Fourier transform IR spectrum and photoreactivity of the C3O2:HCl complex isolated in solid argon

IR spectroscopy was coupled with the matrix isolation technique to study the molecular complex formed between C₃O₂ and HCl and its photodissociation. The vibrational frequencies of the complex were compared with those of HCl and C₃O₂ monomers. For C₃O₂, a bent structure was characterized in the solid environment.

The vibrational frequencies were calculated in the 4000–400 cm^?1 range using an ab initio method at the MP2/6-31G** level for the most stable complex; these frequencies describe the hydrogen interaction with the central carbon atom of C₃O₂ (T complex). The measured shifts between the vibrational mode frequencies of the complex and monomers were in good agreement with the calculated values.

Broad-band UV irradiation ( > 230 nm) of the T complex leads preferentially to ketene chloride and carbon monoxide. Ketene chloride formation can be explained by the reaction between HCl and the carbene C₂O, which results from photo-dissociation at the C=CO bond of C₃O₂.