EPR and optical absorption studies of Cr ions in potassium sodium dl-tartrate tetrahydrate

EPR spectra of Cr³⁺ ions doped in potassium sodium dl-tartrate tetrahydrate single crystals are recorded at 77 K. The spin Hamiltonian and zero field parameters g, |D| and |E| are measured from the resonance lines obtained at various rotations of the magnetic field. The values obtained are: g_x=1.9257±0.0002, g_y=1.9720±0.0002, g_z=2.0102±0.0002, |D|=313±2 (×10⁻⁴) cm⁻¹ and |E|=101±2 (×10⁻⁴) cm⁻¹. From the results of EPR study, the site symmetry of Cr³⁺ ion in the crystal is discussed. The optical absorption at room temperature is also studied. From the observed band positions, the crystal field splitting parameter (D_q) and the Racah inter-electronic repulsion parameters (B and C) are evaluated. The bonding parameters are obtained by correlating optical and EPR data and the nature of bonding in the crystal is discussed.