Adsorption of apolar molecules at the water liquid–vapor interface: A Monte Carlo simulations study of the water-n-octane system

Abstract

The adsorption of n-octane at the water liquid–vapor interface has been investigated by Monte Carlo computer simulation. For this purpose, simulation of five different water–apolar interfacial systems have been performed, in which the number of n-octane molecules has been varied. The results clearly show that the apolar n-octane molecules are adsorbed from the vapor phase at the interface. The adsorption is driven by the weak attraction due to the dispersion forces acting between the water molecules and the methyl and methylene groups of the octanes. This weak attraction is, however, amplified by the fact that it is added up for the CH2 and CH3 groups belonging to the same molecule. Consistently, the n-octane molecules located closest to the aqueous phase are found to prefer all-trans conformation and parallel alignment with the plane of the interface. On the other hand, entropic effects become more important among the molecules of the outer part of the adsorption layer. Hence, the preferred orientation of these molecules is perpendicular to the interface, as they can be extended toward the less dense region of the apolar phase; and gauche dihedrals appear more frequently here than among the molecules located next to the aqueous phase.