On the relative stabilities of H- and D-bonded water dimers

Abstract
The infrared spectra of water dimers formed from H2O, D2O, and HDO in krypton matrices have been recorded. Thermal equilibria between H‐ and D‐bonded dimers have been studied. D bonding is preferred, and H‐bonded dimers are approximately 60 cm1 less stable than D‐bonded dimers. The energy difference seems to be due to the higher value of the intermolecular out‐of‐plane H‐bond shear vibration compared to the corresponding D‐bond vibration.