Infrared Spectrum and Thermodynamic Properties of Gaseous Sulfur Trioxide

The infrared spectrum of sulfur trioxide was obtained under prism resolution in the gaseous state and in xenon matrices at liquid-nitrogen temperature. In both cases a satisfactory vibrational assignment of the monomeric SO3 spectrum could be made on the basis of a simple D3h symmetry model. The observed gas phase fundamentals were v3(e′) = 1391, v4(e′) = 529, and v2(a2″) = 495 cm—1. The matrix fundamentals were essentially the same as those of the gas phase except that the v2(a2″) mode was shifted to 464 cm—1. A normal coordinate treatment of the SO3 molecule was carried out and potential constants were determined for both Urey-Bradley and simplified valence force fields. Three weak absorption bands of S3O9 were also detected in the gas-phase spectrum. From the temperature and pressure variation of the intensities of these bands it was estimated that for the trimerization reaction at 298°K, Kp was approximately 1 atm—2 and ΔH298° was approximately 30 kcal/mole of S3O9. The values of the thermodynamic properties of monomeric SO3 were computed for the ideal gaseous state using the rigid rotor harmonic oscillator approximation at 1 atm from 100° to 1500°K.