Spectroscopic analysis and DFT calculations of a food additive Carmoisine

FT-IR and Raman techniques were employed for the vibrational characterization of the food additive Carmoisine (E122). The equilibrium geometry, various bonding features, and harmonic vibrational wavenumbers have been investigated with the help of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A good correlation was found between the computed and experimental wavenumbers. Azo stretching wavenumbers have been lowered due to conjugation and π-electron delocalization. Predicted electronic absorption spectra from TD-DFT calculation have been analysed comparing with the UV–vis spectrum. The first hyperpolarizability of the molecule is calculated. Intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) responsible for the optical nonlinearity of the dye molecule has been discussed theoretically and experimentally. Stability of the molecule arising from hyperconjugative interactions, charge delocalization and C–H⋯O, improper, blue shifted hydrogen bonds have been analysed using natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis.