APPROXIMATION FOR DERIVATION OF POSITION OF SPECIFIC HEAT MAXIMUM IN DIATOMIC MOLECULES

A simple calculation shows how the position of the specific heat maximum, caused by dissociation of diatomic molecules, depends on both the dissociation energy and on the internal partition sum of the molecules. The simplification that the internal sum over states of nearly all molecules can be treated as quadratic function with temperature leads to an equation generally applicable to diatomic molecules. The coefficients of this equation can be described by fundamental atomic and molecular constants. The dissociation range for different molecules is demonstrated by means of a graphic method. © 1969 Springer-Verlag.