The interaction of the easily polarizable hydrogen bonds with phonons and polaritons of the thermal bath-far infrared continua

B+H ... B reversible arrow B ... H+B or AH ... B reversible arrow (-)A ... H+B hydrogen bonds, respectively, with double minimum proton potential well or broad flat potential well cause continuous absorptions in the infrared spectra. The intensity of these infrared continua is often very large, i.e, their integrated intensity is much larger than that of infrared bands. Sho rt strong hydrogen bonds with broad Aat in the average largely symmetrical proton potentials in which the protons fluctuate, show so-called proton pol arizabilities. With such systems, the infrared continua extend in the far i nfrared region, i.e. in the region below 600 cm(-1). It is, however known t hat with such bonds no proton transitions occur in this region. It is demonstrated that the intensity of these infrared continuous absorpti ons is strongly increased by the coupling of the hydrogen bonds with large proton polarizability with the phonons of the thermal bath around these hyd rogen bonds. Further, it is demonstrated that the pronounced absorption in the far infrared region, i.e. the region below 600 cm(-1), occurs due to th e strong coupling of these hydrogen bonds to the polaritons. The polaritons are the quanta of the thermal bath coupled to the phonons of the thermal b ath. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.