A novel pulsed supersonic nozzle has been developed to produce intense cold beams of free radicals formed by laser photolysis in a high-pressure, fast-flow region within the nozzle. Photolysis of methyl benzoate in this apparatus efficiently formed the methoxy radical. Laser-induced fluorescence excitation spectra were obtained for the à 2A1 ← X̃ 2E system of the jet-cooled methoxy radical and the van der Waals complex CH3OAr. Rotational analysis revealed that both of these radicals retain an electronic angular momentum of 0.4 ℏ in the 2E ground electronic state, and that the argon atom lies on the threefold symmetry axis on the oxygen end of methoxy.
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Powers et al. (1981) studied this question.