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1. Vibrationally excited states of 1 H - and 2 H -1,2,3-triazole isotopologues analyzed by millimeter-wave and high-resolution infrared spectroscopy with approximate state-specific quartic distortion constants

   https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0137340  

   Zdanovskaia, Maria A.; Franke, Peter R.; Esselman, Brian J.; Billinghurst, Brant E.; Zhao, Jianbao; Stanton, John F.; Woods, R. Claude; McMahon, Robert J. (January 2023, The Journal of Chemical Physics)

   In this work, we present the spectral analysis of 1 H- and 2 H-1,2,3-triazole vibrationally excited states alongside provisional and practical computational predictions of the excited-state quartic centrifugal distortion constants. The low-energy fundamental vibrational states of 1 H-1,2,3-triazole and five of its deuteriated isotopologues ([1- 2 H]-, [4- 2 H]-, [5- 2 H]-, [4,5- 2 H]-, and [1,4,5- 2 H]-1 H-1,2,3-triazole), as well as those of 2 H-1,2,3-triazole and five of its deuteriated isotopologues ([2- 2 H]-, [4- 2 H]-, [2,4- 2 H]-, [4,5- 2 H]-, and [2,4,5- 2 H]-2 H-1,2,3-triazole), are studied using millimeter-wave spectroscopy in the 130–375 GHz frequency region. The normal and [2- 2 H]-isotopologues of 2 H-1,2,3-triazole are also analyzed using high-resolution infrared spectroscopy, determining the precise energies of three of their low-energy fundamental states. The resulting spectroscopic constants for each of the vibrationally excited states are reported for the first time. Coupled-cluster vibration–rotation interaction constants are compared with each of their experimentally determined values, often showing agreement within 500 kHz. Newly available coupled-cluster predictions of the excited-state quartic centrifugal distortion constants based on fourth-order vibrational perturbation theory are benchmarked using a large number of the 1,2,3-triazole tautomer isotopologues and vibrationally excited states studied. 

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2. Improved semi-experimental equilibrium structure and high-level theoretical structures of ketene

   https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0154770  

   Smith, Houston H.; Esselman, Brian J.; Wood, Samuel A.; Stanton, John F.; Woods, R. Claude; McMahon, Robert J. (June 2023, The Journal of Chemical Physics)

   The millimeter-wave rotational spectrum of ketene (H2C=C=O) has been collected and analyzed from 130 to 750 GHz, providing highly precise spectroscopic constants from a sextic, S-reduced Hamiltonian in the Ir representation. The chemical synthesis of deuteriated samples allowed spectroscopic measurements of five previously unstudied ketene isotopologues. Combined with previous work, these data provide a new, highly precise, and accurate semi-experimental (reSE) structure for ketene from 32 independent moments of inertia. This reSE structure was determined with the experimental rotational constants of each available isotopologue, together with computed vibration–rotation interaction and electron-mass distribution corrections from coupled-cluster calculations with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations [CCSD(T)/cc-pCVTZ]. The 2σ uncertainties of the reSE parameters are ≤0.0007 Å and 0.014° for the bond distances and angle, respectively. Only S-reduced spectroscopic constants were used in the structure determination due to a breakdown in the A-reduction of the Hamiltonian for the highly prolate ketene species. All four reSE structural parameters agree with the “best theoretical estimate” (BTE) values, which are derived from a high-level computed re structure [CCSD(T)/cc-pCV6Z] with corrections for the use of a finite basis set, the incomplete treatment of electron correlation, relativistic effects, and the diagonal Born–Oppenheimer breakdown. In each case, the computed value of the geometric parameter lies within the statistical experimental uncertainty (2σ) of the corresponding semi-experimental coordinate. The discrepancies between the BTE structure and the reSE structure are 0.0003, 0.0000, and 0.0004 Å for rC–C, rC–H, and rC–O, respectively, and 0.009° for θC–C–H. 

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3. Sub-Doppler infrared spectroscopy of resonance-stabilized hydrocarbon intermediates: ν ₃ / ν ₄ CH stretch modes and CH ₂ internal rotor dynamics of benzyl radical

   https://doi.org/10.1039/c7cp05776h  

   Kortyna, A.; Samin, A. J.; Miller, T. A.; Nesbitt, D. J. (January 2017, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   Highly reactive benzyl radicals are generated by electron dissociative attachment to benzyl chloride doped into a neon–hydrogen–helium discharge and immediately cooled to T rot = 15 K in a high density, supersonic slit expansion environment. The sub-Doppler spectra are fit to an asymmetric-top rotational Hamiltonian, thereby yielding spectroscopic constants for the ground ( v = 0) and first excited ( v = 1, ν 3 , ν 4 ) vibrational levels of the ground electronic state. The rotational constants obtained for the ground state are in good agreement with previous laser induced fluorescence measurements (LIF), with vibrational band origins ( ν 3 = 3073.2350 ± 0.0006 cm −1 , ν 4 = 3067.0576 ± 0.0006 cm −1 ) in agreement with anharmonically corrected density functional theory calculations. To assist in detection of benzyl radical in the interstellar medium, we have also significantly improved the precision of the ground state rotational constants through combined analysis of the ground state IR and LIF combination differences. Of dynamical interest, there is no evidence in the sub-Doppler spectra for tunneling splittings due to internal rotation of the CH 2 methylene subunit, which implies a significant rotational barrier consistent with partial double bond character in the CC bond. This is further confirmed with high level ab initio calculations at the CCSD(T)-f12b/ccpVdZ-f12 level, which predict a zero-point energy corrected barrier to internal rotation of Δ E tun ≈ 11.45 kcal mol −1 or 4005 cm −1 . In summary, the high-resolution infrared spectra are in excellent agreement with simple physical organic chemistry pictures of a strongly resonance-stabilized benzyl radical with a nearly rigid planar structure due to electron delocalization around the aromatic ring. 

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4. Structural study of 1- and 2-naphthol: new insights into the non-covalent H–H interaction in cis -1-naphthol

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D1CP05632H  

   Hazrah, Arsh S.; Nanayakkara, Sadisha; Seifert, Nathan A.; Kraka, Elfi; Jäger, Wolfgang (February 2022, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   Previous microwave studies of naphthol monomers were supplemented by measuring spectra of all 13 C mono-substituted isotopologues of the cis - and trans -conformers of 1-naphthol and 2-naphthol in their natural abundances. The resulting data were utilized to determine substitution structures and so-called semi-experimental effective structures. Results from electronic structure calculations show that the OH group of cis -1-naphthol points ≈6° out of plane, which is consistent with the inertial defect data of cis - and trans -1-naphthol. The non-planarity of cis -1-naphthol is a result of a close-contact H-atom–H-atom interaction. This type of H–H interaction has been the subject of much controversy in the past and we provide here an in-depth theoretical analysis of it. The naphthol system is particularly well-suited for such analysis as it provides internal standards with its four different isomers. The methods used include quantum theory of atoms in molecules, non-covalent interactions, independent gradient model, local vibrational mode, charge model 5, and natural bond orbital analyses. We demonstrate that the close-contact H–H interaction is neither a purely attractive nor repulsive interaction, but rather a mixture of the two. 

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5. Very thermostable energetic materials based on a fused-triazole: 3,6-diamino-1 H -[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3- b ][1,2,4]triazole

   https://doi.org/10.1039/d0nj05152g  

   Tang, Yongxing; An, Ziwei; Chinnam, Ajay Kumar; Staples, Richard J.; Shreeve, Jean'ne M. (January 2021, New Journal of Chemistry)

   null (Ed.)

   3,6-Diamino-1 H -[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3- b ][1,2,4]triazole ( 1 ) and its energetic salts ( 2–9 ) were designed and synthesized based on a fused-triazole backbone with two C-amino groups as substituents. Their physicochemical and energetic properties were measured or calculated. Among them, compound 1 exhibits superior thermostability ( T d (onset) : 261 °C), surpassing its analogues 3,7-diamino-7 H -[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3- b ][1,2,4]triazole (DATT, 219 °C) and 3,6,7-triamino-7 H -[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3- b ][1,2,4]triazole (TATOT, 245 °C). The differences in thermal stabilities were further investigated by determining the lowest bond dissociation energies (BDE) where a positive correlation between the stability of the molecules and the lowest BDE values is observed. The results show that 1 with the highest value for the lowest BDE has a superior thermostability in comparison to DATT and TATOT. The energetic salts ( 2–9 ) also exhibit remarkable thermal stabilities as well as low impact and friction sensitivities. The fused-triazole backbone 1 H -[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3- b ][1,2,4]triazole with two C-amino groups as substituents is shown to be a promising building block for construction of very thermally stable energetic materials. 

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