Synthesis, spectroscopic characterizations and quantum chemical computational studies of (Z)-4-[(E)-(4-fluorophenyl)diazenyl]-6-[(3-hydroxypropylamino)methylene]-2-methoxycyclohexa-2,4-dienone

In this study, the molecular structure and spectroscopic properties of the title compound were characterized by X-ray diffraction, FT-IR and UV–vis spectroscopies. These properties were also investigated using DFT method. The most convenient conformation of title compound was firstly determined. The geometry optimizations in gas phase and solvent media were performed by DFT methods with B3LYP adding 6-31G(d) basis set. The differences between crystal and computational structures are due to crystal packing in which hydrogen bonds play an important role. UV–vis spectra were recorded in different organic solvents. The results show that title compound exists in both keto and enol forms in DMSO, EtOH but it tends to shift towards enol form in benzene. The polar solvents facilitate the proton transfer by decreasing the activation energy needed for Transition State. The formation of both keto and enol forms in DMSO and EtOH is due to decrease in the activation energy. TD-DFT calculations starting from optimized geometry were carried out in both gas and solution phases to calculate excitation energies of the title compound. The non-linear optical properties were computed at the theory level and the title compound showed a good second order non-linear optical property. In addition, thermodynamic properties were obtained in the range of 100–500 K.

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► The study emphasizes the role of hydrogen bond in crystal packing.
► The effects of solvents on proton transfer process are investigated.
► The tautomerism depending on solute–solution interactions is underlined.