A study of vibrational spectra and investigations of charge transfer and chemical bonding features of 2-chloro benzimidazole based on DFT computations

•Vibrational analysis is done using B3LYP/6-31G* methodology.•Selective scaling was done on and calculated wavenumbers.•A complete assignment of observed fundamentals has been done based on PED.•Electron density transfer is studied using HOMO–LUMO.•Charge transfer centers were identified using Mullikan charges.

Benzimidazoles are bicyclic heteroatomic molecules. Polycyclic heteroatomic molecules have extensive coupling of different modes leading to strong coupling of force constants associated with the various chemical bonds of the molecules. To carry out a detailed vibrational spectroscopic analysis of such a bicyclic heteroatomic molecule, FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra of 2-chloro benzimidazole (CBZ) have been recorded in the condensed phase. Density Functional Theory calculations in the B3LYP/6-31G* level have been carried out to determine the optimized geometry and vibrational frequencies. In order to obtain a close agreement between theoretical and observed frequencies and hence to perform a reliable assignment, the theoretical DFT force field was transformed from Cartesian to local symmetry co-ordinates and then scaled empirically using SQM methodology. The SQM treatment resulted in a RMS deviation of 9.4 cm−1. For visual comparison, the observed and calculated spectra are presented on a common wavenumber scale. From the NBO analysis, the electron density (ED) charge transfers in the σ* and π* antibonding orbitals and second order delocalization energies E(2) confirms the occurrence of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) within the molecule. The calculated Homo and Lumo energies show that charge transfer occurs within the molecule. The results obtained from the vibrational, NBO and HOMO–LUMO analyses have been properly tabulated.

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