Structural and Dynamical Aspects of the Unsymmetric Hydration of Sb(III): An ab initio Quantum Mechanical Charge Field Molecular Dynamics Simulation

An ab initio quantum mechanical charge field molecular dynamics (QMCF MD) simulation was performed to investigate the behavior of the Sb(3+) ion in aqueous solution. The simulation reveals a significant influence of the residual valence shell electron density on the solvation structure and dynamics of Sb(3+). A strong hemidirectional behavior of the ligand binding pattern is observed for the first hydration shell extending up to the second hydration layer. The apparent domain partitioned structural behavior was probed by solvent reorientational kinetics and three-body distribution functions. The three-dimensional hydration space was conveniently segmented such that domains having different properties were properly resolved. The approach afforded a fair isolation of localized solvent structural and dynamical motifs that Sb(3+) seems to induce to a remarkable degree. Most intriguing is the apparent impact of the lone pair electrons on the second hydration shell, which offers insight into the mechanistic aspects of hydrogen bonding networks in water. Such electronic effects observed in the hydration of Sb(3+) can only be studied by applying a suitable quantum mechanical treatment including first and second hydration shell as provided by the QMCF ansatz.