13C NMR studies of conformational isomerism in thioureas: Signal assignments via chemical shift and population trends

The 22.63 MHz ¹³C NMR spectra of a series of alkylated thioureas are reported. Characteristic Z and E spectral regions were found for the ¹³C ? S resonances. The two regions were generally found to be non-overlapping for the series, with the region of the Z, Z resonances occurring more downfield than those of either the Z, E or E, Z conformers in the cases of 1,3-disubstitution. The Z, Z configuration became favored and the relative chemical shift difference (Rδ) increased linearly with increasing substituent size. At 217 K, hindered internal rotation caused a multiplicity of resonances which were normally single peaks in the broad band ¹H decoupled 62.86 MHz ¹³C spectrum of CH₃NHCSNH(CH₂)₂NHCSNHCH₃ (2MTE) at room temperature. The trends in chemical shifts and populations were employed to assign tentatively the resonances of five of the six possible configurational isomers contributing to the 2MTE spectra at 217 K. The isomer populations are given. The ¹³C NMR spectra reported here led to signal assignments of Z and E isomers which supported prior ¹H NMR results and contradicted more recent results of another ¹³C NMR study of N-methylthiourea. The major peak of the exchange doublet occurs at relatively high field strengths in both methanol-d₅.