Royal Society of Chemistry, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 27(15), p. 11468, 2013
DOI: 10.1039/c3cp51725j
Full text: Download
The structures of the phenol dimer and phenol trimer complexes in the gas phase have been determined using chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy in the 2-8 GHz band. All fourteen 13C and 18O phenol dimer isotopologues were assigned in natural abundance. A full heavy atom experimental substitution structure was determined, and a least-squares fit ground state r0 structure was determined by proper constraint of the M06-2X/6-311++g(d,p) structure. The structure of phenol dimer features a water dimer-like hydrogen bond, as well as a cooperative contribution from inter-ring dispersion. Comparisons between the experimental structure and previously determined experimental structures, as well as ab initio structures from various levels of theory, are discussed. For phenol trimer, a C3 symmetric barrel-like structure is found, and an experimental substitution structure was determined via measurement of the six unique 13C isotopologues. The least-squares fit rm(1) structure reveals a similar interplay between hydrogen bonding and dispersion in the trimer, with water trimer-like hydrogen bonding and C-H...π interactions.