The 2780 Å absorption system of thiophosgene

The vapor phase absorption spectrum of thiophosgene (Cl₂CS) in the 2500–2900 Å region consists of a broad intense band ($\text{log}\text{?}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>max</mtext>}}\text{= 3.5}\text{at}\text{2540}\text{A}\text{?}$. On the red side of this a vibrationally discrete structure is found which becomes increasingly diffuse and merges into the broad band as the wavelength is decreased. It is shown that this vibrational structure can be explained as due to a $\text{π → π}{}^1$, ${}^1\text{A}{}_1\text{-}\text{X}\text{?}{}^1\text{A}{}_1$ electronic transition between a planar ground state and a pyramidal excited state of the molecule. In the latter state, the CS stretching mode ν₁′(a₁) = 681 cm^?1 and the CCl bending mode ν₃′(a₁) = 147 cm^?1. From the inversion doublet splitting of the out-of-plane mode ν₄′(b₁), the barrier to inversion is calculated to be ～126 cm^?1, with an equilibrium out-of-plane angle of ～20°.