We report the observation of a covalently bound species, formic sulfuric anhydride (FSA), that is produced from formic acid and sulfur trioxide under supersonic jet conditions. FSA has been structurally characterized by means of microwave spectroscopy and further investigated by using density functional theory and ab initio calculations. Theory indicates that a π2 + π2 + σ2 cycloaddition reaction between SO3 and HCOOH is a plausible pathway to FSA formation and that such a mechanism would be effectively barrierless. We speculate on the possible role that FSA may play in the Earth's atmosphere.

The ablation of metal surfaces in the presence of a precursor gas produces reaction products which are often difficult to predict and highly dependent on ablation conditions. This article describes the successful development and implementation of a laser ablation source-equipped Fourier transform microwave spectrometer capable of observing 4 GHz regions of spectra in a single data acquisition event. The dramatically increased speed with which regions may be searched, when compared to other high resolution microwave techniques, allows the source conditions to be the prime variable in laser ablation microwave spectroscopic studies. A second feature of the technique is that observed spectral features have correct relative intensities. This is advantageous when assigning observed spectra. The study of two metal chlorides, AgCl and AuCl, illustrate the instrument's benefits.

Aqueous pyridine plays an important role in a variety of catalytic processes aimed at harnessing solar energy. In this work, the pyridine-water interaction is studied by microwave spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. Water forms a hydrogen bond to the nitrogen with the oxygen tilted slightly toward either of the ortho-hydrogens of the pyridine, and a tunneling motion involving in-plane rocking of the water interconverts the resulting equivalent structures. A pair of tunneling states with severely perturbed rotational spectra is identified and their energy separation, ΔE, is inferred from the perturbations and confirmed by direct measurement. Curiously, values of ΔE are 10404.45 and 13566.94 MHz for the HO and DO complexes, respectively, revealing an inverted isotope effect upon deuteration. Small splittings in some transitions suggest an additional internal motion making this complex an interesting challenge for theoretical treatments of large amplitude motion. The results underscore the significant effect of the ortho-hydrogens on the intermolecular interaction of pyridine.

The J = 1-0 pure rotational transition, together with hyperfine structure where appropriate, has been recorded for all three naturally occurring isotopomers of the actinide-containing compound thorium monoxide ((232)Th(16)O, (232)Th(17)O and (232)Th(18)O).

3D printing is a new technology whose applications are only beginning to be explored. In this report, we describe the application of 3D printing to the design and construction of supersonic nozzles. Nozzles can be created for $0.50 or less, and the ease and low cost can facilitate the optimization of nozzle performance for the needs of any particular experiment. The efficacy of a variety of designs is assessed by examining rotational spectra of OCS (carbonyl sulfide) and Ar-OCS using a Fourier transform microwave spectrometer with tandem cavity and chirped-pulse capabilities. A slit geometry which, to the best of our knowledge has not been used in conjunction with Fourier transform microwave spectrometers, was found to increase the signal-to-noise ratio for the J = 1←0 transition of OCS, by a factor of three to four compared with that obtained using our standard circular nozzle. Corresponding gains for the Ar-OCS complex were marginal, at best, but further optimization of nozzle geometry should be possible. The spectrometer itself is designed to allow rapid switching between cavity and chirped-pulse modes of operation without the need to break vacuum. This feature, as well as the newly incorporated chirped-pulse capability, is described in detail.

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The reactions of amines and carboxylic acids have recently received attention for their possible role in the formation of atmospheric aerosol. Here, we report a microwave study of the trimethylamine-formic acid hydrogen-bonded complex, a simple prototype in which to study amine-carboxylic acid interactions. Spectra of three isotopologues of the system have been observed using a tandem cavity and chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave spectrometer. The complex has a plane of symmetry, with the acidic proton of the formic acid directed toward the lone pair of the nitrogen. The zero-point-averaged hydrogen bond length is 1.702 Å, and the O-H···N angle is 177°. (14)N nuclear quadrupole hyperfine structure has been used to assess the degree of proton transfer from the formic acid to the trimethylamine. Experimental results are supplemented with density functional theory calculations. M06-2X/6-311++G(3df,3pd) calculations indicate a binding energy of 16.8 kcal/mol with counterpoise correction (17.4 kcal/mol without counterpoise correction).

Rotational spectra are reported for seven isotopologues of the complex HCOOH-HNO3 in a supersonic jet. The system is planar and bound by a pair of hydrogen bonds, much like the more widely studied carboxylic acid dimers. Double proton exchange interconverts the system between a pair of equivalent structures, as revealed by a splitting of the a-type spectrum that disappears when one of the hydrogen bonding protons is replaced by deuterium. The observation of relative intensities that are consistent with nuclear spin statistics in a symmetric and antisymmetric pair of tunneling states provides additional evidence for such a motion. The observed splittings in the pure rotational spectrum are 1-2 orders of magnitude smaller than those recently reported in the pure rotational spectra of several related carboxylic acid dimers. This is a curious difference, although we note that because the observed spectra do not cross the tunneling doublet, the splittings are a measure of the difference in effective rotational constants for the two states, not the tunneling frequency itself. The observed rotational constants have been used to determine an accurate vibrationally averaged structure for the complex. The two hydrogen bond lengths, 1.686(17) Å and 1.813(10) Å for the hydrogen bonds involving the HNO3 and HCOOH protons, respectively, differ by 0.127(27) Å. Likewise, the associated oxygen-oxygen distances determined for the parent species, 2.631 and 2.794 Å, differ by 0.163 Å. These results suggest that the double proton transfer is necessarily accompanied by substantial motion of the heavy atom frame, and thus this system, in principle, provides an excellent prototype for multidimensional tunneling processes. Ab initio calculations of the binding energy and the barrier height are presented. Excellent agreement between the calculated equilibrium structure and the experimental, vibrationally averaged structure suggests that the vibrational wave function is not highly delocalized in the region between the equivalent potential wells. (14)N nuclear quadrupole hyperfine structure is interpreted in terms of the degree to which the HNO3 releases its proton in either of the equivalent potential energy minima.