OD Stretch Research Articles

High-resolution infrared spectroscopy of jet cooled trans-deuteroxycarbonyl (trans-DOCO) radical.

The rovibrational spectrum of jet cooled trans-deuteroxycarbonyl (trans-DOCO) radical has been explored at suppressed-Doppler resolution via direct infrared absorption spectroscopy. The trans-DOCO is produced in a supersonic slit discharge of rare-gas/CO mixture doped with D2O, whereby the OD forms an energized adduct with CO, cooling in the supersonic expansion and stabilizing DOCO in the trans well. Active laser-frequency stabilization and collisional quenching of Doppler broadening along the slit axis yield <10 MHz frequency precision, with the absorbance noise approaching the quantum shot-noise limit. The current high-resolution spectral results are in excellent agreement with recent studies of the trans-DOCO radical by infrared frequency comb spectroscopy under room temperature conditions [Bui et al., Mol. Phys. 116, 3710 (2018)]. Combined with previous microwave/millimeter wave rotational studies, the suppressed-Doppler infrared data permit characterization of the vibrational ground state, improved structural parameters for the OD stretch vibrational level, and trans-DOCO spin-rotation information in both ground and excited vibrational states. Additionally, the infrared data reveal a-type and much weaker b-type contributions to the spectrum, analysis of which yields orientation of the OD stretch transition dipole moment in the body fixed frame. Of dynamical interest is whether the nascent trans-DOCO complex formed in the entrance channel has sufficient time to convert into the cis-DOCO isomer, or whether this is quenched by rapid stabilization into the trans-DOCO well. Ab initio and Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus analysis of the intrinsic reaction coordinate for trans-DOCO to cis-DOCO interconversion rates supports the latter scenario, which helps explain the failure of previous high resolution infrared efforts to detect cis-hydroxycarbonyl.

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulation of supercritical aqueous ionic solutions: Spectral diffusion of water in the vicinity of Br− and I− ions

Supercritical aqueous ionic solutions containing bromide (Br−) and iodide (I−) ions have been studied using Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulation at two different concentrations and at two different densities. The time dependent trajectory has been used for calculating vibrational spectral diffusion, structural properties and, for other dynamical properties such as hydrogen bond dynamics, orientational relaxation and residence dynamics. The vibrational spectral diffusion of fluctuating OD stretch mode inside the solvation shell of the ions and in the bulk has been studied using frequency-frequency time correlation function. Hydrogen bond dynamics, orientational relaxation and residence dynamics of Sc-water have been investigated using population correlation function approach. The water molecules inside the solvation shell of Br− and I− ions are found to show complex molecular dynamics in comparison to the water-water dynamics. The concentration dependent spectral diffusion has been observed and it occurs in multiple time scales in the solvation shell of Br− and I− ions. At supercritical condition, the ion-water hydrogen bond shows faster dynamics with respect to the same at ambient condition and slower dynamics with respect to the water-water hydrogen bond dynamics at supercritical condition.

Temperature dependence of the ultrafast vibrational echo spectroscopy of OD modes in liquid water from first principles simulations.

The rate of vibrational spectral diffusion of OD/OH stretch modes of water is known to be interconnected with the hydrogen bond rearrangement dynamics in aqueous media as found in several recent experiments and molecular simulations. In the present study, the temperature dependence of vibrational spectral diffusion of OD stretch modes in liquid water is investigated from first principles by using the method of ab initio molecular dynamics. Kinetic rates obtained from the frequency time correlation function (FTCF), the slope of the 3-pulse photon echo (S3PE) and local structure correlation functions are used in the Arrhenius equation to determine the energy barrier for hydrogen bond rearrangement in liquid water. The slope of the 3-pulse photon echo is determined within the cumulant and Condon approximations. Although the trend found at the low temperature is slightly non-Arrhenius, the barrier for hydrogen bond rearrangement is found to be around 4.2 kcal mol-1 from all the metrics considered here. It is in good agreement with the hydrogen bond energy determined from different experiments and theoretical studies. Based on the findings, a strong correlation between the vibrational spectral diffusion timescale and hydrogen bond dynamics is identified, which gets even more pronounced at low temperatures. Spatio-temporal correlations between frequency fluctuations and the local hydrogen bond network are also explored.

Ion-Molecule Complex Dissociation and Formation Dynamics in LiCl Aqueous Solutions from 2D IR Spectroscopy.

Ion-molecule complex dynamics as well as water dynamics in concentrated lithium chloride (LiCl) solutions are examined using ultrafast two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopy with the CN stretching mode of methyl thiocyanate (MeSCN) as the vibrational probe. In pure water, MeSCN has a narrow symmetric absorption line shape. 2D IR spectral diffusion measurements of the CN stretch give the identical time dependence of water dynamics, as previously observed using the OD stretch of HOD in H2O. In concentrated LiCl solutions, the IR absorption spectrum of MeSCN displays two distinct peaks, one corresponding to water H-bonded to the N lone pair of MeSCN (W) and the other corresponding to Li+ associated with the N (L). These two species are in equilibrium, and switching of the CN bonding partner from Li+ to H2O and vice versa was observed and explicated with 2D IR chemical exchange spectroscopy. The MeSCN·Li+ complex dissociation time constant, τLW, and the MeSCN·H2O dissociation time constant, τWL, were determined. The observed τLW chemical exchange dissociation time constant changes from 60 to 40 ps as the LiCl concentration decreases from ∼10.7 to ∼7.7 M, mainly due to the increase of the water concentration as the LiCl concentration is reduced. The observed time constants are independent of the model for the chemical reaction. With the assumption of a simple chemical equation, MeSCN·Li+ + H2O ⇄ MeSCN·H2O + Li+, the equilibrium equation rate constants were obtained from the observed chemical exchange time constants. It was determined that the equilibrium rate constants barely change even though the viscosity changes by a factor of 2 and the ionic strength changes by a factor of 1.4. Extrapolation to dilute LiCl solution estimates the τLW to be ∼30 ps. The orientational relaxation (anisotropy decay) of both the W and L complexes was measured using polarization selective 2D IR experiments. The lithium-bonded species undergoes orientational relaxation ∼3 times slower than the water-bonded species in each LiCl solution studied. The difference demonstrates the distinct interactions with the medium experienced by the neutral and charged species in the concentrated salt solutions.

Spectral analyses of trans- and cis-DOCO transients via comb spectroscopy

ABSTRACTWe use time-resolved direct frequency comb spectroscopy in the mid-infrared to obtain high-resolution rovibrational spectra of products produced from the OD + CO reaction. In this work, we present spectral analyses for isotopologues of the transient DOCO radicals from this reaction in the OD stretch region. The analyses were performed with the aid of two different theoretical approaches based on both perturbation theory and variational calculations used for prediction of rovibrational spectra of polyatomic molecules. We discuss the advantages and challenges of our current approach for studying spectroscopy and dynamics of transient molecules.

Influence of Intermolecular Coupling on the Vibrational Spectrum of Water.

Raman multivariate curve resolution (Raman-MCR) spectra obtained from pure and isotopically dilute water are used to probe the influence of intermolecular resonance couplings on water OH and OD stretch band shapes and intensities, in the absence of intramolecular coupling. Intermolecular resonant coupling is found to broaden and red-shift the OH stretch band of water, in qualitative agreement with the predictions of Yang and Skinner. The influence of intermolecular coupling is found to increase with decreasing temperature, and to increase the Raman scattering cross section of the OH stretch, but decrease the OD stretch cross section. Moreover, we find that intermolecular coupling slightly perturbs the vibrational spectra of water molecules surrounding HOD.

Quantum and classical IR spectra of (HCOOH)2, (DCOOH)2 and (DCOOD)2 using ab initio potential energy and dipole moment surfaces.

An accurate quantum mechanical description of the vibrational dynamics and IR spectra of molecules is illustrated here for the formic acid dimer, (HCOOH)2 and its isotopologues (DCOOH)2 and (DCOOD)2 in full dimensionality. The calculations make use of recent full-dimensional ab initio potential energy and dipole moment surfaces and are done with the code MULTIMODE. IR spectra are reported for the three dimers and also compared to available experimental spectra. In addition, standard classical and "semiclassically prepared" quasiclassical molecular dynamics calculations of the IR spectra of these complexes are reported and compared to the quantum spectra and also experiment. These comparisons indicate good accuracy of the MD spectra for sharp bands but not for the complex O-H stretch band, where the complex molecular dynamics band is upshifted from experiments by roughly 300 cm-1. For the fully deuterated dimer (DCOOD)2, the quantum spectral band for the O-D stretch sharpens relative to the O-H spectral bands in (HCOOH)2 and (DCOOH)2; however, the molecular dynamics OD stretch band does not exhibit this sharpening.

Fermi resonance controlled product branching in the H + HOD reaction

Accurate full-dimensional quantum state-to-state reaction probabilities and integral cross sections are calculated for the title reaction. Product vibrational state distributions are studied for the HOD reactant in various vibrational states. The correlation of initial reactant vibrational excitation with product channel branching and product vibrational state distribution is analyzed in detail. In particular, the effect of bending vibrational excitation on the reactivity is studied. While results for the HOD reactant in the fundamentally excited bending vibrational state confirm intuitive expectation with minor enhancement for both product channels, a surprising effect is found for HOD in the first overtone of bending vibration. Here, the reactivity towards breaking the OD bond is significantly enhanced. This finding can be explained by the state-mixing caused by a 1 : 2 Fermi resonance between the fundamental OD stretch and the first overtone of the bend. The results highlight the importance of a proper analysis of the initial vibrational state.

Spectroscopic Characterization of Sulfonate Charge Density in Ion-Containing Polymers.

The charge density and hydrogen bonding with water of five different polymer membranes functionalized with various sulfonate side-chain chemistries were investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The peak position of the OD stretch of dilute HOD absorbed into the sulfonated poly(sulfone) membranes was studied using FTIR to compare the charge density of the sulfonate headgroup across the different samples, which can ultimately be related to the acidity of the proton-form sulfonate moieties. The OD peak was deconvoluted to determine the percentage of headgroup-associated, intermediate, and bulk water. DFT modeling was used to calculate the charge density of each headgroup and visualize how the chemistry of the headgroup influenced the conformation of the side-chain tether. FTIR-determined OD peak positions and charge density calculations demonstrated that a perflurosulfonate containing a thioether linkage produced the most acidic sulfonate headgroup. However, the amount of headgroup-associated water calculated for this side chain was low due to the unique cis conformation of the thioether side chain. The biperfluorosulfonate side chain had very low calculated headgroup-associated water due to its bulkiness and water molecules bridging the two sulfonates. These detailed insights on local hydration of sulfonate side chains will point towards new headgroup designs for advanced membranes.

The Bend+Libration Combination Band Is an Intrinsic, Collective, and Strongly Solute-Dependent Reporter on the Hydrogen Bonding Network of Liquid Water.

Water is an extensively self-associated liquid due to its extensive hydrogen bond (H-bond) forming ability. The resulting H-bonded network fluid exhibits nearly continuous absorption of light from the terahertz to the near-IR region. The relatively weak bend+libration water combination band (centered at 2130 cm-1) has been largely overlooked as a reporter of liquid water's structure and dynamics despite its location in a convenient region of the IR for spectroscopic study. The intermolecular nature of the combination band leads to a unique absorption signal that reports collectively on the rigidity of the H-bonding network in the presence of many different solutes. This study reports comprehensively how the combination band acts as an intrinsic and collective probe in various chemically and biologically relevant solutions, including salts of varying character, denaturants, osmolytes, crowders, and surfactants that form reverse micelles and micelles. While we remark on changes in the line width and intensity of this combination band, we mainly focus on the frequency and how the frequency reports on the collective H-bonding network of liquid water. We also comment on the "association band" moniker often applied to this band and how to evaluate discrete features in this spectral region that sometimes appear in the IR spectra of specific kinds of aqueous samples of organic solutes, especially those with very high solute concentrations, with the conclusion that most of these discrete spectral features come exclusively from the solutes and do not report on the water. Contrasts are drawn throughout this work between the collective and delocalized reporting ability of the combination band and the response of more site-specific vibrations like the much-investigated OD stretch of HDO in H2O: the combination band is a unique reporter of H-bonding structure and dynamics and fundamentally different than any local mode probe. Since this band appears as the spectroscopic "background" for many local-mode reporter groups, we note the possibility of observing both local and collective solvent dynamics at the same time in this spectral region.

Ro-vibrational spectroscopy of the formic acid-d1 monomer embedded in helium nanodroplets

Rotationally resolved infrared spectra are reported for the fundamental CH and OD stretching bands of trans-formic acid-d1 (trans-HCOOD) embedded in helium nanodroplets. Altogether five and six ro-vibrational transitions were identified for the ν1(CH stretch) and ν2(OD stretch) bands of trans-HCOOD, respectively. Molecular constants were determined by using the measured transition frequencies as input in a fitting procedure that utilizes a standard gas phase Hamiltonian. The origins of the ν1 and ν2 bands were found to be at 2939.5827(2) and 2631.3713(2)cm−1, respectively. These band origins are redshifted by about 0.5 and 0.03cm−1, respectively, compared to the gas phase spectrum. The excited state rotational constants A′ [1.2725(3)cm−1], B′ [0.2816(2)cm−1], and C′ [0.19875(4)cm−1] for the ν1 mode and A′ [1.2918(3)cm−1], B′ [0.2837(2)cm−1], and C′ [0.20400(4)cm−1] for the ν2 mode of trans-HCOOD embedded in helium droplets are reduced by a factor of about 1.6 relative to the gas phase. The Lorentzian line widths of the observed transitions for the CH and OD stretches are in the range of ∼0.06cm−1 and ∼0.03cm−1, respectively. The broader lines of the CH stretch, as compared to the corresponding lines in HCOOH, may be a result of vibrational relaxation through a nearby combination band or through the OD vibration, which lies below the CH stretch in HCOOD.

Vibrational echo spectral observables and frequency fluctuations of hydration shell water around a fluoride ion from first principles simulations

Aqueous solution of a fluoride ion at 300 K is studied using the method of ab initio molecular dynamics simulation. Instantaneous fluctuations in vibrational frequencies of local OD stretch modes of deuterated water are calculated using a time-series analysis of the simulated trajectory. The vibrational spectral diffusion of OD modes in the first and second solvation shells and also in bulk of the aqueous fluoride ionic solution are studied through calculations of the frequency time correlation function (FTCF), joint probability distributions, slope of three pulse photon echo (S3PE) and two dimensional infrared spectrum (2D-IR). The vibrational spectral dynamics in the first solvation shell shows decay with three components which can be correlated with the dynamics of intact ion-water hydrogen bonds, ion-water hydrogen bond lifetime and the escape dynamics of water molecules from the solvation shell. The vibrational spectral diffusion of OD modes in the second solvation shell and in the bulk show very similar decay behavior. The timescales obtained from FTCF, S3PE and the slope of nodal line (SNL) of 2D-IR are found to be in reasonable agreement with each others. Solvation shell dynamics of water molecules in different solvation shells of fluoride ion is studied using vibrational echo spectral observables from first principles simulations. The decay of FTCF, S3PE and SNL for water molecules in first solvation shell show multiple timescales which can be associated with ion-water hydrogen bond lifetime and residence time of water in the solvation shell.

Studying Water Hydrogen-Bonding Network near the Lipid Multibilayer with Multiple IR Probes.

A critical difference between living and nonliving is the existence of cell membranes, and hydration of membrane surface is a prerequisite for structural stability and various functions such as absorption/desorption of drugs, proteins, and ions. Therefore, a molecular level understanding of water structure and dynamics near the membrane is important to perceive the role of water in such a biologically relevant environment. In our recent paper [ J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2016 , 7 , 741 ] on the IR pump-probe study of the OD stretch mode of HDO near lipid multibilayers, we have observed two different vibrational lifetime components of OD stretch mode in the phospholipid multibilayer systems. The faster component (0.6 ps) is associated with OD groups interacting with the phosphate moiety of the lipid, while the slower component (1.9 ps) is due to choline-associated water molecules that are close to bulklike water. Here, we additionally use hydrazoic acid (HN3) as another IR probe of which frequency is highly sensitive to its local H-bonding water density. Interestingly, we found that the vibrational lifetime of the asymmetric azido stretch mode of HN3 in the lipid multibilayer system is similar to that in neat water, whereas its orientational relaxation is a bit slower than that in bulk water. This indicates that due to the tight packing of lipid molecules, particularly the head parts, in the gel phase, HN3 molecules mostly stay near the choline group of lipid and interact with water molecules in the vicinity of choline groups. This suggests that membrane surface-adsorbed molecules such as hydrophilic drug molecules may interact with choline-associated water molecules, when the membrane is in the gel phase, instead of phosphate-associated water molecules.

Understanding water structure from Raman spectra of isotopic substitution H2O/D2O up to 573 K.

The OH/OD stretch band on Raman spectra of water is complex, and understanding the spectral features based on water structure needs further study. This study investigates Raman spectra of isotopic substitution (IS) of water (with volume ratio VH2O/VD2O of 0/1, 1/4, 1/1, 4/1 and 1/0) at temperatures from 303 to 573 K. The data show that the OH and OD stretch band profiles are similar in their dependences on temperature and IS ratio. IS reduces the band widths at low temperatures but the reducing effect diminishes above ∼450 K, due to the largely enhanced intensity of the high-frequency shoulder (∼3650 cm-1/2690 cm-1), which turns into the main peak for the OH (or OD) stretch bands when VH2O/VD2O (or VD2O/VH2O) reaches 1/4 at temperatures over ∼510 K. These spectral features strongly indicate a multi-structure model stating that water has various local hydrogen bonding (HB) environments. Intermolecular vibrational couplings are important in determining the band width, while intramolecular vibrational couplings are not recommended for interpreting the OH/OD stretch band. Five dominant HB configurations are identified in water: two types of tetrahedral, single donor (SD) HB configuration, single hydrogen-bonded water (SHW), and free water (FW) without any hydrogen bonds, which are represented by five sub-bands. It is estimated that most (>50%) of the water molecules are in highly asymmetric HB environments (SD and SHW). The increase of temperature breaks HB structure and IS further promotes structure transition from tetrahedral to SD, SHW and FW. Then, number of hydrogen bonds in water are greatly reduced by temperature and IS.

Relaxation pathways of the OD stretch fundamental of HOD in liquid H2O.

The molecular dynamics with quantum transitions method is used to study the vibrational relaxation of the OD stretching mode of HOD dissolved in liquid H2O water at 303 K. All the vibrational modes of the solute and solvent molecules that participate in the relaxation process are described by quantum mechanics, while the rotational and translational degrees of freedom are treated classically. A modification of the water intramolecular SPC/E (Simple Point Charge/Extended) force field providing vibrational frequencies in solution closer to the experimental values is proposed to analyze the influence of the vibrational energy gaps on the relaxation channels. The relaxation times obtained are in satisfactory agreement with experimental values. The energy transfer during the relaxation process alters significantly the H-bond network around the HOD molecule. The analysis of the vibrational transitions during the relaxation process reveals a complex mechanism which involves the participation of both intra- and intermolecular channels and provides a compromise for the different interpretations of the experimental data reported for this system in recent years.

Computational Vibrational Spectroscopy of HDO in Osmolyte-Water Solutions.

The IR absorption and time-resolved IR spectroscopy of the OD stretch mode of HDO in water was successfully used to study osmolyte effects on water H-bonding network. Protecting osmolytes such as sorbitol and trimethylglycine (TMG) make the vibrational OD stretch band red-shifted, whereas urea affects the OD band marginally. Furthermore, we recently showed that, even though sorbitol and TMG cause a slow-down of HDO rotation in their aqueous solutions, urea does not induce any change in the rotational relaxation of HDO in aqueous urea solutions even at high concentrations. To clarify the underlying osmolyte effects on water H-bonding structure and dynamics, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a variety of aqueous osmolyte solutions. Using the vibrational solvatochromism model for the OD stretch mode and taking into account the vibrational non-Condon and polarization effects on the OD transition dipole moment, we then calculated the IR absorption spectra and rotational anisotropy decay of the OD stretch mode of HDO for the sake of direct comparisons with our experimental results. The simulation results on the OD stretch IR absorption spectra and the rotational relaxation rate of HDO in osmolyte solutions are found to be in quantitative agreement with experimental data, which confirms the validity of the MD simulation and vibrational solvatochromism approaches. As a result, it becomes clear that the protecting osmolytes like sorbitol and TMG significantly modulate water H-bonding network structure, while urea perturbs water structure little. We anticipate that the computational approach discussed here will serve as an interpretive method with atomic-level chemical accuracy of current linear and nonlinear time-resolved IR spectroscopy of structure and dynamics of water near the surfaces of membranes and proteins under crowded environments.

Water Structure at the Lipid Multibilayer Surface: Anionic Versus Cationic Head Group Effects.

Membrane water interface is a potential reaction site for many biochemical reactions. Therefore, a molecular level understanding of water structure and dynamics that strongly depend on the chemical structure of lipid is prerequisite for elucidating the role of water in biological reactions on membrane surface. Recently, we carried out femtosecond infrared pump-probe studies of water structure and dynamics at multibilayer surfaces of zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine-analogue lipid ( J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2016 , 7 , 741 ). Here, to further elucidate the anionic and cationic headgroup effects on water, we study vibrational dynamics of water on lipid multibilayers formed by anionic phospho-glycerol lipid molecules as well as by cationic choline-derivatized lipid molecules. We observed two significantly different vibrational lifetime components (very fast 0.5 ps and slow 1.9 ps) of the OD stretch mode of HOD molecules at the negatively charged phospho-lipid multibilayer whereas only one vibrational lifetime component (1.6 ps) was observed at the positively charged choline-derivatized lipid multibilayer. From the detailed analyses about the vibrational energy and rotational relaxations of HOD molecules in lipid multibilayers composed of anionic lipid with phosphate and cationic lipid without phosphate, the role of phosphate group in structuring water molecules at phospholipid membrane interface is revealed.

Vibrational Energy Relaxation of Water Molecules in a Hydrated Lithium Nitrate Crystal

Water molecules in hydrated salts often have a well-defined geometrical arrangement and form an excellent model system for studying the effects of the hydrogen-bond environment on vibrational energy relaxation. Hydrated lithium nitrate contains two distinct types of crystal water molecules. One water molecule makes strong and weak hydrogen bonds; the other water molecule makes two bifurcated hydrogen bonds. We use femtosecond two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy to probe the vibrational relaxation dynamics of the OD stretch vibration of dilute HDO molecules in lithium nitrate trihydrate. In the temperature range from 22 to 295 K we observe a decrease in vibrational lifetime from 3.8 ± 0.2 to 2.8 ± 0.1 ps for the strongly hydrogen-bonded species, from 5.41 ± 0.08 to 4.14 ± 0.05 ps for the bifurcated hydrogen-bonded species, and from 10.4 ± 0.2 to 8.8 ± 0.4 ps for weakly hydrogen-bonded species. This temperature dependence is opposite to that of the OD stretch vibration of dilute HDO:H2O ice, for which the...

Water Hydrogen-Bonding Network Structure and Dynamics at Phospholipid Multibilayer Surface: Femtosecond Mid-IR Pump-Probe Spectroscopy.

The water hydrogen-bonding network at a lipid bilayer surface is crucial to understanding membrane structures and its functional activities. With a phospholipid multibilayer mimicking a biological membrane, we study the temperature dependence of water hydrogen-bonding structure, distribution, and dynamics at a lipid multibilayer surface using femtosecond mid-IR pump-probe spectroscopy. We observe two distinguished vibrational lifetime components. The fast component (0.6 ps) is associated with water interacting with a phosphate part, whereas the slow component (1.9 ps) is with bulk-like choline-associated water. With increasing temperature, the vibrational lifetime of phosphate-associated water remains constant though its relative fraction dramatically increases. The OD stretch vibrational lifetime of choline-bound water slows down in a sigmoidal fashion with respect to temperature, indicating a noticeable change of the water environment upon the phase transition. The water structure and dynamics are thus shown to be in quantitative correlation with the structural change of liquid multibilayer upon the gel-to-liquid crystal phase transition.

Characterization of water dissociation on α-Al2O3(11[combining macron]02): theory and experiment.

The interaction of water with α-alumina (i.e. α-Al2O3) surfaces is important in a variety of applications and a useful model for the interaction of water with environmentally abundant aluminosilicate phases. Despite its significance, studies of water interaction with α-Al2O3 surfaces other than the (0001) are extremely limited. Here we characterize the interaction of water (D2O) with a well defined α-Al2O3(11[combining macron]02) surface in UHV both experimentally, using temperature programmed desorption and surface-specific vibrational spectroscopy, and theoretically, using periodic-slab density functional theory calculations. This combined approach makes it possible to demonstrate that water adsorption occurs only at a single well defined surface site (the so-called 1-4 configuration) and that at this site the barrier between the molecularly and dissociatively adsorbed forms is very low: 0.06 eV. A subset of OD stretch vibrations are parallel to this dissociation coordinate, and thus would be expected to be shifted to low frequencies relative to an uncoupled harmonic oscillator. To quantify this effect we solve the vibrational Schrödinger equation along the dissociation coordinate and find fundamental frequencies red-shifted by more than 1500 cm(-1). Within the context of this model, at moderate temperatures, we further find that some fraction of surface deuterons are likely delocalized: dissociatively and molecularly absorbed states are no longer distinguishable.