Hydrogen bonding between formic acid and water: complete stabilization of the intrinsically unstable conformer

We studied hydrogen bonding between formic acid (FA) and water in solid argon and identified the first water complex with the higher-energy conformer cis-FA. In sharp contrast to cis-FA monomer, cis-FA interacting with water is very stable at low temperatures, which was explained by strong O-H...O hydrogen bonding. These benchmark results show that hydrogen bonding can terminate proton tunneling reactions and efficiently stabilize intrinsically unstable conformational structures in complex asymmetrical hydrogen-bonded networks. This general effect occurs when the energy difference between conformers is smaller than the hydrogen bond interaction energy, which opens perspectives in chemistry on intrinsically unstable conformers.     

High-energy conformer of formic acid in solid neon: giant difference between the proton tunneling rates of cis monomer and trans-cis dimer

We study the conformational reorganization of formic acid (FA) in solid neon and report the higher-energy cis-FA monomer and one form of the trans-cis FA dimers. They were prepared by selective vibrational excitation of the trans-FA monomer and trans-trans dimer. The proton tunneling decay of cis-FA monomer is surprisingly very fast in solid neon, two orders of magnitude faster than in solid argon. It was also found that the stability of the trans-cis dimer against proton tunneling is enormously enhanced in solid neon compared to the monomer (by a factor of approximately 300). These results are discussed in terms of matrix solvation and hydrogen bonding.     

An ab initio study of some structural features and the rotational barriers in performic acid,formic acid and hydrogen peroxide

Calculations on performic acid at the 4-31G level, with and without bond functions with complete geometry optimization, and at the (9, 5) level, with and without polarization functions and rigid rotation, all give no sign of a well in the potential energy curve for rotation about the O/O bond axis in the region of 50° – 90° ; and all but the unaugmented 4-31G basis set find the cis-cis planar conformer to be the most stable form. Calculations at the (9,5) level with rigid rotation find the energies of the other planar conformers, relative to the cis-cis conformer, to be 0.94, 1.50 and 14.80 kcal mol^?1 for the trans-trans, cis-trans and trans-cis structures respectively. These energies and also that for the barrier separating the cis-cis and cis-trans conformers, 1–2 kcal mol^?1, are discussed in relation to corresponding data for formic acid, hydrogen peroxide and several planar four heavy-atom molecules. Dipole moment calculations using the same basis sets would seem to favor a skew conformation as the most stable for performic acid, but comparisons between calculated and experimental values for formic acid and for hydrogen peroxide cast doubt on the validity of such results.     

Competition Between Intra- and Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonding: o-Anisic Acid⋅⋅⋅Formic Acid Heterodimer

Four conformers of the heterodimer o-anisic acid–formic acid, formed in a supersonic expansion, have been probed by Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. Two of these forms have the typical double intermolecular hydrogen-bond cyclic structure. The other two show the o-anisic acid moiety bearing a trans-COOH arrangement supported by an intramolecular O−H⋅⋅⋅O bond to the neighbor methoxy group. In these conformers, formic acid interacts with o-anisic acid mainly through an intermolecular O−H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen bond either to the O−H or to the C=O moieties, reinforced by other weak interactions. Surprisingly, the most abundant conformer in the supersonic expansion is the complex in which the o-anisic acid is in trans arrangement with the formic acid interacting with the O−H group. Such a trans-COOH arrangement in which the intramolecular hydrogen bond dominates over the usually observed double intermolecular hydrogen bond interaction has never been observed previously in an acid–acid dimer.     

Formic and acetic acids in a nitrogen matrix: Enhanced stability of the higher-energy conformer

Formic acid (HCOOH, FA) and acetic acid (CH(3)COOH, AA) are studied in a nitrogen matrix. The infrared (IR) spectra of cis and trans conformers of these carboxylic acids (and also of the HCOOD isotopologue of FA) are reported and analyzed. The higher-energy cis conformer of these molecules is produced by narrowband near-IR excitation of the more stable trans conformer, and the cis-to-trans tunneling decay is evaluated spectroscopically. The tunneling process in both molecules is found to be substantially slower in a nitrogen matrix than in rare-gas matrices, the cis-form decay constants being approximately 55 and 600 times smaller in a nitrogen matrix than in an argon matrix, for FA and AA respectively. The stabilization of the higher-energy cis conformer is discussed in terms of specific interactions with nitrogen molecule binding with the OH group of the carboxylic acid. This model is in agreement with the observed differences in the IR spectra in nitrogen and argon matrices, in particular, the relative frequencies of the νOH and τCOH modes and the relative intensities of the νOH and νC=O bands.     

Infrared characterization of the HCOOH···CO2 complexes in solid argon: stabilization of the higher-energy conformer of formic acid

The complexes of formic acid (HCOOH, FA) with carbon dioxide are studied by infrared spectroscopy in an argon matrix. Two trans-FA···CO(2) and one cis-FA···CO(2) complexes are experimentally identified while the calculations at the MP2(full)/6-311++G(2d,2p) level of theory predict one more minimum for the cis-FA···CO(2) complex. The complex of the higher-energy conformer cis-FA with CO(2) is prepared by vibrational excitation of the ground-state trans-FA conformer combined with thermal annealing. The lifetime of the cis-FA···CO(2) complex in an argon matrix at 10 K is 2 orders of magnitude longer than that of the cis-FA monomer. This big difference is explained by the computational results which show a higher stabilization barrier for the complex. The solvation effects in solid argon are theoretically estimated and their contribution to the stabilization barriers of the higher-energy species is discussed. The relative barrier transmissions for hydrogen tunneling in the cis-FA···CO(2) complex and cis-FA monomer are in good agreement with the experimental decay rates.     

Trapping of unstable molecular conformations in argon matrices: Gauche- and trans-1,2-difluoroethane

Experiments are reported which describe the trapping of the unstable trans conformer of 1,2-difluoroethane in argon matrices. Assignments of the infrared spectra of the gauche and trans conformers are given. The latter is shown to have a 600 cal/mol higher free enthalpy.     

The Role of Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonds vs. Other Weak Interactions on the Conformation of Hyponitrous Acid and Its Mono- and Dithio-Derivatives

High level ab initio and density functional theory calculations have been carried out to investigate the relative stability of the different conformers of hyponitrous acid and its mono- and dithio-derivatives. Geometries and vibrational frequencies were obtained at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level and final energies through B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2pd) single point calculations. The reliability of this theoretical scheme has been assessed by comparing these DFT results with those obtained at the G3 level of theory, for some suitable cases. The cis conformers of hyponitrous acid and its mono- and dithio-derivatives are systematically more stable than the trans ones because in the cis conformation a dative interaction between the nitrogen-lone pairs and the σ_NX^* antibonding orbital is significantly favored. Quite interestingly, in general, the conformers presenting an intramolecular hydrogen bond (IHB) are not the global minima of the corresponding potential energy surfaces and only for hyponitrous acid the conformer with a OH ⋅s O IHB is slightly more stable than the cis conformer without IHB. The low stability of the tautomers with IHB is closely related with another weak intramolecular interaction which involves the lone-pairs of the chalcogen atoms and the π_NN^* antibondig orbital, and which is significantly perturbed when the IHB is formed.     

Dimers of the higher-energy conformer of formic acid: experimental observation

We report on the first experimental observation of formic acid dimers composed of two molecules of the higher-energy cis conformer. The cis-cis formic acid dimers are prepared in an argon matrix by selective vibrational excitation of the ground state trans conformer (deuterated form HCOOD) combined with thermal annealing of the matrix at about 30 K. Five cis-cis formic acid dimers are predicted by ab initio calculations (interaction energies from -16.9 to -27.2 kJ mol(-1)), and these structures are used for the assignment of the experimental spectra. Selective vibrational excitation of the obtained cis-cis dimers leads to the formation of several trans-cis dimers, which supports the proposed assignments.     

A comparison of selected force constants derived from ab initioSCF calculations on β-hydroxyacrolein. Acrolein,performic acid,and formic acid

Harmonic force fields have been calculated for the planar hydrogen-bonded ring conformer of β-hydroxyacrolein, cCc, which is the most stable, and the chain conformer, cCt, generated by 180° rotation of O? H about the C? O bond axis. The equilibrium structure obtained using the 4-31 G basis set with full geometry optimization was employed in each case. Selected force constants for the bonds directly concerned in the formation of the ring from the chain structure, and the increments in going from the one to the other, are compared with the values for the corresponding conformers of performic and formic acids. As the ring size increases from four in trans-formic acid, to five in cis–cis-performic acid and to six in the cCc conformer of β-hydroxyacrolein there is a successive increase in the mechanical strength of the hydrogen-bridging unit. The energy changes for the chain → ring conversion do not follow this progression: performic acid is out of order. But, since a force constant is a localized bond property, whereas the energy changes are determined not only by interactions specific to the hydrogendonor and hydrogen-acceptor groups but also by interactions involving more distant parts of the molecule, the force constants for the bonds directly concerned in the formation of the hydrogen bridge provide a less ambiguous basis for comparing the strength of the intramolecular hydrogen bonding.     

An ab initio study of the geometry,harmonic and anharmonic force fields,and fundamental vibrational frequencies of cis- and trans- thiolformic acid

The geometry, harmonic and anharmonic force fields, and fundamental vibrational frequencies of cis- and trans-thiolformic acid are studied ab initio in the 4-31G basis set. An extensive comparison is made between changes in diagonal and off-diagonal quadratic and cubic force constants and diagonal stretching quartic constants in going from the chain to the ring structure in thiolformic acid and formic acid. The changes in the force constants are indicative of a much weaker interaction in the trans conformer between S? H and O?C, compared with O–H and O?C, in keeping with the weaker hydrogenbonding property of the S? H group in general.     

The barriers to methyl group rotation in s-cis- and s-trans-methyl nitrite

Ab initio Hartree-Fock calculations at the 4–21 level reproduce the structures of s-cis- and s-trans-methyl nitrite as well as the surprisingly large difference in the methyl group rotational barriers of the two conformers. Furthermore, the computations reveal the significant structural changes accompanying internal rotation. These structural changes, together with the localized orbitais and population analyses, provide information for an understanding of the unusual barriers. The extraordinarily low barrier of the s-trans conformer results from stabilization of the higher-energy eclipsed form by an attractive interaction involving the in-plane methyl hydrogen atom and the lone pair of the nitrogen atom. The high barrier of the s-cis form is due to additional stabilization of the staggered conformation by a hyperconjugative interaction of the out-of-plane C-H groups with the NO double bond.     

Microwave spectra of cis and trans 2-furylisocyanate conformers

The microwave spectrum of 2-furylisocyanate has been obtained in the frequency region from 8 to 40 GHz. This spectrum is attributed to the ground state of the cis and trans configurations. The rotational constants for both ground vibrational states have been determined. Two sets of vibrational satellites are observed and assigned to the modes of C-N torsion and CNC bending. The microwave results show and MINDO/3 calculations confirm that the barrier between the cis and trans conformers is high and that the cis conformer is more stable than the trans by 3 kcal mol^?1.     

The Shape of the Simplest Non-proteinogenic Amino Acid α-Aminoisobutyric Acid (Aib)

The simplest non-proteinogenic amino acid α-aminoisobutyric acid (Aib), an analogue of glycine and alanine, has been vaporized by laser ablation and probed by high-resolution Fourier transform microwave spectroscopic techniques. Comparison of the experimental rotational and ¹⁴N nuclear quadrupole constants with that predicted ab initio has allowed the identification of three conformers of Aib exhibiting three types of hydrogen-bond interactions I (NH⋅⋅⋅O=C, cis-COOH), II (OH⋅⋅⋅N, trans-COOH), and III (N−H⋅⋅⋅O−H, cis-COOH) within the amino acid backbone. The observation of conformer III, not detected previously for related proteinogenic amino acids with a nonpolar side chain in a supersonic expansion, indicates that the presence of the methyl groups should restrict the conformational relaxation from conformer Aib-III to Aib-I. For conformer Aib-II, the rotational spectra of the ¹³C isotopomers reveal a tunneling motion arising from the two equivalent methyl groups in the molecule. The observation of a single spectrum at the midpoint between those predicted for the two ¹³C of the methyl groups has been explained by considering a double-minimum potential function with a low-energy interconversion barrier for a large amplitude internal motion. This singular fact has been corroborated by the anomalous centrifugal distortion effects determined in conformer Aib-II.     

Solid‐State Synthesis of Two Different Polymers in a Single Crystal: A Miscible Polymer Blend from a Topochemical Reaction

The topochemical synthesis of a miscible polymer blend is described. The azide‐ and alkyne‐decorated tetrol 1 crystallizes as two different conformers. Both conformers exhibit self‐sorted head‐to‐tail alignment with proximally placed reacting groups such that topochemical polymerization yields two types of polymer chains, each containing only one type of conformer. The orientation of complementary reactive groups in one of the head‐to‐tail‐arranged conformers favors the formation of cis‐triazole linkages, and the other favors the trans‐triazole linkages. Crystals of 1 on heating gave a perfect polymer blend containing equal amounts of cis‐triazole‐linked and trans‐triazole‐linked polymers. As each conformer is H‐bonded to four conformers of the other kind, the polymerization yields a perfect polymer blend wherein each polymer chain is surrounded by chains of the other type. Thus, the molecular ordering in the prepolymerized state in a crystal is utilized to create a polymer blend.     

Internal Rotation of Ester Linkage in Phenyl Benzoate and Hydroxybenzoic Acid Dimer as Models of Aromatic Polyesters Using Density Functional Theory

The internal rotation of the ester linkage was reinvestigated more quantitatively by using the density functional theory (DFT) in order to understand the characteristic stiffness and extendedness of polymer chain found in aromatic polyesters. Phenyl benzoate ( PB ) and p‐hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA) dimer ( HB ) were selected as models of aromatic polyesters. The relaxed potential energy surface (PES) scan was carried out along the internal rotation of three bonds (denoted as R, S and T, respectively) of the aromatic esters by using the hybrid DFT (B3LYP) with 6‐31G* basis set. The rotation of S bond, which mainly determines the linearity of the molecule, leads to the trans‐ and cis‐conformers of PB . Since the cis‐conformer of PB is 7.69 kcal·mol^–1 higher than the trans‐conformer, the cis‐conformer has little population at standard condition. HB does not have the cis‐conformer. In addition, the chain persistence length of 364 Å is obtained by the rotation matrix formalism using the structural parameters of HB . These agree with the experimental understanding that poly(p‐hydroxybenzoic acid) is the class of stiff and extended polymer.     

Structure and conformational dynamics of the dicyclopropyl ketone in the ground electronic state

Geometric parameters, harmonic and anharmonic vibrational frequencies, conformer energy differences and barriers to internal rotation were obtained for dicyclopropyl ketone (DCPK) in the ground electronic state through MP2, DFT, CCSD and CCSD(T) calculations. VFPA was used to improve the estimations of conformer energy differences and heights of barriers to internal rotation. The ab initio calculations demonstrated that there are three stable conformations of DCPK: the cis–cis, the cis–trans and the gauche–gauche. The energy of the gauche–gauche conformer is noticeably higher than the energy of the two other conformers, so this conformer was not found experimentally. To study the conformational dynamics of the DCPK molecule, one- and two-dimensional sections of the potential energy surface corresponding to the rotations of the cyclopropyl groups were calculated. These sections were used to calculate torsion transition energies and vibrational wave functions in anharmonic approach. It was found that there is a strong coupling of large-amplitude torsion motions in the area of the cis–cis and gauche–gauche conformers.     

Preparation and properties of bromocarbonyl isocyanate,BrC(O)NCO

Starting from chlorocarbonyl isocyanate and BBr₃, the compound bromocarbonyl isocyanate, BrC(O)NCO, has been prepared. The IR, Raman, mass and ¹³C NMR spectra have been obtained and interpreted. The vibrational data point to the existence of planar trans and cis conformers (with respect to the double bonds), the trans conformer being by far the more abundant at room temperature.     

Low-temperature 15N NMR spectra of reduced 1,3-heterocyclic systems

The ¹⁵N NMR spectra of the O-inside cis-fused conformer of perhydropyrido[1,2-c][1,3]thiazine shows a shielding of the nitrogen of 23.0 ppm relative to the trans-fused conformer. In contrast, ¹⁵N shifts for the cis-and trans-fused conformers of perhydro-oxazolo[3,4-a]pyridine and perhydrothiazolo[3,4-a]pyridine show corresponding shieldings of only 0.6 and 2.5 ppm, respectively.     

Conformational Panorama and Chirality Controlled Structure–Energy Relationship in a Chiral Carboxylic Acid Dimer

Chirality recognition in dimers of tetrahydro‐2‐furoic acid (THFA) was studied in a conformer‐specific manner using rotational spectroscopy and theoretical approaches. THFA shows a strong preference for the trans‐ over the cis‐COOH configuration. Two drastically different scenarios are possible for the detectable (THFA)₂: a kinetically preferred dimer bound by feeble interactions between two trans THFAs or a thermodynamically favored dimer with a double hydrogen‐bonded ring structure between two cis subunits. To identify the conformers responsible for the extremely dense rotational spectra observed, it was essential not only to locate several hundred homo/heterochiral (THFA)₂ minima in ab initio calculations but also to evaluate the energetic connectivities among the minima. The study further reveals an interesting chirality dependent structure–energy ordering relationship. A method for enantiomeric excess (ee) determination of THFA is presented using a recently proposed chiral self‐tag approach.