We report the first vibrational spectrum of the degenerate proton transfer system OH- . H2O. The complex is cooled by attachment of argon atoms and the spectrum is observed by argon predissociation spectroscopy in the OH stretching region. A strong, sharp transition is observed just below the region usually associated with the free OH stretch, while broader bands appear lower in energy and are weaker than the dominant free OH peak. The latter are assigned with the aid of ab initio calculations to the first overtone of the coupled intramolecular bend and strongly red-shifted H-bonded OH stretching modes. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.