Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering as a probe of molecular structure and electron dynamics in solutions

Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) technique is applied to gain insight into the local electronic structure in liquid phase. The approach combines a liquid micro-jet and an X-ray emission spectrometer (XES) both installed in the recently developed LiXEdrom experimental station. Here we demonstrate how the combined approach enables investigation of the hydrogen bonding network in water and of chemical bonding in different solvents. In addition, the probe of energy transfer and electron dynamics at the metal-solvent interface is achieved by comparing the integrated RIXS intensities of the different radiative decay channels of the 2p core-hole of 3d transition-metals. The integrated RIXS intensities build the partial and the inverse partial X-ray fluorescence yields that allow for absorption measurements free from background signal of other elements or saturation effects. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.