Properties of 3-fluoroprop-2-enoic acids, chemical shifts and indirect spin-spin coupling constants: A DFT study

Abstract

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters, shielding constants, and indirect spin-spin coupling constants (SSCC) in a large set of model compounds were calculated using the combination of the B3PW91, B3LYP, and BHandH functionals with the 6-311+(d,p), 6-311++G(d,p), 6-311++G(2d,p), and 6-311++G(3df, 3pd) basis sets, in order to verify the most appropriate methods for calculating these parameters. Selected methods were applied to calculate the NMR parameters in (2E)- and (2Z)-3-fluoroprop-2-enoic acids. Optimization of structures revealed four stable rotamers of each isomer, E and Z, of 3-fluoroprop-2-enoic acid. The internal molecular energy of s-cis and s-trans syn rotamers indicated that they are favorable in solution. All rotamers of 3-fluoroprop-2-enoic acid are coplanar except E s-trans anti, which has a "twisted" structure due to repulsion between hydrogen atoms CFH and HO. Topological analysis of the electronic structure of molecules including properties of critical points revealed noncovalent F...OH and F...HO bonds in Z s-trans syn and anti rotamers, respectively. The molecules of acid tend to form dimers and trimers in solution via hydrogen bonds O...H, CH...O, and CH...F, with binding energies ranging from a few to over a dozen kcal per mol. Theoretical chemical shifts and SSCCs were analyzed in detail to find a dependence on the geometry of individual rotameters. Calculations revealed a 5J(F,H) of -31 Hz in Z s-trans-anti rotamer containing the F...HO hydrogen bond, while this SSCC ranges from -1.9 to 1.4 Hz in the remaining rotamers. Intermolecular SSCCs across hydrogen bonds range from -3 to 7 Hz in dimers and trimers. Theoretical NMR parameters were compared with available experimental data.