CO2–HF: A linear molecule

Abstract

The results of microwave and radio frequency spectroscopy of the weakly bound complexes of hydrogen fluoride with carbon dioxide and carbonyl sulfide are presented. The following spectroscopic constants are determined: A nearly linear hydrogen bonded equilibrium structure with an O–H bond length of ∼1.9 Å is consistent with all the experimental data. The stretching force constant, estimated from the distortion constant to be ks = 0.021 mdyne/Å for CO2–HF, appears anomalously small for such a short bond.