Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Vol.115, No.35, 9911-9918, 2011
Hydrogen-Atom Tunneling in Isomerization Around the C-O Bond of 2-Chloro-6-Fluorophenol in Low-Temperature Argon Matrixes
Infrared spectra of 2-chloro-6-fluorophenol in argon matrixes at 20 K revealed the presence of a "Cl-type" isomer, which has the OH center dot center dot center dot Cl hydrogen bond, but no "F-type" isomer with OH center dot center dot center dot F bonding, in striking contrast to the existence of both isomers in the gas and liquid phases at room temperature. This finding suggests that the F-type isomer changes to the more stable Cl-type one by hydrogen-atom tunneling in the matrixes. Similar experiments on the OD center dot center dot center dot X analog species were performed to confirm the tunneling isomerization, resulting in an O-D stretching band of the F-type isomer appearing as well as that of the Cl type, like the spectra reported in the gas and liquid phases. This implies that tunneling migration of the D atom is inhibited in the argon matrix. In addition, UV-induced photoreactions of 2-chloro-6-fluorophenol were studied by a joint use of matrix-isolation IR spectroscopy assisted by density functional theory calculations. It was found that 2-fluorocyclopentadienylidenemethanone and 4-chloro-2-fluorocyclohexadienone were produced from the Cl type; the former was by the Wolff rearrangement after dissociation of the H atom in the OH group and the Cl atom, and the latter was by intramolecular migration of the H and Cl atoms. As for the deuterated F-type isomer, however, 2-chlorocydopentadienylidenemethanone was produced by the Wolff rearrangement after dissociation of the D atom in the OD group and the F atom, besides other photoproducts of the deuterated Cl-type isomer. It is thus concluded that the tunneling isomerization around the C-O bond occurs in the OH center dot center dot center dot X species but not in the OD center dot center dot center dot X species.