Knowledge Bank

A Balle-Flygare FT-MW spectrometer coupled to a laser ablation source has been used to measure the pure rotational spectra of H$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">2</mrow>}$O-AgCl and H$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">3</mrow>}$N-AgCl. Both molecules are generated via laser ablation (532 nm) of a metal rod in the presence of CCl$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">4</mrow>}$, argon, a low partial pressure of H$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">2</mrow>}$O or NH$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">3</mrow>}$ and are stabilized by supersonic expansion. Rotational constants and centrifugal distortion constants have been measured for eight isotopologues of H$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">2</mrow>}$O-AgCl with substitutions at the silver, chlorine, oxygen and hydrogen atoms. $B0$ and $C0$ have been independently determined for six isotopologues and the spectra are consistent with a linear arrangement of oxygen, silver and chlorine atoms. The structure is either $C2v$ planar at equilibrium or $CS$ pyramidal but with a low potential-energy barrier to planarity such that the v=0 and 1 states associated with the motion that inverts the configuration at the O atom are well separated. Preliminary data from a study of H$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">3</mrow>}$N-AgCl will also be presented. Several transitions have been observed and tentatively assigned to hyperfine components of the 2$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">02</mrow>}$-1$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">01</mrow>}$, 3$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">03</mrow>}$-2$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">02</mrow>}$ and 4$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">04</mrow>}$-3$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">03</mrow>}$ transitions of H$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">3</mrow>}$N-$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">107</mrow>}$Ag$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">35</mrow>}$Cl and H$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">3</mrow>}$N-$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">109</mrow>}$Ag$\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">35</mrow>}$Cl. These data are consistent with a $C3v$ structure.