The cyclic CO2 trimer: observation of a parallel band and determination of an intermolecular out-of-plane torsional frequency.

A new parallel (DeltaK=0) band of the cyclic CO(2) trimer is observed at 2364 cm(-1). The trimers are generated in a pulsed supersonic expansion from a slit-jet nozzle and probed with a tunable infrared diode laser. The band is assigned as a combination of an intramolecular CO(2) monomer nu(3) stretch and an intermolecular out-of-plane torsion, giving a torsional frequency of 12-13 cm(-1). The band is surprisingly strong and completely unperturbed, providing a rare and near perfect example for a parallel band of a symmetric top molecule with C(3h) symmetry and zero nuclear spins.