Vibrational Spectra of and Isotope Effect in Hydrogen Bonded Potassium Hydrogen Oxalate

Abstract

Abstract The crystal structure of potassium hydrogen oxalate, KHC2O4, has been determined by Pedersen1. There are infinite chains of hydrogen oxalate ions held together by short (2. 534 Å) hydrogen bonds. The O-D‥O distance of KDC2O4 derived from lattice constant changes is estimated to be about 0.005 Å larger than the O-H‥O distance which means that the isotope effect is small1. We believe, however, on the ground of the infrared and Raman spectra of KHC2O4 and KDC2O4 repotted in this paper, that the isotope effect in these crystals is much larger.