Penfold, T. J.Reinhard, M.Rittmann-Frank, M. H.Tavernelli, I.Rothlisberger, U.Milne, C. J.Glatzel, P.Chergui, M.2014-11-132014-11-132014-11-13201410.1021/jp5055588https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/108665WOS:000343016900013We present an Fe K alpha resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) and X-ray emission (XES) study of ferrous and ferric hexacyanide dissolved in water and ethylene glycol. We observe that transitions below the absorption edge show that the solvent has a distinct effect on the valence electronic structure. In addition, both the RIXS and XES spectra show a stabilization of the 2p levels when dissolved in water. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we propose that this effect arises from the hydrogen-bonding interactions between the complex and nearby solvent molecules. This withdraws electron density from the ligands, stabilizing the complex but also causing a slight increase in pi-backbonding.text::journal::journal article::research article