AN INFRARED STUDY OF THE BENDING REGION OF ACETYLENE

Acetylene spectra observed with instrumental resolutions of 0.0025 and 0.005 cm-1 were obtained at The National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, Arizona using the FTS spectrometer at the National Solar Observatory McMath telescope facility. These resolutions are factors of 6 and 3 times, respectively, that of the best prior study in the literature. The higher resolution allowed the assignment of many more low-J Q-branch transitions. The range of optical densities available in this study also allowed the extension of observed and assigned transitions to significantly higher J-values than reported in prior studies. Availability of improved standard lines resulted in high quality transition wavenumbers which are accurate to approximately ±0.0001 cm-1. Using proven combination difference techniques and analysis software, this study produces the best available molecular parameters for the ν4 and ν5 states of acetylene. In addition, because acetylene has no permanent dipole moment, this study extends the precision of available ground state parameters B0 and D0 and produces for the first time an estimator of H0. In addition to H0 values for both isotopic species treated, we have obtained for the first time a value for H5 for the dominant isotopmer. The value of H5 for the 13C12CH2 was not determined and thus thought to be significantly smaller than H5 for 12C2H2. This study also obtains l-doubling parameters for both degenerate fundamental states in the lesser isotopmer for the first time as well as H4 for both isotopmers and B4 and D4 for the lesser isotopmer. © 1991.