High-resolution electron spin resonance spectroscopy of ethyl radicals in solid parahydrogen

High-resolution electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrum of ethyl radicals isolated in solid parahydrogen (> 99.5 mol %) has been measured in the temperature range between 3.1 and 6.7 K. This study was carried out by UV photolysis of ethyl iodide doped in solid parahydrogen. Although ESR linewidth of the spectrum is broadened due to anisotropic terms of hyperfine interactions, the linewidth measured in parahydrogen remains comparable to that of the isotropic spectrum measured in liquid ethane [R. W. Fessenden, J. Chem. Phys. 37, 747 (1962)]. Small splittings were found in the resolved ESR signals and assigned as ethyl radicals with A(A',A') and E(E',E') symmetries, respectively. The ratio in the ESR intensities is not proportional to that of the degeneracy of each symmetry but varies as a function of temperature. We measured the signal intensities as a function of temperature and determined the rotational energy level splitting of methyl groups between the lowest with the A(A('),A(')) symmetry and the second-lowest with the E(E-',E-') symmetry in solid parahydrogen to be 5.3 +/-0.7 K. The level splitting is close to that measured by infrared-absorption study in gas phase and theoretical calculation, whereas the splitting measured in conventional matrices have been much smaller. Intermolecular interaction between guest radicals and surroundings in solid parahydrogen are found to be much smaller than those in other conventional matrices giving less shifted spectral parameters. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.