Inside Cover: From Local Covalent Bonding to Extended Electric Field Interactions in Proton Hydration (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 46/2022)

Abstract

How far does the influence of a proton reach in water? X-ray spectroscopy reveals how––layer by layer––the electronic structure of water molecules is altered when hydrating a proton. A general architectural hierarchy exists in which the proton strongly interacts with the three nearest water molecules to form a hybridized H7O3+ core while the first hydration shell is affected by the electric field of the proton's positive charge. Further solvation shells contain bulk-like water molecules, as reported by Ehud Pines, Philippe Wernet, Michael Odelius, Erik T. J. Nibbering, and co-workers in their Research Article (e202211066).