Structural organization and phase behaviour of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate: an high pressure Raman spectroscopy study

The complexity of the phase diagram of a representative room temperature ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, [bmim][PF(6)]) is explored by means of Raman spectroscopy at high pressure (up to 1000 MPa) and high temperature (from room temperature to 100 °C) conditions. The first experimental evidence of the existence of a second crystalline phase for this salt at high pressure conditions is provided. By comparing the low frequency vibrational bands for the liquid state and the two observed crystalline phases, we confirm the scenario that considers the crystal polymorphism in this class of materials as a consequence of the rotational isomerism of the butyl chain. Furthermore the pressure dependence of other vibrational bands indicates the existence of a structural rearrangement across p≈ 50 MPa at ambient temperature.     

Rotational isomerism about acyl–oxygen bond in two envelope conformations and vibrational spectral analysis of cyclopentyl acetate—a combined theoretical and experimental study

The s-cis and s-trans isomers resulting from the rotation about the acyl–oxygen bond of two envelope conformations with C5 (neighbour to substituted carbon C4) and C4 as apical atoms in the five-membered ring and vibrational spectra of cyclopentyl acetate are studied with density functional molecular orbital theory at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level. In the case of C5 at the flap and –OAc group in the axial position, it is found that the s-cis isomer (1:s-cis) is more stable than the s-trans isomer (1:s-trans) by 7.46 kcal/mol. The s-cis–s-trans rotational barrier is 15 kcal/mol. The other two conformers with C4 at the flap and –OAc group in the equatorial position, the relative energies of the s-cis and s-trans isomers (2:s-cis and 2:s-trans) with respect to 1:s-cis are found to be 0.45 and 8.21 kcal/mol, respectively. The infrared spectra (200–3200 cm⁻¹) in gas and liquid phase and Raman spectra (3200–150 cm⁻¹) in liquid phase for cyclopentyl acetate and 10 of its isotopomers are recorded. The calculated spectra of all conformers along with the observed spectra has helped study the effect of rotational isomerism on the vibrational spectra. The normal coordinate analysis in terms of non-redundant local coordinates is done for vibrational assignments of the 57 normal modes. The experimental and theoretical results are compared to the corresponding quantities of some similar molecules.     

Conformational study of (R)-(+)-limonene in the liquid phase using vibrational spectroscopy (IR,Raman, and VCD) and DFT calculations

A conformational study in the liquid phase of the terpene (R)-(+)-limonene has been carried out, revealing the presence of three conformers. For this task, experimental vibrational techniques, such as IR, Raman, and VCD spectroscopies, together with quantum chemical calculations, have been used. Our study reveals that a previous vibrational analysis is desirable to achieve a thorough analysis of the VCD spectrum as well as that these three experimental techniques are complementary to characterize flexible systems, which present several conformers.     

The vibrational spectra and rotational isomerism of 1,1,1-Trimethoxyethane

The liquid, vapour and solid-state infrared spectra of 1,1,1-trimethoxy-ethane were recorded in the region 250–4000 cm⁻¹. The laser-Raman spectrum with qualitative depolarization data was obtained for liquid only. The spectra show that there are at least two rotational isomers present in the liquid phase. The solution spectra reveal that the less polar form is the more stable in the liquid phase. The form playing an important role has GGG configuration. A vibrational assignment has been attempted for the observed infrared and Raman bands.     

Raman spectroscopic investigations of pressure-induced phase transitions in n-hexane

We report high-pressure Raman studies on n-hexane up to 16 GPa. n-Hexane undergoes solid-solid transition around 9.1 GPa along with an already reported liquid-solid transition around 1.4 GPa. The intensity ratio of the Raman modes relating the all-trans conformation (1147 and 2872 cm-1) to that of the gauche conformation (1074 and 2923 cm-1) shows a sudden change across 9.1 GPa, suggesting an increase in the all-trans population conformers above 9.1 GPa. The disappearance of the torsional modes suggests a steric hindrance to the methyl end group, similar to the n-heptane case, suggesting that the high-pressure phase (above 9.1 GPa) is an orientationally disordered phase. In general, the transition pressure for the solid-solid transition is inversely proportional to the length of the carbon backbone in the medium chain length n-alkanes.     

Conformation of L-tyrosine studied by fluorescence-detected UV-UV and IR-UV double-resonance spectroscopy

The laser-induced fluorescence spectrum of jet-cooled L-tyrosine exhibits more than 20 vibronic bands in the 35450-35750 cm(-1) region. We attribute these bands to eight conformers by using results of UV-UV hole-burning spectroscopy. These isomers are classified into four groups; each group consists of two rotational isomers that have a similar side-chain conformation but different orientations of the phenolic OH. The splitting of band origins of rotational isomers is 31, 21, 5, and 0 cm(-1) for these groups. IR-UV spectra suggest that conformers belonging to two of the four groups have an intramolecular OH...N hydrogen bond between the COOH and NH2 groups. By comparing experimental and theoretical results of L-tyrosine with those of L-phenylalanine, we propose probable conformers of L-tyrosine.     

Vibrational spectra and conformational behavior of 1,1- diethylcyclopropane

Infrared spectra (from 4000 to 400 cm⁻¹) of solid, liquid and gaseous 1,1-diethylcyclopropane and Raman spectra of the condensed phases of this compound have been recorded. Evidence for two conformational isomers, one of which vanishes in the polycrystalline solid phase, is found in the spectral data for the liquid phase. It has been concluded that these two rotational isomers are the gauche/gauche conformers which arise when the two methyl groups are displaced in a conrotatory sense (C₂ symmetry) and a disrotatory sense (C_s symmetry) from a hypothetical cis/cis (C_2υ) structure. These conclusions are consistent with the conformational results previously obtained for ethylcyclopropane and ethyloxirane. In addition, from the variable temperature liquid phase Raman intensity measurements, the C₂ rotamer of 1,1- diethylcyclopropane has been calculated to be 1.1 ± 0.2 kcal/mole more stable than the C_s form, and is the sole conformer remaining in the solid phase. Tentative vibrational assignments, in agreement with those for related molecules, are proposed for the major spectral bands of 1,1-diethylcyclopropane.     

Conformational distribution of a ferroelectric liquid crystal revealed using fingerprint vibrational spectroscopy and the density functional theory

The authors have investigated the conformational structure of the ferroelectric liquid crystal compound 4-3-methyl-2-chloropentanoyloxy-4"-hexyloxy-biphenyl also known under the abbreviations 3M2CPHOB and C6 using vibrational (IR and Raman) spectroscopy. The measured spectra exhibit two bands corresponding to the C=O stretching vibration that are separated by 20 cm(-1). In contrast, the molecular structure comprises only one such group. They assigned the two bands to different conformers that coexist in a temperature range between 25 and 65 degrees C covering the entire mesophase of this material. This assignment is strongly confirmed by calculated vibrational spectra based on the density functional theory.     

Conformational and phase transformations of chlorocyclohexane at high pressures by Raman spectroscopy

Pressure induced conformational and phase transformations of chlorocyclohexane (CCH) were investigated in a diamond anvil cell by Raman spectroscopy at room temperature. Pure CCH was compressed up to 20 GPa and then decompressed to ambient pressure. The conformational equilibrium was shifted by pressure from equatorial to axial conformers in the fluid phase below 0.7 GPa, consistent with previous observations. Upon further compression, several solid-to-solid phase transitions were identified by the observation of markedly different Raman patterns as well as different pressure dependences of characteristic Raman modes. The possible structures of these phases were analyzed in correlation with previously observed solid phases at low temperatures. Finally, CCH exhibits pressure hysteresis and partial reversibility upon decompression which result in the formation of the phases with different Raman patterns from those obtained upon compression. The difference can be interpreted as conformational contribution as well as the intrinsic plasticity of CCH crystals.     

Vibrational spectra and structure of cis- and trans-1,2- dimethoxyethylenes

The vapor, liquid and CCl₄ solution infrared spectra of cis- and trans-1,2-dimethoxyethylene were recorded in the region 250–4000 cm^?1. The laser-Raman spectra were obtained in the liquid state only. The vibrational spectra show that at least two rotational isomers exist for each molecule. Further, the spectra indicate that for both the cis- and trans molecules, one of the rotational isomers has at least one planar conformer. Some vibrational assignments are made for the observed infrared and Raman bands of the cis- and trans- 1,2-dimethoxyethylenes.     

Conformational studies of n-propylamine by combined ab initio MO calculations and Raman spectroscopy

The results of ab initio SCF-MO calculations performed with a 3-21G(N*) basis set, for fully optimized geometries of five conformations of n-propylamine, are presented. The calculated relative order of total energies for these conformers is TT≈GG′>TG>GT>GG. At 300 K, the Boltzmann distribution of populations is 18, 37, 20, 19 and 7%, respectively.Raman spectra of n-propylamine and n-propylamine-N-d₂ in the liquid phase exhibit a number of bands whose temperature-dependent intensities clearly suggest the occurrence of different conformers in simultaneous equilibria. Deuteration of the amine group originates pairs of Raman bands at 428 and 440 cm⁻¹ and at 863 and 885 cm⁻¹. The bands at 428 and 885 cm⁻¹ are favoured by reduction of temperature. Normal coordinate calculations permit the assignment of the Raman and i.r. spectra in good agreement with experimental evidence. Among the five possible conformers of n-propylamine, it is possible to detect the presence of at least three conformations in the liquid phase, corresponding to the skeletal trans (TT and GT) and at least one of the skeletal gauche (TG, GG or GG′) forms. In the solid phase, only the bands ascribed to the TT form were observed.The ab initio results for the isolated molecule show that the all-trans conformation, TT, and the conformation GG′ have the smallest energies. On the other hand, the vibrational results for the liquid and solid phases indicate that the all-trans conformation, TT, is the more populated form. In addition, this conformer presents the highest calculated dipole moment, in good agreement with the liquid phase Raman spectroscopic results which point out that this conformation is favoured by polar solvents. Intermolecular interactions operating in the liquid n-propylamine, possibly of the hydrogen bonding type, are responsible for altering the relative order of conformational stability as predicted by the ab initio SCF-MO results for the isolated molecule.     

A tale of two ions: the conformational landscapes of bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide and N,N-dialkylpyrrolidinium

The conformational landscapes of two commonly used ionic liquid ions, the anion bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide (Ntf2) and the cations N-propyl- and N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinium, were investigated using data obtained from Raman spectroscopy, molecular dynamics, and ab initio techniques. In the case of Ntf2, the plotting of three-dimensional potential energy surfaces (PES) and the corresponding molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirmed the existence of two stable isomers (each existing as a pair of enantiomers) and evidenced the nature of the anion as a flexible, albeit hindered, molecule capable of interconversion between conformers in the liquid state, a result confirmed by the Raman data. In the case of the N,N-dialkylpyrrolidinium cations, the PES show a much more limited conformational behavior of the pyrrolidinium ring (pseudorotation). Nevertheless, such pseudorotation produces two stable isomers with the propyl and butyl side chains in completely different positions (axial-envelope and equatorial-envelope conformations). This result was also confirmed by Raman spectra analyses and MD simulations in the liquid phase. The implications of the conformational behavior of the two types of ions are discussed in terms of the solvation properties of the corresponding ionic liquids.     

Microscopic observation and in-situ Raman scattering studies on high-pressure phase transformations of Kr hydrate

Direct observations through a microscope and in-situ Raman scattering measurements of synthesized single-crystalline Kr hydrate have been performed at pressures up to 5.2 GPa and 296 K. We have observed that the initial cubic structure II (sII) of Kr hydrate successively transforms to a cubic structure I (sI), a hexagonal structure, and an orthorhombic structure (sO) called "filled ice" at 0.45, 0.75, and 1.8 GPa, respectively. The sO phase exists at least up to 5.2 GPa. In addition to these transformations, we have also found the new phase behavior at 1.0 GPa, which is most likely caused by the change of cage occupancy of host water cages by guest Kr atoms without structural change. Raman scattering measurements for observed phases have shown that the lattice vibrational peak at around 130 cm(-1) disappears in the pressure region of sI, which enables us to distinguish the sI phase from sII and sH phases.     

Investigation of selectively substituted monosaccharides by the method of vibrational spectroscopy and X-ray analysis

The influence of steric factors on the formation of vibrational spectra of carbohydrates was illustrated by the example of selectively substituted monosaccharides. We consider compounds in which the difference and similarity of vibrational spectra are largely determined by the difference and similarity of the geometry of their molecular base (the molecule's skeleton). At the same time, in the case of selectively substituted nitrates of methyl-β- -glucopyranoside, the skeletal bases of which are identical, with differences in the localization site of volumetric substituents and their total number, or in rotational isomers (conformations) of the lateral nitrate groups, their Fourier Raman spectra are different over a wide spectral range. It is concluded that steric factors and the position of volumetric substituents of hydroxyls produce an exceptionally important effect on the formation of vibrational spectra of carbohydrates.     

Structural and vibrational characterisation of 3-amino-1-propanol a concerted SCF-MO ab initio, Raman and infrared (matrix isolation and liquid phase) spectroscopy study

Results obtained for the isolated and liquid 3-amino-1-propanol by a concerted molecular orbital and vibrational spectroscopic approach are reported. The relative energies and both structural and vibrational data of the different conformers of the studied compound were calculated using the extended 6-31G* basis set both at the HF-SCF and MP2 ab initio levels of theory and the theoretical results used to interpret Raman and infrared experimental data. In the gaseous phase and for the molecule isolated in an Argon matrix, monomeric 3-amino-1-propanol exists as a mixture of conformers, the first and second lowest energy forms corresponding to conformers which exhibit an intramolecular OH-N hydrogen bond (forms I and II). On the other hand, in the pure liquid, where intermolecular H-bonding occurs, the monomeric unit within the aggregates assumes a conformation similar to that of the third most stable form found for the isolated molecule situation (form III), which is characterised by having a weak intramolecular NH-O bond. The experimental data obtained for the pure liquid also reveals the presence of monomeric form I in this phase, a result that is in consonance with the strongly stabilizing OH-N intramolecular hydrogen bond that is present in this conformer.     

The inversion phenomenon of the helical twist sense in antiferroelectric liquid crystal phase from electronic and vibrational circular dichroism

The investigation of the helical pitch and the helical twist sense for several liquid crystal compounds in antiferroelectric phase have been performed. Electronic circular dichroic (ECD) and vibrational circular dichroic (VCD) spectroscopies have proved the existence of unwound helical structure in antiferroelctric phase. Obtained results may confirm the assumption connected via the inversion phenomena in liquid crystalline chiral phase with the change of the concentration of different conformers promoting opposite handedness. Two examples of such conformers, obtained by conformational analysis, have been proposed.     

High-pressure induced conformational and phase transformations of 1,2-dichloroethane probed by Raman spectroscopy

1,2-Dichloroethane (DCE) was loaded into diamond anvil cells and compressed up to 30 GPa at room temperature. Pressure-induced transformations were probed using Raman spectroscopy. At pressures below 0.6 GPa, fluid DCE exists in two conformations, gauche and trans in equilibrium, which is shifted to gauche on compression. DCE transforms to a solid phase with exclusive trans conformation upon further compression. All the characteristic Raman shifts remain constant in fluid phase and move to higher frequencies in the solid phase with increasing pressure. At about 4-5 GPa, DCE transforms from a possible disordered phase into a crystalline phase as evidenced by the observation of several lattice modes and peak narrowing. At 8-9 GPa, dramatic changes in Raman patterns of DCE were observed. The splitting of the C-C-Cl bending mode at 325 cm-1, together with the observation of inactive internal mode at 684 cm-1 as well as new lattice modes indicates another pressure-induced phase transformation. All Raman modes exhibit significant changes in pressure dependence at the transformation pressure. The new phase remains crystalline, but likely with a lower symmetry. The observed transformations are reversible in the entire pressure region upon decompression.     

Dispersed fluorescence spectroscopy of primary and secondary alkoxy radicals

Dispersed fluorescence (DF) spectra of 1-propoxy, 1-butoxy, 2-propoxy, and 2-butoxy radicals have been observed under supersonic jet cooling conditions by pumping different vibronic bands of the B-X laser induced fluorescence excitation spectrum. The DF spectra were recorded for both conformers of 1-propoxy, three conformers of the possible five of 1-butoxy, the one possible conformer of 2-propoxy, and two conformers of the possible three of 2-butoxy. Analysis of the spectra yields the energy separations of the vibrationless levels of the ground X and low-lying A electronic state as well as their vibrational frequencies. In all cases, the vibrational structure of the DF spectra is dominated by a CO stretch progression yielding the nuCO stretching frequency for the X state and in most cases for the A state. In addition to the experimental work, quantum chemical calculations were carried out to aid the assignment of the vibrational levels of the X state and for some conformers the A state as well. Geometry optimizations of the different conformers of the isomers were performed and their energy differences in the ground states were determined. The results of the calculation of the energy separations of the close-lying X and A states of the different conformations are provided for comparison with the experimental observations.     

Vibrational spectrum, ab initio calculations, conformational stabilities and assignment of fundamentals of the Ci conformer of 1,4-dichlorobutane

The infrared and Raman spectrum of 1,4-dichlorobutane is reported in solid, liquid and gas. Ab initio calculations for the nine stable or metastable conformers of 1,4-dichlorobutane are reported for Moller-Ploessett second order electron correlation and B3LYP density functionals with a variety of basis sets, using approximations as high as 6-311+g(2d, 2p). Normal coordinate calculations were conducted for the nine conformers and the results used to provide assignments for some of the observed infrared and Raman bands. An attempt to use the assignments together with the ab initio intensities or Raman activities to investigate the composition of the liquid at room temperature proved modestly successful, and suggested that the populations are altered from those expected in the gas phase by interactions of the permanent electric dipole moments with the dipolar plasma in which the conformers are immersed in the liquid. A substantial disagreement between the Moeller-Ploessett and density functional results is reported, and the calculation of intensities and activities is insufficiently accurate to allow detailed interpretation of the spectrum of the room temperature liquid. A complete assignment of fundamentals is given for the conformer of Ci symmetry, and one Raman and one infrared band is identified with the C2h conformer. All the other infrared and Raman bands in the liquid or the gas are composites of several contributors.