Molecular structure and rotational isomerism in glyoxylicacid from microwave spectroscopy and ab initio calculations

Abstract An improved substitution structure for glyoxylic acid in the hydrogen bonded trans -1 form is presented. By means of microwave double resonance spectroscopy, the trans -2 form, with a zig-zag chain of atoms HOCCH, was identified. Using trans -2 dipole moment components calculated by ab initio SCF theory, the energy of the trans -2 form is found to be 1.2 ± 0.5 kcal mole −1 higher than that of the trans -1 form. The ab initio energy difference (−1.0 kcal mole −1 ) has the wrong sign.