Do coupling constants and chemical shifts provide evidence for the existence of resonance-assisted hydrogen bonds?

Equation-of-motion coupled cluster singles and doubles (EOM-CCSD) calculations have been performed to determine two-bond (OO)-O-17-O-17 and N-15-N-15 spin-spin coupling constants ((2h)J(O-O) and (2h)J(N-N)) for ten neutral structures which may exhibit intramolecular O-H-O or N-H-N hydrogen bonds. MP2 chemical shifts of hydrogen-bonded protons have also been evaluated. The molecules include malonaldehyde and its diaza counterpart, and the corresponding saturated analogues. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the magnetic properties of the two-bond spin-spin coupling constants and the chemical shifts of the hydrogen-bonded protons provide evidence for the existence of resonance-assisted hydrogen bonds (RAHBs). The two-bond coupling constant for the equilibrium structures is greater for the hydrogen-bonded unsaturated molecule than for the saturated molecule, a result of the shorter O-O distance and stronger hydrogen bond in the former. However, when the O-O or N-N distances are forced to be the same in corresponding saturated and unsaturated structures, the coupling constants are similar. There is a significant increase in coupling constants when the intramolecular hydrogen bond (IMHB) changes from asymmetric to symmetric, due to much shorter O-O or N-N distances. Symmetrization effects also significantly affect the value of the proton chemical shift. For hydrogen-bonded conformers the trends in chemical shifts and coupling constants are similar. A detailed analysis of the NMR properties of oxygen-containing systems leads to the conclusion that neither the coupling constants nor the proton chemical shifts provide any evidence for the existence of RAHBs. Furthermore, the strength of the O-H...O IMHBs, investigated through the use of appropriate homodesmotic reactions, indicates that the enhanced stability of the IMHB in the unsaturated compound is associated with the sigma skeleton of the molecule that allows the oxygen atoms to be in closer proximity than in the saturated analogue.