Tautomeric and conformational properties of acetoacetamide: electron diffraction and quantum chemical study

The tautomeric properties of acetoacetamide, CH3C(O)CH2C(O)NH2, have been investigated by gas electron diffraction (GED) and quantum chemical calculations (B3LYP and MP2 approximations with 6-31G(d,p) and 6-311++G(3df,pd) basis sets). GED results in a mixture of 63(7)% enol tautomer and 37(7)% diketo form at 74(5) degrees C. Only one enol form with the O-H bond adjacent to the methyl group (CH3C(OH)=CHC(O)NH2) and only one diketo conformer (with dihedral angles tau(O=C(CH3)-C-C) = 31.7(7.5) degrees and tau(O=C(NH2)-C(H2)-C(O)) = 130.9(4.5) degrees ) are present. The calculated tautomeric composition varies in a wide range depending on the quantum chemical method and basis set. Only the B3LYP method with small basis sets reproduces the experimental composition correctly.     

Tautomeric and conformational properties of benzoylacetone, CH3-C(O)-CH2-C(O)-C6H5: gas-phase electron diffraction and quantum chemical study

Tautomeric and structural properties of benzoylacetone, CH(3)-C(O)-CH(2)-C(O)-C(6)H(5), have been studied by gas-phase electron diffraction (GED) and quantum chemical calculations (B3LYP and MP2 approximation with different basis sets up to aug-cc-pVTZ). Analysis of GED intensities resulted in the presence of 100% enol tautomer at 331(5) K. The existence of two possible enol conformers in about equal amounts is confirmed by both GED and quantum chemical results. In both conformers the enol ring possesses C(s) symmetry with a strongly asymmetric hydrogen bond. The experimental geometric parameters are reproduced very closely by the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ method.     

Tautomeric and conformational properties of dibenzoylmethane,C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Subscript>5</Subscript>–C(O)–CH<Subscript>2</Subscript>–C(O)–C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Subscript>5</Subscript>: gas-phase electron diffraction and quantum chemical study

Tautomeric and structural properties of dibenzoylmethane, C₆H₅–C(O)–CH₂–C(O)–C₆H₅, have been investigated by gas-phase electron diffraction (GED) and quantum chemical calculations (B3LYP and MP2 approximation with different basis sets up to cc-pVTZ). Analysis of GED intensities resulted in the presence of 100(5)% enol tautomer at 380(5) K. The enol ring possesses C _S symmetry with a strongly asymmetric hydrogen bond. The two phenyl rings are rotated with respect to the enol ring by 15.1(5.0) and 12.1(5.8)°. The experimental geometric parameters are reproduced very closely by the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ method.     

Molecular structure and conformational composition of 1,3-dihydroxyacetone studied by combined analysis of gas-phase electron diffraction data, rotational constants, and results of theoretical calculations. Ideal gas thermodynamic properties of 1,3-dihydroxyacetone

The molecular structure of 1,3-dihydroxyacetone (DHA) has been studied by gas-phase electron diffraction (GED), combined analysis of GED and microwave (MW) data, ab initio, and density functional theory calculations. The equilibrium re structure of DHA was determined by a joint analysis of the GED data and rotational constants taken from the literature. The anharmonic vibrational corrections to the internuclear distances (re-ra) and to the rotational constants (B(i)e-B(i)0) needed for the estimation of the re structure were calculated from the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ cubic force field. It was found that the experimental data are well reproduced by assuming that DHA consists of a mixture of three conformers. The most stable conformer of C2v symmetry has two hydrogen bonds, whereas the next two lowest energy conformers (Cs and C1 symmetry) have one hydrogen bond and their abundance is about 30% in total. A combined analysis of GED and MW data led to the following equilibrium structural parameters (re) of the most abundant conformer of DHA (the uncertainties in parentheses are 3 times the standard deviations): r(C=O)=1.215(2) A, r(C-C)=1.516(2) A, r(C-O)=1.393(2) A, r(C-H)=1.096(4) A, r(O-H)=0.967(4) A, angleC-C=O=119.9(2) degrees, angleC-C-O=111.0(2) degrees, angleC-C-H=108.2(7) degrees, angleC-O-H=106.5(7) degrees. These structural parameters reproduce the experimental B(i)0 values within 0.05 MHz. The experimental structural parameters are in good agreement with those obtained from theoretical calculations. Ideal gas thermodynamic functions (S degrees (T), C degrees p(T), and H degrees (T)-H degrees (0)) of DHA were calculated on the basis of experimental and theoretical molecular parameters obtained in this work. The enthalpy of formation of DHA, -523+/-4 kJ/mol, was calculated by the atomization procedure using the G3X method.     

Toward an intimate understanding of the structural properties and conformational preference of oxoesters and thioesters: gas and crystal structure and conformational analysis of dimethyl monothiocarbonate, CH3OC(O)SCH3

[structure: see text] The molecular structure and conformational properties of dimethyl monothiocarbonate, CH3OC(O)SCH3, have been studied in the gas phase by gas electron diffraction (GED) and vibrational spectroscopy and in the solid state by X-ray crystallography. The experimental investigations were supplemented by quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,2p) and MP2/6-311++G(2df,p) levels of approximation. The gaseous molecule exhibits only one conformation having Cs symmetry with synperiplanar orientation of both the C-S and the C-O single bonds relative to the C=O double bond. The following skeletal geometric parameters were derived from the GED analysis (r(hl) values with 3sigma uncertainties): C=O = 1.203(4) A, C(sp(2))-O = 1.335(5) A, C(sp(3))-O = 1.437(5) A, C(sp(2))-S = 1.763(5) A, and C(sp(3))-S = 1.803(5) A; O=C-O = 125.9(8) degrees , O=C-S = 125.7(7) degrees , O-C-S = 108.4(9) degrees , and C-O-C = 113.4(15) degrees . The structure of a single crystal, grown by a miniature zone-melting procedure, was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis at a low temperature. The crystalline solid [monoclinic, P2(1)/n, a = 12.6409(9) A, b = 4.1678(3) A, and c = 19.940(1) A, beta = 98.164(1) degrees ] exists exclusively as molecules in the synperiplanar conformation and with geometrical parameters that agree with those of the molecule in the gas phase. The results are discussed in terms of anomeric and mesomeric effects and in terms of a natural bond orbital analysis.     

Tautomeric and conformational properties of malonamic acid methyl ester, NH2C(O)-CH2-C(O)OCH3: electron diffraction and quantum chemical study

The tautomeric and conformational properties of malonamic acid methyl ester, NH2C(O)-CH2-C(O)OCH3, have been investigated by means of gas-phase electron diffraction (GED) and quantum chemical calculations (HF, B3LYP, and MP2 approximations with different basis sets up to 6-311++G(3df,pd)). Both quantum chemistry and GED at 360(8) K result in the existence of a single diketo conformer in the gas phase. According to GED refinement, this conformer possesses an (ac, sc) conformation with dihedral angles C-C-C(NH2)=O of 140.3(3.0) degrees and C-C-C(OCH3)=O of 31.1(7.2) degrees. The experimental geometric parameters are reproduced very closely by MP2 and B3LYP methods with large basis sets.     

Tautomeric and conformational properties of malonamide, NH2C(O)-CH2-C(O)NH2: electron diffraction and quantum chemical study

The geometric structure of malonamide, NH2C(O)-CH2-C(O)NH2, has been investigated by gas electron diffraction (GED) and quantum chemical calculations (B3LYP and MP2 approximations with 6-311++G(3df,pd) basis sets). Both GED and quantum chemistry result in the existence of a single diketo conformer in the gas phase. According to GED refinement this conformer possesses (sc,ac) conformation with one C=O bond in synclinal orientation (dihedral angle tau(O=C-C-C)=49.0(3.0) degrees) and the other C=O bond in anticlinal orientation (dihedral angle tau(O=C-C-C)=139.5(3.3) degrees). The experimental geometric parameters are reproduced very closely by the B3LYP method.     

Gas electron diffraction analysis on S-methyl thioacetate, CH3C(O)SCH3

The molecular structure of S-methyl thioacetate, CH3C(O)SCH3, was determined by gas electron diffraction (GED) with the assistance of quantum chemical calculations (B3LYP/6-31G and MP2/6-31G). Experimental and theoretical methods result in a structure with syn conformation (C=O double bond syn with respect to the S-C(H3) single bond). The following skeletal geometric parameters were derived from the GED analysis (ra values with 3sigma uncertainties): C=O = 1.214(3), C-C = 1.499(5), S-C(sp2) = 1.781(6), S-C(sp3) = 1.805(6) angstroms, O=C-C = 123.4(8) degrees, O=C-S = 122.8(5) degrees and C-S-C = 99.2(9) degrees.     

Molecular structure, conformation, and potential to internal rotation of 2,6- and 3,5-difluoronitrobenzene studied by gas-phase electron diffraction and quantum chemical calculations

3,5-Difluoronitrobenzene (3,5-DFNB) and 2,6-difluoronitrobenzene (2,6-DFNB) have been studied by gas-phase electron diffraction (GED), MP2 ab initio, and by B3LYP density functional calculations. Refinements of r h1 and r e static and r h1 dynamic GED models were carried out for both molecules. Equilibrium r e structures were determined using anharmonic vibrational corrections to the internuclear distances ( r e - r a) calculated from B3LYP/cc-pVTZ cubic force fields. 3,5-DFNB possesses a planar structure of C 2 v symmetry with the following r e values for bond lengths and bond angles: r(C-C) av = 1.378(4) A, r(C-N) = 1.489(6) A, r(N-O) = 1.217(2) A, r(C-F) = 1.347(5) A, angleC6-C1-C2 = 122.6(6) degrees , angleC1-C2-C3 = 117.3(3) degrees , angleC2-C3-C4 = 123.0(3) degrees , angleC3-C4-C5 = 116.9(6) degrees , angleC-C-N = 118.7(3) degrees , angleC-N-O = 117.3(4) degrees , angleO-N-O = 125.5(7) degrees , angleC-C-F = 118.6(7) degrees . The uncertainties in parentheses are three times the standard deviations. As in the case of nitrobenzene, the barrier to internal rotation of the nitro group in 3,5-DFNB, V 90 = 10 +/- 4 kJ/mol, is substantially lower than that predicted by quantum chemical calculations. The presence of substituents in the ortho positions force the nitro group to rotate about the C-N bond, out of the plane of the benzene ring. For 2,6-DFNB, a nonplanar structure of C 2 symmetry with a torsional angle of phi(C-N) = 53.8(14) degrees and the following r e values for structural parameters was determined by the GED analysis: r(C-C) av = 1.383(5) A, r(C-N) = 1.469(7) A, r(N-O) = 1.212(2) A, r(C-F) = 1.344(4) A, angleC6-C1-C2 = 118.7(5) degrees , angleC1-C2-C3 = 121.2(2) degrees , angleC2-C3-C4 = 119.0(2) degrees , angleC3-C4-C5 = 121.1(4) degrees , angleC-C-N = 120.6(2) degrees , angleC-N-O = 115.7(4) degrees , angleO-N-O = 128.6(7) degrees , angleC-C-F = 118.7(5) degrees . The refinement of a dynamic model led to barriers V 0 = 16.5 +/- 1.5 kJ/mol and V 90 = 2.2 +/- 0.5 kJ/mol, which are in good agreement with values predicted by B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) and MP2/ cc-pVTZ calculations. The values of C-F bond lengths are similar in both molecules. This is in contrast to the drastic shortening of the C-F bond in the ortho position in 2-fluoronitrobenzene compared to the C-F bond length in the meta and para position in 3- and 4-fluoronitrobenzene observed in an earlier GED study.     

Preparation and properties of trifluorothioacetic acid-S-(trifluoromethyl)ester, CF3C(O)SCF3

Trifluorothioacetic acid-S-(trifluoromethyl)ester, CF3C(O)SCF3, was prepared by reacting CF3C(O)Cl and AgSCF3 at 50 degrees C. The compound was characterized by (13)C-, (19)F-NMR, UV, and vibrational spectroscopy as well as by gas electron diffraction (GED) and quantum chemical calculations (HF, MP2, and B3LYP methods 6-31G(d) and 6-311+G(2df) basis sets). GED and vibrational spectroscopy result in the presence of a single conformer with C1 symmetry and synperiplanar orientation of the S-CF3 bond relative to the CO bond. This result is in agreement with quantum chemical calculations which predict the anti conformer to be higher in energy by about 4 kcal/mol. An assignment of the IR (gas) and Raman (liquid) spectra is proposed, and the GED analysis results in the following skeletal geometric parameters (r(a) and angle(a) values with 3sigma uncertainties; these parameters are thermal averages and are not inconsistent with calculated equilibrium values): C=O = 1.202(6) A, C-C = 1.525(10) A, S-C(sp(2)) = 1.774(3) A, S-C(sp(3)) = 1.824 (3) A. O=C-C = 118.7(21) degrees, O=C-S = 127.1(15) degrees, C-S-C = 99.8 (13) degrees.     

Study of the thymine molecule: equilibrium structure from joint analysis of gas-phase electron diffraction and microwave data and assignment of vibrational spectra using results of ab initio calculations

Thymine is one of the nucleobases which forms the nucleic acid (NA) base pair with adenine in DNA. The study of molecular structure and dynamics of nucleobases can help to understand and explain some processes in biological systems and therefore it is of interest. Because the scattered intensities on the C, N, and O atoms as well as some bond lengths in thymine are close to each other the structural problem cannot been solved by the gas phase electron diffraction (GED) method alone. Therefore the rotational constants from microvawe (MW) studies and differences in the groups of N-C, C=O, N-H, and C-H bond lengths from MP2 (full)/cc-pVQZ calculations were used as supplementary data. The analysis of GED data was based on the C(s) molecular symmetry according to results of the structure optimizations at the MP2 (full) level using 6-311G (d,p), cc-pVTZ, and cc-pVQZ basis sets confirmed by vibrational frequency calculations with 6-311G (d,p) and cc-pVTZ basis sets. Mean-square amplitudes as well as harmonic and anharmonic vibrational corrections to the internuclear distances (r(e)-r(a)) and to the rotational constants (B(e)(k)-B(0)(k), where k = A, B, C) were calculated from the quadratic (MP2 (full)/cc-pVTZ) and cubic (MP2 (full)/6-311G (d,p)) force constants (the latter were used only for anharmonic corrections). The harmonic force field was scaled using published IR and Raman spectra of the parent and N1,N3-dideuterated species, which were for the first time completely assigned in the present work. The main equilibrium structural parameters of the thymine molecule determined from GED data supplemented by MW rotational constants and results of MP2 calculations are the following (bond lengths in Angstroms and bond angles in degrees with 3sigma in parentheses): r(e) (C5=C6) = 1.344 (16), r(e) (C5-C9) = 1.487 (8), r(e) (N1-C6) = 1.372 (3), r(e) (N1-C2) = 1.377 (3), r(e) (C2-N3) = 1.378 (3), r(e) (N3-C4) = 1.395 (3), r(e) (C2=O7) = 1.210 (1), r(e) (C4=O8) = 1.215 (1), angle e (N1-C6=C5) = 123.1 (5), angle e (C2-N1-C6) = 123.7 (5), angle e (N1-C2-N3) = 112.8 (5), angle e (C2-N3-C4) = 128.0 (5), angle e (N3-C4-C5) = 114.8 (5), angle e (C6=C5-C9) = 124.4 (9). The experimental structural parameters are in good agreement with those from MP2 (full) calculations with use of cc-pVTZ and cc-pVQZ basis sets.     

The molecular structure of selenium dibromide as determined by combined gas-phase electron diffraction-mass spectrometric experiments and quantum chemical calculations

The vapour over solid SeBr(4) at 10 degrees C was investigated with a combined gas-phase electron diffraction/mass spectrometric (GED/MS) method. The composition of the vapour derived from the mass spectra (43% SeBr(2), 56.7% Br(2) and 0.3% Se(2)Br(2)) was in agreement with the composition obtained from the analysis of the simultaneously recorded GED intensities (41(3)% SeBr(2), 59(3)% Br(2)). The GED study results in the following geometric parameters (r(g), angle(g) values with total uncertainties): Se-Br = 2.306(5) A and Br-Se-Br = 101.6(6) degrees . Most quantum chemical approximations (B3LYP, MP2, CCSD and CCSD(T) with relativistic effective core potentials and cc-pVTZ as well as aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets for the outer shells) overestimate the Se-Br bond length by 0.01 to 0.03 A. All methods reproduce the bond angle correctly, except for the B3LYP method. Gas phase vibrational frequencies estimated from experimental vibrational amplitudes agree well with those measured by Raman spectroscopy in acetonitrile solutions. All computational methods overestimate vibrational frequencies, especially that for the symmetric stretch vibration, by about or 8 to 13%.     

Conformational structure of gaseous 3-chloropropanoyl chloride by electron diffraction, normal coordinate analysis, and ab initio molecular orbital, and density functional theory calculations

The molecular and conformational structures of 3-chloropropanoyl chloride (CH(2)Cl-CH(2)-C(=O)Cl) have been studied by using gas-phase electron diffraction (GED) data obtained at 22 degrees C (295 K) and ab initio molecular orbital (MO) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations up to the levels of MP4(SDQ) and B3LYP using larger basis sets. Normal coordinate calculations (NCA) taking into account nonlinear vibrational effects were also used in the analyses. The title compound may have up to four low-energy conformers in the gas phase, labeled according to the position of each of the two chlorine atoms in relation to the CCC propanoyl backbone, labeling the carbonyl chlorine torsion angle first: AA, AG, GG, and GA; where A is anti (ideal C-C-C-Cl torsion angle of approximately 180 degrees) and G is gauche (ideal C-C-C-Cl torsion angle of approximately 60 degrees). It has been judged from the experimental GED data and the theoretical calculations, as well as from previously published infrared (IR) studies on the molecule in both the liquid phase and in argon-trapped matrices at 10 K, that the gas phase consists of a mixture of at least three conformers: AA (most stable), AG, and GG, with the possibility of a smaller contribution (<10%) from the higher-energy GA form. The GA conformer cannot be ruled out by the GED experimental data. Relevant structural parameter values obtained from the GED least-squares refinements, with calculated ab initio MO MP2/6-31+G(2d,p) values used as constraints, were as follows (AA values with estimated 2sigma uncertainties): Bond lengths (r(h1)): r(C-C(=O)) = 1.505(4) A, r(C-CH(2)Cl) = 1.520(4) A, r(C=O) = 1.197(4) A, r(C(=O)-Cl) = 1.789(3) A, and r(C-Cl) = 1.782(3) A. Bond angles (angle(h1)): angle CCC = 111.5(11) degrees , angle CCO = 127.0(5) degrees, angle CC(O)Cl = 112.5(3) degrees, and angle CCCl = 110.3(3) degrees. Torsion angles (phi(C-C) = phi(ClCCC)): for AA, phi(1)(C-C(O)) = phi(2)(C-CH(2)Cl) = 180 degrees (assumed for true C(s) symmetry); for AG, phi(1)(C-C(O)) = -140(5) degrees, phi(2)(C-CH(2)Cl) = 76(13) degrees; for GG, phi(1)(C-C(O)) = 46(8) degrees, phi(2)(C-CH(2)Cl) = 77(14) degrees; for GA, phi(1)(C-C(O)) = 67.9 degrees (assumed), phi(2)(C-CH(2)Cl) = 177.8 degrees (assumed). The non-AA conformers all have chiral C(1) symmetry with twice the statistical weight (multiplicity) of C(s). The MP2/6-31+G(2d,p) calculated composition (%) based on the zero-point energy (ZPE) corrected energy differences, and the statistical weights for conformers: AA/AG/GG/GA = 28/35/28/9 was assumed in the final GED refinement. The more recent literature concerning the title molecule, as well as for several related molecules, has been examined and a survey has been attempted in the present article. The new experimental results for 3-chloropropanoyl chloride are discussed and compared with the previously published findings.     

Molecular structure and internal rotation in 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoroanisole as studied by gas-phase electron diffraction and quantum chemical calculations

The geometric structure of 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoroanisole and the potential function for internal rotation around the C(sp2)-O bond were determined by gas electron diffraction (GED) and quantum chemical calculations. Analysis of the GED intensities with a static model resulted in near-perpendicular orientation of the O-CH3 bond relative to the benzene plane with a torsional angle around the C(sp2)-O bond of tau(C-O) = 67(15) degrees. With a dynamic model, a wide single-minimum potential for internal rotation around the C(sp2)-O bond with perpendicular orientation of the methoxy group [tau(C-O) = 90 degrees] and a barrier of 2.7 +/- 1.6 kcal/mol at planar orientation [tau(C-O) = 0 degrees] was derived. Calculated potential functions depend strongly on the computational method (HF, MP2, or B3LYP) and converge adequately only if large basis sets are used. The electronic energy curves show internal structure, with local minima appearing because of the interplay between electron delocalization, changes in the hybridization around the oxygen atom, and the attraction between the positively polarized hydrogen atoms in the methyl group and the fluorine atom at the ortho position. The internal structure of the electronic energy curves mostly disappears if zero-point energies and thermal corrections are added. The calculated free energy barrier at 298 K is 2.0 +/- 1.0 kcal/mol, in good agreement with the experimental determination.     

Molecular structure of the trans and cis isomers of metal-free phthalocyanine studied by gas-phase electron diffraction and high-level quantum chemical calculations: NH tautomerization and calculated vibrational frequencies

The molecular structure of the trans isomer of metal-free phthalocyanine (H2Pc) is determined using the gas electron diffraction (GED) method and high-level quantum chemical calculations. B3LYP calculations employing the basis sets 6-31G**, 6-311++G**, and cc-pVTZ give two tautomeric isomers for the inner H atoms, a trans isomer having D2h symmetry and a cis isomer having C2v symmetry. The trans isomer is calculated to be 41.6 (B3LYP/6-311++G**, zero-point corrected) and 37.3 kJ/mol (B3LYP/cc-pVTZ, not zero-point corrected) more stable than the cis isomer. However, Hartree-Fock (HF) calculations using different basis sets predict that cis is preferred and that trans does not exist as a stable form of the molecule. The equilibrium composition in the gas phase at 471 degrees C (the temperature of the GED experiment) calculated at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level is 99.8% trans and 0.2% cis. This is in very good agreement with the GED data, which indicate that the mole fraction of the cis isomer is close to zero. The transition states for two mechanisms of the NH tautomerization have been characterized. A concerted mechanism where the two H atoms move simultaneously yields a transition state of D2h symmetry and an energy barrier of 95.8 kJ/mol. A two-step mechanism where a trans isomer is converted to a cis isomer, which is converted into another trans isomer, proceeds via two transition states of C(s) symmetry and an energy barrier of 64.2 kJ/mol according to the B3LYP/6-311++G** calculation. The molecular geometry determined from GED is in very good agreement with the geometry obtained from the quantum chemical calculations. Vibrational frequencies, IR, and Raman intensities have been calculated using B3LYP/6-311++G**. These calculations indicate that the molecule is rather flexible with six vibrational frequencies in the range of 20-84 cm(-1) for the trans isomer. The cis isomer might be detected by infrared matrix spectroscopy since the N-H stretching frequencies are very different for the two isomers.     

Solid‐State NMR Study of the Tautomerism of Acetylacetone Included in a Host Matrix

The tautomerism of the enol form of acetylacetone (=pentane‐2,4‐dione; 1 ) inside a host cavity has been studied by means of solid‐state ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy (SSNMR) using the variable‐temperature CPMAS technique. It appears that the enol form, 4‐hydroxypent‐3‐en‐2‐one ( 1a ), exists in an equilibrium with an identical tautomer ( 1c ) trough O H ⋅⋅⋅O proton transfer. The experimental results (energy barrier and chemical shifts) were rationalized by means of MP2 and GIAO calculations.     

S-(fluoroformyl)O-(trifluoroacetyl) thioperoxide, FC(O)S-OC(O)CF3: gas-phase structure and conformational properties

The geometric structure and conformational properties of S-(fluoroformyl)O-(trifluoroacetyl) thioperoxide, FC(O)S-OC(O)CF3, were investigated by gas electron diffraction, matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy, and quantum chemical calculations (B3LYP with the 6-31G and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets and MP2 with the 6-31G basis set). The experimental methods result in a mixture of two conformers with gauche conformation around the S-O bond. In the main conformer (82(7)% according to GED at 298 K), the C=O bond of the FC(O) group is oriented syn with respect to the S-O bond and phi(C-S-O-C) = 75(3) degrees . In the minor conformer (18(7)%), this C=O is oriented anti. Both conformers possess syn orientation of the C=O bond of the CF3C(O) group. The conformational properties and geometric parameters are reproduced reasonably well by the quantum chemical calculations, except for the S-O bond length, which is predicted too long by 0.04 A (B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ).     

Theoretical study of the enol imine <--> enaminone tautomeric equilibrium in organic solvents

The tautomeric enol imine <--> enaminone (phenol <--> quinone) equilibrium of the 1-hydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde Schiff base (2-phenyliminomethyl-naphthalen-1-ol) was investigated by density functional theory (B3LYP) and ab initio (MP2) methods in the IEF-PCM polarizable continuum dielectric solvent approximation and by a combined ab initio + FEP/MC study by considering an explicit solvent model. Special emphasis was put on the effect of solvation on this equilibrium by using an apolar (CCl4), polar aprotic (CH3CN), and polar protic (CH3OH) solvent. Compared with experimental tautomerization Gibbs free energies, the IEF-PCM/B3LYP calculations apparently overestimate the stability of the quinone form both when the 6-31G(d,p) and the 6-311++G(d,p) basis sets are applied. IEF-PCM/MP2 studies with the above basis sets predict the preference of the aromatic phenol tautomer, in contrast to the experiment in methanol and acetonitrile solvent. Calculation of the total relative free energy as DeltaG(tot) = DeltaE(int)(IEF-PCM/QCISD(T)/6-31G(d)) + DeltaG(solv, FEP/MC) + DeltaG(thermal) provided agreement with the experimental values up to 0.6 kcal/mol in the three solvents, and the predominant tautomer was always correctly predicted. In-solution relevant atomic charges, derived by a fit to the molecular electrostatic potential generated by the IEF-PCM/B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) wave function, show strong dependence on the fitting procedure (CHELPG or RESP) and are fairly insensitive to the chemical nature of the actual solvent. Use of the CHELPG charges in FEP/MC simulations revealed to be superior in comparison with the use of the RESP charge set.     

Structural and conformational properties of fluoroformic acid anhydride, FC(O)OC(O)F

The conformational properties and geometric structures of fluoroformic acid anhydride, FC(O)OC(O)F, have been studied by vibrational spectroscopy, gas electron diffraction (GED), single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and quantum chemical calculations (HF, MP2, and B3LYP methods with 6-31G* and B3LYP/6-311+G* basis sets). Satellite bands in the IR matrix spectra, which increase in intensity when the matrix gas mixture is heated prior to deposition as a matrix, indicate the presence of two conformers at room temperature. According to the electron diffraction analysis, the prevailing conformer is of C(2) symmetry with both C=O bonds synperiplanar with respect to the opposite C-O bond ([sp, sp] conformer). The minor conformer [15(5)% from IR matrix and 6(11)% from GED] is predicted by quantum chemical calculations to possess an [sp, ac] structure. FC(O)OC(O)F crystallizes in the orthorhombic system in the space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with a = 6.527(1) angstroms, b = 7.027(1) angstroms, and c = 16.191(1) angstroms and four formula units per unit cell. In the crystal, only the [sp, sp] conformer is present, and the structural parameters are very similar to those determined by GED.     

Molecular structure and conformational composition of 2-chloro-1-phenylethanone, ClH2C-C(=O)Ph, obtained using gas-phase electron-diffraction data and results from theoretical calculations

The structure and conformation of 2-chloro-1-phenylethanone, ClH(2)C-C(=O)Ph (phenacyl chloride), have been determined by gas-phase electron diffraction (GED), augmented by results from ab initio molecular orbital calculations, employing the second-order M?ller-Plesset (MP2) level of theory and the 6-311+G(d) basis set. The molecules may exist as a mixture of different conformers with the C-Cl bond either syn (torsion angle phi = 0 degrees ) or gauche to the carbonyl bond. At 179 degrees C, the majority of the molecules (90 +/- 11%) have the gauche conformation (phi = 112(3) degrees). Torsion is also possible about the C-Ph single bond. Both experimental and theoretical data indicated, however, that the phenyl ring is coplanar or nearly coplanar with the carbonyl group. The results for the principal distances (r(g)) and angles (angle(alpha)) for the gauche conformer from a combined GED/ab initio study (with estimated 2sigma uncertainties) are the following: r(C-C)(phenyl) = 1.394(2) (average value) A, r(C(phenyl)-C(carbonyl)) = 1.484(5) A, r(C(carbonyl)-C(alkyl)) = 1.513(5) A, r(C-Cl) = 1.790(5) A, r(C=O) = 1.218(6) A, r(C-H)(phenyl) = 1.087(9) (average value) A, r(C-H)(alkyl) = 1.090(9) A (average value), angle C(phenyl)-C=O = 119.5(9) degrees, angle C(phenyl)-C(carbonyl)-C(alkyl) = 119.2(10) degrees, angle C-C-Cl = 109.8(12) degrees, angle C(2)-C(1)-C(carbonyl) = 122.8(15) degrees, angle C-C(alkyl)-H = 111.2 degrees (ab initio value).