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Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

High quality research in physical chemistry, chemical physics and biophysical chemistry.




Paper

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2007, 9, 4514 - 4520, DOI: 10.1039/b705746f


Molecular recognition in 1 : 1 hydrogen-bonded complexes of oxirane and trans-2,3-dimethyloxirane with ethanol: a rotational spectroscopic and ab initio study

Nicole Borho and Yunjie Xu


High resolution rotational spectroscopy complemented by ab initio calculations has been used to elucidate the diastereomeric interactions in 1 : 1 complexes of ethanol, a transient chiral alcohol, hydrogen-bonded to oxirane (achiral) or trans-2,3-dimethyloxirane (DMO, 2 stereocenters). Two conformers of oxiraneethanol and three conformers of DMOethanol have been identified, and their structures as well as their stability ordering have been determined. This completes, together with previous results on the propylene oxideethanol complex (N. Borho and Y. Xu, Angew. Chem., 2007, 119, 2326–2329; Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 2007, 46, 2276–2279.), the study of a set of model systems with zero, one, and two methyl functional groups at the hydrogen bond acceptor oxirane. The dependence of the observed rotational line intensities on pressure, nozzle temperature, and different carrier gases has been investigated for the case of DMOethanol. This provides insight into the kinetical and thermodynamical influence on the formation of different conformers. Comparison of the subtle energy differences among the complexes and within each set of conformers allows for a detailed analysis of molecular recognition in this benchmark system.

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