Infrared picosecond transient hole-burning studies of the effect of hydrogen bonds on the vibrational line shape

With infrared transient hole-burning spectroscopy we have investigated the influence of OD⋅⋅⋅X hydrogen bonds on the vibrational line shape of O–D stretch vibrations in acid zeolites. The effect of hydrogen bonding on the line shape depends critically on the type of hydrogen bond. For hydrogen bonding in a rigid structure, the hydrogen bond determines the inhomogeneous linewidth, but the homogeneous linewidth is determined by coupling to a ∼200 cm−1 lattice mode as concluded from the temperature dependence of the dephasing rate. When the hydrogen bond is formed with an adsorbing molecule, the coupling between the high-frequency O–D stretch vibration and the low-frequency OD⋅⋅⋅X hydrogen-bond stretching mode does determine the homogeneous linewidth. The difference between the two systems can be explained by the different hydrogen-bond potentials. Variation of the adsorbate provides a means of obtaining conclusive information on the coupling mechanism between the high-frequency O–D stretching mode and the low-frequency OD⋅⋅⋅X hydrogen-bond stretching mode.