Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 25, 2026

Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters
Published on: January 9, 2014
Dimers of the higher-energy conformer of formic acid: experimental observation
Kseniya Marushkevich1, Leonid Khriachtchev, Markku Räsänen
1Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Abstract:
We report on the first experimental observation of formic acid dimers composed of two molecules of the higher-energy cis conformer. The cis-cis formic acid dimers are prepared in an argon matrix by selective vibrational excitation of the ground state trans conformer (deuterated form HCOOD) combined with thermal annealing of the matrix at about 30 K. Five cis-cis formic acid dimers are predicted by ab initio calculations (interaction energies from -16.9 to -27.2 kJ mol(-1)), and these structures are used for the assignment of the experimental spectra. Selective vibrational excitation of the obtained cis-cis dimers leads to the formation of several trans-cis dimers, which supports the proposed assignments.
Related Concept Videos
Conformations of Butane
Conformations of Ethane and Propane
Staggered conformation is a low energy and more stable conformation with the C-H bonds on the front carbon placed at 60°dihedral angles relative to the C-H bonds on the back carbon, leading to a reduced torsional strain. In staggered ethane, the...
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Temporal Resolution
Physical Properties of Carboxylic Acids
IR and UV–Vis Spectroscopy of Carboxylic Acids
However, the stretching absorptions for the C=O bond vary depending on the structure of carboxylic acids. The C=O bond of the free carboxylic acids shows a higher stretching frequency, 1760 cm−1, while H-bonded carboxylic acids (dimers) exhibit stretching absorptions at a lower frequency, 1710 cm−1. The C=O bond of the...
Weak Acid Solutions

