MICROWAVE SPECTRA AND STRUCTURES OF H$_2$O-AgCl AND H$_3$N-AgCl

Author Institution: School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TS, U.K.A Balle-Flygare FT-MW spectrometer coupled to a laser ablation source has been used to measure the pure rotational spectra of H$_{2}$O-AgCl and H$_{3}$N-AgCl. Both molecules are generated via laser ablation (532 nm) of a metal rod in the presence of CCl$_{4}$, argon, a low partial pressure of H$_{2}$O or NH$_{3}$ and are stabilized by supersonic expansion. Rotational constants and centrifugal distortion constants have been measured for eight isotopologues of H$_{2}$O-AgCl with substitutions at the silver, chlorine, oxygen and hydrogen atoms. $\it{B}_{\rm{0}}$ and $\it{C}_{\rm{0}}$ have been independently determined for six isotopologues and the spectra are consistent with a linear arrangement of oxygen, silver and chlorine atoms. The structure is either $\it{C}_{\rm{2v}}$ planar at equilibrium or $\it{C}_{\rm{S}}$ pyramidal but with a low potential-energy barrier to planarity such that the v=0 and 1 states associated with the motion that inverts the configuration at the O atom are well separated. Preliminary data from a study of H$_{3}$N-AgCl will also be presented. Several transitions have been observed and tentatively assigned to hyperfine components of the 2$_{02}$-1$_{01}$, 3$_{03}$-2$_{02}$ and 4$_{04}$-3$_{03}$ transitions of H$_{3}$N-$^{107}$Ag$^{35}$Cl and H$_{3}$N-$^{109}$Ag$^{35}$Cl. These data are consistent with a $\it{C}_{\rm{3v}}$ structure