The Centrifugally Induced Pure Rotational Spectrum and the Structure of Sulfur Trioxide. A Microwave Fourier Transform Study of a Nonpolar Molecule

Abstract

AbstractThe pure rotational spectrum of sulfur trioxide has been observed for the first time. A total of 25 high-J transitions could be assigned. The rotational constants, two quartic centrifugal distortion constants, and three sextic centrifugal distortion constants were determined as: B= 10 449.0667(23) MHz, C = 5216.0330(12) MHz, DJ = 9.2651 (18) kHz, DJK = -16.3922(18) kHz, HJ, = -8.8(34) • 10-3 Hz, HJK= -15.8(73) • 10-3 Hz, and HKJ = 34.2(73) • 10-3 Hz. An r0- and an re -structure are presented: r0= 1.4198(7) Å (calculated from B), r0 = 1.4210(7) Å (calculated from C), and re = 1.4175 Å