Fast Collective Hydrogen-Bond Dynamics in Hexafluoroisopropanol Related to its Chemical Activity.

ABSTRACT: Using fluorinated mono-alcohols, in particular hexafluoro-isopropanol (HFIP), as a solvent can enhance chemical reaction rates in a spectacular manner. Previous work has shown evidence that this enhancement is related to the hydrogen-bond structure of these liquids. Here, we investigate the hydrogen-bond dynamics of HFIP and compare it to that of its non-fluorinated analog, isopropanol. Ultrafast infrared spectroscopy experiments show that the dynamics of individual hydrogen-bonds is about twice as slow in HFIP as in isopropanol. Surprisingly, from dielectric spectroscopy we find the opposite behavior for the dynamics of hydrogen-bonded clusters: collective rearrangements are 3 times faster in HFIP than in isopropanol. This difference indicates that the hydrogen-bonded clusters in HFIP are

SUBMITTER: Caporaletti F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11656151 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature