Geometry of an Isolated Dimer of Imidazole Characterised by Rotational Spectroscopy and Ab Initio Calculations

An isolated, gas‐phase dimer of imidazole is generated through laser vaporisation of a solid rod containing a 1:1 mixture of imidazole and copper in the presence of an argon buffer gas undergoing supersonic expansion. The complex is characterised through broadband rotational spectroscopy and is shown to have a twisted, hydrogen‐bonded geometry. Calculations at the CCSD(T)(F12*)/cc‐pVDZ‐F12 level of theory confirm this to be the lowest‐energy conformer of the imidazole dimer. The distance between the respective centres of mass of the imidazole monomer subunits is determined to be 5.2751(1) Å, and the twist angle γ describing rotation of one monomer with respect to the other about a line connecting the centres of mass of the monomers is determined to be 87.9(4)°. Four out of six intermolecular parameters in the model geometry are precisely determined from the experimental rotational constants and are consistent with results calculated ab initio.     

From Molecular to Cluster Properties: Rotational Spectroscopy of 2-Aminopyridine and of Its Biomimetic Cluster with Water

We report the observation and analysis of the rotational spectrum of a 1:1 cluster between 2-aminopyridine and water (AMW) carried out with supersonic expansion Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy at 4.7–16.5 GHz. Measurements of the 2-aminopyridine monomer (AMP) were also extended up to 333 GHz for the room-temperature rotational spectrum and to resolved hyperfine splitting resulting from the presence of two ¹⁴N quadrupolar nuclei. Supersonic expansion measurements for both AMP and AMW were also carried out for two synthesized isotopic species with single deuteration on the phenyl ring. Nuclear quadrupole hyperfine structure has also been resolved for AMW and the derived splitting constants were used as an aid in structural analysis. The structure of the AMW cluster was determined from the three sets of available rotational constants and the hydrogen bonding configuration is compared with those for clusters with water of similarly sized single-ring molecules. Experimental results aided by quantum chemistry computations allow the conclusion that the water molecule is unusually strongly bound by two hydrogen bonds, OH^...N and O^...HN, to the NCNH atomic chain of AMP with the potential to replace hydrogen bonds to the identical structural segment in cytosine and adenine in CT and AT nucleic acid base pairs.     

Experimental and Theoretical Study of Helium Broadening and Shift of HCO+ Rotational Lines

An experimental and theoretical study of pressure broadening and pressure shift of HCO⁺ rotational lines perturbed by collisions with He is presented. Results are reported from measurements at 88 K for the lines j=4←3, 5←4 and 6←5 with frequencies ranging from 0.35 to 0.54 THz. Using a new CCSD(T)/aug‐cc‐pVQZ potential energy surface for the He–HCO⁺ interaction, the collisional line shape parameters are studied from fully quantum and semiclassical calculations. Results from the quantum treatment are in satisfactory agreement with experiments whereas the semiclassical approach can lead to appreciable differences. A study of the dependence of line width Γ and shift s as a function of the translational energy shows the presence of quantum oscillations. Calculations on a previous Hartree–Fock‐based potential energy surface lead to quite similar results for the collisional line shape parameters. Using a simplified version of the potential morphing method it is found that the line width Γ is particularly sensitive to the long‐range part of the potential energy surface. This also explains the success of the first line‐broadening calculations which date back to the 1950s.     

Fluorine Substitution Effects on Flexibility and Tunneling Pathways: The Rotational Spectrum of 2‐Fluorobenzylamine

The effect of ring fluorination on the structural and dynamical properties of the flexible model molecule 2‐fluorobenzylamine has been studied by rotational spectroscopy in free‐jet expansion and quantum chemical methods. The complete potential energy surface originating from the flexibility of the aminic side chain has been calculated at the B3LYP/6‐311++G** level of theory and the stable geometries were also characterized with MP2/6‐311++G**. The rotational spectra show the presence of two of the predicted four stable conformers: the global minimum (I), in which the side chain’s dihedral angle with the phenyl plane is almost perpendicular, is stabilized by an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the fluorine atom and one hydrogen of the aminic group; and a second conformer II (E_II?E_I≈5 kJ mol^?1) in which the dihedral angle is smaller and the amino group points towards the aromatic ortho hydrogen atom. This conformation is characterized by a tunneling motion between two equivalent positions of the amino group with respect to the phenyl plane, which splits the rotational transition. The ortho fluorination increases, with respect to benzylamine, the tunneling splitting of this motion by four orders of magnitude. The motion is analyzed with a one‐dimensional flexible model, which allows estimation of the energy barrier for the transition state as approximately 8.0 kJ mol^?1.     

Experimental and Theoretical Study of the Broadening and Shifting of N2H+ Rotational Lines by Helium

Pressure broadening and pressure shift of N₂H⁺ rotational lines perturbed by collisions with He are studied for the first time using experiment and theory. Results are reported from measurements at 88 K for the rotational transitions ${j = 3 \leftarrow 2}$ , ${4 \leftarrow 3}$ , ${5 \leftarrow 4}$ and ${6 \leftarrow 5}$ with frequencies ranging from 0.28 to 0.56 THz. The agreement between experiment and theoretical data derived from close coupling calculations confirms the reliability of a theoretical framework used for state‐to‐state transition rates of interest in the interpretation of spectroscopic data from interstellar molecular clouds. The influence of hyperfine effects on shifts and widths of the rotational lines is discussed in detail. Although in principle possible, experiment and theoretical considerations lead to the conclusion that hyperfine effects only play a minor role.     

The Molecular Structure of gauche‐1,3‐Butadiene: Experimental Establishment of Non‐planarity

The planarity of the second stable conformer of 1,3‐butadiene, the archetypal diene for the Diels–Alder reaction in which a planar conjugated diene and a dienophile combine to form a ring, is not established. The most recent high level calculations predicted the species to adopt a twisted, gauche structure owing to steric interactions between the inner terminal hydrogens rather than a planar, cis structure favored by the conjugation of the double bonds. The structure cis‐1,3‐butadiene is unambiguously confirmed experimentally to indeed be gauche with a substantial dihedral angle of 34°, in excellent agreement with theory. Observation of two tunneling components indicates that the molecule undergoes facile interconversion between two equivalent enantiomeric forms. Comparison of experimentally determined structures for gauche‐ and trans‐butadiene provides an opportunity to examine the effects of conjugation and steric interactions.     

Interactions of Aromatic Heterocycles with Water: The Driving Force from Free‐Jet Rotational Spectroscopy and Model Electrostatic Calculations

The interaction of isolated aromatic nitrogen atoms with water is explored within free jets by using rotational spectroscopy. To the existing data on diazines, we add the case of the 1:1 complex of 1,3,5‐triazine and water (where water donates a proton to one of the nitrogen heterocyclic atoms to form a planar adduct). An electrostatic model based on distributed multipoles accurately reproduces the structures of the four azine–water complexes and allows us to understand the forces that stabilize these structures. The applied intermolecular potential allows us to estimate the changes in the thermodynamic functions of the complexes—compared to the separated constituents—and evaluate the temperature at which the complexes are stable under standard conditions.     

Bond Length Alternation Observed Experimentally: The Case of 1H-Indazole

Bond length alternation is a chemical phenomenon in benzene rings fused to other rings, which has been mainly predicted theoretically. Its physical origin is still not clear and has generated discussion. Here, by using a strategy that combines microwave spectroscopy, custom-made synthesis and high-level ab initio calculations, we demonstrate that this phenomenon is clearly observed in the prototype indazole molecule isolated in the gas phase. The 1H-indazole conformer was detected by rotational spectroscopy, and its 17 isotopologues resulting from single and double heavy atom substitution (¹³C and ¹⁵N) were also unambiguously observed. Several experimental structures were determined and, in particular, the most useful semi-experimental equilibrium structure (r_e^SE), allowed determination of the heavy atom bond lengths to milli-Ångstrom precision. The experimentally determined bond length alternation is estimated to correspond to 60:40 contributions from the two resonant forms of 1H-indazole.     

Tunnelling Motion of HF Between the Two Oxygen Lone Pairs in the Dimethyl Ether–Hydrogen Fluoride Complex: A Pure Rotational Study

The rotational spectrum of the dimethyl ether–hydrogen fluoride complex was assigned by millimetre‐wave free‐jet absorption spectroscopy. Fine details of the spectrum were resolved by FT microwave molecular‐beam spectroscopy. The HF group acts as a proton donor and tunnels at a rate of 44178.2(7) MHz between the two oxygen lone pairs, which corresponds to an inversion barrier of 0.17(1) kcal mol^?1. The barrier to internal rotation of the two methyl groups is about 25 % lower relative to the isolated ether.     

Sensing the Molecular Structures of Hexan-2-one by Internal Rotation and Microwave Spectroscopy

Using two molecular jet Fourier transform spectrometers, the microwave spectrum of hexan-2-one, also called methyl n-butyl ketone, was recorded in the frequency range from 2 to 40 GHz. Three conformers were assigned and fine splittings caused by the internal rotations of the two terminal methyl groups were analyzed. For the acetyl methyl group CH₃ COC₃H₆CH₃, the torsional barrier is 186.9198(50) cm⁻¹, 233.5913(97) cm⁻¹, and 182.2481(25) cm⁻¹ for the three observed conformers, respectively. The value of this parameter could be linked to the structure of the individual conformer, which enabled us to create a rule for predicting the barrier height of the acetyl methyl torsion in ketones. The very small splittings arising from the internal rotation of the butyl methyl group CH₃COC₃H₆ CH₃ could be resolved as well, yielding the respective torsional barriers of 979.99(88) cm⁻¹, 1016.30(77) cm⁻¹, and 961.9(32) cm⁻¹.     

The Hunt for Elusive Molecules: Insights from Joint Theoretical and Experimental Investigations

Rotational spectroscopy is an invaluable tool to unambiguously determine the molecular structure of a species, and sometimes even to establish its very existence. This article illustrates how experimental and theoretical state-of-the-art tools can be used in tandem to investigate the rotational structure of molecules, with particular emphasis on those that have long remained elusive. The examples of three emblematic species—gauche-butadiene, disilicon carbide, and germanium dicarbide—highlight the close, mutually beneficial interaction between high-level theoretical calculations and sensitive microwave measurements. Prospects to detect other elusive molecules of chemical and astronomical interest are discussed.     

Interactions between organic molecules and water: rotational spectrum of the 1:1 oxetane-water complex

The 1:1 molecular complex between oxetane and water has been investigated by using free-jet millimeter-wave spectroscopy. The rotational spectra of five isotopomers (with H(2)O, D(2)O, DOH, HOD and H(2) (18)O) have been assigned. Partial r(0) and r(s) structures of the complex have been derived. The water moiety lies in the plane of symmetry of oxetane, with the "free" hydrogen E with respect to the ring. The oxetane ring appears to be slightly nonplanar, with the C(beta) carbon tilted on the opposite side of the water unity. The three atoms involved in the hydrogen bond adopt a linear arrangement with an O(ring).H distance of about 1.86 A, and the angle between the COC bisector and the O(ring).H bond being congruent with 106 degrees. Additionally, quantum-chemical calculations for the complex were performed and were found to be in agreement with the experimental results.     

Probing the Methyl Torsional Barriers of the E and Z Isomers of Butadienyl Acetate by Microwave Spectroscopy

The Fourier transform microwave spectra of the E and Z isomers of butadienyl acetate were measured in the frequency range from 2 to 26.5 GHz under molecular‐jet conditions. The most stable conformer of each isomer, in which all heavy atoms are located in a symmetry plane, was identified after analyzing the spectrum by comparison with the results from quantum‐chemical calculations. The barriers to internal rotation of the acetyl methyl group were found to be 149.1822(20) and 150.2128(48) cm^?1 for the E and Z isomers, respectively, which are similar to that of vinyl acetate. A comparison between two theoretical approaches treating internal rotation, the rho axis method and combined axis method, was also performed. The influence of the alkyl R chain on the methyl torsional barriers in CH₃ ‐COOR acetates was explored.     

Environmental Effects in Computational Spectroscopy: Accuracy and Interpretation

Spectroscopic techniques are valuable tools for understanding the structure and dynamics of complex systems, such as biomolecules or nanomaterials. Most of the current research is devoted to the development of new experimental techniques for improving the intrinsic resolution of different spectra. However, the subtle interplay of several different effects acting at different length and time scales still makes the interpretation and analysis of such spectra a very difficult task. In this respect, computational spectroscopy is becoming a needful and versatile tool for the assignment and interpretation of experimental spectra. It is in fact possible nowadays to model with relatively high accuracy the physical–chemical properties of complex molecules in different environments, and to link spectroscopic evidence directly to the structural and dynamical properties of optically or magnetically active solvated probes. In this Review, significant steps toward the simulation of entire spectra in condensed phases are presented together with some basic aspects of computational spectroscopy, which highlight how intramolecular and intermolecular degrees of freedom influence several spectroscopic parameters.     

Frontiers in Rotational Spectroscopy: Shapes and Tunneling Dynamics of the Four Conformers of the Acrylic Acid—Difluoroacetic Acid Adduct

The rotational spectra of four conformers of the acrylic acid—difluoroacetic acid adduct (CH₂=CHCOOH–CHF₂COOH, AA‐DFA) are reported and information on their internal dynamics is supplied. This represents an unprecedented result for the conformational analysis, with microwave spectroscopy, of such a heavy molecular adduct.     

How CO2 Interacts with Carboxylic Acids: A Rotational Study of Formic Acid–CO2

The rotational spectra of the 1:1 formic acid–carbon dioxide molecular complex and of its monodeuterated isotopologues are analysed in the 6.5–18.5 and 59.6–74.4 GHz frequency ranges using a pulsed jet Fourier transform microwave spectrometer and a free‐jet absorption millimetre wave spectrometer, respectively. Precise values of the rotational and quartic centrifugal distortion constants are obtained from the measured frequencies, and quadrupole coupling constants are determined from the deuterium hyperfine splittings. Structural parameters are estimated from the moments of inertia and their differences among isotopologues: the complex has a planar structure with the two subunits held together by a HC(O)OH???O=C ? O (2.075 Å) and a HC(OH)O???CO₂ (2.877 Å) interactions. The ab initio intermolecular binding energy, obtained at the counterpoise corrected MP2/aug‐cc‐pVTZ level of calculation, is D_e=17 kJ mol^?1.