IR-induced conformer interconversion processes of glycolaldehyde in low-temperature matrices, and ab initio calculations on the energetics and vibrational frequencies of the conformers

Abstract

Both IR-induced and thermal conformer interconversion processes of glycolaldehyde (CHOCH 2OH) were studied in low-temperature Ar, Kr and Xe matrices. The observed photochemical reaction induced by broad-band IR irradiation is interpreted to proceed from the lowest-energy conformer Cc which prevails after deposition to conformer Tt. In Xe and Kr the photochemical steady state (ratio [Tt]/[Cc]) depends on the matrix temperature; two conformers, Tg and Tt, seem to be in thermal equilibrium, and at elevated temperatures species Tg is enriched, and then the reverse photoprocess Tg → Cc occurs more rapidly than the competing reverse process, Tt → Cc which prevails at 13 K. Because of the thermal equilibrium the routes of the forward and reverse photoprocesses are considered to be different. A thermal reverse process, Tt → Tg → Cc, is observed at temperatures above 30 K in Xe and Kr. The role of the torsional barrier heights in determining the rates of the photoprocesses is emphasized. To aid in the interpretation of the experimental results, ab initio calculations were carried out. Geometries and energies of all conformers of glycoaldehyde as well as the geometries of the most important saddle points were fully optimized at the HF/6-31G** level, and vibrational spectra were calculated on the HF/4-31G level; the latter conformed to the experimental conformer assignment.