The molecular structure of fumaric acid and the deformation of carboxyl group geometry on crystallization

The molecular structure of fumaric acid was studied by means of gas electron diffraction at 260° C. The molecular parameters and their standard deviations obtained for a C_2h model are (r_a distances in Å, angles in degrees): CO: 1.202(0.002), C-O: 1.341(0.006), C-C: 1.486(0.004), CC: 1.356(0.016). C-C-O: 112.1(1.0), C-CO: 124.4(1.1), C-CC: 121.8(1.2). From the available data on carboxylic acids the weighted average deformation of the structure of a carboxylic group on crystallization was determined; a significant expansion of the O-H bond (0.040 Å ), the CO bond (0.010 Å ) and the C-C-O bond angle (1.5° ) and a shrinkage of the C-O bond (0.041 Å ), the C_α-C bond (0.012 Å ) and the C-CO bond angle (2.0° ) was found. The energy for these deformations was estimated to be 1.8 kcal mol^?1.