The use of dimethyl sulphoxide as a solvent for the rapid isotopic analysis of water by infrared spectrometry

Abstract

Mixtures of water and deuterium oxide in dimethyl sulphoxide (solvent) have been analysed by observing O—H and O—D stretching frequencies of liquid water at 1595 and 1402 cm^–1, respectively, with an infrared spectrometer. An accuracy of ±5 per cent. in the concentration of deuterium oxide in the range of 3 to 25 per cent. v/v was obtained. The absolute percentage of deuterium oxide obtained by this infrared method agreed closely with the values obtained by using a mass-spectrometric method of analysis.