A complete characterization of the vibrational spectra of sucrose Original Research Article

We combined experimental vibrational spectroscopy (FTIR-Raman) and ab-initio calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) to predict the structural and vibrational properties of sucrose in solid phase. The structural properties of sucrose, such as the bond order, possible charge-transfer, and the topological properties of the glucopyran and glucofuran rings were studied by means of the Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) and Atoms in Molecules theory (AIM) investigation. For a complete assignment of the infrared and Raman spectra, the density functional theory (DFT) calculations were combined with Pulay’s Scaled Quantum Mechanics Force Field (SQMFF) methodology in order to fit the theoretical frequency values to the experimental ones. An agreement between theoretical and available experimental results was found. A complete assignment of the 129 normal vibration modes for sucrose was performed. Five very intense characteristic bands in the infrared spectrum of sucrose at 3391, 3339, 1069, 1053, and 991 cm−1 were assigned, the first two to the OH stretching modes while the other ones to C–O stretching modes.