Observation of Distinct Carboxylic Acid Conformers in Aqueous Solution

We investigate the molecular geometry of the carboxyl group of formic acid in acetonitrile and aqueous solutions at room temperature with two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy (2D-IR). We found that the carboxyl group adopts two distinct configurations: a configuration in which the carbonyl group is oriented anti-parallel to the hydroxyl (anti-conformer), and a configuration in which the carbonyl group is oriented at an angle of ~60° with respect to the hydroxyl (syn-conformer). These results constitute the first experimental evidence that carboxyl groups exist as two distinct and long-living conformational isomers in aqueous solution at room temperature.