Spectroscopic examination of hydrogen bonding and proton transfer in model Schiff bases related to the visual pigment chromophore

Thermodynamic and UV Studies of Association Reaction between Phenols and Benzil Mono Benzylidene Aniline

The study includes two complementary topics. Firstly, the influence of various concentrations of phenols on the UV absorption spectrum of benzil mono benzylidene aniline (BMBA) in different solvents. Experiments show a bathochromic shift in the UV spectrum of BMBA obtained after addition of phenol. When phenol is replaced by 2,4-dimethylphenol, rather similar results are observed. The results are interpreted interms of hydrogen bond formation between BMBA and phenol. Secondly, it is decided to confirm the hydrogen-bond formation stated above by thermodynamic method. Accordingly, the effect of temperature on the equilibrium constant value of the interaction between BMBA and phenol is considered. Evaluated thermodynamic parameters Δ

Relative ground and excited state energies of CH3(CH = CH)5CH = NC4H9, its hydrogen-bonded and proton-transferred species, and charge partitioning and distribution in the protonated Schiff base of retinal

CH3(CH = CH)5CH = NC4H9 (compound 1) is structurally related to the Schiff base of retinal, the prosthetic group in visual pigments. Dilute solutions of a weak acid (phenol) and 1 in a hydrocarbon solvent, when subjected to decreasing temperature, show striking changes in electronic absorption spectra. Initially only the spectrum of compound 1 is present, but as the temperature is lowered, the absorbance of 1 decreases, and the spectrum of the H-bonded form of 1 appears and increases. Continued temperature lowering then causes a decrease in absorption of the H-bonded form and an appearance and rise in absorption of the proton-transferred form of 1. Concentrations of the various species are measured as a function of temperature, and by standard procedures, the thermodynamic constants for both reaction steps are computed. Values of delta H0 are taken as relative energies among the three ground states, and the lambda max value of each species yields relative energies among excited states. By employing data from electronic absorption spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and theoretical calculations for retinal Schiff base, charge partitioning between nitrogen and the polyene chain and charge distribution among the carbon atoms of the polyene chain are calculated.

Spectroscopic observation of solvent interaction with selected retinal Schiff bases

Iodide salts of several N-retinylidenedialkylamines were prepared and their UV-VIS spectra recorded. Their lambda max values increased as the number of hydrogen atoms on the carbons alpha to nitrogen increased. In separate experiments, iodide salts of N-retinylidene-n-butylammonium (1) and N-retinylidene-n-butylmethylammonium (2) were prepared, and their excitation energies (delta E) were measured in selected solvents of varying dielectric constant (epsilon). Data from each compound gave a straight line which converged at epsilon = 0. On the other hand, when delta E values of the iodide and bromide of 2 were plotted vs solvent epsilon, parallel rather than convergent lines were obtained. When lambda max values of 1 and 2 were measured in a greater number of solvents, the solvents fell into four main groups. The first group, regular solvents, are rigid, have fixed dipoles, neither donate nor accept H-bonds, and the delta E of 1 and 2 decreases linearly as solvent epsilon increases. This line for 2 is taken as a standard against which other solvents are judged. A second class of solvents that are good H-bond donors like CHCl3, whose dipole moment coincides with the C-H bond axis, is located in an area below the standard line. A third group, nucleophilic solvents like tetrahydrofuran, whose dipole moment is coincident with a strongly nucleophilic oxygen atom are good H-bond acceptors and are found above the standard line. Solvents with unpredictable spectroscopic behavior are classed as anomalous.