Conformation-specific Raman bands and electronic conjugation in substituted thioanisoles

Nonresonant Raman spectra and conformational stability are studied for thioanisole (TA) and substituted analogues [4-XTA, X = NO(2) (1), CN (2), H (3), CH(3) (4), and NH(2) (5)] at the 4-position. The ring-substituent (SCH(3)) vibrational modes of out-of-plane bending and torsional types are calculated to have strong Raman scattering activities only for the vertical conformers. Agreement between observed and calculated Raman spectra is analyzed numerically. The conformational stability of the SCH(3) rotation changes systematically to the electron-withdrawing character of the substituents. The rotational barrier is calculated satisfactorily by B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) calculations, whereas the second- to fourth-order Møller-Presset perturbation theory and coupled-cluster with single- and double-excitation calculations tend to overestimate conformational energy barriers with respect to coplanar forms. The coplanar form is obtained for 1 and 2, whereas the vertical conformer is favorable for 4 and 5. The origin of the conformational energy difference, DeltaE, is demonstrated on the basis of canonical molecular orbitals and natural bond orbitals (NBOs) of the ground state. The natural bond orbital interaction between a nonbonding n(S) orbital of the S atom and a pi orbital of the benzene ring is shown to stabilize the coplanar form predominantly. A linear relationship is obtained between the energy of the highest occupied molecular orbitals and DeltaE. The n(S)-pi interaction energy, E(2), based on the NBO representation and the Hammet constants also change linearly with respect to DeltaE.