Spectroscopic Studies of Reactive Molecules by the Matrix Isolation Method

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Abstract
The matrix isolation method for the study of reactive molecules is described. The properties that should be possessed by a material suitable for use as a matrix are discussed with particular reference to spectroscopic investigations. Tests of the method have been conducted with infrared spectroscopic techniques using the free radical NO2 and the hydrogen bonding molecules HBr, HCN, HN3, NH3, and H2O. Xenon, nitrogen, and argon are effective as matrices in isolating these molecules at 20°K with a mole ratio of matrix to active material in the range 100:1 to 500:1. The vibrational frequencies of these molecules isolated in a matrix are nearly the same as the frequencies in the gas phase.