title: Structure determination of the nonlinear hydrocarbon chains C9H3 and C11H3 by deuterium labeling.
abstract: A systematic deuterium labeling experiment is presented that aims at an unambiguous determination of the geometrical ground state structure of the C(9)H(3) and C(11)H(3) hydrocarbon chains. Cavity ring-down spectroscopy and special plasma expansions constituting C/H, C/D, and C/H/D are used to record optical transitions of both species and their (partially) deuterated equivalents in the 19,000 cm(-1) region. The number of observed bands, the quantitative determination of isotopic shifts, and supporting calculations show that the observed C(9)H(3) and C(11)H(3) spectra originate from HC(4)(CH)C(4)H and HC(4)[C(C(2)H)]C(4)H species with C(2v) symmetry. This result illustrates the potential of deuterium labeling as a useful approach to characterize the molecular structure of nonlinear hydrocarbon chains.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Lasers, Life, and Biophotonics, VU University Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081, NL 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands. d.zhao@vu.nl
authors.forename: Dongfeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Mohammad Ali
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Haddad
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Linnartz
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ubachs
mesh_terms: D003903:Deuterium / Q000737:chemistry*; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D015394:Molecular Structure; D013057:Spectrum Analysis
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D003903:Deuterium