MICROWAVE-SPECTRUM AND GEOMETRY OF CYANOGEN N-OXIDE, NCCNO

The microwave spectrum of cyanogen N-oxide, NCCNO, has been investigat ed in the frequency region between 4 and 23 GHz, using a pulsed jet Fo urier transform microwave spectrometer. The spectrum is that of a line ar molecule. Transitions of five isotopomers have been analyzed, and r (0), r(s), and r(I,e), geometries have been determined. The geometry a nd the N-14 nuclear quadrupole coupling constants have been used to co mpare NCCNO to similar molecules. Though the present data indicate str ongly that the molecule is truly linear, they are insufficient to rule out quasi-linear behavior completely. (C) 1997 Academic Press.