Microwave spectrum,centrifugal distortion constants,and quadrupole coupling constants of 3-chloropyridine

The microwave spectrum of 3-chloropyridine has been measured in the frequency region of 8.2 to 18 GHz. The rotational constants, centrifugal distortion constants, and the quadrupole coupling constants for the ³⁵Cl species are A = 5839.448 ± 0.027 MHz, B = 1604.152 ± 0.005 MHz, C = 1258.327 ± 0.004 MHz, Δ_J = 0.10 ± 0.01 KHz, Δ_JK = 0.36 ± 0.09 KHz, Δ_K = 1.18 ± 0.07 KHz, δ_J = ?0.008 ± 0.005 KHz, δ_K = 0.88 ± 0.20 KHz, χ_aa = ?70.04 ± 0.38 MHz, χ_bb = 36.68 ± 0.19 MHz. The values of rotational constants and quadrupole coupling constants for the ³⁷Cl species are A = 5840.052 ± 0.034 MHz, B = 1559.354 ± 0.01 MHz, C = 1230.739 ± 0.016 MHz, χ_aa = ?54.20 ± 1.26 MHz, χ_bb = 29.49 ± 0.48 MHz. The double bond character in the CCl bond is found to be 2%. The smaller than expected value of rotational constant A points to a “fattening” of the pyridine ring about the a-axis in contrast to 2-chloropyridine, where no such substitution effect was observed.