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