Hydration dynamics of aqueous glucose probed with polarization-resolved fs-IR spectroscopy

The dynamics of water in aqueous solutions of glucose have been investigated using polarization-resolved femtosecond infrared spectroscopy of the hydroxyl stretch vibrations of water and glucose. Using reference measurements on solutions of glucose in dimethylsulfoxide and a spectral decomposition model, we are able to distinguish the reorientation dynamics of the glucose and water hydroxyl groups. We find that the water reorientation dynamics strongly slow down in the presence of glucose. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.