AM1 study of photoelectronic spectra

Abstract

Ionization energies of four model compounds with known conformations,i.e., benzo-1,3-dioxole, 2-methoxyphenol, benzo-1,3-dioxole-5-carbaldehyde (piperonal), and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde, have been calculated by theab initio AM1 method, using the formalized scheme of configuration interactions. It has been demonstrated that this method is adequate for the study of photoelectronic spectra of methoxy(hydroxy)-substituted benzenes. The ionization energies of 1,2-dimethoxybenzene, 3,4-dimethoxybenzaldehyde, and 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde have been calculated for various orientations of theo-methoxy(hydroxy) groups. It has been revealed that three first ionization potentials corresponding to the states with vacancies on the π-MO depend on the torsion angle. It has been established by comparison of calculated and experimental ionization potentials that in gas the compounds with adjacent methoxy groups have one O-Me bond parallel with the plane of the benzene ring, while another group is nearly perpendicular to this plane. Conformations of the heavy-atom framework are planar for gaseous molecules with adjacent methoxy and hydroxy groups.