Variations in the strength of the infrared forbidden 2328.2 cm−1 fundamental of solid N2 in binary mixtures

Abstract

We present the 2335–2325 cm−1 infrared spectra and band positions, profiles and strengths (A values) of solid nitrogen and binary mixtures of N2 with other molecules at 12 K. The data demonstrate that the strength of the infrared forbidden N2 fundamental near 2328 cm−1 is moderately enhanced in the presence of NH3, strongly enhanced in the presence of H2O and very strongly enhanced (by over a factor of 1000) in the presence of CO2, but is not significantly affected by CO, CH4, or O2. The mechanisms for the enhancements in N2–NH3 and N2–H2O mixtures are fundamentally different from those proposed for N2–CO2 mixtures. In the first case, interactions involving hydrogen-bonding are likely the cause. In the latter, a resonant exchange between the N2 stretching fundamental and the 18O=12C asymmetric stretch of 18O12C16O is indicated. The implications of these results for several astrophysical issues are briefly discussed.