Thermochemistry of 2,5-Thiophenedicarboxylic Acid

The enthalpies of combustion and sublimation of 2,5-thiophenedicarboxylic acid [CASRN 4282-31-9] were measured by rotary-bomb combustion calorimetry and the method of transference in a saturated stream of nitrogen, and the gas-phase enthalpy of formation was determined, Δf (g) = −(632.6 ± 2.2) kJ·mol-1. Standard ab initio molecular orbital calculations at the G2(MP2) and G3(MP2) levels were performed, and a theoretical study on the molecular and electronic structure of the compound has been carried out. The three most stable conformers have been explicitly taken into account. The calculated enthalpy of formation averaged using three different isodesmic reactions, −631.1 kJ·mol-1, is in very good agreement with the experimental value. A comparison of the substituent effect of the carboxylic groups in benzene and thiophene ring has been made. The relative stability obtained for the substitution of two H atoms by COOH in position 2,5- for thiophene and 1,4- for benzene involve the same energetic effects, ΔΔf = −747.6 ± 2.4 and −748.2 ± 2.7 kJ·mol-1, respectively.