On the Origin of the Hydrogen‐Bond‐Network Nature of Water: X‐Ray Absorption and Emission Spectra of Water–Acetonitrile Mixtures

Abstract

A liquid microjet was used to obtain oxygen K-edge X-ray absorption and emission spectra of water–acetonitrile mixtures of various compositions. The observed spectral changes are unambiguously related to the increasing number of broken hydrogen bonds with decreasing water concentration, and the hydrogen-bond network of liquid water can thus be addressed on purely experimental grounds without the need for theoretical modeling. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as ”Supporting Information”. Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.