Small-angle water reorientations in KOH doped hexagonal ice and clathrate hydrates

Abstract

Using deuteron nuclear magnetic resonance and dielectric spectroscopy KOH doped tetrahydrofuran clathrate hydrates and KOH doped hexagonal ice are studied at temperatures above 60 and 72 K, respectively. Below these temperatures proton order is established on the lattice formed by the water molecules. In the clathrate hydrate a new type of small-angle motion is discovered using deuteron spin–spin relaxation, line-shape analysis, and stimulated-echo experiments. Based on the latter results a model is developed for the local proton motion that could successfully be tested using random-walk simulations. It is argued that the newly identified small-angle motion, obviously absent in undoped samples, is an important feature of the mechanism which accompanies the establishment of proton order not only in doped clathrate hydrates but also in doped hexagonal ice. Specific motions of OH⁻ defects are demonstrated to explain the experimentally observed behavior. The relative importance of localized versus delocalized OH⁻ defect motions is discussed.