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Science 9 November 2001:
Vol. 294. no. 5545, pp. 1292 - 1293
DOI: 10.1126/science.1066731
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Perspectives

CHEMISTRY:
Cluster Solutions

Anthony Stace

What is the structure of water molecules around ions in solution? Researchers trying to answer this seemingly simple question have looked to small gas phase clusters for an answer. In the case of singly charged ions, small clusters of just six water molecules surrounding an ion can provide important insights, but as Stace explains in his Perspective, multiply charged ions behave differently. He highlights the report by Wang et al., who show that for doubly charged anions, at least two shells of water molecules must be considered to understand the solvation behavior. Cluster studies may also help explain interactions between metal ions and water in biological systems.

The author is in the School of Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QJ UK. E-mail: a.j.stace{at}sussex.ac.uk

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