Sulfoxide stretching mode as a structural reporter via dual-frequency two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy

The S=O stretching mode in sulfoxides, having a frequency in the 950-1150?cm(-1) range, is tested as a structural label via dual-frequency two-dimensional infrared (2DIR) spectroscopy. The properties of this structural reporter are studied in several compounds, including (4,4(')-dimethyl-2,2(')-bipyridyl)(o-methylsulfinylbenzoate) ruthenium II, Ru(dmb)(2)(BzSO)](+), (RuBzSO), octylsulfinylpropionic acid (OSPA), and o- and p-methylsulfinyl-benzoic acid (oMSBA and pMSBA). The mode assignment in the fingerprint region for these compounds is made using a combination of density functional theory calculations and 2DIR and relaxation-assisted 2DIR (RA 2DIR) spectroscopies. The SO stretching mode frequency and IR intensity demonstrate substantial sensitivity to the molecular structure. Multiple cross peaks of the C=O and S=O stretching modes with modes in the fingerprint region (930-1450?cm(-1)) were recorded. The 2DIR and RA 2DIR spectra focusing at interactions of a high-frequency mode of a ligand with the modes in the fingerprint region provide a spectral fingerprint of a compound and help mode assignment in the often congested fingerprint region. The cross-peak amplitudes in oMSBA, pMSBA, and OSPA were compared with the theoretical predictions based on the computed values for the off-diagonal anharmonicities and a reasonable match is found. The SO stretching mode provides means for assigning other modes in the fingerprint region and constitutes a promising structural reporter for the 2DIR and RA 2DIR spectroscopy measurements.