Mixtures of Diethyl Sulfoxide and Methanol: Structure and Thermodynamics

Abstract: Mixtures of sulfoxides with molecular solvents possess interesting physical-chemical properties and may have applications in chemical synthesis. Hereby we confirm and rationalize the previously reported excellent miscibility of diethyl sulfoxide (DESO) with methanol (MeOH). By performing a comprehensive potential energy surface investigation we identified a global minimum for each system and a significant number of local minima described at the hybrid density functional level of theory. A strong 0.18-nm-long hydrogen bond forming between the oxygen atom of DESO and the polarized hydrogen atom of MeOH was evidenced both via the structural and spectral analyses. Our results robustly explain negative deviations in the DESO-MeOH mixtures from ideal behavior and interpret the experimental observations with microscopic precision.