Inter-hydrogen bond dynamical coupling effects in polarized IR spectra of N-methylacetamide single crystals

This article presents the investigation results of polarized IR spectra of the hydrogen bond in N-methylacetamide (NMA) crystals measured in the frequency range of the proton and deuteron stretching vibration bands, νN–H and νN–D. A similar study was also performed for crystals of the deuterium isotopomers of the compound, D7-NMA (CD3CONDCD3) and D6-NMA (CD3CONHCD3). On the basis of the analysis of the linear dichroic and temperature effects, the two-branch structure of the νN–H bands in the spectra was ascribed to centrosymmetric hydrogen bond pairs in the lattice. Each hydrogen bond in such a dimeric system belonged to another chain of the associated molecules. The exciton interactions involving the dimer hydrogen bonds were considered to be responsible for the band shape generation. For the deuterium-bonded crystals the exciton interactions were found to be weaker since the νN–D bands were less split. Within an individual hydrogen or deuterium bond chain the in-chain exciton couplings involving hydrogen bonds were estimated as considerably weaker than the inter-chain ones. The exciton dilution retains the two-branch fine structure pattern of the “residual” νN–H and νN–D bands. This means that the inter-chain couplings involving hydrogen bonds do not change, when the in-chain couplings vanish. These results are the evidence of the influence of non-conventional co-operative interactions occurring in the hydrogen bond systems on the spectra. These co-operative interactions are responsible for the non-random distribution of the hydrogen isotope atoms in the hydrogen bridge lattices, namely for the grouping of identical hydrogen isotope atoms in the dimers. The proposed interpretation of the IR spectra of the hydrogen bond in N-methylacetamide (NMA) crystals casts light on the spectra generation mechanisms and gives a new meaning to the traditional nomenclature applied for describing the νN–H band structure pattern in IR spectra of amides.