Cooperatively Enhanced Ionic Hydrogen Bonds in Cl−(CH3OH)1−3Ar Clusters

Abstract

Infrared predissociation (IRPD) spectra of Cl−(CH3OH)1-3Ar and Cl-(CH3OD)1-3Ar were obtained in the OH and CH stretching regions. The use of methanol-d1 was necessary to distinguish between CH stretches and hydrogen-bonded OH features. The spectra of Cl-(CH3OH)2-3Ar show intense features at frequencies lower than the CH stretches, indicating structures with very strong hydrogen bonds. These strong hydrogen bonds arise from structures in which a Cl-···methanol ionic hydrogen bond is cooperatively enhanced by the presence of a second shell and, in the case of Cl-(CH3OH)3Ar, a third shell methanol. The strongest hydrogen bond is observed in the Cl-(CH3OH)3Ar spectrum at 2733 cm-1, shifted a remarkable -948 cm-1 from the neutral, gas-phase methanol value. Harmonic, ab initio frequency calculations are not adequate in describing these strong hydrogen bonds. Therefore, we describe a simple computational approach to better approximate the hydrogen bond frequencies. Overall, the results of this study indicate that high-energy isomers are very efficiently trapped using our experimental method of introducing Cl- into neutral, cold methanol-argon clusters.