Ionization, intrinsic basicity, and intrinsic acidity of unsaturated diols of astrochemical interest: 1,1‐ and 1,2‐ethenediol: A theoretical survey

Abstract

The structure, stability, and bonding characteristics of 1,1‐ and 1,2‐ethenediol, their radical cations, and their protonated and deprotonated species were investigated using high‐level ab initio G4 calculations. The electron density of all the neutral and charged systems investigated was analyzed using the QTAIM, ELF, and NBO approaches. The vertical ionization potential (IP) of the five stable tautomers of 1,2‐ethenediol and the two stable tautomers of 1,1‐ethenediol go from 11.81 to 12.27 eV, whereas the adiabatic ones go from 11.00 to 11.72 eV. The adiabatic ionization leads to a significant charge delocalization along the O‐C‐C‐O skeleton. The most stable protonated form of (Z)‐1,2‐ethenediol can be reached by the protonation of both the anti‐anti and the syn‐anti conformers, whereas the most stable deprotonated form arises only from the syn‐anti one. Both charged species are extra‐stabilized by the formation of an O‐H···O intramolecular hydrogen bond (IHB) which is not found in the neutral system. (Z)‐1,2‐ethenediol is predicted to be less stable, less basic, and more acidic than its cis‐glycolaldehyde isomer. The most stable protonated species of (E)‐1,2‐ethenediol comes from its syn‐syn conformer, although the anti‐anti conformer is the most basic one. Contrarily, the three conformers yield a common deprotonated species, so their acidity follows exactly their relative stability. Again, the (E)‐1,2‐ethenediol is predicted to be less stable, less basic, and more acidic than its trans‐glycolaldehyde isomer. Neither the neutral nor the protonated or the deprotonated forms of 1,1‐ethenediol show the formation of any O‐H···O IHB. The most stable protonated species is formed by the protonation of any of the two tautomers, but the most stable deprotonated form arises exclusively from the syn‐anti neutral conformer. The conformers of 1,1‐ethenediol are much less stable and significantly less basic than their isomer, acetic acid, and only slightly more acidic.