Knowledge Bank

Recent evidence indicating the possible presence of sulfuric acid in the atmospheres of Earth and Venus has spurred interest in accurate values for the optical constants of aqueous solutions of $H2SO4$. The infrared reflectance spectrum at near-normal incidence has been measured for the sulfuric acid-water system. The data were observed at room temperature for several concentrations ranging from nearly pure sulfuric acid to nearly pure water. Reflectance measurements at temperatures near the freezing points of the solutions are now in progress, and infrared absorption measurements are planned for the future. The results of this study will be presented and compared with the available data of other investigations.