  When salts are added to water, the viscosity generally increases suggesting
the ions increase the strength of the water's hydrogen-bond network. However,
infrared pump-probe measurements on electrolyte solutions have found that ions
have no influence on the rotational dynamics of water molecules implying no
enhance-ment or breakdown of the hydrogen-bond network. Here we report optical
Kerr-effect and dielectric relaxa-tion spectroscopic measurements, which have
enabled us to separate the effects of rotational and transitional motions of
the water molecules. These data show that electrolyte solutions behave like a
supercooled liquid approaching a glass transition in which rotational and
translational molecular motions are decoupled. It is now possible to understand
previously conflicting viscosity data, nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation,
and ultrafast infrared spectroscopy in a single unified picture.
