Observation of the rotational spectra of CuI and AgI molecules generated by laser ablation in a pulsed-jet,Fourier-transform microwave spectrometer

The diatomic species CuI and AgI were produced by the reaction of metal atoms, formed in situ by ablation of an appropriate metal rod, with methyl iodide entrained in argon. The rotational spectra of the MI species so produced were then observed with the aid of a pulsed-jet, Fourier-transform microwave spectrometer. The ground-state rotational constant B₀, centrifugal distortion constant D₀, iodine nuclear quadrupole coupling constant χ(I) and iodine spin-rotation coupling constant M_bb(I) were determined with high precision for each of the isotopomers ¹⁰⁷Ag¹²⁷I, ¹⁰⁹Ag¹²⁷I, ⁶³Cu¹²⁷I and ⁶⁵Cu¹²⁷I by analysis of its rotational spectrum. In the case of the two CuI isotopomers, the nuclear hyperfine coupling constants χ(⁶³Cu), χ(⁶⁵Cu), M_bb(⁶³Cu) and M_bb(⁶⁵Cu) were also established.