Study of the configurations of 3-aryl-substituted 1,5-diphenylformazans by resonance Raman and absorption spectroscopy: steric and conjugation effects of the substituent

Abstract

3-Aryl-substituted 1,5-diphenylformazans exist as one of the following two isomeric species in the solid state; the yellow isomer having the trans-anti-s- trans configuration with respect to the NN, CN and CN bonds of the formazan skeleton and the red isomer having the trans-syn-s- cis configuration. The other red isomer having the trans-syn-s- trans configuration, which exists when the substituent is an alkyl group, is not detected. Two effects are considered to be operative in determining the relative stabilities of these configurations: (1) the resonance energy arising from the conjugation between the π-electron systems of the formazan skeleton and the aryl substituent, and (2) the steric repulsion between the formazan skeleton and the groups (or atoms) attached to the ortho positions of the aryl substituent. In solutions, these two isomers are in equilibrium, their relative populations being dependent on the nature of the solvent as well as on the bulkiness of the groups attached to the ortho positions of the aryl substituent.