Intermolecular Probe for the Structural Deformation of Liquid Water Around Highly Charged Ions

We study the impact of highly charged ions on the local structural deformation of the hydrogen-bonding network of liquid water by means of dynamic Terahertz (THz) Kerr effect (TKE). By a systematic variation of anionic vs cationic charge density of the selected ions, we discover a correlation between the ionic charge density to the strengthening or weakening of the coupling between the rotational and the translational motions in water. The latter intermolecular probe, clearly shows opposite anionic versus cationic effect and enables us to provide a novel insight on the structure making/breaking behavior of ions.