Structure, Dynamics, and Accurate Laboratory Rotational Frequencies of the Acrylonitrile–Methanol Complex

The hydrogen-bonded complex between acrylonitrile (CH₂CHCN) and methanol has been characterized spectroscopically in the millimeter wave range (59.6–74.4 GHz) using a free jet absorption millimeter wave spectrometer. Precise values of the rotational and centrifugal distortion constants were obtained from the measured frequencies of the complex of acrylonitrile with CH₃OH and CD₃OD. The analysis of the splittings of the rotational lines due to the hindered internal rotation of the methanol methyl group led to the determination of a V₃ value of 221.9(7) and 218(5) cm^–1 for the complexes of CH₃OH and CD₃OD, respectively, and these values are about 40% lower than that of free methanol. The structure of the observed conformation is in agreement with the global minimum determined at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level of calculation, and the counterpoise corrected intermolecular binding energy, obtained at the same theoretical level, is D_e = 26.3 kJ mol^–1.