Characterization of the Transient Species Following UV Excitation of Fe(CN)6 in Solution

The molecular properties of water serves an important role in both chemistry and biology, as individual water molecules can take the role of active participants in solution-phase reactions. Though water solvation has been studied extensively, a good description of the micro-structure of the solvation shells surrounding water solvated complexes remains elusive. In this experiment, we aim to study water solvation by determining the structure of the photoaquated species which forms following light-induced ligand-dissociation of [Fe(CN)6]4- in aqueous solution. Further, we will further investigate the structural changes of the solvation cage following photo-abstraction of an electron by photo-exciting at a slightly shorter wavelength. We propose to study these phenomena with time resolved wide angle X-ray scattering. Leveraging the structural and temporal sensitivity of sub-nanosecond X-ray pulses to gain new insights into the dynamics of aqueous solvation.