Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations of optical rotation (OR) and vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) have been used to assign the absolute configuration (AC) of a recently prepared (3-phenyloxirane-2,2-diyl)bis(phenylmethanone), 3, by asymmetric epoxidation of the corresponding 2-arylidene-1,3-diketone. The experimental OR at 589.3 nm and the VCD spectrum of the (+)- and (-)-enantiomer of 3 have been measured. The conformationally-averaged OR value and VCD spectrum of (R)-3 were calculated at B3LYP/6-311G(2d,2p) level of theory. Both approaches provide the same absolute configuration of the stereogenic carbon, i.e. the AC of (+)-3 is (R)-3, thus affording a confident assignment. Only two conformational isomers of 3 have been predicted to be populated at ambient temperature. Their presence is directly observed in the VCD spectrum.
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