Absolute configuration assignment of (3-phenyloxirane-2,2-diyl)bis(phenylmethanone) via density functional calculations of optical rotation and vibrational circular dichroism.

Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations of optical rotation (OR) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) have been used to assign the absolute configuration (AC) of a recently prepared (3-phenyloxirane-2,2-diyl)bis(phenylmethanone), 3, by asymmetric epoxidation of the corresponding 2-arylidene-1,3-diketone. The experimental OR at 589.3 nm and the VCD spectrum of the (+)- and (-)-enantiomer of 3 have been measured. The conformationally-averaged OR value and VCD spectrum of (R)-3 were calculated at B3LYP/6-311G(2d,2p) level of theory. Both approaches provide the same absolute configuration of the stereogenic carbon, i.e. the AC of (+)-3 is (R)-3, thus affording a confident assignment. Only two conformational isomers of 3 have been predicted to be populated at ambient temperature. Their presence is directly observed in the VCD spectrum.