A Raman spectroscopic study of the low-frequency vibrations in anisole and anisole-d3

Low-frequency Raman spectra of solid anisole and of solid anisole-d₃ have been recorded at 130 K. The phenyl torsion observed at 148 cm^?1 is shifted to 133 cm^?1 upon deuteration of the methyl group. The twofold torsional barriers calculated from these frequencies are 4033 ± 110 cm^?1 and 4094 ± 123 cm^?1 indicating that coupling to other low-frequency modes in both cases is of the same order of magnitude. The methyl torsional mode was observed at 285 cm^?1 in the spectrum of solid anisole and at 183 cm^?1 in the spectrum of anisole-d₃. The threefold barriers calculated using these frequencies are 1847 ± 20 cm^?1 and 1465 ± 18 cm^?1 respectively. These barrier values indicate that the methyl torsion is coupled to another low-frequency mode. A doublet centered at 230 cm^?1 in anisole is shifted to 245 cm^?1 in anisole-d₃; it is proposed that this is due to a ring mode coupled to the methyl torsion. The splitting is interpreted as an example of Davydov splitting.