A broadband Fourier-transform microwave spectrometer with laser ablation source: The rotational spectrum of nicotinic acid

A chirped pulse Fourier transform microwave spectrometer (CP-FTMW) has been combined with a laser ablation source to investigate the broadband rotational spectra of solid biomolecules in the 6.0-18 GHz region. This technique has been successfully applied to the conformational study of nicotinic acid for which two conformers have been characterized for the first time in the gas phase. The quadrupole hyperfine structure originated by a N-14 nucleus has been completely resolved for both rotamers using a LA-MB-FTMW spectrometer. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.