The design of a new chirped pulse, Fourier-transform microwave spectrometer for recording broadband rotational spectra of supersonic expansion samples is described. The spectrometer can record spectral windows of width of up to 2.2 GHz over the 2-18 GHz frequency region. It is complemented by a new FFT program with several novel features. Tests of the spectrometer revealed the presence of an initially unknown volatile trace molecule in a sample of 2,2-dichloropropane (DCP). The broadband nature of the new spectrometer allowed rapid assignment of the new species as 2-chloropropene, CH₃CCl=CH₂ (2CP). Additional mm wave measurements combined with analysis of previous DCP spectra up to 311 GHz allow us to report the hitherto most precise spectroscopic constants for 2CP.
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