INFRARED SPECTRA OF $H_{2} O$ AND $D_{2} O$ IN SOLID ARGON, XENON, AND $KRYPTON^{*}$

$^{*}$This research was assisted by the American Petroleum Institute through Research Project 50 and by the United States Air Force through the AFOSR of the Air Research and Development Command, under contract no. 49 (638)-1. $^{\dagger}$Present Address: University of California Radiation Laboratory, Livermore, California. $^{\ddagger}$Present Address: Mellon Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Author Institution: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of California“Infrared spectra of $H_{2} O$ and $D_{2} O$ suspended in solid Argon, Xenon and Krypton have been obtained in the temperature range 20-4.2$^{\circ} K$. A systematic study of the spectrum of these species as a function of concentration and temperature has been carried out. Doublets with components centered within a few wave numbers of the gas phase OH and OD stretching frequencies are observed at dilutions in the range M/R$\rightarrow 500-1300$ (M^{\prime\prime}/R denotes molar ratio of rare gas to $H_{2} O$ or $D_{2}O$). Spectra of these species in the bending region are considerably more complex. Between six and eight bands with frequency separations on the order of $10-20 cm^{-1}$ are observed in this region. These features appear to be independent of ^{\prime\prime}M^{\prime\prime}/R in the range 500-1300. At least one and possibly two of the lower frequency components in the spectrum of $H_{2} O$ in Argon decrease in intensity on lowering the temperature of the sample. These results have been interpreted on the basis that $H_{2} O$ and $D_{2} O$ rotate in solid A, Xe and Kr.