Vibrational spectra, co-operative intramolecular hydrogen bonding and conformations of calix[4]arene and thiacalix[4]arene molecules and their para-tert-butyl derivatives

Abstract

The IR and Raman spectra and conformations of calix[4]arene, thiacalix[4]arene and their p-tert-butyl derivatives have been analysed within the framework of scaled quantum mechanics (SQM). It is shown that the introduction of four p-tert-Bu groups into the calixarene molecules influences the relative energies of their conformers and the enthalpy of the cooperative intramolecular H-bonding (ΔH_intra) almost negligibly. ΔH_intra, evaluated from Iogansen's rule, amounts to ∼26–28 kcal mol⁻¹ for the calixarenes and ∼20–21 kcal mol⁻¹ for the thiacalixarenes, which essentially exceeds the enthalpies of non-cooperative H-bonds formed by related phenols. As a result of this strong bonding, bands of stretching, bending and torsion vibrations of an eight-membered cyclic system (OH⋯)₄ arise, e.g., two δ(OH)₄ bands are observed in the IR spectra of the most highly symmetric C₄ cone conformations of calix[4]arene and thiacalix[4]arene. The “duplication” of the number of OH infrared bands is a good new indicator of cooperativity of intramolecular H-bonding of the calixarenes.