The rotational spectrum and structure of chlorine peroxide

The dimerization products of the ClO + ClO reaction were investigated in a flowing chemical reactor using submillimeter wave spectroscopy. The major products were identified as the chlorine peroxide (Cl2O2) and chlorine dioxide (OClO). The rotational constants as well as a complete set of quartic centrifugal distortion constants were determined. The identification of the chlorine peroxide supports the earlier proposed ClO-dimer mechanisms, which partly explain the ozone hole formation during the Antarctic springtime.