The Rotational Spectra, Structure, Internal Dynamics, and Electric Dipole Moment of the Argon-Ketene van der Waals Complex.

Pulsed-beam Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy was used to observe and assign the rotational spectra of the argon-ketene van der Waals complex. Tunneling of the hydrogen or deuterium atoms splits the a- and b-type rotational transitions of H(2)CCO-Ar, H(2)(13)CCO-Ar, H(2)C(13)CO-Ar, and D(2)CCO-Ar into two states. This internal motion appears to be quenched for HDCCO-Ar where only one state is observed. The spectra of all isotopomers were satisfactorily fit to a Watson asymmetric top Hamiltonian which gave A=10 447.9248(10) MHz, B=1918.0138(16) MHz, C=1606.7642(15) MHz, Delta(J)=16.0856(70) kHz, Delta(JK)=274.779(64) kHz, Delta(K)=-152.24(23) kHz, delta(J)=2.5313(18) kHz, delta(K)=209.85(82) kHz, and h(K)=1.562(64) kHz for the A(1) state of H(2)CCO-Ar. Electric dipole moment measurements determined &mgr;(a)=0.417(10)x10(-30) C m [0.125(3) D] and &mgr;(b)=4.566(7)x10(-30) C m [1.369(2) D] along the a and b principal axes of the A(1) state of the normal isotopomer. A least squares fit of principal moments of inertia, I(a) and I(c), of H(2)CCO-Ar, H(2)(13)CCO-Ar, and H(2)C(13)CO-Ar for the A(1) states give the argon-ketene center of mass separation, R(cm)=3.5868(3) Å, and the angle between the line connecting argon with the center of mass of ketene and the C=C=O axis, θ(cm)=96.4 degrees (2). The spectral data are consistent with a planar geometry with the argon atom tilted toward the carbonyl carbon of ketene by 6.4 degrees from a T-shaped configuration. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.