Theoretical conformational study of 1,1,1-trifluoro-4-mercapto-but-3-ene-2-thione and the importance of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in ground and first electronic excited state

Quantum chemical calculations of energies, geometrical structure, intramolecular hydrogen bonding (HB) and vibrational frequencies of 1,1,1-trifluoro-4-mercapto-but-3-ene-2-thione were carried out by the ab initio Hartree–Fock, Moller–Plesset second-order perturbation (MP2) and density functional theory (DFT) methods with 6-311++G** basis set in gas phase and water solution. The nature of the intramolecular hydrogen bond in the most stable chelated conformers has been studied by using the atoms in molecules theory of Bader, which is based on topological properties of the electron density. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis was also performed for better understanding of the nature of intramolecular interactions. The influence of the solvent on the stability order of conformers and the strength of intramolecular HB was considered using Tomasi's polarized continuum model. The HOMA, NICS, PDI, ATI, FLU and FLU _π indices as well-established aromaticity indicators are examined. The excited-state properties of intramolecular HB in hydrogen-bonded systems have been investigated theoretically using the time-dependent DFT method. The calculated highest occupied molecular orbital (MO) and lowest unoccupied MO with frontier orbital gap are presented. Further verification of the obtained transition state structures was implemented via intrinsic reaction coordinate analysis.