Infrared and Raman spectra of bicyclic molecules using scaled noncorrelated and correlated ab initio force fields

Abstract

This paper reports the application of a scaled ab initio calculated harmonic force field to predict the frequencies, infrared intensities, Raman intensities, and depolarization ratios of benzofuran, benzothiophene, indole, benzothiazole, and benzoxazole. The theoretical calculations were made using the Hartree–Fock HF/3-21G* and HF/6-31G* basis sets and density-functional theory (DFT)B3-LYP/6-31G* levels. The equilibrium calculated force constants are scaled according to the method of Pulay and compared with the experimentally determined frequencies, intensities, and depolarization ratios to assess the accuracy and fit of the theoretical calculation. Methods for quantitative comparison of intensities were developed. The double numerical differentiation algorithm of Komornicki and McIver was analyzed and used to calculate the Raman intensities for the (DFT)B3-LYP/6-31G* model. The (DFT)B3-LYP/6-31G* model is approaching the harmonic limit in the planar and nonplanar refinement of these bicyclics with wave number fits of 5 and 4 cm−1, respectively. It reduces the need for scale factors and increases their transfer accuracy, largely because the scale factors values cluster near unity. The Komornicki and McIver algorithm is still a viable method for calculating Raman intensity information for methods that do not have analytic routines programmed. The main shortcoming to this method may lie in the tighter self-consistent field (SCF) convergence criterion possibly needed to calculate Raman intensities for the totally symmetric modes of large molecules. The (DFT)B3-LYP/6-31G* model was superior for calculating the planar intensities, but equal to the HF methods for predicting the nonplanar intensities.