Deuterium isotope effect in (+)-glutamic acid hydrochloride

A study of the effects of deuterium substitution in (+)-glutamic acid hydrochloride is described. Solid state vibrational spectra depicting band shifts resulting from deuterium indicate that interatomic bond distances remain virtually unchanged. The cell volume expands only 0.05% upon deuteration, while the macroscopic linear and nonlinear polarizabilities are unaffected. The optical nonlinearity is therefore ascribed to the electronic nature of the hydrogen bonds.