A COMPUTATIONAL STUDY OF THE POSSIBLE ISOMERS AND CONFORMATIONS OF N-TRIFLUOROMETHYLFORMAMIDE, CF3NHC(O)H, AND N-HYDROXYMETHYLIDENETRIFLUOROMETHYLAMINE, CF3N=C(H)OH

A semiempirical and ab initio study of the possible isomers and confor mers of both CF3NHC(O)H and CF3N=C(H)OH as well as the barriers to int erconversion between them was carried out. All possible geometries wer e fully optimized in C(s) symmetry with the MOPAC and GAUSSIAN program s. Both the semiempirical and ab initio calculations reproduced the ex perimental ordering of energies, i.e. all isomers and conformers of th e formamide were found to be more stable than those of the imine. In a ddition, transition states between the isomers were found and the barr iers to isomerization based on these calculations are in good agreemen t with experimental data.