Red- and blue-shifted hydrogen bonds in the cis-trans noncyclic formic acid dimer

The cis-trans noncyclic formic acid dimer was studied by means of MP2 method with 6-31G(d,p), 6-31+G(d,p) and 6-311+G(d,p) basis sets. It exhibits simultaneously red-shifted O-H...O and blue-shifted C-H...O hydrogen bonds. AIM and NBO analyses are performed at the MP2/6-31+G(d,p) level to explore their properties and origins. AIM analysis provides the evidence that the O-H bond becomes weaker and the C-H bond becomes stronger upon the hydrogen bond formations. Intermolecular and intramolecular hyperconjugations have important influence on the electron densities in the X-H (X = O, C) sigma bonding orbital and its sigma* antibonding orbital. The electron densities in the two orbitals are closely connected with the X-H (X = O, C) bond length, and they are used to quantitatively estimate the bond length variation. The larger amount of charge transfer in the red-shifted O-H...O hydrogen bond is due to its favorable H...O electron channel, whereas the H...O electron channel in the blue-shifted C-H...O hydrogen bond is weaker. Structural reorganization effects shorten the C-H bond by approximately 30% when compared to the C-H bond contraction upon the dimerization. Strikingly, it leads to a small elongation and a slight red shift of the O-H bond. Both rehybridization and repolarization result in the X-H (X = O, C) bond contraction, but their effects on the O-H bond do not hold a dominant position. The hydrogen-bonding processes go through the electrostatic attractions, van der Waals interactions, charge-transfer interactions, hydrogen-bonding interactions and electrostatic repulsions. Electrostatic attractions are of great importance on the origin of the red-shifted O-H...O hydrogen bond, especially the strong H(delta+)...O(delta-) attraction. For the blue-shifted C-H...O hydrogen bond, the considerable nucleus-nucleus repulsion between H and O atoms caused by the strong electrostatic attraction between C and O atoms is a possible reason for the C-H bond contraction and its blue shift.