IntroductionThe translational and reorientational motions of whole molecules or parts of molecules may be studied by spectroscopic, relaxation, and scattering techniques which cover in total the frequency range 10-4-1013 Hz. Dependent upon molecular structure and the phase (liquid, supercooled liquid, glass, crystal, or liquid crystal) and temperature and applied pressure, molecular motions may be observed anywhere in this large frequency range. For the purposes of the present account the range may be arbitrarily divided into three parts: (i) lo1' H z < v < 1013 Hz; (ii) 10' Hz< Y < lo1' Hz; (iii) Hz< Y < 10' Hz. For range (i) the fast motions of molecules are observed e.g. for small molecules in the liquid state or rotator-phase crystalline state. Such motions may be studied using near i.r. and Raman vibrationrotation spectroscopy,'*2 far i.r. ~pectroscopy,~ inelastic light-scattering spectros-copy4 (polarized and depolarized Rayleigh line-broadening) and neutron scattering ~pectroscopy,~ microwave dielectric relaxation techniques,6 and pico-second Kerreffect relaxation technique^.^ A recent text which gives the results of extensive studies of mainly non-viscous liquids is that by Lascombe.' The theoretical approach to molecular motion involves time-correlation functions, and advanced4.'-l2 and more elementary review^'^-'^ of these quantities are available