Experimental and quantum chemical calculational studies on 2-[(4-Fluorophenylimino)methyl]-3,5-dimethoxyphenol

The Schiff base compound, 2-[(4-Fluorophenylimino)methyl]-3,5-dimethoxyphenol, has been synthesized and characterized by IR, electronic spectroscopy, and X-ray single-crystal determination. Molecular geometry from X-ray experiment of the title compound in the ground state have been compared using the Hartree-Fock (HF) and density functional method (B3LYP) with 6-31G(d) basis set. Calculated results show that density functional theory (DFT) and HF can well reproduce the structure of the title compound. The energetic behavior of the title compound in solvent media has been examined using B3LYP method with the 6-31G(d) basis set by applying the polarizable continuum model (PCM). The total energy of the title compound decrease with the increasing polarity of the solvent. By using TD-DFT and TD-HF methods, electronic absorption spectra of the title compound have been predicted and a good agreement with the TD-DFT method and the experimental ones is determined. In addition, DFT calculations of the title compound, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP), natural bond orbital (NBO), and thermodynamic properties were performed at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory.