Temperature evolution of the relative concentration of the H2O ortho/para spin isomers in water studied by four-photon laser spectroscopy

The four-photon laser spectroscopy of molecular motions [1] of distilled water in the terahertz and subterahertz spectral ranges is employed to observe resonant lines related to the rotational transitions of ortho and para nuclear spin isomers of the H₂O molecule. It is demonstrated that the intensity ratio of the lines of the H₂O ortho/para spin isomers in several water samples decreases by a factor of 2.0–2.5 in comparison with the gas-phase ratio. A violation of the equilibrium ortho/para ratio upon the condensation of vapor is interpreted as a manifestation of the spin selectivity in the formation of the H-bonded complexes of the H₂O para isomers. The nonequilibrium ortho/para ratio characterizes water at room temperature as an unstable liquid with respect to the spin temperature.     

Observation of rotational resonances of ortho and para spin isomers of the H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O molecule in hexagonal ice using four-photon laser spectroscopy

Rotational resonances of ortho and para spin isomers of the H₂O molecule are observed in hexagonal ice using four-photon spectroscopy of coherent light scattering. It is experimentally shown that the resonant contribution to the four-photon scattering signal from para H₂O spin isomers in ice is about half as large as that in the liquid phase.     

Spectroscopic evidence for the effect of the ortho H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O spin on the electron transfer in photosynthesis

A spin mechanism for electron transfer control in the reaction center of purple bacteria in photosynthesis is proposed. Rotation and conversion of the ortho/para spin isomers of two H₂O molecules located near the special pair of the reaction center are treated as the sources of the coherent modulations of transient kinetics. Modulation of the collective wave function of the reaction center electrons by the total proton spin of ortho H₂O is a key feature allowing the molecule to play the role of a gate controlling the electron transfer. The iron atom in the reaction center with the gradient magnetic field is treated as a catalyst removing the strict forbiddenness of H₂O ortho/para conversion. It is shown that the modulation of the reaction center stimulated emission kinetics observed in the field of femtosecond pulses coincides with the rotational transitions of ortho/para H₂O. Influence of the effect of the electric field (Stark effect) on the level displacement and ortho/para conversion rate is discussed.     

Coherent laser spectroscopy of RF resonances in liquid

Four-photon polarization spectra of double distilled water subjected to a special treatment in a cavitation chamber and 20% aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide were recorded in the range ±8 cm⁻¹. All recorded spectra contain narrow (< 0.3 cm⁻¹) resonances corresponding to the frequencies of the rotational spectrum of ortho and para spin isomers of the H₂O molecule. Numerical simulation of the spectra obtained made it possible to quantitatively estimate the contribution of the rotational spectrum to the coherent scattering signal. It was found that the contribution of the para spin isomer of the H₂O molecule to the rotational line spectrum decreases in an aqueous solution of the α-chymotrypsin protein. Apparently, this decrease indicates the selectivity of interaction of biopolymer molecules with different spin isomers.     

Conversion of ortho-para H2O isomers in water and a jump in erythrocyte fluidity through a microcapillary at a temperature of 36.6±0.3°C

A mechanism is proposed for the previously observed [1] jump in erythrocyte fluidity through a microcapillary 1.3 μm in diameter at a temperature of 36.6±0.3°C. Our interpretation is based on the experimental evidence both for existence of ortho and para H₂O isomers in water and on spin-selective interaction of proteins with para H₂O isomers as hydration shells of biomolecules are being formed [2]. It is important that the formation of hydration shells of proteins and DNA in aqueous solutions is accompanied by an increase in the Brillouin shift to 0.4 cm⁻1 (≃0.25 cm⁻¹ in water), which points to the formation of icelike structures. We believe that the coincidence of the translational energy kT of the Brownian motion and the energy of the rotational quanta for the 3₁₃–2₀₂ transition of para H₂O isomers at the temperature 36.6°C increases the probability for excitation of para H₂O isomers in collisions. Collisions mix quantum states of closely spaced levels in para H₂O (3₁₃, 285.2 cm⁻¹) and ortho H₂O (3₃₀, 285.4 cm⁻¹) and induce conversion of para isomers to ortho H₂O. It is assumed that this conversion in the icelike hydration shell of hemoglobin (Hb) is accelerated under the catalyzing effect of oxygen and iron present in Hb and triggers a chain reaction: release of ortho H₂O isomers through the erythrocyte membrane→compaction of Hb molecules and increase in concentration of catalysts→acceleration of conversion→structural gel-sol transition. It is the sequence of these processes that provides a jump in fluidity of erythrocytes through a microcapillary and the anomalous increase in fluidity of the aqueous solution of hemoglobin by almost an order of magnitude at temperatures close to 36.6°C and an increase in the solution concentration by a factor of 1.7.     

Selective adsorption of water spin isomers under laser excitation

The experiment on water molecule adsorption on the surface of nanoporous polymeric adsorbent in the Knudsenmode under conditions of selective action of IR radiation is described. Resonant excitation of the vibrational-rotational transition of the ortho-modification of H₂O molecules at a wavelength of 1.85 µm is used. The applicability of this method to the production of water vapor with nonequilibrium concentration ratios of ortho and para modifications of water molecules is shown.     

Zeeman relaxation of N2 + (2Σ+) in collisions with 3He and 4He

We compare the cross sections for the transitions changing the projection of the total angular momentum of N₂ ⁺(²Σ) in collisions with ³He and ⁴He at very low collision energy. The fundamental states of the two nuclear spin isomers of N₂ ⁺ are considered as well as the two fine structure levels of the first excited para level N=2. It is shown that the two fundamental states of the two nuclear spin isomers behave differently. For the fundamental para level N=0 of N₂ ⁺, the projection changing cross section is always negligible compared to the elastic one for both He isotopes. For the fundamental ortho level N=1 of N₂ ⁺, the spin-rotation interaction couples the different spin levels directly so the spin relaxation becomes a first order process. The associated resonances increase the projection changing cross section which remains smaller but becomes comparable with the elastic one. This is in contrast with the excited rotational levels of N₂ ⁺, which for the rotational deactivation and elastic channels are found to be equal around the resonances for the collisions involving ³He. These two channels are always larger than the projection changing one. We also find that, for transitions involving the fundamental rotational state, the domain of validity of the threshold laws discussed by Krems and Dalgarno [Phys. Rev. A 67, 050704 (2003)] for a potential decreasing faster than 1/r2 is shortened, due to the long range charge induced dipole potential. This effect is illustrated for the collisions of ³He with the fundamental para state of N₂ ⁺.     

Oxygen-17 NMR Spectroscopy: Effect of Substituents on Chemical Shifts and Width Line in Ortho Substituted Nitro Benzenes

¹⁷O-NMR spectra, of ortho, meta and para substituted nitrobenzene are reported. The ¹⁷O nucleus of NO₂ group in ortho derivatives absorb at lower field that meta and para compounds. Moreover, width line of ¹⁷O resonance appears to be strongly dependent by substituent position. The ¹⁷O chemical shifts are correlated with U. V. spectra and X-ray diffraction data.     

Positronium interactions with Cu(II) Ions in water

Summary Positronium reactions with Cu(II) ions in aqueous solution were investigated by measuring the concentration dependence of lifetime spectra and of 1D-ACAR curves for the following Cu (II) complexes: [Cu(H₂O)₆[²⁺, [Cu(NH₃)₄ (H₂O)₂]²⁺ and [Cu(EDTA)(H₂O)]²⁻. The combined analysis of lifetime and ACAR data shows that Cu(II) ions:a) reduce the formation of positronium (inhibition effect),b) promote both ortho ⇌ para conversion and redox reactions. It was also found that inhibition and reaction rate constants are affected by the ligand type.     

Coincidence of rotational energy of H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O ortho-para molecules and translation energy near specific temperatures in water and ice

A hypothesis of the quantum nature of the specific temperatures T _s of water and ice, whose values is not random, was formulated. It was found that the quantum energy hΩ _mn of closely located rotational transitions in the ortho and para spin isomers of H₂O molecules coincides with the translation energy kT near the well-known specific temperatures T _s in ice and water. On the basis of this fact it was suggested that ortho-para conversion occurs at temperatures close to T _s upon inelastic collisions and resonance energy exchange kT _s ↔ hΩ _mn in the rotation-translation-rotation (RTR) processes. Such conversion can induce rearrangement of the H-bond set structure and repacking of H₂O molecules. The coincidence kT _s ≈ hΩ _mn was checked for ice and water at 12 known T _s, as well as for heavy water D₂O near T _s = 11.2°C (maximum density) and −140°C (glassy transition). The previously observe strong deformation of the OH Raman band near T _s = 4, 19, 36, and 76°C (maximum density, maximum surface tension, minimum heat capacity, and maximum speed of sound, respectively) was interpreted as a manifestation of the water structure rearrangement induced by H₂O ortho-para conversion.     

Anomalous Ortho-to-Para Ratio of Nuclear Spin Isomers of H2O at Low Temperatures

A theoretical model proposed for nuclear spin isomers of H₂O molecules located inside the C₆₀ fullerene explains an anomalously high stability of ortho-H₂O isomers detected in the experiments reported in [B. Meier et al., Nature Commun. 6, 8112 (2015)] at a temperature of T = 5 K.

     

Laser analysis of the relative content of ortho- and para-water molecules for the diagnostics of spin-selective processes in gaseous media

The physical principles of laser spectral analysis of the relative content of ortho- and para-water molecules, which is aimed at studying the spin-selective processes in gaseous media, are considered. An analyzer of the content of water spin isomers is described. It is based on a tunable diode laser and implies high-precision measurement of the near-IR absorption in vibrational-rotational lines of the H₂O molecule. The efficiency of the diagnostic method developed is demonstrated in the diagnostics of spin-selective adsorption in nanoporous polymer sorbents. There was confirmed the existence of the effects of spin-selective adsorption of ortho- and para-water molecules, which had been previously observed by only submillimeter spectroscopy.     

BWO spectroscopy of water spin isomers based on desorption from glycerol

Violation of the normal spin 3: 1 ortho/para ratio in saturated water vapor above a 0.5% water-glycerol solution was detected using the BWO spectroscopy method. The solution was prepared by pumping the initial solution out at room temperature. The effect is supposed to be due to increased fugacity of ortho water molecules from the solution and the corresponding para enrichment of residual water.     

Adsorption and decomposition of H2O on a K-covered Pt(111) surface

The adsorption of H₂O on clean and K-covered Pt(111) was investigated by utilizing Auger, X-ray and ultra-violet photoemission spectroscopies. The adsorption on Pt(111) at 100–150 K was purely molecular (ice formation) in agreement with previous work. No dissociation of this adsorbed H₂O was noted on heating to higher temperatures. On the other hand, adsorption of H₂O on Pt(111) + K leads to dissociation and to the formation of OH species which were characterized by a work function increase, an O 1s binding energy of 530.9 eV and UPS peaks at 4.7 and 8.7 eV below the Fermi level. The amount of OH formed was proportional to the K coverage for θ_K > 0.06 whereas no OH could be detected for θ? 0.06. Dissociation of H₂O occurred already at T = 100 K, with a sequential appearance of O 1s peaks at 531 and 533 eV representing OH and adsorbed H₂O, respectively. At room temperature and above only the OH species was observed. Annealing of the surface covered with coadsorbed K/OH indicated the high stability of this OH species which could be detected spectroscopically up to 570 K. The adsorption energy of H₂O coadsorbed with K and OH on Pt(111) is increased relative to that of H₂O on Pt. The work function due to this adsorbed H₂O increases whereas it decreases for H₂O on Pt(111). The energy shifts of valence and O1s core levels of H₂O on Pt + K as deduced from a comparison of gas phase and adsorbate spectra are 2.8–4.2 eV compared to ≈ 1.3–2.3 eV for H₂O on Pt (111). This increased relaxation energy shift suggests a charge transfer screening process for H₂O on Pt + K possibly involving the unoccupied 4a₁ orbital of H₂O. The occurrence of this mode of screening would be consistent with the higher adsorption energy of H₂O on Pt + K and with its high propensity to dissociate into OH and H.     

The decomposition of formic acid on Ru(101&#x0304;0)

The decomposition of formic acid was studied on a clean Ru(101&#x0304;0) surface adsorption temperature between 100 and 460 K by means of flash thermal desorption. The decomposition products observed were H₂, CO₂, H₂O and CO. HCOOH itself was also desorbed, although at low exposures no formic acid was observed. The H₂ and CO₂ products were desorbed in identical first order peaks, with a peak temperature of 395 K. The H₂O product desorbed in a second order peak at 813 K, in contrast to H₂O desorption from low coverage H₂O adsorption which occurs in two peaks in the region of 220 and 265 K. The CO product desorbed in a first order peak at 488 K, identical to CO from CO adsorption. The dependence of the product peaks on adsorption temperature of the Ru surface was also studied. These results suggest a model involving the formation and decomposition of a surface intermediate species.     

Ortho-para conversion in CH3F: Self-consistent theoretical model

A complete theoretical model of the nuclear spin conversion in¹³CH₃F induced by intramolecular ortho-para state mixing is proposed. The model contains parameters determined from the levelcrossing spectra of the¹³CH₃F spin conversion. This set of parameters includes the ortho-para decoherence rate, the magnitude of the spin-spin interaction between the molecular nuclei and the energy gap between the mixed ortho and para states. These parameters are found to be in good agreement with their theoretical estimates.     

Rate constants for the reactions of cyclohexadienyl type radicals with quinones

Observation of substituted cyclohexadienyl type radicals by muon spin rotation in substituted benzene at different concentrations of added p-benzoquinone or duroquinone allows a selective determination of rate constants for the reaction of the radicals with oxidants. Methyl substitution has no effect, methoxy substitution enhances the rate constants for the ortho and para substituted isomers.Support by the Swiss National Foundation for Scientific Research, by the Swiss Institute for Nuclear Research (SIN), the Netherlands Organisation for the Advencement of Pure Research (Z.W.O.) and the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (F.O.M.) are gratefully acknowledged.     

The temperature dependence of the viscomagnetic effect in the hydrogen isotopes

Experiments have been performed on the viscosity change of para and normal H₂, and ortho and normal D₂, under the influence of a magnetic field. This viscomagnetic effect is investigated as a function of the temperature between 140 K and room temperature. The data of this work are expressed in terms of effective cross sections for several elastic and inelastic collision processes. A comparison is made with results for HD, as obtained by Burgmans.     

A photoelectron spectroscopic investigation of the interaction between H2O and oxygen on Ag(110)

The adsorption and reaction of H₂O with adsorbed oxygen atoms on Ag(110) was examined by UPS. In agreement with previous EELS results, H₂O formed multilayers of ice upon adsorption at 140 K. The ice layers could be easily distinguished from monolayer coverages of chemisorbed H₂O (present above 160 K) by UPS. The ice layers produced (1) strong attenuation of the emission from the Ag d-bands, (2) a nearly 2 eV shift of H₂O valence levels to higher binding energy and (3) strong attenuation of emission from the H₂O 3a₁ orbital. H₂O was observed to react stoichiometrically with O(a) above 250 K to produce a pure layer of adsorbed hydroxyl species. The UPS spectra for these species exhibited features at ?5.8 and ?8.7 eV, as well as strong features above the d-bands. These spectra were compared with those for OH(a) on other surfaces, and the difficulties of identifying OH by UPS due to contamination by excess H₂O are discussed.     

On the origin of electron stimulated desorption of H+ from metal surface

The emission of hydrogen ESD ions from polycrystalline Nb is studied experimentally. The results demonstrate clearly that no ESD emission of H⁺ occurs from a pure H adsorbate. However, adsorption of H₂O, present as an impurity in H₂, and H₂ adsorption on Nb preceded by O adsorption, produce strong H⁺ ESD emission. It is shown that Auger ionization of O can account for the increased H⁺ yield and it is postulated that similar effects also occur on other metal surfaces.