Microwave spectrum, conformation and intramolecular hydrogen bonding of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanethiol (CF3CH2SH)

The microwave spectrum of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanethiol, CF3CH2SH, and of one deuterated species, CF3CH2SD, has been investigated in the 7-80 GHz spectral interval. The microwave spectra of the ground and three vibrationally excited states belonging to three different normal modes of one conformer were assigned for the parent species, and the vibrational frequencies of these fundamentals were determined by relative intensity measurements. Only the ground vibrational state was assigned for the deuterated species. The identified form has a synclinal arrangement for the H-S-C-C chain of atoms and the corresponding dihedral angle is 68(5) degrees from synperiplanar (0 degrees). A weak intramolecular hydrogen bond formed between the thiol (SH) group and one of the fluorine atoms is stabilizing this conformer. There is no evidence in the microwave spectrum for the H-S-C-C antiperiplanar form. The hydrogen atom of the thiol group should have the ability to tunnel between two equivalent synclinal potential wells, but no splittings of spectral lines due to tunneling were observed. The microwave work was augmented by quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ and MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ levels of theory.