Rotational spectrum and structure of the linear CO2–HCN dimer: Dependence of isomer formation on carrier gas

Abstract

A linear hydrogen-bonded dimer, OCO–HCN, has been identified and characterized via its microwave rotational spectrum. The study was made using the pulsed nozzle Fourier transform method with the Flygare/Balle Mark II spectrometer. A T-shaped HCN–CO2 dimer was reported earlier by the Klemperer group. Rotational constants have been determined for all seven monoisotopically substituted species of the linear form. B0 , DJ , and χaa (14 N) for the normal isotopic dimer are 1057.9397(2) MHz, 1.372(8) kHz, and −4.2466(5) MHz, respectively. The average torsional displacements of the OCO and HCN monomers about their center of mass (c.m.) are found to be 7.66° and 12.40°, based on the substitution O–C and C–N bond distances for the dimer. With these values for α and γ, the B0 for the normal isotopic dimer corresponds to a c.m. to c.m. distance R=5.035 Å. Bending and stretching force constants and the well depth (ε∼590 cm−1 ) are estimated from the centrifugal distortion. The relative concentrations of the linear and T-shaped isomers are unusually sensitive to the carrier gas used in the supersonic jet expansion. The linear form could not be detected at all with argon as the carrier gas but gave a strong signal in neon first run (70% Ne, 30% He). In contrast, the T form gave strong signals in both carrier gases. However, a carrier-gas effect was not found for the N2 O/HF dimer pair, which has a high barrier between the bent NNO–HF and linear FH–NNO isomers. Similar results were obtained for chlorocyclohexane (CCH) and ethyl formate (EF), which have two conformational isomers. In CCH which has a high barrier to a↔e interconversion, the two conformers gave strong signals in both Ar and He. In EF, with a low barrier, the gauche conformer could not be detected in Ar but gave a strong signal in He, while the trans form gave strong signals in both carrier gases.