Experimental Detection of Theoretically Predicted N₂CO

Abstract

The missing link in the 28-electron family of open-chain N4, N2CO, and C2O2 molecules has been detected in the gas phase as an isolated, intact N2CO species, whose lifetime exceeds 0.8 μs. The new metastable molecule has been prepared by neutralization–reionization mass spectrometry of labeled N2CO+ ions, which were generated in various N2/CO ionized mixtures (see picture).