Evidence of Dihydrogen Bonding of a Chiral Amine-Borane Complex in Solution by VCD Spectroscopy

IR and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectra of a chiral amine-borane in solution are investigated. By comparison of experimental and calculated spectra, unique VCD spectral signatures, which can be attributed to the formation of dihydrogen-bonded dimers in solution, are identified for the first time. These VCD features are highly sensitive to the specific dihydrogen-bonding topologies utilized by the chiral amine-borane subunits and thus provide direct structural information of these dihydrogen-bonded species in solution. Differences in the dihydrogen binding arrangements in solution and in solid state are also revealed.