Geometry investigation of compounds which can exist in the form of different, mutually interconverting stereoisomers/rotamers is still the subject of interest. NMR spectroscopy is very helpful in such structural studies. Especially 15N NMR spectroscopy, which is known to be sensitive to structural changes in remote parts of molecules, is expected to be useful for the examination of n,π-conjugated systems as enaminones. In the present work, 15N NMR spectroscopy was applied to the study series of enaminones of type R1R2N-CH=CH-C(O)H and R1R2N-CH=CH-C(O)Me. Measurements at low temperatures (-60 and -90°C) in various solvents such as methanol-d4, acetone-d6, methylene chloride-d2, and chloroform-d, using various compound concentrations, enabled the observation of signals of individual rotamers and allowed us to find relationships between the 15N chemical shifts and the structure of compounds. The experimental data was supplemented by DFT/6-311++G(2d,p) calculations of the shielding constants and the indirect spin-spin coupling constants. Topological analysis using Atom-In-Molecule approach revealed, in addition to the presence of intramolecular NH...O hydrogen bonds in some rotamers, also non-covalent interactions of NH...HCH2, =O...H3C, and H2CH...HCH2 in Z rotamers. Theoretical spin-spin indirect coupling constants including Ramsey paramagnetic spin-orbit and diamagnetic spin-orbit contributions turned out to be a convenient descriptor of noncovalent interactions.
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