Spectroscopy of vibrationally hot molecules: Hydrogen cyanide and acetylene

An efficient formula for calculating nuclear spin statistical weights is presented. New experimental methods to distinguish electric and magnetic multipole transitions are proposed and used to prove that the formaldehyde A - X 0-0 transition is a magnetic dipole transition. HIgh resolution vacuum ultraviolet studies of the A → X fluorescence excitation spectrum of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) have: (i) determined that only the (0,1,0) vibrational level of the HCN A-state has a sufficiently long fluorescence lifetime to be suitable for Stimulated Emission Pumping (SEP) studies; and (ii) measured the electric dipole moment of the A-state. Several transitions in the hydrogen cyanide A → X SEP spectrum are shown to be due to the axis-switching mechanism. From a Franck-Condon plot of the intensities and a comparison between sums of predicted rotational constants and sums of observed rotational constants, all of the remaining transitions in the SEP spectrum can be securly assigned. Two weak resonances; a 2:3 CH:CN stretch Fermi resonance and a 6:2 bend:CN stretch resonance appear in the SEP spectrum. Excitation of the CH stretching vibration is predicted and shown to be entirely absent, apart from resonances, in the HCN SEP spectrum. A → X SEP spectra of acetylene (HCCH) near EVIB = 7,000 cm-1 display a wealth of strong and fully assignable anharmonic resonances and forbidden rotational transitions. It is proved that Darling-Dennison resonance between the cis and trans bending vibrations is the crucial first step in a series of anharmonic resonances which can transfer nearly all the vibrational energy out of the initial CC stretch/trans-bend excitation at high vibrational energy. Secondary steps in the vibrational energy flow are vibrational-l-resonance and the '2345' Fermi resonance. For short times, the vibrational energy redistribution obeys very restrictive rules