The first germanium-carbon cluster GeC3Ge, has been detected in the products from the laser evaporation of carbon and germanium rods trapped in solid Ar at similar to 10 K. On the basis of very good agreement between Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurements and the predictions of density functional theory (DFT) calculations for the frequencies and C-13 isotopic shifts, the nu (3)(sigma (u)) mode of linear GeC3Ge has been identified at 1920.7 cm(-1). (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.