Spectroscopic studies of cryogenic fluids: Benzene in propane

Energy shifts and bandwidths for the 1B2u↔1A1g optical absorption and emission transitions of benzene dissolved in propane are presented as a function of pressure, temperature, and density. Both absorption and emission spectra exhibit shifts to lower energy as a function of density, whereas no shifts are observed if density is kept constant and temperature and pressure are varied simultaneously. Density is thus the fundamental microscopic parameter for energy shifts of optical transitions. The emission half-width is a linear function of both temperature and pressure but the absorption half-width is dependent only upon pressure. These results are interpreted qualitatively in terms of changes occurring in the intermolecular potentials of the ground and excited states. Both changes in shape of and separation between the ground and excited state potentials are considered as a function of density. Classical dielectric (Onsager–Böttcher), microscopic dielectric (Wertheim) and microscopic quantum statistical mechanical (Schweizer–Chandler) theories of solvent effects on solute electronic spectra are compared with the experimental results. Calculations suggest limited applicability of dielectric theories but good agreement between experiment and microscopic theory. The results demonstrate the usefulness of cryogenic solutions for high pressure, low temperature spectroscopic studies of liquids.