The structure of ScC2 (X̃2A1): A combined Fourier transform microwave/millimeter-wave spectroscopic and computational study.

Pure rotational spectra of Sc13C2 (X̃2A1) and Sc12C13C (X̃2A') have been measured using Fourier transform microwave/millimeter-wave methods. These molecules were synthesized in a DC discharge from the reaction of scandium vapor, produced via laser ablation, with 13CH4 or 13CH4/12CH4, diluted in argon. The NKa,Kc = 10,1 → 00,0, 20,2 → 10,1, 30,3 → 20,2, and 40,4 → 30,3 transitions in the frequency range of 14 GHz-61 GHz were observed for both species, each exhibiting hyperfine splittings due to the nuclear spins of 13C (I = 1/2) and/or Sc (I = 7/2). These data have been analyzed with an asymmetric top Hamiltonian, and rotational, spin-rotation, and hyperfine parameters have been determined for Sc13C2 and Sc12C13C. In addition, a quartic force field was calculated for ScC2 and its isotopologues using a highly accurate coupled cluster-based composite method, incorporating complete basis set extrapolation, scalar relativistic corrections, outer core and inner core electron correlation, and higher-order valence correlation effects. The agreement between experimental and computed rotational constants, including the effective constant (B + C), is ∼0.5% for all three isotopologues. This remarkable agreement suggests promise in predicting rotational spectra of new transition metal-carbon bearing molecules. In combination with previous work on Sc12C2, an accurate structure for ScC2 has been established using combined experimental (B, C) and theoretical (A) rotational constants. The radical is cyclic (or T-shaped) with r(Sc-C) = 2.048(2) Å, r(C-C) = 1.272(2) Å, and ∠(C-Sc-C) = 36.2(1)°. The experimental and theoretical results also suggest that ScC2 contains a C2 - moiety and is largely ionic.

The pure rotational spectrum of the T-shaped AlC2 radical (X[combining tilde]2A1).

The pure rotational spectrum of the AlC2 radical (X[combining tilde]2A1) has been measured using Fourier transform microwave/millimeter-wave (FTMmmW) techniques in the frequency range 21-65 GHz. This study is the first high-resolution spectroscopic investigation of this molecule. AlC2 was created in a supersonic jet from the reaction of aluminum, generated by laser ablation, with a mixture of CH4 or HCCH, diluted in argon, in the presence of a DC discharge. Three transitions (NKa,Kc = 101 → 000, 202 → 101, and 303 → 202) were measured, each consisting of multiple fine/hyperfine components, resulting from the unpaired electron in the species and the aluminum-27 nuclear spin (I = 5/2). The data were analyzed using an asymmetric top Hamiltonian and rotational, fine structure, and hyperfine constants determined. These parameters agree well with those derived from previous theoretical calculations and optical spectra. An r0 structure of AlC2 was determined with r(Al-C) = 1.924 Å, r(C-C) = 1.260 Å, and θ(C-Al-C) = 38.2°. The Al-C bond was found to be significantly shorter than in other small, Al-bearing species. The Fermi contact term established in this work indicates that the unpaired electron in the valence orbital has considerable 3pza1 character, suggesting polarization towards the C2 moiety. A high degree of ionic character in the molecule is also evident from the quadrupole coupling constant. These results are consistent with a T-shaped geometry and an Al+C2- bonding scheme. AlC2 is a possible interstellar molecule that may be present in the circumstellar envelopes of carbon-rich AGB stars.

Examining transition metal hydrosulfides: The pure rotational spectrum of ZnSH (X̃2A').

The pure rotational spectrum of the ZnSH (X̃2A') radical has been measured using millimeter-wave direct absorption and Fourier transform microwave (FTMW) methods across the frequency range 18-468 GHz. This work is the first gas-phase detection of ZnSH by any spectroscopic technique. Spectra of the 66ZnSH, 68ZnSH, and 64ZnSD isotopologues were also recorded. In the mm-wave study, ZnSH was synthesized in a DC discharge by the reaction of zinc vapor, generated by a Broida-type oven, with H2S; for FTMW measurements, the radical was made in a supersonic jet expansion by the same reactants but utilizing a discharge-assisted laser ablation source. Between 7 and 9 rotational transitions were recorded for each isotopologue. Asymmetry components with Ka = 0 through 6 were typically measured in the mm-wave region, each split into spin-rotation doublets. In the FTMW spectra, hyperfine interactions were also resolved, arising from the hydrogen or deuterium nuclear spins of I = 1/2 or I = 1, respectively. The data were analyzed using an asymmetric top Hamiltonian, and rotational, spin-rotation, and magnetic hyperfine parameters were determined for ZnSH, as well as the quadrupole coupling constant for ZnSD. The observed spectra clearly indicate that ZnSH has a bent geometry. The rm(1) structure was determined to be rZn-S = 2.213(5) Å, rS-H = 1.351(3) Å, and θZn-S-H = 90.6(1)°, suggesting that the bonding occurs primarily through sulfur p orbitals, analogous to H2S. The hyperfine constants indicate that the unpaired electron in ZnSH primarily resides on the zinc nucleus.

Following the Interstellar History of Carbon: From the Interiors of Stars to the Surfaces of Planets.

The chemical history of carbon is traced from its origin in stellar nucleosynthesis to its delivery to planet surfaces. The molecular carriers of this element are examined at each stage in the cycling of interstellar organic material and their eventual incorporation into solar system bodies. The connection between the various interstellar carbon reservoirs is also examined. Carbon has two stellar sources: supernova explosions and mass loss from evolved stars. In the latter case, the carbon is dredged up from the interior and then ejected into a circumstellar envelope, where a rich and unusual C-based chemistry occurs. This molecular material is eventually released into the general interstellar medium through planetary nebulae. It is first incorporated into diffuse clouds, where carbon is found in polyatomic molecules such as H2CO, HCN, HNC, c-C3H2, and even C60+. These objects then collapse into dense clouds, the sites of star and planet formation. Such clouds foster an active organic chemistry, producing compounds with a wide range of functional groups with both gas-phase and surface mechanisms. As stars and planets form, the chemical composition is altered by increasing stellar radiation, as well as possibly by reactions in the presolar nebula. Some molecular, carbon-rich material remains pristine, however, encapsulated in comets, meteorites, and interplanetary dust particles, and is delivered to planet surfaces. Key Words: Carbon isotopes-Prebiotic evolution-Interstellar molecules-Comets-Meteorites. Astrobiology 16, 997-1012.

Prebiotic chemical evolution in the astrophysical context.

An ever increasing amount of molecular material is being discovered in the interstellar medium, associated with the birth and death of stars and planetary systems. Radio and millimeter-wave astronomical observations, made possible by high-resolution laboratory spectroscopy, uniquely trace the history of gas-phase molecules with biogenic elements. Using a combination of both disciplines, the full extent of the cycling of molecular matter, from circumstellar ejecta of dying stars - objects which expel large amounts of carbon - to nascent solar systems, has been investigated. Such stellar ejecta have been found to exhibit a rich and varied chemical content. Observations demonstrate that this molecular material is passed onto planetary nebulae, the final phase of stellar evolution. Here the star sheds almost its entire original mass, becoming an ultraviolet-emitting white dwarf. Molecules such as H2CO, HCN, HCO(+), and CCH are present in significant concentrations across the entire age span of such nebulae. These data suggest that gas-phase polyatomic, carbon-containing molecules survive the planetary nebula phase and subsequently are transported into the interstellar medium, seeding the chemistry of diffuse and then dense clouds. The extent of the chemical complexity in dense clouds is unknown, hindered by the high spectral line density. Organic species such as acetamide and methyl amine are present in such objects, and NH2CHO has a wide Galactic distribution. However, organophosphorus compounds have not yet been detected in dense clouds. Based on carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios, molecular material from the ISM appears to become incorporated into solar system planetesimals. It is therefore likely that interstellar synthesis influences prebiotic chemistry on planet surfaces.

The microwave and millimeter spectrum of ZnCCH (X̃2Σ+): a new zinc-containing free radical.

The pure rotational spectrum of the ZnCCH (X̃(2)Σ(+)) radical has been measured using Fourier transform microwave (FTMW) and millimeter direct-absorption methods in the frequency range of 7-260 GHz. This work is the first study of ZnCCH by any type of spectroscopic technique. In the FTMW system, the radical was synthesized in a mixture of zinc vapor and 0.05% acetylene in argon, using a discharge assisted laser ablation source. In the millimeter-wave spectrometer, the molecule was created from the reaction of zinc vapor, produced in a Broida-type oven, with pure acetylene in a dc discharge. Thirteen rotational transitions were recorded for the main species, (64)ZnCCH, and between 4 and 10 for the (66)ZnCCH, (68)ZnCCH, (64)ZnCCD, and (64)Zn(13)C(13)CH isotopologues. The fine structure doublets were observed in all the data, and in the FTMW spectra, hydrogen, deuterium, and carbon-13 hyperfine splittings were resolved. The data have been analyzed with a (2)Σ Hamiltonian, and rotational, spin-rotation, and H, D, and (13)C hyperfine parameters have been established for this radical. From the rotational constants, an r(m) ((1)) structure was determined with r(Zn-C) = 1.9083 Å, r(C-C) = 1.2313 Å, and r(C-H) = 1.0508 Å. The geometry suggests that ZnCCH is primarily a covalent species with the zinc atom singly bonded to the C≡C-H moiety. This result is consistent with the hyperfine parameters, which suggest that the unpaired electron is localized on the zinc nucleus. The spin-rotation constant indicates that an excited (2)Π state may exist ∼19,000 cm(-1) in energy above the ground state.

The microwave and millimeter rotational spectra of the PCN radical (X3Σ-).

The pure rotational spectrum of the PCN radical (X(3)Σ(-)) has been measured for the first time using a combination of millimeter/submillimeter direct absorption and Fourier transform microwave (FTMW) spectroscopy. In the millimeter instrument, PCN was created by the reaction of phosphorus vapor and cyanogen in the presence of an ac discharge. A pulsed dc discharge of a dilute mixture of PCl(3) vapor and cyanogen in argon was the synthetic method employed in the FTMW machine. Twenty-seven rotational transitions of PCN and six of P(13)CN in the ground vibrational state were recorded from 19 to 415 GHz, all which exhibited fine structure arising from the two unpaired electrons in this radical. Phosphorus and nitrogen hyperfine splittings were also resolved in the FTMW data. Rotational satellite lines from excited vibrational states with v(2) = 1-3 and v(1) = 1 were additionally measured in the submillimeter range. The data were analyzed with a Hund's case (b) effective Hamiltonian and rotational, fine structure, and hyperfine constants were determined. From the rotational parameters of both carbon isotopologues, the geometry of PCN was established to be linear, with a P-C single bond and a C-N triple bond, structurally comparable to other non-metal main group heteroatom cyanides. Analysis of the hyperfine constants suggests that the two unpaired electrons reside almost exclusively on the phosphorus atom in a π(2) configuration, with little interaction with the nitrogen nucleus. The fine structure splittings in the vibrational satellite lines differ significantly from the pattern of the ground state, with the effect most noticeable with increasing v(2) quantum number. These deviations likely result from spin-orbit vibronic perturbations from a nearby (1)Σ(+) state, suggested by the data to lie ~12,000 cm(-1) above the ground state.

The pure rotational spectrum of HPS (X̃1A'): chemical bonding in second-row elements.

The pure rotational spectrum of HPS, as well as its (34)S and D isotopologues, has been recorded at microwave, millimeter, and submillimeter wavelengths, the first observation of this molecule in the gas phase. The data were obtained using a combination of millimeter direct absorption, Fourier transform microwave (FTMW), and microwave-microwave double-resonance techniques, which cover the total frequency range from 15 to 419 GHz. Quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP and CCSD(T) levels were also performed to aid in spectral identification. HPS was created in the direct absorption experiment from a mixture of elemental phosphorus, H(2)S, and Ar carrier gas; DPS was produced by adding D(2). In the FTMW study, these species were generated in a pulsed discharge nozzle from PH(3) and H(2)S or D(2)S, diluted in neon. The spectra recorded for HPS and its isotopologues exhibit clear asymmetric top patterns indicating bent structures; phosphorus hyperfine splittings were also observed in HPS, but not DPS. Analysis of the data yielded rotation, centrifugal distortion, and phosphorus nuclear spin-rotation parameters for the individual species. The r(m) ((1)) structure for HPS, calculated from the rotational constants, is r(H-P) = 1.438(1) Å, r(P-S) = 1.9320(1) Å, and θ(H-P-S) = 101.85(9)°. Empirically correcting for zero-point vibrational effects yields the geometry r(e)(H-P) = 1.4321(2) Å, r(e)(P-S) = 1.9287(1) Å, and θ(e)(H-P-S) = 101.78(1)°, in close agreement with the r(m) ((1)) structure. A small inertial defect was found for HPS indicating a relatively rigid molecule. Based on these data, the bonding in this species is best represented as H-P=S, similar to the first-row analog HNO, as well as HNS and HPO. Therefore, substitution of phosphorus and sulfur for nitrogen and oxygen does not result in a dramatic structural change.

The rotational spectrum of CuCCH(X̃ 1Σ+): a Fourier transform microwave discharge assisted laser ablation spectroscopy and millimeter/submillimeter study.

The pure rotational spectrum of CuCCH in its ground electronic state (X̃ (1)Σ(+)) has been measured in the frequency range of 7-305 GHz using Fourier transform microwave (FTMW) and direct absorption millimeter/submillimeter methods. This work is the first spectroscopic study of CuCCH, a model system for copper acetylides. The molecule was synthesized using a new technique, discharge assisted laser ablation spectroscopy (DALAS). Four to five rotational transitions were measured for this species in six isotopologues ((63)CuCCH, (65)CuCCH, (63)Cu(13)CCH, (63)CuC(13)CH, (63)Cu(13)C(13)CH, and (63)CuCCD); hyperfine interactions arising from the copper nucleus were resolved, as well as smaller splittings in CuCCD due to deuterium quadrupole coupling. Five rotational transitions were also recorded in the millimeter region for (63)CuCCH and (65)CuCCH, using a Broida oven source. The combined FTMW and millimeter spectra were analyzed with an effective Hamiltonian, and rotational, electric quadrupole (Cu and D) and copper nuclear spin-rotation constants were determined. From the rotational constants, an r(m)(2) structure for CuCCH was established, with r(Cu-C) = 1.8177(6) Å, r(C-C) = 1.2174(6) Å, and r(C-H) = 1.046(2) Å. The geometry suggests that CuCCH is primarily a covalent species with the copper atom singly bonded to the C≡C-H moiety. The copper quadrupole constant indicates that the bonding orbital of this atom may be sp hybridized. The DALAS technique promises to be fruitful in the study of other small, metal-containing molecules of chemical interest.

Millimeter/submillimeter-wave spectrum of the VCl(+) radical in its X (4)Sigma(-) ground state.

The pure rotational spectrum of the molecular ion VCl(+) (X (4)Sigma(-)) has been recorded from 274 to 419 GHz using a combination of millimeter direct absorption and velocity modulation spectroscopy. This study is the first spectroscopic measurement of this species in the laboratory, which has also enabled the determination of the ground state term, (4)Sigma(-). VCl(+) was produced in an AC discharge of VCl(4) and argon. Fifteen and eleven rotational transitions were recorded for the V(35)Cl(+) and V(37)Cl(+) isotopologues, respectively. The fine structure splittings of the (4)Sigma(-) state were found to deviate significantly from a case (b) pattern. Specifically, spin components from adjacent rotational transitions were found to overlap in frequency. Unusual vanadium hyperfine splittings were also observed in the VCl(+) spectra; the expected vanadium octet was clearly present for the F(2) and F(3) spin components but was partially collapsed and reversed in frequency ordering in the F(1) and F(4) cases. The data were analyzed in a global fit, and rotational, fine structure, and hyperfine constants were determined. For VCl(+), the values of both the spin-spin and spin-rotation parameters are extremely large, as were the third-order hyperfine and spin-rotation terms, b(s) and gamma(s). For example, the spin-spin constant is lambda = 417 900(22 700) MHz, while gamma = 6567(51) MHz. The values of these constants indicate a high density of excited electronic states close to the ground state, which contribute to second and third-order spin-orbit coupling. The hyperfine constants suggest a sigma(1)pi(2) electron configuration, as opposed to sigma(1)delta(2), as found in VS and VO. The bond length of VCl(+), r(0) = 2.119(2) A, is shorter than that of VCl by 0.1 A, which has r(0) = 2.219 A. The decrease in bond length is attributed to an increase in the electrostatic attraction between V(2+) and Cl(-), as opposed to V(+) and Cl(-) for VCl.

Fine structure and hyperfine perturbations in the pure rotational spectrum of the VCl radical in its X 5Delta(r) state.

The pure rotational spectrum of the VCl radical in its (5)Delta(r) ground state has been recorded in the range 236-417 GHz using millimeter/submillimeter direct absorption techniques. This species was created in an ac discharge of VCl(4) and argon. Ten rotational transitions of V(35)Cl were measured in all five Omega ladders; an additional nine transitions of the Omega=1 spin state were recorded in order to evaluate the (51)V hyperfine structure. Hyperfine interactions associated with the (35)Cl nucleus were not resolved, consistent with the ionic structure of the molecule. Because of extensive perturbations caused by the low-lying A (5)Pi(r) excited state, the rotational spectrum of the ground state has been found to be quite irregular. The four lowest Omega ladders exhibit unusually large lambda-doubling interactions, with the Omega=1 component showing the largest splitting, over 2 GHz in magnitude. The Omega=1 transitions are also shifted to higher frequency relative to the other spin components. In addition, the hyperfine structure varies widely between the Omega ladders, and an avoided crossing is observed in two transitions of both the Omega=1e and 2e components. The data have been analyzed with a case (c) Hamiltonian, and effective rotational, lambda-doubling, and hyperfine constants have been determined for V(35)Cl. Higher-order parity-dependent magnetic hyperfine terms d(Delta2) and d(Delta3) were required in the analysis, derived from perturbation theory, in addition to the usual d(Delta) parameter. The local perturbations evident in these spectra indicate that the A (5)Pi(r) excited state lies within the spin-orbit manifold of the ground state, well below the predicted value of 517 cm(-1). Mixing of the A (5)Pi(r) and X (5)Delta(r) states apparently causes both local and global perturbations in the ground state spectrum.

The rotational spectrum of the CCP (X 2Pi(r)) radical and its 13C isotopologues at microwave, millimeter, and submillimeter wavelengths.

The pure rotational spectrum of CCP (X (2)Pi(r)) has been measured at microwave, millimeter, and submillimeter wavelengths (17-545 GHz), along with its (13)C isotopologues ((13)C(13)CP, C(13)CP, and (13)CCP). The spectra of these species were recorded using a combination of millimeter/submillimeter direct absorption methods and Fourier transform microwave (FTMW) techniques. The phosphorus dicarbides were created in the gas phase from the reaction of red phosphorus and acetylene or methane in argon in an ac discharge for the direct absorption experiments, and using PCl(3) as the phosphorus source in a pulsed dc nozzle discharge for the FTMW measurements. A total of 35 rotational transitions were recorded for the main isotopologue, and between 2 and 8 for the (13)C-substituted species. Both spin-orbit components were identified for CCP, while only the Omega = 12 ladder was observed for (13)C(13)CP, C(13)CP, and (13)CCP. Hyperfine splittings due to phosphorus were observed for each species, as well as carbon-13 hyperfine structure for each of the (13)C-substituted isotopologues. The data were fitted with a Hund's case (a) Hamiltonian, and rotational, fine structure, and hyperfine parameters were determined for each species. The r(m)(1) bond lengths established for CCP, r(C-C) = 1.289(1) A and r(C-P) = 1.621(1) A, imply that there are double bonds between both the two carbon atoms and the carbon and phosphorus atoms. The hyperfine constants suggest that the unpaired electron in this radical is primarily located on the phosphorus nucleus, but with some electron density also on the terminal carbon atom. There appears to be a minor resonance structure where the unpaired electron is on the nucleus of the end carbon. The multiple double bond structure forces the molecule to be linear, as opposed to other main group dicarbides, such as SiC(2), which have cyclic geometries.

Molecules in high spin states III: the millimeter/submillimeter-wave spectrum of the MnCl radical (X (7)Sigma(+)).

The pure rotational spectrum of the MnCl radical (X (7)Sigma(+)) has been recorded in the range 141-535 GHz using millimeter-submillimeter direct absorption spectroscopy. This work is the first time the molecule has been studied with rotational resolution in its ground electronic state. MnCl was synthesized by the reaction of manganese vapor, produced in a Broida-type oven, with Cl(2). Transitions of both chlorine isotopomers were measured, as well as lines originating in several vibrationally excited states. The presence of several spin components and manganese hyperfine interactions resulted in quite complex spectra, consisting of multiple blended features. Because 42 rotational transitions were measured for Mn(35)Cl over a wide range of frequencies with high signal-to-noise, a very accurate set of rotational, fine structure, and hyperfine constants could be determined with the aid of spectral simulations. Spectroscopic constants were also determined for Mn(37)Cl and several vibrationally excited states. The values of the spin-rotation and spin-spin parameters were found to be relatively small (gamma=11.2658 MHz and lambda=1113.10 MHz for Mn(35)Cl); in the case of lambda, excited electronic states contributing to the second-order spin-orbit interaction may be canceling each other. The Fermi contact hyperfine term was found to be large in manganese chloride with b(F)(Mn(35)Cl)=397.71 MHz, a result of the manganese 4s character mixing into the 12sigma orbital. This orbital is spsigma hybridized, and contains some Mn 4psigma character, as well. Hence, it also contributes to the dipolar constant c, which is small and positive for this radical (c=32.35 MHz for Mn(35)Cl). The hyperfine parameters in MnCl are similar to those of MnH and MnF, suggesting that the bonding in these three molecules is comparable.

Perturbations in the pure rotational spectrum of CoCl (X 3 Phi i): a submillimeter study.

The millimeter/submillimeter-wave spectrum of the CoCl radical (X (3)Phi(i)) has been recorded using direct absorption techniques in the frequency range 340-510 GHz. This work is the first pure rotational study of this molecule. The radical was created by the reaction of Cl(2) with cobalt vapor. Rotational transitions arising from the Omega=4, 3, and 2 spin-orbit components of Co(35)Cl have been measured, all of which exhibit hyperfine splittings due to the (59)Co nucleus (I=7/2). Transitions arising from the Co(37)Cl species were also recorded, as well as those originating in the v=1, 2, 3, and 4 vibrational states of both isotopomers. The spin-orbit pattern exhibited by the molecule is unusual, with the Omega=3 component significantly shifted relative to the other spin components. In addition, the regular octet hyperfine splittings become distorted above a certain J value for the Omega=3 transitions only. These effects suggest that the molecule is highly perturbed in its ground state, most likely a result of second-order spin-orbit mixing with a nearby isoconfigurational (1)Phi(3) state. The complete data set for Co(35)Cl and Co(37)Cl were fit successfully with a case (a) Hamiltonian but required a large negative spin-spin constant of lambda=-7196 GHz and higher order centrifugal distortion corrections to the rotational, spin-orbit, spin-spin, and hyperfine terms. The value of the spin-spin constant suggests that the Omega=3 component is shifted to higher energy and lies near the Omega=2 sublevel. The hyperfine parameters are consistent with a delta(3)pi(3) electron configuration and indicate that CoCl is more covalent than CoF.