H/D isotopic recognition and temperature effects in IR spectra of hydrogen-bonded cyclic dimers in crystals: 3-Methylcinnamic acid and 4-phenylbutyric acid

Abstract

In the present work, the experimental and theoretical study of the nature of the inter-hydrogen bond interactions in two different carboxylic acids, 3-methylcinnamic acid (3MCA) and 4-phenylbutyric acid (4PBA), were reported. The polarized IR spectra of 3MCA and 4PBA crystals were recorded at the frequency ranges of the νOH and νOD bands. The spectral properties of 3MCA and 4PBA interpreted with the aid of the calculations based on the “strong-coupling” model. The differences in the spectral properties of the two different dimeric systems in the crystals provide a valuable information about the existence of a direct relationship between the crystal spectral properties in IR and the electronic structure of the molecular systems. In 3MCA crystals strong vibrational exciton interactions favor a “tail-to-head” (TH)-type Davydov coupling widespread via the π-electrons, whereas in 4PBA crystals a weak “through-space” (SS) exciton coupling is responsible for a “side-to-side”-type coupling. The relative contribution of each individual exciton coupling mechanism in IR spectra generation strongly depends on temperature and molecular electronic structure. The H/D isotopic recognition effect, depending on a non-random distribution of protons and deuterons in the crystal hydrogen bridges, was also analyzed.