The microwave spectrum of phosphabutadiyne, H---CC---CP

A detailed rotational analysis of the microwave spectrum between 26.5 and 40 GHz of phosphaethene, CH₂=PH, has been carried out. This molecule is the simplest member of a new class of unstable molecules—the phosphaalkenes. The species can be produced by pyrolysis of (CH₃)₂PH, CH₃PH₂ and also somewhat more efficiently from Si(CH₃)₃CH₂PH₂. Full first-order centrifugal distortion analyses have been carried out for both ¹²CH₂³¹PH and ¹²CH₂³¹PD yielding: A₀ = 138 503.20(21), B₀ = 16 418.105(26), and C₀ = 14 649.084(28) MHz for ¹²CH₂³¹PH. The 1₀₁-0₀₀ μ_A lines have also been detected for ¹³CH₂PH, cis-CDHPH and trans-CHDPH. These data have enabled an accurate structure determination to be carried out which indicates: r(H_cC) = 1.09 ± 0.015 Å, (H_cCP) = 124.4 ± 0.8°; r(H_tC) = 1.09 ± 0.015 Å, (H_tCP) = 118.4 ± 1.2°; r(CP) = 1.673 ± 0.002 Å, (HCH) = 117.2 ± 1.2°; r(PH) = 1.420 ± 0.006 Å, (CPH) = 97.4 ± 0.4°. The dipole moment components have been determined as μ_A = 0.731 (2), μ_B = 0.470 (3), μ = 0.869 (3) D for CH₂PH; μ_A = 0.710 (2), μ_B = 0.509 (10), μ = 0.874 (7) D for CH₂PD.