Solution conformations for the flexible 1-chloro-1,1-difluoro-2-pentanol unveiled using multinuclear magnetic resonance

The preferred conformations of a small polyfunctional molecule containing fluorine, chlorine and hydroxyl groups, the 1-chloro-1,1-difluoro-2-pentanol (CDP), were completely elucidated using ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁹F NMR in three different solvents. While the Cl-C-C-O dihedral angle was asserted using coupling constant data for the diastereotopic fluorines, the Et-C-C-O torsional angle was analyzed by means of ¹H NMR spectra with selective irradiation of the diastereotopic hydrogens and fluorines. In addition, unusual couplings of the hydroxyl hydrogen with a diastereotopic hydrogen and fluorines provided information on the O-H orientation. The behavior of ¹J_C,F when the solvents varied agrees with a weak F???HO intramolecular hydrogen bond. These findings were corroborated, and the governing interactions rationalized with the aid of high level CCSD(T) theoretical calculations. Noteworthy, hyperconjugation involving the electron-acceptor σ*_C-Cl orbital drives the conformational equilibrium rather than the fluorine gauche effect.