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Platinum monofluoride (PtF) and platinum monochloride (PtCl) were detected in the gas phase using a source-modulated microwave spectrometer. The PtF and PtCl radicals were generated in a free space cell using the sputtering reaction from a platinum sheet placed on the inner surface of a stainless steel cathode through a dc glow discharge plasma of CF(4) and Cl(2), respectively, diluted with Ar. Rotational transitions were measured in the region between 150 and 313 GHz. Rotational, centrifugal distortion, and several fine- and hyperfine-structure constants were determined by a least-squares analysis. The observed fine-structure spectral patterns indicate that both PtF and PtCl radicals have the (2)Π(3/2) electronic ground states, while the related cyanide PtCN and hydride PtH radicals have the (2)Δ(5/2) electronic ground states.

The millimeter- and submillimeter-wave spectra of the NiI radical in the XΔ5∕22 and AΠ3∕22 states were observed by a source-modulated microwave spectrometer. The NiI radical was generated by a dc glow discharge in the mixture of CH3I vapor and Ar gas through the sputtering reaction with a Ni cathode. Observed transition frequencies for each electronic state were independently analyzed using a polynomial energy expression based on Hund’s case (c) approximation. The deperturbed rotational constants were also estimated by the perturbation analysis including interaction terms between the ground state and the lowest excited state.