FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra and vibrational investigation of 4-chloro-2-fluoro toluene using ab initio HF and DFT (B3LYP/B3PW91) calculations

FT-IR (4000–100 cm−1) and FT-Raman (4000–100 cm−1) spectra of solid sample of 4-chloro-2-fluoro toluene (4Cl2FT) have been recorded using Bruker IFS 66 V spectrometer. Ab initio-HF (HF/6-311++G (d, p)) and DFT (B3LYP/6-311++G and B3PW91/6-311++G (d, p)) calculations have been performed giving energies, optimized structures, harmonic vibrational frequencies, depolarization ratios, IR intensities, Raman activities. The vibrational frequencies are calculated and scaled values are compared with FT-IR and FT-Raman experimental values. The isotropic HF and DFT analyses showed good agreement with experimental observations. The differences between the observed and scaled wave number values of most of the fundamentals are very small in B3LYP than HF. Comparison of the simulated spectra provides important information about the ability of the computational method (B3LYP) to describe the vibrational modes. The influences of substitutions on the geometry of molecule and its normal modes of vibrations have also been discussed. The changes made by substitutions on the benzene are much responsible for the non-linearity of the molecule. This is an attractive entity for the future studies of non-linear optics.