Modeling of the Hydrogen Bond-Induced Frequency Shifts of the HOH and HOD Bending Modes of Water.

The intramolecular bending mode of water is a possible useful probe of the hydrogen-bond situations in aqueous systems, but the behavior of its frequency and intensity should be further elucidated for better understanding on its nature and, hence, for its better utilization as a probe. Here, an analysis toward this goal is conducted by doing theoretical calculations on molecular clusters of normal isotopic and deuterated species of water and examining the correlations among the vibrational, structural, and electrostatic properties. It is shown that electrostatic interactions, particularly both of the in-plane components of the electric field along the OH bond and perpendicular to it, play a major role in controlling the hydrogen bond-induced shifts of the force constant, but additional factors, including the intermolecular structural and/or charge-transfer properties, are also important.