Comparison of experimental and density functional study on the molecular structure, infrared and Raman spectra and vibrational assignments of 6-chloronicotinic acid

The experimental and theoretical study on the structures and vibrations of 6-chloronicotinic acid (6-CNA, C6H4ClNO2) are presented. The Fourier transform infrared spectra (4000–50 cm−1) and the Fourier transform Raman spectra (3500–50 cm−1) of the title molecule in solid phase have been recorded, for the first time. The geometrical parameters and energies have been obtained for all four conformers from DFT (B3LYP) with different basis sets calculations. There are four conformers, C1, C2, C3, and C4 for this molecule. The computational results diagnose the most stable conformer of 6-CNA as the C1 form. The vibrations of the two stable and two unstable conformers of 6-CNA are researched with the aid of quantum chemical calculations. The molecular structure, vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities and Raman scattering activities and theoretical vibrational spectra were calculated a pair of molecules linked by the intermolecular OH⋯O hydrogen bond. The spectroscopic and theoretical results are compared to the corresponding properties for 6-CNA stable monomers and dimer of C1 conformer.