The molecular structure, conformation, vibrational spectra, and
torsional potential of perchlorovinylsilane
(PCV), Cl2CCCl−SiCl
3
, have been
studied by using gas-phase electron diffraction (GED) data at 100
°C
and variable temperature Raman spectroscopy, together with ab initio
molecular orbital calculations. The
GED data were treated by using a dynamic theoretical model. This
involves fitting a chosen two-term potential
function to the experimental data, thereby obtaining values for both a
3-fold and a 6-fold potential constant
(V
3 and V
6) in the series
V(φ) =
1/2Σ
i
V
i
[1
− cos i(180−φ)], where φ is the value of the
torsional angle
CCSiCl. According to the GED refinements, this molecule exists in
the gas phase at 100 °C as a mixture of
two minimum-energy conformers, syn (torsional angle φ(CCSiCl)
= 0° or 120°) and anti (torsional angle
φ(CCSiCl) = 180°), where the anti form predominates,
occupying approximately 80% of the gas composition.
Relevant structural parameters are as follows (anti): Bond
lengths (r
g): r(Si−C) =
1.863(13) Å, r〈(Si−Cl)〉
= 2.020(3) Å (average value), r(CC) =
1.349(12) Å. Bond angles (∠α):
∠〈CSiCl〉 = 111.1(15)°,
∠CCSi
= 124.0(12)°. Error limits are given as 2σ
(σ includes estimates of uncertainties in voltage/height
measurements
and correlation in the experimental data). The estimated
experimental conformational energy difference
obtained from GED is
ΔE°
A
-
S
= −1.04(±0.58) kcal/mol, based on the refined value of the
V
3 potential
constant. From the variable temperature Raman study, two
corresponding energy differences obtained from
two separate pairs of doublets in the liquid phase are
ΔE°
A
-
S
= −0.30(1) and
ΔE°
A
-
S
= −0.43(5) kcal/mol.
The ab initio value (HF/6-31G(d)) was
ΔE°
A
-
S
= −1.43 kcal/mol. All results suggest that anti is the
low-energy form. Full geometry optimizations were performed for seven
pseudoconformers (including 120° and
180° forms), which were employed in the dynamic GED model, by using
the ab initio MO HF/6-31G(d)
level of theory. Scaled HF zero-point vibrational energy
corrections were estimated from frequency
calculations. The theoretical results are compared with
experimental observations.