Identification of Di(oxymethylene)glycol in the Raman Spectrum of Formaldehyde Aqueous Solutions by ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulations and Quantum Chemistry Calculations

J Phys Chem A. 2015 Sep 24;119(38):9785-93. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpca.5b06293.

Abstract

Di(oxymethylene)glycol forms in formaldehyde aqueous solutions by polymerization of methanediol. The structure and hydrogen bond interactions of di(oxymethylene)glycol with water were characterized by performing Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations. The anharmonic vibrational frequencies of di(oxymethylene)glycol in solution were determined with ab initio calculations considering explicitly the hydrogen-bonded water molecules, while other interactions with solvent were described within a polarizable continuum model approach. The calculations allow for a detailed interpretation of the experimental Raman spectrum of formaldehyde aqueous solutions, leading to the assignment of the band at 920 cm(-1) to the symmetric CO stretching mode of di(oxymethylene)glycol.