The Analytical Possibilities of FT-IR Spectroscopy Powered by Vibrating Molecules.

This paper discusses the state of advancement in the development of spectroscopic methods based on the use of mid (proper) infrared radiation in the context of applications in various fields of science and technology. The authors drew attention to the most important solutions specific to both spectroscopy itself (ATR technique) and chemometric data processing tools (PCA and PLS models). The objective of the current paper is to collect and consistently present information on various aspects of FT-IR spectroscopy, which is not only a well-known and well-established method but is also continuously developing. The innovative aspect of the current review is to show FT-IR's great versatility that allows its applications to solve and explain issues from both the scientific domain (e.g., hydrogen bonds) and practical ones (e.g., technological processes, medicine, environmental protection, and food analysis). Particular attention was paid to the issue of hydrogen bonds as key non-covalent interactions, conditioning the existence of living matter and determining the number of physicochemical properties of various materials. Since the role of FT-IR spectroscopy in the field of hydrogen bond research has great significance, a historical outline of the most important qualitative and quantitative hydrogen bond theories is provided. In addition, research on selected unconventional spectral effects resulting from the substitution of protons with deuterons in hydrogen bridges is presented. The state-of-the-art and originality of the current review are that it presents a combination of uses of FT-IR spectroscopy to explain the way molecules vibrate and the effects of those vibrations on macroscopic properties, hence practical applications of given substances.

Elucidating the Infrared Spectral Properties of Succinic Molecular Acid Crystals: Illustration of the Structure and the Hydrogen Bond Energies of the Crystal and Its Deuterated Analogs.

Herein, the infrared spectroscopic properties of molecular succinic acid crystals (SA) and their four isotopic analogs [C2H4(COOH)2, h6-SA; C2H4(COOD)2, d2-SA; C2D4(COOH)2, d4-SA; C2D4(COOD)2, d6-SA] are reported. The correlation between the structure of succinic acid molecules and their corresponding hydrogen bond energies is elucidated. The effects related to the isotopic dilution as well as the changes in the spectrum recording temperature on the fine structures of the vO-H and vO-D bands are interpreted. The infrared spectral anomalies detected in the spectra of isotopically neat succinic nanocrystal acids are confirmed by theoretical calculations using density functional theory (DFT). According to previous spectroscopic studies of succinic acid and those carried out for α,ω-dicarboxylic acids, a decent agreement between the experimental results and the theoretical DFT simulations is obtained. Moreover, the spectra of single crystals of the h6 and d4 succinic acid variants prove that the vibrational coupling mechanism between the (COOH)2 cycles is rigorously convergent to that detected in the spectra of aromatic carboxylic acids, suggesting thereby that the promotion of symmetry-forbidden high stretching IR transitions plays a crucial role. Furthermore, the obtained experimental results reveal that the succinic acid shows a spectral behavior significantly different from that characteristic of hydrogen associations of other acids of homologous series, such as the glutaric, adipic, malonic, and pimelic acid crystals. The results obtained herein shed light on the way to explore the revealed structure of isotopic derivatives of succinic acid crystals and may prove to be useful results for understanding the nature of unconventional interactions as well as the macroscopic energy effects directing the development of hydrogen associations.

Lack of the 'long-distance' dynamical co-operative interactions due to low symmetry of hydrogen-bonded malonic acid aggregates in molecular crystals.

The paper explains the relationship between the energy of hydrogen bonds and the distance between associated carboxyl groups of malonic acid (MA) molecules by means of infrared spectroscopic studies of crystals of its four isotopic varieties [CH2(COOH)2, h4-MA; CH2(COOD)2, d2c-MA; CD2(COOH)2, d2m-MA; CD2(COOD)2, d4-MA]. The effects associated with impact on the isotopic dilution and changes in the temperature of spectrum registration on the fine structures of the νO-H and νO-D bands were analyzed. MA molecular crystals are characterized by a tendency to spontaneous H/D isotopic exchange both within centrosymmetric hydrogen bond cycles and methylene groups. The mono- and polycrystalline spectra obtained in the infrared range of isotopically neat and isotopically diluted by deuterons do not indicate the occurrence of anomalous temperature evolution in the course of lowering their registration temperature to 77 K. Theoretical calculations did not give clear confirmation of the nature of the phenomena analyzed.

"Long-distance" H/D isotopic self-organization phenomena in scope of the infrared spectra of hydrogen-bonded terephthalic and phthalic acid crystals.

This paper deals with the experimental and theoretical studies of abnormal properties of terephthalic acid (TAC) and phthalic acid (PAC) crystals manifested in the H/D isotopic exchange. The widely utilized deuteration routine appeared to be insufficiently effective in the case of the h6-TAC isotopomer. In the case of the d4-TAC derivative the isotopic exchange process occurred noticeably more effectively. In contrast, both isotopomers of PAC, h6 and d4, appeared much more susceptible for deuteration. A theoretical model was elaborated describing "long-distance" dynamical co-operative interactions involving hydrogen bonds in TAC and PAC crystals. The model assumes extremely strong dynamical co-operative interactions of hydrogen bonds from the adjacent (COOH)2 cycles. This leads to an additional stabilization of h6-TAC molecular chains. The interaction energies affect the chemical equilibrium of the H/D isotopic exchange. The model predicts a differentiated influence of the H and D atoms linked to the aromatic rings on to the process. In this approach the totally-symmetric CH bond stretching vibrations and the proton stretching totally symmetric vibrations couple with the π-electronic motions. It was also shown that identical hydrogen isotope atoms, H or D, in whole TAC molecules, noticeably enlarge the energy of the dynamical co-operative interactions in the crystals, in contrast to the case of different hydrogen isotopes present in the carboxyl groups and linked to the aromatic rings. The "long-distance" dynamical co-operative interactions in PAC crystals were found of a minor importance due to the electronic properties of PAC molecules.

Long-distance inter-hydrogen bond coupling effects in the polarized IR spectra of succinic acid crystals.

The spectral properties of four different crystalline succinic acid (HOOC-(CH2)2-COOH) (SAC) isotopomer systems, h6, d2, d4 and d6, were examined by means of the IR spectroscopy in polarized light aided by numerical simulations of the νO-H and νO-D band contour shapes on utilizing the "strong-coupling" model. The abnormal IR spectral properties of SAC crystals in relation to the corresponding properties of glutaric, pimelic and adipic acid crystals were ascribed to the hyperconjugation electronic effects in the acid associated molecules. A vibronic coupling mechanism involving the proton stretching vibrations in the (COOH)2 cycles and the electronic motions in the molecular skeletons, the isotopic "H/D self-organization" mechanisms and a long-distance vibrational exciton coupling between the adjacent (COOH)2 cycles in the molecular chains are mainly responsible for the generation of the temperature effects in the crystalline IR spectra.