FTIR spectroscopic evidence for new isomers of 3-aminopyrazine-2-carboxylic acid formed in argon matrices upon UV irradiations
The UV-induced photochemistry and molecular structure of 3-aminopyrazine-2-carboxylic acid were studied in argon matrices by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,2p) calculations. Out of seventeen possible isomers of this molecule located on the singlet potential energy surface the most stable one, APA1 comprising intramolecular O–H···N and N–H···O hydrogen bonds, was detected experimentally in the matrix after deposition. Two new conformers APA2 and APA3 were generated upon irradiation with λ=280 nm by trans/cis-COOH isomerization and at λ=360 nm by COOH group rotamerization, respectively, whereas an amino-imino tautomerization leading to IPA1 and IPA2 structures occurred at λ=305 nm. The reverse reactions were also observed upon irradiation of the matrices at 265, 230 and 400 nm. Simultaneously with the photoisomerizations, a cleavage of the pyrazine ring along with CO2 elimination was observed leading to the formation of carbodiimide and cyanamide derivatives.