Theoretical study of light-metal tetrahydroaluminates

Ab initio calculations of the structural, energetic, vibrational, and magnetic characteristics of the lowest-lying structures for isolated molecules and ions of light-metal tetrahydroaluminates (Li, Na, Be, Mg, and Al) have been performed by the perturbation theory (MP2), quadratic configuration interaction (QCISD(T)), coupled cluster (CCSD(T)), and density functional theory (B3LYP) methods using the 6-31G*, 6-31G**, 6-311+G**, and 6-311++G** basis sets. The trends in the behavior of the molecular characteristics have been analyzed in various related series of these compounds. The results are compared with the data on analogous light-metal tetrahydroborates calculated at the same levels of theory. The differences in structure and stability between analogous hydroborate and alanate complexes are examined. The economical approximation B3LYP/6-311++G**//B3LYP/6-311+G** has been shown to adequately reproduce the results obtained at the higher level of theory CCSD(T)/6-311++G**//MP2/6-31G* even though it requires considerably shorter CPU times and smaller amounts of memory.     

Structural studies on ethyl isovalerate by microwave spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations

We observed the microwave spectrum of ethyl isovalerate by molecular beam Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. The rotational and centrifugal distortion constants of the most abundant conformer were determined. Its structure was investigated by comparison of the experimental rotational constants with those obtained by ab initio methods. In a first step, the rotational constants of various conformers were calculated at the MP2/6-311++G** level of theory. Surprisingly, no agreement with the experimental results was found. Therefore, we concluded that in the case of ethyl isovalerate more advanced quantum chemical methods are required to obtain a reliable molecular geometry. Ab initio calculations carried out at MP3/6-311++G**, MP4/6-311++G**, and CCSD/6-311++G** levels and also density functional theory calculations using the B3LYP/6-311++G** method gave similar results for the rotational constants, but they were clearly distinct from those obtained at the MP2/6-311++G** level. With use of these more advanced methods, the rotational constants of the lowest energy conformer were in good agreement with those obtained from the microwave spectrum.     

Halogen switching of azacarbenes C2NH ground states at ab initio and DFT levels

Relative stabilities and singlet–triplet energy differences are calculated for 24 C₂NX azacarbenes (where X is H, F, Cl, and Br). Three skeletal arrangements are employed including azacyclopropenylidene, [(imino)methylene]carbene, and cyanocarbene. Halogens appear to alternate the electronic ground states of C₂NH azacarbenes, from triplet to singlet states, at MP3/6‐311++G**, B1LYP/6‐311++G**, B3LYP/6‐311++G**, MP2/6‐311++G**, MP4(SDTQ)/6‐311++G**, QCISD(T)/6‐311++G**, CCSD(T)/6‐311++G**, CCSD(T)/cc‐pVTZ, G1, and G2 levels of theory. The aromatic characters of singlet cyclic azacyclopropenylidenes are measured using GIAO–NICS calculations. Linear correlations are found between the B3LYP/6‐311++G** calculated LUMO–HOMO energy gaps (ΔE_{HOMO ‐ LUMO}) of the singlet carbenes versus their corresponding singlet–triplet energy separations (ΔE). Electrophilic characters are found for all singlet azacarbenes in their addition reactions to alkenes with the highest electrophilicity being exhibited for X = F. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 19:377–388, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20442     

Ab initio and DFT energetics of silylenic X–CNSi (X=H, F, Cl, and Br)

Singlet–triplet energy splitting for 24 silylenic reactive intermediates, X–CNSi (where X=H, F, Cl and Br), are compared and contrasted at 11 levels of theory: B1LYP/6-31++G**, B3LYP/6-31++G**, B1LYP/6-311++G**, B3LYP/6-311++G**, MP3/6-31G*, MP3/6-311++G**, MP2/6-31+G**, MP2/6-311++G**, MP4 (SDTQ)/6-311++G**, QCISD(T)/6-311++G** and CCSD(T)/6-311++G**. Each X-substituted silylenic species may either be singlet (s) or triplet (t), with one of the following three structures: 3-X-2-aza-1-silacyclopropenylidene (1_s-X, 1_t-X); [(X-imino)methylene]silylene (2_s-X, 2_t-X); and X-cyanosilylene (3_s-X, 3_t-X). For all X–CNSi species studied, orders of singlet–triplet energy separations (ΔE_s-t,X), appear as a function of electro-negativity (F>Cl>Br>H). For the six H–CNSi isomers (X=H), stability order is: 3_s-H>1_s-H>2_t-H>3_t-H>2_s-H>1_t-H. Likewise, stability order for the six isomers with X=F, is: 3_s-F>3_t-F>1_s-F>1_t-F>2_s-F>2_t-F. For X=Cl, the order of stability is: 3_s-Cl>1_s-Cl>3_t-Cl>2_t-Cl>1_t-Cl>2_t-Cl. Finally, the order of stability for six isomers of Br–CNSi is: 3_s-Br>3_t-Br>1_s-Br>2_s-Br>2_t-Br>1_t-Br. The lowest energy minimum, among all 24 species scrutinized, appears to be the singlet acyclic 3_s-X. Triplet silylene 2_t-H is suggested to be more stable than its corresponding 2_s-H at MP3, MP2 and DFT levels of theory. Comparisons between relative stabilities; multiplicities and geometrical parameters of 1–3 are discussed.     

The C7-C10 cycloalkanes revisited

The conformers of cycloheptane through cyclodecane have been examined at the B3LYP/6-311+G* and MP2/6-311+G* theoretical levels, with some additional calculations at the CCD/6-311+G* and CCSD(T)/6-311++G** levels. With cyclooctane, B3LYP predicts that the boat-chair and crown conformers have similar energies, whereas MP2 and CCSD(T) predict that the crown conformer is 2 kcal/mol higher in energy. The latter is in agreement with the electron diffraction data. With cyclononane, B3LYP predicts that two of the higher-energy conformers found in molecular mechanics calculations should convert to one of the lower-energy conformers. However, MP2/6-311+G* optimizations find them to be true minima on the potential energy surface. B3LYP systematically predicts larger C-C-C bond angles for these compounds than either MP2 or CCD. The results of molecular mechanics MM4 calculations are generally in good agreement with those obtained using MP2.     

Interaction of anions with perfluoro aromatic compounds

The complexes formed by a variety of anions with perfluoro derivatives of benzene, naphthalene, pyridine, thiophene, and furan have been calculated using DFT (B3LYP/6-31++G**) and MP2 (MP2/6-31++G** and MP2/6-311++G**) ab initio methods. The minimum structures show the anion interacting with the pi-cloud of the aromatic compounds. The interaction energies obtained range between -8 and -19 kcal mol(-1). The results obtained at the MP2/6-31++G** and MP2/6-311++G** levels are similar. However, the B3LYP/6-31++G** results provide longer interaction distances and smaller interaction energies than do the MP2 results. The interaction energies have been partitioned using an electrostatic, polarization, and van der Waals scheme. The AIM analysis of the electron density shows a variety of topologies depending on the aromatic system considered.     

Theoretical Studies on Intermolecular Hydrogen-bond Interactions between Hexamethylenetetramine and Nitric Acid

The structures of the complexes generated by hexamethylenetetramine and nitric acid have been fully optimized by B3LYP method at the 6-311++G** and aug-cc-pVTZ levels. The intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions have been calculated by the B3LYP/6-311++G**, B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ, MP2(full)/6-311++G** and CCSD(T)/6-311++G** methods, respectively. The NBO (nature bond orbital), AIM (atom in molecule), temperature effect and solvation effect have been analyzed to reveal the origin of the interactions. The results indicate that the stable hydrogen-bonded complexes could be generated by hexamethylenetetramine and nitric acid. The interactions follow the order of (a)>>(e)>(b)>(c)>(d)>(f)>(g). The C-N bonds which are adjacent to the methylene involving the hydrogen bonds tend to break in the chemical reaction. Due to the exothermic process, low temperature is conducive to the formation of the composition, which tallies with the experimental result.     

An Ab Initio Molecular Orbital Study of Valence Bond Isomers of Silabenzene and Phosphabenzene

Ab initio molecular orbital calculation at HF/6-31G*, HF/6-31G**, HF/6-311G**, HF/6-311++G**, RMP2-FC/6-31G*, and B3LYP/6-31G* levels of theory for geometry optimization and MP4(SDQ)/6-31G* for a single point total energy calculation are reported for silabenzene ( 7 ), phosphabenzene ( 8 ) and 16 valence bond isomers of silabenzene and phosphabenzene ( 9-24 ). The calculated energy difference (19.78 kcal mol m 1 ) between silabenzene and the most stable valence bond isomer of silabenzene (1-silabenzvalene, 9 ) is much smaller than the difference (73.60 kcal mol m 1 ) between benzene and benzvalene ( 2 ). The energy difference between phosphabenzene and the most stable valence bond isomer of phosphabenzene (1-phosphabenzvalene, 17 ) is calculated to be 43.29 kcal mol m 1 .     

Structure of the boronic acid dimer and the relative stabilities of its conformers

Despite the widespread use of boronic acids in materials science and as pharmaceutical agents, many aspects of their structure and reactivity are not well understood. In this research the boronic acid dimer, [HB(OH)(2)](2), was studied by second-order M?ller-Plesset (MP2) perturbation theory and coupled cluster methodology with single and double excitations (CCSD). Pople split-valence 6-31+G*, 6-311G**, and 6-311++G** and Dunning-Woon correlation-consistent cc-pVDZ, aug-cc-pVDZ, cc-pVTZ, and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets were employed for the calculations. A doubly hydrogen-bonded conformer (1) of the dimer was consistently found to be lowest in energy; the structure of 1 was planar (C(2h)) at most computational levels employed but was significantly nonplanar (C(2)) at the MP2/6-311++G** and CCSD/6-311++G** levels, the result of an intrinsic problem with Pople-type sp-diffuse basis functions on heavy atoms. The dimerization energy, enthalpy, and free energy for the formation of (1) from the exo-endo conformer of the monomer were -10.8, -9.2, and +1.2 kcal/mol, respectively, at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level. Several other hydrogen-bonded conformers of the dimer were local minima on the potential energy surface (PES) and ranged from 2 to 5 kcal/mol higher in energy than 1. Nine doubly OH-bridged conformers, in which the boron atoms were tetracoordinated, were also local minima on the PES, but they were all greater than 13 kcal/mol higher in energy than 1; doubly H-bridged structures proved to be transition states. MP2 and CCSD results were compared to those from the BLYP, B3LYP, OLYP, O3LYP, PBE1PBE, and TPSS functionals with the 6-311++G** and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets; the PBE1PBE functional performed best relative to the MP2 and CCSD results. Self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) calculations predict that boronic acid dimerization is less favorable in solution than in vacuo.     

Density functional efficiency in the calculations of vibrational frequencies and molecular structures of β-diketones

Density functional theory (DFT) levels are employed to calculate the vibrational frequencies and geometrical data of β-diketones. We evaluate the relative performance of the different levels by comparing theoretical results to experimental values. The applied DFT levels in this work are B3LYP, BLYP, B3P86, B3PW91, BPW91, G96LYP, BP86, and G96PW91 with the standard 6-31G, 6-31G*, 6-31G**, 6-31+G**, 6-31++G**, 6-311G**, 6-311++G** basis sets. The best results are obtained at the B3LYP, B3PW91, and B3P86 levels.     

Comparison of levels of electronic structure theory in direct dynamics simulations of C2H5F --> HF + C2H4 product energy partitioning

Direct dynamics simulations at the MP2/6-311++G** level of theory were performed to study C(2)H(5)F --> HF + C(2)H(4) product energy partitioning. The simulation results are compared with experiment and a previous MP2/6-31G* simulation. The current simulation with the larger basis set releases more energy to HF vibration and less to HF + C(2)H(4) relative translation as compared to the previous simulation with the 6-31G* basis set. The HF rotation and vibration energy distributions determined from the current simulation are in overall very good agreement with previous experimental studies of C(2)H(5)F dissociation by chemical activation and IRMPA. A comparison of the simulations with experiments suggests there may be important mass effects for energy partitioning in HX elimination from haloalkanes. The transition state (TS) structures and energies calculated with MP2 and the 6-31G* and 6-311++G** basis sets are compared with those calculated using CCD, CCSD, CCSD(T), and the 6-311++G** basis set.     

An ab initio study of intermolecular interactions of nitromethane dimer and nitromethane trimer

Different geometries of nitromethane dimer and nitromethane trimer have been fully optimized employing the density functional theory B3LYP method and the 6-31++G** basis set. Three-body interaction energy has been obtained with the ab initio supermolecular approach at the levels of MP2/6-31++G**//B3LYP/6-31++G** and MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ//B3LYP/6-31++G**. The internal rotation of methyl group induced by intermolecular interaction has been observed theoretically. For the optimized structures of nitromethane dimer, the strength of C--H...O--N H-bond ranges from -9.0 to -12.4 kJ mol(-1) at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ//B3LYP/6-31++G** level, and the B3LYP method underestimates the interaction strength compared with the MP2 method, while MP2/6-31++G**//B3LYP/6-31++G** calculated DeltaE(C) is within 2.5 kJ mol(-1) of the corresponding value at the MP4(SDTQ)/6-31G**//B3LYP/6-31++G** level. The analytic atom-atom intermolecular potential has been successfully regressed by using the MP2/6-31++G**//B3LYP/6-31++G** calculated interaction energies of nitromethane dimer. For the optimized structures of nitromethane trimer the three-body interaction energies occupy small percentage of corresponding total binding energies, but become important for the compressed nitromethane explosive. In addition, it has been discovered that the three-body interaction energy in the cyclic nitromethane trimer is more and more negative as intermolecular distances decrease from 2.2 to 1.7 A.     

A computational study of intramolecular proton transfer in gaseous protonated glycine

The minimum energy paths for intramolecular proton transfer between the amino nitrogen and carbonyl oxygen atoms in gaseous protonated glycine were estimated at the Hartree-Fock (HF) and second-order M?ller-Plesset Perturbation (MP2) levels of theory. Potential energy profiles and their associated reactant, transition state, and product species calculated at the MP2/6-31G* level were shown to differ significantly from those obtained at the HF/6-31G* level. Effects of electron correlation and basis functions on the calculated geometries and energies of relevant species were examined at the HF, MP2, MP4, CCSD, and B3LYP levels using the 6-31G*, 6-31G**, 6-31+G**, 6-311+G**, 6-31+G(2d,2p), 6-311+G(3df,2p), cc-pVDZ, aug-cc-pVDZ, and cc-pVTZ basis sets. The HF and MP2 optimized levels with the 6-31G*, 6-31G**, 6-31+G**, and 6-311+G** bases were used to calculate the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of the proton transfer reaction at 298.15 K and 1 atm, which include enthalpy, entropy, Gibbs free energy, equilibrium constant, potential energy barriers, tunneling transmission coefficients, and rate constants. Results indicate that the proton in a carbonyl O-protonated glycine undergoes a rapid migration to the amino nitrogen atom, while the reverse process is extremely unfavorable. The objective of this work is to develop practical theoretical procedures for studying proton transfer reactions in amino acids and peptides and to assemble physical data from these model calculations for future references.     

An Ab Initio Molecular Orbital Study of Isophosphinines

Ab initio molecular orbital calculation at HF/6-31G*, HF/6-31G**, HF/6-311G**, HF/6-311++G**, RMP2-FC/6-31G*, and B3LYP/6-31G* levels of theory for geometry optimization and MP4(SDQ)/6-31G* for a single-point total energy calculation are reported for phosphinine and 13 isophosphinines 7-19 . Isomers 7-11 with an allenic system are calculated to be 8-18 kcal mol m 1 more stable than structures 12-17 with an acetylenic moiety. The calculated energy difference (66.19 kcal mol m 1 ) between phosphinine and the most stable isophosphinine (1-phospha-1,2,4-cyclohexatriene, 10 ) is smaller than the difference (78.96 kcal mol m 1 ) between benzene and the most stable isobenzene (cyclohexa-1,2,4-triene, 2 ). The isophosphinines 18 and 19 , with a butatriene moiety, are calculated to be the least stable isomers.     

Comparative theoretical study of transition structures,barrier heights,and reaction energies for the intramolecular tautomerization in acetaldehyde/vinyl alcohol and acetaldimine/vinylamine systems

The transition structures associated with the possible intramolecular tautomerization for acetaldehyde/vinyl alcohol and acetaldimine/vinylamine systems as models of keto/enol and imine/enamine interconversion processes, respectively, were characterized. The relative stabilities of the tautomers and the associated barrier heights were calculated. Ab initio analytical gradients and second derivatives at the HF level of theory and 3-21G, 6-31G, 6-31G**, 6-31++G**, and 6-311++G** basis-set, DFT (BP86/6-311++G** and BLYP/6-311++G**), and semiempirical (AM1 and PM3) procedures were used to identify the stationary points. Correlation effects were estimated using the perturbational approach at MP2/6-31G**, MP2/6-311++G**, and MP2/6-311++G (3df,2p) levels. The geometry, electronic structure, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and transition vector associated with the transition structures as well as the relative stabilities of different isomers and barrier heights were analyzed. The dependence of these properties upon theoretical methods is analyzed and discussed. The transition structures are four-membered rings and the corresponding transition vectors are associated to collective fluctuations. The 1,3 intramolecular hydrogen migration is much more advanced than are the hybridization changes on donor and acceptor centers at the transition structure. The corresponding barrier heights can be related to the change of bond orders and acid/base properties of these centers. A comparison of the results obtained with different methods renders that the nature of the transition structure seems to be a rather robust entity. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 66 : 9–24, 1998     

COS与O2反应的密度泛函理论研究

用量子化学密度泛函理论（DFT）方法，对COS与O2的反应进行了理论研究．在UB3LYP／6—31G^＊，UB3LYP／6—311＋＋G^＊＊水平上，优化了反应势能面上各驻点（反应物、产物、中间体和过渡态）的几何构型，在UB3LYP／6—31G^＊水平上通过内禀反应坐标（IRC）计算和振动分析，对过渡态进行了确认．在CCSD（T）／6—311＋＋G（2d，2p）水平上进行了单点能量计算，并确定了反应机理．研究结果表明，反应主要产物为CO2和SO.     

An ab initio and density functional theory study of keto-enol equilibria of hydroxycyclopropenone in gas and aqueous solution phase

Keto-enol tautomerism in hydroxycyclopropenone (2-hydroxy-2-cyclopropen-1-one) has been studied using ab initio methods, the B3LYP functional of density functional theory, as well as complete basis set (CBS-QB3 and CBS-APNO) and G3 methods. Absolute and relative energies were calculated with each of the methods, whereas computations of geometries and harmonic frequencies for hydroxycyclopropenone and 1,2-cyclopropanedione were computed in the gas phase but were limited to HF, MP2 and CCSD levels of theory, and the B3LYP functional, in combination with the 6-31++G** basis set. Using the MP2/6-31++G** gas phase optimized structure, each species was then optimized fully in aqueous solution by employing the polarizable continuum model (PCM) self-consistent reaction field approach, in which HF, MP2 and B3LYP levels of theory were utilized, with the same 6-31++G** basis set. In both gas and aqueous solution phases, the keto form is higher in energy for all of the model chemistries considered. The presence of the solvent, however, is found to have very little effect on the bond lengths, angles and harmonic frequencies. From the B3LYP/6-31++G** Gibbs free energy, the keto-enol tautomeric equilibrium constant for 2-hydroxy-2-cyclopropen-1-one <==> 1,2-cyclopropanedione is computed to be K(T)(gas) = 2.35 x 10(-6), K(T)(aq) = 5.61 x 10(-14). It is concluded that the enol form is overwhelmingly predominant in both environments, with the effect of the solvent shifting the direction of equilibrium even more strongly in the favor of hydroxycyclopropenone. The almost exclusive nature of this species is attributed to stabilization resulting from aromaticity. Confirmation is provided by comparison of the simulated vibrational spectra of hydroxycyclopropenone with the measured infrared spectrum in an argon matrix.     

Theoretical study of metal tetrahydroborates and alanates L(MH<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>3</Subscript>, HL(MH<Subscript>4</Subscript>)<Subscript>2</Subscript>, and H<Subscript>2</Subscript>L(MH<Subscript>4</Subscript>)(L = Be,Mg, Al,Sc, Ti,V, Zn; M = B,Al)

The structural and energetic characteristics of the lowest-lying structures for isolated molecules and ions of light-metal boro-and aluminohydrides L (MH₄)₃, HL(MH₄)₂, and H₂L(MH₄)(L = Be, Mg, Al, Sc, Ti, V, Zn; M = B, Al) with different coordination modes of and groups were calculated by the perturbation theory (MP2), coupled cluster (CCSD(T)), and density functional theory (B3LYP) methods using the 6-31G*, 6-311+G**, and 6-311++G** basis sets. The preferable coordination modes of the ligands in these complexes, as well as the differences and trends in the behavior of the structural parameters and dissociation energies for the loss of BH₃ (AlH₃) molecules and BH ₄ ^? (AlH ₄ ^? ) ions were analyzed in various related series of hydroborates and hydroaluminates.     

Ab initio studies of aspartic acid conformers in gas phase and in solution

Systematic and extensive conformational searches of aspartic acid in gas phase and in solution have been performed. For the gaseous aspartic acid, a total of 1296 trial canonical structures and 216 trial zwitterionic structures were generated by allowing for all combinations of internal single-bond rotamers. All the trial structures were optimized at the B3LYP/6-311G* level and then subjected to further optimization at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level. A total of 139 canonical conformers were found, but no stable zwitterionic structure was found. The rotational constants, dipole moments, zero-point vibrational energies, harmonic frequencies, and vertical ionization energies of the canonical conformers were determined. Single-point energies were also calculated at the MP2/6-311++G** and CCSD/6-311++G** levels. The equilibrium distributions of the gaseous conformers at various temperatures were calculated. The proton affinity and gas phase basicity were calculated and the results are in excellent agreement with the experiments. The conformations in the solution were studied with different solvation models. The 216 trial zwitterionic structures were first optimized at the B3LYP/6-311G* level using the Onsager self-consistent reaction field model (SCRF) and then optimized at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level using the conductorlike polarized continuum model (CPCM) SCRF theory. A total of 22 zwitterions conformers were found. The gaseous canonical conformers were combined with the CPCM model and optimized at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level. The solvated zwitterionic and canonical structures were further examined by the discrete/SCRF model with one and two water molecules. The incremental solvation of the canonical and zwitterionic structures with up to six water molecules in gas phase was systematically examined. The studies show that combining aspartic acid with at least six water molecules in the gas phase or two water molecules and a SCRF solution model is required to provide qualitatively correct results in the solution.     

Correlated ab initio quantum chemical calculations of di- and trisaccharide conformations

High level correlated quantum chemical calculations, using MP2 and local MP2 theory, have been performed for conformations of the disaccharide, beta-maltose, and the trisaccharide, 3,6-di-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranose. For beta-maltose, MP2 and local MP2 calculations using the 6-311++G** basis set are in good agreement, predicting a global minimum gas-phase conformation with a counterclockwise hydrogen bond network and the experimentally-observed intersaccharide hydrogen bonding arrangement. For conformations of 3,6-di-O-(alpha-D-mannopyranosyl)-alpha-D-mannopyranose, MP2/6-311++G**, and local MP2/6-311++G** calculations do not provide a consensus prediction of relative energetics, with the MP2 method finding large differences in stability between extended and folded trisaccharide conformations. Local MP2 calculations, less susceptible to intramolecular basis set superposition errors, predict a narrower range of trisaccharide energetics, in line with estimates from Hartree-Fock theory and B3LYP and BP86 density functionals. All levels of theory predict compact, highly hydrogen-bonded conformations as lowest in energy on the in vacuo potential energy surface of the trisaccharide. These high level, correlated local MP2/6-311++G** calculations of di- and trisaccharide energetics constitute potential reference data in the development and testing of improved empirical and semiempirical potentials for modeling of carbohydrates in the condensed phase.