Complexes of Glycolic Acid with Nitrogen Isolated in Argon Matrices. I. Structures and Thermal Effects.

Molecular complexes between glycolic acid and nitrogen were studied in a low-temperature argon matrix with FTIR spectroscopy, and supported by MP2 and BLYPD3 calculations. The calculations indicate 11 and 10 stable complex structures at the MP2 and BLYPD3 levels of theories, respectively. However, only one hydrogen-bonded complex structure involving the most stable SSC conformer of glycolic acid was found experimentally, where the nitrogen molecule is bound with the carboxylic OH group of the SSC conformer. The complex shows a rich site structure variation upon deposition of the matrix in different temperatures and upon annealing experiments, which provide interesting prospects for site-selective chemistry.

Complexes of Glycolic Acid with Nitrogen Isolated in Argon Matrices. II. Vibrational Overtone Excitations.

Structural changes of glycolic acid (GA) complex with nitrogen induced by selective overtone excitation of the νOH mode were followed in argon matrices using FTIR spectroscopy. For the most stable SSC1 complex present in different trapping sites directly upon deposition site, selective changes in the νOH region were achieved upon near-infrared irradiation. Simultaneously, new conformers of the GA…N2 complex were formed, giving rise to several sets of bands in the νOH and νC=O regions of the spectra. Both position and intensity of new absorptions appeared to be highly sensitive on the wavelength of radiation used, as well as on the annealing of the matrix. Based on theoretical calculations at different levels of theory, an assignment of the observed bands is proposed and discussed.

Structure and matrix isolation infrared spectrum of formyl fluoride dimer: blue-shift of the C-H stretching frequency.

Infrared spectroscopy (IR) of formyl fluoride (HCOF) dimer is studied in low-temperature argon and krypton matrixes. New IR absorptions, ca. 17 cm(-1) blue shifted from the monomer C-H stretching fundamental, are assigned to the HCOF dimer. The MP2/6-311++G calculations were utilized to define structures and harmonic frequencies of various HCOF dimers. Among the four optimized structures, the dimer having two C-H...O hydrogen bonds possesses strongest intermolecular bonding. The calculated harmonic frequencies of this dimer structure are shifted from the monomer similarly as observed in the experiment. Thus, we suggest that the experimentally observed blue shifted C-H bands belong to the dimer with two C-H...O hydrogen bonds. This observation includes the HCOF dimer to the class of hydrogen bonded complexes showing blue shift in their vibrational energies.

Photodissociation of formyl fluoride in rare gas matrixes.

Photodissociation of formyl fluoride (HCOF) is studied in Ar, Kr, and Xe matrixes at 248 and 193 nm excitation by following spectral changes in the infrared absorption spectra. In all matrixes, the main photodissociation products are CO/HF species, including CO-HF and OC-HF complexes and thermally unstable CO/HF species (a distorted CO/HF complex or a reaction intermediate), which indicate negligible cage exit of atoms produced via the C-F and C-H bond cleavage channels. However, the observation of traces of H, F, CO, CO(2), F(2)CO, FCO, and HRg(2)(+) (Rg = Kr or Xe) in Kr and Xe matrixes would imply some importance of other reaction channels too. The analysis of the decay curves of the precursor shows that dissociation efficiency of HCOF increases as Ar < Kr < Xe, the difference being the factor of 10 between Ar and Xe. Moreover, HCOF dissociates 20-50 times faster at 193 nm compared to 248 nm. Interestingly, whereas the CO/HF species are stable with respect to photolysis in Ar, they photobleach in Kr and Xe matrixes at 248 and 193 nm, even though the first excited states of CO and HF are not energetically accessible with 193 and 248 nm photons. In krypton matrix, the photodissociation of CO/HF species at 248 nm is observed to be a single photon process. Quantum chemical calculations of electronic excitation energies of CO-HF and OC-HF complexes show that the electronic states of HF and CO mostly retain their diatomic nature in the pair. This clearly demonstrates that photodissociation of CO/HF complexes is promoted by the surrounding rare gas lattice.