J. K. Gregory,D. C. Clary, ^*K. Liu,M. G. Brown,R. J. Saykally

The average dipole moment of a water molecule in the condensed phase is enhanced by around 40 percent relative to that of an isolated monomer. This enhancement results from the large polarization caused by the electric field induced by surrounding monomers. A quantitative molecular description of this polarization is essential for modeling aqueous solvation phenomena. This combined theoretical and experimental study of dipole moments in small water clusters provides such a description and also gives insights into the structure of liquid water.

J. K. Gregory, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK.
D. C. Clary, Department of Chemistry, University College London, London WC1H OAJ, UK.
K. Liu, M. G. Brown, R. J. Saykally, Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
^*   To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Volume 275, Number 5301 Issue of 7 Feb 1997, pp. 814 - 817
©1997 by The American Association for the Advancement of Science.