Infrared-Vacuum Ultraviolet Spectroscopic and Theoretical Study of Neutral Methylamine Dimer

Abstract

The methylamine dimer, (CH3NH2)(2), is a model system to study the CH3 and NH2 spectral patterns in the neutral microsolvated systems relevant to chemical biology, atmospheric chemistry, and catalysis. We report infrared-vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopic measurements to probe the neutral (CH3NH2)(2). Quantum chemical calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations were performed to understand the observed spectral features. Experimental and theoretical results indicate the likely coexistence of both cis and trans structures. A salient feature of this work is that the peak widths are not significantly affected by the structural transformation and the fluctuation of hydrogen bond distance, allowing the stretching modes to be clearly resolved