Spontaneous Formation of Tetrahydrofuran Hydrate in Ultrahigh Vacuum

Clathrate hydrates (CHs) typically nucleate under high-pressure conditions, but their existence in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) is an open question. Here, we report the formation of tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrate in UHV, using reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS). Annealing both sequentially and co-deposited mixtures of THF and H2O to 130 K for adequate time, originally prepared at 10 K, led to the formation of THF hydrate, at 10(-10) mbar. Nucleation of THF hydrate was associated with the crystallization of amorphous solid water. Crystallization kinetics was examined through isothermal kinetic measurements using RAIRS in the temperature range of 120-130 K. The kinetic measurements revealed that the THF hydrate formation was a diffusion-controlled process and the overall activation energy for the process was found to be similar to 23.12 kJ mol(-1). This considerably lower activation energy as compared to that for the crystallization of pure ice established the spontaneity of the process. The results provide valuable insights into the low-pressure characteristics of CHs and associated thermodynamics.