Assignment of the Raman Spectrum of Benzylic Amide [2]Catenane: Raman Microscopy Experiments and First-Principles Calculations

In this work, we use Raman spectroscopy and quantum first-principles calculations to unveil the experimental spectrum of a complex molecular solid-like benzylic amide [2]catenane, a representative example of a mechanically interlocked molecular architecture. We use large-scale density functional theory calculations to obtain the complete set of vibrational normal modes of the catenane crystal, whose unit cell contains 544 atoms. Subsequently, we demonstrate that these calculations are able to accurately reproduce the experimental Raman spectrum of this molecular compound, without introducing any empirical corrections or fittings in the calculated eigen frequencies. Thanks to the good agreement between the experimental and theoretical spectra, it is possible to carry out the complete assignment of the main vibrational modes responsible for the whole spectrum. A detailed description in terms of the usual internal coordinates is given for all of these representative modes. This description, rather difficult from the experimental point of view, provides valuable information about the molecular structure of this compound, compatible with experimental evidences reported in the literature.