Infrared spectra of cyclic and non-cyclic ureas in solution: Structures and interactions

Infrared spectra of 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone, 2-imidazolidinone, 1,1,3,3-tetramethylurea, 1,3-dimethylurea, and 1,1-dimethylurea have been collected in a variety of solvents. When the C=O stretching frequencies for the molecules in a common solvent were recorded, higher frequencies were found for the cyclic ureas as compared to the non-cyclic ureas. When data were analyzed within each class of urea derivatives, it was found that an increase in the number of methyl groups present on the nitrogen atoms contributed to a decrease in the C=O stretching frequency values. The frequencies of the C=O stretching modes have been correlated with the electron accepting ability of each solvent (represented by Gutmann electron acceptor numbers). The urea derivatives in the studied series exhibit similar behavior with respect to changing solvent environment despite the differences that exist among the ureas. These observations have been interpreted in terms of the structural characteristics of the ureas.