Ab initio- and density-functional studies of conformational behaviour of N-formylmethionine in gaseous phase

The current work is a study of the conformational space of the non-ionic N-formylmethionine molecule around its seven structurally significant internal backbone torsional angles at B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) levels of theory in the gaseous phase. The potential energy surface exploration reveals that a total of 432 different conformers would result if all the possible combinations of the internal rotations were to be considered. A set of twelve conformers of the N-formylmethionine molecule are then further analysed in terms of their relative stabilities, theoretically predicted harmonic vibrational frequencies, HOMO-LUMO energy gaps, ESP charges, rotational constants and dipole moments calculated using MP2/6-31++G(d,p) and B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) levels. The calculated relative energy-range of the conformers at the MP2 level is 11.08 kcal mol^?1 (1 kcal = 4.1868 kJ), whereas the same obtained at the B3LYP level is 10.02 kcal mol^?1. The results of this study provide a good account of the role of four types of intramolecular H-bonds, namely O…H—O, O…H—N, O…H—C and N…H—C, in influencing the energies of the conformers as well as their conformational and vibrational spectroscopic aspects. The relative stability order of the conformers appears to depend on the level of theory used while the vibrational frequencies calculated at the B3LYP level are in better agreement with the experimental values.     

Vibrational spectra and quantum mechanical assignments for 1-nitropropene

The i.r. spectra of cis and trans 1-nitropropene have been recorded in the vapor phase and in various solvents. Theoretical calculations at the Hartree—Fock level with a 3-21G(d) basis set were carried out yielding vibrational frequencies for nitromethane and cis and trans 1-nitropropene. Assignment of fundamentals was assisted by solvent effects on 1-nitropropene. Evidence is obtained for inter-molecular hydrogen bonding.     

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.     

Gauche- and trans-n-butane and their IR-induced interconversion in solid neon

Both conformers of n-butane are trapped from the gas phase in solid Ne at 4 K. Broad band infrared irradiation (mainly the CH-stretching region) induces interconversions, the quantum yield for the gauche — trans isomerization being approximately eight times higher than that for the reverse process. The energy difference between the conformers was found to be ?3.05 kJ mol^?1. The vibrational spectra of both conformers are given.     

Spectra and structure of phosphorus—boron compounds—XXVI. Infrared and Raman spectra,conformational stability and normal coordinate analysis of ethyldichlorophosphine-borane

The Raman (3500-10 cm⁻¹) and infrared (3500-50 cm⁻¹) spectra of solid ethyldichlorophosphine-borane, CH₃CH₂P(BH₃)Cl₂ and its deuterated analog, CH₃CH₂P(BD₃)Cl₂ have been recorded. Additionally, the infrared spectra of the gases and the Raman spectra of the liquids have been recorded and qualitative depolarization ratios have been obtained. Based on the fact that several distinct Raman lines disappear on going from the liquid to the solid state, it is concluded that the molecule exists as a mixture of the gauche and trans conformers, with the trans conformer being more stable in the liquid phase, and the only one present in the solid phase. From a temperature study of the Raman spectrum of the liquid, the enthalpy difference between the gauche and trans conformers was determined to be nearly zero. Based on Raman depolarization data, group frequencies, isotopic shift factors and infrared band contours, a complete vibrational assignment has been proposed for the trans conformer. The assignment is supported by a normal coordinate calculation which was carried out utilizing a modified valence force field to obtain the frequencies of the normal modes and the potential energy distribution. The BH₃ torsion has been observed at 188 cm⁻¹, while the BD₃ torsion was not observed. The methyl torsions in the spectra of the solids have been observed at 209 and 202 cm⁻¹ for the “light” and deuterated species, respectively. From the torsional data, barriers to internal rotation have been calculated. The asymmetric torsional mode has been observed for the trans conformer in the infrared spectra of the gas phase at 108 and 104 cm⁻¹ for the BH₃ and BD₃ species, respectively. These results are compared with similar quantities for some corresponding organophosphine—borane compounds.     

Vibrational spectra and torsional analyses of cis-2,3-dimethyloxirane and trans-2,3-dimethyloxirane

The Raman spectra of cis-2,3-dimethyloxirane and trans-2,3-dimethyloxirane in the vapor, liquid, and polycrystalline solid phases are reported for the region between 25 and 3100 cm^?1. The IR spectra of these two compounds between 80 and 4000 cm^?1 in the vapor and polycrystalline solid phases are also reported. In the IR and Raman spectra of gaseous trans-2,3-dimethyloxirane a total of eight torsional transitions have been observed. In the Raman spectrum of the cis compound in the vapor phase, four torsional transitions have been observed. From these experimental data, periodic barriers to the methyl torsional motions have been calculated to be 905 ± 7 cm^?1 (2.5 kcal mol^?1) for the trans molecule and 617 ±5 cm^?1 (1.76 kcal mol^?1) for the cis molecule. Additionally, complete vibrational assignments based on band contours, depolarization values, and group frequencies are proposed for both molecules and gas-phase thermodynamic functions have been calculated. These results are compared to the corresponding quantities for 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.     

Cryochemistry : edited by M. Moskovits and G.A. Ozin,John Wiley & Sons,New York,London, Sydney and Toronto, 1976, pp. xi + 532, price £25.85

The IR spectra of N₂F₄ solutions in liquid argon and nitrogen have been recorded and reanalyzed in the 3300–3550 cm^?1 region. The fundamental absorption bands of NF-stretching modes of both the gauche and trans isomers and the bands of the second order transition have been observed. These new IR data on the spectra of cryosystems and published Raman data allowed us to make an unambiguous interpretation of the NF₂-stretching vibrational bands for both the N₂F₄ conformers.     

Spectral analysis of acetylcholine halides by density functional theory calculations

The optimized molecular structures, vibrational frequencies and ¹H and ¹³C NMR chemical shifts of acetylcholine halides (F, Cl, and Br) have been investigated using density functional theory (B3LYP) method with 6-311G(d) basis set. The comparison of their experimental and calculated IR, R and NMR spectra of the compounds has indicated that the spectra of three optimized minimum energy conformers can simultaneously exist in one experimental spectrum. Thus, it was concluded that the compounds simultaneously exist in three conformations in the ground state. The calculated optimized geometric parameters (bond lengths and bond angles), vibrational frequencies and NMR chemical shifts for the minimum energy conformers were seen to be in a good agreement with the corresponding experimental data. All the assignments of the theoretical frequencies were performed by potential energy distributions using VEDA 4 program.     

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 infrared spectra and structures of the valyl-glycine zwitterion isolated in a KBr matrix

The IR absorption spectrum of zwitterions of l-valyl-glycine isolated in a KBr matrix has been measured using a novel dissolution, spray and deposition technique. The number of conformers, their molecular structures and their vibrational spectra have been determined by ab initio molecular orbital calculations of the non-aqueous self-consistent reaction field type, using the Onsager dipole-sphere model at both the density functional theory and Hartree–Fock levels. Six conformers were determined. Although differences in their relative energies were found to be small, one conformer Tg2 was consistently the lowest for a range of cavity radii and for both levels of theory. From comparison of the observed and predicted spectra it is concluded that one or more of the trans group of conformers is present in the KBr matrix. Good agreement between measured and calculated spectra has been obtained for the majority of the prominent bands in the spectrum.     

The conformation and vibrational spectra of trans-1,4-dihalocyclohexanes: Part III. trans-1,4-Diiodo-, trans-1,4-bromoiodo- and trans-1,4-dibromocyclohexane

The IR spectra of trans-1,4-diiodo- and trans-1,4-bromoiodocyclohexane as solutes in various solvents, as pellets and as solids under high pressure are recorded in the region 4000–30 cm^?1. Additional spectra of the melts, amorphous and annealed crystalline solids at 90 K and dichroic spectra of oriented crystals are recorded above 200 cm^?1. Raman spectra of the amorphous and annealed solids at 90 K and as solutes in various solvents, are obtained, including polarization measurements. IR and Raman spectra of trans-1,4-di-bromocyclohexane in the temperature range 90–250 K are recorded. Equilibrium mixtures of ee and aa conformers of the title compounds are observed in solution, in the melts and in the amorphous solid at 90 K. The ee conformer only is present in the stable crystal, while the aa conformer predominates in apparently metastable crystals annealed to ca. 205 K. The concentration of the aa conformer increases under high pressure (50 kbar). Fundamental frequencies for both ee and aa conformers are assigned. A normal coordinate analysis is carried out, and the force Fields adjusted to nine halogenated cyclohexanes using the overlay technique.     

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.     

Vibrational spectra and molecular conformation of diethyl fumarate and especially the maleate

Infrared and Raman spectra of diethyl maleate and diethyl fumarate were recorded in the liquid and solid states. From the spectral changes on phase transition the known conformational equilibrium s-trans/s-cis ? s-trans/s-trans in the case of dialkyl fumarates is confirmed, and the view that dialkyl maleates exist only in a single conformation is corrected. The observation of several bands in the vCC region of IR and Raman spectra of diethyl maleate, and significant intensity shifts in this region with phase transition prove the existence of at least two conformers in liquid dialkyl maleates.     

Conformational analysis,barriers to internal rotation and vibrational assignment for dimethylethylamine

The IR (50–3500 cm^?1) and Raman (20–3500 cm^?1) spectra have been recorded for gaseous and solid dimethylethylamine. Additionally, the Raman spectrum of the liquid has been recorded and qualitative depolarization values have been obtained. Due to the fact that three distinct Raman lines disappear on going from the fluid phases to the solid state, it is concluded that the molecule exists as a mixture of the gauche and trans conformers in the fluid phases with the gauche conformer being more stable and the only one present in the spectra of the unannealed solid. From the temperature study of the Raman spectrum of the liquid a rough estimate of 3.9 kcal mol^?1 has been obtained for ΔH. Relying mainly on group frequencies and relative intensities of the IR and Raman lines, a complete vibrational assignment is proposed for the gauche conformer. The potential functions for the three methyl rotors have been obtained, and the barriers to internal rotation for the two CH₃ rotors attached to the nitrogen atom have been calculated to be 3.51 and 3.43 kcal mol^?1, whereas the barrier for the CH₃ rotor of the ethyl group has been calculated to be 3.71 kcal mol^?1. The asymmetric torsional mode for the gauche conformer has been observed in both the IR and Raman spectra of the gas at 105 cm^?1 with at least one hot band at a lower frequency. Since the corresponding mode has not been observed for the trans conformer, it is not possible to obtain the potential function for the asymmetric rotation although estimates on the magnitudes of some of the terms have been made. Significant changes occur in the low-frequency IR and Raman spectra of the solid with repeated annealing; several possible reasons for these changes are discussed and one possible explanation is that a conformational change is taking place in the solid where the trans form is stabilized by crystal packing forces. These results are compared to the corresponding quantities for some similar amines.     

Second-derivative method: Application to vibrational spectroscopy in excited electronic states

The second-derivative method, which has been known to be useful for finding peaks overlapped in a broad band, is applied to u.v. and visible absorption bands to derive vibrational frequencies in excited electronic states of molecules in solution. By using this method, much better estimates of vibrational frequencies are possible for Franck—Condon active modes than can be made from the absorption spectrum itself. Computational procedure and the results obtained for trans-1,3,5-hexatriene, azulene, pyrazine and anthracene are described with remarks about the effectiveness and limitations of the second-derivative method.     

Gas phase conformational behavior of selenomethionine: A computational elucidation

Selenium containing amino acids are known to play numerous key biological roles in various lifesupporting processes. In the current theoretical investigation DFT(B3LYP) and MP2 methods are used to study the gas phase conformers of the selenomethionine molecule in view of their relative stabilities, theoretically predicted harmonic frequencies, HOMO-LUMO energy gaps, rotational constants, and dipole moments. The number and type of intramolecular H-bond interactions existing in the selenomethionine conformers, which play key roles in determining the energy of the conformers, are also analyzed. The predicted geometries as well as the relative stabilities of the conformers suggest that the structural aspects and energies of the conformers may depend on the level of theory and the size of the basis set used. A comparison of the vibrational frequencies furnished in this study with the previous experimental and theoretical results obtained at MP2/6-31++G(d,p) and B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) levels promotes the interpretation of the vibrational spectroscopy data on biologically relevant molecules.     

The stable form of 1, 1, 1-trifluoro-3-chloropropane molecules in the crystal II modification

The vibrational spectra of CF₃CH₂CH₂Cl in different states of aggregation is investigated and the normal coordinate analysis of trans- and gauche-conformers is carried out. The assignments in vibrational spectra for both the conformers of CF₃CH₂CH₂Cl are given. It is shown that the stable crystalline modification, crystal II, is formed by the trans-conformer of the molecule.     

Conformational and vibrational analysis of butyronitrile

IR and Raman spectra have been obtained for butyronitrile and are interpreted with the aid of normal coordinate calculations. This compound exists as trans and gauche conformers in the liquid and amorphous solid states, but only the gauche conformer is present in the crystalline solid. Simultaneous calculations for propionitrile and the two conformers of butyronitrile result in an average error of 4.7 cm⁻¹, or 0.42%. Vibrational assignments are made for all three molecules in terms of ordinary symmetry coordinates.     

The vibrational analysis of some potassium salts

The IR, far-IR and Raman spectra of products with general formula X—COOK (X = —CONH₂, —CONHCH₃ and —CSNH₂) and the N-deuterated derivatives have been recorded, the fundamental vibrational frequencies assigned, and a valence force field calculated.