Isoelectronic IrC 3 - , PtC 3 , and AuC 3 + Clusters Featuring the Structural and Bonding Resemblance to OC 3 .

The IrC 3 - and PtC 3 - anions generated by laser vaporization were identified and characterized by gas-phase photoelectron spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations. The straight-chain structures with an MCCC (M = metal; C = carbon) connectivity are found for the isoelectronic IrC 3 - , PtC 3 , and AuC 3 + clusters. Further elaborate analyses manifest the strikingly structural and bonding similarities between MC 3 -/0/+ clusters and OC 3 revealed. This finding has broadened the notion of autogenic isolobality to the gas-phase clusters that contain Ir - , Pt, Au + , and C centers.