Acrylic acid (CH 2CHCOOH): The rotational spectrum in the millimetre range up to 397 GHz

In order to facilitate its detection in astronomical observations, the measurement of the rotational spectrum of acrylic acid has been extended to 397 GHz using a free space cell at room temperature. 295 new lines were assigned to the s-cis conformer and 286 new lines to the s-trans conformer of acrylic acid. Using the determined experimental parameters, the predictions of the rotational transition frequencies up to 900 GHz and their intensities were obtained at temperatures of 100 and 200 K and at room temperature. Based on these predictions, a search of the most intense transitions of acrylic acid in star-forming regions was performed using published data from the HERSCHEL Science Archive. No lines were found but the possibility of observing rotational transitions of acrylic acid in astronomical objects is discussed.