The pure rotational spectra of the two lowest energy conformers of the asymmetric ether C4H9OC2H5

An experimental study has been performed shedding light on the conformational energies of the asymmetric ether n-butyl ethyl ether. Rotational spectroscopy between 7.8 GHz and 16.2 GHz has identified two conformers of n-butyl ethyl ether, C₄H₉OC₂H₅. In these experiments spectra were observed as the target compound participated in an argon expansion from high to low pressure causing molecular rotational temperatures to be below 4 K. For one conformer, 95 pure rotational transitions have been recorded, for the second conformer, 20 pure rotational transitions were recorded. Rotational constants and centrifugal distortion constants are presented for both butyl ethyl ether conformers. The structures of both conformers have been identified by exploring the multi-dimensional molecular potential energy surface using ab initio calculations. From the numerous low energy conformers identified using ab initio methods, the three lowest conformers were pursued at increasingly higher levels of theory, i.e. complete basis set extrapolations, coupled cluster methods, and also taking into consideration zero point vibrational energies. The two conformers observed experimentally are only revealed to be the two lowest energy conformers when high levels of quantum chemical methodologies are employed.     

Chirped pulse Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy of 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoro-3-iodopropane

The pure rotational spectra of the two lowest energy conformers of 1,1,2,2-tetrafluoro-3-iodopropane have been investigated between the frequency limits of 7.5 and 16 GHz using chirped pulse Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. Quantum chemical calculations have been performed to aid the spectral analyses. For the trans–trans conformer, which is calculated to be the lowest in energy, a total of 135 transitions were recorded. For the gauche–gauche conformer a total of 286 transitions were recorded. In both cases the complete iodine nuclear quadrupole coupling tensor has been determined.     

Microwave spectrum ofcis 3-fluorophenol

The microwave spectrum ofcis 3-fluorophenol involving rotational states up toJ=28 has been observed and analysed in the frequency range 23–25 GHz in the ground vibrational state at room temperature. Analysis yields three rotational and five quartic centrifugal distortion constants. A tentativer ₀ structure has been proposed satisfying the observed rotational constants. The small value of the inertia defect Δ=0·07 confirms the planarity of the conformer.     

Submillimeter-wave spectrum of anti–anti and anti–gauche diethyl ether

Measurements of the rotational spectrum of diethyl ether have been extended up to 903 GHz for the aa-conformer and up to 638 GHz for the ag-conformer. These measurements supplement previous ones up to 366 GHz and improve predictions into the THz region to be used in particular for astronomical searches for this species using the next-generation of radio-astronomy instruments such as the Atacama Large Millimeter Array.     

Millimeter wave spectrum of glycine

We present new investigations of the millimeter wave spectra of the two lowest-energy conformers of glycine (NH₂CH₂COOH). Measurements of these spectra have been carried out between 75 and 260 GHz using the millimeter-wave spectrometer in Kharkov. The new data set involves rotational transitions with J up to 44 and K_a up to 15 for conformer I and transitions with J up to 43 and K_a up to 14 for conformer II. This represents a more than twofold expansion both in the frequency range and J quantum-number range in comparison with previous investigations. The improved sets of spectroscopic parameters obtained for both conformers provide accurate transition frequencies for the key lines necessary for radio astronomy searches for interstellar glycine.     

Millimetre-wave spectrum of anti-13C1 and 13C2 isotopologues of ethanol

The rotational spectra of the two monosubstituted ¹³C isotopologues of the anti conformer of ethanol have been measured between 80–800 GHz using three different spectrometers at the Cologne Laboratory Astrophysics group. The dataset was constrained for fitting with a standard Watson-S reduction Hamiltonian by rejecting transitions from high-lying states showing significant perturbation with the gauche states and by averaging some small methyl torsional splits. This treatment is compatible with the needs for a first astrophysical research for which an appropriate set of predictions is given.     

Rotational Spectrum of Vinylarsine

The rotational spectrum of vinylarsine in the ground state has been studied in the range 7–320 GHz. The spectra of asynconformer and agaucheconformer have been unambiguously assigned on the basis of the existence of ab-type or ac-type spectrum. Rotational constants, quartic, and some sextic centrifugal distortion constants were derived. For thesynform, measurements of lowJ^aR_0,1transitions in a pulsed-nozzle Fourier transform microwave spectrometer (FTMWS) enabled the determination of the diagonal elements of the quadrupole tensor, as well as two spin–rotation constants.Ab initiocalculations performed at the MP2 level using the 6-311++G(3df, 3pd) basis set reproduced experimental rotational constants within 0.2%.     

Millimeter wavelength measurements of the rotational spectrum of 2-aminoethanol

Aminoethanol is a predicted precursor to the amino acid alanine in the interstellar medium and is therefore of great interest for observational studies. However, previous work involving the rotational spectrum of this molecule is limited to centimeter wavelengths and additional laboratory work is necessary to support astronomical heterodyne spectroscopy. This work presents the Doppler-limited rotational spectrum of aminoethanol measured in selected regions between 72 and 305 GHz. Measurements of ground state and ν₂₇ transitions have been extended up to J=51 and J=43, respectively. Additional rotational transitions were assigned for the ν₂₅, ν₂₆, ν₂₅+ν₂₇, 2ν₂₇ and ν₂₆+ν₂₇ hot bands, resulting in improved rotational and centrifugal distortion constants for these states.     

Reaction products from a discharge of N2 and H2S: The microwave spectrum of NH2SH

Thiohydroxylamine has been identified as one of the reaction products from the discharge reaction of N₂ + H₂S. Both cis and trans conformers have been observed. The rotational spectra have been studied from 56 to 170 GHz for the normal species and several deuterated isotopic species of each conformer. The electric dipole moments of both conformers have been determined. A number of the transitions of the cis conformer exhibit splittings due to the nuclear quadrupole moment of the ¹⁴N nucleus. A least squares fit of the frequency splittings have led to an analysis of the eQq values. Ab initio calculations using a 4-31G basis set both with and without polarization functions have been carried out to aid in the analysis and to provide a final structural comparison with the microwave results.     

Microwave spectrum of trans 3-fluorophenol in excited torsional states

The microwave rotational spectra of the trans conformer of 3-fluorophenol have been observed in excited torsional states and analyzed in the frequency range 12.0-43.0 GHz using conventional microwave and Radio-Frequency Microwave Double Resonance (RFMWDR) techniques. Analysis of the ground torsional state spectrum has been extended to higher rotational states. Least-squares analysis of three sets of rotational transitions yield rotational and centrifugal distortion constants for the ground and first two excited torsional states. A nonlinear behavior of the variation of inertial defect with the torsional quantum number was observed.     

Microwave spectrum of the complex of 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-(trifluoromethyl)propanoic acid and formic acid

ABSTRACT

We report the first high resolution spectroscopic observation of the complex of 3,3,3-trifluoro-2-(trifluoromethyl)propanoic acid (TTPA) and formic acid. The rotational spectra were measured using a broadband chirped pulse and a narrow band cavity-based Fourier transform microwave spectrometer in the 8–10?GHz range. The conformational landscape of the TTPA-formic acid complex was explored at several levels of theory. The two most stable TTPA-formic acid conformers are of similar stability and feature the usual cyclic carboxylic double hydrogen bonded ring. Based on the broadband spectra obtained, only one stable heterodimer conformer was observed. We explain the absence of the second conformer to be a result of a double hydrogen tunnelling motion which converts the less stable heterodimer to the one observed in the jet expansion. Further CCSD(T) relative energy calculations confirm that the heterodimer conformer detected contains the most stable TTPA monomeric subunit. It is interesting to note that hydrogen bonding with formic acid offers a new path to effectively convert the less stable TTPA subunit to the most stable one in the jet expansion, while both TTPA monomeric conformers were detected in the same experiment.     

The Rotational Spectrum of OCCCS Revisited

The rotational spectrum of the linear chain molecule tricarbon oxide sulfide, OCCCS, was recorded at room temperature between 118 and 179 GHz using a new commercial millimeter-wave spectrometer. The observed transitions were analyzed together with hitherto unassigned transitions from measurements between 78 and 118 GHz. About 1900 rotational transitions of OCCCS in the vibrational ground state and in 13 excited bending states could be assigned, the latter including the eighth, ninth, and tenth excited state of the low-lying bending mode nu(7) as well as the second excited state of the bending mode nu(6). Besides the determination of effective constants for these newly identified vibrational states, our data also served to considerably improve the effective constants for some of the bending states already characterized in previous publications. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

A new analysis and additional measurements of the millimeter and submillimeter spectrum of methanol

Over 100 new spectral lines of gas-phase methanol in the millimeter and submillimeter region (viz. 150–1000 GHz) corresponding to rotational transitions in the two lowest torsional states have been measured and assigned. Some of these lines have been combined with spectral lines measured by previous investigators below 1000 GHz into a global data set consisting of 470 lines involving transitions with J ≤ 8 and v_t (torsional quantum number) ≤ 2, and then analyzed via a nonlinear least-squares procedure. The analysis involves supplementing the standard IAM Hamiltonian with a number of new distortion and “interaction” constants. Direct diagonalization has been employed in preference to an earlier perturbation scheme. The quality of the least-squares fit compares favorably with the previous quantum mechanical approach.     

Millimeter-wave spectrum of Ne–CO: new measurements

The b-type rotational transitions of the van der Waals complex, Ne–CO have been measured using the intracavity OROTRON jet spectrometer in the frequency range of 80–115 GHz. The high sensitivity of this technique enabled us to detect all three Ne isotopic modifications of the complex, ²⁰Ne–CO, ²²Ne–CO, and ²¹Ne–CO in natural abundance. The observed and assigned transitions belong to the Q-branch of the K = 1–0 subband and include also R (0) and P (2) lines. The newly obtained data were analysed together with previously observed millimeter-wave b-type and microwave a-type rotational transitions.     

The millimeter- and submillimeter-wave spectrum of the trans-gauche conformer of diethyl ether

The results of a first investigation of the rotational spectrum of the trans-gauche conformer of diethyl ether are reported. Two spectrometers have been used to measure the spectrum in the millimeter-wave and submillimeter-wave regions and a total of 1090 absorption line frequencies in the range 108-366 GHz were obtained and analyzed. Of these lines, 902 were measured with a spectrometer employing the fast scan submillimeter spectroscopic technique (FASSST) at Ohio State and the remaining 188 were measured with the phase-lock two-loop system (PLL) in Warsaw. The spectrum was fit to within experimental accuracy with the use of the A-reduced Watson Hamiltonian. Based on relative intensity measurements, the percentage of diethyl ether at room temperature in the trans-gauche conformer was found to be 30.5(13)%, in good agreement with prior spectroscopic values and an ab initio determination based on an energy difference of 5.40 kJ mol⁻¹ (452 cm⁻¹) between the excited trans-gauche and ground trans-trans conformers. This work also stimulated a critical evaluation of the data acquisition and calibration procedure of the FAAAST spectrometer, the results of which will be discussed.     

Rotational Spectrum of Hydrazine in the Submillimeter Range

In the submillimeter range, from 345 to 410 GHz, 472 new rotational transitions in the vibrational ground state of hydrazine have been measured. The majority of recorded lines form eight K=2←1 Q-branches with J≤30, each branch being split due to internal rotation in hydrazine. New rotational transitions together with 443 known earlier have been fitted to an effective group-theoretical Hamiltonian originally developed by Hougen (J. T. Hougen, J. Mol. Spectrosc.89, 296-327 (1981)). A reasonable fit was obtained using several ΔK=0, ±1, ±2, and ±4 matrix elements. For all 915 rotational transitions an overall standard deviation of the fit of 0.59 MHz was obtained using 32 parameters. These were 14 asymmetric rotor constants, 16 NH₂ inversion parameters, and 2 internal rotation parameters.     

The millimeter-wave spectrum of acetaldehyde in its two lowest torsional states

A large number of new millimeter-wave spectral lines of gaseous acetaldehyde have been measured at frequencies up to 250 GHz. These lines arise from rotational transitions of acetaldehyde in its two lowest (v_t = 0,1) torsional states and involve angular momentum quantum numbers J ≤ 12 and K ≤ 10. A global data set consisting of 562 lines has been obtained by combining the millimeter-wave lines with previously measured lower frequency data involving the two lowest torsional states. This data set has been analyzed via an internal axis method previously used to study the spectra of CH₃OH and CH₃SH. The root-mean-square deviation of the fit is only 685 kHz. An analogous least-squares fit to 335v_t = 0 lines yields a root-mean-square deviation of 269 kHz.     

Collisional broadening and shifting of OCS rotational spectrum lines

Broadening and shifting of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) rotational spectrum lines by pressure of N₂, O₂ and OCS were accurately studied in the frequency range 24–850 GHz at room temperature using a spectrometer with radio-acoustic detection of absorption. Rotational dependences of collisional widths of OCS spectrum lines were determined by a simple empirical polynomial fit of experimental data. Experimental uncertainties were analyzed. Results of supplementary test measurements of self-broadening of rotational OCS lines in the ν₂ excited vibrational state and carbon monoxide (CO) lines in the ground vibrational state are presented. Comparison of the obtained results with previously known measurements and theoretical calculations is given. The performed work allows for the first time development of accurate gaseous etalon of absorption for atmospheric applications and laboratory use, covering continuously the whole millimeter- and submillimeter-wave range.     

Broadening of the R(0) and P(2) lines in the CO fundamental by helium atoms from 300 K down to 12 K: Measurements and comparison with close-coupling calculations

We present measurements of He-broadening parameters for the R(0) and P(2) lines in the fundamental band of ¹³CO at different temperatures between 12 K and room temperature. The broadening parameters are determined, taking into account confinement narrowing, by simultaneous least-squares fitting of spectra recorded using a frequency stabilized diode laser spectrometer. The pressure broadening cross sections are deduced and compared to close-coupling calculations and earlier results obtained for rotational transitions of ¹²CO.