Preresonance Raman spectra and excitation profiles of some chemically and isotopically substituted trans-4-benzylideneoxazolin-5-ones
Resonance and preresonance Raman spectra of nine substituted trans-4-benzylidene- Δ2-oxazolin-5-ones are reported. The seven analogs with phenyl in the 2 position of the oxazolinone ring have either an electron donating or attracting group on one of the phenyl rings. Although shifts in λmax of up to 100 nm are observed the Raman spectra are very similar to that of the unsubstituted trans isomer. However, in the substituted compounds modes from the benzylidene portion may become weakly intensity enhanced. Replacing the 2-phenyl group by 2-methyl in the oxazolinone ring results in quite gross changes in the Raman spectrum. Substitution by 15N in the ring of a 2-methyloxazolinone reveals that a change in the vibrational coupling scheme occurs. Excitation profiles for the 2-phenyl and the 2-methyl analogs of 4-(p-nitrobenzylidene)oxazolinone indicate that in each compound ail intensity enhanced modes are coupled to the intense low energy absorption band near 350 nm and the intensity enhancement fits the FB2 terms of Albrecht and Hutley. However, differences in the relative intensity of the benzylidene nitro feature in the 2-methyl and 2-phenyl analogs, taken with the excitation profiles, suggest that in the 2-methyl compound the electronic transition responsible for Raman intensity enhancement is no longer primarily located in the C=C—N=C—Ph moiety.