The absorption spectra of liquid phase H₂O, HDO and D₂O from 0.7 μm to 10 μm

Abstract

Infrared spectra of liquid H₂O, D₂O, and HDO from 0.7 to 10 μm have been obtained. The H₂O spectrum is based on that of natural water, the D₂O spectrum on that of heavy water containing approximately 99.6 weight per cent D₂O. The HDO spectrum has been deduced from spectra of H₂O-HDO-D₂O mixtures by application of Beer's law. The spectra are presented in terms of logarithms of both an extinction length, L, the sample thickness that has unit optical density, and the molecular extinction coefficient, ε, plotted against logarithms of both wavelegnth and wave number. Vibration mode assignments have been made for most of the absorption bands observed. The spectral data obtained have been useful in the development of infrared monitoring instrumentation and methods of analysis for H₂O-HDO-D₂O mixtures in connection with the heavy water reactor research programs at the Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories.