Matrix-isolated arsenic trichloride oxide molecule, OAsCl3: formation and characterization by its infrared and Raman spectra

Abstract

Oxygen atom transfer, best effected in a noble gas matrix held at 8–30 K, leads to the formation of the hitherto unknown arsenic trichloride oxide, OAsCl₃; the matrix-isolated molecule has been detected by its i.r. and Raman spectra which, with the aid of polarization measurements and isotopic variations, serve to characterize its stoicheiometry, geometry, and vibrational properties.