Coherent Raman spectra of the ν1 mode of BF3 and BF3

High resolution (0.001 cm⁻¹) coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) was used to directly examine the ν₁ symmetric stretching mode of the planar symmetric D_3h molecules ¹⁰BF₃ and ¹¹BF₃. Simulations of the spectra were done using ν₁ rovibrational parameters deduced from published infrared hot-band and difference-band studies and the close similarity to the observed CARS spectra confirms the validity of the infrared constants. No significant perturbations by Fermi resonance or Coriolis interactions with nearby states are observed, in marked contrast to the case of sulfur trioxide, a similar D_3h molecule recently studied. In the harmonic approximation, the ¹⁰BF₃ and ¹¹BF₃ν₁ Q-branches would be identical since the isotopic substitution is at the center of mass but, interestingly, the ν₁ stretching frequency for ¹¹BF₃ is found to be 0.198 cm⁻¹higher than for the lighter ¹⁰BF₃ isotopomer. This counterintuitive result is reproduced almost exactly (0.200 cm⁻¹) by ab initio calculations (B3LYP/cc-pVTZ) that included evaluation of cubic and quartic force constants and x_ij anharmonicity constants. The ab initio computations also predict to within 1% the ΔB, ΔC changes in the rotational constants in going from the ground state to the v₁ = 1 vibrational level. The results illustrate nicely the complementary interplay of modern infrared, Raman, and ab initio methods in obtaining and analyzing rovibrational spectra.