Spectra of H2–Ar, H2–Kr, and H2–Xe Van der Waals Complexes in Pressure-Induced Infrared Absorption

Abstract

Spectra of H2–Ar, H2–Kr, and H2–Xe Van der Waals complexes, accompanying the Q1(0), Q1(1), S1(0), and S1(1) transitions of the pressure-induced fundamental infrared absorption band of hydrogen, have been studied in gas mixtures at 93–180 °K with a path length of 13 m and total pressures of ~3 atm. The main features of the spectra correspond to rotational transitions in the ground vibrational state of the complex, i.e., resolved T and N lines (Δl = ± 3) and unresolved R and P lines (Δl = ± 1), where l is the rotational quantum number of the complex. The spectra are analyzed with eigenvalues derived from the wave-mechanical solution of the isotropic Lennard–Jones 12–6 potential with constants determined from the combination rules for mixed molecular species. Although there is good overall agreement, it is evident that finer details of the spectra will require the introduction of an anisotropic intermolecular potential for their explanation.