Elucidation of a Heterogeneous Layered Structure in the Thickness Direction of Poly(vinyl alcohol) Films with Solvent Vapor-Induced Swelling.

We investigated the swelling behaviors of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films deposited on Si wafers with water vapor, which is a good solvent for PVA for elucidating structural and dynamical heterogeneities in the film thickness direction. Using deuterated water vapor, structural and dynamical differences in the thickness direction can be detected easily as different degrees of swelling in the thickness direction by neutron reflectivity. Consequently, the PVA film with a degree of saponification exceeding 98 mol % exhibits a three-layered structure in the thickness direction.

Solvation number and conformation of N,N-dimethylacrylamide and N,N-dimethylpropionamide in the coordination sphere of the cobalt(II) ion in solution studied by FT-IR and FT-Raman spectroscopy.

The solvation number and conformation of N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) in the coordination sphere of the cobalt(II) ion in solution were studied, and compared with those of N,N-dimethylpropionamide (DMPA) by means of FT-Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy. Both solvents are present as either the planar cis or nonplanar staggered conformer in equilibrium, and the former is more stable in the bulk. As these solvents solvate the metal ion through the carbonyl O atom of the acryl (DMAA) or propionyl (DMPA) group, the solvation structure around the metal ion is highly congested to reduce the solvation number and/or to lead to a conformational geometry change of solvent.

Conformation of solvent N,N-dimethylpropionamide in the coordination sphere of the zinc(II) ion studied by Raman spectroscopy and DFT calculations.

Solvation structure of the zinc(II) ion in N,N-dimethylpropionamide (DMPA) was studied by Raman spectroscopy at varying temperature and by quantum mechanical calculations. No significant ion-pair formation was found for the Zn(ClO4)2 solution in the molality range m(Zn) < 1.5 mol kg(-1), and the solvation number of the zinc(II) ion was determined to be 4, indicating that 6-coordination of DMPA is sterically hindered.

Evidence of conformational equilibrium of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium in its ionic liquid salts: Raman spectroscopic study and quantum chemical calculations.

Raman spectra of liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium (EMI+) salts, EMI(+)BF4-, EMI(+)PF6-, EMI(+)CF3SO3-, and EMI(+)N(CF3SO2)2-, were measured over the frequency range 200-1600 cm(-1). In the range 200-500 cm(-1), we found five bands originating from the EMI+ ion at 241, 297, 387, 430, and 448 cm(-1). However, the 448 cm(-1) band could hardly be reproduced by theoretical calculations in terms of a given EMI+ conformer, implying that the band originates from another conformer.