IR INDUCED ISOMERIZATION OF HDO COMPLEXES - A METHOD FOR THE OBSERVATION OF FIR SPECTRA OF MATRIX-ISOLATED WATER COMPLEXES

The OD- and OH-stretching fundamentals of the HDO dimer and the HDO-fo rmaldehyde complex have been irradiated with a monochromatic, tunable source. When the OD (OH) fundamental of HDO deuterium (hydrogen) bonde d to water or formaldehyde in nitrogen matrices, is irradiated, HDO ch anges from D- to H-bonding (from H to D). By the irradiation, we can c hange most HDO complexes in a set of sites from D-bonding to H-bonding and reverse. This has been used to obtain infrared spectra in the reg ion from 190 to 600 cm(-1). The out-of-plane shear vibration of HDO, H - and D- bonded to another water molecule and to formaldehyde has been observed.