Stability and molecular dynamics of chloroxylenol (API of antiseptics and drugs) in solid state studied by 35Cl-NQR spectroscopy and DFT calculations

Thermal stability of 4-chloro-3,5-dimethyl-phenol (chloroxylenol) in solid state has been studied by 35Cl-NQR spectroscopy. Two NQR resonance lines at the frequencies 34.348 and 34.415 MHz at 77 K have been assigned to chlorine atoms from two crystallographically inequivalent molecules on the basis of the B3LYP/6-311++G∗∗ results. The temperature dependence of the resonance frequency and full width at half maximum suggest the occurrence of small-angle torsional oscillations of the mean activation energy of 3.83 kJ/mol and rotation of both methyl groups around their symmetry axis C3 with the activation energies 12.49 and 11.27 kJ/mol for CH3 in molecule A and B, respectively. B3LYP/6-311++G∗∗ method reproduced very well the activation energies of both motions.