Infrared absorption and electron paramagnetic resonance studies of vinyl radical in noble-gas matrices

Vinyl radicals produced by annealing-induced reaction of mobilized hydrogen atoms with acetylene molecules in solid noble-gas matrices (Ar, Kr, and Xe) were characterized by Fourier transform infrared and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies. The hydrogen atoms were generated from acetylene by UV photolysis or fast electron irradiation. Two vibrational modes of the vinyl radical (nu7 and nu5) were assigned in IR absorption studies. The assignment is based on data for various isotopic substitutions (D and 13C) and confirmed by comparison with the EPR measurements and density-functional theory calculations. The data on the nu7 mode is in agreement with previous experimental and theoretical results whereas the nu5 frequency agrees well with the computational data but conflicts with the gas-phase IR emission results.