The
ground state millimeter/submillimeter rotational spectrum of
pyruvic acid, a potential interstellar precursor to alanine, was collected
and assigned from 90 GHz to 1 THz with extension of the assignments
up to maximum J = 99, K
a
= 49, and K
c
= 99. Previous work on pyruvic acid collected and assigned
its spectrum up to 314 GHz with maximum J = 70, K
a
= 42, and K
c
= 70. Fitting was conducted using the
ERHAM program due to the presence of an internally rotating methyl
group. This fit resulted in the refinement of the rotational constants
making the spectrum of pyruvic acid well-predicted across the entire
spectral range of ground-based far-IR telescopes. A subsequent search
for pyruvic acid in 30 different astronomical sources was conducted
using the results from the experimental spectrum. No definitive detection
of pyruvic acid was identified. The results of the laboratory and
observational work are presented herein and discussed in the context
of prebiotic astrochemistry.
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