Derivatives of diphenylmethane. Preferred conformations and barriers to internal rotation by the J method

The long-range spin–spin coupling constants over six bonds, 6JpH,CH, in 3,5-dibromodiphenylmethane and 4,4′-difluorodiphenylmethane, respectively, imply that the ground state conformations of these molecules have C2v symmetry (gable conformations). In terms of a hindered rotor model which assumes a twofold barrier to internal rotation about the exocyclic carbon–carbon bond, the barrier in the dibromo derivatives is 1.1 ± 0.3 kcal/mol. A satisfactory fit to the temperature dependence of 6JpF,CH is found for a gable conformation. If the conformational properties of these molecules and of diphenylmethane are determined mainly by steric interactions between ortho C—H bonds on neighbouring phenyl groups, it seems likely that the results above are a first approximation to the conformational behaviour of diphenylmethane. Some molecular orbital calculations are in semiquantitative agreement with the conclusions based on coupling constants.