Molecular structure-optical property relationships of 1,3-bis (4-methoxyphenyl) prop-2-en-1-one: A DFT and TD-DFT investigation

Some fundamental properties of the 1,3-bis (4-methoxyphenyl) prop-2-en-1-one, as functional monomer, are measured as well as calculated. The combined results are used for modeling and predicting monomer structure-property relationships. Thus, theoretical calculations based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) and its Time-Dependent counterpart (TD-DFT) are performed to evaluate the vibrational frequencies [IR and Raman], magnetic shielding for nuclear magnetic resonance [H-1 and C-13 NMR], electronic and optical properties of the studied material, respectively. The DFT/TD-DFT at B3LYP with 6-31G(d,p), 6-31G(d) and 3-21G(d) were employed to choose appropriate basis set that provides a more accurate molecular-property description. The simulated spectra are found to agree well, in shape, position, and relative intensity of peaks, with the available experimental measurements. In addition, frontier molecular orbitals, Mullikan charge and electron spin density distributions are carried out. Our results highlight the use of predictive calculations to provide an in-depth understanding evidence of the electrochemically-initiated monomer reactivity. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.