https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00011094
The origin of disorder in CH3HgX (X = Cl, Br and I) crystals investigated by temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy
Rud1mm - er Bošković Institute, POB 180, 10 002 Zagreb, Croatia
Corresponding author: a mohacek@rudjer.irb.hr
Received:
19
November
1999
Revised:
10
November
2000
Published online: 15 March 2001
Methyl-mercury(II) halides CH3HgX (X = Cl, Br and I)
were studied by means of
temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy from 10 K to 410 K.
In addition to the previously
reported soft phonons, new changes in the low frequency spectra
were observed at 
K in CH3HgBr and at 
K in CH3HgI.
The bandwidths of the two internal modes in CH3HgBr,
the CH3 symmetric stretching band
and the C-Hg-Br bending band, rise towards a local maximum at 
K
as the temperature is raised from 10 K to 300 K.
On the other hand the bandwidths of the two corresponding modes in CH3HgI crystals
monotonously increase with temperature, obeying an Arrhenius law.
Besides the three phonon modes present in the Raman spectra of CH3HgCl at
room temperature, the fourth phonon band that has been observed
at temperatures below 245 K
might correspond to the freezing of
methyl librations. The huge bandwidth of the C-Hg-Br bending mode
could suggest the presence of additional weak bonding of a mercury atom with bromine atoms from
other molecules, thus inducing positional disorder.
PACS: 78.30.-j – Infrared and Raman spectra / 63.50.+x – Vibrational states in disordered systems
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2001
