NIR surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and bands assignment by DFT calculations of non-natural β-amino acids

FT-Raman and NIR surface-enhanced Raman (SER) spectroscopies have been applied to the vibrational characterization of non-natural β-amino acids, 3-amino-3-(furan-2yl)-propionic acid and 3-amino-3-[(5-benzothiazole-2yl)-furan-2yl]-propionic acid. Semiempirical and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations on both amino acids in their zwitterionic forms have been performed in order to find the optimized structure and to compute the vibrational spectra. The NIR SER spectra in silver hydrosol and Ag-coated filter paper have been recorded, compared and analyzed. Good SER spectra were obtained at the pH values where dipolar ion structures are present proving the chemisorption of β-amino acid molecules on the silver surface via positively charged NH3+ group. The carboxylate anion of both β-amino acids are parallel oriented, whereas the plane of rings is oriented perpendicular to the silver surface.