A precise study of the rotational spectrum of formaldehyde H2CO, H2CO, H2CO, H2CO

The rotational spectra of formaldehyde, H₂¹²C¹⁶O and its isotopic species H₂¹³C¹⁶O, H₂¹²C¹⁸O, and H₂¹³C¹⁸O have been investigated in the ground vibrational state in the frequency region between 8 and 460 GHz. For most cases in which measurements of the a-type R- and Q-branch transitions already existed the accuracy of the line position has been improved to about 10 kHz. For H₂¹²C¹⁶O and H₂¹³C¹⁶O a large number of ΔK_a = ±2 transitions were measured with similar accuracy. These new data when combined with all other available data and appropriate weightings lead to a set of ground state parameters which for the first time are compatible with infrared and ultraviolet data. The rotational constants (and 3σ standard deviations) obtained using Watson's A-reduced Hamiltonian are:

Full-size image