Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Vol.122, No.26, 5710-5720, 2018
UV and Resonance Raman Spectroscopic and Theoretical Studies on the Solvent-Dependent Ground and Excited-State Thione -> Thiol Tautomerization of 4,6-Dimethyl-2-mercaptopyrimidine (DMMP)
The vibrational spectra of 4,6-dimethyl-2-mercaptopyrimidine (DMMP) in acetonitrile, methanol, and water were assigned by resonance Raman spectroscopy through a combination of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), FT-Raman UV-vis spectroscopy, and density functional theoretical (DFT) calculations. The FT-Raman spectra show that the neat solid DMMP is formed as a dimer due to intermolecular hydrogen bonding. In methanol and water, however, the majority of the Raman spectra were assigned to the vibrational modes of DMMP(solvent)(n) (n = 1-4) clusters containing NH center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bonds. The intermolecular NH center dot center dot center dot O hydrogen bond interactions, which are key constituents of the stable DMMP thione structure, revealed significant structural differences in acetonitrile, methanol, and water. In addition, UV-induced hydrogen transfer isomeric reactions between the thione and thiol forms of DMMP were detected in water and acetonitrile. DFT calculations indicate that the observed thione -> thiol tautomerization should occur easily in lower excited states in acetonitrile and water.