Infrared Spectroscopy of Hydrogen-Bonded Phenol−Amine Clusters in Supersonic Jets

Abstract

We report infrared spectra of hydrogen-bonded phenol−amine clusters, phenol−NH3, −N(CH3)3, −NH(C2H5)2, and −N(C2H5)3, prepared in jet expansions. The OH, NH, and CH stretching fundamentals were studied. Infrared−ultraviolet double-resonance techniques were utilized for vibrational spectroscopy of size-selected clusters. The OH stretch frequencies of the phenol moieties showed extremely large red-shifts from that of bare phenol, reflecting the strong proton affinities of the amines. Moreover, non-proton-transferred structures of the clusters were confirmed. The detailed structure of phenol−NH3 was examined by ab initio calculations, which reproduced the observed infrared spectrum.