Solvent effect on the self-association of the 1,2,4-triazole: A DFT study

The self-association of 1,2,4-triazole was studied by the DFT method at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level in the gas phase, and the most stable dimer and trimer were presented. Based on the integral equation formalism polarizable continuum model (IEFPCM), the effect of solvents such as water and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on the geometric parameters of molecular complexes (dimer and trimer), atomic charge distribution, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) surface, and frontier molecular orbitals (FMO) was analyzed. Intermolecular in-teractions in cyclic and linear complexes were studied using topological analyses (QTAIM, NCI, RDG, ELF, and LOL). IR spectra of 1,2,4-triazole monomer, dimer, and trimer were simulated and compared with experimental results. In self-association, intermolecular hydrogen bonding causes a red shift of the N-H stretching vibrational frequency of 1,2,4-triazole. The solvent effect on the vibrational bands of monomer, dimer, and trimer was analysed.