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The benefits of what is alternatively called a nonorthogonally spin-adapted, spin-free, or orbital representation of the coupled cluster equations is discussed relative to orthogonally spin-adapted, spin-orbital, and spin-integrated theories. In particular, specific linear combinations of the orbital cluster amplitudes, denoted spin-summed amplitudes, are shown to reduce the number of contractions that must be explicitly performed and to simplify the expressions and their derivation. The computational efficiency of the spin-summed approach is discussed and compared to orthogonally spin-adapted and spin-integrated approaches. The spin-summed approach is shown to have significant computational advantages relative to the other methods for CCSDT and CCSDTQ.

The forward and reverse reactions, HO + HO ⇌ O((3)P) + H2O, which play roles in both combustion and laboratory studies, were theoretically characterized with a master equation approach to compute thermal reaction rate constants at both the low and high pressure limits. Our ab initio k(T) results for the title reaction and two isotopic variants agree very well with experiments (within 15%) over a wide temperature range. The calculated reaction rate shows a distinctly non-Arrhenius behavior and a strong curvature consistent with the experiment. This characteristic behavior is due to effects of positive barrier height and quantum mechanical tunneling. Tunneling is very important and contributes more than 70% of total reaction rate at room temperature. A prereactive complex is also important in the overall reaction scheme.

Ab initio microcanonical rate constants were computed using Semi-Classical Transition State Theory (SCTST) and used in two master equation formulations (1D, depending on active energy with centrifugal corrections, and 2D, depending on total energy and angular momentum) to compute temperature-dependent rate constants for the title reactions using a potential energy surface obtained by sophisticated ab initio calculations. The 2D master equation was used at the P = 0 and P = ∞ limits, while the 1D master equation with centrifugal corrections and an empirical energy transfer parameter could be used over the entire pressure range. Rate constants were computed for 75 K ≤ T ≤ 2500 K and 0 ≤ [He] ≤ 10(23) cm(-3). For all temperatures and pressures important for combustion and for the terrestrial atmosphere, the agreement with the experimental rate constants is very good, but at very high pressures and T ≤ 200 K, the theoretical rate constants are significantly smaller than the experimental values. This effect is possibly due to the presence in the experiments of dimers and prereactive complexes, which were not included in the model calculations. The computed H/D kinetic isotope effects are in acceptable agreement with experimental data, which show considerable scatter. Overall, the agreement between experimental and theoretical H/D kinetic isotope effects is much better than in previous work, and an assumption of non-RRKM behavior does not appear to be needed to reproduce experimental observations.

Chirped-Pulse millimetre-Wave (CPmmW) rotational spectroscopy provides a new class of information about photolysis transition state(s). Measured intensities in rotational spectra determine species-isomer-vibrational populations, provided that the rotational populations can be thermalized. The formation and detection of S(0) vinylidene is discussed in the limits of low and high initial rotational excitation. CPmmW spectra of 193 nm photolysis of vinyl cyanide (acrylonitrile) contain J = 0-1 transitions in more than 20 vibrational levels of HCN and HNC, but no transitions in vinylidene or highly excited local-bender vibrational levels of acetylene. Reasons for the non-observation of the vinylidene co-product of HCN are discussed.

We report nonrelativistic and scalar-relativistic coupled-cluster calculations of the copper quadrupole-coupling constants for eleven small copper-containing compounds. It is shown to be necessary to treat both electron-correlation and scalar-relativistic effects on the same footing even for a qualitatively correct description, because both effects are significant and are strongly coupled in the case of Cu electric-field gradients. We show that the three scalar-relativistic schemes employed in the present study--the leading order of direct perturbation theory, the spin-free exact two-component theory in its one-electron variant, and the spin-free Dirac-Coulomb approach--provide accurate treatments of scalar-relativistic effects for the copper compounds under study. Furthermore, we demonstrate that results close to the basis-set limit can be obtained by augmenting large uncontracted standard basis sets for copper with additional steep functions. It is also shown that high-level correlation effects (those beyond the perturbative treatment of triple excitations) make important contributions in the present case.

A heated SiC microtubular reactor has been used to decompose acetaldehyde and its isotopomers (CH(3)CDO, CD(3)CHO, and CD(3)CDO). The pyrolysis experiments are carried out by passing a dilute mixture of acetaldehyde (roughly 0.1%-1%) entrained in a stream of a buffer gas (either He or Ar) through a heated SiC reactor that is 2-3 cm long and 1 mm in diameter. Typical pressures in the reactor are 50-200 Torr with the SiC tube wall temperature in the range 1200-1900 K. Characteristic residence times in the reactor are 50-200 μs after which the gas mixture emerges as a skimmed molecular beam at a pressure of approximately 10 μTorr. The reactor has been modified so that both pulsed and continuous modes can be studied, and results from both flow regimes are presented. Using various detection methods (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and both fixed wavelength and tunable synchrotron radiation photoionization mass spectrometry), a number of products formed at early pyrolysis times (roughly 100-200 μs) are identified: H, H(2), CH(3), CO, CH(2)=CHOH, HC≡CH, H(2)O, and CH(2)=C=O; trace quantities of other species are also observed in some of the experiments. Pyrolysis of rare isotopomers of acetaldehyde produces characteristic isotopic signatures in the reaction products, which offers insight into reaction mechanisms that occur in the reactor. In particular, while the principal unimolecular processes appear to be radical decomposition CH(3)CHO (+M) → CH(3) + H + CO and isomerization of acetaldehyde to vinyl alcohol, it appears that the CH(2)CO and HCCH are formed (perhaps exclusively) by bimolecular reactions, especially those involving hydrogen atom attacks.

Propargyl (HCCCH(2)) radicals have been generated by expanding precursors through a supersonic pyrolysis nozzle, and their infrared (IR) absorption spectra have been recorded in a rare gas matrix. Besides the 10 vibrational modes observed in our previous studies, this investigation detected the HCCCH(2) X̃ (2)B(1) in-plane bending mode (ν(12)) at 344.2 (±0.8) cm(-1) in a cryogenic argon matrix. This is the first experimental observation of ν(12) for the propargyl radical. In the previous study, ν(12) had been fixed at 333 (±10) cm(-1) based on detection of its overtone (2ν(12), 667.7 ± 1.0 cm(-1)) and a possible combination band (ν(10) + ν(12), 1339.0 ± 0.8 cm(-1)). The new observation is in reasonable agreement with this previous experimental estimation of ν(12). Ab initio coupled cluster anharmonic force field calculations were used to guide the analysis. Our finding completes the fundamental frequency database for propargyl.

Carbonyl diazide (1), OC(N(3))(2), is prepared by reaction of triphosgene and tetra-n-butylammonium azide in a solution of diethyl ether or dimethyl ether. The advantage of this synthetic method, relative to other procedures, is that the use of triphosgene, OC(OCCl(3))(2), mitigates the need to use highly poisonous reagents such as phosgene, OCCl(2), or chlorofluorocarbonyl, OC(Cl)F. The identity and purity of OC(N(3))(2) are established by gas-phase IR spectroscopy, which reveals the presence of both syn-syn and anti-syn conformers. Computed anharmonic vibrational frequencies and infrared intensities of carbonyl diazide (1) display excellent agreement with experiment, and reveal the presence of strong Fermi resonances.

Enthalpies of formation at both 0 and 298 K were calculated according to the HEAT (High-accuracy Extrapolated Ab initio Thermochemistry) protocol for the title molecules, all of which play important roles in combustion chemistry. At the HEAT345-(Q) level of theory, recommended enthalpies of formation at 0 K are 301.5 ± 1.3, 180.3 ± 1.8, and 23.4 ± 1.5 kJ mol(-1) for vinyl, allyl, and vinoxy, respectively. At 298 K, the corresponding values are 297.3, 168.6, and 16.1 kJ mol(-1), with the same uncertainties. The calculated values for the three radicals are in excellent agreement with the corresponding experimental values, but the uncertainties associated with the HEAT values for vinoxy are considerably smaller than those based on experimental studies.

Calculations were carried out for 25 isotopologues of the title reaction for various combinations of (35)Cl, (37)Cl, (12)C, (13)C, (14)C, H, and D. The computed rate constants are based on harmonic vibrational frequencies calculated at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory and X(ij) vibrational anharmonicity coefficients calculated at the CCSD(T) /aug-cc-pVDZ level of theory. For some reactions, anharmonicity coefficients were also computed at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory. The classical reaction barrier was taken from Eskola et al. [J. Phys. Chem. A 2008, 112, 7391-7401], who extrapolated CCSD(T) calculations to the complete basis set limit. Rate constants were calculated for temperatures from ∼100 to ∼2000 K. The computed ab initio rate constant for the normal isotopologue is in good agreement with experiments over the entire temperature range (∼10% lower than the recommended experimental value at 298 K). The ab initio H/D kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) for CH(3)D, CH(2)D(2), CHD(3), and CD(4) are in very good agreement with literature experimental data. The ab initio (12)C/(13)C KIE is in error by ∼2% at 298 K for calculations using X(ij) coefficients computed with the aug-cc-pVDZ basis set, but the error is reduced to ∼1% when X(ij) coefficients computed with the larger aug-cc-pVTZ basis set are used. Systematic improvements appear to be possible. The present SCTST results are found to be more accurate than those from other theoretical calculations. Overall, this is a very promising method for computing ab initio kinetic isotope effects.

The potential energy surface and chemical kinetics for the reaction of HO with CO, which is an important process in both combustion and atmospheric chemistry, were computed using high-level ab initio quantum chemistry in conjunction with semiclassical transition state theory under the limiting cases of high and zero pressure. The reaction rate constants calculated from first principles agree extremely well with all available experimental data, which range in temperature over a domain that covers both combustion and terrestrial atmospheric chemistry. The role of quantum tunneling is confirmed to be extremely important, which supports recent work by Continetti and collaborators regarding the loss of hydrogen atoms from vibrationally excited states of HOCO. A sensitivity analysis has been carried out and serves as the basis for a plausible estimate of uncertainty in the calculations.

We report the measurement of a jet-cooled electronic spectrum of the silicon trimer. Si(3) was produced in a pulsed discharge of silane in argon, and the excitation spectrum examined in the 18 000-20 800 cm(-1) region. A combination of resonant two-color two-photon ionization (R2C2PI) time-of-flight mass spectroscopy, laser-induced fluorescence/dispersed fluorescence, and equation-of-motion coupled-cluster calculations have been used to establish that the observed spectrum is dominated by the 1(3)A(1)" - ã (3)A(2)' transition of the D(3h) isomer. The spectrum has an origin transition at 18,600 ± 4 cm(-1) and a short progression in the symmetric stretch with a frequency of ∼445 cm(-1), in good agreement with a predicted vertical transition energy of 2.34 eV for excitation to the 1(3)A(1)" state, which has a calculated symmetric stretching frequency of 480 cm(-1). In addition, a ∼505 cm(-1) ground state vibrational frequency determined from sequence bands and dispersed fluorescence is in agreement with an earlier zero-electron kinetic energy study of the lowest D(3h) state and with theory. A weaker, overlapping band system with a ∼360 cm(-1) progression, observed in the same mass channel (m/z = 84) by R2C2PI but under different discharge conditions, is thought to be due to transitions from the (more complicated) singlet C(2v) ground state ((1)A(1)) state of Si(3). Evidence of emission to this latter state in the triplet dispersed fluorescence spectra suggests extensive mixing in the excited triplet and singlet manifolds. Prospects for further spectroscopic characterization of the singlet system and direct measurement of the energy separation between the lowest singlet and triplet states are discussed.

A joint experimental-theoretical study has been carried out on electronic states of propadienylidene (H(2)CCC), using results from negative-ion photoelectron spectroscopy. In addition to the previously characterized X(1)A(1) electronic state, spectroscopic features are observed that belong to five additional states: the low-lying ã(3)B(1) and b(3)A(2) states, as well as two excited singlets, Ã(1)A(2) and B(1)B(1), and a higher-lying triplet, c(3)A(1). Term energies (T(0), in cm(-1)) for the excited states obtained from the data are: 10,354±11 (ã(3)B(1)); 11,950±30 (b(3)A(2)); 20,943±11 (c(3)A(1)); and 13,677±11 (Ã(1)A(2)). Strong vibronic coupling affects the Ã(1)A(2) and B(1)B(1) states as well as ã(3)B(1) and b(3)A(2) and has profound effects on the spectrum. As a result, only a weak, broadened band is observed in the energy region where the origin of the B(1)B(1) state is expected. The assignments here are supported by high-level coupled-cluster calculations and spectral simulations based on a vibronic coupling Hamiltonian. A result of astrophysical interest is that the present study supports the idea that a broad absorption band found at 5450 Å by cavity ringdown spectroscopy (and coincident with a diffuse interstellar band) is carried by the B(1)B(1) state of H(2)CCC.

The photoelectron spectrum of the anilinide ion has been measured. The spectrum exhibits a vibrational progression of the CCC in-plane bending mode of the anilino radical in its electronic ground state. The observed fundamental frequency is 524 ± 10 cm(-1). The electron affinity (EA) of the radical is determined to be 1.607 ± 0.004 eV. The EA value is combined with the N-H bond dissociation energy of aniline in a negative ion thermochemical cycle to derive the deprotonation enthalpy of aniline at 0 K; Δ(acid)H(0)(PhHN-H) = 1535.4 ± 0.7 kJ mol(-1). Temperature corrections are made to obtain the corresponding value at 298 K and the gas-phase acidity; Δ(acid)H(298)(PhHN-H) = 1540.8 ± 1.0 kJ mol(-1) and Δ(acid)G(298)(PhHN-H) = 1509.2 ± 1.5 kJ mol(-1), respectively. The compatibility of this value in the acidity scale that is currently available is examined by utilizing the acidity of acetaldehyde as a reference.

The molecular structure of trans, planar hydridotrioxygen (HOOO) has been examined by means of isotopic spectroscopy using Fourier transform microwave as well as microwave-millimeter-wave double resonance techniques, and high-level coupled cluster quantum-chemical calculations. Although this weakly bound molecule is readily observed in an electrical discharge of H(2)O and O(2) heavily diluted in an inert buffer gas, we find that HOOO can be produced with somewhat higher abundance using H(2) and O(2) as precursor gases. Using equal mixtures of normal and (18)O(2), it has been possible to detect three new isotopic species, H(18)OOO, HO(18)O(18)O, and H(18)O(18)O(18)O. Detection of these species and not others provides compelling evidence that the dominant route to HOOO formation in our discharge is via the reaction OH + O(2) → HOOO. By combining derived rotational constants with those for normal HOOO and DOOO, it has been possible to determine a fully experimental (r(0)) structure for this radical, in which all of the structural parameters (the three bond lengths and two angles) have been varied. This best-fit structure possesses a longer central O-O bond (1.684 Å), in agreement with earlier work, a markedly shorter O-H bond distance (0.913 Å), and a more acute [angle]HOO angle (92.4°) when compared to equilibrium (r(e)) structures obtained from quantum-chemical calculations. To better understand the origin of these discrepancies, vibrational corrections have been obtained from coupled-cluster calculations. An empirical equilibrium (r(e) (emp)) structure, derived from the experimental rotational constants and theoretical vibrational corrections, gives only somewhat better agreement with the calculated equilibrium structure and large residual inertial defects, suggesting that still higher order vibrational corrections (i.e., γ terms) are needed to properly describe large-amplitude motion in HOOO. Owing to the high abundance of this oxygen-chain radical in our discharge expansion, a very wide spectral survey for other oxygen-bearing species has been undertaken between 6 and 25 GHz. Only about 50% of the observed lines have been assigned to known hydrogen-oxygen molecules or complexes, suggesting that a rich, unexplored oxygen chemistry awaits detection and characterization. Somewhat surprisingly, we find no evidence in our expansion for rotational transitions of cis HOOO or from low-lying vibrationally excited states of trans HOOO under conditions which optimize its ground state lines., (© 2012 American Institute of Physics)

We report vibrationally resolved photoelectron spectra of internally cold HOCO(-) and DOCO(-) anions at wavelengths near and well above the detachment threshold. These spectra are dominated by a strong Franck-Condon progression of three low-energy modes of the cis isomer, the first gas-phase measurement of these vibrations. Using highly resolved, near-threshold spectra we are able to reassign the electron affinities (EAs) of cis- and trans-HOCO to 1.51 ± 0.01 and 1.37 ± 0.01 eV, respectively. Using these EAs, well depths with respect to OH + CO are determined to be 1.07 ± 0.02 eV for trans-HOCO and 0.99 ± 0.02 eV for cis-HOCO. High-level ab initio calculations show excellent agreement with all experimental results. These values will be of direct use in thermochemical calculations and will help to aid in the identification of the HOCO radical in complex reactions., (© 2011 American Chemical Society)

After benzene and naphthalene, the smallest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon bearing six-membered rings is the threefold-symmetric phenalenyl radical. Despite the fact that it is so fundamental, its electronic spectroscopy has not been rigorously scrutinized, in spite of growing interest in graphene fragments for molecular electronic applications. Here we used complementary laser spectroscopic techniques to probe the jet-cooled phenalenyl radical in vacuo. Its spectrum reveals the interplay between four electronic states that exhibit Jahn-Teller and pseudo-Jahn-Teller vibronic coupling. The coupling mechanism has been elucidated by the application of various ab initio quantum-chemical techniques.

The high accuracy extrapolated ab initio thermochemistry (HEAT) protocol is applied to compute the total atomization energy (TAE) and the heat of formation of benzene. Large-scale coupled-cluster calculations with more than 1500 basis functions and 42 correlated electrons as well as zero-point energies based on full cubic and (semi)diagonal quartic force fields obtained with the coupled-cluster singles and doubles with perturbative treatment of the triples method and atomic natural orbital (ANO) triple- and quadruple-zeta basis sets are presented. The performance of modifications to the HEAT scheme and the scaling properties of its contributions with respect to the system size are investigated. A purely quantum-chemical TAE and associated conservative error bar of 5463.0 ± 3.1 kJ mol(-1) are obtained, while the corresponding 95% confidence interval, based on a statistical analysis of HEAT results for other and related molecules, is ± 1.8 kJ mol(-1). The heat of formation of benzene is determined to be 101.5 ± 2.0 kJ mol(-1) and 83.9 ± 2.1 kJ mol(-1) at 0 K and 298.15 K, respectively., (© 2011 American Institute of Physics)

We have used a heated 2 cm × 1 mm SiC microtubular (μtubular) reactor to decompose acetaldehyde: CH(3)CHO + Δ → products. Thermal decomposition is followed at pressures of 75-150 Torr and at temperatures up to 1675 K, conditions that correspond to residence times of roughly 50-100 μs in the μtubular reactor. The acetaldehyde decomposition products are identified by two independent techniques: vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectroscopy (PIMS) and infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy after isolation in a cryogenic matrix. Besides CH(3)CHO, we have studied three isotopologues, CH(3)CDO, CD(3)CHO, and CD(3)CDO. We have identified the thermal decomposition products CH(3) (PIMS), CO (IR, PIMS), H (PIMS), H(2) (PIMS), CH(2)CO (IR, PIMS), CH(2)=CHOH (IR, PIMS), H(2)O (IR, PIMS), and HC≡CH (IR, PIMS). Plausible evidence has been found to support the idea that there are at least three different thermal decomposition pathways for CH(3)CHO; namely, radical decomposition: CH(3)CHO + Δ → CH(3) + [HCO] → CH(3) + H + CO; elimination: CH(3)CHO + Δ → H(2) + CH(2)=C=O; isomerization∕elimination: CH(3)CHO + Δ → [CH(2)=CH-OH] → HC≡CH + H(2)O. An interesting result is that both PIMS and IR spectroscopy show compelling evidence for the participation of vinylidene, CH(2)=C:, as an intermediate in the decomposition of vinyl alcohol: CH(2)=CH-OH + Δ → [CH(2)=C:] + H(2)O → HC≡CH + H(2)O.

Isomerization between the cis and trans conformers of the S(1) state of acetylene is studied using a reduced dimension discrete variable representation (DVR) calculation. Existing DVR techniques are combined with a high accuracy potential energy surface and a kinetic energy operator derived from FG theory to yield an effective but simple Hamiltonian for treating large amplitude motions. The spectroscopic signatures of the S(1) isomerization are discussed, with emphasis on the vibrational aspects. The presence of a low barrier to isomerization causes distortion of the trans vibrational level structure and the appearance of nominally electronically forbidden à (1)A(2)←X̃ (1)Σ(g)(+) transitions to vibrational levels of the cis conformer. Both of these effects are modeled in agreement with experimental results, and the underlying mechanisms of tunneling and state mixing are elucidated by use of the calculated vibrational wavefunctions.

A new algorithm [Nguyen, T. L.; Stanton, J. F.; Barker, J. R. Chem. Phys. Lett. 2010, 9, 499] for the semiclassical transition-state theory (SCTST) formulated by W. H. Miller and co-workers is used to compute rate constants for the isotopologues of the title reaction, with no empirical adjustments. The SCTST and relevant results from second-order vibrational perturbation theory (VPT2) are summarized. VPT2 is used at the CCSD(T) level of electronic structure theory to compute the anharmonicities of the fully coupled vibrational modes (including the reaction coordinate) of the transition structure. The anharmonicities are used in SCTST to compute the rate constants over the temperature range from 200 to 2500 K. The computed rate constants are compared to experimental data and theoretical calculations from the literature. The SCTST results for absolute rate constants and for both primary and secondary isotope effects are in excellent agreement with the experimental data for this reaction over the entire temperature range. The sensitivity of SCTST to various parameters is investigated by using a set of simplified models. The results show that multidimensional tunneling along the curved reaction path is important at low temperatures and the anharmonic coupling among the vibrational modes is important at high temperatures. The theoretical kinetics data are also presented as fitted empirical algebraic expressions.

A variational method for the calculation of low-lying vibrational energy levels of molecules with small amplitude vibrations is presented. The approach is based on the Watson Hamiltonian in rectilinear normal coordinates and characterized by a quasi-analytic integration over the kinetic energy operator (KEO). The KEO beyond the harmonic approximation is represented by a Taylor series in terms of the rectilinear normal coordinates around the equilibrium configuration. This formulation of the KEO enables its extension to arbitrary order until numerical convergence is reached for those states describing small amplitude motions and suitably represented with a rectilinear system of coordinates. A Gauss-Hermite quadrature grid representation of the anharmonic potential is used for all the benchmark examples presented. Results for a set of molecules with linear and nonlinear configurations, i.e., CO2, H2O, and formyl fluoride (HFCO), illustrate the performance of the method and the versatility of our implementation.

Torsional levels of cis and trans HOOO and DOOO, observed previously via infrared action spectroscopy [E. L. Derro, T. D. Sechler, C. Murray, and M. I. Lester, J. Chem. Phys. 128, 244313 (2008)], have been used in conjunction with ab initio theory to obtain a torsional potential energy surface for the hydrotrioxy radical. High level electronic structure calculations based on the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster method for ionized states (EOMIP-CCSD) are utilized to produce a torsional potential. Eigenvalues of the potential are computed by diagonalizing the torsional hamiltonian in a free-rotor basis. Uniform scaling of the theoretical potential by a factor of 1.35 yields vibrational frequencies in good agreement with the experiment, and allows prediction of the barrier height to isomerization of ∼340 cm(-1) and relative stability of trans-HOOO with respect to cis-HOOO of ∼70 cm(-1). Examination of the optimized nuclear coordinates with respect to the torsional angle, suggests that the central O-O bond length is strongly coupled to the torsion and is important in determining the relative stabilities of the two conformers. The scaled potential is then used to determine the torsional contribution to the partition function for atmospheric modeling of HOOO.

High-level ab initio calculations that employ the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster method in the singles, doubles and triples approximation (EOMEE-CCSDT) have been used in conjunction with a quasidiabatic ab initio approximation to construct a vibronic Hamiltonian for the strongly coupled A1A2 and B1B1 states of propadienylidene (CCCH2). Simulations based on the model Hamiltonian reproduce all of the major features of the visible absorption spectrum of this molecule, with regard to both intensities and band positions, especially in the region that is more than 1000 cm(-1) above the B1B1 origin. Despite the fact that a great number of individual vibronic levels contribute to each major band in this higher energy region, the spectrum is qualitatively similar to that from a Franck-Condon treatment, apart from a consequent broadening of the features. By contrast, the range from 15 800-16 500 cm(-1), which comprises the B1B1 <-- X1A1 origin, is profoundly affected in appearance by the vibronic interaction. The simulations do a credible job of accounting for the spectrum in this region, although a thorough analysis of all features cannot be made at this time. A combination of ab initio calculations, experimental observations and the spectral simulation allows an estimate for the position of the (electric dipole forbidden) A1A2 <-- X1A1 origin: 13 600 +/- 200 cm(-1).

Infrared (IR) absorption spectra of matrix-isolated HCCCH(2) have been measured. Propargyl radicals were generated in a supersonic pyrolysis nozzle, using a method similar to that described in a previous study (Jochnowitz, E. B.; Zhang, X.; Nimlos, M. R.; Varner, M. E.; Stanton, J. F.; Ellison, G. B. J. Phys. Chem. A 2005, 109, 3812-3821). Besides the nine vibrational modes observed in the previous study, this investigation detected the HCCCH(2) X̃ (2)B(1) out-of-plane bending mode (ν(8)) at 378.0 (±1.9) cm(-1) in a cryogenic argon matrix. This is the first experimental observation of ν(8) for the propargyl radical. In addition, seven overtone and combination bands have also been detected and assigned. Ab initio coupled-cluster anharmonic force field calculations were used to guide the analysis. Furthermore, ν(12), the HCCCH(2) in-plane bending mode, has been assigned to 333 (±10) cm(-1) based on the detection of its overtone (2ν(12), 667.7 ± 1.0 cm(-1)) and a possible combination band (ν(10) + ν(12), 1339.0 ± 0.8 cm(-1)). This is the first experimental estimation of ν(12) for the propargyl radical.

The vibronic coupling model of Köuppel, Domcke, and Cederbaum in one dimension is introduced as a means to estimate the effects of electronic nonadiabaticity on the vibrational energy levels of molecules that exhibit vibronic coupling. For the BNB molecule, the nonadiabatic contribution to the nominal fundamental vibrational energy of the antisymmetric stretching mode is approximately -80 cm(-1). The surprisingly large effect for this mode, which corresponds to an adiabatic potential that is essentially flat near the minimum due to the vibronic interaction, is contrasted with another model system that also exhibits a flat potential (precisely, a vanishing quadratic force constant) but has a significantly larger gap between interacting electronic states. For the latter case, the nonadiabatic contribution to the level energies is about two orders of magnitude smaller even though the effect on the potential is qualitatively identical. A simple analysis shows that significant nonadiabatic corrections to energy levels should occur only when the affected vibrational frequency is large enough to be of comparable magnitude to the energy gap involved in the coupling. The results provide evidence that nonadiabatic corrections should be given as much weight as issues such as high-level electron correlation, relativistic corrections, etc., in quantum chemical calculations of energy levels for radicals with close-lying and strongly coupled electronic states even in cases where conical intersections are not obviously involved. The same can be said for high-accuracy thermochemical studies, as the zero-point vibrational energy of the BNB example contains a nonadiabatic contribution of approximately -70 cm(-1) (-0.9 kJ  mol(-1)).

The dissociation dynamics of gas phase formic acid ions (HCOOH(+), DCOOD(+), HCOOD(+), DCOOH(+)) are investigated by threshold photoelectron-photoion coincidence (TPEPICO) spectroscopy and high level ab initio calculations. The slow rate constants for this seemingly simple H loss reaction and the large onset energy shifts due to isotopic substitution point to a substantial exit barrier through which the H or D atoms tunnel. Modeling of the HCOOH(+) experimental data using RRKM theory with tunneling through an Eckart potential are best fitted with a barrier of about 17 kJ mol(-1). High level ab initio calculations support the experimental findings with a computed barrier of 15.9 kJ mol(-1), which is associated with the substantial geometry change between the product HOCO(+) cation and the corresponding HCOOH(+) molecular ion. Because of this exit channel barrier, the formic acid ion dissociation does not provide a route for determination of the HOCO(+) heat of formation. Rather, the most accurate value comes from the calculations employing the high accuracy extrapolated ab initio thermochemistry (HEAT) scheme, which yields a Δ(f)H(o)(0K)[HOCO(+)] = 600.3 ± 1.0 kJ mol(-1) (Δ(f)H(o)(298K)[HOCO(+)] = 597.3 ± 1.0 kJ mol(-1)). The calculated proton affinity of CO(2) is thus 534.7 ± 1.0 kJ mol(-1) at 0 K and 539.3 ± 1.0 kJ mol(-1) at 298.15 K.

The ability of coupled-cluster models to predict vertical excitation energies is tested on the electronic states of carbon-chain radicals of particular relevance to interstellar chemistry. Using spin-unrestricted and -restricted reference wave functions, the coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) model and a triples-including model (CC3) are tested on the sigma radicals C(2)H and C(4)H. Both molecules exhibit low-lying excited states with significant double-excitation character (as well as states of quartet multiplicity) and are thus challenging cases for excited-state approaches. In addition, we employ two diagnostics for the reliability of the CC results: the approximate excitation level (AEL) relative to the ground state and the difference between excitation energies obtained with spin-unrestricted and spin-restricted reference wave functions (the U-R difference). We find that CCSD yields poor excitation energies for states with AEL significantly larger than ca. 1.1 and/or large U-R differences, as well as for certain states exhibiting large spin contamination or other inadequacies in the reference determinant. In such cases, connected triple excitations can be included in the model and generally provide improved results. Furthermore, we find that large discrepancies exist between CC and multireference (MR) results for certain states. These disagreements are not related to basis-set effects, but likely arise from the lack of spin adaptation in conventional spin-orbital CC implementations and active space selection in the MR models.

Stimulated and intrigued by the report of the synthesis of diazirinone (1), a metastable adduct of N(2) and CO, we carried out further experimental and theoretical studies aimed at the detailed spectroscopic characterization of this species. Our attempts to generate and detect diazirinone (1) in either the condensed phase (using matrix isolation spectroscopy) or in the gas phase (using millimeter-wave rotational spectroscopy), however, have been unsuccessful. Trapping the volatile products produced from the reaction of 3-chloro-3-(p-nitrophenoxy)diazirine (5) with tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF) under matrix-isolation conditions affords chlorofluorodiazirine (8) and carbon monoxide but fails to provide evidence for diazirinone (1). Moreover, sophisticated ab initio calculations of the structure and fundamental vibrational frequencies of diazirinone (1) produce an estimate for the fundamental band origin of the C=O stretch (2046 cm(-1)) that is ca. 100 cm(-1) lower in frequency than the experimental value previously attributed to this band. This discrepancy lies well outside any expected solvent shift or calculation error at this level of theory. In an effort to reconcile our findings with the earlier reports concerning diazirinone (1), we reconsidered the infrared spectral evidence upon which the original claim of diazirinone synthesis was based. New experiments demonstrate that these spectra may be explained and reproduced with a combination of solution-phase and gas-phase absorptions of CO, without recourse to invoke diazirinone (1).

We report high-resolution photoelectron spectra of HCO(2)(-) and DCO(2)(-) obtained with slow photoelectron velocity-map imaging. Well-resolved photodetachment transitions to the (2)A(1) and (2)B(2) states of the neutral radicals were observed. In addition, vibronic levels of the HCO(2) and DCO(2) radicals with up to 2000 cm(-1) of internal energy were calculated using a quasidiabatic Hamiltonian approach and high-level ab initio calculations. Spectral simulations using the calculated levels were found to be in excellent agreement with the experimental spectra and used to assign many of its features. This study unambiguously determined that the (2)A(1) state is the ground state of both HCO(2) and DCO(2), in contrast to earlier work that indicated the (2)B(2) state was the ground state for DCO(2). For both isotopologs, the (2)B(2) state is a very low-lying excited state with term energies of T(0) = 318 +/- 8 cm(-1) for HCO(2) and T(0) = 87 +/- 8 cm(-1) for DCO(2). The adiabatic electron affinities are determined to be EA(HCO(2)) = 3.4961 +/- 0.0010 eV and EA(DCO(2)) = 3.5164 +/- 0.0010 eV.

When the propargyl radical, HCCCH(2), and O(2) are codeposited onto a cold argon matrix, a chemical reaction ensues; infrared absorption spectra reveal the formation of the propargyl peroxyl radical: HC=C-CH(2) X (2)B(1) + O(2) --> trans-HC=C-CH(2)OO X (2)A. We do not observe the isomeric adduct, CH(2)=C=CHOO X (2)A''. The propargyl radicals are produced by a hyperthermal nozzle while a second nozzle alternately fires bursts of O(2)/Ar at the 20 K matrix. The absorption spectra of the radicals are measured using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. We observe 13 of the 18 fundamental infrared bands of the propargyl peroxyl radical in an Ar matrix at 20 K. The experimental frequencies (cm(-1)) of trans-HC[triple bond]C-CH(2)OO X (2)A'' are assigned. The a' modes are nu(1) = 3326, nu(2) = 2960, nu(3) = 2148, nu(4) = 1440, nu(5) = 1338, nu(6) = 1127, nu(7) = 982, nu(8) = 928, nu(9) = 684, and nu(10) = 499 cm(-1), while the a'' modes are nu(14) = 1218, nu(15) = 972, and nu(16) = 637 cm(-1). Linear dichroism spectra were measured with photo-oriented HCCCH(2)OO radical samples to establish the experimental polarizations of several vibrational bands. The experimental frequencies (nu) for the propargyl peroxyl radical are compared to the anharmonic frequencies (upsilon) resulting from electronic structure calculations. We have used CBS-QB3 electronic structure calculations to estimate the peroxyl bond energies: DeltaH(298)(trans-HC[triple bond]CCH(2)-OO --> CH(2)CCH X (2)B(1) + O(2)) = 19 +/- 1 kcal mol(-1) and DeltaH(298)(trans-CH(2)=C=CH-OO --> CH(2)CCH X (2)B(1) + O(2)) = 21 +/- 1 kcal mol(-1). The experimental thermochemistry for C(3)H(3) reacting with oxygen has been reanalyzed as Delta(rxn)H(298)(HCCCH(2) + O(2) --> CH(2)=C=O + HCO) = -83 +/- 3 kcal mol(-1); Delta(rxn)H(298)(HCCCH(2) + O(2) --> CH(3)CO + CO) = -111 +/- 3 kcal mol(-1); Delta(rxn)H(298)(HCCCH(2) + O(2) --> CH(2)CHO + CO) = -106 +/- 4 kcal mol(-1); Delta(rxn)H(298)(HCCCH(2) + O(2) --> HCHO + HCCO) = -67 +/- 4 kcal mol(-1); Delta(rxn)H(298)(HCCCH(2) + O(2) --> CH(2)CH + CO(2)) = -105 +/- 3 kcal mol(-1).

Total atomization energies and enthalpies of formation (0 and 298.15 K) are evaluated using the high-accuracy extrapolated ab initio thermochemistry (HEAT) scheme for the two stable singlet C(3)H(2) carbenes [cyclopropenylidene (c-C(3)H(2)) and propadienylidene (vinylidencarbene, l-C(3)H(2))], as well as for the 2-propynyl (propargyl, C(3)H(3)) radical. In the case of propargyl, the HEAT protocol predicts an enthalpy of formation of 354.9 +/- 1.0 kJ mol(-1) for 0 K; corresponding values of 498.1 +/- 1.0 and 555.6 +/- 1.0 kJ mol(-1) are estimated for c-C(3)H(2) and l-C(3)H(2). Additional consideration of temperature corrections leads to estimates of 352.2 +/- 1.0, 497.1 +/- 1.0, and 556.7 +/- 1.0 kJ mol(-1) for the heats of formation at 298.15 K of the propargyl radical, c-C(3)H(2), and l-C(3)H(2), respectively. Potential strategies for simplifying the HEAT protocol are also investigated and shown to have negligible impact on accuracy.

A noniterative N(6) triples energy correction is presented for the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster method with single and double substitutions for ionized states (EOM-IP-CCSD). The correction, which is size intensive, is derived using a second-order Rayleigh-Schrodinger perturbative treatment and is similar to the approach of Stanton and Gauss [Theor. Chim. Acta 93, 303 (1996)]. In the present implementation, only the target EOM-IP states are corrected, and the reference state is described by CCSD; the method is therefore more useful for the study of the target states themselves than ionization potentials. The performance of the correction, which demonstrates the caveat above, is demonstrated by applications to singlet methylene, BNB(-), nitrogen, carbon monoxide, acetylene, benzene, thymine, and adenine.

The A(2)E''<-- X(2)A'(2) absorption spectrum exhibits vibronically allowed transitions from the ground state of NO(3) to upper state levels having a''(1) and e' vibronic symmetries. This paper explores the coupling mechanisms that lend intensities to these features. While transitions to e' vibronic levels borrow intensity from the very strong B(2)E'<-- X(2)A'(2) electronic transition, those to a''(1) levels involve only negligible upper-state borrowing effects. Rather, it is the vibronic mixing of the ground vibronic level of NO(3) with vibrational levels in the B(2)E' electronic state that permit the a''(1) levels to be seen in the spectrum. These ideas are supported by vibronic coupling calculations. The fact that the intensities of features corresponding to the two different vibronic symmetries are comparable is thus accidental.

In an attempt to expand the utility of the model Hamiltonian technique developed by Koppel, Domcke, and Cederbaum (KDC) [Adv. Chem. Phys. 57, 59 (1984)], an ansatz for quasidiabatic wave functions is introduced in the framework of equation-of-motion coupled-cluster (EOM-CC) theory. Based on the ansatz, the theory for the analytic first derivative of the off-diagonal element of the quasidiabatic potential matrix is developed by extending the theory for the analytic gradient of the EOM-CC energy. This analytic derivative is implemented for EOM-CCSD (singles and doubles approximation) calculations of radicals subject to pseudo-Jahn-Teller and Jahn-Teller interactions. Its applicability in construction of the KDC quasidiabatic model potential is discussed.

We combine femtosecond time-resolved rotational coherence spectroscopy with high-level ab initio theory to obtain accurate structural information for the nonpolar antiaromatic molecule 1,3,5,7-cyclooctatetraene (C8H8, COT) and its perdeuterated isotopomer COT-d8 (C8D8). We measure the rotational B0 and centrifugal distortion constants D(J), D(JK) of the v = 0 states of COT and COT-d8 to high accuracy, e.g. B0 (COT) = 2710.329(56) MHz, as well as B(v) for the v = 1 states nu6, nu11, nu17, nu22, and nu41/nu42 of COT. The experimental rotational constants are compared to those obtained from calculations at the coupled-cluster with single, double, and perturbative triples [CCSD(T)] level. The latter also take into account vibrational averaging effects of the ground and vibrationally excited states. Combining the experimental and calculated rotational constants with the calculated equilibrium bond lengths and angles allows us to determine accurate equilibrium structure parameters, e.g., r(e) (C-C) = 147.0 +/- 0.05 pm, r(e) (C=C) = 133.7 +/- 0.1 pm, and r(e) (C-H) = 107.9 +/- 0.1 pm. The equilibrium C-C and C=C bond lengths of COT are compared to those of 1,3-butadiene. The expected effect of decreased pi-electron delocalization due to the twisting of adjacent C=C double bonds in COT relative to butadiene is observed for the C-C bonds but not for the C=C bonds.

The 351.1 nm photoelectron spectrum of the cyclopentadienide ion has been measured, which reveals the vibronic structure of the X (2)E(1) (") state of the cyclopentadienyl radical. Equation-of-motion ionization potential coupled-cluster (EOMIP-CCSD) calculations have been performed to construct a diabatic model potential of the X (2)E(1) (") state, which takes into account linear Jahn-Teller effects along the e(2) (') normal coordinates as well as bilinear Jahn-Teller effects along the e(2) (') and ring-breathing a(1) (') coordinates. A simulation based on this ab initio model potential reproduces the spectrum very well, identifying the vibronic levels with linear Jahn-Teller angular momentum quantum numbers of +/-1/2. The angular distributions of the photoelectrons for these vibronic levels are highly anisotropic with the photon energies used in the measurements. A few additional weak photoelectron peaks are observed when photoelectrons ejected parallel to the laser polarization are examined. These peaks correspond to the vibronic levels for out-of-plane modes in the ground X (2)E(1) (") state, which arise due to several pseudo-Jahn-Teller interactions with excited states of the radical and quadratic Jahn-Teller interaction in the X (2)E(1) (") state. A variant of the first derivative of the energy for the EOMIP-CCSD method has been utilized to evaluate the strength of these nonadiabatic couplings, which have subsequently been employed to construct the model potential of the X (2)E(1) (") state with respect to the out-of-plane normal coordinates. Simulations based on the model potential successfully reproduce the weak features that become conspicuous in the 0 degrees spectrum. The present study of the photoelectron spectrum complements a previous dispersed fluorescence spectroscopic study by Miller and co-workers [J. Chem. Phys. 114, 4855 (2001); 114, 4869 (2001)] to provide a detailed account of the vibronic structure of X (2)E(1) (") cyclopentadienyl. The electron affinity of the cyclopentadienyl radical is determined to be 1.808+/-0.006 eV. This electron affinity and the gas-phase acidity of cyclopentadiene have been combined in a negative ion thermochemical cycle to determine the C-H bond dissociation energy of cyclopentadiene; D(0)(C(5)H(6),C-H)=81.5+/-1.3 kcal mol(-1). The standard enthalpy of formation of the cyclopentadienyl radical has been determined to be Delta(f)H(298)(C(5)H(5))=63.2+/-1.4 kcal mol(-1).

If the binding energy of an excess electron is lower than some of the vibrational levels of its host anion, vibrational excitation can lead to autodetachment. We use excitation of CH stretching modes in nitroalkane anions (2700-3000 cm(-1)), where the excess electron is localized predominantly on the NO2 group. We present data on nitroalkane anions of various chain lengths, showing that this technique is a valid approach to the vibrational spectroscopy of such systems extending to nitroalkane anions at least the size of nitropentane. We compare spectra taken by using vibrational autodetachment with spectra obtained by monitoring Ar evaporation from Ar solvated nitroalkane anions. The spectra of nitromethane and nitroethane are assigned on the basis of ab initio calculations with a detailed analysis of Fermi resonances of CH stretching fundamentals with overtones and combination bands of HCH bending modes.

The electronic excitation energies, molecular geometry, quadratic force fields, and vibrational frequencies in the ground (5)Delta(g) and low-lying excited (5)Sigma(g) (+) and (5)Pi(g) electronic states of iron difluoride are studied at sophisticated levels of theory. Two families of basis sets, nonrelativistic and Douglas-Kroll-Hess relativistic, are used that range in quality from triple-zeta to quintuple-zeta. These are augmented by additional diffuse functions (on fluorine atoms) and tight functions (on all atoms) for the description of core-valence correlation and utilized to determine complete basis set molecular properties. The quality of electron correlation treatment using conventional single reference coupled cluster methods CCSD and CCSD(T) is compared to that attained at the multiconfigurational quasidegenerate second-order perturbation theory (CASSCF+MCQDPT2) and the electron attachment equation-of-motion coupled cluster (EOMEA-CCSD) levels. Spin-orbit coupling effects are studied by the SO-MCQDPT2 method using the full Breit-Pauli spin-orbit operator. Effects of spin contamination in the coupled cluster molecular calculations are carefully analyzed. Results of the single reference CCSD(T) and multireference calculations are found to be in a remarkable agreement. The calculations indicate that the EOMEA-CC approach provides a suitable tool for an accurate treatment of FeF(2) and other systems where delicate electron correlation effects have to be carefully dealt with. The inclusion of relativistic effects is shown to be necessary for an accurate description of the molecular geometry and excitation energies of FeF(2). The results of calculations are in good agreement with the experimental data available. The predicted FeF(2) molecular properties are compared to those of the related FeF(3).

We have calculated frequencies and intensities of fundamental and overtone vibrational transitions in water and water dimer with use of different vibrational methods. We have compared results obtained with correlation-corrected vibrational self-consistent-field theory and vibrational second-order perturbation theory both using normal modes and finally with a harmonically coupled anharmonic oscillator local mode model including OH-stretching and HOH-bending local modes. The coupled cluster with singles, doubles, and perturbative triples ab initio method with augmented correlation-consistent triple-zeta Dunning and atomic natural orbital basis sets has been used to obtain the necessary potential energy and dipole moment surfaces. We identify the strengths and weaknesses of these different vibrational approaches and compare our results to the available experimental results.

Effects of increased basis-set size as well as a correlated treatment of the diagonal Born-Oppenheimer approximation are studied within the context of the high-accuracy extrapolated ab initio thermochemistry (HEAT) theoretical model chemistry. It is found that the addition of these ostensible improvements does little to increase the overall accuracy of HEAT for the determination of molecular atomization energies. Fortuitous cancellation of high-level effects is shown to give the overall HEAT strategy an accuracy that is, in fact, higher than most of its individual components. In addition, the issue of core-valence electron correlation separation is explored; it is found that approximate additive treatments of the two effects have limitations that are significant in the realm of <1 kJ mol(-1) theoretical thermochemistry.

The photolysis wavelength dependence of the nitrate radical quantum yield for peroxyacetyl nitrate (CH(3)C(O)OONO(2), PAN) is investigated. The wavelength range used in this work is between 289 and 312 nm, which mimics the overlap of the solar flux available in the atmosphere and PAN's absorption cross section. We find the nitrate radical quantum yield from PAN photolysis to be essentially invariant; Phi(NO3)(PAN) = 0.30 +/- 0.07 (+/-2sigma) in this region. The excited states involved in PAN photolysis are also investigated using ab initio calculations. In addition to PAN, calculations on peroxy nitric acid (HOONO(2), PNA) are performed to examine general photochemical properties of the -OONO(2) chromophore. Equation of motion coupled cluster calculations (EOM-CCSD) are used to examine excited state energy gradients for the internal coordinates, oscillator strengths, and transition energies for the n --> pi* transitions responsible for the photolysis of both PNA and PAN. We find in both molecules, photodissociation of both O-O and O-N bonds occurs via excitation to predissociative electronic excited states and subsequent redistribution of that energy as opposed to directly dissociative excitations. Comparison and contrast between experimental and theoretical studies of HOONO(2) and PAN photochemistry from this and other work provide unique insight on the photochemistry of these species in the atmosphere.

An analysis of the major factors affecting the accuracy of harmonic force field computations of water is presented. By systematically varying the level of approximation in the basis set, treatment of electron correlation, core electron correlation, and relativistic correction, the underlying sources of error in the computation of harmonic vibrational frequencies for water were quantified. The convergence error due to wavefunction description with a cc-pVQZ basis set in the absence of electron correlation was 1.6 cm(-1), as determined from extending the Hartree-Fock computations to larger basis sets. The convergence error due to neglecting higher-order electronic correlation terms than are included at the CCSD(T) level using the cc-pVTZ basis set was estimated to be 4.7 cm(-1), as determined from frequency calculations up to CCSDTQ for water and literature results up to CCSDTQP for diatomic molecules. The convergence error due to omitting higher-order diffuse functions than included in aug-cc-pVQZ was found to be 3.7 cm(-1), as determined by adding more diffuse functions in larger basis sets. The error associated with neglecting core electron correlation effects (i.e., "freezing" core electrons) was 5.0 cm(-1) and with neglecting relativistic effects was 2.2 cm(-1). Due to a cancellation among these various sources of error, the harmonic frequencies for H2O computed using the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVQZ model chemistry were on average within 2 cm(-1) of experimentally inferred vibrational frequencies.

Accurate standard enthalpies of formation for allene, propyne, and four C3H3 isomers involved in soot formation mechanisms have been determined through systematic focal point extrapolations of ab initio energies. Auxiliary corrections have been applied for anharmonic zero-point vibrational energy, core electron correlation, the diagonal Born-Oppenheimer correction (DBOC), and scalar relativistic effects. Electron correlation has been accounted for via second-order Z-averaged perturbation theory (ZAPT2) and primarily through coupled-cluster theory, including single, double, and triple excitations, as well as a perturbative treatment of connected quadruple excitations [ROCCSD, ROCCSD(T), ROCCSDT, and UCCSDT(Q)]. The correlation-consistent hierarchy of basis sets, cc-pVXZ (X = D, T, Q, 5, 6), was employed. The CCSDT(Q) corrections do not exceed 0.12 kcal mol(-)1 for the relative energies of the systems considered here, indicating a high degree of electron correlation convergence in the present results. Our recommended values for the enthalpies of formation are as follows: Delta(f)H(o)(0)(propargyl) = 84.76, Delta(f)H(o)(0) (1-propynyl) = 126.60, Delta(f)H(o)(0) (cycloprop-1-enyl) = 126.28, Delta(f)H(o)(0)(cycloprop-2-enyl) = 117.36, Delta(f)H(o)(0)(allene) = 47.41, and Delta(f)H(o)(0)(propyne) = 46.33 kcal mol(-1), with estimated errors no larger than 0.3 kcal mol(-1). The corresponding C3H3 isomerization energies are about 1 kcal mol(-1) larger than previous coupled-cluster results and several kcal mol(-1) below those previously obtained using density functional theory.

We report a new ab initio study of the acetylene T3 potential energy surface, which clarifies the nature of its energy minimum, and present computed equilibrium geometries and diabatic frequencies. This information enables the computation of harmonic vibrational overlap integrals of T3 vibrational levels with the S1 3nu3 state. The results of this calculation support the interpretation of two local perturbations of S1 3nu3, revealed in ultraviolet laser-induced fluorescence/surface electron ejection by laser excited metastables spectroscopy and Zeeman anticrossing measurements, respectively, as arising from two rotational submanifolds of a single T3 vibrational state. We present plausible assignments for this state as a guide for future experimental work.

Cis, cis-peroxynitrous acid is known to be an intermediate in atmospheric reactions between OH and NO2 as well as HOO and NO. The infrared absorption spectra of matrix-isolated cc-HOONO and cc-DOONO in argon have been observed in the range of 500-8000 cm-1. Besides the seven fundamental vibrational modes that have been assigned earlier for this molecule [Zhang et al., J. Chem. Phys. 124, 084305 (2006)], more than 50 of the overtone and combination bands have been observed for cc-HOONO and cc-DOONO. Ab initio CCSD(T)/atomic natural orbital anharmonic force field calculations were used to help guide the assignments. Based on this study of the vibrational overtone transitions of cis, cis-HOONO that go as high as 8000 cm-1 and the earlier paper on the vibrational fundamentals, we conclude that the CCSD(T)/ANO anharmonic frequencies seem to correct to +/-35 cm-1. The success of the theoretically predicted anharmonic frequencies {upsilon} in assigning overtone spectra of HOONO up to 8000 cm-1 suggests that the CCSD(T)/ANO method is producing a reliable potential energy surface for this reactive molecule.

The model Hamiltonian approach of Koppel et al. [Adv. Chem. Phys. 57, 59 (1984)] is used to analyze the electronic spectroscopy of the nitrate radical (NO3). Simulations of negative ion photodetachment of NO3-, the X 2A2'<--B 2E' dispersed fluorescence spectrum of NO3, and the B 2E'<--X 2A2' absorption spectrum are all in qualitative agreement with experiment, indicating that the model Hamiltonian contains most or all of the essential physics that govern the strongly coupled X 2A2' and B 2E' electronic states of the radical. All 14 bands seen in the dispersed fluorescence spectrum below 2600 cm-1 are assigned based on the simulations, filling in a few gaps left by previous work, and 7 additional bands below 4000 cm-1 are tentatively assigned. The assignment is predicated on the assumption that the nu3 level of NO3 is near 1000 cm-1 rather than 1492 cm-1 as is presently believed. Support for this reassignment (which associates the 1492 cm-1 band with the nu1+nu4 level) comes from both the model Hamiltonian spectrum and a Fourier-transform infrared feature at 2585 cm-1 that is consistent with the large and positive cross anharmonicity between nu1 and nu4 needed for the alternative 1492 cm-1 assignment. An apparent systematic deficiency exists in the treatment of the model Hamiltonian for levels involving nu4. A discussion of the correlation between energy levels in the rigid D3h and C2v limits is illustrative, and provides insight into just how hard it is to treat the degenerate bending coordinate (q4) of NO3 accurately.