CHIRPED-PULSE FOURIER TRANSFORM MICROWAVE SPECTROSCOPY OF $META$-CHLOROBENZALDEHYDE

Abstract

The pure rotational spectrum of \emph{meta}-chlorobenzaldehyde (\emph{m}-ClBA) has been measured from 8 - 18.5 GHz by chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave (CP-FTMW) spectroscopy. The spectrum has been analyzed to discover the presence of two conformations of \emph{m}-ClBA in the free jet expansion. For each conformation the rotational constants, the centrifugal distortion constants, and the nuclear quadrupole coupling constants have been found for both the \textsuperscript{35}Cl and the \textsuperscript{37}Cl isotopologue. The rotational constants and the nuclear quadrupole coupling constants have been compared to \emph{ab initio} calculations performed using the Gaussian 03W software package.