Modulating Accidental Fermi Resonance: What a Difference a Neutron Makes

Vibrational reporters have shown significant promise as sensitive probes of local environments in proteins and nucleic acids. The utility of two potential vibrational probes, the cyanate and azide groups in phenyl cyanate and 3-azidopyridine, respectively, has been hindered by accidental Fermi resonance. Anharmonic coupling, between the fundamental −OCN or −N3 asymmetric stretch vibration and a near resonant combination band, results in an extremely broad and complex absorption profile for each of these probes. A total of eight phenyl cyanate and six 3-azidopyridine isotopomers were synthesized and studied. Isotopic editing effectively modulated the accidental Fermi resonance; the absorption profiles of several isotopomers were greatly simplified, whereas others remained complex. The origins of the observed profiles are discussed. The addition of a single neutron to the middle atom of the oscillator converted the absorption profile to essentially a single band, resulting from either the cyanate or azide asymmetric stretch vibration.