The infrared reflection spectra of molten lithium, sodium, potassium, and silver chlorates and lithium perchlorate have been obtained from 2900–200 cm—1 and the optical constants derived by the method of Robinson and Price. In both lithium and silver chlorate, the anion is not rotating freely about its threefold axis, and the point group symmetry of the cations about the chlorate ion does not contain a threefold rotation axis. In lithium perchlorate, it appears that the anion may be rotating freely. The presence of a lattice‐like vibration band in each melt is apparent and a dielectric constant of 1.9–2.9 can be estimated from extrapolation of the low frequency refractive index data for liquid lithium perchlorate. Integrated band areas are recorded for all the materials investigated.

1.
J. K.
Wilmshurst
 and
S.
Senderoff
,
J. Chem. Phys.
35
,
1078
(
1961
).
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
2.
J. K.
Wilmshurst
,
J. Chem. Phys.
34
,
1800
(
1961
).
Google Scholar
 
3.
T. S. Robinson and W. C. Price, Molecular Spectroscopy, edited by G. Sell (The Institute of Petroleum, London, 1955), p. 211.
4.
I am indebted to Dr. H. J. Bowlden of these laboratories for writing the computer program.
5.
S. T.
Shen
,
Y. T.
Yao
, and
Ta‐You
Wu
,
Phys. Rev.
51
,
235
(
1937
).
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
6.
The splitting of ν3(e) and ν4(e) envisaged here consists simply of making one oxygen atom of the anion nonidentical with the other two. It should perhaps be noted that the low potential barrier inhibiting rotation of the anion could produce a second type of splitting arising from the splitting of each vibrational level into n‐sublevels by the n‐fold barrier. Such a splitting is normally small (⁠∼1 cm−1⁠) for the lower vibrational levels and affects both degenerate and nondegenerate levels, although not necessarily to the same extent.
7.
R.
Fonteyne
,
Nature
138
,
886
(
1936
).
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
8.
O. H.
Wagner
,
Z. physik. Chem.
131
,
409
(
1928
).
Google Scholar
 
9.
Handbook of the American Institute of Physics (McGraw‐Hill Book Company, Inc., New York, 1957), Chap. 5, p. 115.
10.
C.
Haas
 and
D. F.
Hornig
,
J. Chem. Phys.
26
,
707
(
1957
).
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
This content is only available via PDF.
© 1962 American Institute of Physics.
1962
American Institute of Physics
You do not currently have access to this content.