Fourier transform millimeter-wave spectroscopy of chlorocarbene (HCCl)

Abstract

The 101–000 and 202–101 rotational transitions of HC35Cl and HC37Cl in the X̃ 1A′ ground vibronic state have been observed with a Fourier transform millimeter-wave spectrometer. The HCCl molecule is produced by discharging a gaseous sample of CH2Cl2 diluted in Ar with a pulsed discharge nozzle. The effective rotational constant (B+C)/2, the centrifugal distortion constant ΔJ, the nuclear quadrupole interaction constants, and the nuclear-spin rotation interaction constant are determined for each isotopic species. The nuclear-spin rotation interaction is found to make a significant contribution to the hyperfine structure of this molecule, which originates from the relatively low-lying electronic excited state. The nuclear quadrupole interaction tensor is highly asymmetric, indicating a significant π character of the C–Cl bond. This can be interpreted in terms of the backdonation of π electrons from the chlorine atom to the carbon atom.