Recent research activities have focused on the high-resolution spectroscopy of small gas phase molecules, with particular emphasis on metal-containing radicals, such as CuO, CuCl and AgO. Our experiments are based on Fourier transform emission spectroscopy, with special interest in recording rotationally-resolved molecular electronic transitions. The objective of our research program is to provide many fundamental molecular constants for diatomic metal-hydride, metal-oxide and metal-nitride molecules. The significance of the research is based on the interpretation of the obtained molecular constants, especially as they relate to chemical bonding and molecular reactivities.

Using the Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS) at Kitt Peak we have been successful in recording the electronic spectra of CuO, CuS, NiCl, AgO, AgCl, and AuCl. Several methods are used to obtain electronically-excited, gas phase radicals. These include a hollow cathode sputter source, microwave discharge and a King-type carbon tube furnace.

Current research activities center on the visible electronic transition of AgCl and the near infrared electronic transitions of NiCl. The visible spectrum of AgCl was observed and recorded for the first time during our experiments, and the analysis of this spectrum is in progress. We chose to work on this molecule because of relatively recent observations of the visible spectrum of AgF (Wang and Gole, 1993).

The existence of the near-infrared electronic transitions of NiCl have been known for decades, from low-resolution work coming out of India. However, none of these transitions have previously been observed at high resolution. Using a King furnace molecular source we have observed several near infrared transitions (10,000 – 13,000 cm^-1 region) at high resolution. The analysis of these transitions is also in progress in our laboratory. Very recent work on the visible transitions of NiCl (Pinchemel and Bernath, 1999), which include transitions to the ground state, have contributed greatly to our analysis.