Hydrogen bonding network in a chiral alcohol: (1R,2S,5R)-(−)-menthol. Conformational preference studied by IR–Raman–VCD spectroscopies and quantum chemical calculations

A study of the molecular structure of (1R,2S,5R)-(−)-menthol and the hydrogen bond networks formed by this species in solution is carried out. Molecular structures of monomers and H-bonded dimers and trimers of the title compound are optimized using quantum chemical calculations in the isolated molecule approach. In addition, IR, Raman and VCD techniques are used to study CCl4 solutions and thin films of the target compound. Their corresponding vibrational spectra are then analysed, both theoretically (HF and DFT) and experimentally, to characterize the different monomers (rotamers) and H-bonded oligomer species in menthol solutions as a function of the concentration.