The Vibrational Spectra of Molecules and Complex Ions in Crystals III. Ammonium Chloride and Deutero‐Ammonium Chloride

TLDR: In this paper, the infra-red spectra of thin non-scattering films of NH4Cl and ND4Cl were obtained at 28°, −78° and −190°C.

Abstract: The infra‐red spectra of thin non‐scattering films of NH4Cl and ND4Cl were obtained at 28°, −78° and −190°C. A convenient low temperature transmission type cell usable for such films is described. No indication of fine structure due to free rotation of the NH4+ ions was found. Instead, evidence is presented for the existence, both above and below the λ‐point, of a torsional lattice mode involving the NH4+ ions. The limiting frequencies of the torsional oscillations were observed at about 390 and 280 cm−1 for NH4Cl and ND4Cl, respectively. These values agree quite well with the frequencies calculated on the basis of a purely electrostatic potential function. The spectra of the low temperature modifications indicate strongly that the structures belong to the space group Td1 in which the NH4+ ion symmetry is Td. Of the eight observed bands, two are assigned to the triply degenerate fundamentals ν3 and ν4, one to the overtone 2ν4, one to the combination ν2+ν4 which resonates strongly with ν3, one to the combi...