Chemical Physics Letters, Vol.320, No.5-6, 651-657, 2000
Methyl group rotational tunneling in vibrational spectra of crystals at low temperatures
The effect of methyl group nuclear spin conversion on the Raman spectra is reported for two crystals: 2,6-ditbromomesitylene and 4-methylpyridine (4MP). In both crystals the tunneling splitting is large and population changes of the tunneling sublevels upon cooling to 4.2 K are easily observable as changes of intensity and lineshape in the Raman spectra of the CH3 torsional modes and of modes coupled to these. The spin conversion time at 4.2 K is 350 +/- 30 min for DBM and 170 +/- 20 min for 4MP. The intensity ratio of the lowest frequency Raman transitions of the two spin isomers is determined.