High-pressure Raman, infrared, x-ray, and neutron studies show that H2 and H2O mixtures crystallize into the sII clathrate structure with an approximate H2/H2O molar ratio of 1:2. The clathrate cages are multiply occupied, with a cluster of two H2 molecules in the small cage and four in the large cage. Substantial softening and splitting of hydrogen vibrons indicate increased intermolecular interactions. The quenched clathrate is stable up to 145 kelvin at ambient pressure. Retention of hydrogen at such high temperatures could help its condensation in planetary nebulae and may play a key role in the evolution of icy bodies.

We report Raman spectra and synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements of lattice parameters of polycrystalline MgB 2 under hydrostatic pressure conditions up to 15 GPa. An anomalously broadened Raman band at 620 cm Ϫ1 is observed that exhibits a large linear pressure shift of its frequency. The large mode damping and Grüneisen parameter indicate the vibration is highly anharmonic, broadly consistent with theoretical predictions for the E 2g in-plane boron stretching mode. The results obtained may provide additional constraints on the electron-phonon coupling in the system.

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