Netsu Sokutei, 31 (1), p. 14, (2004)

小特集 -水-

超臨界水の構造と物性

The Structure and Properties of Supercritical Water

化学進化・地球環境・エネルギー問題の観点から,新しい学術創生のために超臨界水および超臨界水溶液の物性・構造・ダイナミクス・反応の研究が必要であることを強調した。相互作用の本質である水素結合が水の物性と構造を支配することに着目して,解説した事項は次のもの。臨界点と分子間相互作用の関係,圧力と密度と温度の関係,誘電率と温度の関係,粘性係数と温度の関係,水素結合構造,回転相関時間と温度の関係,超臨界水反応の熱化学。可能な限り,観測量の分子論的な解釈を試み,今後の展望を示した。
First we explain the importance of the investigation on the structure and properties of supercritical water in relation to the chemical evolution and the environmental and energy issues of the 21st century. Molecular interpretations are given to the temperature dependence of the density, dielectric constant, and viscosity, hydrogen-bonding structure, and dynamics of supercritical water. The three-dimensional network structure, characteristic of ambient water, is broken down in hot expanded water at temperatures higher than ~200℃ and densities lower than ~0.9 g cm-3. The number of hydrogen bonds per molecule has been determined by the NMR method combined with computer simulation; it decreases from ~4 for ambient water to 1-2 for supercritical water at 400℃ and the critical density (~0.32 g cm-3). The NMR rotational correlation time (τ2R) for supercritical water at the medium densities is in the range of 50-70 fs, two orders of magnitude smaller than the ambient value (2 ps). Supercritical water is shown to be an alternative to hazardous organic solvents; there are being found new hydrothermal organic reactions without catalyst for the development of green chemistry.