The Hydrogen-bond network in sodium chloride tridecahydrate; Analogy with ice VI

Yamashita, Keishiro*; Nakayama, Kazuya*; Komatsu, Kazuki*; Ohara, Takashi   ; Munakata, Koji*; Hattori, Takanori   ; Sano, Asami   ; Kagi, Hiroyuki*

The structure of a recently-found hyperhydrated form of sodium chloride, NaCl 13H(D)O, has been determined by single-crystal neutron diffraction at 1.7 GPa and 298 K. It has large hydrogen-bond networks and some water molecules have distorted bonding features such as bifurcated hydrogen bonds and five-coordinated water molecules. The hydrogen-bond network has similarities to ice VI in terms of network topology and disordered hydrogen bonds. Assuming the equivalence of network components connected by pseudo symmetries, the overall network structure of this hydrate can be expressed by breaking it down into smaller structural units which correspond to the ice VI network structure. This hydrogen-bond network contains orientational disorder of water molecules in contrast to the known salt hydrates. Here, we present an example for further insights into a hydrogen-bond network containing ionic species.