Fluoroformyl trifluoroacetyl disulfide, FC(O)SSC(O)CF
3, is prepared by quantitati
ve reaction between FC(O)SCland CF
3C(O)SH. The conformational properties and geometric structure of the gaseous molecule ha
ve been studiedby
vibrational spectroscopy (IR(gas), Raman(liquid), IR(matrix)), gas electron diffraction (GED), and quantum chemicalcalculations (B3LYP and MP2 methods). The disulfide bond length deri
ved from the GED analysis amounts 2.023(3)Å, and the dihedral angle around this bond,
(CS-SC), is 77.7(21)
, being the smallest dihedral angle measuredfor noncyclic disulfides in the gas phase. The compound exhibits a conformational equilibrium at room temperatureha
ving the most stable form
C1 symmetry with a synperiplanar (sp-sp) orientation of both carbonyl groups withrespect to the disulfide bond. A second form was obser
ved in IR spectra of the Ar matrix isolated compound atcryogenic temperatures, corresponding to a conformer that possess the carbonyl bond of the FC(O) moiety inantiperiplanar position with respect to the S-S single bond (ap-sp). A
H =
-
= 1.34(11) kcal/mol has been determined by IR(matrix) spectroscopy. The structure of single crystal of FC(O)SSC(O)CF
3 wasdeterminate by X-ray diffraction analysis at low temperature using a miniature zone melting procedure. The crystallinesolid (monoclinic,
P2
1/
n,
a = 5.240(4)Å,
b = 23.319(17)Å,
c = 6.196(4)Å,
= 113.14(3)
) consists exclusi
velyof the (sp-sp) conformation. The geometrical parameters agree with those obtained for the molecule in the gasphase.