Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol.110, No.19, 9411-9417, 1999
N-chlorodifluoromethanimine, CF2 = NCl: Quadrupole coupling and r(0) structure
The microwave spectra of (CF2)-C-12=(NCl)-N-15-Cl-35, (CF2)-C-12=(NCl)-N-15-Cl-37, and (CF2)-C-13=(NCl)-N-14-Cl-35 have been recorded and analyzed. Rotational, quartic centrifugal distortion and quadrupole coupling constants were determined. The off-diagonal element of the chlorine quadrupole coupling tensor, chi(ab), and the principal element of that tensor, chi(z), were obtained as 63.7 and -103.5 MHz, respectively, for Cl-35 (average), and 51 and -82 MHz, respectively, for Cl-37 in (CF2)-C-12=(NCl)-N-15-Cl-37. During the analysis of the spectrum of the C-13 species, it was necessary to diagonalize the complete exact Hamiltonian of the asymmetric rotor with two quadrupole nuclei because of irregular hyperfine patterns of some transitions caused by previously neglected matrix elements from the N-14 quadrupole. Earlier data for the normal isotopic species were re-evaluated because neglected off-diagonal matrix elements of the Hamiltonian led to data for chi(ab) and chi(z) inconsistent with the results obtained during this investigation. The rotational constants of all five isotopic species were used to determine the r(0) structure. All structural parameters for the planar molecule except for the difference between the CF distances could be determined. The results for the distances r(C=N) and r(NCl) and the angle alpha(CNCl) were 1.254(27) Angstrom, 1.713(17) Angstrom, and 113.62(26)degrees, respectively. The experimental data for the structure, the inertial defect, and the centrifugal distortion constants are compared to results from ab initio calculations.