The para substituent dependence of the internal rotational barrier in benzenethiol
On the basis of the observed spin–spin coupling constants between the sulfhydryl and ring protons and a hindered rotor treatment of the twofold barrier to internal rotation in a series of para substituted benzenethiol derivatives, it is argued that V2 is essentially zero in p-amino-benzenethiol and is 2.5 ± 0.2 kcal/mol in p-nitrobenzenethiol; having intermediate values for the methoxy, fluoro, methyl, and bromo derivatives in solution. The results are based on an assumed relationship between the four-bond and the fictitious six-bond couplings to the sulfhydryl proton. The conclusions are consistent with the observed magnitudes of the couplings over six and seven bonds, respectively, between the sulfhydryl proton and the fluorine nucleus and the methyl protons in the appropriate derivatives; as well as with the coupling between the sulfhydryl and methyl protons in 4-bromo-3-methylbenzenethiol. The experimental barriers are compared with ab initio molecular orbital calculations of their substituent dependence.