Investigation of the structural directing effect of (2-hydroxyethyl)trimethylammonium on distribution of the silicate anions using 29Si NMR spectroscopy.

The effect of (2-hydroxyethyl)trimethylammonium (2-HETMA) cation on the equilibrium of silicate oligomers in aqueous alkaline silicate solutions was investigated using (29)Si NMR spectra. The results indicate role of structural directing of 2-HETMA in which it particularly directs the silicate species to the Q(4)(1)Q(4)(3)Q(4)(4) silicate anion. Results reveal that composition of the alcohols in solution affect the distribution of anionic species. The effect of methanol concentration is also discussed.