The puzzling hyper-fine structure and an accurate equilibrium geometry of succinic anhydride.

An accurate semiexperimental equilibrium structure of succinic anhydride has been determined from a combination of experiment and theory. The cm-wave and mm-wave rotational spectra of succinic anhydride, 3,4-dihydrofuran-2,5-dione, were recorded in a pulsed supersonic jet using Fourier-transform microwave spectroscopy and in a free-jet using mm-wave absorption spectroscopy. Many lines in the cm-wave spectrum show fine structure and after eliminating all other possibilities the origin of this fine structure is determined to be from spin-spin interaction. Accurate rotational and quartic centrifugal distortion constants are determined. Assignments of 13C and 18O singly substituted isotopologues in natural abundance were used to obtain a substitution geometry for the heavy atoms of succinic anhydride. Theoretical approaches permitted the calculation of a Born-Oppenheimer ab initio structure and the determination of a semiexperimental equilibrium structure in which computed rovibrational corrections were utilized to convert vibrational ground state rotational constants into equilibrium constants. The agreement between the semiexperimental structure and the Born-Oppenheimer ab initio structure is excellent. Succinic anhydride has been shown to have a planar heavy atom equilibrium structure with the effects of a large amplitude vibration apparent in the resultant rotational constants.

The radio spectra of planar aromatic heterocycles: how to quantify and predict the negative inertial defects.

The simplest tricyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocyclic molecules 5,6-benzoquinoline and 7,8-benzoquinoline are possible candidates for detection of aromatic systems in the interstellar medium. Therefore the pure rotational spectra have been recorded using frequency-scanned Stark modulated, jet-cooled millimetre wave absorption spectroscopy (48-87 GHz) and Fourier Transform Microwave (FT-MW) spectroscopy (2-26 GHz) of a supersonic rotationally cold molecular jet. Guided by theoretical molecular orbital predictions, spectral analysis of mm-wave spectra, and higher resolution FT-MW spectroscopy provided accurate rotational and centrifugal distortion constants together with 14N nuclear quadrupole coupling constants for both species. The tricyclic frames of these species undergo low energy out-of-plane zero-point vibrations resulting in deviations from the moments of inertia that the rigid structure would exhibit. The determined inertial defects, along with those of similar species are used to develop an empirical formula for calculation of inertial defects of aromatic ring systems. The predictive ability of the formula is shown to be excellent in general for planar species with a number of pronounced out-of-plane vibrations. The resultant constants for the benzoquinolines are of sufficient accuracy to be used in astrophysical searches for planar aromatic heterocycles.

Conformational steering in dicarboxy acids: the native structure of succinic acid.

Succinic acid, a dicarboxylic acid molecule, has been investigated spectroscopically with computational support to elucidate the complex aspects of its conformational composition. Due to the torsional freedom of the carbon backbone and hydroxy groups, a large number of potentially plausible conformers can be generated with an indication that the gauche conformer is favored over the trans form. The microwave and millimeter wave spectra have been analyzed and accurate spectroscopic constants have been derived that correlate best with those of the lowest energy gauche conformer. For an unambiguous conformational identification measurements were extended to the monosubstituted isotopologues, precisely determining the structural properties. Besides bond distances and angles, particularly the dihedral angle has been determined to be 67.76(11)°, confirming the anomalous tendency of the methylene units to favor gauche conformers when a short aliphatic segment is placed between two carbonyl groups.

Substituent steering of dihedral angles around single bonds: the case of succinonitrile.

Succinonitrile is a material of plastic crystal nature arising from the low energy barrier between synclinal and antiperiplanar isomerization around the central C-C bond, while its high polarity makes it an efficient solvent for a wide variety of salts including ionic liquids. A prediction of the equilibrium dihedral angle - in the absence of experimental data - suffers from the shallow potential energy curve and electron diffraction results contain large standard errors. Here, to provide accurate structural data, the Fourier transform microwave spectrum and the mm-wave spectrum of the major isotopologues of synclinal succinonitrile have been measured, assigned and fitted to produce rotational, centrifugal distortion and quadrupole coupling constants. The mm-wave spectrum of the (13)C and (15)N singly substituted isotopologues in natural abundance has been assigned together with that of the chemically singly substituted (2)H isotopologues. The resultant rotational constants have been used to calculate the substitution geometry for succinonitrile. All parameters and constants are compared with theoretical values computed at the B3LYP, MP2 and CCSD/cc-pVTZ levels of theory. The dihedral angle of succinonitrile, which is a strong driver of the plastic crystal nature of succinonitrile, is found to be 66(2)° best comparable to CCSD/cc-pVTZ predictions and noticeably different from the 60° expected without substituent effects.

Structural studies of aromatic carboxylic acids via computational chemistry and microwave spectroscopy.

The structures of three simple aromatic carboxylic acids: benzoic, isophthalic, and terephthalic have been investigated using a combination of theoretical high-level quantum chemical calculations and experimental millimeter-wave Stark-modulated free-jet absorption spectroscopy. Rotational and centrifugal distortion constants have been measured for one conformer of each of the species and for its -COOD isotopologue, leading to the experimental determination of the coordinates of the carboxyl hydrogen atom. Consideration of the observed inertial defect is consistent with a planar equilibrium structure for each species. Calculated structures, relative energies, and electric dipole moments, using ab initio methods at the MP2/cc-pVTZ level, are reported for all the lower-energy conformers of each species. The theoretical calculations lead to the unambiguous identification of the conformers involved in the observed microwave spectra. The match between theoretical and spectroscopic measurements was used to gauge the reliability of the quantum chemical structure optimization calculations.

Microwave spectrum, structure, tautomeric, and conformational composition of 4-vinylimidazole.

The microwave spectra of the two conformers each, of the 1H and 3H tautomers of 4-vinylimidazole, have been measured in the 48-72 GHz spectral region. The 4-vinylimidazole was generated in situ by the facile decarboxylation of urocanic acid at its vaporization temperature of 220 °C. The recognition of this reaction casts doubt on the reliability of a previous published spectroscopic study apparently mistakenly thought to be of uncontaminated vaporized urocanic acid, a natural product of great interest in skin cancer etiology. Quantum chemical theoretical predictions of the structures of each of ten possible conformers∕tautomers of urocanic acid and four of 4-vinylimidazole were performed at the ab initio MP2∕cc-pVTZ level, with vibrational predictions at the B3LYP∕cc-pVTZ and M062X∕cc-pVTZ levels. The predicted values of rotational constants for all the urocanic acid species were found to be quite inconsistent with those of the four observed spectra. For the 4-vinylimidazole isomers, the calculated relative energies suggested that all four species would have substantial equilibrium mole fractions at 220 °C. The isomers were identified by matching the observed and calculated rotational constants. The resulting assignment was found to be consistent with the predicted and observed (14)N nuclear quadrupole hyperfine multiplet patterns for a suitable rotational transition, and with the observed versus empirically calculated inertial defects. With one exception, the predicted structures were found to be planar. Resembling the case of 1-vinylimidazole, where one conformer is nonplanar, one isomer of 4-vinylimidazole was found to be quasiplanar. This seems to belong to a class of spontaneous symmetry-breaking observed in the molecular structure of some otherwise planar vinyl aromatic compounds.

Fourier transform microwave and millimeter wave spectroscopy of quinazoline, quinoxaline, and phthalazine.

The pure rotational spectra of the bicyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycle molecules, quinazoline, quinoxaline, and phthalazine, have been recorded and assigned in the region 13-87 GHz. An analysis, guided by ab initio molecular orbital predictions, of frequency-scanned Stark modulated, jet-cooled millimeter wave absorption spectra (48-87 GHz) yielded a preliminary set of rotational and centrifugal distortion constants. Subsequent spectral analysis at higher resolution was carried out with Fourier transform microwave (FT-MW) spectroscopy (13-18 GHz) of a supersonic rotationally cold molecular beam. The high spectral resolution of the FT-MW instrument provided an improved set of rotational and centrifugal distortion constants together with nitrogen quadrupole coupling constants for all three species. Density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP∕6-311+G∗∗ level of theory closely predict rotational constants and are useful in predicting quadrupole coupling constants and dipole moments for such species.

A spectroscopic study of nicotine analogue 2-phenylpyrrolidine (PPD) using resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI), microwave, and 2D NMR techniques.

Conformational preferences of the nicotine analogue 2-phenylpyrrolidine (PPD) have been studied in both gaseous and solution phases. Theoretical calculations at the MP2 and B3LYP levels point to 5-6 stable conformers which differ in three degrees of conformational freedom; torsion between the two rings, inversion at the pyrrolidine (PY) amine, and PY ring puckering, characterized using the Cremer-Pople definition for pseudorotation. Only one conformer has a trans arrangement between the amino hydrogen and the phenyl substituent. It is 6-8 kJ mol(-1) more stable than the cis conformers, has a perpendicular ring arrangement, and puckers at the nitrogen atom--similar to structures reported for nicotine. Resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI) data, including hole burn spectra, indicate only one conformer is present in the free jet expansion, and band contour analysis suggests assignment to the trans conformer. Confirmation was provided by microwave spectroscopy. Fifty-seven lines measured in the 48-72 GHz region were assigned to 206 b-type transitions and fitted to yield rotational constants within 2 MHz of MP2 values predicted for the trans conformer. The solution-phase conformers of PPD were studied using 1D and 2D (1)H NMR spectroscopy and solvent-based theoretical calculations. In marked contrast to the gas phase, NMR data reveals only cis conformers present in solution. Calculations confirm increased stability for these conformers when placed in simulated chloroform or water environments. Solvent molecules are believed to disrupt a crucial N...H(ortho) stabilizing interaction present within the trans conformer.

Millimetre wave spectroscopy of PANHs: phenanthridine.

The pure rotational spectrum of phenanthridine (C(13)H(9)N), a small polycyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocycle (PANH), has been measured from 48 to 85 GHz employing Stark modulated millimetre wave absorption spectroscopy of a supersonic rotationally cold molecular beam. Initial survey search scans were guided by rotational constants obtained through quantum chemical calculations performed at the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ level of theory. Close agreement--to well within 1%--is found between the calculated equilibrium and experimentally derived ground state rotational constants. From the moments of inertia a substantial negative inertial defect of Delta = -0.4688(44) amu Angstroms(2) is obtained which can be explained by the presence of several energetically low-lying out-of-plane vibrational modes. Corresponding density functional theory calculations of harmonic fundamental frequencies indeed yield four such low frequency modes with values as low as 96 cm(-1). The data presented here will also be useful for deep radio astronomical searches for PANHs employing large radio telescopes.