Chemisorption of barrelene on Si(100) from first principles calculations

The chemisorption of C8H8 bicyclo[2.2.2]-2,5,7-octatriene (barrelene) on the Si(100) surface is studied from first principles calculations. We find that, in the most stable configuration, barrelene is bonded to Si(100) through four Si-C bonds, with the C-C bonds which are orthogonal to the underlying Si dimers. The chemisorption reaction responsible for this structure is driven by the biradical nature of the Si-Si dimer bond. Two others, slightly less stable configurations, exist which are also characterized by four Si-C bonds but have a different orientation or location with respect to the Si(100) surface. The properties of these and other, less stable configurations have been investigated. For the most stable structures, the effect of different surface coverages has been also studied, showing a tendency to easily form complete monolayers of barrelene on the Si surface. On the basis of energetic and kinetic considerations, we expect that chemisorption of barrelene monolayers on the Si(100) surface will be characterized however by a certain amount of disorder. Finally, several possible reaction pathways, leading from one stable structure to another of lower energy or from a molecule in the gas phase to a chemisorbed configuration, have been investigated in detail and estimates of the relative energy barriers are given.     

Why do the heavy-atom analogues of acetylene E2H2 (E = Si-Pb) exhibit unusual structures?

DFT calculations at BP86/QZ4P have been carried out for different structures of E(2)H(2) (E = C, Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) with the goal to explain the unusual equilibrium geometries of the heavier group 14 homologues where E = Si-Pb. The global energy minima of the latter molecules have a nonplanar doubly bridged structure A followed by the singly bridged planar form B, the vinylidene-type structure C, and the trans-bent isomer D1. The energetically high-lying trans-bent structure D2 possessing an electron sextet at E and the linear form HEEH, which are not minima on the PES, have also been studied. The unusual structures of E(2)H(2) (E = Si-Pb) are explained with the interactions between the EH moieties in the (X(2)Pi) electronic ground state which differ from C(2)H(2), which is bound through interactions between CH in the a(4)Sigma(-) excited state. Bonding between two (X(2)Pi) fragments of the heavier EH hydrides is favored over the bonding in the a(4)Sigma(-) excited state because the X(2)Pi --> a(4)Sigma(-) excitation energy of EH (E = Si-Pb) is significantly higher than for CH. The doubly bridged structure A of E(2)H(2) has three bonding orbital contributions: one sigma bond and two E-H donor-acceptor bonds. The singly bridged isomer B also has three bonding orbital contributions: one pi bond, one E-H donor-acceptor bond, and one lone-pair donor-acceptor bond. The trans-bent form D1 has one pi bond and two lone-pair donor-acceptor bonds, while D2 has only one sigma bond. The strength of the stabilizing orbital contributions has been estimated with an energy decomposition analysis, which also gives the bonding contributions of the quasi-classical electrostatic interactions.     

The importance of hydrogen's potential-energy surface and the strength of the forming R-H bond in surface hydrogenation reactions

An understanding of surface hydrogenation reactivity is a prevailing issue in chemistry and vital to the rational design of future catalysts. In this density-functional theory study, we address hydrogenation reactivity by examining the reaction pathways for N+H-->NH and NH+H-->NH(2) over the close-packed surfaces of the 4d transition metals from Zr-Pd. It is found that the minimum-energy reaction pathway is dictated by the ease with which H can relocate between hollow-site and top-site adsorption geometries. A transition state where H is close to a top site reduces the instability associated with bond sharing of metal atoms by H and N (NH) (bonding competition). However, if the energy difference between hollow-site and top-site adsorption energies (DeltaE(H)) is large this type of transition state is unfavorable. Thus we have determined that hydrogenation reactivity is primarily controlled by the potential-energy surface of H on the metal, which is approximated by DeltaE(H), and that the strength of N (NH) chemisorption energy is of less importance. DeltaE(H) has also enabled us to make predictions regarding the structure sensitivity of these reactions. Furthermore, we have found that the degree of bonding competition at the transition state is responsible for the trend in reaction barriers (E(a)) across the transition series. When this effect is quantified a very good linear correlation is found with E(a). In addition, we find that when considering a particular type of reaction pathway, a good linear correlation is found between the destabilizing effects of bonding competition at the transition state and the strength of the forming N-H (HN-H) bond.     

甲硫醇在Cu(111)表面的解离吸附: 密度泛函理论研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理方法和平板模型研究了CH₃SH分子在Cu(111)表面的吸附反应.系统地计算了S原子在不同位置以不同方式吸附的一系列构型, 第一次得到未解离的CH₃SH分子在Cu(111)表面顶位上的稳定吸附构型,该构型吸附属于弱的化学吸附, 吸附能为0.39 eV. 计算同时发现在热力学上解离结构比未解离结构更加稳定. 解离的CH₃S吸附在桥位和中空位之间, 吸附能为0.75-0.77 eV. 计算分析了未解离吸附到解离吸附的两条反应路径, 最小能量路径的能垒为0.57 eV. 计算结果还表明S―H键断裂后的H原子并不是以H₂分子的形式从表面解吸附而是以与表面成键的形式存在. 通过比较S原子在独立的CH₃SH分子和吸附状态下的局域态密度, 发现S―H键断裂后S原子和表面的键合强于未断裂时S原子和表面的键合.     

On three-electron bonds and hydrogen bonds in the open-shell complexes [H2X2]+ for X = F, Cl, and Br

The [H2X2]+ (X = Cl, Br) formula could refer to two possible stable structures, namely, the hydrogen-bonded complex and the three-electron-bonded one. In contrary to the results published by other authors, we claim that for the F-type structures the hydrogen-bonded form is the only possible one and the [HFFH]+ complex is an artifact as its wave function is unstable. For all analyzed molecules, the IR anharmonic spectra have been simulated, which enabled a deeper analysis of other authors' published results of IR low-temperature matrix experiments. Topological atoms in molecules and electron localization function investigations have revealed that the nature of the bond in three-electron-bonded structures is similar to the covalent-depleted one in F2 or HOO molecules, but the effect of removing electrons from the bond area is stronger.     

Trapping-mediated dissociative chemisorption of cycloalkanes on Ru(001) and Ir(111): influence of ring strain and molecular geometry on the activation of C-C and C-H bonds.

We have measured the initial probabilities of dissociative chemisorption of perhydrido and perdeutero cycloalkane isotopomers on the hexagonally close-packed Ru(001) and Ir(111) single-crystalline surfaces for surface temperatures between 250 and 1100 K. Kinetic parameters (activation barrier and preexponential factor) describing the initial, rate-limiting C-H or C-C bond cleavage reactions were quantified for each cycloalkane isotopomer on each surface. Determination of the dominant initial reaction mechanism as either initial C-C or C-H bond cleavage was judged by the presence or absence of a kinetic isotope effect between the activation barriers for each cycloalkane isotopomer pair, and also by comparison with other relevant alkane activation barriers. On the Ir(111) surface, the dissociative chemisorption of cyclobutane, cyclopentane, and cyclohexane occurs via two different reaction pathways: initial C-C bond cleavage dominates on Ir(111) at high temperature (T > approximately 600 K), while at low temperature (T < approximately 400 K), initial C-H bond cleavage dominates. On the Ru(001) surface, dissociative chemisorption of cyclopentane occurs via initial C-C bond cleavage over the entire temperature range studied, whereas dissociative chemisorption of both cyclohexane and cyclooctane occurs via initial C-H bond cleavage. Comparison of the cycloalkane C-C bond activation barriers measured here with those reported previously in the literature qualitatively suggests that the difference in ring-strain energies between the initial state and the transition state for ring-opening C-C bond cleavage effectively lowers or raises the activation barrier for dissociative chemisorption via C-C bond cleavage, depending on whether the transition state is less or more strained than the initial state. Moreover, steric arguments and metal-carbon bond strength arguments have been evoked to explain the observed trend of decreasing C-H bond activation barrier with decreasing cycloalkane ring size.     

Quantum chemical study of adsorption and dissociation of H2S on the gallium-rich GaAs (001)-4 x 2 surface

H(2)S adsorption and dissociation on the gallium-rich GaAs(001)-4 x 2 surface is investigated using hybrid density functional theory. Starting from chemisorbed H(2)S on the GaAs(001)-4 x 2 surface, two possible reaction routes have been proposed. We find that H(2)S adsorbs molecularly onto GaAs(001)-4 x 2 via the formation of a dative bond, and this process is exothermic with adsorption energy of 6.6 kcal/mol. For the first reaction route, one of the H atoms from the chemisorbed H(2)S is transferred to a second-layer As atom and the dissociated SH is inserted into the Ga-As bond with an activation barrier of 8.2 kcal/mol, which is found to be 29.3 kcal/mol more stable than the reactants. For the second case, the dissociated species may insert themselves into the Ga-Ga dimer resulting in the Ga-H-Ga and Ga-HS-Ga bridge-bonded states, which are found to be 29.8 and 22.2 kcal/mol more stable than the reactants, respectively. However, the calculations also show that the activation barrier (16.1 kcal/mol) for chemisorbed H(2)S dissociation through the second route is higher than the transfer of one H atom into a second-layer As atom. As a result, we conclude that sulfur insertion into the Ga-As bond is more kinetically favorable.     

Valence bond theoretical study for chemical reactivity

Ｐｒｅｄｉｃｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｈｅｃｈｅｍｉｃａｌｒｅａｃｔｉｖｉｔｙａｎｄｑｕａｎｔｉｔａｔｉｖｅｃａｌｃｕｌａｔｉｏｎｏｆｍｏｌｅｃｕｌａｒｒｅａｃｔｉｏｎｄｙｎａｍｉｃｓｈａｖｅｂｅｅｎａｎｉｎｔｅｒｅｓｉｎｇｓｕｂｊｅｃｔｉｎｔｈｅｏｒｅｔｉｃａｌｃｈｅｍｉｓｔｒｙ.Ｉｎｔｈｅｆｉｆｔｉｅｓａｎｄｓｉｘｔｉｅｓ,ｂａｓｅｄｏｎｔｈｅｓｉｍｐｌｅｍｏｌｅｃｕｌａｒｏｒｂｉｔａｌ(ＭＯ)ａｐｐｒｏａｃｈ,ｔｈｅｆｒｏｎｔｉｅｒｏｒｂｉｔａｌｔｈｅｏｒｙｐｒｏｐｏｓｅｄｂｙＦｕｋｕｉｅｔａｌ.[1]ａｎｄ…     

Ab initio studies on the mechanism of the size-dependent hydrogen-loss reaction in Mg+(H2O)n

The mechanism of size-dependent intracluster hydrogen loss in the cluster ions Mg(+)(H(2)O)(n), which is switched on around n=6, and off around n=14, was studied by ab initio calculations at the MP2/6-31G* and MP2/6-31G** levels for n=1-6. The reaction proceeds by Mg(+)-assisted breaking of an H-O bond in one of the H(2)O molecules. The reaction barrier is dependent on both the cluster size and the solvation structure. As n increases from 1 to 6, there is a dramatic drop in the reaction barrier, from greater than 70 kcal mol(-1) for n=1 to less than 10 kcal mol(-1) for n=6. In the transition structures, the Mg atom is close to the oxidation state of +2, and H(2)O molecules in the first solvation shell are much more effective in stabilizing the transition structures and lowering the reaction barriers than H(2)O molecules in the other solvation shells. While the reaction barrier for trimer core structures with only three H(2)O molecules in the first shell is greater than 24 kcal mol(-1), even for Mg(+)(H(2)O)(6), it drops considerably for clusters with four-six H(2)O molecules in the first shell. The more highly coordinated complexes have comparable or slightly higher energy than the trimer core structures, and the presence of such high coordination number complexes is the underlying kinetic factor for the switching on of the hydrogen-loss reaction around n=6. For clusters with trimer core structures, the hydrogen loss reaction is much easier when it is preceded by an isomerization step that increases the coordination number around Mg(+). Delocalization of the electron on the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) away from the Mg(+) ion is observed for the hexamer core structure, while at the same time this isomer is the most reactive for the hydrogen-loss reaction, with an energy barrier of only 2.7 kcal mol(-1) at the MP2/6-31G** level.     

金属态原子电负性的计算及应用(Ⅱ)

利用修正后的Pauling计算单键键能的公式对H2、O2、CO观原子分子在某些过渡金属上解离吸附参数（包括活化吸附热，金属-吸附物种表面键能）进行了计算，获得了丰富的表面键能量参数数值，弥补了实验数据的不足．从而，为在一定程度上帮助人们从分子微观动力学的角度认识催化反应的实质，报供了较为可靠的理论依据．     

茂基钌化合物的合成与结构研究:双核钌氢合物的合成与晶体结构研究

三氢钌化物[(C~5H~5)Ru(PPh~3)H~3](1)经光解反应生成了一个双核钌氢化合物[(C~5H~5)Ru.(PPh~3)(μ-H)]~2(2).用X射线重原子法及Fourier迭代解出了2的晶体结构,其分子呈二聚形式,Ru-Ru键处在对称中心,两个钌原子间还通过两个桥氢原子相联,该二聚体的单体为16电子物种,与推测的碳氢键活化反应的中间体类似,为金属有机氢化物活化碳氢键的反应历程提供了证据.文中还给出了2的可能形成过程.     

Ab initio studies on reaction H_2C═C(OH)Li+CH_3~+(CH_3~-)

Ｃａｒｂｅｎｏｉｄｓａｎｄｃｏｍｐｏｕｎｄｓｗｉｔｈｃａｒｂｅｎｏｉｄｎａｔｕｒｅａｒｅｏｆｓｐｅｃｉａｌｉｎｔｅｒｅｓｔｓｙｎｔｈｅｔｉｃａｌｌｙ.ＴｈｅｓｅｃｏｍｐｏｕｎｄｓｒｅａｃｔｎｏｔｏｎｌｙｗｉｔｈｅｌｅｃｔｒｏｐｈｉｌｅｓＥ(ａｓａｌｌ“ｃａｒｂａｎｉｏｎｓ”ｄｏ),ｂｕｔａｌｓｏｗｉｔｈｎｕｃｌｅｏｐｈｉｌｅｓｌｉｋｅＲＬｉ.Ｔｈｅａｍｂｉｄｅｎｔｎａｔｕｒｅｏｆｃａｒｂｅｎｏｉｄｓｈａｓｌｅｄｔｏｍａｎｙｉｎｖｅｓｔｉｇａｔｉｏｎｓｏｆｔｈｅｉｒｓｔｒｕｃｔｕｒｅｓａｎｄｉｓｏｍｅ…     

The structure, energetics, and nature of the chemical bonding of phenylthiol adsorbed on the Au(111) surface: implications for density-functional calculations of molecular-electronic conduction

The adsorption of phenylthiol on the Au(111) surface is modeled using Perdew and Wang density-functional calculations. Both direct molecular physisorption and dissociative chemisorption via S-H bond cleavage are considered as well as dimerization to form disulfides. For the major observed product, the chemisorbed thiol, an extensive potential-energy surface is produced as a function of both the azimuthal orientation of the adsorbate and the linear translation of the adsorbate through the key fcc, hcp, bridge, and top binding sites. Key structures are characterized, the lowest-energy one being a broad minimum of tilted orientation ranging from the bridge structure halfway towards the fcc one. The vertically oriented threefold binding sites, often assumed to dominate molecular electronics measurements, are identified as transition states at low coverage but become favored in dense monolayers. A similar surface is also produced for chemisorption of phenylthiol on Ag(111); this displays significant qualitative differences, consistent with the qualitatively different observed structures for thiol chemisorption on Ag and Au. Full contours of the minimum potential energy as a function of sulfur translation over the crystal face are described, from which the barrier to diffusion is deduced to be 5.8 kcal mol(-1), indicating that the potential-energy surface has low corrugation. The calculated bond lengths, adsorbate charge and spin density, and the density of electronic states all indicate that, at all sulfur locations, the adsorbate can be regarded as a thiyl species that forms a net single covalent bond to the surface of strength 31 kcal mol(-1). No detectable thiolate character is predicted, however, contrary to experimental results for alkyl thiols that indicate up to 20%-30% thiolate involvement. This effect is attributed to the asymptotic-potential error of all modern density functionals that becomes manifest through a 3-4 eV error in the lineup of the adsorbate and substrate bands. Significant implications are described for density-functional calculations of through-molecule electron transport in molecular electronics.     

Rotational effects in the dissociative adsorption of H2 on the Pt211 stepped surface

Rotational effects in the dissociative adsorption of H2 on the Pt211 stepped surface have been studied using classical trajectory calculations on a six-dimensional, density-functional theory potential-energy surface. Reaction of rotating molecules via an indirect trapping mechanism exhibits an unexpected nonmonotonic dependence on the initial rotational quantum number J. Indirect reaction is first quenched with increasing J but is enhanced again for high J initial states. The quenching is attributed to rotational-to-translational energy transfer, which facilitates escape from the chemisorption wells responsible for molecular trapping. For high J, rotational and translational motions decouple, and the energy transfer is no longer possible, which leads again to trapping. Degeneracy-resolved calculations show that for high initial J, molecules rotating in a "cartwheel" fashion (mJ=0) are more likely to become trapped and react indirectly than "helicoptering" molecules (mJ=J). Experimental confirmation of this finding would lend strong support to the existence of the chemisorption wells that trap molecules prior to reaction.     

Size-specific reactions of copper cluster ions with a methanol molecule

Chemisorption of a methanol molecule onto a size-selected copper cluster ion, Cu(n)+ (n = 2-10), and subsequent reactions were investigated in a gas-beam geometry at a collision energy less than 2 eV in an apparatus based on a tandem-type mass spectrometer. Mass spectra of the product ions show that the following two reactions occur after chemisorption: dominant formation of Cu(n-1)+(H)(OH) (H(OH) formation) in the size range of 4-5 and that of Cu(n)O+ (demethanation) in the size range of 6-8 in addition to only chemisorption in the size range larger than 9. Absolute cross sections for the chemisorption, the H(OH) formation, and the demethanation processes were measured as functions of cluster size and collision energy. Optimized structures of bare copper cluster ions, reaction intermediates, and products were calculated by use of a hybrid method (B3LYP) consisting of the molecular orbital and the density functional methods. The origin of the size-dependent reactivity was explained as the structural change of cluster, two-dimensional to three-dimensional structures.     

A prototype for catalyzed amide bond cleavage: production of the [NH(3), H(2)O](*)(+) dimer from ionized formamide and its carbene isomer

The reaction of ionized formamide H(2)NCHO(*)(+) with water leads to an exclusive loss of CO from the complex. This contrasts with the unimolecular reaction of low-energy ionized formamide, which loses exclusively one hydrogen atom. The unimolecular loss of CO is not observed because it involves several H-transfers corresponding to high-energy barriers. Experimental and theoretical studies of the role of solvation by water on the fragmentation of ionized formamide leads to three different results: (i) In contrast with different systems previously studied, in which solvation plays only a role on one or two steps of a reaction, a molecule of water is efficient in the catalysis of the decarbonylation process because water catalyzes all the steps of the reaction of ionized formamide, including the final dissociation of the amide bond. (ii) The catalyzed isomerization of carbonylic radical cations into their carbene counterparts is shown to be an important step in the process. To study this step, a precise probe, characterizing the carbene structure by ion-molecule reaction, is for the first time described. (iii) Finally, decarbonylation of ionized formamide yields the [NH(3), H(2)O](*)(+) ion, which has not been generated and experimentally studied previously. By this method, the [NH(3), H(2)O](*)(+) ion is generated in abundance and with a low internal energy content, allowing one either to prepare, by ligand exchange, a series of other solvated radical cations or to generate covalent structures such as distonic ions. First results on related systems indicate that the conclusions obtained for ionized formamide are widespread.     

A DFT investigation of alkyne bromination reactions

[Structure: see text]. A DFT calculation study of the addition reaction between molecular bromine and the number of symmetrical or unsymmetrical substituted alkynes 1 (R-CC-R'), where R = R' = H (1a), Me (1b), t-Bu (1c), or Ph (1d), or R = H and R' = Me (1e), t-Bu (1f), or Ph (1g), was performed. Two possible reactions were checked: (a) the reactions suitable for the gas-phase interactions, which start from a 1:1 Br2-alkyne pi-complex and do not enter into a 2:1 Br2-alkyne pi-complex; and (b) the processes passing through a 2:1 Br2-alkyne pi-complex, which look more realistic for the reactions in solutions. The structures of the starting reactants and the final products as well as the possible stable intermediates have been optimized. The transition states of the predicted process have been found. Both trans- and cis-dibromoalkenes (2 and 3) may ensue without the formation of ionic intermediates from a pi-complex of two bromine molecules with the alkyne (solution reactions). The geometry around the double bond forming in dibromoalkenes strongly depends on the nature of the substituents at the triple bond. The "cluster model" was also used for the prediction of solvent influence on the value of the activation barrier of the but-2-yne (1b) bromination reaction.     

Effects of cysteic acid groups on the gas-phase reactivity and dissociation of [M + 4H]4+ ions from insulin chain B

Gas-phase ion/molecule reactions and collision-induced dissociation (CID) were conducted on [M + 4H]4+ of insulin chain B. This Fourier transform mass spectrometry work involved ions from the oxidized peptide (with two cysteic acid residues) and its reduced form (with two cysteine residues). Kinetic behavior during deprotonation and hydrogen/deuterium exchange reactions indicates that insulin B (ox) ions have two distinct structural types. In contrast, insulin B (red) ions have only one major reacting population, which has a more compact structure than the oxidized ions. No significant differences in fragmentation patterns for the two insulin B (ox) populations were observed when CID was performed as a function of deprotonating reaction time. However, markedly different fragmentation was found between [M + 4H]4+ of insulin B (ox) and (red). Therefore, the presence of cysteic acid groups in insulin B (ox) significantly impacts dissociation and presumably structure. This suggests that some insulin B (ox) ions are zwitterionic, with the five basic sites protonated and one cysteic acid group deprotonated. Molecular dynamics calculations revealed several viable structures that are consistent with the experimental results. For example, the most stable form of the reduced ion, which is unprotonated at the His10, is very compact and has lost the alpha-helix of native insulin. Low energy structures for the oxidized ions include a zwitterion with an intraionic interaction between anionic Cyx7 and cationic His10, as well as a nonzwitterionic conformer that lacks a proton at Phe1; both structures retain the alpha-helix. These structures may account for the two experimentally observed isomers, although others are possible. In addition, experiments on oxidized insulin B were conducted from methanolic solution, which may denature the conformation, and pure aqueous solution, which may leave a native conformation. These differences in solvent composition had no effect on the gas-phase results.     

Analogues of the Lavallo-Grubbs compound Fe3(C8H8)3: equilateral, isosceles, and scalene metal triangles in trinuclear cyclooctatetraene complexes M3(C8H8)3 of the first row transition metals (M = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni)

The trinuclear derivative Fe(3)(C(8)H(8))(3) was synthesized in 2009 by Lavallo and Grubbs via the reaction of Fe(C(8)H(8))(2) with a bulky heterocyclic carbene. This fascinating structure is the first example of a derivative of the well-known Fe(3)(CO)(12) in which all 12 carbonyl groups have been replaced by hydrocarbon ligands. The density functional theory predicts a structure having a central Fe(3) equilateral triangle with ～2.9 ? Fe-Fe single bonded edges bridged by η(5),η(3)-C(8)H(8) ligands. This structure is close to the experimental structure, determined by X-ray crystallography. The related hypoelectronic M(3)(C(8)H(8))(3) derivatives (M = Cr, V, Ti) are predicted to have central scalene M(3) triangles with edge lengths and Wiberg bond indices (WBIs) corresponding to one formal single M-M bond, one formal double M═M bond, and one formal triple M≡M bond. For Mn(3)(C(8)H(8))(3), both a doublet structure with one Mn═Mn double bond and two Mn-Mn single bonds in the Mn(3) triangle, and a quartet structure with two Mn═Mn double bonds and one Mn-Mn single bond are predicted. The hyperelectronic derivatives M(3)(C(8)H(8))(3) have weaker direct M-M interactions in their M(3) triangles, as indicated by both the M-M distances and the WBIs. Thus, Ni(3)(C(8)H(8))(3) has bis(trihapto) η(3),η(3)-C(8)H(8) ligands bridging the edges of a central approximately equilateral Ni(3) triangle with long Ni···Ni distances of ～3.7 ?. The WBIs indicate very little direct Ni-Ni bonding in this Ni(3) triangle and thus a local nickel environment in the singlet Ni(3)(C(8)H(8))(3) similar to that observed for diallylnickel (η(3)-C(3)H(5))(2)Ni.     

Pb(m)-Phenyl (m = 1-5) complexes: an anion photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional study

The phenyl-lead metal complexes ([Pb(m)C6H5]-) produced from the reactions between benzene and lead clusters formed by laser ablation on a lead solid sample are studied by photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and density functional theory (DFT). The adiabatic electron affinities (EAs) of [Pb(m)C6H5]- are obtained from PES at 308 nm, and the differences between the PES of [Pb(m)C6H5]- and the PES of Pbm- are discussed in detail. The results reveal that the phenyl group binds perpendicularly on lead clusters through the Pb-C sigma bond and the complexes have a closed shell structure. Calculations with DFT are carried out on the structural and electronic properties of [Pb(m)C6H5]-, and the adiabatic detachment energy for the optimized structures of anion are in agreement with the experimental PES results. The density of states (DOS) calculated is compared with experimental PES and is discussed. The most possible structures for each species are concluded, and the bonding between Pb and phenyl is analyzed, which also proves that the phenyl group binds perpendicularly on lead clusters through the Pb-C sigma bond.