Molecular structure of gaseous isatin as studied by electron diffraction and quantum chemical calculations

Abstract

The molecular structure of isatin, indole-2,3-dione, was studied by gas-phase electron diffraction (GED) and quantum chemical calculations (M062X and MP2 methods with aug-cc-pVTZ basis set). The best fit of the experimental scattering intensities (R-factor = 4.4%) was obtained for a molecular model of Cs symmetry. The structure of the benzene ring deviates from a regular hexagon due to the adjacent pyrrole heterocycle. The small differences between similar geometric parameters were constrained at the values calculated at the M062X level. The experimental structural parameters agree well with the results of theoretical calculations. The bonds in the benzene moiety are in agreement with their standard values. The (O)CC(O) carbon-carbon bond of the pyrrole moiety (1.573(7) Å) is remarkably lengthened in comparison with standard C(sp2)C(sp2) value, 1.425(11) Å for N-methylpyrrole. According to NBO analysis of isatin, glyoxal and pyrrole-2,3-dione molecules this lengthening cannot be attributed to the steric interactions of CO bonds alone and is, mainly, due to the electrostatic repulsion and hyperconjugation that is delocalization of oxygen lone pairs of π-type into the corresponding carbon-carbon antibonding orbital, nπ(O) → σ∗(CC). Deletion of σ∗(CC) orbital followed by subsequent geometry optimization led to shortening of the corresponding CC bond by 0.06 Å. According to different aromaticity descriptors, aromaticity of benzene moiety of isatin is smaller in comparison with benzene molecule. External magnetic field induces diatropic ring current in benzene moiety of isatin.