Theoretical Calculations of Refractive Indices and Optical Effects in Spectra of Nitric Acid and Nitric Acid Monohydrate Crystals

Theoretical study on hydrogen-bond effects in IR spectra of high- and low-temperature phases of nitric acid dihydrate

The low- and high-temperature phases (alpha and beta, respectively) of solid nitric acid dihydrate (NAD) are studied in depth by DFT methods. Each phase contains two types of complex structures (H(3)O(+)) x (H(2)O), designated A and B, with different hydrogen-bonding (HB) characteristics. The theoretical study reveals that type A complexes are weakly bound and could be described as (H(3)O)(+) and H(2)O aggregates, with decoupled vibrational modes, whereas in type B structures the proton is situated close to the centre of the O...O bond and induces strong vibrational coupling. The proton-transfer mode is predicted at quite different wavenumbers in each complex, which provides an important differentiating spectral feature, together with splitting of some bands in beta-NAD. Theoretical spectra are estimated by using two GGA parameterizations, namely, PBE and BLYP. The potential-energy surface for each type of HB in NAD is also studied, as is the spectral influence of displacement of the shared H atom along the O-O bond. The results are compared to literature infrared spectra recorded by different techniques, namely, transmission and reflection-absorption, with both normal and tilted incident radiation. This work provides a thorough assignment of the observed spectra, and predictions for some spectra not yet available. The usefulness of high-level theoretical calculations as performed herein to discriminate between two phases of a solid crystal is thus evidenced.

Orientation Effects on Nitric Acid Dihydrate Films

An investigation of orientation effects in films of nitric acid dihydrate (NAD) is presented, based on a systematic study of transmission and reflection-absorption infrared (RAIR) spectra of samples of varying thickness. The samples are prepared by vapor deposition on Ge (for transmission spectroscopy) and on Al substrates (for RAIR spectroscopy) at 175 K to produce crystalline alpha-NAD films. Transmission spectra were recorded at normal incidence, and RAIR spectra were recorded at a grazing angle of 75 degrees, with polarized radiation. The observed spectra are compared with predictions of a classical Fresnel model, to test the available optical indices of NAD, which are of great importance for the accurate interpretation of data from remote sensing measurements. Whereas the procedure yields satisfactory results for transmission and s-polarized RAIR spectra, it is found that the agreement is not acceptable for p-polarized RAIR spectra. An explanation is suggested in terms of a preferential alignment of the films, with the (10-1) crystallographic plane of the crystal situated parallel to the substrate. The infrared activity of a band at approximately 1170 cm(-1) is explained in terms of a preferential orientation of the crystal domains in the film.