Use of vibrational spectroscopy to study 2-[4-(N-dodecanoylamino)phenyl]-5-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole: A combined theoretical and experimental approach

•Complete assignments of vibrational modes have been made using DFT/B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) method.•Both theoretical and experimental 1H NMR chemical shifts have been studied.•The UV absorption spectrum was examined in chloroform solvent and compared with the calculated one using TD-DFT/6-31G method.•The calculated first order hyperpolarizability shows AF51 is a promising candidate for non-linear optical applications.•NBO analysis reflects that the charge transfer is mainly due to the rings, the nitro group and the amide group fragment.

Quantum chemical calculations of geometric structure and vibrational wavenumbers of 2-[4-(N-dodecanoylamino)phenyl]-5-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (AF51) were carried out by using density functional theory (DFT/B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) method. The fundamental vibrational modes were characterized depending on their potential energy distribution (PED). In order to predict the reactive sites for electrophilic and nucleophilic attacks of the title molecule, electrostatic potential surface has been plotted. The UV absorption spectrum was examined in chloroform solvent and compared with the calculated one in gas phase as well as in solvent environment using TD-DFT/ PCM approach. The 1H NMR spectra was recorded. Comparison between the experimental and the theoretical results is satisfactory. The thermodynamic properties of the title compound at different temperatures have been calculated. A relationship between molecular structural features, non-linear responses and hyperpolarizability of AF51 has been established using vibrational spectra with emphasis on the role of intramolecular charge transfer mechanism in such organic NLO materials.

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