DEUTERON SPIN-LATTICE RELAXATION OF D2O IN ORGANIC SOLVENTS

Radiofrequency pulse techniques have been used to measure the deuteron spin lattice-relaxation time for D2O in certain organic solvents. In particular, we have examined solutions where infrared observations indicate that the properties of the dissolved water molecules are only slightly altered from the gas state and where there is little evidence for strong intermolecular complex formation. Concentration dependence studies were used to derive the relaxation times for infinite dilution of D2O in the organic solvent. The T1 values were combined with deuteron quadrupole coupling constants calculated from infrared data to give values for the molecular reorientational correlation times, τQ. As expected, these correlation times are much shorter than reorientational correlation times calculated from the Debye-Bloembergen-Purcell-Pound equations. We have briefly considered the implications of these observations with respect to models of water structure where the existence of freely rotating monomers is assumed.