Spectroscopy of CH2(CN)2 and CNCH2CN

The lack of detections of such compounds may be partially explained by the lack of accurate spectroscopic data on their rotational spectra. Two small seven-atom dinitriles, malononitrile NCCH_2_CN and isocyanoacetonitrile NCCH_2_NC, were chosen as target species for this study.

For malononitrile the goal of the study is to systematize all the previous measurements, and to extend the measurements to the sub-millimeter wavelength range. The spectrum of isocyanoacetonitrile has not been studied before. The rotational spectra of the two molecules was measured in the frequency range 150-660GHz using the Lille fast-scan spectrometer.