Constitution of Heavy Water

Abstract

ON lines similar to the investigation by one of us on ordinary water^1,2, we have studied the Raman band of heavy water (99.6 per cent D₂O) at different temperatures ranging from 6° to 100°C. Within this range, the principal band for this substance is very broad and diffuse, extending in its Raman frequencies from 2,254 to 2,784 cm^{â 1}. It shows a structure similar to that of ordinary water, having at 30°C. three components merging into one another with their maxima at 2,394, 2,534 and 2,674 cm^{â 1}. The one important characteristic of this band, as compared to that of ordinary water, which earlier workers with this substances^3,4,5 failed to record, is the difference in the relative intensities of the three components. The accompanying microphotometric curves of the bands for the two types of water were taken at 30°C. It is clear from the curves that for heavy water, the marked components are better resolved, the first component with Raman frequency 2,394 being nearly of the same intensity as the second, whereas for ordinary water, the first component is not only not well resolved from the second, but is also less intense.