title: Does 2-methylacetophenone comply with steric inhibition of resonance? A direct experimental proof of its nonplanar conformation from a joint ab initio/electron diffraction analysis.
abstract: The structure and conformations of 2-methylacetophenone (1) have been investigated by ab initio calculations carried out at the MP2(full)/6-311++G** level and by gas electron diffraction (GED). According to both methods, 1 exists predominantly as a form with the C=O bond synclinal with respect to the C(ar)-C(O) bond (1B), with a torsional angle [C(6)-C(1)-C=O] of 32.7(24) degrees as determined by GED and 26.0 degrees from MP2(full)/6-311++G**. Calculations also predict the presence of a second conformer, the anticlinal structure (1C), with phi = 140.0 degrees, with an abundance of less than 6%, an amount hardly detectable by GED. Different DFT computational protocols both support a nonplanar form of the predominant conformer (B2PLYP) and are in contradiction (B3LYP, M052x, B98, B97-D) with this experimental finding. The GED results, supported by the calculations that involve long-range correlation, are in a good agreement with (13)C NMR spectroscopic investigations, UV spectra, and dipole moment studies. However, previous claims that assumed steric inhibition of resonance caused by a significantly nonplanar conformation with phi close to 90 degrees have been disproved. Steric crowding is evident from the geometrical parameters, particularly from the C(1)-C(2) bond length and from the C(1)-C(2)-C(H(3)) and C(2)-C(1)-C(O) bond angles. It is concluded that any explanation of reactivity by steric inhibition of resonance and by other steric factors must be supported by experimental and/or theoretical investigation of the actual molecular shape.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of the ASCR, v.v.i., No. 1001, CZ-250 68 Husinec-Rez, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Drahomír
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hnyk
authors.forename: Svein
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Samdal
authors.forename: Otto
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Exner
authors.forename: Derek A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Wann
authors.forename: David W H
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Rankin