A First-Principles Molecular Dynamics Study of the Solvation Shell Structure, Vibrational Spectra, Polarity, and Dynamics around a Nitrate Ion in Aqueous Solution.

A first-principles molecular dynamics study is presented for the structural, dynamical, vibrational, and dipolar properties of the solvation shell of a nitrate ion in deuterated water. A detailed description of the anisotropic structure of the solvation shell is presented through calculations of various structural distributions in different conical shells around the perpendicular axis of the ion. The nitrate ion-water dimer potential energies are also calculated for many different orientations of water. The average vibrational stretch frequency of OD modes in the solvation shell is found to be higher than that of other OD modes in the bulk, which signifies a weakening of hydrogen bonds in the hydration shell. A splitting of the NO stretch frequencies and an associated fast spectral diffusion of the solute are also observed in the current study. The dynamics of rotation and hydrogen bond relaxation are found to be faster in the hydration shell than that in the bulk water. The residence time of water in the hydration shell is, however, found to be rather long. The nitrate ion is found to have a dipole moment of 0.9 D in water which can be attributed to its fluctuating interactions with the surrounding water.