Internal dynamics of nonrigid molecules. I. Application to acetone

The group theory for nonrigid molecules is used for studying the internal dynamics of the two equivalent C_3v rotor “bent” molecules. Special emphasis is given to the deduction of the symmetry basis vectors which represent in box form the Hamiltonian operator. It is shown that these basis vectors may be advantageously employed in order to simplify the resolution of the two-rotor equation. The procedure is applied to the acetone molecule. It is found that the lowest solutions are clustered into groups of four. The four lowest levels are related to vibrational states, the upper 64 to vibro–rotational states, in which the rotors are rotating in a restricted manner. Only few states show some cogwheel effect. Internal rotation contributions to the principal thermodynamic parameters of acetone are also computed.