Unexpected conformational properties of 1-trifluoromethyl-1-silacyclohexane, C5H10SiHCF3: gas electron diffraction, low-temperature NMR spectropic studies, and quantum chemical calculations

The molecular structure of axial and equatorial conformers of 1-trifluoromethyl-1-silacyclohexane, (C5H10SiHCF3), as well as the thermodynamic equilibrium between these species was investigated by means of gas electron diffraction (GED), dynamic nuclear magnetic resonance (DNMR) spectroscopy, and quantum chemical calculations (B3LYP, MP2, and CBS-QB3). According to GED, the compound exists as a mixture of two Cs symmetry conformers possessing the chair conformation of the six-membered ring and differing in the axial or equatorial position of the CF3 group (axial=58(12) mol%/equatorial=42(12) mol%) at T=293 K. This result is in a good agreement with the theoretical prediction. This is, however, in sharp contrast to the conformational properties of the cyclohexane analogue. The main structural feature for both conformers is the unusually long exocyclic bond length Si--C 1.934(10) A. A low-temperature 19F NMR experiment results in an axial/equatorial ratio of 17(2) mol%:83(2) mol% at 113 K and a DeltaG (not equal) of 5.5(2) kcal mol-1. CBS-QB3 calculations in the gas-phase and solvation effect calculations using the PCM(B3LYP/6-311G*) and IPCM(B3LYP/6-311G*) models were applied to estimate the axial/equatorial ratio in the 100-300 K temperature range, which showed excellent agreement with the experimental results. The minimum energy pathways for the chair-to-chair inversion of trifluoromethylsilacyclohexane and methylsilacyclohexane were also calculated using the STQN(Path) method.     

Hybrid density functional theory with specific reaction parameter: hydrogen abstraction reaction of fluoromethane by the hydroxyl radical

Three potential energy surfaces with specific reaction parameters are developed and tested for the OH + CH(3)F --> H(2)O + CH(2)F reaction. The goal of this work is to determine surfaces that provide calculated reaction rate constants that are comparable to the experimental data. The potential energy surfaces are constructed using hybrid and hybrid meta density functional theory methods, and the levels of electronic structure theory used in this study are mPW1PW91, B1B95, and mPW1B95 in conjunction with the 6-31+G(d,p) basis set. The reaction rate constants are calculated over the range 200-1,500 K using variational transition state theory with multidimensional tunneling contributions. New specific-reaction-parameter Hartree-Fock contributions are determined, and the hybrid density functional theory methods with these new contributions (35.5 +/- 1.2% for mPW1PW91, 36.6 +/- 1.2% for B1B95, and 40.7 +/- 1.2% for mPW1B95, respectively) reproduce accurate rate constants over an extended temperature range. On these potential energy surfaces, the classical barrier height for the hydrogen abstraction reaction is determined to be 3.4-3.8 kcal/mol, with a best estimate value of 3.6 kcal/mol.     

Ab initio and experimental studies on the hetero-Diels-Alder and cheletropic additions of sulfur dioxide to (E)-1-methoxybutadiene: a mechanism involving three molecules of SO(2)

Kinetics on the cheletropic addition of sulfur dioxide to (E)-1-methoxybutadiene (1) to give the corresponding sulfolene 2 (2-methoxy-2,5-dihydrothiophene-1,1-dioxide) gave the rate law d[2]/dt = k[1][SO(2)](x)() with x = 2.6 +/- 0.2 at 198 K. Under these conditions, no sultine 3 [(2RS,6RS)-6-methoxy-3,6-dihydro-1,2-oxathiin-2-oxide] resulting from a hetero-Diels-Alder addition was observed, and the cheletropic elimination 2 --> 1 + SO(2) did not occur. Ab initio and DFT quantum calculations confirmed that the cheletropic addition 1 + SO(2) --> 2 follows two parallel mechanisms, one involving two molecules of SO(2) and the transition structure with DeltaG(++) = 18.2 +/- 0.2 kcal/mol at 198 K (exptl); 22.5-22.7 kcal/mol [B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)], the other one involving three molecules of SO(2) with DeltaG(++) = 18.9 +/- 0.1 kcal/mol at 198 K (exptl); 19.7 kcal/mol [B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)]. The mechanism involving only one molecule of SO(2) in the transition structure requires a higher activation energy, DeltaG(++) = 25.2 kcal/mol [B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)]. Comparison of the geometries and energetics of the structures involved into the 1 + SO(2) --> 2, 3 and 1 + 2SO(2) --> 2, 3 + SO(2) reactions obtained by ab initio and DFT methods suggest that the latter calculation techniques can be used to study the cycloadditions of sulfur dioxide. The calculations predict that the hetero-Diels-Alder addition 1 + SO(2) --> 3 also prefers a mechanism in which three molecules of SO(2) are involved in the cycloaddition transition structure. At 198 K and in SO(2) solutions, the entropy cost (TDeltaS(++)) is overcompensated by the specific solvation by SO(2) in the transition structures of both the cheletropic and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions of (E)-1-methoxybutadiene with SO(2).     

Effective monkey saddle points and berry and lever mechanisms in the topomerization of SF(4) and related tetracoordinated AX(4) species

The topomerization mechanisms of the SF(4) and SCl(2)F(2) sulfuranes, as well as their higher (SeF(4), TeF(4)) and isoelectronic analogues PF(4)(-), AsF(4)(-), SbF(4)(-), SbCl(4)(-), ClF(4)(+), BrF(4)(+), BrCl(2)F(2)(+), and IF(4)(+)), have been computed at B3LYP/6-31+G and at B3LYP/6-311+G. All species have trigonal bipyramidal (TBP) C(2)(v)() ground states. In such four-coordinated molecules, Berry rotation exchanges both axial with two equatorial ligands simultaneously while the alternative "lever" mechanism exchanges only one axial ligand with one equatorial ligand. While the barrier for the lever exchange in SF(4) (18.8 kcal mol(-1)) is much higher than that for the Berry process (8.1 kcal mol(-1)), both mechanisms are needed for complete ligand exchange. The F(ax)F(ax) and F(eq)F(eq) isomers of SF(2)Cl(2) have nearly the same energy and readily interconvert by BPR with a barrier of 7.6 kcal mol(-1). The enantiomerization of the F(ax)F(eq) chiral isomer can occur by either the Berry process (transition state barrier 8.3 kcal mol(-1)) or the "lever" mechanism via either of two C(s)() transition states, based on the TBP geometry: Cl(ax) <--> Cl(eq) or F(ax) <--> F(eq) exchanges with barriers of 6.3 and 15.7 kcal mol(-1), respectively. Full scrambling of all ligand sites is possible only by inclusion of the lever mechanism. Planar, "tetrahedral", and triplet forms are much higher in energy. The TBP C(3)(v) structures of AX(4) either have two imaginary frequencies (NIMAG = 2) for the X = F, Cl species or are minima (NIMAG = 0) for the X = Br, I compounds. These "effective monkey saddle points" have degenerate modes with two small frequencies, imaginary or real. Although a strictly defined "monkey saddle" (with degenerate frequencies exactly zero) is not allowed, the flat C(3)(v) symmetry region serves as a "transition state" for trifurcation of the pathways. The BPR mechanism also is preferred over the alternative lever process in the topomerization of the selenurane SeF(4) (barriers 5.9 vs. 12.1 kcal mol(-1)), the tellurane TeF(4) (2.1 vs. 6.4), and the interhalogen cations ClF(4)(+) (2.5 vs 14.8), BrF(4)(+) (4.7 vs. 11.3), BrF(2)Cl(2)(+) (14.6 vs. 17.4), and IF(4)(+) (1.4 vs. 6.0), as well as for the series PF(4)(-) (7.0 vs. 9.0), AsF(4)(-) (9.3 vs. 17.2), and SbF(4)(-) (3.8 vs. 5.3 kcal mol(-1)), all computed at B3LYP/6-311+G with the inclusion of quasirelativistic pseudopotentials for Te, I, and Sb. The heavier halogens increasingly favor the lever process, where the barrier (2.6 kcal mol(-1)) pertaining to the effective monkey saddle point (C(3)(v) minimum for SbCl(4)(-)) is less than that for the Berry process (8.2 kcal mol(-1)).     

Mechanistic insights into triterpene synthesis from quantum mechanical calculations. Detection of systematic errors in B3LYP cyclization energies

Most quantum mechanical studies of triterpene synthesis have been done on small models. We calculated mPW1PW91/6-311+G(2d,p)//B3LYP/6-31G* energies for many C30H51O+ intermediates to establish the first comprehensive energy profiles for the cationic cyclization of oxidosqualene to lanosterol, lupeol, and hopen-3beta-ol. Differences among these 3 profiles were attributed to ring strain, steric effects, and proton affinity. Modest activation energy barriers and the ample exothermicity of most annulations indicated that the cationic intermediates rarely need enzymatic stabilization. The course of reaction is guided by hyperconjugation of the carbocationic 2p orbital with parallel C-C and C-H bonds. Hyperconjugation for cations with a horizontal 2p orbital (in the plane of the ABCD ring system) leads to annulation and ring expansion. If the 2p orbital becomes vertical, hyperconjugation fosters 1,2-methyl and hydride shifts. Transition states leading to rings D and E were bridged cyclopropane/carbonium ions, which allow ring expansion/annulation to bypass formation of undesirable anti-Markovnikov cations. Similar bridged species are also involved in many cation rearrangements. Our calculations revealed systematic errors in DFT cyclization energies. A spectacular example was the B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p)//B3LYP/6-31G* prediction of endothermicity for the strongly exothermic cyclization of squalene to hopene. DFT cyclization energies for the 6-311+G(2d,p) basis set ranged from reasonable accuracy (mPW1PW91, TPSSh with 25% HF exchange) to underestimation (B3LYP, HCTH, TPSS, O3LYP) or overestimation (MP2, MPW1K, PBE1PBE). Despite minor inaccuracies, B3LYP/6-31G* geometries usually gave credible mPW1PW91 single-point energies. Nevertheless, DFT energies should be used cautiously until broadly reliable methods are established.     

Performance of density functionals for calculation of reductive ring-opening reaction energies of Li<Superscript>+</Superscript>-EC and Li<Superscript>+</Superscript>-VC

Reaction energies were determined for reductive ring-opening reactions of Li⁺-coordinated ethylene carbonate (EC) and vinylene carbonate (VC) by using various density functional theory (DFT) and ab-initio methods applying the basis sets up to Dunnings aug-cc-pVQZ. The methods examined include the local density functional (SVWN), the pure gradient-corrected density functionals (BLYP and BPW91), and the hybrid density functionals (B3LYP, B1LYP, B3PW91, and mPW1PW91). Comparison of the DFT results with ab-initio results indicates that the mPW1PW91 approach introduced by Adamo and Barone, is superior to all the other DFT methods (including B3LYP). The performance of more cost-effective Pople-type basis sets ranging from 6-31G(d,p) to 6-311++G(3df,3pd) was assessed at DFT levels of theory by calibrating them with the aug-cc-pVQZ results     

Fluorocarbonyl trifluoromethanesulfonate, FC(O)OSO2CF3: structure and conformational properties in the gaseous and condensed phases

Pure fluorocarbonyl trifluoromethanesulfonate, FC(O)OSO(2)CF(3), is prepared in about 70% yield by the ambient-temperature reaction between FC(O)SCl and AgCF(3)SO(3). The geometric structure and conformational properties of the gaseous molecule have been studied by gas electron diffraction (GED), vibrational spectroscopy [IR(gas), IR(matrix), and Raman(liquid)] and quantum chemical calculations (HF, MP2, and B3LYP with 6-311G basis sets); in addition, the solid-state structure has been determined by X-ray crystallography. FC(O)OSO(2)CF(3) exists in the gas phase as a mixture of trans [FC(O) group trans with respect to the CF(3) group] and gauche conformers with the trans form prevailing [67(8)% from GED and 59(5)% from IR(matrix) measurements]. In both conformers the C=O bond of the FC(O) group is oriented synperiplanar with respect to the S-O single bond. The experimental free energy difference between the two forms, DeltaG degrees = 0.49(13) kcal mol(-1) (GED) and 0.22(12) kcal mol(-1) (IR), is slightly smaller than the calculated value (0.74-0.94 kcal mol(-1)). The crystalline solid at 150 K [monoclinic, P2(1)/c, a = 10.983(1) A, b = 6.4613(6) A, c = 8.8508(8) A, beta = 104.786(2) degrees ] consists exclusively of the trans conformer.     

Which is more likely in trichodiene biosynthesis: hydride or proton transfer?

The mechanisms proposed for enzyme-catalyzed formation of the sesquiterpene natural product trichodiene consistently include a step involving a 1,4-hydride transfer. Using quantum chemical methods (B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) and mPW1PW91/6-31+G(d,p)), we discovered two alternative pathways for transformation of the intermediate bisabolyl cation to the cuprenyl cation, one of which--a proton-transfer pathway--appears to be much more energetically favorable (by more than 10 kcal/mol) than the hydride transfer pathways usually proposed.     

Ab initio, density functional theory, and continuum solvation model prediction of the product ratio in the S(N)2 reaction of NO2(-) with CH3CH2Cl and CH3CH2Br in DMSO solution

The reaction pathways for the interaction of the nitrite ion with ethyl chloride and ethyl bromide in DMSO solution were investigated at the ab initio level of theory, and the solvent effect was included through the polarizable continuum model. The performance of BLYP, GLYP, XLYP, OLYP, PBE0, B3PW91, B3LYP, and X3LYP density functionals has been tested. For the ethyl bromide case, our best ab initio calculations at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ level predicts product ratio of 73% and 27% for nitroethane and ethyl nitrite, respectively, which can be compared with the experimental values of 67% and 33%. This translates to an error in the relative DeltaG* of only 0.17 kcal mol(-1). No functional is accurate (deviation <0.5 kcal mol(-1)) for predicting relative DeltaG*. The hybrid X3LYP functional presents the best performance with deviation 0.82 kcal mol(-1). The present problem should be included in the test set used for the evaluation of new functionals.     

Molecular structure of the trans and cis isomers of metal-free phthalocyanine studied by gas-phase electron diffraction and high-level quantum chemical calculations: NH tautomerization and calculated vibrational frequencies

The molecular structure of the trans isomer of metal-free phthalocyanine (H2Pc) is determined using the gas electron diffraction (GED) method and high-level quantum chemical calculations. B3LYP calculations employing the basis sets 6-31G**, 6-311++G**, and cc-pVTZ give two tautomeric isomers for the inner H atoms, a trans isomer having D2h symmetry and a cis isomer having C2v symmetry. The trans isomer is calculated to be 41.6 (B3LYP/6-311++G**, zero-point corrected) and 37.3 kJ/mol (B3LYP/cc-pVTZ, not zero-point corrected) more stable than the cis isomer. However, Hartree-Fock (HF) calculations using different basis sets predict that cis is preferred and that trans does not exist as a stable form of the molecule. The equilibrium composition in the gas phase at 471 degrees C (the temperature of the GED experiment) calculated at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level is 99.8% trans and 0.2% cis. This is in very good agreement with the GED data, which indicate that the mole fraction of the cis isomer is close to zero. The transition states for two mechanisms of the NH tautomerization have been characterized. A concerted mechanism where the two H atoms move simultaneously yields a transition state of D2h symmetry and an energy barrier of 95.8 kJ/mol. A two-step mechanism where a trans isomer is converted to a cis isomer, which is converted into another trans isomer, proceeds via two transition states of C(s) symmetry and an energy barrier of 64.2 kJ/mol according to the B3LYP/6-311++G** calculation. The molecular geometry determined from GED is in very good agreement with the geometry obtained from the quantum chemical calculations. Vibrational frequencies, IR, and Raman intensities have been calculated using B3LYP/6-311++G**. These calculations indicate that the molecule is rather flexible with six vibrational frequencies in the range of 20-84 cm(-1) for the trans isomer. The cis isomer might be detected by infrared matrix spectroscopy since the N-H stretching frequencies are very different for the two isomers.     

Vibrational spectrum and assignments of 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole by ab initio Hartree-Fock and density functional methods

The room temperature attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectrum of the 2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazole has been recorded with diamond/ZnSe prism. The conformational behaviour, structural stability of optimized geometry, frequency and intensity of the vibrational bands of the title compound were investigated by utilizing ab initio calculations with 6-311G** basis set at HF, B3LYP, BLYP, B3PW91 and mPW1PW91 levels. The harmonic vibrational frequencies were calculated and scaled values have been compared with experimental IR spectrum. The observed and the calculated frequencies are found to be in good agreement. The theoretical vibrational spectra of the title compound were interpreted by means of potential energy distributions using VEDA 4 program. Furthermore, the optimal uniform scaling factors calculated for the title compound are 0.9120, 0.9596, 0.9660, 0.9699, and 0.9993 for HF, mPW1PW91, B3PW91, B3LYP and BLYP methods, respectively.     

Structure and conformations of N-(fluoroformyl)imidosulfurous dichloride,FC(O)N=SCl2

The IR (gas) and Raman (liquid) spectra of FC(O)NSCl(2) demonstrate the presence of a conformational mixture in both phases. According to a gas electron diffraction study, the main conformer (94(8)%) possesses a syn-syn structure (C(O)F group synperiplanar with respect to the SCl(2) bisector and the C=O bond synperiplanar to the N=S bond). Quantum chemical calculations (HF, B3LYP and MP2 with 6-31G basis set, and MP2/6-311(2df)) predict a syn-anti structure for the second conformer. Analysis of the IR (gas) spectrum results in a contribution of 5(1)% of the minor form, corresponding to a Gibbs free energy difference DeltaG degrees = G degrees (syn-anti) - G degrees (syn-syn) = 1.75(15) kcal/mol. This value is reproduced very well by quantum chemical calculations, which include electron correlation effects (DeltaG degrees = 1.28-1.56 kcal/mol). The HF approximation overestimates this energy difference (DeltaG degrees = 3.24 kcal/mol).     

Thermochemistry of the higher chlorine oxides ClOx (x=3, 4) and Cl2Ox (x=3–7)†

Heats of formation for ClO₃, ClO₄, Cl₂O₃, Cl₂O₄, Cl₂O₅, Cl₂O₆ and Cl₂O₇ molecules are determined at the B3LYP, B3PW91, mPW1PW91 and B1LYP levels of the density functional theory employing a series of extended basis sets, and using Gaussian-3 model chemistries. Modified Gaussian-3 calculations, which employ accurate B3LYP/6-311+G(3d2f) molecular geometries and vibrational frequencies, were also performed. Heats of formation were calculated from both total atomization energies and isodesmic reaction schemes. The latter method in conjunction with Gaussian-3 models leads to the most reliable results. The best values at 298 K for ClO₃, ClO₄, Cl₂O₃ and Cl₂O₄ as derived from an average of G3//B3LYP and G3//B3LYP/6-311+G(3d2f) calculations are 43.1, 54.8, 31.7 and 37.4 kcal mol⁻¹. From calculations carried out at the G3(MP2)//B3LYP and G3(MP2)//B3LYP/6-311+G(3d2f) levels, heats of formation for Cl₂O₅, Cl₂O₆ and Cl₂O₇ are predicted to be 53.2, 52.2 and 61.5 kcal mol⁻¹. All best values are reproduced within 1 kcal mol⁻¹ by using mPW1PW91/6-311+G(3d2f) isodesmic energies. Enthalpy changes for relevant Cl–O bond fission reactions are reported. Comparisons with previous thermodynamics data are made.     

Tautomeric and conformational properties of malonamic acid methyl ester, NH2C(O)-CH2-C(O)OCH3: electron diffraction and quantum chemical study

The tautomeric and conformational properties of malonamic acid methyl ester, NH2C(O)-CH2-C(O)OCH3, have been investigated by means of gas-phase electron diffraction (GED) and quantum chemical calculations (HF, B3LYP, and MP2 approximations with different basis sets up to 6-311++G(3df,pd)). Both quantum chemistry and GED at 360(8) K result in the existence of a single diketo conformer in the gas phase. According to GED refinement, this conformer possesses an (ac, sc) conformation with dihedral angles C-C-C(NH2)=O of 140.3(3.0) degrees and C-C-C(OCH3)=O of 31.1(7.2) degrees. The experimental geometric parameters are reproduced very closely by MP2 and B3LYP methods with large basis sets.     

New selective haloform-type reaction yielding 3-hydroxy-2,2-difluoroacids: theoretical study of the mechanism

Experimental results of an unprecedented haloform-type reaction in which 4-alkyl-4-hydroxy-3,3-difluoromethyl trifluoromethyl ketones undergo base-promoted selective cleavage of the CO-CF(3) bond, yielding 3-hydroxy-2,2-difluoroacids and fluoroform, are rationalized using DFT (B3LYP) calculations. The gas-phase addition of hydroxide ion to 1,1,1,3,3-pentafluoro-4-hydroxypentan-2-one (R) is found to be a barrierless process, yielding a tetrahedral intermediate (INT), involving a DeltaG(r)(298 K) of -61.4 kcal/mol. The CO-CF(3) bond cleavage in INT leads to a hydrogen-bonded [CH(3)CHOHCF(2)CO(2)H...CF(3)](-) complex by passage through a transition structure (TS1) with a DeltaG()(298 K) of 20.8 kcal/mol and a DeltaG(r)(298 K) of 9.8 kcal/mol. This complex undergoes a proton transfer between its components, yielding a hydrogen-bonded [CH(3)CHOHCF(2)CO(2)...CHF(3)](-) complex. This process has associated with it a DeltaG()(298 K) of only 3.1 kcal/mol and a DeltaG(r)(298 K) of -43.3 kcal/mol. The CO-CF(2) bond cleavage in INT leads to a hydrogen-bonded [CH(3)CHOHCF(2)...CF(3)CO(2)H](-) complex by passage through a transition structure (TS3) with a DeltaG()(298 K) of 29.2 kcal/mol and a DeltaG(r)(298 K) of 25.1 kcal/mol. The lower energy barrier found for CO-CF(3) bond cleavage in INT is ascribed to the larger number of fluorine atoms stabilizing the negative charge accumulated on the CF(3) moiety of TS1, as compared to the number of fluorine atoms stabilizing the negative charge on the CH(3)CHOHCF(2) moiety of TS3. The solvent-induced effects on the two pathways, introduced within the SCRF formalism through PCM calculations, do not reverse the predicted preference of the CO-CF(3) over the CO-CF(2) bond cleavage of R in the gas phase.     

Ene-diamine versus imine-amine isomeric preferences

Cyanide-catalyzed aldimine coupling was employed to synthesize compounds with 1,2-ene-diamine and alpha-imine-amine structural motifs: 1,2,N,N'-tetraphenyletheylene-1,2-diamine (13) and (+/-)-2,3-di-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1,2-dihydroquinoxaline (17), respectively. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction provided solid-state structures and density functional theory calculations were used to probe isomeric preferences within this and the related hydroxy-ketone/ene-diol system. The ene-diamine and imine-amine core structures were calculated (B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)) to be essentially identical in energy (DeltaG = 0.2 kcal/mol in favor of the imine-amine, within the error of the calculation). However, additional effects-such as pi conjugation-in 13 render an ene-diamine structure that is slightly more stable than the imine-amine tautomer (14) (DeltaG = 0.2-0.7 kcal/mol, within the error of the calculation). In contrast, the intramolecular hydrogen bonding present in 17 significantly favors the imine-amine isomer over the ene-diamine tautomer (18) (DeltaG = 7.2-8.9 kcal/mol). For both 13 and 17, the optimized calculated structures (B3LYP/6-31+G(d')) are identical to those observed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction.     

The performance of different density functional methods in the calculation of molecular structures and vibrational spectra of platinum(II) antitumor drugs: cisplatin and carboplatin

A comparison of eight density functional models for predicting the molecular structures, vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities, and Raman scattering activities of platinum(II) antitumor drugs, cisplatin and carboplatin, is reported. Methods examined include the pure density functional protocols (G96LYP, G96PW91, modified mPWPW and original PW91PW91), one‐parameter hybrid approaches (mPW1PW and mPW1LYP), and three‐parameter hybrid models (B3LYP and B3PW91), as well as the HF and MP2 levels of theory. Different effective core potentials (ECPs) and several basis sets are considered. The theoretical results are discussed and compared with the experimental data. It is remarkable that the mPW1PW protocol introduced by Adamo and Barone [J Chem Phys 1998, 108, 664], is clearly superior to all the remaining density functional methods (including B3LYP). The geometry and vibrational frequencies of cisplatin and carboplatin calculated with the mPW1PW method, and the ECP of Hay and Wadt (LanL2DZ basis set) are in better agreement with experiment than those obtained with the MP2 method. The use of more elaborated ECP and the enlargements of basis sets do not significantly improve the results. A clear‐cut assignments of the platinum‐ligand vibrations in cisplatin and carboplatin are presented. It is concluded that mPW1PW is the new reliable method, which can be used in predicting molecular structures and vibrational spectra of large coordination compounds containing platinum(II). © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 22: 901–912, 2001     

13C NMR, infrared, solvation and theoretical investigation of the conformational isomerism in 1-haloacetones (X = Cl, Br and I)

The solvent dependence of the 13C NMR spectra of chloroacetone (CA), bromoacetone (BA) and iodoacetone (IA) are reported and the 3J(CH) couplings analysed using ab initio calculations and solvation theory. In CA the energy difference (E(cis) - E(gauche)) between the cis (Cl-C-C=O 0 degrees) and gauche (Cl-C-C=O 155 degrees) conformers is 1.7 kcal mol(-1) in the vapour, decreasing to 0.8 kcal mol(-1) in CCl4 solution and to -1.0 kcal mol(-1) in the pure liquid. The conformational equilibrium, in BA, is between the more polar cis (Br-C-C=O 0 degrees) and gauche (Br-C-C=O 132 degrees) conformations. The energy difference (E(cis) - E(gauche)) is 1.8 kcal mol(-1) in the vapour, decreasing to 0.9 kcal mol(-1) in CCl4 solution and to -0.4 kcal mol(-1) in the pure liquid. The energy difference (E(cis) - E(gauche)), in IA, between the cis (I-C-C=O 0 degrees) and gauche (I-C-C=O 104 degrees) conformers is 1.1 kcal mol(-1) in the vapour phase, decreasing to 0.5 kcal mol(-1) in CCl4 solution and to -0.5 kcal mol(-1) in the pure liquid. The vapour state energy difference for BA [1.4 kcal mol(-1) at B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)] and for IA [1.6 kcal mol(-1) at B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)/LANL2DZ)] are in very good agreement with the above values. For CA the agreement is also satisfactory [1.4 kcal mol(-1) at B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)].     

Theoretical determinations of ionization potentials of dopamine

Adiabatic and vertical ionization potentials (IPs) of nine conformers of dopamine in the gas phase are determined using density functional theory (DFT) B3LYP, B3P86, B3PW91 methods and high level ab initio HF method with 6-311++G** basis set, respectively. And the nine stable cationic states have been found in the ionization process of dopamine. Vertical ionization potentials of nine conformers of dopamine are calculated using the older outer-valence Green’s function (OVGF) calculations at 6-311++G** basis set. Vibrational frequencies and infrared spectrum intensities of G1b and G1b⁺ at B3LYP/6-311++G** level are discussed.     

CO oxidation catalyzed by a single gold atom: benchmark calculations and the performance of DFT methods

Quantum chemical calculations were carried out on CO oxidation catalyzed by a single gold atom. To investigate the performance of density functional theory (DFT) methods, 42 DFT functionals have been evaluated and compared with high-level wavefunction based methods. It was found that in order to obtain accurate results the functionals used must treat long range interaction well. The double-hybrid mPW2PLYP and B2PLYP functionals are the two functionals with best overall performance. CAM-B3LYP, a long range corrected hybrid GGA functional, also performs well. On the other hand, the popular B3LYP, PW91, and PBE functionals do not show good performance and the performance of the latter two are even at the bottom of the 42 functionals. Our accurate results calculated at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ//mPW2PLYP/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory indicate that Au atom is a good catalysis for CO oxidation. The reaction follows the following mechanism where CO and O(2) adsorb on Au atom forming an Au(OCOO) intermediate and subsequently O(2) transfer one oxygen atom to CO to form CO(2) and AuO. Then AuO reacts with CO to form another CO(2) to complete the catalytic cycle. The overall energy barrier at 0 K for the first CO oxidation step (Au + CO + O(2)→ AuO + CO(2)) is just 4.8 kcal mol(-1), and that for the second CO oxidation step (AuO + CO → Au + CO(2)) is just 1.6 kcal mol(-1).