Molecular structure of S-ethylthioacrylate Combined vibrational spectroscopic and abinitioSCF-MO study

Abstract

Ab initio 6-31G* SCF-MO calculations have been carried out on S-ethyl thioacrylate [CH₂CHC(O)SCH₂CH₃]. Fully optimized geometries, relative stabilities, dipole moments and harmonic force fields for several conformers of this molecule have been determined and the results compared with those for similar molecules. Together with FTIR and Raman spectroscopic data, the theoretical results demonstrate that S-ethyl thioacrylate exists in two different conformations about the C_α–C bond (the s-cis and s-trans forms, with CC–CO dihedral angles equal to 0° and 180°, respectively); the s-cis conformation being more stable than the s-trans form by ca. 6 kJ mol^-1 for the isolated molecule. Comparison of the experimental and theoretical vibrational spectra confirms that, as concluded from our previous study on the analogous trans-S-ethyl thiocrotonate molecule (R. Fausto, P. J. Tonge and P. R. Carey, J. Chem. Soc., FaradayTrans., 1994, 90, 3491), the presence of the s-trans isomer of an α,β-unsaturated thioester can be successfully monitored by the IR band at ca. 1170 cm^-1, ascribed to the C_α–C stretching mode of this form. In addition, we were also able to identify some IR bands sensitive to the conformation of the ethyl group that may be used as spectroscopic probes to study conformational equilibria associated with this internal degree of freedom in more complex S-ethyl thioesters.