15min:

LEAH C. O'BRIEN, KIMBERLY HANDLER, Department of Chemistry, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, IL 62026-1652; JAMES J. O'BRIEN, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Missouri, St Louis, MO 63121-4499.

Several new electronic transitions of NiF with red-degraded bandheads near 12896 and 13497 cm^-1 were recorded and analyzed. All bands have a common lower level: namely, v=0 of the A ² _5/2 state. The observed ⁵⁸NiF and ⁶⁰NiF isotopologue splitting in each band suggests tentative assignments as the (3,0) and (2,0) vibrational bands of the [12.6] =5/2 - A ² _5/2 transition and the (2,0) band of a new [13.1] =5/2 - A ² _5/2 transition of NiF. Results of the analysis will be presented. The gas phase NiF molecules were produced using a nickel-lined hollow cathode in an argon-based electric discharge with a small amount of SF₆.