ANETHOLE-WATER: A COMBINED JET, MATRIX, AND COMPUTATIONAL STUDY

Anethole [(E)-1-methoxy-4-(1-propenyl)benzene] is a natural product molecule that is commonly recognized as the flavor component of anise, fennel, and licorice. Previously, we reported the jet-cooled, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) and single vibronic level fluorescence (SVLF) spectra of anethole.a In this work, several weak bands were observed and were tentatively assigned as van der Waals clusters of anethole with water. We have since confirmed this assignment and have conducted a more detailed study to determine the geometry of these clusters. Results from LIF, SVLF, and matrix isolation FTIRb spectroscopy, as well as computational results will be presented in this talk.