Thermochemistry of imidazolium-based ionic liquids: experiment and first-principles calculations

In this work the molar enthalpy of formation of the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dicyanoamide in the gaseous phase [C(2)MIM][N(CN)(2)] was measured by means of combustion calorimetry and enthalpy of vaporization using transpiration. Available, but scarce, primary experimental results on enthalpies of formation of imidazolium based ionic liquids with the cation [C(n)MIM] (where n = 2 and 4) and anions [N(CN)(2)], [NO(3)] and [NTf(2)] were collected and checked for consistency using a group additivity procedure. First-principles calculations of the enthalpies of formation in the gaseous phase for the ionic liquids with the common cation [C(n)MIM] (where n = 2 and 4) and with the anions [N(CN)(2)], [NO(3)], [NTf(2)], [Cl], [BF(4)] and [PF(6)] have been performed using the G3MP2 theory. It has been established that the gaseous phase enthalpies of formation of these ionic liquids obey the group additivity rules.     

Adsorption energies of molecular oxygen on Au clusters

The adsorption properties of O(2) molecules on anionic, cationic, and neutral Au(n) clusters (n=1-6) are studied using the density functional theory (DFT) with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA), and with the hybrid functional. The results show that the GGA calculations with the PW91 functional systemically overestimate the adsorption energy by 0.2-0.4 eV than the DFT ones with the hybrid functional, resulting in the failure of GGA with the PW91 functional for predicting the adsorption behavior of molecular oxygen on Au clusters. Our DFT calculations with the hybrid functional give the same adsorption behavior of molecular oxygen on Au cluster anions and cations as the experimental measurements. For the neutral Au clusters, the hybrid DFT predicts that only Au(3) and Au(5) clusters can adsorb one O(2) molecule.     

A theoretical investigation of the interactions between water molecules and ionic liquids

Quantum chemical calculations have been used to investigate the interaction between water molecules and ionic liquids based on the imidazolium cation with the anions [Cl(-)], [Br(-)], [BF(4)(-)], and [PF(6)(-)]. The predicted geometries and interaction energies implied that the water molecules interact with the Cl(-), Br(-), and BF(4)(-0 anions to form X(-)...W (X = Cl or Br, W = H(2)O), 2X-...2W, BF(4)(-)...W, and W...BF(4)(-)...W complexes. The hydrophobic PF(6)(-) anion could not form a stable complex with the water molecules at the density functional theory (DFT) level. Further studies indicate that the cation could also form a strong interaction with the water molecules. The 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium cation (Emim(+)) has been used as a model cation to investigate the interaction between a water molecule and a cation. In addition, the interaction between the ion pairs and the water was studied by using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (Emim x Cl) as a model ionic liquid. The strengths of the interactions in these categories follow the trend anion-W > cation-W > ion pair-W.     

Ab initio and DFT study of the geometric structures and static dipole (hyper)polarizabilities of aromatic anions

The geometries and the static dipole (hyper)polarizabilities (alpha, beta, gamma) of a series of aromatic anions were investigated at the ab initio (HF, MP2, and MP4) and density functional theory DFT (B3LYP) levels of theory. The anions chosen for the present study are the benzenethiolate (Ph-S-), benzenecarboxylate (Ph-CO2-), benzenesulfinate (Ph-SO2-), benzenesulfonate (Ph-SO3-), and 1,3-benzenedicarboxylate (1,3-Ph-(CO2)2(2-)). For benzenethiolate anion, additional alpha, beta, and gamma calculations were performed at the coupled cluster CCSD level with MP2 optimized geometries. The standard diffuse and polarized 6-31+G(d,p) basis set was employed in conjunction to the ab initio and DFT methods. Additional HF calculations were performed with the 6-311++G(3d,3p) basis set for all the anions. The correlated electric properties were evaluated numerically within the formalism of finite field. The optimized geometries were analyzed in terms of the few reports about the phenolate and sulfonate ions. The results show that electron correlation effects on the polarizabilities are very important in all the anion series. Was found that Ph-SO2- is highly polarizable in terms of alpha and beta, and the Ph-S- is the highest second hyperpolarizable in the series. The results of alpha were rationalized in terms of the analysis of the polarization of charge based in Mulliken atomic population and the structural features of the optimized geometries of anions, whereas the large differences in the beta and gamma values in the series were respectively interpreted in terms of the bond length alternation BLA and the separation of charge in the aromatic ring by effects of the substitution. These results allowed us to suggest the benzenesulfinate and benzenethiolate anions as promising candidates that should be incorporated in ionic materials for second and third-order nonlinear optical devices.     

Water trimer cation

By using density functional theory (DFT) and high-level ab initio theory, we have investigated the structure, interaction energy, electronic property, and IR spectra of the water trimer cation [(H₂O) ₃ ⁺ ]. Two structures of the water trimer cation [the H₃O⁺ containing linear (3Lp) structure versus the ring (3OO) structure] are compared. For the complete basis set (CBS) limit of coupled cluster theory with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations [CCSD(T)], the 3Lp structure is 11.9?kcal/mol more stable than the 3OO structure. This indicates that the ionization of water clusters produce the hydronium cation moiety (H₃O⁺) and the hydroxyl radical. It is interesting to note that the calculation results of the water trimer cation vary seriously depending on the calculation level. At the level of M?ller?CPlesset second-order perturbation (MP2) theory, the stability of 3OO is underestimated due to the underestimated O??O hemibonding energy. This stability is also underestimated even for the CCSD(T) single point calculations on the MP2-optimized geometry. For the 3OO structure, the MP2 and CCSD(T) calculations give closed-ring structures with a hemi-bond between two O atoms, while the DFT calculations show open-ring structures due to the overestimated O??O hemibonding energy. Thus, in order to obtain reliable stabilities and frequencies of the water trimer cation, the CCSD(T) geometry optimizations and frequency calculations are necessary. In this regard, the DFT functionals need to be improved to take into account the proper O??O hemibonding energy.     

[EPy]Cl和[EPy]Br离子对的气相和液相结构及阴阳离子间的相互作用

采用密度泛函理论B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p)方法对氯化乙基吡啶([EPy]Cl)、溴化乙基吡啶([EPy]Br)的离子对进行了结构优化和频率分析, 并利用自洽反应场(SCRF)的导体极化连续模型(CPCM)考察了离子液体液相下的结构及相互作用. 得到了两种离子液体的离子对在气相、液相下最稳定结构及气相红外光谱特征值, 两种离子液体的离子对结构存在相似性, 红外光谱特征值与文献值比较吻合. 应用自然键轨道(NBO)理论分析了离子对中原子电荷分布及电荷转移情况, 结果证明两种离子液体中阴阳离子间除了静电相互作用外还存在着氢键作用. 通过对比气相及液相下的几何参数、相互作用能及NBO分析结果, 发现液相下阴阳离子的相互作用明显降低. 液相环境抵消了大部分阴阳离子间的静电作用, 导致液相下阴阳离子间相互作用的减小.     

咪唑氟硼酸类离子液体熔点与分子内相互作用能的关系

运用密度泛函理论B3LYP方法及6-311++G(d,p)基组对11种咪唑氟硼酸离子液体进行了研究.选择相应化合物的离子体系{[XIM][BF4]n}(n-1)-(n=2,3)作为研究对象,即研究体系由一个烷基咪唑阳离子XIM+和2-3个BF4-阴离子构成,对其进行结构优化.在优化得到的最低能量构型的基础上计算了分子内阳离子与阴离子间的相互作用能,同时考虑了基组重叠误差的修正.结果表明所研究离子体系的离子间相互作用能与离子液体的实验熔点之间存在明确的线性关系,并且所得到的线性方程与氨基酸阳离子型离子液体中存在的线性关系相近.我们的工作为今后借助量子化学方法设计功能化离子液体提供了一定的理论基础.     

Performance of theoretical methods and basis sets on the molecular structure, atomisation and ionisation energies, electron affinity, and vibrational spectrum of silylene

This work compares the performance of theoretical methods and basis sets on the molecular structure, atomisation and ionisation energies, electron affinity, and vibrational spectrum of silylene. Silylene, its cation and anion have been studied in ¹ A ₁, ² A ₁ and ² B ₁ states, respectively, in the gas phase and C_2v symmetry. The methods considered are second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), the density functional theory (DFT), Gaussian-2 (G2) and complete basis set methods (CBS-4M and CBS-Q). The basis sets used are 6-31G(d,p), 6-311G(d,p), 6-31++G(d,p) and 6-311++G(d,p). The functional used for the DFT method is B3LYP. Silylene and its cation and anion have been optimised using the MP2 and DFT methods and the named basis sets. Single-point energy calculations (G2, CBS-4M and CBS-Q) were performed using MP2/6-311++G(d,p) structures and these energies have been used to calculate atomisation energy, ionisation energy and adiabatic electron affinity. Frequency calculations were also done and the raw vibrational frequencies were assigned. It is interesting to note the close similarity between the predicted parameters and some of the available literature values. The results obtained are consistent and converge with different basis sets with improved size and quality. However, the parameters obtained are very much method dependent.     

Assessment of theoretical methods for the calculation of methyl cation affinities

The methyl cation affinity (MCA; 298 K) of a variety of neutral and anionic bases has been examined computationally with a wide variety of theoretical methods. These include high-level composite procedures such as W1, G3, G3B3, and G2, conventional ab initio methods such as CCSD(T) and MP2, as well as a selection of density functional theory (DFT) methods. Experimental results for a variety of small model systems are well reproduced with practically all these methods, and the performance of DFT based methods are far superior in comparison to their MP2 analogs for these small models. For larger model, systems including motifs frequently encountered in organocatalysts, the performance deteriorates somewhat for DFT methods, while it improves significantly for MP2, rendering the former methods unreliable for common organic bases. Thus, MP2 calculations performed in combination with basis sets such as 6-31+G(2d, p) or larger, appear to offer a practical and reliable approach to compute MCAs of organic bases.     

HF, MP2 and DFT calculations and spectroscopic study of the vibrational and conformational properties of N-diethylendiamine

The conformational stability and vibrational modes of the N-diethylendiamine organic cation (N-DD(2+)) were studied by experimental (Raman) spectroscopy combined with theoretical calculations. Various ab initio theories were used: Hartree-Fock (HF) theory, M?ller-Plesset second-order perturbation (MP2) theory and density functional theory (DFT). Three stable conformers of N-DD(2+), trans-trans, gauche-gauche and gauche-trans were calculated. A comparison between the computed structural parameters of the conformers at both levels of theory and the X-ray data was made. It is demonstrated that the N-DD(2+) cation adopts more probably the gauche-gauche conformation at room temperature. In order to make a more detailed interpretation of the low temperature phase transition of N-DDHP, the Raman spectra of N-DDHP were recorded at room and low temperature in the 200-3400 cm(-1) region. The vibrational frequencies of the different conformers of N-DD(2+) were also calculated using the DFT/B3LYP (6-31G(d)) level of theory. By comparison between the experimental and theoretical results, the conformational dynamic of the N-DD(2+) organic cation was confirmed. It is shown that the N-DD(2+) cation configuration changes from gauche-gauche conformer to gauche-trans conformer when decreasing the temperature.     

Quantum chemical study of solvent and substituent effects on the 1,5-hydride shift in 2,6-dimethyl-2-heptyl cations

The mechanism of the degenerate 1,5-hydride shift in 2,6-dimethyl-2-heptyl cations has been investigated using ab initio MP2 and density functional theory (DFT) hybrid (B3LYP) calculations. The potential-energy profile for the 1,5-hydride shift consists of three minima corresponding to two equivalent acyclic carbocations and one symmetrically mu-hydrido-bridged carbocation, while two equivalent unsymmetrically hydrido-bridged carbocations were located as transition-state structures. The calculated relative energy differences between acyclic carbocations and symmetrically mu-hydrido-bridged structure are significantly affected by introduction of alkyl and (CH2)n-substituents at the C4 position of the 2,6-dimethyl-2-heptyl cation structure. DFT self-consistent isodensity polarizable continuum method (SCI-PCM) and MP2 PCM continuum methods have been used to calculate the effect of solvation on geometries and relative energies of the species involved in the 1,5-hydride shift. It is found that relative energies of acyclic and mu-hydrido-bridged carbocation structures as well as the energy barriers for 1,5-hydride shifts are in accord with experimental data if solvation effects are taken into account.     

Dimers of boroglycine and methylamine boronic acid: a computational comparison of the relative importance of dative versus hydrogen bonding

Boronic acids are widely used in materials science, pharmacology, and the synthesis of biologically active compounds. In this Article, geometrical structures and relative energies of dimers of boroglycine, H2N-CH2-B(OH)2, and its constitutional isomer H3C-NH-B(OH)2, were computed using second-order M?ller-Plesset perturbation theory and density functional theory; Dunning-Woon correlation-consistent cc-pVDZ, aug-cc-pVDZ, cc-pVTZ, and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets were employed for the MP2 calculations, and the Pople 6-311++G(d,p) basis set was employed for a majority of the DFT calculations. Effects of an aqueous environment were incorporated into the results using PCM and COSMO-RS methodology. The lowest-energy conformer of the H2N-CH2-B(OH)2 dimer was a six-membered ring structure (chair conformation; Ci symmetry) with two intermolecular B:N dative-bonds; it was 14.0 kcal/mol lower in energy at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ computational level than a conformer with the classic eight-centered ring structure (Ci symmetry) in which the boroglycine monomers are linked by a pair of H-O...H bonds. Compared to the results of MP2 calculations with correlation-consistent basis sets, DFT calculations using the PBE1PBE and TPSS functionals with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set were significantly better at predicting relative conformational energies of the H2N-CH2-B(OH)2 and H3C-NH-B(OH)2 dimers than corresponding calculations using the BLYP, B3LYP, OLYP, and O3LYP functionals, particularly with respect to dative-bonded structures.     

Au10团簇结构与电性质的理论研究

使用4种流行的泛函(BPW91, B3PW91, PW91和B3LYP)考查了若干Au10团簇结构的稳定结构, 获得了能量最有利的6种异构体(其中2种以前未见报道), 并在此基础上进一步用MP2方法校准了它们的相对稳定性, 分析了它们的电子性质以及最稳定异构体与氧分子的化学反应性能. 计算结果表明Au10团簇异构体的相对稳定性明显依赖所使用的理论方法和泛函, 密度泛函结果显示Au10倾向于采用平面结构, 且不同的泛函给出异构体的相对稳定性次序也不相同, 而MP2计算则显示三维空间结构的Au10团簇更稳定, Au10可能是金团簇从二维结构到三维结构演化的一个临界点.     

A naphthalene exciplex based Al3+ selective on-type fluorescent probe for living cells at the physiological pH range: experimental and computational studies

2-((Naphthalen-6-yl)methylthio)ethanol (HL) was prepared by one pot synthesis using 2-mercaptoethanol and 2-bromomethylnaphthalene. It was found to be a highly selective fluorescent sensor for Al(3+) in the physiological pH (pH 7.0-8.0). It could sense Al(3+) bound to cells through fluorescence microscopy. Metal ions like Mn(2+), Fe(3+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+), Ag(+), Cd(2+), Hg(2+), Cr(3+) and Pb(2+) did not interfere. No interference was also observed with anions like Cl(-), Br(-), F(-), SO(4)(2-), NO(3)(-), CO(3)(2-), HPO(4)(2-) and SCN(-). Experimentally observed structural and spectroscopic features of HL and its Al(3+) complex have been substantiated by computational calculations using density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT).     

Pentazole-based energetic ionic liquids: a computational study

The structures of protonated pentazole cations (RN5H+), oxygen-containing anions such as N(NO2)2-, NO3-, and ClO4- and the corresponding ion pairs are investigated by ab initio quantum chemistry calculations. The stability of the pentazole cation is explored by examining the decomposition pathways of several monosubstituted cations (RN5H+) to yield N2 and the corresponding azidinium cation. The heats of formation of these cations, which are based on isodesmic (bond-type conserving) reactions, are calculated. The proton-transfer reaction from the cation to the anion is investigated.     

Treating dispersion effects in extended systems by hybrid MP2:DFT calculations--protonation of isobutene in zeolite ferrierite

We propose use of a hybrid method to study problems that involve both bond rearrangements and van-der-Waals interactions. The method combines second-order M?ller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) calculations for the reaction site with density functional theory (DFT) calculations for a large system under periodic boundary conditions. Hybrid MP2:DFT structure optimisation for a cluster embedded in the periodic model is the first of three steps in a multi-level approach. The second step is extrapolation of the MP2 energy to the complete basis set limit. The third step is extrapolating the high-level (MP2) correction to the limiting case of the full periodic structure. This is done by calculating the MP2 correction for a series of cluster models of increasing size, fitting an analytic expression to these energy corrections, and applying the fitted expression to the full periodic structure. We assume that, up to a constant, the high-level correction is described by a damped dispersion expression. Combining the results of all three steps yields an estimate of the MP2 reaction energy for the full periodic system at the complete basis set level. The method is designed for a reaction between a small or medium sized substrate molecule and a very large chemical system. For adsorption of isobutene in zeolite H-ferrierite, the energies obtained for the formation of different structures, the pi-complex, the isobutoxide, the tert-butoxide, and the tert-butyl carbenium ion, are -78, -73, -48, and -21 kJ mol(-1), respectively. This corresponds to corrections of the pure DFT (PBE functional) results by -62, -70, -67, and -29 kJ mol(-1), respectively. Hence, the MP2 corrections are substantial and, perhaps more importantly, not the same for the different hydrocarbon species in the zeolite. Coupled-cluster (CCSD(T)) calculations change the MP2 energies by -4 kJ mol(-1) (tert-butyl cation) or less (below +/-1 kJ mol(-1) for the other species).     

Ionic liquids. Combination of combustion calorimetry with high-level quantum chemical calculations for deriving vaporization enthalpies

In this work, the molar enthalpies of formation of the ionic liquids [C2MIM][NO3] and [C4MIM][NO3] were measured by means of combustion calorimetry. The molar enthalpy of fusion of [C2MIM][NO3] was measured using differential scanning calorimetry. Ab initio calculations of the enthalpy of formation in the gaseous phase have been performed for the ionic species using the G3MP2 theory. We have used a combination of traditional combustion calorimetry with modern high-level ab initio calculations in order to obtain the molar enthalpies of vaporization of a series of the ionic liquids under study.     

Photo- and solvatochromic properties of nitrobenzospiropyran in ionic liquids containing the [NTf2]- anion

The photo-, thermo- and solvatochromic properties of 2,3-dihydro-1',3',3'-trimethyl-6-nitrospiro-[1-benzopyran-2,2'-1H-indole] (BSP-NO(2)) were studied in ILs containing the anion [NTf(2)](-) by UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, ab initio molecular orbital theory and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It was found that the kinetics and thermodynamics of the BSP-NO(2) <--> MC (merocyanine) equilibrium was sensitive to the nature of the cation. It was also observed that the imidazolium cation can form a through-space orbital interaction with the MC isomer, rather than a simple electrostatic interaction, thus preventing the MC conversion back to the BSP-NO(2) isomer. The BSP-NO(2) <--> MC equilibrium thus serves as a model system for studying modes of interaction of the cations in ionic liquids.     

High level of ab initio and density functional theory computational study of structural and energetic properties of tetrafluorhydrazine rotamers

The HF, MP2, MP3, MP4, and QCISD ab initio methods were compared with local, hybrid, and gradient-corrected density functional theory (DFT) methods for computing structures and energies of N2F4 rotamers. In all DFT calculations 6-311 + G(2d) basis set was used. The generated structures energies of trans- and gauche-N₂F₄ rotamers, and their dissociation energies to nitrogen difluoride were compared with experimental data. Suitable hybrid and gradient-corrected DFT methods for determining structures and energies for these and similar molecular systems were discussed.     

Structure, stability, thermodynamic properties, and infrared spectra of the protonated water octamer H(+)(H2O)8

We investigated various two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) structures of H (+)(H 2O) 8, using density functional theory (DFT), Moller-Plesset second-order perturbation theory (MP2), and coupled cluster theory with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations (CCSD(T)). The 3D structure is more stable than the 2D structure at all levels of theory on the Born-Oppenheimer surface. With the zero-point energy (ZPE) correction, the predicted structure varies depending on the level of theory. The DFT employing Becke's three parameters with Lee-Yang-Parr functionals (B3LYP) favors the 2D structure. At the complete basis set (CBS) limit, the MP2 calculation favors the 3D structure by 0.29 kcal/mol, and the CCSD(T) calculation favors the 3D structure by 0.27 kcal/mol. It is thus expected that both 2D and 3D structures are nearly isoenergetic near 0 K. At 100 K, all the calculations show that the 2D structure is much more stable in free binding energy than the 3D structure. The DFT and MP2 vibrational spectra of the 2D structure are consistent with the experimental spectra. First-principles Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics (CPMD) simulations show that the 2D Zundel-type vibrational spectra are in good agreement with the experiment.