A DFT study of carbonyl oxide and its methyl-substituted analogues in solution

The properties of carbonyl oxide, syn-methylcarbonyl oxide, anti-methylcarbonyl oxide and dimethylcarbonyl oxide have been examined in the gas phase and in solution with B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p). The solution effects have been modeled with the SCIPCM method. Our findings confirm the fact that the dipolar character of carbonyl oxides increases with the number of methyl groups. The ionic configuration of the compounds studied is found to be stabilized in a polar medium resulting in a weakened OO bond and an increased double-bond character in the CO bond. Syn-methylcarbonyl oxide is found to be more stable than anti-methylcarbonyl oxide in both media.