Cold water oligomers (H 2 O) n and (D 2 O) n with n = 2-5 are assigned in spontaneous Raman scattering spectra of seeded rare gas expansions for the first time. Comparison with infrared spectra provides direct experimental insights into the hydrogen bond-mediated excitonic OH oscillator coupling, which is responsible for ultrafast energy transfer between water molecules, usually suppressed by isotopic dilution in femtosecond experiments for the condensed phase. The experimental coupling constants are compared to those in state-of-the-art full-dimensional water potential energy hypersurfaces, leaving room for improvement in the description of the coupled dynamics in water. Evidence for intensified Fermi resonance between OH stretching and OH bending motion beyond water trimers is collected.

The aggregation behavior of racemic and enantiopure 1-indanol has been studied by FTIR spectroscopy, resonant ion dip IR spectroscopy, and spontaneous Raman scattering in supersonic jets. This triple experimental approach, augmented by homology to related molecular fragments and dispersion-corrected DFT predictions, allows disentangling the complex spectroscopic signature in the OH stretch range. Evidence for chirality-sensitive aggregation via isolated OH···π bonds in competition with cooperative ···OH···OH···π patterns is collected. An accurate description of London dispersion forces provides the key to its explanation.

Ethylene glycol has a transiently chiral, asymmetric global minimum structure, but it favors a highly symmetric, achiral dimer arrangement which has not been considered or found in previous quantum‐chemical studies. Complementary FTIR and Raman spectroscopy in supersonic jets allows for the detection and straightforward assignment of this four‐fold hydrogen‐bonded dimer, which introduces an interesting supramolecular binding motif for vicinal diols and provides a strong case for transient chirality synchronization.

Carbohydrates are used in nature as molecular recognition tools. Understanding their conformational behavior upon aggregation helps in rationalizing the way in which cells and bacteria use sugars to communicate. Here, the simplest α-hydroxy carbonyl compound, glycolaldehyde, was used as a model system. It was shown to form compact polar C2-symmetric dimers with intermolecular O–H⋅⋅⋅O=C bonds, while sacrificing the corresponding intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Supersonic jet infrared (IR) and Raman spectra combined with high-level quantum chemical calculations provide a consistent picture for the preference over more typical hydrogen bond insertion and addition patterns. Experimental evidence for at least one metastable dimer is presented. A rotational spectroscopy investigation of these dimers is encouraged, also in view of astrophysical searches. The binding motif competition of aldehydic sugars might play a role in chirality recognition phenomena of more complex derivatives in the gas phase.

Esters of glycine, alanine and valine are investigated by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy in supersonic jets as gas phase model systems for the neutral peptide N-terminus. The NH-stretching vibrations exhibit very large temperature- and substitution-dependent intensity anomalies which are related to weak, bifurcated intramolecular hydrogen bonds to the carbonyl group. Comparison to theory is only satisfactory at low temperature. Spectral NH aggregation shifts are small or even negligible and the associated IR intensity is remarkably low. In the case of valine, chirality recognition effects are nevertheless detected and rationalized. Comparison to quantum-chemical calculations for dimers shows that dispersion interactions are essential. It also rules out cooperative hydrogen bond topologies and points at deficiencies in standard harmonic treatments with the linear dipole approximation.