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We present the emission spectra of acrolein $(C3H4O)$, acrylic acid $(C3H3COOH)$, and acryloyl chloride $(C3H3COCl)$ excited at 199 nm. We have used the results of these emission spectroscopy experiments, in conjunction with ab initio calculations, to give insight into the observed photochemistry, specifically that of acrylic acid and the production of the carboxylic acid radical (HOCO) upon excitation at 199 nm. Future studies will include laser-molecular beam photodissociation of acrylic acid and laser induced fluorescence of the photochemical fragments from the unimolecular decay of HOCO via the reaction pathway $OH+CO\leftrightarrow HOCO\updownarrow \leftrightarrow H+CO2$.