Vibrational assignments of cyclic dimers and inter-monomers of adenine relating FT-IR, FT-Raman and UV spectra with SQMFF and DFT calculations.

[Display omitted] • Structures of cyclic dimers and tetramer of adenine were studied by DFT calculations. • The characteristics of N-H···N interactions were studied by NBO and AIM calculations. • Complete vibrational assignments of cyclic dimers are presented. • Vibronic bands are observed in the electronic spectra. • Different scaled force constants values show the cyclic dimers of adenine. In this work, three different cyclic dimers and a tetramer of adenine taken from the experimental structure determined by X-ray diffraction have been studied by combination of experimental FT-IR, FT-Raman and UV–Visible spectra with hybrid B3LYP/6–311++G** and scaled quantum mechanical force field (SQMFF) calculations in order to perform the complete assignments of bands observed in the vibrational spectra. The characteristics of different N-H···N interactions of those three cyclic structures together with the group of IR bands observed between 2865 and 2599 cm−1 have been elucidated considering the tetrameric structure. The cyclic dimers and the tetramer of adenine confirm that the bands observed between 2865 and 2599 cm−1 are not due to N-H···N interactions but to bands of combination, as was previously suggested. The experimental available deuterated IR and terahertz spectra have allowed the complete assignments of regions of higher and lower wavenumbers. Good correlations were acquired comparing the theoretical IR, Raman and UV spectra of three species and the tetramer with the analogous experimental ones, suggesting the presence of all species in both phases. Vibronic bands are observed in the electronic spectra when adenine concentration is increased in aqueous solution evidencing the presence of monomer, tautomers and dimers, as reported by different studies. Similar characteristics of H bonds interactions are predicted for dimers 1 and 2 but different from the dimer 3, as revealed by using NBO and AIM calculations. Different scaled force constants values were found for the cyclic dimers 1 and 2, as compared to the corresponding to dimer 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]