Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Vol.106, No.11, 2617-2622, 2002
ENDOR study of N-14 hyperfine and quadrupole couplings of N2D4 center dot+ formed in deuterated Li(N2H5)SO4 single crystal
X-irradiated Li(N2D5)SO4 single crystals were investigated using EPR and ENDOR spectroscopy. The N-14-ENDOR spectra of the deuterated hydrazine radical cation N2D4.+ were clearly observed at 240 K. N-14 hyperfine (life) and nuclear quadrupole (nqc) tensors of the N2D4.+ cation were determined from angular variation ENDOR measurements in the three orthogonal planes of the crystal. The life tensor obtained for the two equivalent N-14 atoms is very close to that reported in a N2H5HC2O4 single crystal, and the present results support the previous conclusion that the cation has a planar structure at 240 K. The N-14 nqc tensor was estimated using semiempirical methods and also calculated from the field gradients in the LiHzS crystal as evaluated by density functional theory methods. The general agreement with experimental observations further supported the suggested geometrical structure of the N2H4.+ radical. The H-1 and N-14-ENDOR enhancements observed may be due to weakened dipolar interactions between N-14-D-2 and H-1-D-2 leading to increased T-ln relaxations of the N-14 and residual H-1 nuclei of the N2D4.+ cation (and/or other isotopomers) in the deuterated crystals as compared to those in the Li(N2H5)SO4 crystals.