A computational study on some viable targets for gas-phase synthesis of metal complexes of the cyclic (B6C)-2 and their bonding pattern

In this account, a detailed computational study is conducted to verify the geometric, energetic, and electronic properties of the planar cyclic (B 6C) (-2) (as the simplest carrier of hexacoordinate carbon) within some metal complexes. The [M(B 6C)] ((-)) (M = Li, Na, K) and [M(B 6C)] (M = Be, Mg, Ca) series are employed for this purpose. Relevant ab initio calculations at both DFT and post-HF levels vividly demonstrate that this dianion is stabilized considerably in the electric field generated by cations, whereas the geometrical and electronic properties of this ring remain almost intact in these complexes. The complementary topological analysis of charge densities confirms that cyclic (B 6C) (-2) within these complexes exhibits the same topological patterns as the naked dianion, thus confirming the presence of an unusual charge density distribution in this dianion. An electrostatic model is proposed that not only qualitatively but also quantitatively explains the observed computational trends in these complexes. This model successfully traces the polarization of the central carbon atom of the ring in the presence of a hard, multiply charged cation. To facilitate experimental detection, the photoelectron spectra of the [M(B 6C)] ((-)) (M = Li, Na, K) series are computed and the dominant features are extracted. Although considered species are not global minima on their potential energy hypersurfaces, their kinetic stabilities are verified and demonstrated unequivocally.     

(C5M2-n)(n-) (M = Li,Na, K,and n = 0, 1, 2). A new family of molecules containing planar tetracoordinate carbons

By highly correlated ab initio methods and DFT calculations, we have shown that alkaline metals can stabilize planar tetracoordinate carbon-containing molecules with the C(C4) skeleton. This family of molecules is C5M2, where M is an alkaline metal. The stability of these compounds is rationalized in terms of the delocalization of the p-orbital perpendicular to the molecular plane, the global hardness, and the electrophilicity. The analysis of several molecular scalar fields shows that the bonding between the C52- dianion and the metals is strongly ionic. The structures reported are the first examples with a planar tetracoordinate carbon, surrounded by carbon atoms, and stabilized, only, by electronic factors.     

Planar tetracoordinate carbons in cyclic semisaturated hydrocarbons

A series of planar tetracoordinate carbon molecules in cyclic semisaturated hydrocarbons resulting from the combination of the C5(2-) skeleton with saturated hydrocarbon fragments is reported. The electronic stabilization and the bonding situation are studied through the analyses of molecular orbitals and the electron localization function. The magnetic properties are also revised, giving particular attention to the induced magnetic field. These systems are the first semisaturated cycles containing a planar tetracoordinate carbon stabilized only by electronic factors.     

Theoretical studies on novel main group metallocene-like complexes involving planar hexacoordinate carbon eta6-B6C2- ligand

The geometric structures for a novel series of main group 1 and 2 metal atom complexes with planar hexacoordinate carbon dianion (eta6-B6C)2- ligand, involving metallocene-like, K[(eta6-B6C)Ca]n(eta6-B6C)K (n = 1-3) and [(eta6-B6C)Ca]n(eta6-B6C)2- (n = 1, 2), as well as relative pyramidal [(eta6-B6C)M]i- (M = Na, K, and CaCl, i = 1; M = Ca, i = 0) and bipyramidal (eta6-B6C)(CaCl)2, have been optimized to be the local minima on the corresponding potential hypersurfaces at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d) level of theory. Natural bond orbital analysis indicates that the electrostatic interaction between the metal ions and the planar hexacoordinate carbon B6C2- rings plays a crucial role in stabilizing these highly symmetrical complexes. The pi-d interaction in Ca-containing complexes also plays an important role in the stabilization of these molecules. It is found that the Ca2+ cation could be considered the best candidate for (eta6-B6C)2- to build ionic organometallic compounds. In these predicted multideck metallocene-like complexes there exist similarities in many structural properties, such as geometry parameters, Wiberg bond indices, natural atomic charges, atomic electronic configurations, and frontier orbital energies, as well as increments of the dissociation energy (to -[(eta6-B6C)Ca]- units and metal cations) for adding one -[(eta6-B6C)Ca]- unit and so on, which suggests that the -[(eta6-B6C)Ca]- unit could be used as a building block to construct more K[(eta6-B6C)Ca]n(eta6-B6C)K chain-type metallocene-like complexes along their sixfold molecular axis.     

Divalent carbon(0) chemistry, part 1: Parent compounds

Quantum-chemical calculations with DFT (BP86) and ab initio methods [MP2, SCS-MP2, CCSD(T)] have been carried out for the molecules C(PH(3))(2) (1), C(PMe(3))(2) (2), C(PPh(3))(2) (3), C(PPh(3))(CO) (4), C(CO)(2) (5), C(NHC(H))(2) (6), C(NHC(Me))(2) (7) (Me(2)N)(2)C=C=C(NMe(2))(2) (8), and NHC (9), where NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene and NHC(Me)=N-methyl-substituted NHC. The electronic structure in 1-9 was analyzed with charge- and energy-partitioning methods. The results show that the bonding situations in L(2)C compounds 1-8 can be interpreted in terms of donor-acceptor interactions between closed-shell ligands L and a carbon atom which has two lone-pair orbitals L-->C<--L. This holds particularly for the carbodiphosphoranes 1-3 where L=PR(3), which therefore are classified as divalent carbon(0) compounds. The NBO analysis suggests that the best Lewis structures for the carbodicarbenes 6 and 7 where L is a NHC ligand have C==C==C double bonds as in the tetraaminoallene 8. However, the Lewis structures of 6-8, in which two lone-pair orbitals at the central carbon atom are enforced, have only a slightly higher residual density. Visual inspection of the frontier orbitals of the latter species reveals their pronounced lone-pair character, which suggests that even the quasi-linear tetraaminoallene 8 is a "masked" divalent carbon(0) compound. This explains the very shallow bending potential of 8. The same conclusion is drawn for phosphoranylketene 4 and for carbon suboxide (5), which according to the bonding analysis have hidden double-lone-pair character. The AIM analysis and the EDA calculations support the assignment of carbodiphosphoranes as divalent carbon(0) compounds, while NHC 9 is characterized as a divalent carbon(II) compound. The L-->C((1)D) donor-acceptor bonds are roughly twice as strong as the respective L-->BH(3) bond.     

Planar tetracoordinate carbon in extended systems

A recently proposed system with a central planar tetracoordinate carbon linking two three-membered rings, C(5)(2-), lends itself to extension in one, two, and three dimensions. Our construction of potential realizations begins with an analysis of the electronic structure of C(5)(2-). Dimers such as C(10)Li(3-), C(10)Li(4), and a trimer C(15)Li(6) are then examined, and their geometries are optimized to find clues for ways the C(5)(2-) unit may polymerize in the presence of countercations. Coordination through the terminal carbons is favored in the oligomers and polymers; several electronically and structurally reasonable systems of the stoichiometry C(5)M(x) (M = Li, x = 2; M = Be, Pt, Zn, x = 1) emerge from band structure calculations and energetic considerations.     

Structural stabilities and electronic properties of planar C4 carbon sheet and nanoribbons

By means of first-principles calculations, we theoretically studied the structural stabilities and electronic properties of a pure-carbon 2D covalent metal named planar C(4) in P4/mmm (D(1)(4h)) symmetry. Planar C(4) is confirmed to be dynamically stable in the ground state based on phonon-mode analysis, and it is more stable than graphyne and the recently prepared graphdiyne. Moreover, it has a higher density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level than any plausible metallic carbon nanotube. Of particular interest, there exist two distinct types of planar C(4) nanoribbons (NRs): type I is predicted to be uniformly metallic regardless of the width change, while type II exhibits remarkable odd-even metal-semiconductor oscillating behavior depending on the width. The edge structure of type II NRs is revealed to be energetically more favored since its formation energy is about 0.45 eV per edge atom lower than that of type I NRs. Our work shows that planar C(4) carbon sheet and its NRs could serve as potential materials for future functional nanodevices.     

Planar and pyramidal tetracoordinate carbon in organoboron compounds

Using previously proposed C(BH)2(CH)2 (16, 17) and C(CH)2B2 (22) systems with a central planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) atom linking two three-membered rings as building blocks, a series of stable structures containing two and three ptC centers within a molecule have been designed and computationally studied with the DFT (B3LYP/6-311+G) method. Inclusion of a carbon atom ligated with pi-accepting and sigma-donating boron centers into at least one aromatic ring is critical for stabilization of a planar structure. A square pyramidal configuration at tetracoordinate carbon may be achieved in appropriately strained molecules such as [3.3.3.3]tetraborafenestrane 45 and others by surrounding the carbon with boron-centered ligands.     

Carbanion substituent effects on 1-disubstituted 4-(4'-pyridyl)pyridinium methylide structures using 13C NMR spectroscopy and DFT method

The structure of 1-disubstituted 4-(4'-pyridyl)pyridinium methylides or 4,4'-bipyridinium monoylides (2-5) with a wide range of carbanion substituents, were determined using 13C NMR signals in dimethylsufoxide (DMSO-d(6)) solution. For the first time, we developed a systematic determination of 13C NMR chemical shifts of the ylidic carbon using a long-range correlated (1H-(13)C) HMBC experiments. The chemical shift values are discussed in terms of magnetic and/or electronic effects of the ylidic carbon substituents. From the extracted NMR parameters and the results of accompanying quantum chemical DFT calculations for a three-dimensional (3D)-structure representation, we found a long distance electronic effect where the aromatic heterocycle C2z.sbnd;C6 and C4 centers are perturbed according to the electron acceptor strengths of ylidic carbon substituents in all monoylides (2-5c) capable to stabilize in a planar conformation. No significant perturbation on C2z.sbnd;C6 and C4 centers are found in all other monoylides (2-5a, b) that adopted a non-planar conformation. Good similar linear dependences of the chemical shift variation Delta (calculated by the differences of analogous C2z.sbnd;C6 and C4 chemical shifts in non-planar and planar monoylides) with the ylidic carbon chemical shifts modulated by the strength of electron acceptor substituents pointed out the resonance interaction or the delocalization phenomena of the ylidic carbon charge on the heterocycle.     

Enhancement of hydrogen physisorption on graphene and carbon nanotubes by Li doping

Density-functional calculations of the adsorption of molecular hydrogen on a planar graphene layer and on the external surface of a (4,4) carbon nanotube, undoped and doped with lithium, have been carried out. Hydrogen molecules are physisorbed on pure graphene and on the nanotube with binding energies about 80-90 meV/molecule. However, the binding energies increase to 160-180 meV/molecule for many adsorption configurations of the molecule near a Li atom in the doped systems. A charge-density analysis shows that the origin of the increase in binding energy is the electronic charge transfer from the Li atom to graphene and the nanotube. The results support and explain qualitatively the enhancement of the hydrogen storage capacity observed in some experiments of hydrogen adsorption on carbon nanotubes doped with alkali atoms.     

Divalent carbon(0) chemistry, part 2: Protonation and complexes with main group and transition metal Lewis acids.

Quantum-chemical calculations with DFT (BP86) and ab initio methods (MP2, SCS-MP2) were carried out for protonated and diprotonated compounds N-H(+) and N-(H(+))(2) and for the complexes N-BH(3), N-(BH(3))(2), N-CO(2), N-(CO(2))(2), N-W(CO)(5), N-Ni(CO)(3) and N-Ni(CO)(2) where N=C(PH(3))(2) (1), C(PMe(3))(2) (2), C(PPh(3))(2) (3), C(PPh(3))(CO) (4), C(CO)(2) (5), C(NHC(H))(2) (6), C(NHC(Me))(2) (7) (Me(2)N)(2)C==C==C(NMe(2))(2) (8) and NHC (9) (NHC(H)=N-heterocyclic carbene, NHC(Me)=N-substituted N-heterocyclic carbene). Compounds 1-4 and 6-9 are very strong electron donors, and this is manifested in calculated protonation energies that reach values of up to 300 kcal mol(-1) for 7 and in very high bond strengths of the donor-acceptor complexes. The electronic structure of the compounds was analyzed with charge- and energy-partitioning methods. The calculations show that the experimentally known compounds 2-5 and 8 chemically behave like molecules L(2)C which have two L-->C donor-acceptor bonds and a carbon atom with two electron lone pairs. The behavior is not directly obvious when the linear structures of carbon suboxide and tetraaminoallenes are considered. They only come to the fore on reaction with strong electron-pair acceptors. The calculations predict that single and double protonation of 5 and 8 take place at the central carbon atom, where the negative charge increases upon subsequent protonation. The hitherto experimentally unknown carbodicarbenes 6 and 7 are predicted to be even stronger Lewis bases than the carbodiphosphoranes 1-3.     

Planar tetracoordinate carbons in cyclic hydrocarbons

[structure: see text] A series of cyclic hydrocarbons containing a planar tetracoordinate carbon atom is proposed. To rationalize the electronic factors contributing to the stability of these molecules, an analysis of the molecular orbitals and the induced magnetic field is presented.     

Valence isoelectronic substitution in the B8(-) and B9(-) molecular wheels by an Al dopant atom: umbrella-like structures of AlB7(-) and AlB8(-)

The structures and the electronic properties of two aluminum-doped boron clusters, AlB(7)(-) and AlB(8)(-), were investigated using photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. The photoelectron spectra of AlB(7)(-) and AlB(8)(-) are both broad, suggesting significant geometry changes between the ground states of the anions and the neutrals. Unbiased global minimum searches were carried out and the calculated vertical electron detachment energies were used to compare with the experimental data. We found that the Al atom does not simply replace a B atom in the parent B(8)(-) and B(9)(-) planar clusters in AlB(7)(-) and AlB(8)(-). Instead, the global minima of the two doped-clusters are of umbrella shapes, featuring an Al atom interacting ionically with a hexagonal and heptagonal pyramidal B(7) (C(6v)) and B(8) (C(7v)) fragment, respectively. These unique umbrella-type structures are understood on the basis of the special stability of the quasi-planar B(7)(3-) and planar B(8)(2-) molecular wheels derived from double aromaticity.     

Cyclic carbon cluster dianions and their aromaticity

Cyclic carbon cluster dianions (CC(2))(2-)(n)(n = 3-6) are investigated by ab initio methods with regard to their geometric properties, electronic stability, and aromaticity. The unique wheel-like structures of these dianions consist of a n-membered carbon ring, where a C(2) unit is attached to each carbon atom. All investigated dianions represent stable gas-phase dianions. While the smallest member of this family (CC(2))(2-)(3) is clearly aromatic, the aromatic character decreases rapidly with increasing ring size. The geometries and the aromaticity of the cyclic clusters (CC(2))(2-)(n)(n = 3-6) can be nicely explained using resonance structure arguments.     

Reaction and characterization of thioamide dianions derived from N-benzyl thioamides

Thioamide dianions were generated by the highly efficient reaction of N-benzyl thioamides with 2 equiv of BuLi. Alkylation, allylation, and silylation took place selectively at the carbon atom adjacent to the nitrogen atom of the thioamide dianions. Oxiranes and an aldehyde were also used as electrophiles in the reaction of thioamide dianions to form N-thioacyl 1,3- or 1,2-amino alcohols. The insertion reaction of elemental sulfur to a thioamide dianion and subsequent ethylation afforded a N-thioacyl hemithioaminal. NMR studies on the thioamide mono- and dianions derived from N-benzyl 2-methoxythiobenzamide showed a linear relationship between the chemical shifts of all carbon atoms of thioamide mono- and dianions. The results also suggested that the negative charge at the benzylic carbon atom of the dianion is not fully delocalized. The charge distribution patterns of the dianion are consistent with those of pi polarization.     

Synthesis and characterization of stable hypervalent carbon compounds (10-C-5) bearing a 2,6-bis(p-substituted phenyloxymethyl)benzene ligand

X-ray analysis of bis(p-fluorophenyl)methyl cation bearing a 2,6-bis(p-tolyloxymethyl)benzene ligand showed a symmetrical structure (10-C-5) where the two C-O distances are identical, although the distance (2.690(4) A) is longer than those (2.43(1) and 2.45(1) A) of 1,8-dimethoxy-9-dimethoxymethylanthracene monocation, which was recently reported by us. However, X-ray analysis of the more stable aromatic xanthylium cation with the same benzene ligand showed the tetracoordinate carbon structure where only one of the two oxygen ligands is coordinated with the central carbon atom. These results clearly indicate that the carbocations (10-C-5) bearing the sterically flexible benzene ligand were quite sensitive to the electronic effect on the central carbon atom. The electron distribution analysis by accurate X-ray measurements and the density functional calculation on the initially mentioned bis(p-fluorophenyl)methyl cation clearly show that the central carbon atom and the two oxygen atoms are bonded even if the bond is weak and ionic based on the small value of the electron density (rho(r)) and the small positive Laplacian value (nabla(2)rho(r)) at the bond critical points.     

Ring currents in a proposed system containing planar hexacoordinate carbon, CB(2-)(6)

Current-density maps at the coupled Hartree-Fock level calculated in the CTOCD (continuous transformation of origin of current density) approach demonstrate the magnetic response of the hypothetical planar hexacoordinate carbon species, CB(2-)(6). In contrast with the empty CB(2-)(6) framework, which supports paramagnetic currents, the carbon-containing species has a typical diamagnetic pi-ring current that circulates undisturbed by the central atom. In spite of the unconventional nature of the species, the properties of 6pi CB(2-)(6) and 4pi CB(2-)(6) can be rationalised with the same orbital model that accounts for the diamagnetic pi current of benzene and the paramagnetic pi current of planar cyclooctatetraene.     

Novel pentagonal silicon rings and nanowheels stabilized by flat pentacoordinate carbon(s)

It is predicted by accurate density functional and coupled-cluster theory that planar [Si(5)C](2-) and [Si(5)C](1-) rings can be stabilized by flat pentacoordinate carbon-silicon bonds. The energy difference of the [Si(5)C](2-) dianion from the lowest energy three-dimensional isomer is about 12.2 kcal∕mol at the level of the density functional theory using the Becke 3-parameter (exchange), Lee, Yang and Parr functional, and the triple-ζ doubly polarized basis sets. Stable composite [Si(5)C](2) structures are formed either as nanowheels with axial C-C bonds of 1.51 A? or as isoenergetic pentagonal graphiticlike layers with double C-C distance (3.02 A?) and almost double aromaticity index, based on nucleus independent chemical shifts. Both of these structures are at least 12 kcal∕mol lower in energy than the lowest energy Si(10)C(2) structure reported in the literature, but about 5 kcal∕mol higher than the lowest energy structure found here.     

Bonding and electronic structure in consanguineous and conjugal iron and rhenium sp carbon chain complexes [MC4M'](n)+: computational analyses of the effect of the metal

Density functional theory has been used to probe the bonding and electronic properties of the homo- and heterobimetallic sp carbon chain complexes (ML(m), = (eta(5)-C(5)R(5))(eta(2)-R(2)PCH(2)CH(2)PR(2))Fe, (eta(5)-C(5)R(5))(NO)(PR(3))Re; z = 0-4). All neutral complexes are best described by MCtbd1;CCtbd1;CM electronic structures, in accord with much experimental data. The singlet dications are best described by cumulenic (+)M=C=C=C=C=M(+) valence formulations. However, the diiron and rhenium/iron dications are found to possess triplet states of nearly identical energy, clarifying experimental magnetic data. Their electronic structures have dominant *(+)MCtbd1;CCtbd1;CM(+)* character, with some spin delocalization onto the carbon chain. The mixed valence monocation radicals exhibit delocalized unpaired electrons, in accord with class III (strongly coupled) and II (weakly coupled) assignments made from experimental data earlier, with some spin density on the carbon chain. An isolable diiron trication has a doublet ground state, but some computational data suggest a close-lying quartet. For the unknown diiron tetracation, a bis(carbyne) or (2+)Fetbd1;CCtbd1;CCtbd1;Fe(2+) electronic structure is predicted. Calculated adiabatic ionization potentials show the iron endgroup to be more electron-releasing than rhenium, in accord with electrochemical data. This polarizes the electronic structures of the rhenium/iron complexes. To help validate the computed model structures, crystal structures of ((eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))Fe(eta(2)-dppe))(2)(mu-C(4)) and [((eta(5)-C(5)Me(5))Fe(eta(2)-dippe))(2)(mu-C(4))](3+) 3PF(6)(-) are determined. Data are analyzed with respect to related diruthenium and dimanganese complexes.     

Interaction of low-energy ions and atoms of light elements with a fluorinated carbon molecular lattice

The mechanism of interaction of low-energy atoms and ions of light elements (H, H+, He, Li, the kinetic energy of the particles 2-40 eV) with C6H6, C6F12, C60, and C60F48 molecules was studied by ab initio MD simulations and quantum-chemical calculations. It was shown that starting from 6 A from the carbon skeleton for the "C6H6 + proton" and "C60 + proton" systems, the electronic charge transfer from the aromatic molecule to H+ occurs with a probability close to 1. The process transforms the H+ to a hydrogen atom and the neutral C6H6 and C60 molecules to cation radicals. The mechanism of interaction of low-energy protons with C6F12 and C60F48 molecules has a substantially different character and can be considered qualitatively as the interaction between a neutral molecule and a point charge. The Coulomb perturbation of the system arising from the interaction of the uncompensated proton charge with the Mulliken charges of fluorine atoms results in an inversion of the energies of the electronic states localized on the proton and on the C6F12 and C60F48 molecules and makes the electronic charge transfer energetically unfavorable. On the different levels of theory, the barriers of the proton penetration for the C6F12 and C60F48 molecules are from two to four times lower than those for the corresponding parent systems (C6H6 and C60). The penetration barriers of the He atom and Li+ ion depend mainly on the effective radii of the bombarding particles. The theoretical penetration and escaped barriers for the "Li+ + C60" process qualitatively explain the experimental conditions of synthesis of the Li@C60 complex.