Effect of methyl groups substitution on the strength of intramolecular hydrogen bonding of naphthazarin: DFT and NBO studies

Abstract

A density functional theory (DFT) study-based method B3LYP/6-311++G** was carried out to investigate the methyl groups substitution effect on the structure and the strength of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in naphthazarin (NZ) (5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone). The full geometry optimization of molecular structures, the difference between the energies of hydrogen-bonded and non-hydrogen-bonded rotamers, and the proton chemical shift of the hydroxyl groups in NZ and its methyl substituents obtained at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level. The vibrational frequencies of all samples and their deuterated analogues were calculated at the same theoretical level. The 1H chemical shifts for NZ and its methyl substituents were computed at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level using the gauge-including atomic orbital method. Furthermore, in order to investigate the changes in bond order, electron density, electron delocalization, and steric effects caused by methyl substituents, natural bond orbital analysis were carried out at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level. After comparing these effective parameters in methyl substituents with those of their parent, NZ, we concluded that, in general, intramolecular hydrogen bonding strength increases by substituting methyl groups in the different positions of NZ.