Abstract
THE broad absorption band observed in liquid water at about 160 cm.1 might be attributed to a free rotation of individual molecules, a combination frequency of near infra-red bands, or to a quasi-crystalline structure. The difference between the absorption of H2O in the liquid and vapour states suggests the latter, and we can attribute it to either (1) hindered rotation or (2) hindered translation. This frequency being strongly infra-red active I interpreted it as due to a hindered rotation of the molecules1. Bernal and Tamm2, using the model described by Bernal and Fowler3, predict a fundamental frequency of hindered translation near 160 cm.1 and a fundamental frequency of hindered rotation at 480 cm.1. Measurements on D2O permit us to decide between phenomena (1) and (2): for hindered rotation the frequency should be shifted by2, for hindered translation by 20/18, or about 5 per cent.
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CARTWRIGHT, C. Extreme Infra-Red Absorption of D2O, Ice and D2O in Dioxane. Nature 136, 181 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/136181a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/136181a0
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