Rotationally resolved vibrational spectra of AsH3 (+)X̃(2)A2 (″): Tunneling splittings studied by zero-kinetic-energy photoelectron spectroscopy.

Abstract

The rotationally resolved vibrational spectra of AsH3 (+)X̃(2)A2 (″) have been measured for the first time with vibrational energies up to 6000 cm(-1) above the ground state using the zero-kinetic-energy photoelectron method. The symmetric inversion vibrational energy levels (v2 (+)) and the corresponding rotational constants for v2 (+)=0-15 have been determined. The tunneling splittings of the inversion vibration energy levels have been observed and are 0.8 and 37.7 (±0.5) cm(-1) for the ground and the first excited vibrational states, respectively. The first adiabatic ionization energy for AsH3 was determined as 79 243.3 ± 1 cm(-1). The geometric parameters of AsH3 (+)X̃(2)A2 (″) as a function of inversion vibrational numbers have been determined, indicating that the geometric structure of the cation changes from near-planar to pyramidal with increasing inversion vibrational excitation. In addition to the experimental measurements, a two-dimensional theoretical calculation considering the two symmetric vibrational modes was performed to determine the energy levels of the symmetric inversion, which are in good agreement with the experimental results. The inversion vibrational energy levels of SbH3 (+)X̃(2)A2 (″) have also been calculated and are found to have much smaller energy splittings than those of AsH3 (+)X̃(2)A2 (″).