Structure and properties of the weakly bound cyclic trimer (H2O)2HBr observed by rotational spectroscopy

The weakly bound cyclic trimer (H2O)2HBr was observed in supersonic expansion and its rotational spectrum was measured in the region 3.6–17.7 GHz by cavity Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy. Rotational, centrifugal distortion constants, and inertial and principal hyperfine splitting constants were determined for seven isotopomers of (H2O)2HBr. In addition to the large bromine hyperfine splitting each rotational transition exhibits a fine vibrational splitting into four components, at relative intensities consistent with expectations from the G8 group classification of the vibration–rotation–tunneling motions in the trimer. The associated four low-lying states are either very close together or well below the inversion barriers, since the differences between their rotational constants are all below 0.02%. The experimental moments of inertia were used to determine rs, r0, rz, and rm(1L) geometries, in all of which the heavy atom distances are considerably shorter than similar distances in H2O–HBr and (H2O)2. An improved analysis of the measured electric dipole moment of (H2O)2HBr is reported, and all experimental results are confronted with predictions from ab initio calculations.