Formation of Acetylene in the Reaction of Methane with Iron Carbide Cluster Anions FeC3− under High‐Temperature Conditions

The underlying mechanism for non‐oxidative methane aromatization remains controversial owing to the lack of experimental evidence for the formation of the first C?C bond. For the first time, the elementary reaction of methane with atomic clusters (FeC₃^?) under high‐temperature conditions to produce C?C coupling products has been characterized by mass spectrometry. With the elevation of temperature from 300 K to 610 K, the production of acetylene, the important intermediate proposed in a monofunctional mechanism of methane aromatization, was significantly enhanced, which can be well‐rationalized by quantum chemistry calculations. This study narrows the gap between gas‐phase and condensed‐phase studies on methane conversion and suggests that the monofunctional mechanism probably operates in non‐oxidative methane aromatization.     

Non-covalent Interactions and Charge Transfer between Propene and Neutral Yttrium-Doped and Pure Gold Clusters

The dopant and size-dependent propene adsorption on neutral gold (Au_n) and yttrium-doped gold (Au_n−1Y) clusters in the n=5–15 size range are investigated, combining mass spectrometry and gas phase reactions in a low-pressure collision cell and density functional theory calculations. The adsorption energies, extracted from the experimental data using an RRKM analysis, show a similar size dependence as the quantum chemical results and are in the range of ≈0.6–1.2 eV. Yttrium doping significantly alters the propene adsorption energies for n=5, 12 and 13. Chemical bonding and energy decomposition analysis showed that there is no covalent bond between the cluster and propene, and that charge transfer and other non-covalent interactions are dominant. The natural charges, Wiberg bond indices, and the importance of charge transfer all support an electron donation/back-donation mechanism for the adsorption. Yttrium plays a significant role not only in the propene binding energy, but also in the chemical bonding in the cluster-propene adduct. Propene preferentially binds to yttrium in small clusters (n<10), and to a gold atom at larger sizes. Besides charge transfer, relaxation also plays an important role, illustrating the non-local effect of the yttrium dopant. It is shown that the frontier molecular orbitals of the clusters determine the chemical bonding, in line with the molecular-like electronic structure of metal clusters.     

Nature of closed‐ and open‐shell interactions between noble metals and rare gas atoms

Interactions between noble metals and rare gases have become an interesting topic over the last few years. In this work, a computational study of the open‐shell (d¹⁰s¹) and closed‐shell (d¹⁰s and d¹⁰s²) noble metals (M = Cu, Ag, and Au) with three heaviest rare gas atoms (Rg = Kr, Xe, and Rn) has been performed. Potential energy curves based on ab initio [MP2, MP4, QCISD, and CCSD(T)] and DFT functionals (M06‐2X and CAM‐B3LYP) were obtained for ionic and neutral AuXe complexes. Dissociation energies indicate that neutral metals have the lowest and cationic metals have the highest affinities for interaction with rare gas atoms. For the same metals, there is a continuous increase in dissociation energies (D_e) from Kr to Rn. The nature of bonding and the trend of D_e and equilibrium bond lengths (R_e) have been interpreted by means of quantum theory of atoms in molecules, natural bond orbital, and energy decomposition analysis. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Inactivation of [Fe?Fe]‐hydrogenase by O2. Thermodynamics and frontier molecular orbitals analyses

The oxidation of H‐cluster in gas phase, and in aqueous enzyme phase, has been investigated by means of quantum mechanics (QM) and combined quantum mechanics–molecular mechanics (QM/MM). Several potential reaction pathways (in the above‐mentioned chemical environments) have been studied, wherein only the aqueous enzyme phase has been found to lead to an inhibited hydroxylated cluster. Specifically, the inhibitory process occurs at the distal iron (Fe_d) of the catalytic H‐cluster (which isalso the atom involved in H₂ synthesis). The processes involved in the H‐cluster oxidative pathways are O₂ binding, e^? transfer, protonation, and H₂O removal. We found that oxygen binding is nonspontaneous in gas phase, and spontaneous for aqueous enzyme phase where both Fe atoms have oxidation state II; however, it is spontaneous for the partially oxidized and reduced clusters in both phases. Hence, in the protein environment the hydroxylated H‐cluster is obtained by means of completely exergonic reaction pathway starting with proton transfer. A unifying endeavor has been carried out for the purpose of understanding the thermodynamic results vis‐à‐vis several other performed electronic structural methods, such as frontier molecular orbitals (FMO), natural bond orbital partial charges (NBO), and H‐cluster geometrical analysis. An interesting result of the FMO examination (for gas phase) is that an e^? is transferred to LUMO_α rather than to SOMO_β, which is unexpected because SOMO_β usually resides in a lower energy rather than LUMO_α for open‐shell clusters. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

Fabrication and optimization of proton conductive polybenzimidazole electrospun nanofiber membranes

Phosphoric acid (PA)–doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) proton exchange membranes have received attention because of their good mechanical properties, moderate gas permeability, and superior proton conductivity under high temperature operation. Among PBI‐based film membranes, nanofibrous membranes withstand to higher strain because of strongly oriented polymer chains while exhibiting higher specific surface area with increased number of proton‐conducting sites. In this study, PBI electrospun nanofibers were produced and doped with PA to operate as high temperature proton exchange membrane, while changes in proton conductivity and morphologies were monitored. Proton conductive PBI nanofiber membranes by using the process parameters of 15 kV and 100 μL/h at 15 wt% PBI/dimethylacetamide polymer concentration were prepared by varying PA doping time as 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours. The morphological changes associated with PA doping addressed that acid doping significantly caused swelling and 2‐fold increase in mean fiber diameter. Tensile strength of the membranes is found to be increased by doping level, whereas the strain at break (15%) decreased because of the brittle nature of H‐bond network. 72 hour doped PBI membranes demonstrated highest proton conductivity whereas the decrease on conductivity for 96‐hour doped PBI membranes, which could be attributed to the morphological changes due to H‐bond network and acid leaking, was noted. Overall, the results suggested that of 72‐hour doped PBI membranes with proton conductivity of 123 mS/cm could be a potential candidate for proton exchange membrane fuel cell.     

Electronic Origin of the Competitive Mechanisms in the Thermal Activation of Methane by the Heteronuclear Cluster Oxide [Al2ZnO4].+

The thermal gas‐phase reactions of [Al₂ZnO₄]^.+ with methane have been explored by using FT‐ICR mass spectrometry complemented by high‐level quantum chemical calculations. Two competitive mechanisms, that is, hydrogen‐atom transfer (HAT) and proton‐coupled electron transfer (PCET) are operative. Interestingly, while the HAT process is influenced by the polarity of the transition structure, both the ionic nature of the metal–oxygen bond and the structural rigidity of the cluster oxide affect the PCET pathway. As compared to the previously reported homonuclear [Al₂O₃]^.+ and [ZnO]^.+, the heteronuclear oxide [Al₂ZnO₄]^.+ exhibits a much higher chemoselectivity towards methane. The electronic origins of the doping effect have been explored.     

The nido‐Cage⋅⋅⋅π Bond: A Non‐covalent Interaction between Boron Clusters and Aromatic Rings and Its Applications

Non‐covalent interactions involving multicenter multielectron skeletons such as boron clusters are rare. Now, a non‐covalent interaction, the nido‐cage???π bond, is discovered based on the boron cluster C₂B₉H₁₂^? and an aromatic π system. The X‐ray diffraction studies indicate that the nido‐cage???π bonding presents parallel‐displaced or T‐shaped geometries. The contacting distance between cage and π ring varies with the type and the substituent of the aromatic ring. Theoretical calculations reveal that this nido‐cage???π bond shares a similar nature to the conventional anion???π or π???π bonds found in classical aromatic ring systems. This nido‐cage???π interaction induces variable photophysical properties such as aggregation‐induced emission and aggregation‐caused quenching in one molecule. This work offers an overall understanding towards the boron cluster‐based non‐covalent bond and opens a door to investigate its properties.     

The investigation on the relative stability of different clusters of thiourea dioxide in water using gas phase quantum chemical calculations

The relative stability of different clusters of thiourea dioxide (TDO) in water is examined using gas phase quantum chemical calculations at the MP2 and B3LYP level with 6‐311++G(d,p) basis set. The possible equilibrium structures and other energetic and geometrical data of the thiourea dioxide clusters, TDO‐(H₂O)_n (n is the number of water molecules), are obtained. The calculation results show that a strong interaction exists between thiourea dioxide and water molecules, as indicated by the binding energies of the TDO clusters progressively increased by adding water molecules. PCM model is used to investigate solvent effect of TDO. We obtained a negative hydration energy of ?20.6 kcal mol^?1 and free‐energy change of ?21.0 kcal mol^?1 in hydration process. On the basis of increasing binding energies with adding water molecules and a negative hydration energy by PCM calculation, we conclude thiourea dioxide can dissolve in water molecules. Furthermore, the increases of the C? S bond distance by the addition of water molecules show that the strength of the C? S bonds is attenuated. We find that when the number of water molecules was up to 5, the C? S bonds of the clusters, TDO‐(H₂O)₅ and TDO‐(H₂O)₆ were ruptured. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

Coordination‐Resolved Spectrometrics of Local Bonding and Electronic Dynamics of Au Atomic Clusters,Solid Skins,and Oxidized Foils

By using combination of bond‐order–length–strength (BOLS) correlation, the tight‐binding (TB) approach, and zone‐selective photoelectron spectroscopy (ZPS), we were able to resolve local bond relaxation and the associated 4f_7/2 core‐level shift of Au atomic clusters, Au(100, 110, 111) skins, and Au foils exposed to ozone for different lengths of time. In addition to quantitative information, such as local bond length, bond energy, binding‐energy density, and atomic cohesive energy, the results confirm our predictions that bond‐order deficiency shortens and stiffens the bond between undercoordinated atoms, which results in local densification and quantum entrapment of bonding electrons. The entrapment perturbs the Hamiltonian, and hence, shifts the core‐level energy accordingly. ZPS also confirms that oxidation enhances the effect of atomic undercoordination on the positive 4f_7/2 energy shift, with the associated valence electron polarization contributing to the catalytic ability of undercoordinated Au atoms.     

Theoretical investigation of gas phase ethanol–(water)n (n = 1–5) clusters and comparison with gas phase pure water clusters (water)n (n = 2–6)

Various properties (such as optimal structures, structural parameters, hydrogen bonds, natural bond orbital charge distributions, binding energies, electron densities at hydrogen bond critical points, cooperative effects, and so on) of gas phase ethanol–(water)_n (n = 1–5) clusters with the change in the number of water molecules have been systematically explored at the MP2/aug‐cc‐pVTZ//MP2/6‐311++G(d,p) computational level. The study of optimal structures shows that the most stable ethanol‐water heterodimer is the one where exists one primary hydrogen bond (O? H…O) and one secondary hydrogen bond (C? H …O) simultaneously. The cyclic geometric pattern formed by the primary hydrogen bonds, where all the molecules are proton acceptor and proton donor simultaneously, is the most stable configuration for ethanol–(water)_n (n = 2–4) clusters, and a transition from two‐dimensional cyclic to three‐dimensional structures occurs at n = 5. At the same time, the cluster stability seems to correlate with the number of primary hydrogen bonds, because the secondary hydrogen bond was extremely weaker than the primary hydrogen bond. Furthermore, the comparison of cooperative effects between ethanol–water clusters and gas phase pure water clusters has been analyzed from two aspects. First of all, for the cyclic structure, the cooperative effect in the former is slightly stronger than that of the latter with the increasing of water molecules. Second, for the ethanol–(water)₅ and (water)₆ structure, the cooperative effect in the former is also correspondingly stronger than that of the latter except for the ethanol–(water)₅ book structure. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Making and breaking of small water clusters: A combined quantum chemical and molecular dynamics approach

We present a combined quantum chemical and molecular dynamics study of cyclic and noncyclic water n-mers ([(H₂O]_n, n = 2–6) at four different temperatures and showcase that the dynamics of small water clusters can reproduce the known properties of bulk water reasonably well. We investigate the making and breaking of the water clusters by computing the hydrogen bond strengths, average lifetimes, and relative stabilities, which are important to understand the complex solution dynamics. We compare the behavior of water clusters in the gas phase and in the solution phase as well as the variation in the properties as a function of cluster size and highlight the notably more interesting cluster dynamics of the water trimer when compared to the other water clusters. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Structure and Stability of (NG)nCN3Be3+ Clusters and Comparison with (NG)BeY0/+

The noble gas binding ability of CN₃Be₃⁺ clusters was assessed both by ab intio and density functional studies. The global minimum structure of the CN₃Be₃⁺ cluster binds with four noble‐gas (NG) atoms, in which the Be atoms are acting as active centers. The electron transfer from the noble gas to the Be atom plays a key role in binding. The dissociation energy of the Be? NG bond gradually increases from He to Rn, maintaining the periodic trend. The HOMO–LUMO gap, an indicator for stability, gives additional insight into these NG‐bound clusters. The temperature at which the NG‐binding process is thermodynamically feasible was identified. In addition, we investigated the stability of two new neutral NG compounds, (NG)BeSe and (NG)BeTe, and found them to be suitable candidates to be detected experimentally such as (NG)BeO and (NG)BeS. The dissociation energies of the Be? NG bond in monocationic analogues of (NG)BeY (Y=O, S, Se, Te) were found to be larger than in the corresponding neutral counter‐parts. Finally, the higher the positive charge on the Be atoms, the higher the dissociation energy for the Be? NG bond becomes.     

Trends in Geometric,Energetic, Electronic,and Magnetic Properties of Vanadium–Copper Clusters Cu<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis></Subscript>V with <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis> = 1–12: Density Functional Calculations

A systematic quantum chemical investigation on the geometric, energetic, electronic and magnetic properties of vanadium-copper nanoalloy clusters (n = 1–12) is performed by using BPW91/LanL2DZ calculations. The calculated results show that the structural evolution of Cu _n V clusters favors a compact and icosahedral growth pattern and V atom favors occupying the most highly coordinated position. Energetic properties show that doping of one V atom contributes to strengthening the stability of the copper clusters with the growth of the clusters. The stacking mode of clusters apparently has a more important effect on the clusters stability than the electronic structure. However, electronic structures have some contribution to the stability of Cu _n V clusters as well. The electronic properties of Cu _n V are analyzed through vertical ionization potential (VIP), vertical electron affinity (VEA) and chemical hardness (η). The magnetism calculations show that when doping V atom in copper clusters, the cluster system generate a very large magnetic moment and its contribution mainly comes from the 3d orbital of doping-V atom.     

Striking Size and Doping Effects of Ti−Si−O Clusters on Methane Conversion Reactions

The size and doping effects in methane activation by Ti−Si−O clusters have been explored by using a combination of gas-phase experiments and quantum chemical calculations. All [Ti_mSi_nO_2(m+n)]^.+ (m+n=2, 3, 8, 10, 12, 14) clusters can extract a hydrogen from methane. The associated energies and structures have been revealed in detail. Moreover, the doping and size effects have been discussed involving generalized Kohn-Sham energy decomposition analysis, natural population analysis, Wiberg bond indexes (WBI), molecular polarity index (MPI) and ionization potential (IP). It suggested that Ti−Si−O clusters with a low Ti : Si ratio is beneficial to adsorbing methane and inclination to the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) process, while the clusters with a high Ti : Si ratio favors the generation of a terminal oxygen radical and results in high reactivity and turnover frequency. On the other hand, a cluster size of m+n=12 is recommended considering both the ionization potential and the turnover frequency of the reaction. Hopefully, these finding will be instructive for the design of high-performance Ti−Si−O catalyst toward methane conversion.     

Fragmentation of large ionized clusters of rare gas atoms

Molecular dynamics is used to examine the fragmentation of clusters of rare gas atoms after ionization. The cohesive energy is given by a quantum mechanical model with a delocalized hole. Very small clusters dissociate entirely into single atoms and a positively charged dimer. Larger clusters (e.g. Ne₁₃, Xe₁₃ and Ne₅₅) first eject rapid atoms, then thermalize and evaporate further atoms, which strongly decreases their size. Very large clusters (e.g. Xe₅₅) are only heated up after ionization and do not loose atoms. Thus the peaks in mass spectra do not show the atomic shell structure of neutral clusters up to rather large cluster sizes. Instead the stability of ionized clusters is reflected.     

A computational study on the capability of borane‐cyclic boryl anion adducts to act as hydrogen atom donors

According to our theoretical approaches, a cyclic boryl anion can act as a Lewis base like its isoelectronic counterpart N‐heterocyclic carbene, reducing the homolytic bond dissociation energy of B? H in BH₃. However, the donating efficiency is affected by the counter cation in both gas phase and nonpolar solvents. Moreover, we also predict the seven‐membered ring boryl anion 5 , although it has not yet synthesized, to be the most efficient reagent to reduce the bond dissociation energy of a B? H bond in BH₃. This study may thus pave another avenue toward Lewis base induced hydrogen atom abstraction in BH₃. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Thermally Driven Structure and Performance Evolution of Atomically Dispersed FeN4 Sites for Oxygen Reduction

FeN₄ moieties embedded in partially graphitized carbon are the most efficient platinum group metal free active sites for the oxygen reduction reaction in acidic proton‐exchange membrane fuel cells. However, their formation mechanisms have remained elusive for decades because the Fe?N bond formation process always convolutes with uncontrolled carbonization and nitrogen doping during high‐temperature treatment. Here, we elucidate the FeN₄ site formation mechanisms through hosting Fe ions into a nitrogen‐doped carbon followed by a controlled thermal activation. Among the studied hosts, the ZIF‐8‐derived nitrogen‐doped carbon is an ideal model with well‐defined nitrogen doping and porosity. This approach is able to deconvolute Fe?N bond formation from complex carbonization and nitrogen doping, which correlates Fe?N bond properties with the activity and stability of FeN₄ sites as a function of the thermal activation temperature.     

Pyridine adsorption on small Nin‐cluster (n = 2,3,4): A study of geometry and electronic structure

Adsorption of pyridine on Ni_n‐clusters (with n = 2,3,4) is studied by quantum chemical calculations at B3LYP/LANL2DZ and B3LYP/6‐311G^** levels. First, Ni_n‐clusters are investigated for accessible structure and electronic states. The lowest electronic state with four unpaired electrons is predicted for Ni₄‐cluster based on geometry and electronic structure, showing that the cluster stability nicely depends on number of unpaired electrons. Correction for basis set superposition error of metal‐metal bond is appreciable and has increasing effect on cluster binding energy. Next, adsorption of pyridine in planar and vertical adsorption modes is investigated on rhombus Ni₄‐cluster. The vertical mode is found (at B3LYP/6‐311G^** level) as the most favorable adsorption mode. Adsorption energy (ΔE_ads) depends on cluster size; adsorption on Ni₄‐cluster is most favorable with ΔE_ads = ?207.33 kJ/mol. The natural bond orbital analysis reveals the charge transfer in adsorbate/metal‐cluster. Results of investigations for the Ni₂‐ and Ni₃‐cluster are also presented. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.