Confinement effects on the nuclear spin isomer conversion of H$_2$O
The mechanism for interconversion between the nuclear spin isomers (NSI) of H$_2$O remains shrouded in uncertainties. The temperature dependence displayed by NSI interconversion rates for H$_2$O isolated in an Argon matrix provides evidence that confinement effects are responsible for the dramatic i...
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Main Authors | , , , , , , , |
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Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
25.11.2016
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The mechanism for interconversion between the nuclear spin isomers (NSI) of
H$_2$O remains shrouded in uncertainties. The temperature dependence displayed
by NSI interconversion rates for H$_2$O isolated in an Argon matrix provides
evidence that confinement effects are responsible for the dramatic increase in
their kinetics with respect to the gas phase, providing new pathways for
o-H$_2$O $\leftrightarrow$ p-H$_2$O conversion in endohedral compounds. This
reveals intramolecular aspects of the interconversion mechanism which may
improve methodologies for the separation and storage of NSI en route to
applications in nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. It may
also improve astronomers' ability to use their relative abundance in the
interstellar medium as proxies, thereby providing a valuable "astronomical
clock". |
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DOI: | 10.48550/arxiv.1611.08453 |