New laboratory data of ethyl mercaptan, CH 3 CH 2 SH, in the millimeter and submillimeter-wave domains (up to 880 GHz) provided very precise values of the spectroscopic constants that allowed the detection of gauche-CH 3 CH 2 SH towards -2 -Orion KL. 77 unblended or slightly blended lines plus no missing transitions in the range 80 -280 GHz support this identification. A detection of methyl mercaptan, CH 3 SH, in the spectral survey of Orion KL is reported as well. Our column density results indicate that methyl mercaptan is ≃ 5 times more abundant than ethyl mercaptan in the hot core of Orion KL.1 This work was based on observations carried out with the IRAM 30-meter telescope. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain). 3 Hollis, J. M.; Remijan, A. J.; Jewell, P. R.; Lovas, F. J.; Corby, J. F.

Microwave spectroscopy has been applied to characterize the conformations adopted in the gas phase by a small peptide derived from alanine, N-acetyl-L-alaninamide (Ac-Ala-NH(2)). This compound was vaporized by laser ablation and shown to exist as a mixture of C(eq)(7) and C(5) conformers stabilized by a CO···HN intramolecular hydrogen bond closing a seven- or a five-membered ring, respectively. The complicated quadrupole hyperfine structure originated from two (14)N nuclei has been completely resolved for both species and the derived nuclear quadrupole coupling constants have been used to determine the Ramachandran angles that describe their molecular shapes.

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Context. We perform a laboratory characterization in the 18-1893 GHz range and astronomical detection between 80-280 GHz in Orion-KL with IRAM-30 m of CH 2 CHCN (vinyl cyanide) in its ground and vibrationally excited states. Aims. Our aim is to improve the understanding of rotational spectra of vibrationally excited vinyl cyanide with new laboratory data and analysis. The laboratory results allow searching for these excited state transitions in the Orion-KL line survey. Furthermore, rotational lines of CH 2 CHCN contribute to the understanding of the physical and chemical properties of the cloud. Methods. Laboratory measurements of CH 2 CHCN made on several different frequency-modulated spectrometers were combined into a single broadband 50-1900 GHz spectrum and its assignment was confirmed by Stark modulation spectra recorded in the 18-40 GHz region and by ab-initio anharmonic force field calculations. For analyzing the emission lines of vinyl cyanide detected in Orion-KL we used the excitation and radiative transfer code (MADEX) at LTE conditions. Results. Detailed characterization of laboratory spectra of CH 2 CHCN in nine different excited vibrational states: 11 = 1, 15 = 1, 11 = 2, 10 = 1 ⇔ ( 11 = 1, 15 = 1), 11 = 3/ 15 = 2/ 14 = 1, ( 11 = 1, 10 = 1) ⇔ ( 11 = 2, 15 = 1), 9 = 1, ( 11 = 1, 15 = 2) ⇔ ( 10 = 1, 15 = 1) ⇔ ( 11 = 1, 14 = 1), and 11 = 4 are determined, as well as the detection of transitions in the 11 = 2 and 11 = 3 states for the first time in Orion-KL and of those in the 10 = 1 ⇔ ( 11 = 1, 15 = 1) dyad of states for the first time in space. The rotational transitions of the ground state of this molecule emerge from four cloud components of hot core nature, which trace the physical and chemical conditions of high mass star forming regions in the Orion-KL Nebula. The lowest energy vibrationally excited states of vinyl cyanide, such as 11 = 1 (at 328.5 K), 15 = 1 (at 478.6 K), 11 = 2 (at 657.8 K), the 10 = 1 ⇔ ( 11 = 1, 15 = 1) dyad (at 806.4/809.9 K), and 11 = 3 (at 987.9 K), are populated under warm and dense conditions, so they probe the hottest parts of the Orion-KL source. The vibrational temperatures derived for the 11 = 1, 11 = 2, and 15 = 1 states are 252 ± 76 K, 242 ± 121 K, and 227 ± 68 K, respectively; all of them are close to the mean kinetic temperature of the hot core component (210 K). The total column density of CH 2 CHCN in the ground state is (3.0 ± 0.9) × 10 15 cm −2 . We report the detection of methyl isocyanide (CH 3 NC) for the first time in Orion-KL and a tentative detection of vinyl isocyanide (CH 2 CHNC). We also give column density ratios between the cyanide and isocyanide isomers, obtaining a N(CH 3 NC)/N(CH 3 CN) ratio of 0.002. Conclusions. Laboratory characterization of many previously unassigned vibrationally excited states of vinyl cyanide ranging from microwave to THz frequencies allowed us to detect these molecular species in Orion-KL. Column density, rotational and vibrational temperatures for CH 2 CHCN in their ground and excited states, and the isotopolo...

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Microwave spectra of the propiolic acid-formic acid doubly hydrogen bonded complex were measured in the 1 GHz to 21 GHz range using four different Fourier transform spectrometers. Rotational spectra for seven isotopologues were obtained. For the parent isotopologue, a total of 138 a-dipole transitions and 28 b-dipole transitions were measured for which the a-dipole transitions exhibited splittings of a few MHz into pairs of lines and the b-type dipole transitions were split by ~580 MHz. The transitions assigned to this complex were fit to obtain rotational and distortion constants for both tunneling levels: A(0+) = 6005.289(8), B(0+) = 930.553(8), C(0+) = 803.9948(6) MHz, Δ(0+)(J) = 0.075(1), Δ(0+)(JK) = 0.71(1), and δ(0+)(j) = -0.010(1) kHz and A(0-) = 6005.275(8), B(0-) = 930.546(8), C(0-) = 803.9907(5) MHz, Δ(0-)(J) = 0.076(1), Δ(0-)(JK) = 0.70(2), and δ(0-)(j) = -0.008(1) kHz. Double resonance experiments were used on some transitions to verify assignments and to obtain splittings for cases when the b-dipole transitions were difficult to measure. The experimental difference in energy between the two tunneling states is 291.428(5) MHz for proton-proton exchange and 3.35(2) MHz for the deuterium-deuterium exchange. The vibration-rotation coupling constant between the two levels, F(ab), is 120.7(2) MHz for the proton-proton exchange. With one deuterium atom substituted in either of the hydrogen-bonding protons, the tunneling splittings were not observed for a-dipole transitions, supporting the assignment of the splitting to the concerted proton tunneling motion. The spectra were obtained using three Flygare-Balle type spectrometers and one chirped-pulse machine at the University of Virginia. Rotational constants and centrifugal distortion constants were obtained for HCOOH···HOOCCCH, H(13)COOH···HOOCCCH, HCOOD···HOOCCCH, HCOOH···DOOCCCH, HCOOD···DOOCCCH, DCOOH···HOOCCCH, and DCOOD···HOOCCCH. High-level ab initio calculations provided initial rotational constants for the complex, structural parameters, and some details of the proton tunneling potential energy surface. A least squares fit to the isotopic data reveals a planar structure that is slightly asymmetric in the OH distances. The formic OH···O propiolic hydrogen bond length is 1.8 Å and the propiolic OH···O formic hydrogen bond length is 1.6 Å, for the equilibrium configuration. The magnitude of the dipole moment was experimentally determined to be 1.95(3) × 10(-30) C m (0.584(8) D) for the 0(+) states and 1.92(5) × 10(-30) C m (0.576(14) D) for the 0(-) states.

Microwave spectra for 11 isotopomers of bis(η 5 -cyclopentadienyl)tungsten dihydride ((C 5 H 5 ) 2 WH 2 ) were recorded in the 5-14 GHz region using a Flygare-Balle-type pulsed beam spectrometer. Spectra arising from four tungsten isotopomers of both the (C 5 H 5 ) 2 WH 2 and (C 5 H 5 ) 2 WHD species and three W isotopomers for the (C 5 H 5 ) 2 WD 2 complex have been measured. The ∼250 b-type transition frequencies assigned for these near-prolate asymmetric top molecules were accurately described (σ fit ) 2-4 kHz) using the rotational parameters A, B, and C and one centrifugal distortion constant, ∆ J . The small value obtained for ∆ J indicates a fairly rigid structure. From a least-squares fit using the resulting 33 rotational constants to obtain the molecular structure, we were able to determine the W-H bond length, r(W-H) ) 1.703(2) Å, the H-W-H bond angle, ∠(H-W-H) ) 78.0(12)°, the W-Cp centroid distance, r(W-Cp) ) 1.940(8) Å, the angle made by the Cp centroids with tungsten, ∠(Cp-W-Cp) ) 155(2)°, and the average C-C bond length, r(C-C) ) 1.429(8) Å. The hydrogen atom separation is r(H-H) ) 2.14(2) Å, indicating that this is clearly a "classical dihydride" rather than an "η 2 -dihydrogen" complex. The WH 2 moiety parameters determined from Kraitchman's equations (r(W-H) ) 1.682(2) Å, ∠(H-W-H) ) 78.6(2), r(H-H) ) 2.130(2) Å) agree well with the least-squares results. Furthermore, the r e parameters obtained from DFT calculations agree well with the experimental r 0 structural parameters. To our knowledge, this work marks the first microwave study of a bent-metallocene complex. The present measurements were made with a pulsed-beam Fourier transform spectrometer employing a homodynetype detection system, and this configuration is described. This homodyne system greatly simplifies the microwave circuit, with no apparent loss in sensitivity.

A non-conventional vaporization method, using laser ablation of solid NaCl doped with d-erythrose, has been used to bring this sugar into the gas phase for rotational study. The jet cooled rotational spectrum of this C4 monosaccharide reveals the existence of two furanose forms, one α envelope and one β twist. Cooperative hydrogen bond networks and the anomeric effect have been found to be the main stabilization factors of the detected structures.