Energy levels diatomic vibrational/rotational

The RRHO approximation and analysis of the infrared spectrum of formulates a picture of the vibration-rotation energy levels of a diatomic molecule. The energy difference between vibrational energy levels is large with respect to the rotational energy levels. A vibrational state v will have an infinite manifold of J rotational states. This is depicted in Figure 6-4. 

As for diatomic molecules, there are stacks of rotational energy levels associated with all vibrational levels of a polyatomic molecule. The resulting term values S are given by the sum of the rotational and vibrational term values... 

This procedure assumes that the translational, rotational, vibrational, and electronic energy levels are independent. This is not completely so. In the instance of diatomic molecules, we will see how to correct for the interaction. For more complicated molecules we will ignore the correction since it is usually a small effect. 

Molecules possess discrete levels of rotational and vibrational energy. Transitions between vibrational levels occur by absorption of photons with frequencies v in the infrared range (wavelength 1-1000 p,m, wavenumbers 10,000-10 cm , energy differences 1240-1.24 meV). The C-0 stretch vibration, for example, is at 2143 cm . For small deviations of the atoms in a vibrating diatomic molecule from their equilibrium positions, the potential energy V(r) can be approximated by that of the harmonic oscillator ... 

Ding, S.-L., and Yi, X-Z. (1990), Algebraic Approach to the Rotation-Vibration Energy Levels for Diatomic Molecules, Chinese J. Atom. Mol. Phys. 7,1861. 

Kratzer and Loomis as well as Haas (1921) also discussed the isotope effect on the rotational energy levels of a diatomic molecule resulting from the isotope effect on the moment of inertia, which for a diatomic molecule, again depends on the reduced mass. They noted that isotope effects should be seen in pure rotational spectra, as well as in vibrational spectra with rotational fine structure, and in electronic spectra with fine structure. They pointed out the lack of experimental data then available for making comparison. 

Figure 5.2 Energy levels of a diatomic molecule (e.g. TiO). Two electronic states are shown, together with some vibrational and rotational levels.

The Section on Molecular Rotation and Vibration provides an introduction to how vibrational and rotational energy levels and wavefunctions are expressed for diatomic, linear polyatomic, and non-linear polyatomic molecules whose electronic energies are described by a single potential energy surface. Rotations of "rigid" molecules and harmonic vibrations of uncoupled normal modes constitute the starting point of such treatments. 

The Vibration and Rotation of Molecules.—The nature of the vibrational motion and the values of the vibrational energy levels of a molecule are determined by the electronic energy function, such as that shown in Figure VII-1. The simplest discussion of the vibrational motion of a diatomic molecule is based upon the approximation of the energy curve in the neighborhood of its minimum by a parabola that is, it is assumed that the force between the atoms of the molecule is proportional to the displacement of the internuclear distance from its equilibrium value r.. This corresponds to the approximate potential function... 

We see from (4.104) that, although the vibrational quantum number is not changing, the frequency of a pure-rotational transition depends on the vibrational quantum number of the molecule undergoing the transition. (Recall that vibration changes the effective moment of inertia, and thus affects the rotational energies.) For a collection of diatomic molecules at temperature T, the relative populations of the energy levels are given by the Boltzmann distribution law the ratio of the number of molecules with vibrational quantum number v to the number with vibrational quantum number zero is... 

I 2.1 Rotational Energy Levels of Diatomic Molecules, K I 2.2 Vibrational Energy Levels of Diatomic Molecules, 10 I 2.3 Electronic Stales of Diatomic Molecules, 11 I 2.4 Coupling of Rotation and Electronic Motion in Diatomic Molecules Hund s Coupling Cases, 12 1-3 Quantum States of Polyatomic Molecules, 14... 

For diatomic molecules, corrections can be made for the assumption used in the derivation of the rotational partition function that the rotational energy levels are so closely spaced that they can be considered to be continuous. The equations to be used in making these corrections are given in Appendix 6. Also given are the equations to use in correcting for vibrational anharmonicity and nonrigid rotator effects. These corrections are usually small.22... 

IR spectra of the fundamental vibrational band of small gaseous diatomic molecules, such as CO and NO, contain a large number of absorption lines that correspond to these vibrational-rotational energy transitions. Since many different rotational levels can be populated at ambient temperature, many different transitions at different energies may occur (Fig. 1). Vibrational-rotational lines are evident only in gas-phase spectra collected at sufficiently high resolution. These lines are not resolved in condensed-phase spectra because of frequent collisions between molecules hence, condensed-phase spectra are characterized by broad absorption bands occurring at the vibrational transition energies. 

Figure 16.13. Energy-level scheme for a diatomic molecule, showing the rotational energy transition (r), the vibrational energy transition (v) in the ground state (No), and electronic energy transition (e) from S0 to the excited state (,S i).

A molecule can only absorb infrared radiation if the vibration changes the dipole moment. Homonuclear diatomic molecules (such as N2) have no dipole moment no matter how much the atoms are separated, so they have no infrared spectra, just as they had no microwave spectra. They still have rotational and vibrational energy levels it is just that absorption of one infrared or microwave photon will not excite transitions between those levels. Heteronuclear diatomics (such as CO or HC1) absorb infrared radiation. All polyatomic molecules (three or more atoms) also absorb infrared radiation, because there are always some vibrations which create a dipole moment. For example, the bending modes of carbon dioxide make the molecule nonlinear and create a dipole moment, hence CO2 can absorb infrared radiation. 

If the rotational quantum number J is zero, the molecule possesses no angular momentum arising from the motion of the nuclei nuclear motion is purely vibrational. The vibrational energy levels depend on the shape of the potential function 1/(7 ), most often of the well-known diatomic form. Near the minimum the potential function approximates to a parabola. The eigenvalues and functions are thus approximately those appropriate for a harmonic oscillator,... 

Diatomic molecules provide a simple introduction to the relation between force constants in the potential energy function, and the observed vibration-rotation spectrum. The essential theory was worked out by Dunham20 as long ago as 1932 however, Dunham used a different notation to that presented here, which is chosen to parallel the notation for polyatomic molecules used in later sections. He also developed the theory to a higher order than that presented here. For a diatomic molecule the energy levels are observed empirically to be well represented by a convergent power-series expansion in the vibrational quantum number v and the rotational quantum number J, the term... 

---