The cyclopropene radical cation: Rovibrational level structure at low energies from high-resolution photoelectron spectra

The cyclopropene radical cation (c-C3H₄⁺) is an important but poorly characterized three-membered-ring hydrocarbon. We report on a measurement of the high-resolution photoelectron and photoionization spectra of cyclopropene and several deuterated isotopomers, from which we have determined the rovibrational energy level structure of the X⁺ (2)B2 ground electronic state of c-C3H₄⁺ at low energies for the first time. The synthesis of the partially deuterated isotopomers always resulted in mixtures of several isotopomers, differing in their number of D atoms and in the location of these atoms, so that the photoelectron spectra of deuterated samples are superpositions of the spectra of several isotopomers. The rotationally resolved spectra indicate a C(2v)-symmetric R0 structure for the ground electronic state of c-C3H₄⁺. Two vibrational modes of c-C3H₄⁺ are found to have vibrational wave numbers below 300 cm(-1), which is surprising for such a small cyclic hydrocarbon. The analysis of the isotopic shifts of the vibrational levels enabled the assignment of the lowest-frequency mode (fundamental wave number of ≈110 cm(-1) in c-C3H₄⁺) to the CH2 torsional mode (ν₈⁺, A2 symmetry) and of the second-lowest-frequency mode (≈210 cm(-1) in c-C3H₄⁺) to a mode combining a CH out-of-plane with a CH2 rocking motion (ν₁₅⁺, B2 symmetry). The potential energy along the CH2 torsional coordinate is flat near the equilibrium structure and leads to a pronounced anharmonicity.