STRUCTURE AND VIBRATIONAL-SPECTRA OF PROT ON SOLVATES IN SOLUTIONS

The review of experimental and theoretical studies on the structure an d properties of the elementary stable proton hydrate is presented. The ion (H2O...H...OH2)(+) is shown to be such a hydrate. The mechanism o f formation of continuous absorption observed in IR spectra of acid an d strong base solutions is discussed. Symmetric hydrogen bond is shown to be the common feature of all the stable proton solvates - ions (A. ..H...A)(+/-); its properties being practically independent on the nat ure of A ligand. The uniformity of the ...H... bridge parameters can b e a basis for creating a unified quantitative theory of catalytic acti on of acids and bases.