting from macroscopic observations as obtained from experiments in laboratories and operations in industries, followed by various hydrate nucleation hypotheses and hydrate nucleation driving force calculations based on the classical nucleation theory. Finally, molecular simulations on hydrate nucleation are discussed in detail followed by potential future research directions.

  7. Overview: Nucleation of clathrate hydrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Warrier, Pramod; Khan, M. Naveed; Srivastava, Vishal; Maupin, C. Mark; Koh, Carolyn A.

    2016-12-01

    Molecular level knowledge of nucleation and growth of clathrate hydrates is of importance for advancing fundamental understanding on the nature of water and hydrophobic hydrate formers, and their interactions that result in the formation of ice-like solids at temperatures higher than the ice-point. The stochastic nature and the inability to probe the small length and time scales associated with the nucleation process make it very difficult to experimentally determine the molecular level changes that lead to the nucleation event. Conversely, for this reason, there have been increasing efforts to obtain this information using molecular simulations. Accurate knowledge of how and when hydrate structures nucleate will be tremendously beneficial for the development of sustainable hydrate management strategies in oil and gas flowlines, as well as for their application in energy storage and recovery, gas separation, carbon sequestration, seawater desalination, and refrigeration. This article reviews various aspects of hydrate nucleation. First, properties of supercooled water and ice nucleation are reviewed briefly due to their apparent similarity to hydrates. Hydrate nucleation is then reviewed starting from macroscopic observations as obtained from experiments in laboratories and operations in industries, followed by various hydrate nucleation hypotheses and hydrate nucleation driving force calculations based on the classical nucleation theory. Finally, molecular simulations on hydrate nucleation are discussed in detail followed by potential future research directions.

  8. Phase equilibrium condition measurements in nitrogen and air clathrate hydrate forming systems at temperatures below freezing point of water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yasuda, Keita; Oto, Yuya; Shen, Renkai; Uchida, Tsutomu; Ohmura, Ryo

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Phase equilibrium conditions in the nitrogen and modelled air hydrate forming systems are measured. • Measurements are conducted at temperatures below the freezing point of water. • Results have relevance to the air hydrate formation in the ice sheets. • Measured data are quantitatively compared with the previously reported values. • Range of the equilibrium measurements was from (242 to 268) K. -- Abstract: Contained in this paper are the three phase equilibrium conditions of the (ice + clathrate hydrate + guest-rich) vapour in the (nitrogen + water) and the modelled (air + water) systems at temperatures below the freezing point of water. The precise determination of the equilibrium conditions in those systems are of importance for the analysis of the past climate change using the cored samples from the ice sheets at Antarctica and Greenland because the air hydrates keep the ancient climate signals. The mole ratio of the modelled air composed of nitrogen and oxygen is 0.790:0.210. The equilibrium conditions were measured by the batch, isochoric procedure. The temperature range of the measurements in the nitrogen hydrate forming system is (244.05 < T < 266.55) K and the corresponding equilibrium pressure range is (7.151 < p < 12.613) MPa. The temperature range of the measurements in the modelled air hydrate forming system is (242.55 < T < 267.85) K, and the corresponding equilibrium pressure range is (6.294 < p < 12.144) MPa. The data obtained quantitatively compared with the previously reported data

  9. Considering multiple occupancy of cavities in clathrate hydrate phase equilibrium calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Asiaee, Alireza; Raeissi, Sona [Natural Gas Engineering Department, School of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71345 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Shariati, Alireza, E-mail: shariati@shirazu.ac.i [Natural Gas Engineering Department, School of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz 71345 (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2011-05-15

    Research highlights: A model is presented to predict dissociation pressures of gas hydrates at various temperatures. The present model is applicable on a wide range of equilibrium conditions. The simple calculation procedure presented here saves considerably the calculation time. - Abstract: One of the major assumptions of the original van der Waals-Platteeuw (vdWP) model is the single occupancy of hydrate cavities. In this work, the vdWP model is modified to also account for multiple occupancies of hydrate cavities by small molecules. The developed model is evaluated by calculating the hydrate equilibrium conditions with either oxygen or nitrogen as guest molecules in pure form, as well as mixtures of nitrogen and propane (molecules of these pure gases and those in (nitrogen + propane) have double occupancy in large cavities of structure II up to a certain concentration of propane). The results of this modified model show good agreement with the experimental data reported in the literature.

  10. Considering multiple occupancy of cavities in clathrate hydrate phase equilibrium calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asiaee, Alireza; Raeissi, Sona; Shariati, Alireza

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → A model is presented to predict dissociation pressures of gas hydrates at various temperatures. → The present model is applicable on a wide range of equilibrium conditions. → The simple calculation procedure presented here saves considerably the calculation time. - Abstract: One of the major assumptions of the original van der Waals-Platteeuw (vdWP) model is the single occupancy of hydrate cavities. In this work, the vdWP model is modified to also account for multiple occupancies of hydrate cavities by small molecules. The developed model is evaluated by calculating the hydrate equilibrium conditions with either oxygen or nitrogen as guest molecules in pure form, as well as mixtures of nitrogen and propane (molecules of these pure gases and those in (nitrogen + propane) have double occupancy in large cavities of structure II up to a certain concentration of propane). The results of this modified model show good agreement with the experimental data reported in the literature.

  11. NMR Studies of Protein Hydration and Protein-Ligand Interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chong, Yuan

    Water on the surface of a protein is called hydration water. Hydration water is known to play a crucial role in a variety of biological processes including protein folding, enzymatic activation, and drug binding. Although the significance of hydration water has been recognized, the underlying mechanism remains far from being understood. This dissertation employs a unique in-situ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique to study the mechanism of protein hydration and the role of hydration in alcohol-protein interactions. Water isotherms in proteins are measured at different temperatures via the in-situ NMR technique. Water is found to interact differently with hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups on the protein. Water adsorption on hydrophilic groups is hardly affected by the temperature, while water adsorption on hydrophobic groups strongly depends on the temperature around 10 C, below which the adsorption is substantially reduced. This effect is induced by the dramatic decrease in the protein flexibility below 10 C. Furthermore, nanosecond to microsecond protein dynamics and the free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of protein hydration are studied as a function of hydration level and temperature. A crossover at 10 C in protein dynamics and thermodynamics is revealed. The effect of water at hydrophilic groups on protein dynamics and thermodynamics shows little temperature dependence, whereas water at hydrophobic groups has stronger effect above 10 C. In addition, I investigate the role of water in alcohol binding to the protein using the in-situ NMR detection. The isotherms of alcohols are first measured on dry proteins, then on proteins with a series of controlled hydration levels. The free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of alcohol binding are also determined. Two distinct types of alcohol binding are identified. On the one hand, alcohols can directly bind to a few specific sites on the protein. This type of binding is independent of temperature and can be

  12. Strong Dependence of Hydration State of F-Actin on the Bound Mg(2+)/Ca(2+) Ions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Makoto; Imao, Asato; Mogami, George; Chishima, Ryotaro; Watanabe, Takahiro; Yamaguchi, Takaya; Morimoto, Nobuyuki; Wazawa, Tetsuichi

    2016-07-21

    Understanding of the hydration state is an important issue in the chemomechanical energetics of versatile biological functions of polymerized actin (F-actin). In this study, hydration-state differences of F-actin by the bound divalent cations are revealed through precision microwave dielectric relaxation (DR) spectroscopy. G- and F-actin in Ca- and Mg-containing buffer solutions exhibit dual hydration components comprising restrained water with DR frequency f2 (fw). The hydration state of F-actin is strongly dependent on the ionic composition. In every buffer tested, the HMW signal Dhyme (≡ (f1 - fw)δ1/(fwδw)) of F-actin is stronger than that of G-actin, where δw is DR-amplitude of bulk solvent and δ1 is that of HMW in a fixed-volume ellipsoid containing an F-actin and surrounding water in solution. Dhyme value of F-actin in Ca2.0-buffer (containing 2 mM Ca(2+)) is markedly higher than in Mg2.0-buffer (containing 2 mM Mg(2+)). Moreover, in the presence of 2 mM Mg(2+), the hydration state of F-actin is changed by adding a small fraction of Ca(2+) (∼0.1 mM) and becomes closer to that of the Ca-bound form in Ca2.0-buffer. This is consistent with the results of the partial specific volume and the Cotton effect around 290 nm in the CD spectra, indicating a change in the tertiary structure and less apparent change in the secondary structure of actin. The number of restrained water molecules per actin (N2) is estimated to be 1600-2100 for Ca2.0- and F-buffer and ∼2500 for Mg2.0-buffer at 10-15 °C. These numbers are comparable to those estimated from the available F-actin atomic structures as in the first water layer. The number of HMW molecules is roughly explained by the volume between the equipotential surface of -kT/2e and the first water layer of the actin surface by solving the Poisson-Boltzmann equation using UCSF Chimera.

  13. THz dynamics of nanoconfined water by ultrafast optical spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taschin, A; Bartolini, P; Torre, R

    2017-01-01

    We investigated the vibrational dynamics and structural relaxation of water nanoconfined in porous silica samples with a pore size of 4 nm at different levels of hydration and temperature. We used the time-resolved optical Kerr effect (OKE), a spectroscopic technique that enables investigation of ultrafast water dynamics in a wide time (0.1–10 ps) or frequency (10 – 0.1 THz) window. At low hydration levels corresponding to two complete superficial water layers, no freezing occurs and the water remains mobile at all investigated temperatures. Meanwhile, at full hydration we witness a partial ice formation at about 248 K that coexists with the surface water remaining in the supercooled state. At low hydration, both structural and vibrational dynamics show significant modifications compared to bulk liquid water. This is due to the strong interaction of the water molecules with silica surfaces. Inner water, however, reveals relaxation dynamics very similar to bulk water. (paper)

  14. Influence of the water molecules near surface of viral protein on virus activation process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O, Shepelenko S; S, Salnikov A; V, Rak S; P, Goncharova E; B, Ryzhikov A, E-mail: shep@vector.nsc.r, E-mail: shep@ngs.r [Federal State Research Institution State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR of the Federal Service for Surveillance in Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-being (FSRI SRC VB VECTOR) Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region (Russian Federation)

    2009-06-01

    The infection of a cell with influenza virus comprises the stages of receptor binding to the cell membrane, endocytosis of virus particle, and fusion of the virus envelope and cell endosome membrane, which is determined by the conformational changes in hemagglutinin, a virus envelope protein, caused by pH decrease within the endosome. The pH value that induces conformation rearrangements of hemagglutinin molecule considerably varies for different influenza virus strains, first and foremost, due to the differences in amino acid structure of the corresponding proteins. The main goal of this study was to construct a model making it possible to assess the critical pH value characterizing the fusogenic activity of influenza virus hemagglutinin from the data on hemagglutinin structure and experimental verification of this model. Under this model, we assume that when the electrostatic force between interacting hemagglutinin molecules in the virus envelop exceeds a certain value, the hemagglutinin HA1 subunits are arranged so that they form a cavity sufficient for penetration of water molecules. This event leads to an irreversible hydration of the inner fragments of hemagglutinin molecule in a trimer and to the completion of conformational changes. The geometry of electrostatic field in hemagglutinin trimer was calculated taking into account the polarization effects near the interface of two dielectrics, aqueous medium and protein macromolecule. The critical pH values for the conformational changes in hemagglutinin were measured by the erythrocyte hemolysis induced by influenza virus particles when decreasing pH. The critical pH value conditionally separating the pH range into the regions with and without the conformational changes was calculated for several influenza virus H1N1 and H3N2 strains based on the data on the amino acid structure of the corresponding hemagglutinin molecules. Comparison of the theoretical and experimental values of critical pH values for

  15. Experimental investigation of methane release from hydrate formation in sandstone through both hydrate dissociation and CO{sub 2} sequestration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Husebo, J.; Graue, A.; Kvamme, B. [Bergen Univ., Bergen (Norway). Dept. of Physics and Technology; Stevens, J.; Howard, J.J. [ConocoPhillips, Ponca City, OK (United States); Baldwin, B.A. [Green Country Petrophysics LLC, Dewey, OK (United States)

    2008-07-01

    Large amounts of natural gas trapped in hydrate reservoirs are found in Arctic regions and in deep offshore locations around the world. Natural gas production from hydrate deposits offer significant potential for future energy needs. However, research is needed in order to propose potential production schemes for natural gas hydrates. Natural gas molecules can be freed from hydrate structured cages by depressurization, by heating and by exposing the hydrate to a substance that will form a thermodynamically more stable hydrate structure. This paper provided a comparison of two approaches for releasing methane from methane hydrate in porous sandstone. The study scope covered the dissociation rate of methane hydrate in porous media through depressurization, and also referred to previous work done on producing methane from hydrates in sandstone while sequestering carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}). The study was conducted in a laboratory setting. The paper discussed the experimental design which included the placing of a pressure- and temperature-controlled sample holder inside the bore of a magnetic resonance imager. The experimental procedures were then outlined, with reference to hydrate formation; carbon dioxide sequestration; hydrate dissociation experiments with constant volume; and hydrate dissociation experiments at constant pressure. The constant volume experiments demonstrated that in order to dissociate a large amount of hydrate, the initial depressurization had to be significantly lower than the hydrate stability pressure. 9 refs., 9 figs.

  16. Characterizing heterogeneous dynamics at hydrated electrode surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willard, Adam P.; Limmer, David T.; Madden, Paul A.; Chandler, David

    2013-05-01

    In models of Pt 111 and Pt 100 surfaces in water, motions of molecules in the first hydration layer are spatially and temporally correlated. To interpret these collective motions, we apply quantitative measures of dynamic heterogeneity that are standard tools for considering glassy systems. Specifically, we carry out an analysis in terms of mobility fields and distributions of persistence times and exchange times. In so doing, we show that dynamics in these systems is facilitated by transient disorder in frustrated two-dimensional hydrogen bonding networks. The frustration is the result of unfavorable geometry imposed by strong metal-water bonding. The geometry depends upon the structure of the underlying metal surface. Dynamic heterogeneity of water on the Pt 111 surface is therefore qualitatively different than that for water on the Pt 100 surface. In both cases, statistics of this ad-layer dynamic heterogeneity responds asymmetrically to applied voltage.

  17. Characterizing heterogeneous dynamics at hydrated electrode surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willard, Adam P; Limmer, David T; Madden, Paul A; Chandler, David

    2013-05-14

    In models of Pt 111 and Pt 100 surfaces in water, motions of molecules in the first hydration layer are spatially and temporally correlated. To interpret these collective motions, we apply quantitative measures of dynamic heterogeneity that are standard tools for considering glassy systems. Specifically, we carry out an analysis in terms of mobility fields and distributions of persistence times and exchange times. In so doing, we show that dynamics in these systems is facilitated by transient disorder in frustrated two-dimensional hydrogen bonding networks. The frustration is the result of unfavorable geometry imposed by strong metal-water bonding. The geometry depends upon the structure of the underlying metal surface. Dynamic heterogeneity of water on the Pt 111 surface is therefore qualitatively different than that for water on the Pt 100 surface. In both cases, statistics of this ad-layer dynamic heterogeneity responds asymmetrically to applied voltage.

  18. Effects of water activity and low molecular weight humectants on skin permeability and hydration dynamics - a double-blind, randomized and controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albèr, C; Buraczewska-Norin, I; Kocherbitov, V; Saleem, S; Lodén, M; Engblom, J

    2014-10-01

    The mammalian skin is a barrier that effectively separates the water-rich interior of the body from the normally dryer exterior. Changes in the external conditions, for example ambient humidity, have been shown to affect the skin barrier properties. The prime objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of water activity of a topical formulation on skin hydration and permeability. A second objective was to gain more understanding on how two commonly used humectants, urea and glycerol, affect skin barrier function in vivo. Simple aqueous formulations were applied under occlusion to the volar forearm of healthy volunteers. Following 4-h exposure, skin water loss (by transepidermal water loss measurements), skin hydration (by Corneometry) and skin permeability (by time to vasodilation due to benzyl nicotinate exposure) were monitored. The results demonstrate that a relatively small change in the water activity of a topical formulation is sufficient to induce considerable effects on stratum corneum hydration and permeability to exogenous substances. Exposing the skin to high water activity leads to increased skin hydration and also increased permeability. Furthermore, urea and glycerol promote skin hydration and permeability even at reduced water activity of the applied formulation. These results highlight the importance of considering the water activity in topically applied formulations and the potential benefit of using humectants. The results may impact formulation optimization in how to facilitate skin hydration and to modify skin permeability by temporarily open and close the skin barrier. © 2014 Society of Cosmetic Scientists and the Société Française de Cosmétologie.

  19. Alcohol cosurfactants in hydrate antiagglomeration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    York, J Dalton; Firoozabadi, Abbas

    2008-08-28

    Because of availability, as well as economical and environmental considerations, natural gas is projected to be the premium fuel of the 21st century. Natural gas production involves risk of the shut down of onshore and offshore operations because of blockage from hydrates formed from coproduced water and hydrate-forming species in natural gas. Industry practice has been usage of thermodynamic inhibitors such as alcohols often in significant amounts, which have undesirable environmental and safety impacts. Thermodynamic inhibitors affect bulk-phase properties and inhibit hydrate formation. An alternative is changing surface properties through usage of polymers and surfactants, effective at 0.5 to 3 weight % of coproduced water. One group of low dosage hydrate inhibitors (LDHI) are kinetic inhibitors, which affect nucleation rate and growth. A second group of LDHI are antiagglomerants, which prevent agglomeration of small hydrate crystallites. Despite great potential, work on hydrate antiagglomeration is very limited. This work centers on the effect of small amounts of alcohol cosurfactant in mixtures of two vastly different antiagglomerants. We use a model oil, water, and tetrahydrofuran as a hydrate-forming species. Results show that alcohol cosurfactants may help with antiagglomeration when traditional antiagglomerants alone are ineffective. Specifically, as low as 0.5 wt. % methanol cosurfactant used in this study is shown to be effective in antiagglomeration. Without the cosurfactant there will be agglomeration independent of the AA concentration. To our knowledge, this is the first report of alcohol cosurfactants in hydrate antiagglomerants. It is also shown that a rhamnolipid biosurfactant is effective down to only 0.5 wt. % in such mixtures, yet a quaternary ammonium chloride salt, i. e., quat, results in hydrate slurries down to 0.01 wt. %. However, biochemical surfactants are less toxic and biodegradable, and thus their use may prove beneficial even if at

  20. Molecular-dynamics study of propane-hydrate dissociation: Fluctuation-dissipation and non-equilibrium analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghaani, Mohammad Reza; English, Niall J

    2018-03-21

    Equilibrium and non-equilibrium molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed to investigate thermal-driven break-up of planar propane-hydrate interfaces in contact with liquid water over the 260-320 K range. Two types of hydrate-surface water-lattice molecular termination were adopted, at the hydrate edge with water, for comparison: a 001-direct surface cleavage and one with completed cages. Statistically significant differences in melting temperatures and initial break-up rates were observed between both interface types. Dissociation rates were observed to be strongly dependent on temperature, with higher rates at larger over-temperatures vis-à-vis melting. A simple coupled mass and heat transfer model, developed previously, was applied to fit the observed dissociation profiles, and this helps us to identify clearly two distinct hydrate-decomposition régimes; following a highly temperature-dependent break-up phase, a second well-defined stage is essentially independent of temperature, in which the remaining nanoscale, de facto two-dimensional system's lattice framework is intrinsically unstable. Further equilibrium MD-analysis of the two-phase systems at their melting point, with consideration of the relaxation times gleaned from the auto-correlation functions of fluctuations in a number of enclathrated guest molecules, led to statistically significant differences between the two surface-termination cases; a consistent correlation emerged in both cases between the underlying, non-equilibrium, thermal-driven dissociation rates sampled directly from melting with that from an equilibrium-MD fluctuation-dissipation approach.

  1. Transparent hydrogel with enhanced water retention capacity by introducing highly hydratable salt

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bai, Yuanyuan; Xiang, Feng; Wang, Hong, E-mail: hwang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn, E-mail: suo@seas.harvard.edu [Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Chen, Baohong; Zhou, Jinxiong [State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, International Center for Applied Mechanics and School of Aerospace, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Suo, Zhigang, E-mail: hwang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn, E-mail: suo@seas.harvard.edu [School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Kavli Institute of Bionano Science and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States)

    2014-10-13

    Polyacrylamide hydrogels containing salt as electrolyte have been used as highly stretchable transparent electrodes in flexible electronics, but those hydrogels are easy to dry out due to water evaporation. Targeted, we try to enhance water retention capacity of polyacrylamide hydrogel by introducing highly hydratable salts into the hydrogel. These hydrogels show enhanced water retention capacity in different level. Specially, polyacrylamide hydrogel containing high content of lithium chloride can retain over 70% of its initial water even in environment with relative humidity of only 10% RH. The excellent water retention capacities of these hydrogels will make more applications of hydrogels become possible.

  2. Transparent hydrogel with enhanced water retention capacity by introducing highly hydratable salt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bai, Yuanyuan; Xiang, Feng; Wang, Hong; Chen, Baohong; Zhou, Jinxiong; Suo, Zhigang

    2014-01-01

    Polyacrylamide hydrogels containing salt as electrolyte have been used as highly stretchable transparent electrodes in flexible electronics, but those hydrogels are easy to dry out due to water evaporation. Targeted, we try to enhance water retention capacity of polyacrylamide hydrogel by introducing highly hydratable salts into the hydrogel. These hydrogels show enhanced water retention capacity in different level. Specially, polyacrylamide hydrogel containing high content of lithium chloride can retain over 70% of its initial water even in environment with relative humidity of only 10% RH. The excellent water retention capacities of these hydrogels will make more applications of hydrogels become possible.

  3. Changes in Transepidermal Water Loss and Skin Hydration according to Expression of Aquaporin-3 in Psoriasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Young; Je, Young-Jin; Lee, Sang-Sin; Li, Zheng Jun; Choi, Dae-Kyoung; Kwon, Yoo-Bin; Sohn, Kyung-Cheol; Im, Myung; Seo, Young Joon

    2012-01-01

    Background Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of water transporting proteins present in many mammalian epithelial and endothelial cell types. Among the AQPs, AQP3 is known to be a water/glycerol transporter expressed in human skin. Objective The relationship between the expression level of AQP3 and transpidermal water loss (TEWL) in the lesional and peri-lesional skin of psoriasis-affected patients, and skin hydration in the lesional and peri-lesional skin of psoriasis patients, was investigated. Methods The expression of AQP3 in psoriasis-affected and healthy control skin was determined using immunohistochemical and immunofluroscence staining. TEWL and skin hydration were measured using a Tewameter® TM210 (Courage & Khazaka, Cologne, Germany) and a Corneometer® CM 820 (Courage & Khazaka), respectively. Results AQP3 was mainly expressed in the plasma membrane of stratum corneum and the stratum spinosum in normal epidermis. Unlike the normal epidermis, AQP3 showed decreased expression in the lesional and peri-lesional epidermis of psoriasis. TEWL was increased, and skin hydration was decreased, in the lesional and peri-lesional skin of psoriasis patients, compared with the healthy control sample. Conclusion Although various factors contribute to reduced skin hydration in the lesional and peri-lesional skin of psoriasis, AQP3 appears to be a key factor in the skin dehydration of psoriasis-affected skin. PMID:22577267

  4. Reflective terahertz (THz) imaging: system calibration using hydration phantoms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bajwa, Neha; Garritano, James; Lee, Yoon Kyung; Tewari, Priyamvada; Sung, Shijun; Maccabi, Ashkan; Nowroozi, Bryan; Babakhanian, Meghedi; Sanghvi, Sajan; Singh, Rahul; Grundfest, Warren; Taylor, Zachary

    2013-02-01

    Terahertz (THz) hydration sensing continues to gain traction in the medical imaging community due to its unparalleled sensitivity to tissue water content. Rapid and accurate detection of fluid shifts following induction of thermal skin burns as well as remote corneal hydration sensing have been previously demonstrated in vivo using reflective, pulsed THz imaging. The hydration contrast sensing capabilities of this technology were recently confirmed in a parallel 7 Tesla Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging study, in which burn areas are associated with increases in local mobile water content. Successful clinical translation of THz sensing, however, still requires quantitative assessments of system performance measurements, specifically hydration concentration sensitivity, with tissue substitutes. This research aims to calibrate the sensitivity of a novel, reflective THz system to tissue water content through the use of hydration phantoms for quantitative comparisons of THz hydration imagery.Gelatin phantoms were identified as an appropriate tissue-mimicking model for reflective THz applications, and gel composition, comprising mixtures of water and protein, was varied between 83% to 95% hydration, a physiologically relevant range. A comparison of four series of gelatin phantom studies demonstrated a positive linear relationship between THz reflectivity and water concentration, with statistically significant hydration sensitivities (p hydration). The THz-phantom interaction is simulated with a three-layer model using the Transfer Matrix Method with agreement in hydration trends. Having demonstrated the ability to accurately and noninvasively measure water content in tissue equivalent targets with high sensitivity, reflective THz imaging is explored as a potential tool for early detection and intervention of corneal pathologies.

  5. Unexpected inhibition of CO2 gas hydrate formation in dilute TBAB solutions and the critical role of interfacial water structure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nguyen, Ngoc N.; Nguyen, Anh V.; Nguyen, Khoi T.; Rintoul, Llew; Dang, Liem X.

    2016-12-01

    Gas hydrates formed under moderated conditions open up novel approaches to tackling issues related to energy supply, gas separation, and CO2 sequestration. Several additives like tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (TBAB) have been empirically developed and used to promote gas hydrate formation. Here we report unexpected experimental results which show that TBAB inhibits CO2 gas hydrate formation when used at minuscule concentration. We also used spectroscopic techniques and molecular dynamics simulation to gain further insights and explain the experimental results. They have revealed the critical role of water alignment at the gas-water interface induced by surface adsorption of tetra-n-butylammonium cation (TBA+) which gives rise to the unexpected inhibition of dilute TBAB solution. The water perturbation by TBA+ in the bulk is attributed to the promotion effect of high TBAB concentration on gas hydrate formation. We explain our finding using the concept of activation energy of gas hydrate formation. Our results provide a step toward to mastering the control of gas hydrate formation.

  6. A Computationally Efficient Equation of State for Ternary Gas Hydrate Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, M. D.

    2012-12-01

    The potential energy resource of natural gas hydrates held in geologic accumulations, using lower volumetric estimates, is sufficient to meet the world demand for natural gas for nearly eight decades, at current rates of increase. As with other unconventional energy resources, the challenge is to economically produce the natural gas fuel. The gas hydrate challenge is principally technical. Meeting that challenge will require innovation, but more importantly, scientific research to understand the resource and its characteristics in porous media. The thermodynamic complexity of gas hydrate systems makes numerical simulation a particularly attractive research tool for understanding production strategies and experimental observations. Simply stated, producing natural gas from gas hydrate deposits requires releasing CH4 from solid gas hydrate. The conventional way to release CH4 is to dissociate the hydrate by changing the pressure and temperature conditions to those where the hydrate is unstable. Alternatively, the guest-molecule exchange technology releases CH4 by replacing it with more thermodynamically stable molecules (e.g., CO2, N2). This technology has three advantageous: 1) it sequesters greenhouse gas, 2) it potentially releases energy via an exothermic reaction, and 3) it retains the hydraulic and mechanical stability of the hydrate reservoir. Numerical simulation of the production of gas hydrates from geologic deposits requires accounting for coupled processes: multifluid flow, mobile and immobile phase appearances and disappearances, heat transfer, and multicomponent thermodynamics. The ternary gas hydrate system comprises five components (i.e., H2O, CH4, CO2, N2, and salt) and the potential for six phases (i.e., aqueous, nonaqueous liquid, gas, hydrate, ice, and precipitated salt). The equation of state for ternary hydrate systems has three requirements: 1) phase occurrence, 2) phase composition, and 3) phase properties. Numerical simulations that predict

  7. Purification of arsenic contaminated ground water using hydrated manganese dioxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raje, N.; Swain, K.K.

    2002-01-01

    An analytical methodology has been developed for the separation of arsenic from ground water using inorganic material in neutral medium. The separation procedure involves the quantitative retention of arsenic on hydrated manganese dioxide, in neutral medium. The validity of the separation procedure has been checked by a standard addition method and radiotracer studies. Neutron activation analysis (NAA), a powerful measurement technique, has been used for the quantitative determination of arsenic. (author)

  8. Modelling a deep water oil/gas spill under conditions of gas hydrate formation and decomposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, L.; Yapa, P.D.

    2000-01-01

    A model for the behavior of oil and gas spills at deepwater locations was presented. Such spills are subjected to pressures and temperatures that can convert gases to gas hydrates which are lighter than water. Knowing the state of gases as they rise with the plume is important in predicting the fate of an oil or gas plume released in deepwater. The objective of this paper was to develop a comprehensive jet/plume model which includes computational modules that simulate the gas hydrate formation/decomposition of gas bubbles. This newly developed model is based on the kinetics of hydrate formation and decomposition coupled with mass and heat transfer phenomena. The numerical model was successfully tested using results of experimental data from the Gulf of Mexico. Hydrate formation and decomposition are integrated with an earlier model by Yapa and Zheng for underwater oil or gas jets and plumes. The effects of hydrate on the behavior of an oil or gas plume was simulated to demonstrate the models capabilities. The model results indicate that in addition to thermodynamics, the kinetics of hydrate formation/decomposition should be considered when studying the behavior of oil and gas spills. It was shown that plume behavior changes significantly depending on whether or not the local conditions force the gases to form hydrates. 25 refs., 4 tabs., 12 figs

  9. Water flow in carbon-based nanoporous membranes impacted by interactions between hydrated ions and aromatic rings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jian; Shi, Guosheng; Fang, Haiping

    2017-02-24

    Carbon-based nanoporous membranes, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene/graphene oxide and graphyne, have shown great potential in water desalination and purification, gas and ion separation, biosensors, and lithium-based batteries, etc. A deep understanding of the interaction between hydrated ions in an aqueous solution and the graphitic surface in systems composed of water, ions and a graphitic surface is essential for applications with carbon-based nanoporous membrane platforms. In this review, we describe the recent progress of the interaction between hydrated ions and aromatic ring structures on the carbon-based surface and its applications in the water flow in a carbon nanotube. We expect that these works can be extended to the understanding of water flow in other nanoporous membranes, such as nanoporous graphene, graphyne and stacked sheets of graphene oxide.

  10. Solvation theory to provide a molecular interpretation of the hydrophobic entropy loss of noble-gas hydration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Irudayam, Sheeba Jem; Henchman, Richard H

    2010-01-01

    An equation for the chemical potential of a dilute aqueous solution of noble gases is derived in terms of energies, force and torque magnitudes, and solute and water coordination numbers, quantities which are all measured from an equilibrium molecular dynamics simulation. Also derived are equations for the Gibbs free energy, enthalpy and entropy of hydration for the Henry's law process, the Ostwald process, and a third proposed process going from an arbitrary concentration in the gas phase to the equivalent mole fraction in aqueous solution which has simpler expressions for the enthalpy and entropy changes. Good agreement with experimental hydration free energies is obtained in the TIP4P and SPC/E water models although the solute's force field appears to affect the enthalpies and entropies obtained. In contrast to other methods, the approach gives a complete breakdown of the entropy for every degree of freedom and makes possible a direct structural interpretation of the well-known entropy loss accompanying the hydrophobic hydration of small non-polar molecules under ambient conditions. The noble-gas solutes experience only a small reduction in their vibrational entropy, with larger solutes experiencing a greater loss. The vibrational and librational entropy components of water actually increase but only marginally, negating any idea of water confinement. The term that contributes the most to the hydrophobic entropy loss is found to be water's orientational term which quantifies the number of orientational minima per water molecule and how many ways the whole hydrogen-bond network can form. These findings help resolve contradictory deductions from experiments that water structure around non-polar solutes is similar to bulk water in some ways but different in others. That the entropy loss lies in water's rotational entropy contrasts with other claims that it largely lies in water's translational entropy, but this apparent discrepancy arises because of different

  11. Hydrogen bond dynamics and water structure in glucose-water solutions by depolarized Rayleigh scattering and low-frequency Raman spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paolantoni, Marco; Sassi, Paola; Morresi, Assunta; Santini, Sergio

    2007-07-01

    The effect of glucose on the relaxation process of water at picosecond time scales has been investigated by depolarized Rayleigh scattering (DRS) experiments. The process is assigned to the fast hydrogen bonding dynamics of the water network. In DRS spectra this contribution can be safely separated from the slower relaxation process due to the sugar. The detected relaxation time is studied at different glucose concentrations and modeled considering bulk and hydrating water contributions. As a result, it is found that in diluted conditions the hydrogen bond lifetime of proximal water molecules becomes about three times slower than that of the bulk. The effect of the sugar on the hydrogen bond water structure is investigated by analyzing the low-frequency Raman (LFR) spectrum sensitive to intermolecular modes. The addition of glucose strongly reduces the intensity of the band at 170cm-1 assigned to a collective stretching mode of water molecules arranged in cooperative tetrahedral domains. These findings indicate that proximal water molecules partially lose the tetrahedral ordering typical of the bulk leading to the formation of high density environments around the sugar. Thus the glucose imposes a new local order among water molecules localized in its hydration shell in which the hydrogen bond breaking dynamics is sensitively retarded. This work provides new experimental evidences that support recent molecular dynamics simulation and thermodynamics results.

  12. CO2 solubility in aqueous solutions containing Na+, Ca2+, Cl−, SO42− and HCO3-: The effects of electrostricted water and ion hydration thermodynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilbert, Kimberly; Bennett, Philip C.; Wolfe, Will; Zhang, Tongwei; Romanak, Katherine D.

    2016-01-01

    Dissolution of CO 2 into deep subsurface brines for carbon sequestration is regarded as one of the few viable means of reducing the amount of CO 2 entering the atmosphere. Ions in solution partially control the amount of CO 2 that dissolves, but the mechanisms of the ion's influence are not clearly understood and thus CO 2 solubility is difficult to predict. In this study, CO 2 solubility was experimentally determined in water, NaCl, CaCl 2 , Na 2 SO 4, and NaHCO 3 solutions and a mixed brine similar to the Bravo Dome natural CO 2 reservoir; ionic strengths ranged up to 3.4 molal, temperatures to 140 °C, and CO 2 pressures to 35.5 MPa. Increasing ionic strength decreased CO 2 solubility for all solutions when the salt type remained unchanged, but ionic strength was a poor predictor of CO 2 solubility in solutions with different salts. A new equation was developed to use ion hydration number to calculate the concentration of electrostricted water molecules in solution. Dissolved CO 2 was strongly correlated (R 2  = 0.96) to electrostricted water concentration. Strong correlations were also identified between CO 2 solubility and hydration enthalpy and hydration entropy. These linear correlation equations predicted CO 2 solubility within 1% of the Bravo Dome brine and within 10% of two mixed brines from literature (a 10 wt % NaCl + KCl + CaCl 2 brine and a natural Na + , Ca 2+ , Cl − type brine with minor amounts of Mg 2+ , K + , Sr 2+ and Br − ). - Highlights: • Measured CO 2 solubility in Na + , Cl − , HCO 3 - , Ca 2+ and SO 4 2− solutions at high PCO 2 . • A new equation calculates electrostricted water (mol/kgw) from hydration number. • CO 2 solubility strongly correlates (R 2  = 0.96) to electrostricted water. • Ion electrostriction of water limits its availability for CO 2 caging and solvation. • Correlations predict CO 2 solubility of several mixed brines to within 1–9%.

  13. Radiation response of hydrated urea evaluated using 14N nuclear quadrupole resonance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hintenlang, D.E.

    1992-01-01

    In this paper Nitrogen-14 nuclear quadrupole resonance is utilized to detect radiation-induced changes in urea over the 0- to 300-Gy dose range. The spin-spin relaxation time exhibits a consistent change as a function of delivered dose in hydrated urea under exposure to 60 Co gamma radiation. No changes to the spin-spin relaxation time are observed in urea samples that were not hydrated. The radiation-induced changes are attributed to indirect radiation interactions with the water surrounding the urea molecules and are explained by the formation of subtle changes in the electron bonding configurations surrounding the 14 N nuclei, not major structural rearrangements. These subtle changes may provide additional insight into the effects of ionizing radiation on biological systems

  14. Solvation dynamics through Raman spectroscopy: hydration of Br2 and Br3(-), and solvation of Br2 in liquid bromine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Branigan, Edward T; Halberstadt, N; Apkarian, V A

    2011-05-07

    Raman spectroscopy of bromine in the liquid phase and in water illustrates uncommon principles and yields insights regarding hydration. In liquid Br(2), resonant excitation over the B((3)Π(0u)(+)) ← X((1)Σ(g)(+)) valence transition at 532 nm produces a weak resonant Raman (RR) progression accompanied by a five-fold stronger non-resonant (NR) scattering. The latter is assigned to pre-resonance with the C-state, which in turn must be strongly mixed with inter-molecular charge transfer states. Despite the electronic resonance, RR of Br(2) in water is quenched. At 532 nm, the homogeneously broadened fundamental is observed, as in the NR case at 785 nm. The implications of the quenching of RR scattering are analyzed in a simple, semi-quantitative model, to conclude that the inertial evolution of the Raman packet in aqueous Br(2) occurs along multiple equivalent water-Br(2) coordinates. In distinct contrast with hydrophilic hydration in small clusters and hydrophobic hydration in clathrates, it is concluded that the hydration shell of bromine in water consists of dynamically equivalent fluxional water molecules. At 405 nm, the RR progression of Br(3)(-) is observed, accompanied by difference transitions between the breathing of the hydration shell and the symmetric stretch of the ion. The RR scattering process in this case can be regarded as the coherent photo-induced electron transfer to the solvent and its radiative back-transfer.

  15. Crystal structure of N,N,N′,N′,N′′,N′′-hexamethylguanidinium cyanate 1.5-hydrate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ioannis Tiritiris

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The title hydrated salt, C7H18N3+·OCN−.1.5H2O, was synthesized starting from N,N,N′,N′,N′′,N′′-hexamethylguanidinium chloride by a twofold anion-exchange reaction. The asymmetric unit contains two cations, two cyanate anions and three water molecules. One cation shows orientational disorder and two sets of N-atom positions were found related by a 60° rotation, with an occupancy ratio of 0.852 (6:0.148 (6. The C—N bond lengths in both guanidinium ions range from 1.329 (2 to 1.358 (10 Å, indicating double-bond character, pointing towards charge delocalization within the NCN planes. Strong O—H...N hydrogen bonds between the crystal water molecules and the cyanate ions and strong O—H...O hydrogen bonds between the water molecules are present, resulting in a two-dimensional hydrogen bonded network running parallel to the (001 plane. The hexamethylguanidinium ions are packed in between the layers built up by water molecules and cyanate ions.

  16. Effect of hydration on the amide I band in the binary solvents dioxane-D2O and dioxane-H2O

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kobayashi, M.; Kobayashi, M.

    1980-01-01

    Hydration of amides in aqueous solutions has been studied by measuring the infrared spectra of amides (benzamide, p-methoxybenzamide, and ropionamide) in dioxane-D 2 O and dioxane-H 2 O mixtures. The absorption due to the C=O stretching (or amide I band) exhibited a very remarkable red shift accompanied by a characteristic change of the band shape as the water content in the medium increased. The spectral change is attributed to the change of the hydration state at the carbonyl oxygen. In the aqueous mixtures, amide molecules participate in an equilibrium among various states of hydration. The weighted mean frequency of the ν/sub C = O/ absorption, anti ν/sub C = O/, varied in proportion to the water contained in the medium. The difference between the anti ν/sub C = O/ value in pure water and that in pure dioxane,Δ anti ν, was used as a measure of the maximum degree of hydration. It was larger for propionamide than for the aromatic amides, suggesting that the steric effect of the substituents is of major importance in hydration. The isotope effect, Δ anti ν/sub D 2 O//Δ anti ν/sub H 2 O/, in the range from 1.4 to 1.6 for all cases examined, indicated that stronger hydration of amides occurred with D 2 O than with H 2 O

  17. Towards ligand docking including explicit interface water molecules.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gordon Lemmon

    Full Text Available Small molecule docking predicts the interaction of a small molecule ligand with a protein at atomic-detail accuracy including position and conformation the ligand but also conformational changes of the protein upon ligand binding. While successful in the majority of cases, docking algorithms including RosettaLigand fail in some cases to predict the correct protein/ligand complex structure. In this study we show that simultaneous docking of explicit interface water molecules greatly improves Rosetta's ability to distinguish correct from incorrect ligand poses. This result holds true for both protein-centric water docking wherein waters are located relative to the protein binding site and ligand-centric water docking wherein waters move with the ligand during docking. Protein-centric docking is used to model 99 HIV-1 protease/protease inhibitor structures. We find protease inhibitor placement improving at a ratio of 9:1 when one critical interface water molecule is included in the docking simulation. Ligand-centric docking is applied to 341 structures from the CSAR benchmark of diverse protein/ligand complexes [1]. Across this diverse dataset we see up to 56% recovery of failed docking studies, when waters are included in the docking simulation.

  18. Phase equilibrium condition of marine carbon dioxide hydrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Shi-Cai; Liu, Chang-Ling; Ye, Yu-Guang

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► CO 2 hydrate phase equilibrium was studied in simulated marine sediments. ► CO 2 hydrate equilibrium temperature in NaCl and submarine pore water was depressed. ► Coarse-grained silica sand does not affect CO 2 hydrate phase equilibrium. ► The relationship between equilibrium temperature and freezing point was discussed. - Abstract: The phase equilibrium of ocean carbon dioxide hydrate should be understood for ocean storage of carbon dioxide. In this paper, the isochoric multi-step heating dissociation method was employed to investigate the phase equilibrium of carbon dioxide hydrate in a variety of systems (NaCl solution, submarine pore water, silica sand + NaCl solution mixture). The experimental results show that the depression in the phase equilibrium temperature of carbon dioxide hydrate in NaCl solution is caused mainly by Cl − ion. The relationship between the equilibrium temperature and freezing point in NaCl solution was discussed. The phase equilibrium temperature of carbon dioxide hydrate in submarine pore water is shifted by −1.1 K to lower temperature region than that in pure water. However, the phase equilibrium temperature of carbon dioxide hydrate in mixture samples of coarsed-grained silica sand and NaCl solution is in agreement with that in NaCl solution with corresponding concentrations. The relationship between the equilibrium temperature and freezing point in mixture samples was also discussed.

  19. Nuclear Well Log Properties of Natural Gas Hydrate Reservoirs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burchwell, A.; Cook, A.

    2015-12-01

    Characterizing gas hydrate in a reservoir typically involves a full suite of geophysical well logs. The most common method involves using resistivity measurements to quantify the decrease in electrically conductive water when replaced with gas hydrate. Compressional velocity measurements are also used because the gas hydrate significantly strengthens the moduli of the sediment. At many gas hydrate sites, nuclear well logs, which include the photoelectric effect, formation sigma, carbon/oxygen ratio and neutron porosity, are also collected but often not used. In fact, the nuclear response of a gas hydrate reservoir is not known. In this research we will focus on the nuclear log response in gas hydrate reservoirs at the Mallik Field at the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada, and the Gas Hydrate Joint Industry Project Leg 2 sites in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Nuclear logs may add increased robustness to the investigation into the properties of gas hydrates and some types of logs may offer an opportunity to distinguish between gas hydrate and permafrost. For example, a true formation sigma log measures the thermal neutron capture cross section of a formation and pore constituents; it is especially sensitive to hydrogen and chlorine in the pore space. Chlorine has a high absorption potential, and is used to determine the amount of saline water within pore spaces. Gas hydrate offers a difference in elemental composition compared to water-saturated intervals. Thus, in permafrost areas, the carbon/oxygen ratio may vary between gas hydrate and permafrost, due to the increase of carbon in gas hydrate accumulations. At the Mallik site, we observe a hydrate-bearing sand (1085-1107 m) above a water-bearing sand (1107-1140 m), which was confirmed through core samples and mud gas analysis. We observe a decrease in the photoelectric absorption of ~0.5 barnes/e-, as well as an increase in the formation sigma readings of ~5 capture units in the water-bearing sand as

  20. Exploring the ab initio/classical free energy perturbation method: The hydration free energy of water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakane, Shinichi; Yezdimer, Eric M.; Liu, Wenbin; Barriocanal, Jose A.; Doren, Douglas J.; Wood, Robert H.

    2000-01-01

    The ab initio/classical free energy perturbation (ABC-FEP) method proposed previously by Wood et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 110, 1329 (1999)] uses classical simulations to calculate solvation free energies within an empirical potential model, then applies free energy perturbation theory to determine the effect of changing the empirical solute-solvent interactions to corresponding interactions calculated from ab initio methods. This approach allows accurate calculation of solvation free energies using an atomistic description of the solvent and solute, with interactions calculated from first principles. Results can be obtained at a feasible computational cost without making use of approximations such as a continuum solvent or an empirical cavity formation energy. As such, the method can be used far from ambient conditions, where the empirical parameters needed for approximate theories of solvation may not be available. The sources of error in the ABC-FEP method are the approximations in the ab initio method, the finite sample of configurations, and the classical solvent model. This article explores the accuracy of various approximations used in the ABC-FEP method by comparing to the experimentally well-known free energy of hydration of water at two state points (ambient conditions, and 973.15 K and 600 kg/m3). The TIP4P-FQ model [J. Chem. Phys. 101, 6141 (1994)] is found to be a reliable solvent model for use with this method, even at supercritical conditions. Results depend strongly on the ab initio method used: a gradient-corrected density functional theory is not adequate, but a localized MP2 method yields excellent agreement with experiment. Computational costs are reduced by using a cluster approximation, in which ab initio pair interaction energies are calculated between the solute and up to 60 solvent molecules, while multi-body interactions are calculated with only a small cluster (5 to 12 solvent molecules). Sampling errors for the ab initio contribution to

  1. Molecular dynamics study of water molecule diffusion in oil-paper insulation materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liao Ruijin; Zhu Mengzhao; Yang Lijun; Zhou Xin; Gong Chunyan

    2011-01-01

    Moisture is an important factor that influences the safe operation of transformers. In this study, molecular dynamics was employed to investigate the diffusion behavior of water molecules in the oil-paper insulation materials of transformers. Two oil-cellulose models were built. In the first model, water molecules were initially distributed in oil, and in the second model, water molecules were distributed in cellulose. The non-bonding energies of interaction between water molecules and oil, and between water molecules and cellulose, were calculated by the Dreiding force field. The interaction energy was found to play a dominant role in influencing the equilibrium distribution of water molecules. The radial direction functions of water molecules toward oil and cellulose indicate that the hydrogen bonds between water molecules and cellulose are sufficiently strong to withstand the operating temperature of the transformer. Mean-square displacement analysis of water molecules diffusion suggests that water molecules initially distributed in oil showed anisotropic diffusion; they tended to diffuse toward cellulose. Water molecules initially distributed in cellulose diffused isotropically. This study provides a theoretical contribution for improvements in online monitoring of water in transformers, and for subsequent research on new insulation materials.

  2. Molecular dynamics study of water molecule diffusion in oil-paper insulation materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liao Ruijin [State Key Laboratory of Power Transmission Equipment and System Security and New Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Zhu Mengzhao, E-mail: xiaozhupost@163.co [State Key Laboratory of Power Transmission Equipment and System Security and New Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Yang Lijun; Zhou Xin; Gong Chunyan [State Key Laboratory of Power Transmission Equipment and System Security and New Technology, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China)

    2011-03-01

    Moisture is an important factor that influences the safe operation of transformers. In this study, molecular dynamics was employed to investigate the diffusion behavior of water molecules in the oil-paper insulation materials of transformers. Two oil-cellulose models were built. In the first model, water molecules were initially distributed in oil, and in the second model, water molecules were distributed in cellulose. The non-bonding energies of interaction between water molecules and oil, and between water molecules and cellulose, were calculated by the Dreiding force field. The interaction energy was found to play a dominant role in influencing the equilibrium distribution of water molecules. The radial direction functions of water molecules toward oil and cellulose indicate that the hydrogen bonds between water molecules and cellulose are sufficiently strong to withstand the operating temperature of the transformer. Mean-square displacement analysis of water molecules diffusion suggests that water molecules initially distributed in oil showed anisotropic diffusion; they tended to diffuse toward cellulose. Water molecules initially distributed in cellulose diffused isotropically. This study provides a theoretical contribution for improvements in online monitoring of water in transformers, and for subsequent research on new insulation materials.

  3. Physical properties and rock physics models of sediment containing natural and laboratory-formed methane gas hydrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winters, W.J.; Pecher, I.A.; Waite, W.F.; Mason, D.H.

    2004-01-01

    This paper presents results of shear strength and acoustic velocity (p-wave) measurements performed on: (1) samples containing natural gas hydrate from the Mallik 2L-38 well, Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories; (2) reconstituted Ottawa sand samples containing methane gas hydrate formed in the laboratory; and (3) ice-bearing sands. These measurements show that hydrate increases shear strength and p-wave velocity in natural and reconstituted samples. The proportion of this increase depends on (1) the amount and distribution of hydrate present, (2) differences, in sediment properties, and (3) differences in test conditions. Stress-strain curves from the Mallik samples suggest that natural gas hydrate does not cement sediment grains. However, stress-strain curves from the Ottawa sand (containing laboratory-formed gas hydrate) do imply cementation is present. Acoustically, rock physics modeling shows that gas hydrate does not cement grains of natural Mackenzie Delta sediment. Natural gas hydrates are best modeled as part of the sediment frame. This finding is in contrast with direct observations and results of Ottawa sand containing laboratory-formed hydrate, which was found to cement grains (Waite et al. 2004). It therefore appears that the microscopic distribution of gas hydrates in sediment, and hence the effect of gas hydrate on sediment physical properties, differs between natural deposits and laboratory-formed samples. This difference may possibly be caused by the location of water molecules that are available to form hydrate. Models that use laboratory-derived properties to predict behavior of natural gas hydrate must account for these differences.

  4. Structure and dynamics of water and lipid molecules in charged anionic DMPG lipid bilayer membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rønnest, A. K.; Peters, G. H.; Hansen, F. Y.; Taub, H.; Miskowiec, A.

    2016-01-01

    Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to investigate the influence of the valency of counter-ions on the structure of freestanding bilayer membranes of the anionic 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (DMPG) lipid at 310 K and 1 atm. At this temperature, the membrane is in the fluid phase with a monovalent counter-ion and in the gel phase with a divalent counter-ion. The diffusion constant of water as a function of its depth in the membrane has been determined from mean-square-displacement calculations. Also, calculated incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering functions have been compared to experimental results and used to determine an average diffusion constant for all water molecules in the system. On extrapolating the diffusion constants inferred experimentally to a temperature of 310 K, reasonable agreement with the simulations is obtained. However, the experiments do not have the sensitivity to confirm the diffusion of a small component of water bound to the lipids as found in the simulations. In addition, the orientation of the dipole moment of the water molecules has been determined as a function of their depth in the membrane. Previous indirect estimates of the electrostatic potential within phospholipid membranes imply an enormous electric field of 10 8 –10 9 V m −1 , which is likely to have great significance in controlling the conformation of translocating membrane proteins and in the transfer of ions and molecules across the membrane. We have calculated the membrane potential for DMPG bilayers and found ∼1 V (∼2 ⋅ 10 8 V m −1 ) when in the fluid phase with a monovalent counter-ion and ∼1.4 V (∼2.8 ⋅ 10 8 V m −1 ) when in the gel phase with a divalent counter-ion. The number of water molecules for a fully hydrated DMPG membrane has been estimated to be 9.7 molecules per lipid in the gel phase and 17.5 molecules in the fluid phase, considerably smaller than inferred experimentally for 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3

  5. Structure and dynamics of water and lipid molecules in charged anionic DMPG lipid bilayer membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rønnest, A. K.; Peters, G. H.; Hansen, F. Y., E-mail: flemming@kemi.dtu.dk [Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Denmark, IK 207 DTU, DK-2800 Lyngby (Denmark); Taub, H.; Miskowiec, A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy and the University of Missouri Research Reactor,University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211 (United States)

    2016-04-14

    Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to investigate the influence of the valency of counter-ions on the structure of freestanding bilayer membranes of the anionic 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (DMPG) lipid at 310 K and 1 atm. At this temperature, the membrane is in the fluid phase with a monovalent counter-ion and in the gel phase with a divalent counter-ion. The diffusion constant of water as a function of its depth in the membrane has been determined from mean-square-displacement calculations. Also, calculated incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering functions have been compared to experimental results and used to determine an average diffusion constant for all water molecules in the system. On extrapolating the diffusion constants inferred experimentally to a temperature of 310 K, reasonable agreement with the simulations is obtained. However, the experiments do not have the sensitivity to confirm the diffusion of a small component of water bound to the lipids as found in the simulations. In addition, the orientation of the dipole moment of the water molecules has been determined as a function of their depth in the membrane. Previous indirect estimates of the electrostatic potential within phospholipid membranes imply an enormous electric field of 10{sup 8}–10{sup 9} V m{sup −1}, which is likely to have great significance in controlling the conformation of translocating membrane proteins and in the transfer of ions and molecules across the membrane. We have calculated the membrane potential for DMPG bilayers and found ∼1 V (∼2 ⋅ 10{sup 8} V m{sup −1}) when in the fluid phase with a monovalent counter-ion and ∼1.4 V (∼2.8 ⋅ 10{sup 8} V m{sup −1}) when in the gel phase with a divalent counter-ion. The number of water molecules for a fully hydrated DMPG membrane has been estimated to be 9.7 molecules per lipid in the gel phase and 17.5 molecules in the fluid phase, considerably smaller than inferred experimentally for 1

  6. Hysteresis of methane hydrate formation/decomposition at subsea geological conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klapproth, Alice; Piltz, Ross; Peterson, Vanessa K.; Kennedy, Shane J.; Kozielski, Karen A.; Hartley, Patrick G.

    2009-01-01

    Full text: Gas hydrates are a major risk when transporting oil and gas in offshore subsea pipelines. Under typical conditions in these pipelines (at high pressure and low temperature) the formation of gas hydrates is favourable. The hydrates form large solid plugs that can block pipelines and can even cause them to burst. This represents a major problem for the gas mining industry, which currently goes to extreme measures to reduce the risk of hydrate formation because there is no reliable experimental data on hydrate processes. The mechanisms of gas hydrate formation, growth and inhibition are poorly understood. A clear understanding of the fundamental processes will allow development of cost effective technologies to avoid production losses in gas pipelines. We are studying the nucleation of the methane hydrates by measuring the hysteresis of hydrate formation/decomposition by neutron diffraction. When a gas hydrate is decomposed (melted) the resulting water has a 'supposed memory effect' raising the probability of rapid hydrate reformation. This rapid reformation does not occur for pure water where nucleation can be delayed by several hours (induction time) due to metastability [1]. The memory effect can only be destroyed by extreme heating of the effected area. Possible causes of this effect include residual water structure, persistent hydrate crystal lites remaining in solution and remaining dissolved gas. We will compare the kinetics of formation and the stability region of hydrate formation of 'memory' water for comparison with pure water. This information has important implications for the oil and gas industry because it should provide a better understanding of the role of multiple dissociation and reformation of gas hydrates in plug formation.

  7. Thermal conductivity measurements in unsaturated hydrate-bearing sediments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Sheng; Cha, Jong-Ho; Rosenbaum, Eilis J.; Zhang, Wu; Seol, Yongkoo

    2015-08-01

    Current database on the thermal properties of hydrate-bearing sediments remains limited and has not been able to capture their consequential changes during gas production where vigorous phase changes occur in this unsaturated system. This study uses the transient plane source (TPS) technique to measure the thermal conductivity of methane hydrate-bearing sediments with various hydrate/water/gas saturations. We propose a simplified method to obtain thermal properties from single-sided TPS signatures. Results reveal that both volume fraction and distribution of the pore constituents govern the thermal conductivity of unsaturated specimens. Thermal conductivity hysteresis is observed due to water redistribution and fabric change caused by hydrate formation and dissociation. Measured thermal conductivity increases evidently when hydrate saturation Sh > 30-40%, shifting upward from the geometric mean model prediction to a Pythagorean mixing model. These observations envisage a significant drop in sediment thermal conductivity when residual hydrate/water saturation falls below ~40%, hindering further gas production.

  8. Influence of hydration water on CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite films prepared through one-step procedure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ziyi; Yuan, Sijian; Li, Dahai; Jin, Feng; Zhang, Rongjun; Zhan, Yiqiang; Lu, Ming; Wang, Songyou; Zheng, Yuxiang; Guo, Junpeng; Fan, Zhiyong; Chen, Liangyao

    2016-10-31

    Organic-inorganic perovskites were fabricated through a one-step procedure with different levels of hydration water in precursor solutions. The optical properties of CH3NH3PbI3 films were investigated through spectroscopic ellipsometry and photoluminescence measurements. With the measured optical constants, the efficiency limit of perovskite solar cells is predicted with a detailed balance model. By comparing the optical measurement to that of planar heterojunction solar cells, we conclude that the radiative efficiency and porosity of the perovskite film significantly influence the performance of perovskite solar cells. An optimized hydration-water concentration is obtained for the 3CH3NH3I:1PbAc2•xH2O precursor solution. The results can provide guidance for further optimization of the device performance of perovskite solar cells by utilizing hydration water.

  9. The effect of mineral-based alkaline water on hydration status and the metabolic response to short-term anaerobic exercise

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jakub Chycki

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Previously it was demonstrated that mineralization and alkalization properties of mineral water are important factors influencing acid-base balance and hydration in athletes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of drinking different types of water on urine pH, specific urine gravity, and post-exercise lactate utilization in response to strenuous exercise. Thirty-six male soccer players were divided into three intervention groups, consuming around 4.0 l/day of different types of water for 7 days: HM (n=12; highly mineralized water, LM (n=12; low mineralized water, and CON (n=12; table water. The athletes performed an exercise protocol on two occasions (before and after intervention. The exercise protocol consisted of 5 bouts of intensive 60-s (120% VO2max cycling separated by 60 s of passive rest. Body composition, urinalysis and lactate concentration were evaluated – before (t0, immediately after (t1, 5’ (t2, and 30’ (t3 after exercise. Total body water and its active transport (TBW – total body water / ICW – intracellular water / ECW – extracellular water showed no significant differences in all groups, at both occasions. In the post-hydration state we found a significant decrease of specific urine gravity in HM (1021±4.2 vs 1015±3.8 g/L and LM (1022±3.1 vs 1008±4.2 g/L. We also found a significant increase of pH and lactate utilization rate in LM. In conclusion, the athletes hydrated with alkaline, low mineralized water demonstrated favourable changes in hydration status in response to high-intensity interval exercise with a significant decrease of specific urine gravity, increased urine pH and more efficient utilization of lactate after supramaximal exercise.

  10. Ductile flow of methane hydrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durham, W.B.; Stern, L.A.; Kirby, S.H.

    2003-01-01

    Compressional creep tests (i.e., constant applied stress) conducted on pure, polycrystalline methane hydrate over the temperature range 260-287 K and confining pressures of 50-100 MPa show this material to be extraordinarily strong compared to other icy compounds. The contrast with hexagonal water ice, sometimes used as a proxy for gas hydrate properties, is impressive: over the thermal range where both are solid, methane hydrate is as much as 40 times stronger than ice at a given strain rate. The specific mechanical response of naturally occurring methane hydrate in sediments to environmental changes is expected to be dependent on the distribution of the hydrate phase within the formation - whether arranged structurally between and (or) cementing sediments grains versus passively in pore space within a sediment framework. If hydrate is in the former mode, the very high strength of methane hydrate implies a significantly greater strain-energy release upon decomposition and subsequent failure of hydrate-cemented formations than previously expected.

  11. Isothermal phase equilibria for the (HFC-32 + HFC-134a) mixed-gas hydrate system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyauchi, Hiroshi; Yasuda, Kenjiro; Matsumoto, Yuuki; Hashimoto, Shunsuke; Sugahara, Takeshi; Ohgaki, Kazunari

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Structural phase transition results in the heterogeneous azeotropic-like behaviour. ► HFC-134a molecules, in spite of an s-II former, occupy the large cages of s-I. ► Negative azeotropic-like behaviour becomes more remarkable at higher temperatures. - Abstract: Isothermal phase equilibria (pressure-composition relations in hydrate, gas, and aqueous phases) in the {difluoromethane (HFC-32) + 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a)} mixed-gas hydrate system were measured at the temperatures 274.15 K, 279.15 K, and 283.15 K. The heterogeneous azeotropic-like behaviour derived from the structural phase transition of (HFC-32 + HFC-134a) mixed-gas hydrates appears over the whole temperature range of the present study. In addition to the heterogeneous azeotropic-like behaviour, the isothermal phase equilibrium curves of the (HFC-32 + HFC-134a) mixed-gas hydrate system exhibit the negative homogeneous azeotropic-like behaviour at temperatures 279.15 K and 283.15 K. The negative azeotropic-like behaviour, which becomes more remarkable at higher temperatures, results in the lower equilibrium pressure of (HFC-32 + HFC-134a) mixed-gas hydrates than those of both simple HFC-32 and HFC-134a hydrates. Although the HFC-134a molecule forms the simple structure-II hydrate at the temperatures, the present findings reveal that HFC-134a molecules occupy a part of the large cages of the structure-I mixed-gas hydrate.

  12. Kinetics of water-mediated proton transfer in our atmosphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loerting, T.

    2000-07-01

    Variational transition state theory and multidimensional tunneling methods on hybrid density functional theory generated hypersurfaces have been used to investigate the temperature dependence of the reaction rate constants of water-mediated proton transfer reactions relevant to the chemistry of our atmosphere, namely the hydration of sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide and the decomposition of chlorine nitrate. Highly accurate reaction barriers were calculated using ab initio methods taking into account most of the electron correlation, namely CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVDZ//MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ and G2(MP2). On comparing the determined rate constants with laboratory and atmospheric data, the following points could be established: All of the investigated reactions are highly sensitive to changes in humidity, as water acts as efficient catalyst, i.e., the barrier to the reaction is reduced drastically. Present-day atmospheric chemistry can only be explained when a limited number of water molecules is available for the formation of molecular clusters. Both in the troposphere and in the stratosphere SO 3 is hydrated rather than SO 2 . SO 2 emissions have to be oxidized, therefore, before being subject to hydration. A mechanism involving two or three water molecules is relevant for the production of sulfate aerosols, which play a decisive role in the context of global climate change and acid rain. A third water molecule has the function of assisting double-proton transfer rather than acting as active participant in triple-proton transfer in the case of the hydration of sulfur oxides. The observed ozone depletion above Arctica and Antarctica can be explained either by decomposition of chlorine nitrate in the presence of three water molecules (triple proton transfer) or by decomposition of chlorine nitrate in the presence of one molecule of HCl and one molecule of water (double proton transfer). The preassociation reaction required for homogeneous gas-phase conversion of chlorine

  13. In-situ X-ray diffraction reveals the degradation of crystalline CH3NH3PbI3 by water-molecule collisions at room temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hada, Masaki; Hasegawa, Yoichi; Nagaoka, Ryota; Miyake, Tomoya; Abdullaev, Ulugbek; Ota, Hiromi; Nishikawa, Takeshi; Yamashita, Yoshifumi; Hayashi, Yasuhiko

    2018-02-01

    We have developed a vacuum-compatible chamber for in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies and have used it to characterize the changing crystal structure of an inorganic-organic hybrid perovskite material, CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3), during interactions with water vapor at room temperature. In the XRD spectra, we have observed the degradation of MAPbI3 and the creation of MAPbI3 hydrates, which follow simple rate equations. The time constant for the degradation of MAPbI3 during accelerated aging suggests that multiple collisions of water molecules with the MAPbI3 crystal trigger the degradation of the crystal.

  14. Hydration states of AFm cement phases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baquerizo, Luis G., E-mail: luis.baquerizoibarra@holcim.com [Innovation, Holcim Technology Ltd., CH-5113 Holderbank (Switzerland); Matschei, Thomas [Innovation, Holcim Technology Ltd., CH-5113 Holderbank (Switzerland); Scrivener, Karen L. [Laboratory of Construction Materials, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Saeidpour, Mahsa; Wadsö, Lars [Building Materials, Lund University, Box 124, 221 000 Lund (Sweden)

    2015-07-15

    The AFm phase, one of the main products formed during the hydration of Portland and calcium aluminate cement based systems, belongs to the layered double hydrate (LDH) family having positively charged layers and water plus charge-balancing anions in the interlayer. It is known that these phases present different hydration states (i.e. varying water content) depending on the relative humidity (RH), temperature and anion type, which might be linked to volume changes (swelling and shrinkage). Unfortunately the stability conditions of these phases are insufficiently reported. This paper presents novel experimental results on the different hydration states of the most important AFm phases: monocarboaluminate, hemicarboaluminate, strätlingite, hydroxy-AFm and monosulfoaluminate, and the thermodynamic properties associated with changes in their water content during absorption/desorption. This data opens the possibility to model the response of cementitious systems during drying and wetting and to engineer systems more resistant to harsh external conditions.

  15. Water distribution and related morphology in human stratum corneum at different hydration levels

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bouwstra, J.A.; Graaff, de A.; Gooris, G.S.; Nijsse, J.; Wiechers, J.W.; Aelst, van A.C.

    2003-01-01

    This study focused on the water distribution in human stratum corneum and on the swelling of the corneocytes. For this purpose stratum corneum was hydrated to various levels and used either for Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy or for cryo-scanning electron microscopy. The images were analyzed

  16. Different Mechanism Effect between Gas-Solid and Liquid-Solid Interface on the Three-Phase Coexistence Hydrate System Dissociation in Seawater: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhixue Sun

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Almost 98% of methane hydrate is stored in the seawater environment, the study of microscopic mechanism for methane hydrate dissociation on the sea floor is of great significance to the development of hydrate production, involving a three-phase coexistence system of seawater (3.5% NaCl + hydrate + methane gas. The molecular dynamics method is used to simulate the hydrate dissociation process. The dissociation of hydrate system depends on diffusion of methane molecules from partially open cages and a layer by layer breakdown of the closed cages. The presence of liquid or gas phases adjacent to the hydrate has an effect on the rate of hydrate dissociation. At the beginning of dissociation process, hydrate layers that are in contact with liquid phase dissociated faster than layers adjacent to the gas phase. As the dissociation continues, the thickness of water film near the hydrate-liquid interface became larger than the hydrate-gas interface giving more resistance to the hydrate dissociation. Dissociation rate of hydrate layers adjacent to gas phase gradually exceeds the dissociation rate of layers adjacent to the liquid phase. The difficulty of methane diffusion in the hydrate-liquid side also brings about change in dissociation rate.

  17. Structure of the Hydrated Platinum(II) Ion And the Cis-Diammine-Platinum(II) Complex in Acidic Aqueous Solution: An EXAFS Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jalilehvand, F.; Laffin, L.J.

    2009-05-18

    Careful analysis of Pt L{sub 3}-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra shows that the hydrated platinum(II) ion in acidic (HClO{sub 4}) aqueous solution binds four water molecules with the Pt-O bond distance 2.01(2) {angstrom} and one (or two) in the axial position at 2.39(2) {angstrom}. The weak axial water coordination is in accordance with the unexpectedly small activation volume previously reported for water exchange in an interchange mechanism with associative character. The hydrated cis-diammineplatinum(II) complex has a similar coordination environment with two ammine and two aqua ligands strongly bound with Pt-O/N bond distances of 2.01(2) {angstrom} and, in addition, one (or two) axial water molecule at 2.37(2) {angstrom}. This result provides a new basis for theoretical computational studies aiming to connect the function of the anticancer drug cis-platin to its ligand exchange reactions, where usually four-coordinated square planar platinum(II) species are considered as the reactant and product. {sup 195}Pt NMR spectroscopy has been used to characterize the Pt(II) complexes.

  18. In Situ Raman Analyses of Natural Gas and Gas Hydrates at Hydrate Ridge, Oregon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peltzer, E. T.; White, S. N.; Dunk, R. M.; Brewer, P. G.; Sherman, A. D.; Schmidt, K.; Hester, K. C.; Sloan, E. D.

    2004-12-01

    concentrations too low to be detected by the current DORISS instrument. In situ analyses of the hydrates show them to be structure I hydrates with methane as the primary guest molecule; the data compare well to laboratory data.

  19. Mechanism and kinetics of hydrated electron diffusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tay, Kafui A.; Coudert, Francois-Xavier; Boutin, Anne

    2008-01-01

    Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the mechanism and kinetics of hydrated electron diffusion. The electron center of mass is found to exhibit Brownian-type behavior with a diffusion coefficient considerably greater than that of the solvent. As previously postulated by both experimental and theoretical works, the instantaneous response of the electron to the librational motions of surrounding water molecules constitutes the principal mode of motion. The diffusive mechanism can be understood within the traditional framework of transfer diffusion processes, where the diffusive step is akin to the exchange of an extramolecular electron between neighboring water molecules. This is a second-order process with a computed rate constant of 5.0 ps -1 at 298 K. In agreement with experiment the electron diffusion exhibits Arrhenius behavior over the temperature range of 298-400 K. We compute an activation energy of 8.9 kJ mol -1 . Through analysis of Arrhenius plots and the application of a simple random walk model it is demonstrated that the computed rate constant for exchange of an excess electron is indeed the phenomenological rate constant associated with the diffusive process

  20. Internal friction of hydrated soda-lime-silicate glasses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reinsch, S; Müller, R; Deubener, J; Behrens, H

    2013-11-07

    The internal friction of hydrated soda-lime-silica glasses with total water content (C(W)) up to 1.9 wt. % was studied by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) using temperature-frequency sweeps from 723 K to 273 K and from 1 s(-1) to 50 s(-1). Total water content and concentrations of H2O molecules (C(H2O)) and OH groups (C(OH)) in the DMA specimens were determined by infrared spectroscopy. For low water contents (C(W) ≈ C(OH) friction peaks below the glass transition (α relaxation) were assigned to the low-temperature motion of alkali ions (γ relaxation) and cooperative movements of dissimilar mobile species under participation of OH at higher temperature (β(OH) relaxation). For large water contents (C(W) > 1 wt. %), where significant amounts of molecular water are evident (C(H2O) > 0.15 wt. %), however, internal friction spectra change unexpectedly: the β(OH) peak heights saturate and a low temperature shoulder appears on the β-relaxation peak. This emerging relaxation mode (β(H2O) relaxation) was assigned to the motions of H2O molecules. β(H2O) relaxation was found to be faster than β(OH) but slower than γ relaxation. Activation energy of the different relaxation modes increased in the order γ < β(H2O) < β(OH) < α.

  1. Raman spectroscopic studies of hydrogen clathrate hydrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strobel, Timothy A; Sloan, E Dendy; Koh, Carolyn A

    2009-01-07

    Raman spectroscopic measurements of simple hydrogen and tetrahydrofuran+hydrogen sII clathrate hydrates have been performed. Both the roton and vibron bands illuminate interesting quantum dynamics of enclathrated H(2) molecules. The complex vibron region of the Raman spectrum has been interpreted by observing the change in population of these bands with temperature, measuring the absolute H(2) content as a function of pressure, and with D(2) isotopic substitution. Quadruple occupancy of the large sII clathrate cavity shows the highest H(2) vibrational frequency, followed by triple and double occupancies. Singly occupied small cavities display the lowest vibrational frequency. The vibrational frequencies of H(2) within all cavity environments are redshifted from the free gas phase value. At 76 K, the progression from ortho- to para-H(2) occurs over a relatively slow time period (days). The rotational degeneracy of H(2) molecules within the clathrate cavities is lifted, observed directly in splitting of the para-H(2) roton band. Raman spectra from H(2) and D(2) hydrates suggest that the occupancy patterns between the two hydrates are analogous, increasing confidence that D(2) is a suitable substitute for H(2). The measurements suggest that Raman is an effective and convenient method to determine the relative occupancy of hydrogen molecules in different clathrate cavities.

  2. Application of various water soluble polymers in gas hydrate inhibition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kamal, Muhammad Shahzad; Hussein, Ibnelwaleed A.; Sultan, Abdullah S.

    2016-01-01

    . This review presents the various types of water soluble polymers used for hydrate inhibition, including conventional and novel polymeric inhibitors along with their limitations. The review covers the relevant properties of vinyl lactam, amide, dendrimeric, fluorinated, and natural biodegradable polymers....... The factors affecting the performance of these polymers and the structure-property relationships are reviewed. A comprehensive review of the techniques used to evaluate the performance of the polymeric inhibitors is given. This review also addresses recent developments, current and future challenges...

  3. Characteristics of Methane Hydrate Formation in Artificial and Natural Media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qingbai Wu

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The formation of methane hydrate in two significantly different media was investigated, using silica gel as an artificial medium and loess as a natural medium. The methane hydrate formation was observed through the depletion of water in the matrix, measured via the matrix potential and the relationship between the matrix potential and the water content was determined using established equations. The velocity of methane hydrate nucleation slowed over the course of the reaction, as it relied on water transfer to the hydrate surfaces with lower Gibbs free energy after nucleation. Significant differences in the reactions in the two types of media arose from differences in the water retention capacity and lithology of media due to the internal surface area and pore size distributions. Compared with methane hydrate formation in silica gel, the reaction in loess was much slower and formed far less methane hydrate. The results of this study will advance the understanding of how the properties of the environment affect the formation of gas hydrates in nature.

  4. Grid inhomogeneous solvation theory: hydration structure and thermodynamics of the miniature receptor cucurbit[7]uril.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Crystal N; Young, Tom Kurtzman; Gilson, Michael K

    2012-07-28

    The displacement of perturbed water upon binding is believed to play a critical role in the thermodynamics of biomolecular recognition, but it is nontrivial to unambiguously define and answer questions about this process. We address this issue by introducing grid inhomogeneous solvation theory (GIST), which discretizes the equations of inhomogeneous solvation theory (IST) onto a three-dimensional grid situated in the region of interest around a solute molecule or complex. Snapshots from explicit solvent simulations are used to estimate localized solvation entropies, energies, and free energies associated with the grid boxes, or voxels, and properly summing these thermodynamic quantities over voxels yields information about hydration thermodynamics. GIST thus provides a smoothly varying representation of water properties as a function of position, rather than focusing on hydration sites where solvent is present at high density. It therefore accounts for full or partial displacement of water from sites that are highly occupied by water, as well as for partly occupied and water-depleted regions around the solute. GIST can also provide a well-defined estimate of the solvation free energy and therefore enables a rigorous end-states analysis of binding. For example, one may not only use a first GIST calculation to project the thermodynamic consequences of displacing water from the surface of a receptor by a ligand, but also account, in a second GIST calculation, for the thermodynamics of subsequent solvent reorganization around the bound complex. In the present study, a first GIST analysis of the molecular host cucurbit[7]uril is found to yield a rich picture of hydration structure and thermodynamics in and around this miniature receptor. One of the most striking results is the observation of a toroidal region of high water density at the center of the host's nonpolar cavity. Despite its high density, the water in this toroidal region is disfavored energetically and

  5. On the Several Molecules and Nanostructures of Water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cynthia Kolb Whitney

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the water molecule from a variety of viewpoints. Water can involve different isotopes of Hydrogen and Oxygen, it can form differently shaped isomer molecules, and, when frozen, it occupies space differently than most other substances do. The tool for conducting the investigation of all this is called ‘Algebraic Chemistry’. This tool is a quantitative model for predicting the energy budget for all sorts of changes between different ionization states of atoms that are involved in chemical reactions and in changes of physical state. The model is based on consistent patterns seen in empirical data about ionization potentials, together with rational scaling laws that can interpolate and extrapolate for situations where no data are available. The results of the investigation of the water molecule include comments, both positive and negative, about technologies involving heavy water, poly water, Brown’s gas, and cold fusion.

  6. Ethylene Separation via Hydrate Formation in W/O Emulsions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yong Pan

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available An hybrid absorption-hydration method was adopted to recover C2H4 from C2H4/CH4 binary gas mixtures and the hydrate formation conditions of C2H4/CH4 mixtures was studied experimentally in diesel in water (w/o emulsions. Span 20 at a concentration of 1.0 wt% in the aqueous phase was added to form water in diesel emulsions before hydrate formation and then hydrate in diesel slurry was separated after hydrate formation. The influences of initial gas-liquid volume ratio (53–142, pressure (3.4–5.4 MPa, temperature (274.15–278.15 K, water cuts (10–30 vol%, and the mole fraction of C2H4 in feed gas (13.19–80.44 mol% upon the C2H4 separation efficiency were systematically investigated. The experimental results show that ethylene can be enriched in hydrate slurry phase with high separation factor (S and recovery ratio (R. Most hydrate formation finished in 20 min, after that, the hydrate formation rate became very slow. The conclusion is useful for determining the suitable operation conditions when adopting an absorption-hydration method to separate C2H4/CH4.

  7. Acid-base balance and hydration status following consumption of mineral-based alkaline bottled water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heil Daniel P

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The present study sought to determine whether the consumption of a mineral-rich alkalizing (AK bottled water could improve both acid-base balance and hydration status in young healthy adults under free-living conditions. The AK water contains a naturally high mineral content along with Alka-PlexLiquid™, a dissolved supplement that increases the mineral content and gives the water an alkalizing pH of 10.0. Methods Thirty-eight subjects were matched by gender and self-reported physical activity (SRPA, hrs/week and then split into Control (12 women, 7 men; Mean +/- SD: 23 +/- 2 yrs; 7.2 +/- 3.6 hrs/week SRPA and Experimental (13 women, 6 men; 22 +/- 2 yrs; 6.4 +/- 4.0 hrs/week SRPA groups. The Control group consumed non-mineralized placebo bottled water over a 4-week period while the Experimental group consumed the placebo water during the 1st and 4th weeks and the AK water during the middle 2-week treatment period. Fingertip blood and 24-hour urine samples were collected three times each week for subsequent measures of blood and urine osmolality and pH, as well as total urine volume. Dependent variables were analyzed using multivariate repeated measures ANOVA with post-hoc focused on evaluating changes over time within Control and Experimental groups (alpha = 0.05. Results There were no significant changes in any of the dependent variables for the Control group. The Experimental group, however, showed significant increases in both the blood and urine pH (6.23 to 7.07 and 7.52 to 7.69, respectively, a decreased blood and increased urine osmolality, and a decreased urine output (2.51 to 2.05 L/day, all during the second week of the treatment period (P Conclusions Consumption of AK water was associated with improved acid-base balance (i.e., an alkalization of the blood and urine and hydration status when consumed under free-living conditions. In contrast, subjects who consumed the placebo bottled water showed no changes over the

  8. On the applicability of one- and many-electron quantum chemistry models for hydrated electron clusters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turi, László

    2016-04-01

    We evaluate the applicability of a hierarchy of quantum models in characterizing the binding energy of excess electrons to water clusters. In particular, we calculate the vertical detachment energy of an excess electron from water cluster anions with methods that include one-electron pseudopotential calculations, density functional theory (DFT) based calculations, and ab initio quantum chemistry using MP2 and eom-EA-CCSD levels of theory. The examined clusters range from the smallest cluster size (n = 2) up to nearly nanosize clusters with n = 1000 molecules. The examined cluster configurations are extracted from mixed quantum-classical molecular dynamics trajectories of cluster anions with n = 1000 water molecules using two different one-electron pseudopotenial models. We find that while MP2 calculations with large diffuse basis set provide a reasonable description for the hydrated electron system, DFT methods should be used with precaution and only after careful benchmarking. Strictly tested one-electron psudopotentials can still be considered as reasonable alternatives to DFT methods, especially in large systems. The results of quantum chemistry calculations performed on configurations, that represent possible excess electron binding motifs in the clusters, appear to be consistent with the results using a cavity structure preferring one-electron pseudopotential for the hydrated electron, while they are in sharp disagreement with the structural predictions of a non-cavity model.

  9. On the applicability of one- and many-electron quantum chemistry models for hydrated electron clusters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turi, László, E-mail: turi@chem.elte.hu [Department of Physical Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, P.O. Box 32, H-1518 Budapest 112 (Hungary)

    2016-04-21

    We evaluate the applicability of a hierarchy of quantum models in characterizing the binding energy of excess electrons to water clusters. In particular, we calculate the vertical detachment energy of an excess electron from water cluster anions with methods that include one-electron pseudopotential calculations, density functional theory (DFT) based calculations, and ab initio quantum chemistry using MP2 and eom-EA-CCSD levels of theory. The examined clusters range from the smallest cluster size (n = 2) up to nearly nanosize clusters with n = 1000 molecules. The examined cluster configurations are extracted from mixed quantum-classical molecular dynamics trajectories of cluster anions with n = 1000 water molecules using two different one-electron pseudopotenial models. We find that while MP2 calculations with large diffuse basis set provide a reasonable description for the hydrated electron system, DFT methods should be used with precaution and only after careful benchmarking. Strictly tested one-electron psudopotentials can still be considered as reasonable alternatives to DFT methods, especially in large systems. The results of quantum chemistry calculations performed on configurations, that represent possible excess electron binding motifs in the clusters, appear to be consistent with the results using a cavity structure preferring one-electron pseudopotential for the hydrated electron, while they are in sharp disagreement with the structural predictions of a non-cavity model.

  10. Hydration and temperature interdependence of protein picosecond dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lipps, Ferdinand; Levy, Seth; Markelz, A G

    2012-05-14

    We investigate the nature of the solvent motions giving rise to the rapid temperature dependence of protein picoseconds motions at 220 K, often referred to as the protein dynamical transition. The interdependence of picoseconds dynamics on hydration and temperature is examined using terahertz time domain spectroscopy to measure the complex permittivity in the 0.2-2.0 THz range for myoglobin. Both the real and imaginary parts of the permittivity over the frequency range measured have a strong temperature dependence at >0.27 h (g water per g protein), however the permittivity change is strongest for frequencies 1 THz, and 0.27 h for frequencies <1 THz. The data are consistent with the dynamical transition solvent fluctuations requiring only clusters of ~5 water molecules, whereas the enhancement of lowest frequency motions requires a fully spanning water network. This journal is © the Owner Societies 2012

  11. Hydration rate of obsidian.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedman, I; Long, W

    1976-01-30

    The hydration rates of 12 obsidian samples of different chemical compositions were measured at temperatures from 95 degrees to 245 degrees C. An expression relating hydration rate to temperature was derived for each sample. The SiO(2) content and refractive index are related to the hydration rate, as are the CaO, MgO, and original water contents. With this information it is possible to calculate the hydration rate of a sample from its silica content, refractive index, or chemical index and a knowledge of the effective temperature at which the hydration occurred. The effective hydration temperature can be either measured or approximated from weather records. Rates have been calculated by both methods, and the results show that weather records can give a good approximation to the true EHT, particularly in tropical and subtropical climates. If one determines the EHT by any of the methods suggested, and also measures or knows the rate of hydration of the particular obsidian used, it should be possible to carry out absolute dating to +/- 10 percent of the true age over periods as short as several years and as long as millions of years.

  12. Phase behavior of methane hydrate in silica sand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Shi-Cai; Liu, Chang-Ling; Ye, Yu-Guang; Liu, Yu-Feng

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Hydrate p-T trace in coarse-grained sediment is consistent with that in bulk water. • Fine-grained sediment affects hydrate equilibrium for the depressed water activity. • Hydrate equilibrium in sediment is related to the pore size distribution. • The application of hydrate equilibrium in sediment depends on the actual condition. -- Abstract: Two kinds of silica sand powder with different particle size were used to investigate the phase behavior of methane hydrate bearing sediment. In coarse-grained silica sand, the measured temperature and pressure range was (281.1 to 284.2) K and (5.9 to 7.8) MPa, respectively. In fine-grained silica sand, the measured temperature and pressure range was (281.5 to 289.5) K and (7.3 to 16.0) MPa, respectively. The results show that the effect of coarse-grained silica sand on methane hydrate phase equilibrium can be ignored; however, the effect of fine-grained silica sand on methane hydrate phase equilibrium is significant, which is attributed to the depression of water activity caused by the hydrophilicity and negatively charged characteristic of silica particle as well as the pore capillary pressure. Besides, the analysis of experimental results using the Gibbs–Thomson equation shows that methane hydrate phase equilibrium is related to the pore size distribution of silica sand. Consequently, for the correct application of phase equilibrium data of hydrate bearing sediment, the geological condition and engineering requirement should be taken into consideration in gas production, resource evaluation, etc

  13. Gas hydrate cool storage system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ternes, M.P.; Kedl, R.J.

    1984-09-12

    The invention presented relates to the development of a process utilizing a gas hydrate as a cool storage medium for alleviating electric load demands during peak usage periods. Several objectives of the invention are mentioned concerning the formation of the gas hydrate as storage material in a thermal energy storage system within a heat pump cycle system. The gas hydrate was formed using a refrigerant in water and an example with R-12 refrigerant is included. (BCS)

  14. Clinker mineral hydration at reduced relative humidities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Ole Mejlhede; Hansen, Per Freiesleben; Lachowski, Eric E.

    1999-01-01

    and experimental data are presented showing that C(3)A can hydrate at lower humidities than either C3S or C2S. It is suggested that the initiation of hydration during exposure to water vapour is nucleation controlled. When C(3)A hydrates at low humidity, the characteristic hydration product is C(3)AH(6......Vapour phase hydration of purl cement clinker minerals at reduced relative humidities is described. This is relevant to modern high performance concrete that may self-desiccate during hydration and is also relevant to the quality of the cement during storage. Both the oretical considerations...

  15. The effects of mucopolysaccharide polysulphate on hydration and elasticity of human skin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wanitphakdeedecha, Rungsima; Eimpunth, Sasima; Manuskiatti, Woraphong

    2011-01-01

    Background. Mucopolysaccharide polysulphate (MPS) has been used in medicine as an anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic agent for over 50 years. Its chemical structure permits considerable hydrogen bonding with adjacent water molecules, which effectively leads to hydration of the surrounding tissue. In addition, it stimulates endogenous hyaluronate synthesis, resulting in an increase in water-binding capacity and viscoelasticity of the skin. Objective. To study the efficacy of 0.1% MPS on hydration and elasticity of human skin. Methods. The first part of this study was a randomized double blind placebo-controlled study which included 60 female volunteers aged 30-45 years with dry skin, defined by Corneometer CM 825. The volunteers were treated with either 0.1% MPS or vehicle control. All subjects were asked to apply 1 g of cream to their face twice daily for a total period of 4 weeks. Skin hydration and elasticity were measured at baseline and week 4 with Corneometer CM 825 and cutometer MPA 580, respectively, at forehead and both cheeks. The second part of this study focused on the efficacy of 0.1% MPS on skin hydration after single application. 20 female volunteers aged 30-45 years with dry skin, defined by Corneometer CM 825, were recruited to the study. All subjects were asked to apply 2 g of 0.1% MPS cream on entirely randomly selected forearm. Skin hydration at the middle of both forearms was measured at baseline, immediately after application, and every 1 hour after application for a period of 10 hours. Results. 57 subjects (28 in vehicle control group, 29 in MPS) completed treatment protocol. The baseline skin hydration of both groups was not significantly different (P = 0.47). Hower, there was a statistically significant difference in skin hydration at 4 weeks between MPS and placebo group (P = 0.01). Skin elasticity was significantly improved at week 4 in both groups (vehicle-control, P skin elasticity between MPS and vehicle-control group

  16. Coordination variation of hydrated Cu2+/Br1− ions traversing the interfacial water in mesopores

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Q. Wang

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Resolution of the atomistic and electronic details about the coordination structure variation of hydrated ions in the interfacial water is still a tough challenge, which is, however, essentially important for the understanding of ion adsorption, permeation and other similar processes in aqueous solutions. Here we report the tracing of coordination structure variation for hydrated Cu2+/Br1- ions traversing the interfacial water in Vycor mesopores (ϕ = 7.6 nm by employing both X-ray absorption near edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopies. By controlled desorption/adsorption of water, the filling fraction of the mesopores, thus the water layer thickness, can be adjusted, which in turn effects the variation of coordination structure of the ions therein. It is found that both Cu2+ and Br1- ions prefer staying exclusively in the core water, and in this circumstance no ion pairs have been detected in the solution of concentrations up to 1.0 M. Following capillary decondensation occurring at a filling fraction of ∼35% which corresponds to a water layer of about three monolayers, Br1- ions begin immediately to reconstruct their first coordination shell, characterized by ionic dehydration, shrinkage of ion-water bond length, and formation of ion pairs. In contrast, Cu2+ ions can retain a bulk-like coordination structure till being driven to bond directly to the pore surface when the filling fraction is below 20%. At the final stage of dehydration via thermal vacuum treatment at 110°C, Cu2+ ions can be completely reduced to the Cu1+ state, and recover at room temperature only when the filling fraction is above 14%. These results may be inspirable for the investigation of similar problems concerning hydrated ions in water solution under different confining conditions.

  17. Thermal Stability and Proton Conductivity of Rare Earth Orthophosphate Hydrates

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Anfimova, Tatiana; Li, Qingfeng; Jensen, Jens Oluf

    2014-01-01

    as the rhabdophane structure is preserved. The bound hydrate water is accommodated in the rhabdophane structure and is stable at temperatures of up to 650 oC. The thermal stability of the hydrate water and the phosphate structure are of significance for the proton conductivity. The LaPO4·0.6H2O and NdPO4•0.5H2O......Hydrated orthophosphate powders of three rare earth metals, lanthanum, neodymium and gadolinium, were prepared and studied as potential proton conducting materials for intermediate temperature electrochemical applications. The phosphates undergo a transformation from the rhabdophane structure...... to the monazite structure upon dehydration. The thermal stability of the hydrate is studied and found to contain water of two types, physically adsorbed and structurally bound hydrate water. The adsorbed water is correlated to the specific surface area and can be reversibly recovered when dehydrated as long...

  18. Time-series measurements of bubble plume variability and water column methane distribution above Southern Hydrate Ridge, Oregon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Philip, Brendan T.; Denny, Alden R.; Solomon, Evan A.; Kelley, Deborah S.

    2016-03-01

    An estimated 500-2500 gigatons of methane carbon is sequestered in gas hydrate at continental margins and some of these deposits are associated with overlying methane seeps. To constrain the impact that seeps have on methane concentrations in overlying ocean waters and to characterize the bubble plumes that transport methane vertically into the ocean, water samples and time-series acoustic images were collected above Southern Hydrate Ridge (SHR), a well-studied hydrate-bearing seep site ˜90 km west of Newport, Oregon. These data were coregistered with robotic vehicle observations to determine the origin of the seeps, the plume rise heights above the seafloor, and the temporal variability in bubble emissions. Results show that the locations of seep activity and bubble release remained unchanged over the 3 year time-series investigation, however, the magnitude of gas release was highly variable on hourly time scales. Bubble plumes were detected to depths of 320-620 m below sea level (mbsl), in several cases exceeding the upper limit of hydrate stability by ˜190 m. For the first time, sustained gas release was imaged at the Pinnacle site and in-between the Pinnacle and the Summit area of venting, indicating that the subseafloor transport of fluid and gas is not restricted to the Summit at SHR, requiring a revision of fluid-flow models. Dissolved methane concentrations above background levels from 100 to 300 mbsl are consistent with long-term seep gas transport into the upper water column, which may lead to the build-up of seep-derived carbon in regional subsurface waters and to increases in associated biological activity.

  19. Origins of hydration differences in homochiral and racemic crystals of aspartic acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juliano, Thomas R; Korter, Timothy M

    2015-02-26

    The propensity for crystalline hydrates of organic molecules to form is related to the strength of the interactions between molecules, including the chiral composition of the molecular solids. Specifically, homochiral versus racemic crystalline samples can exhibit distinct differences in their ability to form energetically stable hydrates. The focus of the current study is a comparison of the crystal structures and intermolecular forces found in solid-state L-aspartic acid, DL-aspartic acid, and L-aspartic acid monohydrate. The absence of experimental evidence for the DL-aspartic acid monohydrate is considered here in terms of the enhanced thermodynamic stability of the DL-aspartic acid anhydrate crystal as compared to the L-aspartic acid anhydrate as revealed through solid-state density functional theory calculations and terahertz spectroscopic measurements. The results indicate that anhydrous DL-aspartic acid is the more stable solid, not due to intermolecular forces alone but also due to the improved conformations of the molecules within the racemic solid. Hemihydrated and monohydrated forms of DL-aspartic acid have been computationally evaluated, and in each case, the hydrates produce destabilized aspartic acid conformations that prevent DL-aspartic acid hydrate formation from occurring.

  20. Hydration, phase separation and nonlinear rheology of temperature-sensitive water-soluble polymers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tanaka, Fumihiko; Koga, Tsuyoshi [Department of Polymer Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto 615-8510 (Japan); Kaneda, Isamu [Department of Food Science, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Hokkaido 069-8501 (Japan); Winnik, Francoise M, E-mail: ftanaka@phys.polym.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Department of Chemistry and Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Montreal, Montreal, H3C 3J7 (Canada)

    2011-07-20

    The collapse of a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) chain upon heating and the phase diagrams of aqueous PNIPAM solutions with a very flat lower critical solution temperature (LCST) phase separation line are theoretically studied on the basis of cooperative dehydration (simultaneous dissociation of bound water molecules in a group of correlated sequence), and compared with the experimental observation of temperature-induced coil-globule transition by light scattering methods. The transition becomes sharper with the cooperativity parameter {sigma} of hydration. The reentrant coil-globule-coil transition and cononsolvency in a mixed solvent of water and methanol are also studied from the viewpoint of competitive hydrogen bonds between polymer-water and polymer-methanol. The downward shift of the cloud-point curves (LCST cononsolvency) with the mol fraction of methanol due to the competition is calculated and compared with the experimental data. Aqueous solutions of hydrophobically modified PNIPAM carrying short alkyl chains at both chain ends (telechelic PNIPAM) are theoretically and experimentally studied. The LCST of these solutions is found to shift downward along the sol-gel transition curve as a result of end-chain association (association-induced phase separation), and separate from the coil-globule transition line. Associated structures in the solution, such as flower micelles, mesoglobules, and higher fractal assembly, are studied by ultra small-angle neutron scattering with theoretical modeling of the scattering function. Dynamic-mechanical modulus, nonlinear stationary viscosity, and stress build-up in start-up shear flows of the associated networks are studied on the basis of the affine and non-affine transient network theory. The molecular conditions for thickening, strain hardening, and stress overshoot are found in terms of the nonlinear amplitude A of the chain tension and the tension-dissociation coupling constant g.

  1. Production of Hydrated Metal Ions by Fast Ion or Atom Beam Sputtering. Collision-Induced Dissociation and Successive Hydration Energies of Gaseous Cu+ with 1-4 Water Molecules

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Magnera, Thomas F.; David, Donald E.; Stulik, Dusan; Orth, Robert G.; Jonkman, Harry T.; Michl, Josef

    1989-01-01

    Low-temperature sputtering of frozen aqueous solutions of metal salts, of hydrated crystalline transition-metal salts, of frosted metal surfaces, and of frosted metal salts with kiloelectronvolt energy rare gas atoms or ions produces copious amounts of cluster ions, among which M+(H2O)n and/or

  2. Combining Novel Simulation Methods and Nucleation Theory to Uncover the Secrets of Gas Hydrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Keyes, Thomas [Boston Univ., MA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry

    2016-04-14

    Conventional computer simulation methods fail for some of the most important problems. With the design and application of innovative algorithms, this project achieved a breakthrough for the case of systems undergoing first-order phase transitions. We gave a complete simulation protocol based upon a well optimized version of our "generalized replica exchange method". The transition of primary interest was gas hydrate formation, a process of significance for climate science and natural gas retrieval. Since hydrates consist of guest molecules in the cages of a water matrix, β ice, the freezing and melting of water was also studied. New information was uncovered about the transition pathways and thermodynamics. Some highlights are 1. the finding that in a very dilute solution without deep supercooling, representative of real-world conditions and very challenging to conventional algorithms, methane can act as a catalyst to drive the formation of large amounts of β ice with empty cages as metastable intermediates, which might be filled by additional methane in a mechanism for hydrate formation, and 2. illumination of the role of metastable cubic ice in water freezing, with determination of the surface tensions of the cubic, hexagonal, and β ices, and the free energy difference of cubic vs hexagonal ice. Work was begun on lipid systems, bilayers and nanoreactors promising for energy-related photoreductions, and targets for future research. Our methods yielded what is arguably the most complete description of the composite lipid/water phases and the transition pathways among them.

  3. Prediction of hydroxyl concentrations in cement pore water using a numerical cement hydration model

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eijk, van R.J.; Brouwers, H.J.H.

    2000-01-01

    In this paper, a 3D numerical cement hydration model is used for predicting alkali and hydroxyl concentrations in cement pore water. First, this numerical model is calibrated for Dutch cement employing both chemical shrinkage and calorimetric experiments. Secondly, the strength development of some

  4. Water permeation through the internal water pathway in activated GPCR rhodopsin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katsufumi Tomobe

    Full Text Available Rhodopsin is a light-driven G-protein-coupled receptor that mediates signal transduction in eyes. Internal water molecules mediate activation of the receptor in a rhodopsin cascade reaction and contribute to conformational stability of the receptor. However, it remains unclear how internal water molecules exchange between the bulk and protein inside, in particular through a putative solvent pore on the cytoplasmic. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we identified the solvent pore on cytoplasmic side in both the Meta II state and the Opsin. On the other hand, the solvent pore does not exist in the dark-adapted rhodopsin. We revealed two characteristic narrow regions located within the solvent pore in the Meta II state. The narrow regions distinguish bulk and the internal hydration sites, one of which is adjacent to the conserved structural motif "NPxxY". Water molecules in the solvent pore diffuse by pushing or sometimes jumping a preceding water molecule due to the geometry of the solvent pore. These findings revealed a total water flux between the bulk and the protein inside in the Meta II state, and suggested that these pathways provide water molecules to the crucial sites of the activated rhodopsin.

  5. Hydration of swelling clays: multi-scale sequence of hydration and determination of macroscopic energies from microscopic properties; Hydratation des argiles gonflantes: sequence d'hydratation multi-echelle determination des energies macroscopiques a partir des proprietes microscopiques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salles, F

    2006-10-15

    Smectites have interesting properties which make them potential candidates for engineered barriers in deep geological nuclear waste repository: low permeability, swelling and cations retention. The subject of this thesis consists in the determination of the relationship between hydration properties, swelling properties and cations mobility in relation with confinement properties of clayey materials. The aim is to understand and to predict the behaviour of water in smectites, following two research orientations: the mechanistic aspects and the energetic aspects of the hydration of smectites. We worked on the Na-Ca montmorillonite contained in the MX80 bentonite, with the exchanged homo ionic structure (saturated with alkaline cations and calcium cations). The approach crosses the various scales (microscopic, mesoscopic and macroscopic) and implied the study of the various components of the system (layer-cation-water), by using original experimental methods (thermo-poro-metry and electric conductivity for various relative humidities (RH) and electrostatic calculations. Initially, the dry state is defined by SCTA (scanning calorimetry thermal analysis). Then a classical characterization of the smectite porosity for the dry state is carried out using mercury intrusion and nitrogen adsorption. We evidenced the existence of a meso-porosity which radius varies from 2 to 10 nm depending on the compensating cation. The thermo-poro-metry and conductivity experiments performed at various hydration states made it possible to follow the increase in the pore sizes and the cations mobility as a function of the hydration state. We highlight in particular the existence of an osmotic mesoscopic swelling for low RH (approximately 50-60%RH for Li and Na). By combining the results of thermo-poro-metry, X-ray diffraction and electric conductivity, we are able to propose a complete hydration sequence for each cation, showing the crucial role of the compensating cation in the hydration of

  6. Beaufort Sea deep-water gas hydrate recovery from a seafloor mound in a region of widespread BSR occurrence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hart, Patrick E.; Pohlman, John W.; Lorenson, T.D.; Edwards, Brian D.

    2011-01-01

    Gas hydrate was recovered from the Alaskan Beaufort Sea slope north of Camden Bay in August 2010 during a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy expedition (USCG cruise ID HLY1002) under the direction of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Interpretation of multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection data collected in 1977 by the USGS across the Beaufort Sea continental margin identified a regional bottom simulating reflection (BSR), indicating that a large segment of the Beaufort Sea slope is underlain by gas hydrate. During HLY1002, gas hydrate was sampled by serendipity with a piston core targeting a steep-sided bathymetric high originally thought to be an outcrop of older, exposed strata. The feature cored is an approximately 1100m diameter, 130 m high conical mound, referred to here as the Canning Seafloor Mound (CSM), which overlies the crest of a buried anticline in a region of sub-parallel compressional folds beneath the eastern Beaufort outer slope. An MCS profile shows a prominent BSR upslope and downslope from the mound. The absence of a BSR beneath the CSM and occurrence of gas hydrate near the summit indicates that free gas has migrated via deep-rooted thrust faults or by structural focusing up the flanks of the anticline to the seafloor. Gas hydrate recovered from near the CSM summit at a subbottom depth of about 5.7 meters in a water depth of 2538 m was of nodular and vein-filling morphology. Although the hydrate was not preserved, residual gas from the core liner contained >95% methane by volume when corrected for atmospheric contamination. The presence of trace C4+hydrocarbons (extrusion contributing to the development of the mound. Blister-like inflation of the seafloor caused by formation and accumulation of shallow hydrate lenses is also a likely factor in CSM growth. Pore water analysis shows the sulfate-methane transition to be very shallow (0-1 mbsf), also supporting an active high-flux interpretation. Pore water with chloride concentrations as low as 160 m

  7. Hydrate bearing clayey sediments: Formation and gas production concepts

    KAUST Repository

    Jang, Jaewon; Santamarina, Carlos

    2016-01-01

    Hydro-thermo-chemo and mechanically coupled processes determine hydrate morphology and control gas production from hydrate-bearing sediments. Force balance, together with mass and energy conservation analyses anchored in published data provide robust asymptotic solutions that reflect governing processes in hydrate systems. Results demonstrate that hydrate segregation in clayey sediments results in a two-material system whereby hydrate lenses are surrounded by hydrate-free water-saturated clay. Hydrate saturation can reach ≈2% by concentrating the excess dissolved gas in the pore water and ≈20% from metabolizable carbon. Higher hydrate saturations are often found in natural sediments and imply methane transport by advection or diffusion processes. Hydrate dissociation is a strongly endothermic event; the available latent heat in a reservoir can sustain significant hydrate dissociation without triggering ice formation during depressurization. The volume of hydrate expands 2-to-4 times upon dissociation or CO2single bondCH4 replacement. Volume expansion can be controlled to maintain lenses open and to create new open mode discontinuities that favor gas recovery. Pore size is the most critical sediment parameter for hydrate formation and gas recovery and is controlled by the smallest grains in a sediment. Therefore any characterization must carefully consider the amount of fines and their associated mineralogy.

  8. Hydrate bearing clayey sediments: Formation and gas production concepts

    KAUST Repository

    Jang, Jaewon

    2016-06-20

    Hydro-thermo-chemo and mechanically coupled processes determine hydrate morphology and control gas production from hydrate-bearing sediments. Force balance, together with mass and energy conservation analyses anchored in published data provide robust asymptotic solutions that reflect governing processes in hydrate systems. Results demonstrate that hydrate segregation in clayey sediments results in a two-material system whereby hydrate lenses are surrounded by hydrate-free water-saturated clay. Hydrate saturation can reach ≈2% by concentrating the excess dissolved gas in the pore water and ≈20% from metabolizable carbon. Higher hydrate saturations are often found in natural sediments and imply methane transport by advection or diffusion processes. Hydrate dissociation is a strongly endothermic event; the available latent heat in a reservoir can sustain significant hydrate dissociation without triggering ice formation during depressurization. The volume of hydrate expands 2-to-4 times upon dissociation or CO2single bondCH4 replacement. Volume expansion can be controlled to maintain lenses open and to create new open mode discontinuities that favor gas recovery. Pore size is the most critical sediment parameter for hydrate formation and gas recovery and is controlled by the smallest grains in a sediment. Therefore any characterization must carefully consider the amount of fines and their associated mineralogy.

  9. The Structure and Transport of Water and Hydrated Ions Within Hydrophobic, Nanoscale Channels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holt, J.K.; Herberg, J.L.; Wu, Y.; Schwegler, E.; Mehta, A.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this project includes an experimental and modeling investigation into water and hydrated ion structure and transport at nanomaterials interfaces. This is a topic relevant to understanding the function of many biological systems such as aquaporins that efficiently shuttle water and ion channels that permit selective transport of specific ions across cell membranes. Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are model nanoscale, hydrophobic channels that can be functionalized, making them artificial analogs for these biological channels. This project investigates the microscopic properties of water such as water density distributions and dynamics within CNTs using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and the structure of hydrated ions at CNT interfaces via X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS). Another component of this work is molecular simulation, which can predict experimental measurables such as the proton relaxation times, chemical shifts, and can compute the electronic structure of CNTs. Some of the fundamental questions this work is addressing are: (1) what is the length scale below which nanoscale effects such as molecular ordering become important, (2) is there a relationship between molecular ordering and transport?, and (3) how do ions interact with CNT interfaces? These are questions of interest to the scientific community, but they also impact the future generation of sensors, filters, and other devices that operate on the nanometer length scale. To enable some of the proposed applications of CNTs as ion filtration media and electrolytic supercapacitors, a detailed knowledge of water and ion structure at CNT interfaces is critical.

  10. Computational Recreation of Carbon Dioxide Hydrates at Habitable Planetary Conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Recio, J. M.; Izquierdo-Ruiz, F.; Prieto-Ballesteros, O.

    2017-12-01

    Gas clathrate hydrates are proposed as constituents of the icy moons of the giant planets in the Solar System [1]. Carbon dioxide has been detected on the surface of the moons of Jupiter, supposedly originated by internal degasification. In Ganymede, an aqueous ocean is proposed to exist under a thick ice crust in coexistence with several forms of ice, with pressure reaching up to 1.3 GPa [2]. Due to the limited available data on these systems under these conditions, we propose a combination of computational and experimental studies to describe microscopically and macroscopically the structural and chemical behavior of CO2@H2O polymorphs. This will allow us to understand how their presence affects the geophysical structure and activity and their impact on the habitability of the icy moon. A transition from the sI cubic structure to a high pressure phase at around 0.7 GPa has been found for CO2@H2O. In spite of different attempts to characterize the new structure, a definite answer has not been provided yet. A MH-III Filled Ice Structure type was proposed after neutron diffraction experiments in contrast with an alternative structure similar to the hexagonal C0 type for H2 hydrates [3]. It has an estimated hydration level ratio up to 2H2O:1CO2 and 6 water molecules per unit cell. In the figure below, our optimized unit cell based on this hexagonal C0 structure is displayed. Ab initio calculations using the XDM approximation to include van der Waals effects are performed in our search for the pressure evolution of the equilibrium geometries of the C0-CO2@H2O phase and those of a close related structure to this one called Ih-C0, with 8 water molecules per unit cell. We obtain occupation energies at different hydration ratios, densities, equations of state parameters, and stability energies with respect to decomposition. Raman and IR frequencies are also computed in the 0-2 GPa range. High pressure experiments are also being done in a newly designed chamber able to

  11. Development of hydrate risk quantification in oil and gas production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhari, Piyush N.

    Subsea flowlines that transport hydrocarbons from wellhead to the processing facility face issues from solid deposits such as hydrates, waxes, asphaltenes, etc. The solid deposits not only affect the production but also pose a safety concern; thus, flow assurance is significantly important in designing and operating subsea oil and gas production. In most subsea oil and gas operations, gas hydrates form at high pressure and low temperature conditions, causing the risk of plugging flowlines, with a undesirable impact on production. Over the years, the oil and gas industry has shifted their perspective from hydrate avoidance to hydrate management given several parameters such as production facility, production chemistry, economic and environmental concerns. Thus, understanding the level of hydrate risk associated with subsea flowlines is an important in developing efficient hydrate management techniques. In the past, hydrate formation models were developed for various flow-systems (e.g., oil dominated, water dominated, and gas dominated) present in the oil and gas production. The objective of this research is to extend the application of the present hydrate prediction models for assessing the hydrate risk associated with subsea flowlines that are prone to hydrate formation. It involves a novel approach for developing quantitative hydrate risk models based on the conceptual models built from the qualitative knowledge obtained from experimental studies. A comprehensive hydrate risk model, that ranks the hydrate risk associated with the subsea production system as a function of time, hydrates, and several other parameters, which account for inertial, viscous, interfacial forces acting on the flow-system, is developed for oil dominated and condensate systems. The hydrate plugging risk for water dominated systems is successfully modeled using The Colorado School of Mines Hydrate Flow Assurance Tool (CSMHyFAST). It is found that CSMHyFAST can be used as a screening tool in

  12. High-temperature stability of the hydrate shell of a Na+ cation in a flat nanopore with hydrophobic walls

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shevkunov, S. V.

    2017-11-01

    The effect of elevated temperature has on the hydrate shell of a singly charged sodium cation inside a flat nanopore with smooth walls is studied using the Monte Carlo method. The free energy and the entropy of vapor molecule attachment are calculated by means of a bicanonical statistical ensemble using a detailed model of interactions. The nanopore has a stabilizing effect on the hydrate shell with respect to fluctuations and a destabilizing effect with respect to complete evaporation. At the boiling point of water, behavior is observed that is qualitatively similar to behavior at room temperature, but with a substantial shift in the vapor pressure and shell size.

  13. Acoustical method of whole-body hydration status monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarvazyan, A. P.; Tsyuryupa, S. N.; Calhoun, M.; Utter, A.

    2016-07-01

    An acoustical handheld hydration monitor (HM) for assessing the water balance of the human body was developed. Dehydration is a critical public health problem. Many elderly over age of 65 are particularly vulnerable as are infants and young children. Given that dehydration is both preventable and reversible, the need for an easy-to-perform method for the detection of water imbalance is of the utmost clinical importance. The HM is based on an experimental fact that ultrasound velocity in muscle is a linear function of water content and can be referenced to the hydration status of the body. Studies on the validity of HM for the assessment of whole-body hydration status were conducted in the Appalachian State University, USA, on healthy young adults and on elderly subjects residing at an assisted living facility. The HM was able to track changes in total body water during periods of acute dehydration and rehydration in athletes and day-to-day and diurnal variability of hydration in elderly. Results of human studies indicate that HM has a potential to become an efficient tool for detecting abnormal changes in the body hydration status.

  14. Skin hydration: interplay between molecular dynamics, structure and water uptake in the stratum corneum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mojumdar, Enamul Haque; Pham, Quoc Dat; Topgaard, Daniel; Sparr, Emma

    2017-11-16

    Hydration is a key aspect of the skin that influences its physical and mechanical properties. Here, we investigate the interplay between molecular and macroscopic properties of the outer skin layer - the stratum corneum (SC) and how this varies with hydration. It is shown that hydration leads to changes in the molecular arrangement of the peptides in the keratin filaments as well as dynamics of C-H bond reorientation of amino acids in the protruding terminals of keratin protein within the SC. The changes in molecular structure and dynamics occur at a threshold hydration corresponding to ca. 85% relative humidity (RH). The abrupt changes in SC molecular properties coincide with changes in SC macroscopic swelling properties as well as mechanical properties in the SC. The flexible terminals at the solid keratin filaments can be compared to flexible polymer brushes in colloidal systems, creating long-range repulsion and extensive swelling in water. We further show that the addition of urea to the SC at reduced RH leads to similar molecular and macroscopic responses as the increase in RH for SC without urea. The findings provide new molecular insights to deepen the understanding of how intermediate filament organization responds to changes in the surrounding environment.

  15. Hydration of cations: a key to understanding of specific cation effects on aggregation behaviors of PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lutter, Jacob C; Wu, Tsung-yu; Zhang, Yanjie

    2013-09-05

    This work reports results from the interactions of a series of monovalent and divalent cations with a triblock copolymer, poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO). Phase transition temperatures of the polymer in the presence of chloride salts with six monovalent and eight divalent cations were measured using an automated melting point apparatus. The polymer undergoes a two-step phase transition, consisting of micellization of the polymer followed by aggregation of the micelles, in the presence of all the salts studied herein. The results suggest that hydration of cations plays a key role in determining the interactions between the cations and the polymer. The modulation of the phase transition temperature of the polymer by cations can be explained as a balance between three interactions: direct binding of cations to the oxygen in the polymer chains, cations sharing one water molecule with the polymer in their hydration layer, and cations interacting with the polymer via two water molecules. Monovalent cations Na(+), K(+), Rb(+), and Cs(+) do not bind to the polymer, while Li(+) and NH4(+) and all the divalent cations investigated including Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Sr(2+), Ba(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Cd(2+) bind to the polymer. The effects of the cations correlate well with their hydration thermodynamic properties. Mechanisms for cation-polymer interactions are discussed.

  16. Well log characterization of natural gas-hydrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collett, Timothy S.; Lee, Myung W.

    2012-01-01

    In the last 25 years there have been significant advancements in the use of well-logging tools to acquire detailed information on the occurrence of gas hydrates in nature: whereas wireline electrical resistivity and acoustic logs were formerly used to identify gas-hydrate occurrences in wells drilled in Arctic permafrost environments, more advanced wireline and logging-while-drilling (LWD) tools are now routinely used to examine the petrophysical nature of gas-hydrate reservoirs and the distribution and concentration of gas hydrates within various complex reservoir systems. Resistivity- and acoustic-logging tools are the most widely used for estimating the gas-hydrate content (i.e., reservoir saturations) in various sediment types and geologic settings. Recent integrated sediment coring and well-log studies have confirmed that electrical-resistivity and acoustic-velocity data can yield accurate gas-hydrate saturations in sediment grain-supported (isotropic) systems such as sand reservoirs, but more advanced log-analysis models are required to characterize gas hydrate in fractured (anisotropic) reservoir systems. New well-logging tools designed to make directionally oriented acoustic and propagation-resistivity log measurements provide the data needed to analyze the acoustic and electrical anisotropic properties of both highly interbedded and fracture-dominated gas-hydrate reservoirs. Advancements in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) logging and wireline formation testing (WFT) also allow for the characterization of gas hydrate at the pore scale. Integrated NMR and formation testing studies from northern Canada and Alaska have yielded valuable insight into how gas hydrates are physically distributed in sediments and the occurrence and nature of pore fluids(i.e., free water along with clay- and capillary-bound water) in gas-hydrate-bearing reservoirs. Information on the distribution of gas hydrate at the pore scale has provided invaluable insight on the mechanisms

  17. Ab initio modelling of methane hydrate thermophysical properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jendi, Z M; Servio, P; Rey, A D

    2016-04-21

    The key thermophysical properties of methane hydrate were determined using ab initio modelling. Using density functional theory, the second-order elastic constants, heat capacity, compressibility, and thermal expansion coefficient were calculated. A wide and relevant range of pressure-temperature conditions were considered, and the structures were assessed for stability using the mean square displacement and radial distribution functions. Methane hydrate was found to be elastically isotropic with a linear dependence of the bulk modulus on pressure. Equally significant, multi-body interactions were found to be important in hydrates, and water-water interactions appear to strongly influence compressibility like in ice Ih. While the heat capacity of hydrate was found to be higher than that of ice, the thermal expansion coefficient was significantly lower, most likely due to the lower rigidity of hydrates. The mean square displacement gave important insight into stability, heat capacity, and elastic moduli, and the radial distribution functions further confirmed stability. The presented results provide a much needed atomistic thermoelastic characterization of methane hydrates and are essential input for the large-scale applications of hydrate detection and production.

  18. Barley seed radiosensitivity following post-hydration in oxygen-, nitrogen- and nitrous oxide-saturated water, 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, S.P.; Kesavan, P.C.

    1990-01-01

    Dry (∼3.5 and 4.0 per cent moisture content) barley seeds were exposed to 350 Gy of 60 Co-γ-rays in vacuo and post-hydrated at 4degC for 8 h in O 2 -, N 2 -, or N 2 O-saturated water. The effect of caffeine and t-butyl alcohol (t-BuOH) dissolved in the post-hydration medium on the magnitude of damage developing under these three different gaseous circumstances was studied. The post-irradiation damage and its modification by caffeine and t-BuOH was assessed in terms of 8-day-old seedling injury, peroxidase activity and total peroxides in the 8-day-old seedlings. Post-irradiation O 2 -saturated hydration caused maximal 8-day-old seedling injury, and increased peroxidase activity with concomitant reduction in total peroxides. Both caffeine and t-BuOH afforded significant radioprotection against post-irradiation O 2 -dependent damage. Post-irradiation N 2 O-saturated hydration was even more significantly radioprotective than the N 2 -saturated post-hydration. Under these circumstances, t-BuOH exerted no effect whatsoever on the N 2 - and N 2 O-mediated post-irradiation damage. Caffeine, on the other hand, significantly potentiated these two components of damage. A brief consideration of the physicochemical events which possibly account for the observed effects is presented. (author)

  19. Superposition of two tRNASer acceptor stem crystal structures: Comparison of structure, ligands and hydration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eichert, Andre; Fuerste, Jens P.; Ulrich, Alexander; Betzel, Christian; Erdmann, Volker A.; Foerster, Charlotte

    2010-01-01

    We solved the X-ray structures of two Escherichia coli tRNA Ser acceptor stem microhelices. As both tRNAs are aminoacylated by the same seryl-tRNA-synthetase, we performed a comparative structure analysis of both duplexes to investigate the helical conformation, the hydration patterns and magnesium binding sites. It is well accepted, that the hydration of RNA plays an important role in RNA-protein interactions and that the extensive solvent content of the minor groove has a special function in RNA. The detailed comparison of both tRNA Ser microhelices provides insights into the structural arrangement of the isoacceptor tRNA aminoacyl stems with respect to the surrounding water molecules and may eventually help us to understand their biological function at atomic resolution.

  20. Methane hydrate induced permeability modification for multiphase flow in unsaturated porous media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seol, Yongkoo; Kneafsey, Timothy J.

    2011-08-01

    An experimental study was performed using X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning to capture three-dimensional (3-D) methane hydrate distributions and potential discrete flow pathways in a sand pack sample. A numerical study was also performed to develop and analyze empirical relations that describe the impacts of hydrate accumulation habits within pore space (e.g., pore filling or grain cementing) on multiphase fluid migration. In the experimental study, water was injected into a hydrate-bearing sand sample that was monitored using an X-ray CT scanner. The CT images were converted into numerical grid elements, providing intrinsic sample data including porosity and phase saturations. The impacts of hydrate accumulation were examined by adapting empirical relations into the flow simulations as additional relations governing the evolution of absolute permeability of hydrate bearing sediment with hydrate deposition. The impacts of pore space hydrate accumulation habits on fluid migration were examined by comparing numerical predictions with experimentally measured water saturation distributions and breakthrough curves. A model case with 3-D heterogeneous initial conditions (hydrate saturation, porosity, and water saturation) and pore body-preferred hydrate accumulations best captured water migration behavior through the hydrate-bearing sample observed in the experiment. In the best matching model, absolute permeability in the hydrate bearing sample does not decrease significantly with increasing hydrate saturation until hydrate saturation reaches about 40%, after which it drops rapidly, and complete blockage of flow through the sample can occur as hydrate accumulations approach 70%. The result highlights the importance of permeability modification due to hydrate accumulation habits when predicting multiphase flow through high-saturation, reservoir quality hydrate-bearing sediments.

  1. Feasibility study on a microwave-based sensor for measuring hydration level using human skin models

    OpenAIRE

    Brendtke, R.; Wiehl, M.; Groeber, F.; Schwarz, T.; Walles, H.; Hansmann, J.

    2016-01-01

    Tissue dehydration results in three major types of exsiccosis--hyper-, hypo-, or isonatraemia. All three types entail alterations of salt concentrations leading to impaired biochemical processes, and can finally cause severe morbidity. The aim of our study was to demonstrate the feasibility of a microwave-based sensor technology for the non-invasive measurement of the hydration status. Electromagnetic waves at high frequencies interact with molecules, especially water. Hence, if a sample cont...

  2. Exogenous origin of hydration on asteroid (16) Psyche: the role of hydrated asteroid families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avdellidou, C.; Delbo', M.; Fienga, A.

    2018-04-01

    Asteroid (16) Psyche, which for a long time was the largest M-type with no detection of hydration features in its spectrum, was recently discovered to have a weak 3-μm band and thus it was eventually added to the group of hydrated asteroids. Its relatively high density, in combination with the high radar albedo, led researchers to classify the asteroid as a metallic object. It is believed that it is possibly a core of a differentiated body, a remnant of `hit-and-run' collisions. The detection of hydration is, in principle, inconsistent with a pure metallic origin for this body. Here, we consider the scenario in which the hydration on its surface is exogenous and was delivered by hydrated impactors. We show that impacting asteroids that belong to families whose members have the 3-μm band can deliver hydrated material to Psyche. We developed a collisional model with which we test all dark carbonaceous asteroid families, which contain hydrated members. We find that the major source of hydrated impactors is the family of Themis, with a total implanted mass on Psyche of the order of ˜1014 kg. However, the hydrated fraction could be only a few per cent of the implanted mass, as the water content in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, the best analogue for the Themis asteroid family, is typically a few per cent of their mass.

  3. Influence of hydration on ion-biomolecule interactions: M(+)(indole)(H2O)(n) (M = Na, K; n = 3-6).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ke, Haochen; Lisy, James M

    2015-10-14

    The indole functional group can be found in many biologically relevant molecules, such as neurotransmitters, pineal hormones and medicines. Indole has been used as a tractable model to study the hydration structures of biomolecules as well as the interplay of non-covalent interactions within ion-biomolecule-water complexes, which largely determine their structure and dynamics. With three potential binding sites: above the six- or five-member ring, and the N-H group, the competition between π and hydrogen bond interactions involves multiple locations. Electrostatic interactions from monovalent cations are in direct competition with hydrogen bonding interactions, as structural configurations involving both direct cation-indole interactions and cation-water-indole bridging interactions were observed. The different charge densities of Na(+) and K(+) give rise to different structural conformers at the same level of hydration. Infrared spectra with parallel hybrid functional-based calculations and Gibbs free energy calculations revealed rich structural insights into the Na(+)/K(+)(indole)(H2O)3-6 cluster ion complexes. Isotopic (H/D) analyses were applied to decouple the spectral features originating from the OH and NH stretches. Results showed no evidence of direct interaction between water and the NH group of indole (via a σ-hydrogen bond) at current levels of hydration with the incorporation of cations. Hydrogen bonding to a π-system, however, was ubiquitous at hydration levels between two and five.

  4. Cavity-ligand binding in a simple two-dimensional water model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Mazovec

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available By means of Monte Carlo computer simulations in the isothermal-isobaric ensemble, we investigated the interaction of a hydrophobic ligand with the hydrophobic surfaces of various curvatures (planar, convex and concave. A simple two-dimensional model of water, hydrophobic ligand and surface was used. Hydration/dehidration phenomena concerning water molecules confined close to the molecular surface were investigated. A notable dewetting of the hydrophobic surfaces was observed together with the reorientation of the water molecules close to the surface. The hydrogen bonding network was formed to accommodate cavities next to the surfaces as well as beyond the first hydration shell. The effects were most strongly pronounced in the case of concave surfaces having large curvature. This simplified model can be further used to evaluate the thermodynamic fingerprint of the docking of hydrophobic ligands.

  5. Primary processes of the electron-protic species coupling in pure aqueous phases: - femtosecond laser spectroscopy study; - quantum approach of the electron-water interaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pommeret, Stanislas

    1991-01-01

    This thesis work deals with the coupling mechanisms between an electron, water molecules or protic species (hydronium ion, hydroxyl radical). Two complementary studies have been carry out in pure aqueous phases. The first one is concerned with the structural aspect of the hydrated electron which is studied via a semi-quantum approach Splitting Operator Method. The results indicates the importance of the second hydration shell in the localisation of an electron at 77 and 300 Kelvin. The second part of this work relates to the dynamic of the primary processes in light or heavy water at room temperature: the ion-molecule reaction, radical pair formation, geminate recombination of the hydrated electron with the hydronium ion and the hydroxyl radical. The dynamic of these reactions is studied by time resolved absorption spectroscopy from the near infrared to the near ultraviolet with a few tens femto-seconds temporal precision. The analysis of the primary processes takes into account the protic properties of water molecules. (author) [fr

  6. A new combined nanoSIMS and continuous-flow IRMS approach to measure hydrogen isotopes from water in hydrated rhyolitic glass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gatti, E.; Kitchen, N.; Newman, S.; Guan, Y.; Westgate, J.; Pearce, N. J. G.; Nikolic, D.; Eiler, J. M.

    2016-12-01

    The hydrogen-isotope value of water of hydration (or secondary water) preserved in rhyolitic glasses may provide significant insights regarding the climate at the time of their deposition and the impact of super-eruptions upon the environment. However, the ability of the glass to retain the environmental D/H isotopic signal after hydration needs to be tested, since modifications to the D/H systematics may result from the continuous exchange of D/H with the atmosphere or condensed water after initial glass hydration. Ideal geological archives to test whether the glass retains its original hydrogen signal are sediments in natural waters and ice cores, which preserve tephra in constrained horizons that can be independently isotopically characterised. However, tephra in marine and fresh water sediments and ice cores are often present in concentrations of the order of 1000 grains/cm3 (IRMS methods require much more material ( 100-500 mg) and therefore cannot be applied. We present here a new integrated nanoSIMS and continuous flow IRMS approach to understand how water is distributed within single glass grains (diffusion profiles), quantify the time of hydration of young (Holocene) and old (Miocene) already well-characterised rhyolitic glasses, and measure the D/H ratio of the hydration water on single grains and bulk material consisting of only approximately 0.1-1 mg. The IRMS method measures the absolute abundance of hydrogen released from the sample by continuous-flow mass spectrometry. Current data indicates that the method can accurately measure a hydrogen signal from a rock sample containing at least 400 nanomoles of H2, corresponding to 70 µg of water, which translates to 1 mg of hydrous glass (>3 wt%) or 15 mg of dry ( 0.5 wt%) obsidian chips. The method can be improved by reducing the blank to IRMS method will be compared to sub-micron mapping of single-grains using a high-resolution ion microprobe, the CAMECA NanoSIMS 50L, in the Microanalysis Center for

  7. Preliminary Experimental Examination Of Controls On Methane Expulsion During Melting Of Natural Gas Hydrate Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kneafsey, T. J.; Flemings, P. B.; Bryant, S. L.; You, K.; Polito, P. J.

    2013-12-01

    Global climate change will cause warming of the oceans and land. This will affect the occurrence, behavior, and location of subseafloor and subterranean methane hydrate deposits. We suggest that in many natural systems local salinity, elevated by hydrate formation or freshened by hydrate dissociation, may control gas transport through the hydrate stability zone. We are performing experiments and modeling the experiments to explore this behavior for different warming scenarios. Initially, we are exploring hydrate association/dissociation in saline systems with constant water mass. We compare experiments run with saline (3.5 wt. %) water vs. distilled water in a sand mixture at an initial water saturation of ~0.5. We increase the pore fluid (methane) pressure to 1050 psig. We then stepwise cool the sample into the hydrate stability field (~3 degrees C), allowing methane gas to enter as hydrate forms. We measure resistivity and the mass of methane consumed. We are currently running these experiments and we predict our results from equilibrium thermodynamics. In the fresh water case, the modeled final hydrate saturation is 63% and all water is consumed. In the saline case, the modeled final hydrate saturation is 47%, the salinity is 12.4 wt. %, and final water saturation is 13%. The fresh water system is water-limited: all the water is converted to hydrate. In the saline system, pore water salinity is elevated and salt is excluded from the hydrate structure during hydrate formation until the salinity drives the system to three phase equilibrium (liquid, gas, hydrate) and no further hydrate forms. In our laboratory we can impose temperature gradients within the column, and we will use this to investigate equilibrium conditions in large samples subjected to temperature gradients and changing temperature. In these tests, we will quantify the hydrate saturation and salinity over our meter-long sample using spatially distributed temperature sensors, spatially distributed

  8. Nuclear magnetic resonance study of diffusion and relaxation in hydrating white cement pastes of different water content

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nestle, Nikolaus; Galvosas, Petrik; Geier, Oliver; Zimmermann, Christian; Dakkouri, Marwan; Karger, Jorg

    2001-01-01

    While the nuclear spin relaxation time changes in hydrating cement materials have been widely studied by various groups during the last 20 years, data on the self-diffusion behavior of the pore water during hydration of a cement paste are much scarcer. Taking advantage of improved spectrometer hardware for pulsed field gradient diffusometry and a specialized pulse sequence which is designed to compensate the detrimental effects of inner magnetic field gradients in the sample we have studied the water self-diffusion behavior in pastes prepared from white cement at various water/cement ratios. For the same mixtures, studies of the transverse spin relaxation behavior were also conducted. A comparison of the results from both techniques shows that the diffusion coefficient starts to decrease only much later than the relaxation times for all pastes studied. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

  9. Towards CO2 sequestration and applications of CO2 hydrates: the effects of tetrahydrofuran on the phase equilibria of CO2 hydrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khalik, M.S.; Peters, C.J.

    2006-01-01

    The increasing quantity of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the atmosphere has caused widespread global concerns. Capturing CO 2 from its sources and stored it in the form of gas hydrates and application of CO 2 hydrates are among the proposed methods to overcome this problem. In order to make hydrate-based process more attractive, the use of cyclic ethers as promoters is suggested to reduce the required hydrate formation pressure and enhancing the corresponding kinetic rate. In the present work, tetrahydrofuran (THF) is chosen as a hydrate promoter, participating in forming hydrates and produces mixed hydrate together with CO 2 . The pressure and temperature ranges of hydrate stability region are carefully determined through phase equilibrium measurement of the ternary CO 2 , tetrahydrofuran (THF) and water systems. From the experimental results, it is confirmed that the presence of THF in CO 2 + water systems will extend the hydrate formation region to higher temperature at a constant pressure. The extension of the hydrate stability region is depended on the overall concentration of the ternary system. Moreover, four-phase equilibrium of H-Lw-Lv-V is observed in the system, which may be due to a liquid phase split. In the region where the four-phase equilibrium exists, the ternary system loses its concentration dependency of the hydrate equilibrium conditions. (Author)

  10. Experimental Determination of Refractive Index of Gas Hydrates

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bylov, Martin; Rasmussen, Peter

    1997-01-01

    . For methane hydrate (structure I) the refractive index was found to be 1.346 and for natural gas hydrate (structure II) it was found to be 1.350. The measurements further suggest that the gas hydrate growth rate increases if the water has formed hydrates before. The induction time, on the other hand, seems......The refractive indexes of methane hydrate and natural gas hydrate have been experimentally determined. The refractive indexes were determined in an indirect manner making use of the fact that two non-absorbing materials will have the same refractive index if they cannot be distinguished visually...

  11. Hydrate phase equilibria of furan, acetone, 1,4-dioxane, TBAC and TBAF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamran-Pirzaman, Arash; Pahlavanzadeh, Hassan; Mohammadi, Amir H.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Experimental hydrate dissociation conditions are reported for CO 2 /methane + some water soluble/insoluble hydrate formers. • An isochoric pressure-search method was used to generate the experimental data. • The data are compared with the corresponding literature data in the presence of pure water. • The hydrate promotion effects of acetone, 1,4-dioxane, furan, TBAC and TBAF are discussed. -- Abstract: In this communication, we first report experimental hydrate dissociation pressures for the methane/carbon dioxide + furan/acetone/1,4-dioxane + water and the methane + tetra n-butyl ammonium chloride (TBAC) + water as well as the carbon dioxide + tetra n-butyl ammonium floride (TBAF) + water systems in the temperature ranges of (269.9 to 303.3) K. An isochoric pressure-search method was used to generate the experimental data. The hydrate dissociation data are compared with the corresponding literature data, if exists, and the literature data in the presence of pure water and acceptable agreement is observed. A discussion is made on hydrate promotion effects of acetone, 1,4-dioxane, furan, TBAC and TBAF

  12. Autodissociation of a water molecule in liquid water

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Geissler, Phillip L.; Dellago, Christoph; Chandler, David; Hutter, Jurg; Parrinello, Michele

    2000-04-01

    The dissociation of a water molecule in liquid water is the fundamental event in acid-base chemistry, determining the pH of water.Because the microscopic dynamics of this autodissociation are difficult to probe, both by experiment and by computer simulation, its mechanism has been unknown. Here we report several autodissociation trajectories generated by ab initio molecular dynamics [1]. These trajectories, which were harvested using transition path sampling [2-4], reveal the mechanism for the first time. Rare fluctuations in solvation energies destabilize an oxygen-hydrogen bond. Through the transfer of one or more protons along a hydrogen bond.

  13. Hydration of swelling clays: multi-scale sequence of hydration and determination of macroscopic energies from microscopic properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salles, F.

    2006-10-01

    Smectites have interesting properties which make them potential candidates for engineered barriers in deep geological nuclear waste repository: low permeability, swelling and cations retention. The subject of this thesis consists in the determination of the relationship between hydration properties, swelling properties and cations mobility in relation with confinement properties of clayey materials. The aim is to understand and to predict the behaviour of water in smectites, following two research orientations: the mechanistic aspects and the energetic aspects of the hydration of smectites. We worked on the Na-Ca montmorillonite contained in the MX80 bentonite, with the exchanged homo ionic structure (saturated with alkaline cations and calcium cations). The approach crosses the various scales (microscopic, mesoscopic and macroscopic) and implied the study of the various components of the system (layer-cation-water), by using original experimental methods (thermo-poro-metry and electric conductivity for various relative humidities (RH) and electrostatic calculations. Initially, the dry state is defined by SCTA (scanning calorimetry thermal analysis). Then a classical characterization of the smectite porosity for the dry state is carried out using mercury intrusion and nitrogen adsorption. We evidenced the existence of a meso-porosity which radius varies from 2 to 10 nm depending on the compensating cation. The thermo-poro-metry and conductivity experiments performed at various hydration states made it possible to follow the increase in the pore sizes and the cations mobility as a function of the hydration state. We highlight in particular the existence of an osmotic mesoscopic swelling for low RH (approximately 50-60%RH for Li and Na). By combining the results of thermo-poro-metry, X-ray diffraction and electric conductivity, we are able to propose a complete hydration sequence for each cation, showing the crucial role of the compensating cation in the hydration of

  14. Formation of submarine gas hydrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soloviev, V.; Ginsburg, G.D. (Reserch Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ocean ' ' VNII Okeangeologia' ' , St. Petersburg (Russian Federation))

    1994-03-01

    Submarine gas hydrates have been discoverd in the course of deep-sea drilling (DSDP and ODP) and bottom sampling in many offshore regions. This paper reports on expeditions carried out in the Black, Caspian and Okhotsk Seas. Gas hydrate accumulations were discovered and investigated in all these areas. The data and an analysis of the results of the deep-sea drilling programme suggest that the infiltration of gas-bearing fluids is a necessary condition for gas hydrate accumulation. This is confirmed by geological observations at three scale levels. Firstly, hydrates in cores are usually associated with comparatively coarse-grained, permeable sediments as well as voids and fractures. Secondly, hydrate accumulations are controlled by permeable geological structures, i.e. faults, diapirs, mud volcanos as well as layered sequences. Thirdly, in the worldwide scale, hydrate accumulations are characteristic of continental slopes and rises and intra-continental seas where submarine seepages also are widespread. Both biogenic and catagenic gas may occur, and the gas sources may be located at various distances from the accumulation. Gas hydrates presumably originate from water-dissolved gas. The possibility of a transition from dissolved gas into hydrate is confirmed by experimental data. Shallow gas hydrate accumulations associated with gas-bearing fluid plumes are the most convenient features for the study of submarine hydrate formation in general. These accumulations are known from the Black, Caspian and Okhotsk Seas, the Gulf of Mexico and off northern California. (au) (24 refs.)

  15. Rapid and accurate prediction and scoring of water molecules in protein binding sites.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gregory A Ross

    Full Text Available Water plays a critical role in ligand-protein interactions. However, it is still challenging to predict accurately not only where water molecules prefer to bind, but also which of those water molecules might be displaceable. The latter is often seen as a route to optimizing affinity of potential drug candidates. Using a protocol we call WaterDock, we show that the freely available AutoDock Vina tool can be used to predict accurately the binding sites of water molecules. WaterDock was validated using data from X-ray crystallography, neutron diffraction and molecular dynamics simulations and correctly predicted 97% of the water molecules in the test set. In addition, we combined data-mining, heuristic and machine learning techniques to develop probabilistic water molecule classifiers. When applied to WaterDock predictions in the Astex Diverse Set of protein ligand complexes, we could identify whether a water molecule was conserved or displaced to an accuracy of 75%. A second model predicted whether water molecules were displaced by polar groups or by non-polar groups to an accuracy of 80%. These results should prove useful for anyone wishing to undertake rational design of new compounds where the displacement of water molecules is being considered as a route to improved affinity.

  16. Collective dynamics of protein hydration water by brillouin neutron spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orecchini, Andrea; Paciaroni, Alessandro; De Francesco, Alessio; Petrillo, Caterina; Sacchetti, Francesco

    2009-04-08

    By a detailed experimental study of THz dynamics in the ribonuclease protein, we could detect the propagation of coherent collective density fluctuations within the protein hydration shell. The emerging picture indicates the presence of both a dispersing mode, traveling with a speed greater than 3000 m/s, and a nondispersing one, characterized by an almost constant energy of 6-7 meV. In agreement with molecular dynamics simulations [Phys. Rev. Lett. 2002, 89, 275501], the features of the dispersion curves closely resemble those observed in pure liquid water [Phys. Rev. E: Stat. Phys., Plasmas, Fluids, Relat. Interdiscip. Top. 2004, 69, 061203]. On the contrary, the observed damping factors are much larger than in bulk water, with the dispersing mode becoming overdamped at Q = 0.6 A(-1) already. Such novel experimental findings are discussed as a dynamic signature of the disordering effect induced by the protein surface on the local structure of water.

  17. Perturbation of hydration layer in solvated proteins by external electric and electromagnetic fields: Insights from non-equilibrium molecular dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nandi, Prithwish K.; Futera, Zdenek; English, Niall J.

    2016-11-01

    Given the fundamental role of water in governing the biochemistry of enzymes, and in regulating their wider biological activity (e.g., by local water concentration surrounding biomolecules), the influence of extraneous electric and electromagnetic (e/m) fields thereon is of central relevance to biophysics and, more widely, biology. With the increase in levels of local and atmospheric microwave-frequency radiation present in modern life, as well as other electric-field exposure, the impact upon hydration-water layers surrounding proteins, and biomolecules generally, becomes a particularly pertinent issue. Here, we present a (non-equilibrium) molecular-dynamics-simulation study on a model protein (hen egg-white lysozyme) hydrated in water, in which we determine, inter alia, translational self-diffusivities for both hen egg-white lysozyme and its hydration layer together with relaxation dynamics of the hydrogen-bond network between the protein and its hydration-layer water molecules on a residue-per-residue basis. Crucially, we perform this analysis both above and below the dynamical-transition temperature (at ˜220 K), at 300 and 200 K, respectively, and we compare the effects of external static-electric and e/m fields with linear-response-régime (r.m.s.) intensities of 0.02 V/Å. It was found that the translational self-diffusivity of hen egg-white lysozyme and its hydration-water layer are increased substantially in static fields, primarily due to the induced electrophoretic motion, whilst the water-protein hydrogen-bond-network-rearrangement kinetics can also undergo rather striking accelerations, primarily due to the enhancement of a larger-amplitude local translational and rotational motion by charged and dipolar residues, which serves to promote hydrogen-bond breakage and re-formation kinetics. These external-field effects are particularly evident at 200 K, where they serve to induce the protein- and solvation-layer-response effects redolent of dynamical

  18. Xenon-Water Interaction in Bacterial Suspensions as Studied by NMR

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rodin, V.; Ponomarev, Alexander; Gerasimov, Maxim

    2017-01-01

    suspensions of Escherichia coli in the presence of xenon using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The work studied how the spin-lattice relaxation times of water protons in suspension change under xenon conditions. Xenon is able to form clathrate hydrates with water molecules at a temperature above the melting...... point of ice. The work studied NMR relaxation times which reflect the rotation freedom of water molecules in suspension. Lower relaxation times indicate reduced rotational freedom of water. Single exponential behavior of spin-lattice relaxation of protons in the suspensions of microorganisms has been...

  19. An effective medium inversion algorithm for gas hydrate quantification and its application to laboratory and borehole measurements of gas hydrate-bearing sediments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chand, S.; Minshull, T.A.; Priest, J.A.; Best, A.I.; Clayton, C.R.I.; Waite, W.F.

    2006-01-01

    The presence of gas hydrate in marine sediments alters their physical properties. In some circumstances, gas hydrate may cement sediment grains together and dramatically increase the seismic P- and S-wave velocities of the composite medium. Hydrate may also form a load-bearing structure within the sediment microstructure, but with different seismic wave attenuation characteristics, changing the attenuation behaviour of the composite. Here we introduce an inversion algorithm based on effective medium modelling to infer hydrate saturations from velocity and attenuation measurements on hydrate-bearing sediments. The velocity increase is modelled as extra binding developed by gas hydrate that strengthens the sediment microstructure. The attenuation increase is modelled through a difference in fluid flow properties caused by different permeabilities in the sediment and hydrate microstructures. We relate velocity and attenuation increases in hydrate-bearing sediments to their hydrate content, using an effective medium inversion algorithm based on the self-consistent approximation (SCA), differential effective medium (DEM) theory, and Biot and squirt flow mechanisms of fluid flow. The inversion algorithm is able to convert observations in compressional and shear wave velocities and attenuations to hydrate saturation in the sediment pore space. We applied our algorithm to a data set from the Mallik 2L–38 well, Mackenzie delta, Canada, and to data from laboratory measurements on gas-rich and water-saturated sand samples. Predictions using our algorithm match the borehole data and water-saturated laboratory data if the proportion of hydrate contributing to the load-bearing structure increases with hydrate saturation. The predictions match the gas-rich laboratory data if that proportion decreases with hydrate saturation. We attribute this difference to differences in hydrate formation mechanisms between the two environments.

  20. Hydraulic and Mechanical Effects from Gas Hydrate Conversion and Secondary Gas Hydrate Formation during Injection of CO2 into CH4-Hydrate-Bearing Sediments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bigalke, N.; Deusner, C.; Kossel, E.; Schicks, J. M.; Spangenberg, E.; Priegnitz, M.; Heeschen, K. U.; Abendroth, S.; Thaler, J.; Haeckel, M.

    2014-12-01

    The injection of CO2 into CH4-hydrate-bearing sediments has the potential to drive natural gas production and simultaneously sequester CO2 by hydrate conversion. The process aims at maintaining the in situ hydrate saturation and structure and causing limited impact on soil hydraulic properties and geomechanical stability. However, to increase hydrate conversion yields and rates it must potentially be assisted by thermal stimulation or depressurization. Further, secondary formation of CO2-rich hydrates from pore water and injected CO2 enhances hydrate conversion and CH4 production yields [1]. Technical stimulation and secondary hydrate formation add significant complexity to the bulk conversion process resulting in spatial and temporal effects on hydraulic and geomechanical properties that cannot be predicted by current reservoir simulation codes. In a combined experimental and numerical approach, it is our objective to elucidate both hydraulic and mechanical effects of CO2 injection and CH4-CO2-hydrate conversion in CH4-hydrate bearing soils. For the experimental approach we used various high-pressure flow-through systems equipped with different online and in situ monitoring tools (e.g. Raman microscopy, MRI and ERT). One particular focus was the design of triaxial cell experimental systems, which enable us to study sample behavior even during large deformations and particle flow. We present results from various flow-through high-pressure experimental studies on different scales, which indicate that hydraulic and geomechanical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments are drastically altered during and after injection of CO2. We discuss the results in light of the competing processes of hydrate dissociation, hydrate conversion and secondary hydrate formation. Our results will also contribute to the understanding of effects of temperature and pressure changes leading to dissociation of gas hydrates in ocean and permafrost systems. [1] Deusner C, Bigalke N, Kossel E

  1. Tritium-exchange method for obsidian hydration shell measurement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lowe, J P; Wilson, A T; Lowe, D J; Hodder, A P.W. [Waikato Univ., Hamilton (New Zealand)

    1984-12-01

    A new radiochemical method for measuring the amount of water in the hydrated layer on the surface of obsidians exchanges tritiated water with the water in the layer (20 ..mu..l of 5 Ci ml/sup -1/ at 90/sup 0/C for 10 days) and then back-exchanges it (in 150 ml of water at 35/sup 0/C for approx. 200 hr.). The activity of the back-exchange water (F) is monitored by liquid scintillation counting of aliquots extracted at known time intervals (t). The activity so measured is then related to the thickness of the hydration rim. A sheet diffusion model shows that the thickness of the hydration shell (l) is inversely proportional to the slope of the F vs. tsup(1/2) plot. Comparison of l-values so obtained between obsidians, whose age (x) is inferred from archaeological occupation layers containing radiocarbon-dated wood and charcoal, suggests a relationship between l and x. Implications for New Zealand prehistory are briefly considered. The technique, which is non-destructive, appears particularly applicable to young glasses where the development of hydrated layers may be inadequate for accurate optical measurement.

  2. Microstructure of hydrated cement pastes as determined by SANS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabine, T.; Bertram, W.; Aldridge, L.

    1999-01-01

    Full text: Technologists have known how to make concrete for over 2000 years but despite painstaking research no one has been able to show how and why concrete sets. Part of the problem is that the calcium silicate hydrate (the gel produced by hydrating cement) is amorphous and cannot be characterised by x-ray crystallographic techniques. Small angle neutron scattering on instrument V12a at BENSC was used to characterise the hydration reactions and show the growth of the calcium silicate hydrates during initial hydration and the substantial differences in the rate of growth and structure as different additives are used. SANS spectra were measured as a function of the hydration from three different types of cement paste: 1) Ordinary Portland Cement made with a water to cement ratio of about 0.4; 2) A blend of Ordinary Portland Cement(25%) and Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (75%) with a water to cement ration of about 0.4; 3) A dense paste made from silica fume(24%), Ordinary Portland Cement (76%) at a water to powder ratio of 0.18. The differences in the spectra are interpreted in terms of differences between the microstructure of the pastes

  3. STUDY ON THE FACTORS INFLUENCING HYDRATION AND WATER RETENTION CAPACITY OF MEAT

    OpenAIRE

    DANIELA IANIłCHI; CARMEN NICOLAE; CRISTIANA DIACONESCU; GABRIELA MALOS; I. G. MALOS

    2008-01-01

    Top-quality food produce and high profitability in processing requires high quality in raw materials. Therefore, to achieve these objectives, it is imperative to know the properties of the war materials, and the factors that influence these properties.The properties of the meat directly involved in increasing economic efficiency and final produce quality are the so-called technological properties: hydration capacity and water retention capacity of meat. These properties are determined by some...

  4. Effects of various vehicles on skin hydration in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiedersberg, S; Leopold, C S; Guy, R H

    2009-01-01

    The stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the skin, regulates the passive loss of water to the environment. Furthermore, it is well accepted that drug penetration is influenced by skin hydration, which may be manipulated by the application of moisturizing or oleaginous vehicles. Measurements of transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and of skin hydration using a corneometer, were used to assess the effect of different vehicles on stratum corneum barrier function in vivo in human volunteers. A microemulsion significantly increased skin hydration relative to a reference vehicle based on medium chain triglycerides; in contrast, Transcutol(R) lowered skin hydration. TEWL measurements confirmed these observations. Copyright 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  5. New generation LDHI with an improved environmental profile[Low dosage hydrate inhibitors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fu, Bob; Houston, Christopher; Spratt, Tony

    2005-07-01

    A new generation of low dosage hydrate inhibitors has been developed. These inhibitors are specially designed and synthesized in the laboratory in order to achieve a high level of performance as hydrate inhibitors and to improve their environmental profiles. These new inhibitors have been extensively evaluated in the laboratory using high pressure rocking cells. They function like anti-agglomerants by preventing the formation of large hydrate crystals or agglomerates. The resulting hydrate crystals are extremely tiny and finely dispersed in the hydrocarbon stream. In addition to controlling the hydrate crystal growth, these novel molecules demonstrate the ability to extend the induction time to onset of hydrate formation. When compared to the previous generations, the improved performance as well as the favorable environmental characteristics further expand the window for LDHI applications in the fields. (Author)

  6. The role of water molecules in computational drug design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Beer, Stephanie B A; Vermeulen, Nico P E; Oostenbrink, Chris

    2010-01-01

    Although water molecules are small and only consist of two different atom types, they play various roles in cellular systems. This review discusses their influence on the binding process between biomacromolecular targets and small molecule ligands and how this influence can be modeled in computational drug design approaches. Both the structure and the thermodynamics of active site waters will be discussed as these influence the binding process significantly. Structurally conserved waters cannot always be determined experimentally and if observed, it is not clear if they will be replaced upon ligand binding, even if sufficient space is available. Methods to predict the presence of water in protein-ligand complexes will be reviewed. Subsequently, we will discuss methods to include water in computational drug research. Either as an additional factor in automated docking experiments, or explicitly in detailed molecular dynamics simulations, the effect of water on the quality of the simulations is significant, but not easily predicted. The most detailed calculations involve estimates of the free energy contribution of water molecules to protein-ligand complexes. These calculations are computationally demanding, but give insight in the versatility and importance of water in ligand binding.

  7. Water structure around trehalose

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pagnotta, S.E. [Dipartimento di Fisica ' E. Amaldi' , Universita di Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma (Italy); CNISM-CNR, Unita di Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma (Italy)], E-mail: pagnotta@fis.uniroma3.it; Ricci, M.A.; Bruni, F. [Dipartimento di Fisica ' E. Amaldi' , Universita di Roma Tre, Via della Vasca Navale 84, 00146 Roma (Italy); McLain, S. [ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratories, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0QX (United Kingdom); Magazu, S. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Universita di Messina, C. da Papardo 31, 98166 Messina (Italy)

    2008-04-18

    A diluted solution of trehalose in water has been investigated by means of neutron diffraction with isotopic H/D substitution of the water hydrogens. Data have been analyzed in terms of site-site radial distribution functions, via the EPSR simulation code. This is the first time that the capabilities of this data refinement method are tested against neutron diffraction data of a complex carbohydrate molecule. A small perturbation of water hydration shell and short hydrogen bonds between trehalose oxygens and water hydrogens has been evidenced.

  8. Molecular rotation-vibration dynamics of low-symmetric hydrate crystal in the terahertz region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Xiaojian; Wu, Hongya; Xi, Xiaoqing; Zhou, Ji

    2014-01-16

    The rotational and vibrational dynamics of molecules in copper sulfate pentahydrate crystal are investigated with terahertz dielectric spectra. It is shown that the relaxation-like dielectric dispersion in the low frequency region is related to the reorientation of water molecules under the driving of terahertz electric field, whereas the resonant dispersion can be ascribed to lattice vibration. It is also found that, due to the hydrogen-bond effect, the vibrational mode at about 1.83 THz along [-111] direction softens with decreasing temperature, that is, the crystal expands in this direction when cooled. On the contrary, the mode hardens in the direction perpendicular to [-111] during the cooling process. This contributes to the further understanding of the molecular structure and bonding features of hydrate crystals.

  9. Study of water diffusion on single-supported bilayer lipid membranes by quasielastic neutron scattering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bai, M.; Miskowiec, A.; Hansen, F. Y.

    2012-01-01

    High-energy-resolution quasielastic neutron scattering has been used to elucidate the diffusion of water molecules in proximity to single bilayer lipid membranes supported on a silicon substrate. By varying sample temperature, level of hydration, and deuteration, we identify three different types...... of diffusive water motion: bulk-like, confined, and bound. The motion of bulk-like and confined water molecules is fast compared to those bound to the lipid head groups (7-10 H2O molecules per lipid), which move on the same nanosecond time scale as H atoms within the lipid molecules. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2012...

  10. Experimental investigation of smectite hydration from the simulation of 001 X-ray diffraction lines. Implications for the characterization of mineralogical modifications of the 'argilite' from the Meuse - Haute Marne site as a result of a thermal perturbation; Etude experimentale de l'hydratation des smectites par simulation des raies OOl de diffraction des rayons X. Implications pour l'etude d'une perturbation thermique sur la mineralogie de l'argilite du site Meuse-Haute Marne

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ferrage, E

    2004-10-15

    The structural modifications affecting the reactive mineral constituents of the clay barriers (smectite) and possibly resulting from the thermal pulse related to nuclear waste storage are essentially limited to the amount and location of the layer charge deficit. These modifications likely impact the hydration properties of these minerals, and a specific methodology has thus been developed to describe, using simulation of X-ray diffraction profiles (001 reflections), these hydration properties and specifically the heterogeneity resulting from the inter-stratification of different layer types, each exhibiting a specific hydration state. The detailed study of the hydration properties of a low-charge montmorillonite (octahedral charge) has shown that the affinity of the interlayer cation for water rules the hydration state and the thickness of hydrated smectite layers. If the layer charge is increased, the transition between the different hydration states is shifted, following a water desorption isotherm, towards lower relative humidities. In addition, the hydration of studied beidellites (tetrahedral charge) was shown to be more heterogeneous than that of montmorillonites. The developed methodology also allowed describing the structural modifications resulting from a chemical perturbation (chlorinated anionic background, pH). Finally, the link between the thickness of elementary layers and the amount of interlayer water molecules has been evidenced. A new structure model has also been determined for these interlayer species allowing an improved description of their positional distribution in bi-hydrated interlayers. (author)

  11. Ab Initio Study of Hydration and Proton Dissociation in Ionomer Membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Idupulapati, Nagesh B.; Devanathan, Ramaswami; Dupuis, Michel

    2010-01-01

    We present a comparative study of proton dissociation in various functional acidic units that are promising candidates as building blocks for polymeric electrolyte membranes. Minimum energy structures for four acidic moieties with clusters of 1-6 water molecules were determined using density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-311G** level starting from chemically rational initial configurations. The perfluoro sulfonyl imide acid group (CF3CF2SO2NHSO2CF3) was observed to be the strongest acid, due to the substantial electron withdrawing effect of both fluorocarbon groups. The hydrophilic functional group (CH3OC6H3OCH3C6H4SO3H) of sulfonated polyetherether ketone (SPEEK) membrane was found to be the strongest base with the acidic proton dissociation requiring the addition of six water molecules and the hydrated proton being more tightly bound to the conjugate base. Even though both perfluoro sulfonyl imides and sulfonic acids (hydrophilic functional groups for sulfonyl imide and Nafion ionomers respectively) required only three water molecules to exhibit spontaneous proton dissociation, the largest possible solvent-separated hydronium ion was attained only for the sulfonyl imide moiety. These results provide a scientific basis for understanding the improved conductivity of perfluorinated sulfonyl imide-based membranes relative to that of the widely-used Nafion membrane.

  12. On the densification and hydration of CaCO3 particles by Q-switched laser pulses in water

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Peng-Wen; Wu, Chao-Hsien; Zheng, Yuyuan; Chen, Shuei-Yuan; Shen, Pouyan

    2013-09-01

    Calcite powders subjected to Q-switched laser pulses in water were characterized by X-ray/electron diffraction and optical spectroscopy to have a significant internal compressive stress (up to ca. 1.5 GPa) with accompanied transformation into defective calcite II and hydrates. The defective calcite II particles were (0 1 0), (0 0 1), (0 1¯ 1), (0 1 3) and (0 1¯ 3) faceted with 2×(0 2 0)II commensurate superstructure and tended to hydrate epitaxially as monohydrocalcite co-existing with ikaite (CaCO3·6H2O) with extensive cleavages and amorphous calcium carbonate with porous structure. The colloidal suspension containing the densified calcite polymorphs and hydrates showed two UV-visible absorptions corresponding to a minimum band gap of ca. 5 and 3 eV, respectively.

  13. Quantum Behavior of Water Molecules Confined to Nanocavities in Gemstones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorshunov, Boris P; Zhukova, Elena S; Torgashev, Victor I; Lebedev, Vladimir V; Shakurov, Gil'man S; Kremer, Reinhard K; Pestrjakov, Efim V; Thomas, Victor G; Fursenko, Dimitry A; Dressel, Martin

    2013-06-20

    When water is confined to nanocavities, its quantum mechanical behavior can be revealed by terahertz spectroscopy. We place H2O molecules in the nanopores of a beryl crystal lattice and observe a rich and highly anisotropic set of absorption lines in the terahertz spectral range. Two bands can be identified, which originate from translational and librational motions of the water molecule isolated within the cage; they correspond to the analogous broad bands in liquid water and ice. In the present case of well-defined and highly symmetric nanocavities, the observed fine structure can be explained by macroscopic tunneling of the H2O molecules within a six-fold potential caused by the interaction of the molecule with the cavity walls.

  14. Final Scientific/Technical Report: Characterizing the Response of the Cascadia Margin Gas Hydrate Reservoir to Bottom Water Warming Along the Upper Continental Slope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Solomon, Evan A. [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Johnson, H. Paul [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Salmi, Marie [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Whorley, Theresa [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)

    2017-11-10

    The objective of this project is to understand the response of the WA margin gas hydrate system to contemporary warming of bottom water along the upper continental slope. Through pre-cruise analysis and modeling of archive and recent geophysical and oceanographic data, we (1) inventoried bottom simulating reflectors along the WA margin and defined the upper limit of gas hydrate stability, (2) refined margin-wide estimates of heat flow and geothermal gradients, (3) characterized decadal scale temporal variations of bottom water temperatures at the upper continental slope of the Washington margin, and (4) used numerical simulations to provide quantitative estimates of how the shallow boundary of methane hydrate stability responds to modern environmental change. These pre-cruise results provided the context for a systematic geophysical and geochemical survey of methane seepage along the upper continental slope from 48° to 46°N during a 10-day field program on the R/V Thompson from October 10-19, 2014. This systematic inventory of methane emissions along this climate-sensitive margin corridor and comprehensive sediment and water column sampling program provided data and samples for Phase 3 of this project that focused on determining fluid and methane sources (deep-source vs. shallow; microbial, thermogenic, gas hydrate dissociation) within the sediment, and how they relate to contemporary intermediate water warming. During the 2014 research expedition, we sampled nine seep sites between ~470 and 520 m water depth, within the zone of predicted methane hydrate retreat over the past 40 years. We imaged 22 bubble plumes with heights commonly rising to ~300 meters below sea level with one reaching near the sea surface. We collected 22 gravity cores and 20 CTD/hydrocasts from the 9 seeps and at background locations (no acoustic evidence of seepage) within the depth interval of predicted downslope retreat of the methane hydrate stability zone. Approximately 300 pore water

  15. Fire extinction utilizing carbon dioxide hydrate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hatakeyama, T.; Aida, E.; Yokomori, T.; Ohmura, R.; Ueda, T. [Keio Univ., Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama (Japan)

    2008-07-01

    Clathrate hydrates formed with nonflammable gases may be suitable for use as fire extinguishing agents because dissociation of the hydrates results in the temperature decrease in the combustion field and the nonflammable gases released from the dissociated hydrates prevent the supply of the oxygen to the combustion field. This paper discussed experiments in which ordinary ice and dry ice were used to evaluate the performance of CO{sub 2} hydrate as a fire extinguishing agent. The paper described the apparatus and procedure for the preparation of CO{sub 2} hydrate crystals. A schematic of the reactor to form CO{sub 2} hydrate and a photograph of CO{sub 2} hydrate crystal formed in the study were also presented. Other illustrations, photographs, and tables that were presented included a schematic diagram of the experimental apparatus used for the flame extinction experiments; a photograph of CO{sub 2} hydrate powder; sequential video graphs of the flame extinction by the supply of CO{sub 2} hydrate crystals to the methanol pool flame and the relevant illustration; and heat of CO{sub 2} hydrate dissociation, water vaporization and sublimation of dry ice. It was concluded that the critical mass of the CO{sub 2} hydrate required to extinguish a flame was much less than that of ordinary ice, indicating the superiority of CO{sub 2} hydrate to the ice. In addition, the experiments also revealed that the size of the CO{sub 2} hydrate particles had a significant effect on the performance of flame extinction. 5 refs., 2 tabs., 7 figs.

  16. Dielectric study on hierarchical water structures restricted in cement and wood materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abe, Fumiya; Nishi, Akihiro; Saito, Hironobu; Asano, Megumi; Watanabe, Seiei; Kita, Rio; Shinyashiki, Naoki; Yagihara, Shin; Fukuzaki, Minoru; Sudo, Seiichi; Suzuki, Youki

    2017-01-01

    Dielectric relaxation processes for mortar observed by broadband dielectric spectroscopy were analyzed in the drying and hydration processes for an aging sample in the frequency region from 1 MHz up to 2 MHz. At least two processes for structured water in the kHz frequency region and another mHz relaxation process affected by ionic behaviors were observed. Comparison of the relaxation parameters obtained for the drying and hydration processes suggests an existence of hierarchical water structures in the exchange of water molecules, which are originally exchanged from free water observed at around 20 GHz. The water molecules reflected in the lower frequency process of the two kHz relaxation processes are more restricted and take more homogeneous structures than the higher kHz relaxation process. These structured water usually hidden in large ionic behaviors for wood samples was observed by electrodes covered by a thin Teflon film, and hierarchical water structures were also suggested for wood samples. Dielectric spectroscopy technique is an effective tool to analyze the new concept of hierarchical water structures in complex materials. (paper)

  17. Effects of the spaces available for cations in strongly acidic cation-exchange resins on the exchange equilibria by quaternary ammonium ions and on the hydration states of metal ions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Yuuya; Ohnaka, Kenji; Fujita, Saki; Kishi, Midori; Yuchi, Akio

    2011-10-01

    The spaces (voids) available for cations in the five exchange resins with varying exchange capacities and cross-linking degrees were estimated, on the basis of the additivity of molar volumes of the constituents. Tetraalkylammonium ions (NR(4)(+); R: Me, Et, Pr) may completely exchange potassium ion on the resin having a larger void radius. In contrast, the ratio of saturated adsorption capacity to exchange capacity of the resin having a smaller void radius decreased with an increase in size of NR(4)(+) ions, due to the interionic contacts. Alkali metal ions could be exchanged quantitatively. While the hydration numbers of K(+), Rb(+), and Cs(+) were independent of the void radius, those of Li(+) and Na(+), especially Na(+), decreased with a decrease in void radius. Interionic contacts between the hydrated ions enhance the dehydration. Multivalent metal ions have the hydration numbers, comparable to or rather greater than those in water. A greater void volume available due to exchange stoichiometry released the interionic contacts and occasionally promoted the involvement of water molecules other than directly bound molecules. The close proximity between ions in the conventional ion-exchange resins having higher exchange capacities may induce varying interactions.

  18. Adsorption of Dissolved Gases (CH4, CO2, H2, Noble Gases) by Water-Saturated Smectite Clay Minerals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bourg, I. C.; Gadikota, G.; Dazas, B.

    2016-12-01

    Adsorption of dissolved gases by water-saturated clay minerals plays important roles in a range of fields. For example, gas adsorption in on clay minerals may significantly impact the formation of CH4 hydrates in fine-grained sediments, the behavior of CH4 in shale, CO2 leakage across caprocks of geologic CO2 sequestration sites, H2 leakage across engineered clay barriers of high-level radioactive waste repositories, and noble gas geochemistry reconstructions of hydrocarbon migration in the subsurface. Despite its importance, the adsorption of gases on clay minerals remains poorly understood. For example, some studies have suggested that clay surfaces promote the formation of CH4 hydrates, whereas others indicate that clay surfaces inhibit the formation of CH4 hydrates. Here, we present molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the adsorption of a range of gases (CH4, CO2, H2, noble gases) on clay mineral surfaces. Our results indicate that the affinity of dissolved gases for clay mineral surfaces has a non-monotone dependence on the hydrated radius of the gas molecules. This non-monotone dependence arises from a combination of two effects: the polar nature of certain gas molecules (in particular, CO2) and the templating of interfacial water structure by the clay basal surface, which results in the presence of interfacial water "cages" of optimal size for intermediate-size gas molecules (such as Ne or Ar).

  19. Investigations into surfactant/gas hydrate relationship

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rogers, Rudy; Zhang, Guochang; Dearman, Jennifer; Woods, Charles [Swalm School of Chemical Engineering, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762 (United States)

    2007-03-15

    Gas hydrates have unique physical properties portending useful industrial applications of gas storage, gas separation, or water desalination. When gas hydrates were found in the early 1990s to occur naturally and abundantly in seafloors, three other primary interests and concerns emerged: potential new energy source, climate threat from their greenhouse gases, and seafloor instabilities. This paper presents research showing how anionic synthetic surfactants helped develop an industrial gas hydrate storage process for natural gas and how naturally-occurring in-situ anionic biosurfactants influence the formation and placement of gas hydrates in ocean sediments. The catalytic effects, mechanisms, and surface specificities imparted by synthetic surfactants in the gas storage process and imparted by biosurfactants in porous media are discussed. The Bacillus subtilis bacterium that is indigenous to gas hydrate mounds in the Gulf of Mexico was cultured in the laboratory. Its biosurfactant was separated and found to catalyze gas hydrates in porous media. The experiments indicate that seafloor-biosurfactants can be produced rapidly in-situ to achieve threshold concentrations whereby hydrates are promoted. The biosurfactants accumulate and promote hydrate formation on specific mineral surfaces such as sodium montmorillonite. (author)

  20. Investigation of the hydrated 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin dimer by combined IR/UV spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stamm, A.; Schwing, K.; Gerhards, M.

    2014-01-01

    The first molecular beam investigations on a coumarin dimer and clusters of a coumarin dimer with water both in the neutral (S 0 ) and cationic (D 0 ) electronic ground state are performed. The structure and structural changes due to ionization of the isolated 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin dimer (7H4MC) 2 as well as its mono- and dihydrate (7H4MC) 2 (H 2 O) 1-2 are analyzed by applying combined IR/UV spectroscopy compared with density functional theory calculations. In case of the neutral dimer of 7H4MC a doubly hydrogen-bonded structure is formed. This doubly hydrogen-bonded arrangement opens to a singly hydrogen-bonded structure in the ion presenting a rearrangement reaction within an isolated dimer. By attaching one or two water molecules to the neutral 7H4MC dimer water is inserted into the hydrogen bonds. In contrast to the non-hydrated species this general binding motif with water in a bridging function does not change via ionization but especially for the dihydrate the spatial arrangement of the two 7H4MC units changes strengthening the interaction between the aromatic chromophores. The presented analyses illustrate the strong dependence of binding motifs as a function of successive hydration and charge including a rearrangement reaction

  1. Lutetium(III) aqua ion: On the dynamical structure of the heaviest lanthanoid hydration complex

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sessa, Francesco; D’Angelo, Paola, E-mail: p.dangelo@uniroma1.it [Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Roma “La Sapienza,” P. le A. Moro 5, 00185 Roma (Italy); Spezia, Riccardo [CNRS, UMR 8587, Laboratoire Analyse et Modelisation Pour la Biologie et l’Environnement, Université d’Evry Val d’Essonne, Blvd. F. Mitterrand, 91025 Evry Cedex (France)

    2016-05-28

    The structure and dynamics of the lutetium(III) ion in aqueous solution have been investigated by means of a polarizable force field molecular dynamics (MD). An 8-fold square antiprism (SAP) geometry has been found to be the dominant configuration of the lutetium(III) aqua ion. Nevertheless, a low percentage of 9-fold complexes arranged in a tricapped trigonal prism (TTP) geometry has been also detected. Dynamic properties have been explored by carrying out six independent MD simulations for each of four different temperatures: 277 K, 298 K, 423 K, 632 K. The mean residence time of water molecules in the first hydration shell at room temperature has been found to increase as compared to the central elements of the lanthanoid series in agreement with previous experimental findings. Water exchange kinetic rate constants at each temperature and activation parameters of the process have been determined from the MD simulations. The obtained structural and dynamical results suggest that the water exchange process for the lutetium(III) aqua ion proceeds with an associative mechanism, in which the SAP hydration complex undergoes temporary structural changes passing through a 9-fold TTP intermediate. Such results are consistent with the water exchange mechanism proposed for heavy lanthanoid atoms.

  2. Carbon dioxide hydrate formation in a fixed-bed reactor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fan, S.; Lang, X. [South China Univ. of Technology, Guangzhou (China). Key Laboratory of Enhanced Heat Transfer and Energy Conservation; Wang, Y.; Liang, D. [Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou (China). Guangzhou Inst. of Energy Conversion and Guangzhou Center of Natural Gas Hydrate; Sun, X.; Jurcik, B. [Air Liquide Laboratories, Tsukuba (Japan)

    2008-07-01

    Gas hydrates are thermodynamically stable at high pressures and near the freezing temperature of pure water. Methane hydrates occur naturally in sediments in the deep oceans and permafrost regions and constitute an extensive hydrocarbon reservoir. Carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) hydrates are of interest as a medium for marine sequestration of anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Sequestering CO{sub 2} as hydrate has potential advantages over most methods proposed for marine CO{sub 2} sequestration. Because this technique requires a shallower depth of injection when compared with other ocean sequestration methods, the costs of CO{sub 2} hydrate sequestration may be lower. Many studies have successfully used different continuous reactor designs to produce CO{sub 2} hydrates in both laboratory and field settings. This paper discussed a study that involved the design and construction of a fixed-bed reactor for simulation of hydrate formation system. Water, river sands and carbon dioxide were used to simulate the seep kind of hydrate formation. Carbon dioxide gas was distributed as small bubbles to enter from the bottom of the fixed-bed reactor. The paper discussed the experimental data and presented a diagram of the gas hydrate reactor system. The morphology as well as the reaction characters of CO{sub 2} hydrate was presented in detail. The results were discussed in terms of experimental phenomena and hydrate formation rate. A mathematical model was proposed for describing the process. 17 refs., 7 figs.

  3. Basin-Wide Temperature Constraints On Gas Hydrate Stability In The Gulf Of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDonald, I. R.; Reagan, M. T.; Guinasso, N. L.; Garcia-Pineda, O. G.

    2012-12-01

    Gas hydrate deposits commonly occur at the seafloor-water interface on marine margins. They are especially prevalent in the Gulf of Mexico where they are associated with natural oil seeps. The stability of these deposits is potentially challenged by fluctuations in bottom water temperature, on an annual time-scale, and under the long-term influence of climate change. We mapped the locations of natural oil seeps where shallow gas hydrate deposits are known to occur across the entire Gulf of Mexico basin based on a comprehensive review of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data (~200 images). We prepared a bottom water temperature map based on the archive of CTD casts from the Gulf (~6000 records). Comparing the distribution of gas hydrate deposits with predicted bottom water temperature, we find that a broad area of the upper slope lies above the theoretical stability horizon for structure 1 gas hydrate, while all sites where gas hydrate deposits occur are within the stability horizon for structure 2 gas hydrate. This is consistent with analytical results that structure 2 gas hydrates predominate on the upper slope (Klapp et al., 2010), where bottom water temperatures fluctuate over a 7 to 10 C range (approx. 600 m depth), while pure structure 1 hydrates are found at greater depths (approx. 3000 m). Where higher hydrocarbon gases are available, formation of structure 2 gas hydrate should significantly increase the resistance of shallow gas hydrate deposits to destabilizing effects variable or increasing bottom water temperature. Klapp, S.A., Bohrmann, G., Kuhs, W.F., Murshed, M.M., Pape, T., Klein, H., Techmer, K.S., Heeschen, K.U., and Abegg, F., 2010, Microstructures of structure I and II gas hydrates from the Gulf of Mexico: Marine and Petroleum Geology, v. 27, p. 116-125.Bottom temperature and pressure for Gulf of Mexico gas hydrate outcrops and stability horizons for sI and sII hydrate.

  4. Diffusion and spectroscopy of water and lipids in fully hydrated dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, J.; Martí, J.; Calero, C.

    2014-01-01

    Microscopic structure and dynamics of water and lipids in a fully hydrated dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine phospholipid lipid bilayer membrane in the liquid-crystalline phase have been analyzed with all-atom molecular dynamics simulations based on the recently parameterized CHARMM36 force field. The diffusive dynamics of the membrane lipids and of its hydration water, their reorientational motions as well as their corresponding spectral densities, related to the absorption of radiation, have been considered for the first time using the present force field. In addition, structural properties such as density and pressure profiles, a deuterium-order parameter, surface tension, and the extent of water penetration in the membrane have been analyzed. Molecular self-diffusion, reorientational motions, and spectral densities of atomic species reveal a variety of time scales playing a role in membrane dynamics. The mechanisms of lipid motion strongly depend on the time scale considered, from fast ballistic translation at the scale of picoseconds (effective diffusion coefficients of the order of 10 −5 cm 2 /s) to diffusive flow of a few lipids forming nanodomains at the scale of hundreds of nanoseconds (diffusion coefficients of the order of 10 −8 cm 2 /s). In the intermediate regime of sub-diffusion, collisions with nearest neighbors prevent the lipids to achieve full diffusion. Lipid reorientations along selected directions agree well with reported nuclear magnetic resonance data and indicate two different time scales, one about 1 ns and a second one in the range of 2–8 ns. We associated the two time scales of reorientational motions with angular distributions of selected vectors. Calculated spectral densities corresponding to lipid and water reveal an overall good qualitative agreement with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy experiments. Our simulations indicate a blue-shift of the low frequency spectral bands of hydration water as a result of its interaction

  5. Diffusion and spectroscopy of water and lipids in fully hydrated dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine bilayer membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, J.; Martí, J., E-mail: jordi.marti@upc.edu [Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Technical University of Catalonia-Barcelona Tech, B4-B5 Northern Campus, Jordi Girona 1-3, 08034 Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain); Calero, C. [Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Technical University of Catalonia-Barcelona Tech, B4-B5 Northern Campus, Jordi Girona 1-3, 08034 Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain); Center for Polymer Studies, Department of Physics, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02215 (United States)

    2014-03-14

    Microscopic structure and dynamics of water and lipids in a fully hydrated dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine phospholipid lipid bilayer membrane in the liquid-crystalline phase have been analyzed with all-atom molecular dynamics simulations based on the recently parameterized CHARMM36 force field. The diffusive dynamics of the membrane lipids and of its hydration water, their reorientational motions as well as their corresponding spectral densities, related to the absorption of radiation, have been considered for the first time using the present force field. In addition, structural properties such as density and pressure profiles, a deuterium-order parameter, surface tension, and the extent of water penetration in the membrane have been analyzed. Molecular self-diffusion, reorientational motions, and spectral densities of atomic species reveal a variety of time scales playing a role in membrane dynamics. The mechanisms of lipid motion strongly depend on the time scale considered, from fast ballistic translation at the scale of picoseconds (effective diffusion coefficients of the order of 10{sup −5} cm{sup 2}/s) to diffusive flow of a few lipids forming nanodomains at the scale of hundreds of nanoseconds (diffusion coefficients of the order of 10{sup −8} cm{sup 2}/s). In the intermediate regime of sub-diffusion, collisions with nearest neighbors prevent the lipids to achieve full diffusion. Lipid reorientations along selected directions agree well with reported nuclear magnetic resonance data and indicate two different time scales, one about 1 ns and a second one in the range of 2–8 ns. We associated the two time scales of reorientational motions with angular distributions of selected vectors. Calculated spectral densities corresponding to lipid and water reveal an overall good qualitative agreement with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy experiments. Our simulations indicate a blue-shift of the low frequency spectral bands of hydration water as a result of

  6. Experimental investigation of smectite hydration from the simulation of 001 X-ray diffraction lines. Implications for the characterization of mineralogical modifications of the 'argilite' from the Meuse - Haute Marne site as a result of a thermal perturbation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferrage, E.

    2004-10-01

    The structural modifications affecting the reactive mineral constituents of the clay barriers (smectite) and possibly resulting from the thermal pulse related to nuclear waste storage are essentially limited to the amount and location of the layer charge deficit. These modifications likely impact the hydration properties of these minerals, and a specific methodology has thus been developed to describe, using simulation of X-ray diffraction profiles (001 reflections), these hydration properties and specifically the heterogeneity resulting from the inter-stratification of different layer types, each exhibiting a specific hydration state. The detailed study of the hydration properties of a low-charge montmorillonite (octahedral charge) has shown that the affinity of the interlayer cation for water rules the hydration state and the thickness of hydrated smectite layers. If the layer charge is increased, the transition between the different hydration states is shifted, following a water desorption isotherm, towards lower relative humidities. In addition, the hydration of studied beidellites (tetrahedral charge) was shown to be more heterogeneous than that of montmorillonites. The developed methodology also allowed describing the structural modifications resulting from a chemical perturbation (chlorinated anionic background, pH). Finally, the link between the thickness of elementary layers and the amount of interlayer water molecules has been evidenced. A new structure model has also been determined for these interlayer species allowing an improved description of their positional distribution in bi-hydrated interlayers. (author)

  7. TOUGH+Hydrate v1.0 User's Manual: A Code for the Simulation of System Behavior in Hydrate-Bearing Geologic Media

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moridis, George; Moridis, George J.; Kowalsky, Michael B.; Pruess, Karsten

    2008-03-01

    TOUGH+HYDRATE v1.0 is a new code for the simulation of the behavior of hydrate-bearing geologic systems. By solving the coupled equations of mass and heat balance, TOUGH+HYDRATE can model the non-isothermal gas release, phase behavior and flow of fluids and heat under conditions typical of common natural CH{sub 4}-hydrate deposits (i.e., in the permafrost and in deep ocean sediments) in complex geological media at any scale (from laboratory to reservoir) at which Darcy's law is valid. TOUGH+HYDRATE v1.0 includes both an equilibrium and a kinetic model of hydrate formation and dissociation. The model accounts for heat and up to four mass components, i.e., water, CH{sub 4}, hydrate, and water-soluble inhibitors such as salts or alcohols. These are partitioned among four possible phases (gas phase, liquid phase, ice phase and hydrate phase). Hydrate dissociation or formation, phase changes and the corresponding thermal effects are fully described, as are the effects of inhibitors. The model can describe all possible hydrate dissociation mechanisms, i.e., depressurization, thermal stimulation, salting-out effects and inhibitor-induced effects. TOUGH+HYDRATE is the first member of TOUGH+, the successor to the TOUGH2 [Pruess et al., 1991] family of codes for multi-component, multiphase fluid and heat flow developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It is written in standard FORTRAN 95, and can be run on any computational platform (workstation, PC, Macintosh) for which such compilers are available.

  8. First Study of Poly(3-Methylene-2-Pyrrolidone) as a Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abrahamsen, Eirin; Heyns, Ingrid Marié; von Solms, Nicolas

    2017-01-01

    Formation of gas hydrates is a problem in the petroleum industry where the gas hydrates can cause blockage of the flowlines. Kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) are water-soluble polymers, sometimes used in combination synergistically or with non-polymeric synergists, that are used to prevent gas h...... are preferable in KHI polymers as long as they are water-soluble at hydrate-forming temperatures.......Formation of gas hydrates is a problem in the petroleum industry where the gas hydrates can cause blockage of the flowlines. Kinetic hydrate inhibitors (KHIs) are water-soluble polymers, sometimes used in combination synergistically or with non-polymeric synergists, that are used to prevent gas...... hydrate blockages. They have been used in the field successfully since 1995. In this paper, we present the first KHI results for the polymer, poly(3-methylene-2-pyrrolidone) (P(3M2P)), which is structurally similar to poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), one of the first KHIs to be discovered. 3M2P polymers...

  9. Clinker mineral hydration at reduced relative humidities

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Ole Mejlhede

    1998-01-01

    This report deals with gas phase hydration of pure cement clinker minerals at reduced relative humidities. This is an important subject in relation to modern high performance concrete which may self-desiccate during hydration. In addition the subject has relevance to storage stability where...... prehydration may occur. In the report both theoretical considerations and experimental data are presented. It is suggested that the initiation of hydration during water vapour exposure is nucleation controlled....

  10. Sensitivity of hydrogen bonds of DNA and RNA to hydration, as gauged by 1JNH measurements in ethanol-water mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manalo, Marlon N.; Kong Xiangming; LiWang, Andy

    2007-01-01

    Hydrogen-bond lengths of nucleic acids are (1) longer in DNA than in RNA, and (2) sequence dependent. The physicochemical basis for these variations in hydrogen-bond lengths is unknown, however. Here, the notion that hydration plays a significant role in nucleic acid hydrogen-bond lengths is tested. Watson-Crick N1...N3 hydrogen-bond lengths of several DNA and RNA duplexes are gauged using imino 1 J NH measurements, and ethanol is used as a cosolvent to lower water activity. We find that 1 J NH values of DNA and RNA become less negative with added ethanol, which suggests that mild dehydration reduces hydrogen-bond lengths even as the overall thermal stabilities of these duplexes decrease. The 1 J NH of DNA are increased in 8 mol% ethanol to those of RNA in water, which suggests that the greater hydration of DNA plays a significant role in its longer hydrogen bonds. The data also suggest that ethanol-induced dehydration is greater for the more hydrated G:C base pairs and thereby results in greater hydrogen-bond shortening than for the less hydrated A:T/U base pairs of DNA and RNA

  11. Infrared spectroscopy for monitoring gas hydrates in aqueous solution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dobbs, G.T.; Luzinova, Y.; Mizaikoff, B. [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States). School of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Raichlin, Y.; Katzir, A. [Tel-Aviv Univ., Tel-Aviv (Israel). Shool of Physics and Astronomy

    2008-07-01

    This paper introduced the first principles for monitoring gas hydrate formation and dissociation in aqueous solution by evaluating state-responsive infrared (IR) absorption features of water with fiberoptic evanescent field spectroscopy. A first order linear functional relationship was also derived according to Lambert Beer's law in order to quantify the percentage gas hydrate within the volume of water probed via the evanescent field. In addition, spectroscopic studies evaluating seafloor sediments collected from a gas hydrate site in the Gulf of Mexico revealed minimal spectral interferences from sediment matrix components. As such, evanescent field sensing strategies were established as a promising perspective for monitoring the dynamics of gas hydrates in oceanic environments. 21 refs., 5 figs.

  12. High voltage microscopy of the hydration of cement with special respect to the influence of superplasticizers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pusch, R.; Fredrikson, A.

    1990-02-01

    This report describes a study of cement hydration, using high voltage 'humid cell' electron microscopy. Samples with and without superplasticizer were inserted in the humid cell, thus allowing the superplasticizer to affect the hydration process while observing it in the microscope. It is concluded that after an initial period of rather rapid hydration, further hydration is retarded by the superplasticizer. It probably forms a Helmholtz-type cloud of organic molecules around cement grains. (authors)

  13. Experimental preparation of Kr/Xe hydrate at pressures up to 160 bar

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simonis, R.

    1985-06-01

    A compound called gas (mixture) hydrate is formed under pressurized atmosphere by reaction of krypton, xenon and a mixture of both with water. The study under review reports on preparing such hydrates experimentally under pressures up to 160 bar. The dissociation function of the hydrates is determined by low and medium-pressure experiments. Observing the formation process it was found that a hydrate layer is formed at the interface of gas and water, its separating effect almost inhibiting continuance of hydrate reactions. Strong stirring will avoid or destroy the separating layer. It is shown that at pressures above 50 bar the dissociation function psub(D) (T) gets non-linear with logarithmic pressure plotting above the absolute, reciprocal temperature. The medium-temperature experiments show that the density of the gas consisting of Xe or Kr and Xe, respectively, reaches higher values than that of the water. In this case, the system collapses and the gas is found at the bottom of the pressure flask, and the water in the top region. The gas samples taken during the mixed hydrate preparation show that Kr is accumulated in the gaseous phase, and Xe in the hydrate phase. (orig./RB) [de

  14. Computation of Hydration Free Energies Using the Multiple Environment Single System Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Mechanical Method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    König, Gerhard; Mei, Ye; Pickard, Frank C; Simmonett, Andrew C; Miller, Benjamin T; Herbert, John M; Woodcock, H Lee; Brooks, Bernard R; Shao, Yihan

    2016-01-12

    A recently developed MESS-E-QM/MM method (multiple-environment single-system quantum mechanical molecular/mechanical calculations with a Roothaan-step extrapolation) is applied to the computation of hydration free energies for the blind SAMPL4 test set and for 12 small molecules. First, free energy simulations are performed with a classical molecular mechanics force field using fixed-geometry solute molecules and explicit TIP3P solvent, and then the non-Boltzmann-Bennett method is employed to compute the QM/MM correction (QM/MM-NBB) to the molecular mechanical hydration free energies. For the SAMPL4 set, MESS-E-QM/MM-NBB corrections to the hydration free energy can be obtained 2 or 3 orders of magnitude faster than fully converged QM/MM-NBB corrections, and, on average, the hydration free energies predicted with MESS-E-QM/MM-NBB fall within 0.10-0.20 kcal/mol of full-converged QM/MM-NBB results. Out of five density functionals (BLYP, B3LYP, PBE0, M06-2X, and ωB97X-D), the BLYP functional is found to be most compatible with the TIP3P solvent model and yields the most accurate hydration free energies against experimental values for solute molecules included in this study.

  15. Anisotropic and sub-diffusive water motion at the surface of DNA and of an anionic micelle CsPFO

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pal, Subrata; Maiti, Prabal K; Bagchi, Biman

    2005-01-01

    We use long atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to address certain fundamental issues regarding water dynamics in the hydration layer of a 38 base long (GCCGCGAGGTGTCAGGGATTGCAGCCAGCATCTCGTCG) negatively charged hydrated DNA duplex. The rotational time correlation function of surface water dipoles is found to be markedly non-exponential, with a slow component at long time, whose magnitude depends on the initial (t = 0) residence of the water in the major or minor groove of the DNA. The surface water molecules are also found to exhibit anisotropic diffusion in both the major and minor grooves: diffusion in the direction parallel to the DNA surface exhibits a crossover from higher to lower than that in the direction normal to the surface at short-to-intermediate times. In the same time window, translational motion of water molecules in the minor groove is sub-diffusive, with mean square displacement (MSD) growing as t α with α ∼ 0.43. In general, water molecules in the major group exhibit faster dynamics than those in the minor groove, in agreement with earlier results (Bonvin et al 1998 J. Mol. Biol. 282 859-73). We compare these results with dynamics of water molecules at the surface of an anionic micelle, cesium perfluorooctanoate (CsPFO). Water molecules on the surface of CsPFO also exhibit slow translation and non-exponential orientational dynamics

  16. Hydration behavior at the ice-binding surface of the Tenebrio molitor antifreeze protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Midya, Uday Sankar; Bandyopadhyay, Sanjoy

    2014-05-08

    Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been carried out at two different temperatures (300 and 220 K) to study the conformational rigidity of the hyperactive Tenebrio molitor antifreeze protein (TmAFP) in aqueous medium and the structural arrangements of water molecules hydrating its surface. It is found that irrespective of the temperature the ice-binding surface (IBS) of the protein is relatively more rigid than its nonice-binding surface (NIBS). The presence of a set of regularly arranged internally bound water molecules is found to play an important role in maintaining the flat rigid nature of the IBS. Importantly, the calculations reveal that the strategically located hydroxyl oxygens of the threonine (Thr) residues in the IBS influence the arrangements of five sets of ordered waters around it on two parallel planes that closely resemble the basal plane of ice. As a result, these waters can register well with the ice basal plane, thereby allowing the IBS to preferentially bind at the ice interface and inhibit its growth. This provides a possible molecular reason behind the ice-binding activity of TmAFP at the basal plane of ice.

  17. Density, distribution, and orientation of water molecules inside and outside carbon nanotubes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, J A; McGaughey, A J H

    2008-02-28

    The behavior of water molecules inside and outside 1.1, 2.8, 6.9, and 10.4 nm diameter armchair carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is predicted using molecular dynamics simulations. The effects of CNT diameter on mass density, molecular distribution, and molecular orientation are identified for both the confined and unconfined fluids. Within 1 nm of the CNT surface, unconfined water molecules assume a spatially varying density profile. The molecules distribute nonuniformly around the carbon surface and have preferred orientations. The behavior of the unconfined water molecules is invariant with CNT diameter. The behavior of the confined water, however, can be correlated to tube diameter. Inside the 10.4 nm CNT, the molecular behavior is indistinguishable from that of the unconfined fluid. Within the smaller CNTs, surface curvature effects reduce the equilibrium water density and force water molecules away from the surface. This effect changes both the molecular distribution and preferred molecular orientations.

  18. Protein-solvent preferential interactions, protein hydration, and the modulation of biochemical reactions by solvent components.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Timasheff, Serge N

    2002-07-23

    Solvent additives (cosolvents, osmolytes) modulate biochemical reactions if, during the course of the reaction, there is a change in preferential interactions of solvent components with the reacting system. Preferential interactions can be expressed in terms of preferential binding of the cosolvent or its preferential exclusion (preferential hydration). The driving force is the perturbation by the protein of the chemical potential of the cosolvent. It is shown that the measured change of the amount of water in contact with protein during the course of the reaction modulated by an osmolyte is a change in preferential hydration that is strictly a measure of the cosolvent chemical potential perturbation by the protein in the ternary water-protein-cosolvent system. It is not equal to the change in water of hydration, because water of hydration is a reflection strictly of protein-water forces in a binary system. There is no direct relation between water of preferential hydration and water of hydration.

  19. Major factors influencing the generation of natural gas hydrate in porous media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V.N. Khlebnikov

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Current researches related to natural gas hydrate mainly focus on its physical and chemical properties, as well as the approaches to the production (decomposition of hydrate. Physical modeling of the flow process in hydrate deposits is critical to the study on the exploitation or decomposition of hydrate. However, investigation of the dynamic hydrate process by virtue of porous media like sand-packed tubes which are widely used in petroleum production research is rarely reported in literature. In this paper, physical simulation of methane hydrate generation process was conducted using river sand-packed tubes in the core displacement apparatus. During the simulation, the influences of parameters such as reservoir temperature, methane pressure and reservoir model properties on the process of hydrate generation were investigated. The following results are revealed. First, the use of ice-melted water as the immobile water in the reservoir model can significantly enhance the rate of methane hydrate generation. Second, the process driving force in porous media (i.e., extents to which the experimental pressure or temperature deviating those corresponding to the hydrate phase equilibrium plays a key role in the generation of methane hydrate. Third, the induction period of methane hydrate generation almost does not change with temperature or pressure when the methane pressure is above 1.4 folds of the hydrate phase equilibrium pressure or the laboratory temperature is lower than the phase equilibrium temperature by 3 °C or more. Fourth, the parameters such as permeability, water saturation and wettability don't have much influence on the generation of methane hydrate.

  20. Structures of water molecules in carbon nanotubes under electric fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winarto,; Takaiwa, Daisuke; Yamamoto, Eiji; Yasuoka, Kenji

    2015-01-01

    Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are promising for water transport through membranes and for use as nano-pumps. The development of CNT-based nanofluidic devices, however, requires a better understanding of the properties of water molecules in CNTs because they can be very different from those in the bulk. Using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the effect of axial electric fields on the structure of water molecules in CNTs having diameters ranging from (7,7) to (10,10). The water dipole moments were aligned parallel to the electric field, which increases the density of water inside the CNTs and forms ordered ice-like structures. The electric field induces the transition from liquid to ice nanotubes in a wide range of CNT diameters. Moreover, we found an increase in the lifetime of hydrogen bonds for water structures in the CNTs. Fast librational motion breaks some hydrogen bonds, but the molecular pairs do not separate and the hydrogen bonds reform. Thus, hydrogen bonds maintain the water structure in the CNTs, and the water molecules move collectively, decreasing the axial diffusion coefficient and permeation rate

  1. Characteristics of Methane Hydrate Formation in Artificial and Natural Media

    OpenAIRE

    Peng Zhang; Qingbai Wu; Yuzhong Yang

    2013-01-01

    The formation of methane hydrate in two significantly different media was investigated, using silica gel as an artificial medium and loess as a natural medium. The methane hydrate formation was observed through the depletion of water in the matrix, measured via the matrix potential and the relationship between the matrix potential and the water content was determined using established equations. The velocity of methane hydrate nucleation slowed over the course of the reaction, as it relied on...

  2. Multicomponent seismic methods for characterizing gas hydrate occurrences and systems in deep-water Gulf of Mexico

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haines, Seth S.; Lee, Myung W.; Collett, Timothy S.; Hardage, Bob A.

    2011-01-01

    In-situ characterization and quantification of natural gas hydrate occurrences remain critical research directions, whether for energy resource, drilling hazard, or climate-related studies. Marine multicomponent seismic data provide the full seismic wavefield including partial redundancy, and provide a promising set of approaches for gas hydrate characterization. Numerous authors have demonstrated the possibilities of multicomponent data at study sites around the world. We expand on this work by investigating the utility of very densely spaced (10’s of meters) multicomponent receivers (ocean-bottom cables, OBC, or ocean-bottom seismometers, OBS) for gas hydrate studies in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere. Advanced processing techniques provide high-resolution compressional-wave (PP) and converted shearwave (PS) reflection images of shallow stratigraphy, as well as P-wave and S-wave velocity estimates at each receiver position. Reflection impedance estimates can help constrain velocity and density, and thus gas hydrate saturation. Further constraint on velocity can be determined through identification of the critical angle and associated phase reversal in both PP and PS wideangle data. We demonstrate these concepts with examples from OBC data from the northeast Green Canyon area and numerically simulated OBS data that are based on properties of known gas hydrate occurrences in the southeast (deeper water) Green Canyon area. These multicomponent data capabilities can provide a wealth of characterization and quantification information that is difficult to obtain with other geophysical methods.

  3. Shortwave-infrared Raman spectroscopic classification of water fractions in articular cartilage ex vivo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unal, Mustafa; Akkus, Ozan

    2018-01-01

    Water loss is an early onset indicator of osteoarthritis. Although Raman spectroscopy (RS) holds the potential for measurement of cartilage hydration, the knowledge of Raman OH-stretch bands of biological tissue is very limited. We assesed here the sensitivity of RS to identify and classify water types in the cartilage. Raman spectrum measurements over the high wavenumber range were employed to identify different water fractions in articular cartilage. Raman spectra were collected from wet and sequentially dehydrated cartilage along with pure collagen type II and chondroitin sulfate standards. OH-stretch band of cartilage is dominated by mobile water, up to 95% of total intensities. We identified six peaks in cartilage spectrum using second-derivative analysis: peaks at 3200 and 3650 cm-1 are associated with organic matrix (both collagen and proteglycan) and matrix-bound water molecules. Peaks at 3250, 3453, and 3630 cm-1 are associated with collagen and collagen-related water molecules, whereas the peak at 3520 cm-1 is associated with proteoglycan (PG) and PG-related water molecules. The current work is the first thorough analysis of the Raman OH-stretch band of the cartilage and with the knowledge generated by this study, it may now be possible to study on cartilage hydration by RS.

  4. TOUGH+HYDRATE v1.2 User's Manual: A Code for the Simulation of System Behavior in Hydrate-Bearing Geologic Media

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moridis, George J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Kowalsky, Michael B. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Pruess, Karsten [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2012-08-01

    TOUGH+HYDRATE v1.2 is a code for the simulation of the behavior of hydratebearing geologic systems, and represents the second update of the code since its first release [Moridis et al., 2008]. By solving the coupled equations of mass and heat balance, TOUGH+HYDRATE can model the non-isothermal gas release, phase behavior and flow of fluids and heat under conditions typical of common natural CH4-hydrate deposits (i.e., in the permafrost and in deep ocean sediments) in complex geological media at any scale (from laboratory to reservoir) at which Darcy’s law is valid. TOUGH+HYDRATE v1.2 includes both an equilibrium and a kinetic model of hydrate formation and dissociation. The model accounts for heat and up to four mass components, i.e., water, CH4, hydrate, and water-soluble inhibitors such as salts or alcohols. These are partitioned among four possible phases (gas phase, liquid phase, ice phase and hydrate phase). Hydrate dissociation or formation, phase changes and the corresponding thermal effects are fully described, as are the effects of inhibitors. The model can describe all possible hydrate dissociation mechanisms, i.e., depressurization, thermal stimulation, salting-out effects and inhibitor-induced effects. TOUGH+HYDRATE is a member of TOUGH+, the successor to the TOUGH2 [Pruess et al., 1991] family of codes for multi-component, multiphase fluid and heat flow developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It is written in standard FORTRAN 95/2003, and can be run on any computational platform (workstation, PC, Macintosh) for which such compilers are available.

  5. Approximative Krieger-Nelkin orientation averaging and anisotropy of water molecules vibrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Markovic, M.I.

    1974-01-01

    Quantum-mechanics approach of water molecules dynamics should be taken into account for precise theoretical calculation of differential scattering cross sections of neutrons. Krieger and Nelkin have proposed an approximate method for averaging orientation of molecules regarding directions of incoming and scattered neutron. This paper shows that this approach can be successfully applied for general shape of water molecule vibration anisotropy

  6. Metodologia AGOA: a modelagem de clusters de hidratação no complexo aziridina···ácido fluorídrico AGOA methodology: modeling the hydration clusters for the aziridine···hydrofluoric complex

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Boaz G. Oliveira

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available We present a theoretical study of solvent effect on C2H5N···HF hydrogen-bonded complex through the application of the AGOA methodology. By using the TIP4P model to orientate the configuration of water molecules, the hydration clusters generated by AGOA were obtained through the analysis of the molecular electrostatic potential (MEP of solute (C2H5N···HF. Thereby, it was calculated the hydration energies on positive and negative MEP fields, which are maxima (PEMmax and minima (PEMmin when represent the -CH2- methylene groups and hydrofluoric acid, respectively. By taking into account the higher and lower hydration energy values of -370.6 kJ mol-1 and -74.3 kJ mol-1 for PEMmax and PEMmin of the C2H5N···HF, our analysis shows that these results corroborate the open ring reaction of aziridine, in which the preferential attack of water molecules occurs at the methylene groups of this heterocyclic.

  7. [Laser Raman Spectroscopy and Its Application in Gas Hydrate Studies].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Juan; Wu, Neng-you; Lu, Hai-long; Wu, Dai-dai; Su, Qiu-cheng

    2015-11-01

    Gas hydrates are important potential energy resources. Microstructural characterization of gas hydrate can provide information to study the mechanism of gas hydrate formation and to support the exploitation and application of gas hydrate technology. This article systemly introduces the basic principle of laser Raman spectroscopy and summarizes its application in gas hydrate studies. Based on Raman results, not only can the information about gas composition and structural type be deduced, but also the occupancies of large and small cages and even hydration number can be calculated from the relative intensities of Raman peaks. By using the in-situ analytical technology, laser Raman specstropy can be applied to characterize the formation and decomposition processes of gas hydrate at microscale, for example the enclathration and leaving of gas molecules into/from its cages, to monitor the changes in gas concentration and gas solubility during hydrate formation and decomposition, and to identify phase changes in the study system. Laser Raman in-situ analytical technology has also been used in determination of hydrate structure and understanding its changing process under the conditions of ultra high pressure. Deep-sea in-situ Raman spectrometer can be employed for the in-situ analysis of the structures of natural gas hydrate and their formation environment. Raman imaging technology can be applied to specify the characteristics of crystallization and gas distribution over hydrate surface. With the development of laser Raman technology and its combination with other instruments, it will become more powerful and play a more significant role in the microscopic study of gas hydrate.

  8. Properties of cyclodextrins. II. Preparation of a stable β-cyclodextrin hydrate and determination of its water content and enthalpy of solution in water from 15 to 30.deg

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wiedenhof, N.; Lammers, J.N.J.J.

    1968-01-01

    The solubility of ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) in water has been measured by a refractive-index method at 15–30°. Evidence was obtained that the same, solid ß-CD hydrate phase is present in this temperature range. The formula of the hydrate was shown to be C42H70O35(12.0 ± 0.5)H20. A method for preparation

  9. Anti-inflammatory drugs. X. Hydrated pyrrolidinium [2-[(2,6-dichlorophenyl)amino]phenyl]acetate(HP.D.H2O).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castellari, C; Comelli, F; Ottani, S

    2001-10-01

    In the solid-state structure of the title compound, C(4)H(10)N(+).C(14)H(10)Cl(2)NO(2)(-).H(2)O, the asymmetric unit contains one cation, one anion and a water molecule. There is a network of hydrogen bonds which is similar to that found in the hydrated diethylammonium diclofenac salt. A comparison is made of the molecular conformation of the anions in the two related structures.

  10. Sodium and potassium salts of dichloroisocyanuric acid and their hydrates as antimicrobials agents studied by 35Cl-NQR spectroscopy and DFT calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walczak, A.; Brycki, B.; Kaczmarek, M.; Poleshchuk, O.Kh.; Ostafin, M.; Nogaj, B.

    2006-01-01

    The electronic structure of dichloroisocyanuric acid derivatives was analysed by 35 Cl-NQR spectroscopy and DFT calculations. Here we concentrate our attention on three different factors: type of metallic substituent (sodium and potassium), temperature of the sample (liquid nitrogen and room) and degree of hydration (an amount of water molecules attached to analysed compounds). In particular, all the variations in 35 Cl-NQR frequencies upon hydration of salts containing sodium and potassium ions are explained as a consequence of H-bonds formation and accompanied effects of charge redistribution. Our studies can be useful in searching for the derivatives of dichloroisocyanuric acid revealing higher antimicrobial activity

  11. Hydration dynamics near a model protein surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Russo, Daniela; Hura, Greg; Head-Gordon, Teresa

    2003-01-01

    The evolution of water dynamics from dilute to very high concentration solutions of a prototypical hydrophobic amino acid with its polar backbone, N-acetyl-leucine-methylamide (NALMA), is studied by quasi-elastic neutron scattering and molecular dynamics simulation for both the completely deuterated and completely hydrogenated leucine monomer. We observe several unexpected features in the dynamics of these biological solutions under ambient conditions. The NALMA dynamics shows evidence of de Gennes narrowing, an indication of coherent long timescale structural relaxation dynamics. The translational water dynamics are analyzed in a first approximation with a jump diffusion model. At the highest solute concentrations, the hydration water dynamics is significantly suppressed and characterized by a long residential time and a slow diffusion coefficient. The analysis of the more dilute concentration solutions takes into account the results of the 2.0M solution as a model of the first hydration shell. Subtracting the first hydration layer based on the 2.0M spectra, the translational diffusion dynamics is still suppressed, although the rotational relaxation time and residential time are converged to bulk-water values. Molecular dynamics analysis shows spatially heterogeneous dynamics at high concentration that becomes homogeneous at more dilute concentrations. We discuss the hydration dynamics results of this model protein system in the context of glassy systems, protein function, and protein-protein interfaces

  12. Thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cortes, Douglas D.; Martin, Ana I.; Yun, Tae Sup; Francisca, Franco M.; Santamarina, J. Carlos; Ruppel, Carolyn D.

    2009-01-01

    A thorough understanding of the thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediments is necessary for evaluating phase transformation processes that would accompany energy production from gas hydrate deposits and for estimating regional heat flow based on the observed depth to the base of the gas hydrate stability zone. The coexistence of multiple phases (gas hydrate, liquid and gas pore fill, and solid sediment grains) and their complex spatial arrangement hinder the a priori prediction of the thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing sediments. Previous studies have been unable to capture the full parameter space covered by variations in grain size, specific surface, degree of saturation, nature of pore filling material, and effective stress for hydrate-bearing samples. Here we report on systematic measurements of the thermal conductivity of air dry, water- and tetrohydrofuran (THF)-saturated, and THF hydrate–saturated sand and clay samples at vertical effective stress of 0.05 to 1 MPa (corresponding to depths as great as 100 m below seafloor). Results reveal that the bulk thermal conductivity of the samples in every case reflects a complex interplay among particle size, effective stress, porosity, and fluid-versus-hydrate filled pore spaces. The thermal conductivity of THF hydrate–bearing soils increases upon hydrate formation although the thermal conductivities of THF solution and THF hydrate are almost the same. Several mechanisms can contribute to this effect including cryogenic suction during hydrate crystal growth and the ensuing porosity reduction in the surrounding sediment, increased mean effective stress due to hydrate formation under zero lateral strain conditions, and decreased interface thermal impedance as grain-liquid interfaces are transformed into grain-hydrate interfaces.

  13. Thermodynamic insight into spontaneous hydration and rapid water permeation in aquaporins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barati Farimani, A.; Aluru, N. R. [Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Tajkhorshid, Emad [Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Department of Biochemistry and Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States)

    2014-08-25

    We report here a detailed thermodynamic description of water molecules inside a biological water channel. Taking advantage of high-resolution molecular dynamics trajectories calculated for an aquaporin (AQP) channel, we compute the spatial translational and rotational components of water diffusion and entropy in AQP. Our results reveal that the spontaneous filling and entry of water into the pore in AQPs are driven by an entropic gain. Specifically, water molecules exhibit an elevated degree of rotational motion inside the pore, while their translational motion is slow compared with bulk. The partial charges of the lining asparagine residues at the conserved signature Asn-Pro-Ala motifs play a key role in enhancing rotational diffusion and facilitating dipole flipping of water inside the pore. The frequencies of the translational and rotational motions in the power spectra overlap indicating a strong coupling of these motions in AQPs. A shooting mechanism with diffusive behavior is observed in the extracellular region which might be a key factor in the fast conduction of water in AQPs.

  14. Development and preliminary testing of a standardized method for quantifying excess water in over-hydrated skin using evaporimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fader, M; Clark-O'Neill, S R; Cottenden, A M; Wong, W K R; Runeman, B; Farbrot, A

    2011-01-01

    Although evaporimetry (the measurement of water vapour flux density from the skin) has often been used to study the impact on skin hydration of using products such as baby diapers and incontinence pads, it is difficult to interpret results and to compare data from different studies because of the diversity of unvalidated methodologies used. The aim of this work was to develop a robust methodology for measuring the excess water in over-hydrated skin and test it on volar forearm and hip skin which had been occluded with saline soaked patches. Three repeat measurements were made on the volar forearm and the hip of five young (31–44 years) and six older (67–85 years) women and moderately good within-subject repeatability was found for both skin sites for both subject groups. Measurements taken from the hip were significantly higher (P = 0.001) than those from the arm and had larger coefficients of variation (3.5–22.1%) compared to arms (3.0–14.0%). There were no significant differences between young and older skin, implying that women for future studies could be recruited without regard to age. This is the first time that a robust evaporimetric methodology for quantifying excess water in over-hydrated skin has been described and validated, and it will form a solid basis for future work

  15. Influence of fluorosurfactants on hydrate formation rates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, C.U.; Jeong, K.E.; Chae, H.J.; Jeong, S.Y. [Korea Reasearch Inst. of Chemical Technology, Alternative Chemicals/Fuel Research Center, Yuseong-Gu, Daejon (Korea, Republic of)

    2008-07-01

    Gas hydrates, or clathrates, are ice-like solids that forms when natural gas is in contact with liquid water or ice under high pressure and low temperature. There is significant interest in studying the storage and transportation of gas in the form of hydrates. However, a critical problem impacting the industrial application of gas hydrates for storage and transportation of natural gas is the slow formation rate of natural gas hydrate. Researchers have previously reported on the promotion effect of some additives on gas hydrate formation and hydrate gas content. Fluorosurfactants are significantly superior to nonfluorinated surfactants in wetting action, as well as stability in harsh environments, both thermal and chemical. This paper discussed an experimental investigation into the effects of fluorosurfactants with different ionic types on the formation of methane hydrate. The surfactants used were FSN-100 of DuPont Zonyl as non-ionic surfactant and FC-143 of DuPont as anionic surfactant. The paper discussed the experimental apparatus for methane hydrate formation. It also discussed hydrate formation kinetics and the series of hydrate formation experiments that were conducted in the presence of fluorosurfactants. Last, the paper explored the results of the study. It was concluded that anionic fluorosurfactant of FC-143 had a better promoting effect on methane hydrate formation compared with nonionic surfactant of FSN-100. 8 refs., 2 tabs., 2 figs.

  16. Hydration of excess electrons trapped in charge pockets on molecular surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jalbout, Abraham F.; Del Castillo, R.; Adamowicz, Ludwik

    2007-01-01

    In this work we strive to design a novel electron trap located on a molecular surface. The process of electron trapping involves hydration of the trapped electron. Previous calculations on surface electron trapping revealed that clusters of OH groups can form stable hydrogen-bonded networks on one side of a hydrocarbon surface (i.e. cyclohexane sheets), while the hydrogen atoms on the opposite side of the surface form pockets of positive charge that can attract extra negative charge. The excess electron density on such surfaces can be further stabilized by interactions with water molecules. Our calculations show that these anionic systems are stable with respect to vertical electron detachment (VDE).

  17. Thermodynamic Characterization of Hydration Sites from Integral Equation-Derived Free Energy Densities: Application to Protein Binding Sites and Ligand Series.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Güssregen, Stefan; Matter, Hans; Hessler, Gerhard; Lionta, Evanthia; Heil, Jochen; Kast, Stefan M

    2017-07-24

    Water molecules play an essential role for mediating interactions between ligands and protein binding sites. Displacement of specific water molecules can favorably modulate the free energy of binding of protein-ligand complexes. Here, the nature of water interactions in protein binding sites is investigated by 3D RISM (three-dimensional reference interaction site model) integral equation theory to understand and exploit local thermodynamic features of water molecules by ranking their possible displacement in structure-based design. Unlike molecular dynamics-based approaches, 3D RISM theory allows for fast and noise-free calculations using the same detailed level of solute-solvent interaction description. Here we correlate molecular water entities instead of mere site density maxima with local contributions to the solvation free energy using novel algorithms. Distinct water molecules and hydration sites are investigated in multiple protein-ligand X-ray structures, namely streptavidin, factor Xa, and factor VIIa, based on 3D RISM-derived free energy density fields. Our approach allows the semiquantitative assessment of whether a given structural water molecule can potentially be targeted for replacement in structure-based design. Finally, PLS-based regression models from free energy density fields used within a 3D-QSAR approach (CARMa - comparative analysis of 3D RISM Maps) are shown to be able to extract relevant information for the interpretation of structure-activity relationship (SAR) trends, as demonstrated for a series of serine protease inhibitors.

  18. Quantum Electric Dipole Lattice - Water Molecules Confined to Nanocavities in Beryl

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dressel, Martin; Zhukova, Elena S.; Thomas, Victor G.; Gorshunov, Boris P.

    2018-02-01

    Water is subject to intense investigations due to its importance in biological matter but keeps many of its secrets. Here, we unveil an even other aspect by confining H2O molecules to nanosize cages. Our THz and infrared spectra of water in the gemstone beryl evidence quantum tunneling of H2O molecules in the crystal lattice. The water molecules are spread out when confined in a nanocage. In combination with low-frequency dielectric measurements, we were also able to show that dipolar coupling among the H2O molecules leads towards a ferroelectric state at low temperatures. Upon cooling, a ferroelectric soft mode shifts through the THz range. Only quantum fluctuations prevent perfect macroscopic order to be fully achieved. Beside the significance to life science and possible application, nanoconfined water may become the prime example of a quantum electric dipolar lattice.

  19. Energy from gas hydrates - assessing the opportunities and challenges for Canada: report of the expert panel on gas hydrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-09-01

    Gas hydrates form when water and natural gas combine at low temperatures and high pressures in regions of permafrost and in marine subseafloor sediments. Estimates suggest that the total amount of natural gas bound in hydrate form may exceed all conventional gas resources, or even the amount of all combined hydrocarbon energy. Gas from gas hydrate could provide a potentially vast new source of energy to offset declining supplies of conventional natural gas in North America and to provide greater energy security for countries such as Japan and India that have limited domestic sources. However, complex issues would need to be addressed if gas hydrate were to become a large part of the energy future of Canada. Natural Resources Canada asked the Council of Canadian Academies to assemble a panel of experts to examine the challenges for an acceptable operational extraction of gas hydrates in Canada. This report presented an overview of relevant contextual background, including some basic science; the medium-term outlook for supply and demand in markets for natural gas; broad environmental issues related to gas hydrate in its natural state and as a fuel; and an overview of Canada's contribution to knowledge about gas hydrate in the context of ongoing international research activity. The report also presented current information on the subject and what would be required to delineate and quantify the resource. Techniques for extracting gas from gas hydrate were also outlined. The report also addressed safety issues related to gas hydrate dissociation during drilling operations or release into the atmosphere; the environmental issues associated with potential leakage of methane into the atmosphere and with the large volumes of water produced during gas hydrate dissociation; and jurisdictional and local community issues that would need to be resolved in order to proceed with the commercial exploitation of gas hydrate. It was concluded that there does not appear to be

  20. Experimental Investigation of Effect on Hydrate Formation in Spray Reactor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianzhong Zhao

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The effects of reaction condition on hydrate formation were conducted in spray reactor. The temperature, pressure, and gas volume of reaction on hydrate formation were measured in pure water and SDS solutions at different temperature and pressure with a high-pressure experimental rig for hydrate formation. The experimental data and result reveal that additives could improve the hydrate formation rate and gas storage capacity. Temperature and pressure can restrict the hydrate formation. Lower temperature and higher pressure can promote hydrate formation, but they can increase production cost. So these factors should be considered synthetically. The investigation will promote the advance of gas storage technology in hydrates.

  1. Formation rate of natural gas hydrate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mork, Marit

    2002-07-01

    The rate of methane hydrate and natural gas hydrate formation was measured in a 9.5 litre stirred tank reactor of standard design. The experiments were performed to better understand the performance and scale-up of a reactor for continuous production of natural gas hydrates. The hydrate formation rate was measured at steady-state conditions at pressures between 70 and 90 bar and temperatures between 7 and 15 deg C. Between 44 and 56 % of the gas continuously supplied to the reactor was converted to hydrate. The experimental results show that the rate of hydrate formation is strongly influenced by gas injection rate and pressure. The effect of stirring rate is less significant and subcooling has no observable effect on the formation rate. Hydrate crystal concentration and gas composition do not influence the hydrate formation rate. Observations of produced hydrate crystals indicate that the crystals are elongated, about 5 micron in diameter and 10 micron long. Analysis of the results shows that the rate of hydrate formation is dominated by gas-liquid mass transfer. A mass transfer model, the bubble-to-crystal model, was developed for the hydrate formation rate in a continuous stirred tank reactor, given in terms of concentration driving force and an overall mass transfer coefficient. The driving force is the difference between the gas concentration at the gas-liquid interface and at the hydrate crystal surface. These concentrations correspond to the solubility of gas in water at experimental temperature and pressure and the solubility of gas at hydrate equilibrium temperature and experimental pressure, respectively. The overall mass transfer coefficient is expressed in terms of superficial gas velocity and impeller power consumption, parameters commonly used in study of stirred tank reactors. Experiments and modeling show that the stirred tank reactor has a considerable potential for increased production capacity. However, at higher hydrate production rates the

  2. Methane Hydrates: Chapter 8

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boswell, Ray; Yamamoto, Koji; Lee, Sung-Rock; Collett, Timothy S.; Kumar, Pushpendra; Dallimore, Scott

    2008-01-01

    Gas hydrate is a solid, naturally occurring substance consisting predominantly of methane gas and water. Recent scientific drilling programs in Japan, Canada, the United States, Korea and India have demonstrated that gas hydrate occurs broadly and in a variety of forms in shallow sediments of the outer continental shelves and in Arctic regions. Field, laboratory and numerical modelling studies conducted to date indicate that gas can be extracted from gas hydrates with existing production technologies, particularly for those deposits in which the gas hydrate exists as pore-filling grains at high saturation in sand-rich reservoirs. A series of regional resource assessments indicate that substantial volumes of gas hydrate likely exist in sand-rich deposits. Recent field programs in Japan, Canada and in the United States have demonstrated the technical viability of methane extraction from gas-hydrate-bearing sand reservoirs and have investigated a range of potential production scenarios. At present, basic reservoir depressurisation shows the greatest promise and can be conducted using primarily standard industry equipment and procedures. Depressurisation is expected to be the foundation of future production systems; additional processes, such as thermal stimulation, mechanical stimulation and chemical injection, will likely also be integrated as dictated by local geological and other conditions. An innovative carbon dioxide and methane swapping technology is also being studied as a method to produce gas from select gas hydrate deposits. In addition, substantial additional volumes of gas hydrate have been found in dense arrays of grain-displacing veins and nodules in fine-grained, clay-dominated sediments; however, to date, no field tests, and very limited numerical modelling, have been conducted with regard to the production potential of such accumulations. Work remains to further refine: (1) the marine resource volumes within potential accumulations that can be

  3. Influence of Physical Activity and Ambient Temperature on Hydration: The European Hydration Research Study (EHRS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ricardo Mora-Rodriguez

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available This study explored the effects of physical activity (PA and ambient temperature on water turnover and hydration status. Five-hundred seventy three healthy men and women (aged 20–60 years from Spain, Greece and Germany self-reported PA, registered all food and beverage intake, and collected 24-h urine during seven consecutive days. Fasting blood samples were collected at the onset and end of the study. Food moisture was assessed using nutritional software to account for all water intake which was subtracted from daily urine volume to allow calculation of non-renal water loss (i.e., mostly sweating. Hydration status was assessed by urine and blood osmolality. A negative association was seen between ambient temperature and PA (r = −0.277; p < 0.001. Lower PA with high temperatures did not prevent increased non-renal water losses (i.e., sweating and elevated urine and blood osmolality (r = 0.218 to 0.163 all p < 0.001. When summer and winter data were combined PA was negatively associated with urine osmolality (r = −0.153; p = 0.001. Our data suggest that environmental heat acts to reduce voluntary PA but this is not sufficient to prevent moderate dehydration (increased osmolality. On the other hand, increased PA is associated with improved hydration status (i.e., lower urine and blood osmolality.

  4. Experimental hydrate formation and gas production scenarios based on CO{sub 2} sequestration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stevens, J.C.; Howard, J.J. [ConocoPhillips, Bartlesville, OK (United States). Reservoir Laboratories; Baldwin, B.A. [Green Country Petrophysics LLC, Dewey, OK (United States); Ersland, G.; Husebo, J.; Graue, A. [Bergen Univ., Bergen (Norway). Dept. of Physics and Technology

    2008-07-01

    Gas hydrate production strategies have focused on depressurization or thermal stimulation of the reservoir, which in turn leads to hydrate dissociation. In order to evaluate potential production scenarios, the recovery efficiency of the natural gas from hydrate must be known along with the corresponding amounts of produced water. This study focused on the exchange of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) with the natural gas hydrate and the subsequent release of free methane (CH{sub 4}). Laboratory experiments that investigated the rates and mechanisms of hydrate formation in coarse-grained porous media have shown the significance of initial water saturation and salinity on forming methane hydrates. Many of the experiments were performed in a sample holder fitted with an MRI instrument for monitoring hydrate formation. Hydrate-saturated samples were subjected to different procedures to release methane. The rates and efficiency of the exchange process were reproducible over a series of initial conditions. The exchange process was rapid and efficient in that no free water was observed in the core with MRI measurements. Injection of CO{sub 2} into the whole-core hydrate-saturated pore system resulted in methane production at the outlet end. Permeability measurements on these hydrate saturated cores during hydrate formation decreased to low values, but enough for gas transport. The lower permeability values remained constant during the methane-carbon dioxide exchange process in the hydrate structure. 12 refs., 9 figs.

  5. Spectroscopic determination of optimal hydration time of zircon surface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ordonez R, E. [ININ, Departamento de Quimica, Carretera Mexico-Toluca s/n, 52750 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico); Garcia R, G. [Instituto Tecnologico de Toluca, Division de Estudios del Posgrado, Av. Tecnologico s/n, Ex-Rancho La Virgen, 52140 Metepec, Estado de Mexico (Mexico); Garcia G, N., E-mail: eduardo.ordonez@inin.gob.m [Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico, Facultad de Quimica, Av. Colon y Av. Tollocan, 50180 Toluca, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

    2010-07-01

    When a mineral surface is immersed in an aqueous solution, it develops and electric charge produced by the amphoteric dissociation of hydroxyl groups created by the hydration of the solid surface. This is one influential surface property. The complete hydration process takes a time which is specific for each mineral species. The knowledge of the aqueous solution contact time for complete surface hydration is mandatory for further surface phenomena studies. This study deals with the optimal hydration time of the raw zircon (ZrSiO{sub 4}) surface comparing the classical potentiometric titrations with a fluorescence spectroscopy technique. The latter is easy and rea liable as it demands only one sample batch to determine the optimal time to ensure a total hydration of the zircon surface. The analytical results of neutron activation analysis showed the presence of trace quantities of Dy{sup 3+}, Eu{sup 3+} and Er{sup 3} in the bulk of zircon. The Dy{sup 3+} is structured in the zircon crystalline lattice and undergoes the same chemical reactions as zircon. Furthermore, the Dy{sup 3+} has a good fluorescent response whose intensity is enhanced by hydration molecules. The results show that, according to the potentiometric analysis, the hydration process for each batch (at least 8 sample batches) takes around 2 h, while the spectrometric method indicates only 5 minutes from only one batch. Both methods showed that the zircon surface have a 16 h optimal hydration time. (Author)

  6. Spectroscopic determination of optimal hydration time of zircon surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ordonez R, E.; Garcia R, G.; Garcia G, N.

    2010-01-01

    When a mineral surface is immersed in an aqueous solution, it develops and electric charge produced by the amphoteric dissociation of hydroxyl groups created by the hydration of the solid surface. This is one influential surface property. The complete hydration process takes a time which is specific for each mineral species. The knowledge of the aqueous solution contact time for complete surface hydration is mandatory for further surface phenomena studies. This study deals with the optimal hydration time of the raw zircon (ZrSiO 4 ) surface comparing the classical potentiometric titrations with a fluorescence spectroscopy technique. The latter is easy and rea liable as it demands only one sample batch to determine the optimal time to ensure a total hydration of the zircon surface. The analytical results of neutron activation analysis showed the presence of trace quantities of Dy 3+ , Eu 3+ and Er 3 in the bulk of zircon. The Dy 3+ is structured in the zircon crystalline lattice and undergoes the same chemical reactions as zircon. Furthermore, the Dy 3+ has a good fluorescent response whose intensity is enhanced by hydration molecules. The results show that, according to the potentiometric analysis, the hydration process for each batch (at least 8 sample batches) takes around 2 h, while the spectrometric method indicates only 5 minutes from only one batch. Both methods showed that the zircon surface have a 16 h optimal hydration time. (Author)

  7. Total allowable concentrations of monomeric inorganic aluminum and hydrated aluminum silicates in drinking water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willhite, Calvin C; Ball, Gwendolyn L; McLellan, Clifton J

    2012-05-01

    Maximum contaminant levels are used to control potential health hazards posed by chemicals in drinking water, but no primary national or international limits for aluminum (Al) have been adopted. Given the differences in toxicological profiles, the present evaluation derives total allowable concentrations for certain water-soluble inorganic Al compounds (including chloride, hydroxide, oxide, phosphate and sulfate) and for the hydrated Al silicates (including attapulgite, bentonite/montmorillonite, illite, kaolinite) in drinking water. The chemistry, toxicology and clinical experience with Al materials are extensive and depend upon the particular physical and chemical form. In general, the water solubility of the monomeric Al materials depends on pH and their water solubility and gastrointestinal bioavailability are much greater than that of the hydrated Al silicates. Other than Al-containing antacids and buffered aspirin, food is the primary source of Al exposure for most healthy people. Systemic uptake of Al after ingestion of the monomeric salts is somewhat greater from drinking water (0.28%) than from food (0.1%). Once absorbed, Al accumulates in bone, brain, liver and kidney, with bone as the major site for Al deposition in humans. Oral Al hydroxide is used routinely to bind phosphate salts in the gut to control hyperphosphatemia in people with compromised renal function. Signs of chronic Al toxicity in the musculoskeletal system include a vitamin D-resistant osteomalacia (deranged membranous bone formation characterized by accumulation of the osteoid matrix and reduced mineralization, reduced numbers of osteoblasts and osteoclasts, decreased lamellar and osteoid bands with elevated Al concentrations) presenting as bone pain and proximal myopathy. Aluminum-induced bone disease can progress to stress fractures of the ribs, femur, vertebrae, humerus and metatarsals. Serum Al ≥100 µg/L has a 75-88% positive predictive value for Al bone disease. Chronic Al

  8. Water Evaporation and Conformational Changes from Partially Solvated Ubiquitin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saravana Prakash Thirumuruganandham

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Using molecular dynamics simulation, we study the evaporation of water molecules off partially solvated ubiquitin. The evaporation and cooling rates are determined for a molecule at the initial temperature of 300 K. The cooling rate is found to be around 3 K/ns, and decreases with water temperature in the course of the evaporation. The conformation changes are monitored by studying a variety of intermediate partially solvated ubiquitin structures. We find that ubiquitin shrinks with decreasing hydration shell and exposes more of its hydrophilic surface area to the surrounding.

  9. Free energy of hydration of niobium oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Plodinec, M.J.

    1996-01-01

    Some of the glasses being formulated by SRTC researchers contain niobium oxide. In this report, the free energy of hydration of the oxide is calculated from the free energies of formation of the oxide, the hydroxide, and water. This value can be used in calculations of the free energy of hydration of glasses containing niobium

  10. The U.S. Geological Survey’s Gas Hydrates Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruppel, Carolyn D.

    2018-01-17

    The Gas Hydrates Project at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) focuses on the study of methane hydrates in natural environments. The project is a collaboration between the USGS Energy Resources and the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Programs and works closely with other U.S. Federal agencies, some State governments, outside research organizations, and international partners. The USGS studies the formation and distribution of gas hydrates in nature, the potential of hydrates as an energy resource, and the interaction between methane hydrates and the environment. The USGS Gas Hydrates Project carries out field programs and participates in drilling expeditions to study marine and terrestrial gas hydrates. USGS scientists also acquire new geophysical data and sample sediments, the water column, and the atmosphere in areas where gas hydrates occur. In addition, project personnel analyze datasets provided by partners and manage unique laboratories that supply state-of-the-art analytical capabilities to advance national and international priorities related to gas hydrates.

  11. Indian National Gas Hydrate Program Expedition 01 report

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collett, Timothy S.; Riedel, M.; Boswell, R.; Presley, J.; Kumar, P.; Sathe, A.; Sethi, A.; Lall, M.V.; ,

    2015-01-01

    Gas hydrate is a naturally occurring “ice-like” combination of natural gas and water that has the potential to serve as an immense resource of natural gas from the world’s oceans and polar regions. However, gas-hydrate recovery is both a scientific and a technical challenge and much remains to be learned about the geologic, engineering, and economic factors controlling the ultimate energy resource potential of gas hydrate. The amount of natural gas contained in the world’s gas-hydrate accumulations is enormous, but these estimates are speculative and range over three orders of magnitude from about 2,800 to 8,000,000 trillion cubic meters of gas. By comparison, conventional natural gas accumulations (reserves and undiscovered, technically recoverable resources) for the world are estimated at approximately 440 trillion cubic meters. Gas recovery from gas hydrate is hindered because the gas is in a solid form and because gas hydrate commonly occurs in remote Arctic and deep marine environments. Proposed methods of gas recovery from gas hydrate generally deal with disassociating or “melting” in situ gas hydrate by heating the reservoir beyond the temperature of gas-hydrate formation, or decreasing the reservoir pressure below hydrate equilibrium. The pace of energy-related gas hydrate assessment projects has accelerated over the past several years.

  12. Instability of buried hydration sites increases protein subdomains fluctuations in the human prion protein by the pathogenic mutation T188R

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katsufumi Tomobe

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The conformational change from the cellular prion protein (PrPc to scrapie prion protein (PrPsc is a key process in prion diseases. The prion protein has buried water molecules which significantly contribute to the stability of the protein; however, there has been no report investigating the influence on the buried hydration sites by a pathogenic mutation not adjacent to the buried hydration sites. Here, we perform molecular dynamics simulations of wild type (WT PrPc and pathogenic point mutant T188R to investigate conformational changes and the buried hydration sites. In WT-PrPc, four buried hydration sites are identified by residence time and rotational relaxation analysis. However, there are no stable buried hydration sites in one of T188R simulations, which indicates that T188R sometimes makes the buried hydration sites fragile. We also find that fluctuations of subdomains S1-H1-S2 and H1-H2 increase in T188R when the buried hydration sites become unstable. Since the side chain of arginine which is replaced from threonine in T188R is larger than of threonine, the side chain cannot be embedded in the protein, which is one of the causes of the instability of subdomains. These results show correlations between the buried hydration sites and the mutation which is far from them, and provide a possible explanation for the instability by mutation.

  13. Instability of buried hydration sites increases protein subdomains fluctuations in the human prion protein by the pathogenic mutation T188R

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomobe, Katsufumi; Yamamoto, Eiji; Akimoto, Takuma; Yasui, Masato; Yasuoka, Kenji

    2016-05-01

    The conformational change from the cellular prion protein (PrPc) to scrapie prion protein (PrPsc) is a key process in prion diseases. The prion protein has buried water molecules which significantly contribute to the stability of the protein; however, there has been no report investigating the influence on the buried hydration sites by a pathogenic mutation not adjacent to the buried hydration sites. Here, we perform molecular dynamics simulations of wild type (WT) PrPc and pathogenic point mutant T188R to investigate conformational changes and the buried hydration sites. In WT-PrPc, four buried hydration sites are identified by residence time and rotational relaxation analysis. However, there are no stable buried hydration sites in one of T188R simulations, which indicates that T188R sometimes makes the buried hydration sites fragile. We also find that fluctuations of subdomains S1-H1-S2 and H1-H2 increase in T188R when the buried hydration sites become unstable. Since the side chain of arginine which is replaced from threonine in T188R is larger than of threonine, the side chain cannot be embedded in the protein, which is one of the causes of the instability of subdomains. These results show correlations between the buried hydration sites and the mutation which is far from them, and provide a possible explanation for the instability by mutation.

  14. A gas production system from methane hydrate layers by hot water injection and BHP control with radial horizontal wells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamakawa, T.; Ono, S.; Iwamoto, A.; Sugai, Y.; Sasaki, K. [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka, Fukuoka (Japan)

    2010-07-01

    Reservoir characterization of methane hydrate (MH) bearing turbidite channel in the eastern Nankai Trough, in Japan has been performed to develop a gas production strategy. This paper proposed a gas production system from methane hydrate (MH) sediment layers by combining the hot water injection method and bottom hole pressure control at the production well using radial horizontal wells. Numerical simulations of the cylindrical homogeneous MH layer model were performed in order to evaluate gas production characteristics by the depressurization method with bottom hole pressure control. In addition, the effects of numerical block modeling and averaging physical properties of MH layers were presented. According to numerical simulations, combining the existing production system with hot water injection and bottom hole pressure control results in an outward expansion of the hot water chamber from the center of the MH layer with continuous gas production. 10 refs., 15 figs.

  15. Dynamics of water molecules in the active-site cavity of human cytochromes P450

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rydberg, Patrik; Rod, Thomas Holm; Olsen, Lars

    2007-01-01

    We have studied the dynamics of water molecules in six crystal structures of four human cytochromes P450, 2A6, 2C8, 2C9, and 3A4, with molecular dynamics simulations. In the crystal structures, only a few water molecules are seen and the reported sizes of the active-site cavity vary a lot....... In the simulations, the cavities are completely filled with water molecules, although with approximately 20% lower density than in bulk water. The 2A6 protein differs from the other three in that it has a very small cavity with only two water molecules and no exchange with the surroundings. The other three proteins...... channels, through which there is a quite frequent exchange of water molecules (one molecule is exchanged every 30-200 ps), except in 2A6. Most of the channels are observed also in the crystal structures, but two to three channels in each protein open only during the simulations. There are no water...

  16. Hydro-bio-geomechanical properties of hydrate-bearing sediments from Nankai Trough

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santamarina, J.C.; Dai, Shifeng; Terzariol, M.; Jang, Jeonghwan; Waite, William F.; Winters, William J.; Nagao, J.; Yoneda, J.; Konno, Y.; Fujii, T.; Suzuki, K.

    2015-01-01

    Natural hydrate-bearing sediments from the Nankai Trough, offshore Japan, were studied using the Pressure Core Characterization Tools (PCCTs) to obtain geomechanical, hydrological, electrical, and biological properties under in situ pressure, temperature, and restored effective stress conditions. Measurement results, combined with index-property data and analytical physics-based models, provide unique insight into hydrate-bearing sediments in situ. Tested cores contain some silty-sands, but are predominantly sandy- and clayey-silts. Hydrate saturations Sh range from 0.15 to 0.74, with significant concentrations in the silty-sands. Wave velocity and flexible-wall permeameter measurements on never-depressurized pressure-core sediments suggest hydrates in the coarser-grained zones, the silty-sands where Sh exceeds 0.4, contribute to soil-skeletal stability and are load-bearing. In the sandy- and clayey-silts, where Sh < 0.4, the state of effective stress and stress history are significant factors determining sediment stiffness. Controlled depressurization tests show that hydrate dissociation occurs too quickly to maintain thermodynamic equilibrium, and pressure–temperature conditions track the hydrate stability boundary in pure-water, rather than that in seawater, in spite of both the in situ pore water and the water used to maintain specimen pore pressure prior to dissociation being saline. Hydrate dissociation accompanied with fines migration caused up to 2.4% vertical strain contraction. The first-ever direct shear measurements on never-depressurized pressure-core specimens show hydrate-bearing sediments have higher sediment strength and peak friction angle than post-dissociation sediments, but the residual friction angle remains the same in both cases. Permeability measurements made before and after hydrate dissociation demonstrate that water permeability increases after dissociation, but the gain is limited by the transition from hydrate saturation

  17. Tapping methane hydrates for unconventional natural gas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruppel, Carolyn

    2007-01-01

    Methane hydrate is an icelike form of concentrated methane and water found in the sediments of permafrost regions and marine continental margins at depths far shallower than conventional oil and gas. Despite their relative accessibility and widespread occurrence, methane hydrates have never been tapped to meet increasing global energy demands. With rising natural gas prices, production from these unconventional gas deposits is becoming economically viable, particularly in permafrost areas already being exploited for conventional oil and gas. This article provides an overview of gas hydrate occurrence, resource assessment, exploration, production technologies, renewability, and future challenges.

  18. Influence of Hydration on Proton Transfer in the Guanine-Cytosine Radical Cation (G•+-C) Base Pair: A Density Functional Theory Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Anil; Sevilla, Michael D.

    2009-01-01

    On one-electron oxidation all molecules including DNA bases become more acidic in nature. For the GC base pair experiments suggest that a facile proton transfer takes place in the G•+-C base pair from N1 of G•+ to N3 of cytosine. This intra-base pair proton transfer reaction has been extensively considered using theoretical methods for the gas phase and it is predicted that the proton transfer is slightly unfavorable in disagreement with experiment. In the present study, we consider the effect of the first hydration layer on the proton transfer reaction in G•+-C by the use of density functional theory (DFT), B3LYP/6-31+G** calculations of the G•+-C base pair in the presence of 6 and 11 water molecules. Under the influence of hydration of 11 waters, a facile proton transfer from N1 of G•+ to N3 of C is predicted. The zero point energy (ZPE) corrected forward and backward energy barriers, for the proton transfer from N1 of G•+ to N3 of C, was found to be 1.4 and 2.6 kcal/mol, respectively. The proton transferred G•-(H+)C + 11H2O was found to be 1.2 kcal/mol more stable than G•+-C + 11H2O in agreement with experiment. The present calculation demonstrates that the inclusion of the first hydration shell around G•+-C base pair has an important effect on the internal proton transfer energetics. PMID:19485319

  19. Glycerol and urea can be used to increase skin permeability in reduced hydration conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Björklund, Sebastian; Engblom, Johan; Thuresson, Krister; Sparr, Emma

    2013-12-18

    The natural moisturizing factor (NMF) is a group of hygroscopic molecules that is naturally present in skin and protects from severe drying. Glycerol and urea are two examples of NMF components that are also used in skin care applications. In the present study, we investigate the influence of glycerol and urea on the permeability of a model drug (metronidazole, Mz) across excised pig skin membranes at different hydrating conditions. The degree of skin hydration is regulated by the gradient in water activity across the membrane, which in turn depends on the water activity of the formulation in contact with the skin membrane. Here, we determine the water activity of all formulations employed using an isothermal calorimetric method. Thus, the gradient in water activity is controlled by a novel experimental set-up with well-defined boundary conditions on both sides of the skin membrane. The results demonstrate that glycerol and urea can retain high steady state flux of Mz across skin membranes at dehydrating conditions, which otherwise would decrease the permeability due to dehydration. X-ray diffraction measurements are performed to give insight into the effects of glycerol and urea on SC molecular organization. The novel steady state flux results can be related to the observation that water, glycerol, and urea all affect the structural features of the SC molecular components in a similar manner. Copyright © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Structural Arrangement of Water Molecules around Highly Charged Nanoparticles: Molecular Dynamics Simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Eunae; Yeom, Min Sun

    2014-01-01

    Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to understand the structural arrangement of water molecules around highly charged nanoparticles under aqueous conditions. The effect of two highly charged nanoparticles on the solvation charge asymmetry has been examined. We calculated the radial distribution functions of the components of water molecules around nanoparticles which have four charge types at two different salt concentrations. Even though the distributions of water molecules surrounding a sodium ion and a chloride ion are hardly affected by the charges of nanoparticles and the salt concentrations, those around highly charged nanoparticles are strongly influenced by the charges of nanoparticles, but hardly by the charges of nanoparticles and salt concentrations. We find that the distributions of hydrogen atoms in water molecules around one highly charged nanoparticle are dependent on the magnitude of the nanoparticle charge