Elucidating the structural and conformational preferences of bioactive chromone and its monohydrate through advanced rotational spectroscopy.

Chromones are a class of naturally occurring compounds, renowned for their diverse biological activities with significant relevance in medicine and biochemistry. This study marks the first analysis of rotational spectra of both the chromone monomer and its monohydrate through Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. The observation of nine mono-substituted 13C isotopologues facilitated a semi-experimental determination of the equilibrium structure of the chromone monomer. In the case of chromone monohydrate, two distinct isomers were identified, each characterized by a combination of O-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving the chromone's carbonyl group. This study further delved into intermolecular non-covalent interactions, employing different theoretical approaches. The relative population ratio of the two identified isomers was estimated to be about 2:1 within the supersonic jet.