Knowledge Bank

The products of the ClO self-reaction have been studied in a flowing chemical reactor using submillimeter wave spectroscopy. The region between 415 to 435 GHz was completely measured in the initial search for reaction products. The major products have been identified as one isomer of the CIO dimer and OCIO. There is no evidence of a significant amount of additional dimer isomers. The observed CIO dimer has a b-type spectrum which has been shown definitively to arise from a peroxide structure, CIOOCl. The rotational constants as well as a complete set of quartic centrifugal distortion constants have been determined for the $\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">35</mrow>}ClOO35Cl$ and $\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">35</mrow>}ClOO37Cl$ isotopic species. Structural parameters have been derived from the ground state rotational constants and will be compared with ab initio results. In addition, the significance of the molecular structure with respect to ozone depletion in the polar stratosphere will be discussed.