Gas-Phase Spectroscopic Detection and Structural Elucidation of Carbon-Rich Group 14 Binary Clusters: Linear GeC3Ge

Guided by high-level quantum-chemical calculations at the CCSD(T) level of theory, the first polyatomic germanium-carbon cluster, linear Ge2C3, has been observed at high spectral resolution in the gas phase through its remarkably complex fundamental antisymmetric C-C stretching mode ν3 located at 1932 cm(-1). The observation of a total of six isotopic species permits the derivation of a highly accurate value for the equilibrium Ge-C bond length. The present study suggests that many more Ge-C species might be detectable in the future using a combination of laser-ablation techniques for production and high-resolution infrared and/or microwave techniques for spectroscopic detection.