Solvatochromism of Heteroaromatic Compounds: VII. Bifurcate Hydrogen Bond in Solvatochromic Complexes of 2-(1,2,2-Tritricyanovinyl)pyrrole

IR and UV spectrosocopy and quantum chemistry were used to reveal a bifurcate (three-center) hydrogen bond in the complexes of 2-(1,2,2-tricyanovinyl)pyrrole with hydrogen-bond acceptors. In the gas phase and aprotic inert solvents this compound exists predominantly as the sp conformer stabilized by intra- molecular hydrogen bond involving an orthogonal system of the nitrile group and the NH hydrogen. The formation of the three-center hydrogen bond with an aprotic protophilic solvent shifts the conformational equilibrium to the ap conformer. As the strength of the intermolecular hydrogen bond increases in the series nitromethane < acetonitrile < dioxane, the fraction of the ap conformer increases and becomes prevailing already in the moderately protophilic THF. Solvatochromism of the long-wave absorption band in the elec- tronic spectra of the sp and ap conformers was studied in detail.