Researchers find new shape for hydrophobic molecules in water
The embedding of hydrophobic molecules in water looks quite different than previously assumed. In water, hydrophobic molecules are surrounded by a two different water populations: the inner shell forms a two-dimensional network of water molecules. The next layer is formed by a second water population that is almost bulk like but forms slightly stronger hydrogen bonds to the bulk water. The assumption to date was that tetrahedral, "ice-like" water dominate in the innermost hydration shell of hydrophobic molecules. The opposite is the case. These new findings were published by the team headed by Professor Martina Havenith, chair of Physical Chemistry II at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters on 18 June 2020.