Infrared Spectroscopic Evidence for the Rotation of the Ammonia Molecule in Solid Argon and Nitrogen

High-resolution infrared spectra (of the symmetric bending mode) of ammonia suspended at high dilution in solid argon and nitrogen have been obtained. More than a half dozen extremely sharp bands have been observed in the 950–1040 cm—1 region (in the spectrum of ammonia) in these materials under conditions where there should be little if any absorption due to polymeric species. The frequency separations of the bands, their temperature dependence, and their extreme sharpness appear to be compatible with a model in which the ammonia molecule executes quantized rotation in these solids.