Unraveling the Conformational Landscape of Triallyl Phosphate: Matrix Isolation Infrared Spectroscopy and Density Functional Theory Computations

Conformational topography of tris(2-methylbutyl) phosphate and the influence of methyl branching at the non-hyperconjugative carbon on the conformational landscape: insights from matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy and DFT computations

The branching of a methyl group in a linear chain has a profound influence on the conformational morphology as it wields a strong control in reducing a large number of conformations. To unravel the effect of branching on the second non-hyperconjugative carbon atom on the conformational landscape, the conformations of tris(2-methylbutyl)phosphate (T2MBP) were studied using Density Functional Theory (DFT) computations and matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. Experimentally, T2MBP along with N₂/Ar/Kr/Xe gases was effusively expanded and deposited at a low temperature of 12 K, which was subsequently probed using infrared spectroscopy. The computations of all the conformations were accomplished using the B3LYP level of theory with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. A dimethyl(2-methylbutyl) phosphate (DM2MBP) prototype, a molecule containing a single 2-methylbutyl moiety, was examined for its conformations. Computations predicted 18 and 9 conformations each for the 'gauche' and 'trans' families, respectively, in which the third branched carbon completely influences the orientation of the fourth carbon, which simplifies the conformational problem of DM2MBP. Of the 18 and 9 bunches each in the 'gauche' and 'trans' families, only 7 and 3 conformations, respectively, became energetically important, which when extrapolated to T2MBP resulted in 343 and 147 conformational possibilities. The factor of degeneracy further reduced these numbers and a total of 168 conformations effectively contribute to the conformational composition of T2MBP in the gas phase. The role of stereo electronic and steric factors prevalent in the conformational clusters of T2MBP was unravelled respectively using natural bond orbital and non-covalent interaction analyses.

The role of dispersion and anharmonic corrections in conformational analysis of flexible molecules: the allyl group rotamerization of matrix isolated safrole

Conformational changes of the monomeric safrole (5-(2-propenyl)-1,3-benzodioxole) isolated in low temperature xenon matrices were induced thermally or using narrow-band UV radiation. The rotation of the allyl group taking place in the studied matrices was followed by FTIR spectroscopy. Safrole represents a challenging example of a flexible molecule highlighting the importance of dispersion interactions and anharmonic effects in the structural, spectroscopic and energetic analysis. Structures of the safrole conformers, their energetics and infrared spectra have been calculated using various computational methods ranging from density functional theory (DFT) to coupled cluster (CC). The best theoretical results were obtained by integrating CCSD(T) energies including complete basis set extrapolation and core-valence corrections with B2PLYP-D3 equilibrium structures and hybrid B2PLYP-D3/B3LYP-D3 anharmonic computations for IR spectra and thermodynamics.

Conformations of diethyl ether and its interaction with pyrrole at low temperatures

Conformations of diethyl ether (DEE) were studied at low temperatures in N₂ and Ar matrixes. Computations performed at B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ level of theory yielded three minima corresponding to tt, tg^± and g^±g^± conformers of DEE. Of the three, the tt and tg^± conformers of DEE were experimentally identified in N₂ and Ar matrixes. Furthermore, hydrogen bonded complexes of pyrrole (py) with DEE have been investigated using Density Functional Theory (DFT) and matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. Computations performed at B3LYP level of theory using aug-cc-pVDZ basis set on pyrrole with tt and tg^± conformers of DEE gave py-DEE-tt and py-DEE-tg^± complexes, both characterized by NH⋯O interaction. Experimental evidence for the formation of py-DEE-tt and py-DEE-tg^± complexes was affirmed from the shifts in the NH stretching, NH bending regions of pyrrole and COC and CH stretching regions of DEE. NBO analysis was carried out to understand the charge-transfer delocalization interactions in the conformers of DEE and its hydrogen bonded complexes.

Non-covalent C-Cl…π interaction in acetylene-carbon tetrachloride adducts: Matrix isolation infrared and ab initio computational studies

Non-covalent halogen-bonding interactions between π cloud of acetylene (C2H2) and chlorine atom of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) have been investigated using matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy and quantum chemical computations. The structure and the energies of the 1:1 C2H2-CCl4 adducts were computed at the B3LYP, MP2 and M05-2X levels of theory using 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. The computations indicated two minima for the 1:1 C2H2-CCl4 adducts; with the C-Cl…π adduct being the global minimum, where π cloud of C2H2 is the electron donor. The second minimum corresponded to a C-H…Cl adduct, in which C2H2 is the proton donor. The interaction energies for the adducts A and B were found to be nearly identical. Experimentally, both C-Cl…π and C-H…Cl adducts were generated in Ar and N2 matrixes and characterized using infrared spectroscopy. This is the first report on halogen bonded adduct, stabilized through C-Cl…π interaction being identified at low temperatures using matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. Atoms in Molecules (AIM) and Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) analyses were performed to support the experimental results. The structures of 2:1 ((C2H2)2-CCl4) and 1:2 (C2H2-(CCl4)2) multimers and their identification in the low temperature matrixes were also discussed.