Abstract
This work deals with a theoretical study of the molecular structure of colchicine. The equilibrium geometry, harmonic vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities and Raman scattering activities were calculated by the ab initio Hartree-Fock method and the Density Functional B3LYP method employing 6-31G(d) as the basis set, and the vibrational studies were interpreted in terms of the potential energy distribution (P.E.D.). The internal coordinates were optimized repeatedly to maximize the P.E.D. contributions. A detailed interpretation of the infrared and Raman spectra of colchicine is reported. The scaled theoretical wave numbers are in perfect agreement with the experimental values. The FT-IR spectra of colchicine was recorded in solid phase, and the FT-Raman spectra of colchicine have been taken from the literature.