Microwave spectrum and internal rotation potential of propanal

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The gas‐phase microwave spectrum of the gauche rotational isomer of propanal (propionaldehyde, CH3CH2CHO) has been studied in detail. Vibration‐rotation interaction between torsional energy levels which are split by quantum tunneling results in the splitting of several ground‐state absorption lines. Treatment of this interaction by methods described in an earlier paper successfully accounts for the anomalous spectrum. Observation of several predicted transitions (including transitions nominally forbidden) confirms the theoretical treatment and allows an accurate determination of the energy level splitting (471.80±0.07 MHz) of the two lowest levels of gauche propanal. This new information is used in the determination of an internal rotation potential, which is compared with recent theoretical calculations for propanal.

This publication has 7 references indexed in Scilit: