Knowledge Bank

The microwave spectrum of the weakly-bound complex of nitrogen and carbon dioxide was measured by Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. A previous determination of the structure of this molecule was performed in a rotationally-resolved infrared study in the region of $\nu 3$ of $CO2a$. We have observed only a-type transitions, and have measured the hyperfine splitting due to the two $\mathrm{<mrow\; data-mjx-texclass="ORD">14</mrow>}N$ nuclei. Consistent with the geometry proposed by Walsh et. al., the structure of the complex is T-shaped, with the $CO2$ forming the cross of the T.