  We report on infrared, Raman, magnetic susceptibility, and specific heat
measurements on CdCr2O4 and ZnCr2O4 single crystals. We estimate the
nearest-neighbor and next-nearest neighbor exchange constants from the magnetic
susceptibility and extract the spin-spin correlation functions obtained from
the magnetic susceptibility and the magnetic contribution to the specific heat.
By comparing with the frequency shift of the infrared optical phonons above TN
, we derive estimates for the spin-phonon coupling constants in these systems.
The observation of phonon modes which are both Raman and infrared active
suggest the loss of inversion symmetry below the Neel temperature in CdCr2O4 in
agreement with theoretical predictions by Chern and coworkers [Phys. Rev. B 74,
060405 (2006)]. In ZnCr2O4 several new modes appear below TN, but no phonon
modes could be detected which are both Raman and infrared active indicating the
conservation of inversion symmetry in the low temperature phase.
