Computational Analysis of Solute–Solvent Coupling Magnitude in the Z/E Isomerization Reaction of Nitroazobenzene and Benzylideneanilines

The dynamic solvent effect often arises in solution reactions, where coupling between chemical reaction and solvent fluctuation plays a decisive role in the reaction kinetics. In this study, the Z/E isomerization reaction of nitoroazobenzene and benzylideneanilines in the ground state was computationally studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The non-equilibrium solvation effect was analyzed using two approaches: (1) metadynamics Gibbs energy surface exploration and (2) solvation Gibbs energy evaluation using a frozen solvation droplet model. The solute–solvent coupling parameter (C_coupled) was estimated by the ratio of the solvent fluctuation Gibbs energy over the corresponding isomerization activation Gibbs energy. The results were discussed in comparison with the ones estimated by means of the analytical models based on a reaction–diffusion equation with a sink term. The second approach using a frozen solvation droplet reached qualitative agreement with the analytical models, while the first metadynamics approach failed. This is because the second approach explicitly considers the non-equilibrium solvation in the droplet, which consists of a solute at the reactant geometry immersed in the pre-organized solvents fitted with the solute at the transition state geometry.     

Dynamical theory of proton tunneling transfer rates in solution: general formulation

A general dynamical theory is presented for the rate constant of weak coupling, nonadiabatic proton-tunneling reactions in solution. The theory incorporates the critical role of the solvent and the vibration of the separation of the heavy particles between which the proton transfers, including their dynamics. The formulation which allows the computation of the quantum rate constant k via classical molecular dynamics simulation techniques is presented, as are a number of approximate analytic results for k in a variety of different important regimes. The frequent appearance of (nearly) classical Arrhenius behavior for k — even though the intrinsic reactive event is quantum proton tunneling — is discussed, together with the solvent and vibrational contributions to the apparent activation energy. In certain weak solvation limits, however, non-Arrhenius behavior for k is found and is related to vibrational Franck-Condon features in the reaction.     

A Computational Understanding of Solvent Effect on the Structure,Electronic, Thermochemical,and Spectroscopic Properties of Ni(η2‐C6H4)(H2PCH2CH2PH2) Complex

Here we report the density functional calculations of the molecular parameters including the energy, geometries, electric dipole moments, vibrational IR frequencies, and ¹H and ¹³C NMR chemical shifts of Ni(η²‐C₆H₄ )(H₂PCH₂CH₂PH₂ ) (a benzyne complex). Based on the polarizable continuum model (PCM ), the effect of polarity of the solvent on these parameters was explored. The wavenumbers of υ(C1–C2 ) as well as the ¹H and ¹³C NMR chemical shift values of complex in various solvents were calculated and correlated with the Kirkwood–Bauer–Magat equation (KBM ), the solvent acceptor numbers (ANs ), and the linear solvation energy relationship (LSER ). The bonding interaction between the benzyne and Ni(H₂PCH₂CH₂PH₂ ) fragment was analyzed by means of the energy decomposition analysis (EDA ). The character of the Ni–C bonds of the molecules was analyzed by natural bond orbital (NBO ) analysis. Also, Monte Carlo simulations were used for the calculation of the total energy and solvation free energy of the complex in water.     

A quantum equation of motion for chemical reaction systems on an adiabatic double-well potential surface in solution based on the framework of mixed quantum-classical molecular dynamics

We present a quantum equation of motion for chemical reaction systems on an adiabatic double-well potential surface in solution in the framework of mixed quantum-classical molecular dynamics, where the reactant and product states are explicitly defined by dividing the double-well potential into the reactant and product wells. The equation can describe quantum reaction processes such as tunneling and thermal excitation and relaxation assisted by the solvent. Fluctuations of the zero-point energy level, the height of the barrier, and the curvature of the well are all included in the equation. Here, the equation was combined with the surface hopping technique in order to describe the motion of the classical solvent. Applying the present method to model systems, we show two numerical examples in order to demonstrate the potential power of the present method. The first example is a proton transfer by tunneling where the high-energy product state was stabilized very rapidly by solvation. The second example shows a thermal activation mechanism, i.e., the initial vibrational excitation in the reactant well followed by the reacting transition above the barrier and the final vibrational relaxation in the product well.     

Cavity catalysis: modifying linear free-energy relationship under cooperative vibrational strong coupling

Here, we used an unconventional idea of cooperative vibrational strong coupling of solute and solvent molecules to enhance the rate of an esterification reaction. Different derivatives of p-nitrophenyl benzoate (solute) and isopropyl acetate (solvent) are cooperatively coupled to an infrared Fabry–Perot cavity mode. The apparent rates are increased by more than six times at the ON resonance condition, and the rate enhancement follows the lineshape of the vibrational envelope. Very interestingly, a strongly coupled system doesn''t obey the Hammett relations. Thermodynamics suggests that the reaction mechanism remains intact for cavity and non-cavity conditions. Temperature-dependent experiments show an entropy-driven process for the coupled molecules. Vacuum field coupling decreases the free energy of activation by 2–5 kJ mol⁻¹, supporting a catalysis process. The non-linear rate enhancement can be due to the reshuffling of the energy distribution between the substituents and the reaction center across the aromatic ring. These findings underline the non-equilibrium behavior of cavity catalysis.

Cavity catalysis: vibrational strong coupling of solute and solvent molecules enhanced the rate of an esterification reaction. Hammett relation breaks under strong light-matter coupling conditions suggesting its potential applications in catalysis.     

Quantum mechanical and molecular mechanics approach with a multilayered-quantum representation study of solvent effects and potentials of mean force for the CH<Subscript>3</Subscript>CH<Subscript>2</Subscript>Cl + ClO<Superscript>−</Superscript> S<Subscript>N</Subscript>2 reaction in aqueous solution

The bimolecular nucleophilic substitution reaction of CH₃CH₂Cl + ClO^? in aqueous solution was investigated using a multilayered-quantum representation, quantum mechanical and molecular mechanics approach with an explicit water model. Ten configurations along the reaction pathway including reactant complex, transition state and product complex were analyzed in the presence of the aqueous solution. The obtained free energy activation barrier under the CCSD(T)/MM representation is 13.2 kcal/mol, while it is 11.7 kcal/mol under the DFT/MM representation which agrees very well with the DFT calculation, at 11.0 kcal/mol, with a polarizable continuum solvent model. The solvent effects including the solvation free energy contribution and the polarization effect raise the free activation barrier by 9.8 kcal/mol. The rate constant, at 298 K, is 5.27 × 10^?17 cm³/molecule/s which is about seven orders of magnitude smaller than that in the gas phase (1.10 × 10^?10 cm³/molecule/s). All in all, the aqueous solution plays an essential role in shaping the reaction pathway for this reaction in water.     

A simple model of solvation within the molecular orbital theory

A simple model of solvation within the molecular orbital method is proposed whereby the effect of solvent molecules is simulated by the inclusion of fractional point charges at the solvent atomic centers. The method is applied to three solvation problems: the hydration of Li⁺ and F^? and the solvation effect on the interaction between NH₃ and HF. The results of the first two calculations indicate that the point charge model is capable of reliably predicting solvation energies. The calculations for H₃N···HF demonstrate that the hydration has a profound effect on the potential energy surface favoring a proton transfer structure H₃NH⁺···F^?.     

Solvent Dependence on Cooperative Vibrational Strong Coupling and Cavity Catalysis**

Strong light-matter coupling offers a unique way to control chemical reactions at the molecular level. Here, we compare the solvent effect on an ester solvolysis process under cooperative vibrational strong coupling (VSC). Three reactants, para-nitrophenylacetate, 3-methyl-para-nitrophenylbenzoate, and bis-(2, 4-dinitrophenyl) oxalate are chosen to study the effect of VSC on the solvolysis reaction rates. Two solvents, ethyl acetate and cyclopentanone, are also considered to compare the cavity catalysis by coupling the C=O stretching band of the reactant and the solvent molecules to a Fabry-Perot cavity mode. Interestingly, both solvents enhance the chemical reaction rate of para-nitrophenylacetate and 3-methyl-para-nitrophenylbenzoate under cooperative VSC conditions. However, the resonance effect is observed at different temperatures for different solvents, which is further confirmed by thermodynamic studies. Bis-(2, 4-dinitrophenyl) oxalate doesn′t respond to VSC in either of the solvent systems due to poor overlap of reactant and solvent C=O vibrational bands. Cavity detuning and other control experiments suggest that cooperative VSC of the solvent plays a crucial role in modifying the activation free-energy of the reaction. These findings, along with other observations, cement the concept of polaritonic chemistry.     

Impact of Water Molecules on the Isomerization of CH3S（OH）CH2 to CH3S（O）CH3： A Computational Investigation

The isomerization of CH3S（OH）CH2 to CH3S（O）CH3 in the absence and presence of water has been investigated at the G3XMP2//B3LYP/6-311 ＋ G（2df, p） level. The naked isomerization, the reaction without water, gives the high barrier height （21.56 kcal.mol^-1）. Three models are constructed to describe the water influence on the isomerization, that is, water molecules are the catalyst and the microsolvation, and water molecules act as the catalyst and microsolvation simultaneously. Our results show that the isomerization barrier heights of CH3S（OH）CH2 to CH3S（O）CH3 are reduced by 12.32, 11.04, and 7.80 kcal.mol^-1, respectively, when one, two, and three water molecules are performed as catalyst, in contrast to the naked isomerization. Moreover, the rate constants of the isomerization are calculated using the transition state theory with the Wigner tunneling correction over the temperature range of 240-425 K. We find that the rate constant of a single water molecule as the catalyst is 1.58 times larger than the naked isomerization at 325 K, whereas it is slower by 6 orders of magnitude when water molecule serves as the microsolvation at 325 K, compared to naked reaction. So the water-catalyzed isomerization of CH3S（OH）CH2 to CH3S（O）CH3 is predicted to be the key role in lowering the activation energy. The isomerization involving water molecules acting as mierosolvation is unfavorable under atmospheric conditions.     

A surface hopping method for chemical reaction dynamics in solution described by diabatic representation: an analysis of tunneling and thermal activation

We present a surface hopping method for chemical reaction in solution based on diabatic representation, where quantum mechanical time evolution of the vibrational state of the reacting nuclei as well as the reaction-related electronic state of the system are traced simultaneously together with the classical motion of the solvent. The method is effective in describing the system where decoherence between reactant and product states is rapid. The diabatic representation can also give a clear picture for the reaction mechanism, e.g., thermal activation mechanism and a tunneling one. An idea of molecular orbital theory has been applied to evaluate the solvent contribution to the electronic coupling which determines the rate of reactive transition between the reactant and product potential surfaces. We applied the method to a model system which can describe complex chemical reaction of the real system. Two numerical examples are presented in order to demonstrate the applicability of the present method, where the first example traces a chemical reaction proceeded by thermal activation mechanism and the second examines tunneling mechanism mimicking a proton transfer reaction.     

Cavity Catalysis by Cooperative Vibrational Strong Coupling of Reactant and Solvent Molecules

Here, we report the catalytic effect of vibrational strong coupling (VSC) on the solvolysis of para‐nitrophenyl acetate (PNPA), which increases the reaction rate by an order of magnitude. This is observed when the microfluidic Fabry–Perot cavity in which the VSC is generated is tuned to the C=O vibrational stretching mode of both the reactant and solvent molecules. Thermodynamic experiments confirm the catalytic nature of VSC in the system. The change in the reaction rate follows an exponential relation with respect to the coupling strength of the solvent, indicating a cooperative effect between the solvent molecules and the reactant. Furthermore, the study of the solvent kinetic isotope effect clearly shows that the vibrational overlap of the C=O vibrational bands of the reactant and the strongly coupled solvent molecules is critical for the catalysis in this reaction. The combination of cooperative effects and cavity catalysis confirms the potential of VSC as a new frontier in chemistry.     

Competition between H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O and CH<Subscript>3</Subscript>OH molecules in the formation of the simplest stable proton disolvates and their solvation in aqueous methanol solutions of KOH and CH<Subscript>3</Subscript>OK

IR spectroscopic and quantum chemical methods are used to study the competition between water and methanol molecules in the formation of the simplest stable proton disolvates and their subsequent solvation in the case of solutions of KOH in CH₃OH and CH₃OK in H₂O with similar stoichiometries (~1:3-3.5). The complexes found in these solutions are analysed to determine their composition and structure: they are found to be heteroions (CH₃O?H?OH)^– solvated by two similar solvent molecules. In both cases, there are virtually no complexes of the second possible type (CH₃OH·(CH₃O?H?OCH₃)^–··H₂O or CH₃OH·(HO?H?OH)^–·H₂O), which appears to be due to the stoichiometric compositions of the solutions. It is shown that a DFT calculation (B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p)) of linear complexes with strong (~15-30 kcal/mol) H bonds reproduces, with good accuracy, the IR spectra of the solutions, which consist mainly of these complexes.     

Calculated energy barriers for the identity SN2 reaction H2O + CH3OH2+ → +H2OCH3 + OH2 in the gas phase,in water clusters,and in aqueous solution

The bimolecular nucleophilic substitution reaction H₂O + CH₃OH₂⁺ → ⁺H₂OCH₃ + OH₂ has been studied using various quantum chemical methods. Accurate barriers for the reaction in the gas phase are presented and discussed. The effect of microsolvation by water molecules in small clusters has been investigated. Extrapolation of the barrier obtained in the small clusters, using a linear relationship between the activation energy and the proton affinity of water clusters, gives a barrier for the reaction in aqueous solution which is in good agreement with that obtained in separate model calculations (polarized continuum model of a super molecule with the first solvation shell included).     

Mechanism and kinetics properties for the reaction: Chloroethane with atomic O (P)

In this paper, we present direct dynamics calculations for the multiple-channel reaction of CH₃CH₂Cl with atomic O (³P) in a wide temperature range (200–3000 K), based on canonical variational transition state theory including small curvature corrections. Four distinct saddle points, one for α-abstraction and three for β-abstraction, have been located for this reaction. The potential energy surface information has been calculated at the MP2/6-311G(d,p) level. The energies along the minimum energy path have been further improved by single-point energy calculations at the G3MP2 level. In the β-abstraction channel, Jahn–Teller effect has been found. Changes of geometries, generalized normal-mode vibrational frequencies, and potential energies along the reaction paths for all channels have been discussed and compared. The calculated total rate constants match the available experimental values reasonable well over the measured temperature range. The results show the variational effect can be negligible and the small curvature tunneling contribution plays an important role for the calculation of the rate constant. At low temperature α-abstraction may be the major reaction channel, while β-abstraction will have more contribution to the whole reaction rate as the temperature increase.     

Theoretical study of hydrogen abstraction reactions CH4 + R → CH3 + HR,geometrical, energetical and kinetical aspects

Five hydrogen abstraction reactions, CH₄ + R CH₃ + HR have been studied usingab initio SCF and CI methods. R was successively chosen as H, CH₃, NH₂, OH and F. Geometries were fully optimized at SCF level and energies were computed at CI level for products, reactants and transition states. Quadratic hypersurfaces were fitted in the neighborhood of the most important points of the potential energy hypersurfaces and vibrational analysis were performed thereupon. Wigner's and Christov's approximations were used to obtain an idea of the importance of tunneling of H atoms through the reaction barrier, and this effect was shown to be non-negligible. Finally, rate constant calculation were carried out at different temperatures.Chercheur Qualifié au Fonds National Belge de la Recherche Scientifique.     

The Effect of Vibrational Excitation of Molecules on Plasmachemical Reactions Involving Methane and Nitrogen

An experimental study of plasmachemical reaction involving CH₄ and N₂ molecules in rf discharge was studied in order to know the effect of vibrational excitation of N₂ molecules. When the relative nitrogen concentration was greater than 0.8, the main product of CH₄ decomposition was HCN, and the rate of methane decomposition at this condition was faster than that one in pure methane. These results could be confirmed through the mass spectroscopic method. The reason for these results is the vibrational energy of N₂ excited by rf discharge. The chain reaction mechanisms of producing HCN by vibrational excitation of N₂ were examined closely through numerical simulation. The rate-controlling step was the dissociation reaction of excited nitrogen molecule to the atomic nitrogen, so the process of HCN synthesis was limited by the value of reaction constant, k^N.     

Solvent effect on the kinetics and mechanism of the thermal decomposition oftris-oxalactocobaltate(III) complex

Summary The kinetics of the thermal decomposition of thetris-oxalactocobaltate(III) complex has been investigated in the presence of EtOH and (CH₂OH)₂ spectrophotometrically in the 50–70 ± 0.1 ° C range. The rate of the reaction decreases upon the addition of either of the alcohols to the reaction medium, whereas the activation energy increases. The thermodynamic parameters were calculated and are discussed in terms of the solvation effects. The influence of the dielectric constants of the solvent mixtures on the rate has been studied. A free radical mechanism is proposed and discussed.     

CH3S自由基H迁移异构化及脱H2反应的直接动力学研究

采用密度泛函方法(MPW1PW91)在6-311G(d,p)基组水平上研究了CH₃S自由基H迁移反应CH₃S→CH₂SH (R1), 脱H₂反应CH₃S→HCS＋H₂ (R2)以及脱H₂产物HCS异构化反应HCS→CSH (R3)的微观动力学机理. 在QCISD(t)/6- 311＋＋G(d,p)//MPW1PW91/6-311G(d,p)＋ZPE水平上进行了单点能校正. 利用经典过渡态理论(TST)与变分过渡态理论(CVT)分别计算了各反应在200～2000 K温度区间内的速率常数k^TST和k^CVT, 同时获得了经小曲率隧道效应模型(SCT)校正后的速率常数k^CVT/SCT. 结果表明, 反应 R1, R2 和R3的势垒△E^≠分别为160.69, 266.61和241.63 kJ/mol, R1为反应的主通道. 低温下CH₃S比CH₂SH稳定, 高温时CH₂SH比CH₃S更稳定. 另外, 速率常数计算结果显示, 量子力学隧道效应在低温段对速率常数的计算有显著影响, 而变分效应在计算温度段内对速率常数的影响可以忽略.     

Reaction of photogenerated fluorine atoms with dopant molecules in solid argon

The products of reactions of dopant CH₄ molecules with F atoms diffusing in solid argon at 20–30 K were identified by ESR and FTIR spectroscopy. The F atoms stabilized in the matrix were generated by UV photolysis of Ar?CH₄(CD₄)?F (1000∶1∶1) samples at 13 K. Subsequent heating above 20 K results in thawing off diffusion of the F atoms and formation of products of their reaction with CH₄: radical-molecular complexes^·CH₃?HF (^·CD₃?DF) and radicals^·CH₃ (^·CD₃). The ESR spectra of the radicala are similar to those observed for matrix-isolated^·CH₃. The^·CH₃?HF complexes are characterized by the IR band of HF stetching vibration at 3764 cm^?1. Two additional splittings on the H (a _H·=2 G) and F(a _F=16G) nuclei of the HF molecule appeal in the ESR spectrum of the complex. The latter splitting is retained in the^·CD₃?DF complex, whereA _D· <0.3G The rate constant of the reaction CH₄+F→^·CH₃+HF is equal to ?10^?25 cm³s^?1 at 20 K. Its activation energy (1.7±0.2 kcal mol^?1) is ?0.5 kcal mol^?1 greater than that in the gas phase. The collinear C_3v-configuration of the^·CH₃?HF complex, which is similar to the configuration of the reagents in the transition state of the reaction considered, was established by the comparison of the exprrimental constants of hyperfine coupling with the results of the quantum-chemical calculation.     

RISM-SCF study of the free-energy profile of the Menshutkin-type reaction NH3+CH3Cl→NH3CH3++Cl− in aqueous solution

The free-energy profile for the Menshutkin-type reaction NH₃ + CH₃Cl → NH₃CH₃ ⁺ + Cl⁻ in aqueous solution is studied using the RISM-SCF method. The effect of electron correlation on the free-energy profile is estimated by the RISM-MP2 method at the HF optimized geometries along the reaction coordinate. Solvation was found to have a large influence on the vibrational frequencies at the reactant, transition state and product; these vibrational frequencies are utilized to calculate the zero-point energy correction of the free-energy profile. The computed barrier height and reaction exothermicity are in reasonable agreement with those of experiment and previous calculations. The change of solvation structure along the reaction path is represented by radial distribution functions between solute-solvent atomic sites. The mechanisms of the reaction are discussed from the view points of solute electronic and solvation structures. Received: 26 June 1998/Accepted: 28 August 1998 / Published online: 2 November 1998