Structures of the gauche conformers of some substituted dimethyl ethers. Effect of adjacent atom lone pairs on methyl group asymmetry

The complete equilibrium structures of CH₃OCH₃ and of the gauche conformers of CH₃OCH₂F, HOCH₂F, CH₃OCH₂Cl and H₃OCH₂CN have been determined by ab initio gradient computation at the Hartree—Fock, double zeta-plus-polarization level. The very large asymmetries in C---H bond distances previously reported from microwave substitution structures are shown to be non-existent in the equilibrium structures and are presumably artifacts. Small differences, different in direction from those reported from the experiments and nearly an order of magnitude smaller in size, do exist. They reflect three factors: (1) a lengthening of a C---H bond which is trans to a lone pair on an adjacent atom, (2) a general shortening of C---H bonds originating at a carbon atom bearing a highly electronegative substituent, and (3) a specific interaction in which a C---X substituent shortens the nearly parallel C---H bond on the other methyl group. The last interaction, not previously reported, is mediated by withdrawal of electron density from the oxygen lone pair which is trans to both groups. Other structural features derived from the microwave studies are supported by the new results. p ]Inclusion of polarization functions in the basis set for oxygen is essential for correct determination of the COC angle and the dihedral angles. The dihedral angles of CH₃OCH₂F and HOCH₂F are not correctly determined by the computation even at this level, although the computed values are improved when d functions are used for oxygen and still more by use of two sets of oxygen d functions. Polarization functions on carbon or on fluorine have no effect on the computed torsional angles. There is no problem in computing the correct dihedral angles with the ---Cl or ---CN derivatives.     

Rotation-inversion spectrum of methylaminoethane

Microwave spectral assignments have been made for the ground and several excited vibrational states of the normal and amino d₁ species of methylaminoethane. The inversion-rotation spectrum is consistent with a trans rotameric form with an amino inversion barrier of ～5.2 kcal mole^?1. The dipole moment of 8.88 ± 0.02 Debye has components |μ_a| = 0.00 ± 0.03, |μ_b| = 0.25 ± 0.03, and $\text{|〈 ± μ}{}_{\mathrm{c}}\text{? 〉| = 0.84 ± 0.01}$ Debye. The normal species N¹⁴ nuclear quadrupole coupling constants are (in MHz) 2.82 ± 0.09, 0.88 ± 0.13, and ?3.70 ± 0.09 for χ_aa, χ_bb, and χ_cc, respectively.     

Extensive ab initio study of the valence and low-lying Rydberg states of BBr including spin-orbit coupling

The electronic states of the BBr molecule, including 12 valence states and 12 low-lying Rydberg states, have been studied at the theoretical level of MR-CISD+Q with all-electron aug-cc-pVQZ basis sets and Douglas-Kroll [Ann. Phys. (N.Y.) 82, 89 (1974)] scalar relativistic correction. The spin-orbit coupling effect in the valence states was calculated by the state interaction approach with the full Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian. This is the first multireference ab initio study of the excited electronic states of BBr. Potential energy curves of all states were plotted with the help of the avoided crossing rule between electronic states of the same symmetry. The structural properties of these states were analyzed. Computational results reproduced most experimental data well. The transition properties of the a (3)Pi(0(+) ), a (3)Pi(1), and A (1)Pi(1) states to the ground state X (1)Sigma(0(+) ) (+) transitions were obtained, including the transition dipole moments, the Franck-Condon factors, and the radiative lifetimes. The evaluated radiative lifetime of the a (3)Pi(0(+) ), and a (3)Pi(1) states are near 1 ms, much longer than that of the A (1)Pi(1) state.     

Rapid separation of VI/VII technetium oxidation states by solvent extraction with iodonitrotetrazolium chloride

Technetium⁹⁹ poses a difficult problem at many nuclear waste disposal sites, as there have been multiple incidents of its release to the environment due to large quantities of fission products disposed in storage tanks. Tc is mostly present under two oxidation states, Tc(VII) and Tc(IV) and the separation of Tc(IV) from Tc(VII) is often crucial for laboratory-scale work performed for the study of Tc. This work offers a method for the rapid separation of Tc(IV) from Tc(VII), using a solvent extraction system containing iodonitrotetrazolium chloride and chloroform.     

Pseudo Jahn-Teller origin of nonplanarity and rectangular-ring structure of tetrafluorocyclobutadiene

It is shown that the pseudo Jahn-Teller effect (PJTE) in combination with ab initio calculations explains the origin of instability of the planar configuration of tetrafluorocyclobutadiene, C(4)F(4), with respect to a puckered structure and square-to-rectangle distortion of the carbon ring, and rationalizes its difference from the planar-rectangular geometry of C(4)H(4) and nonplanar (puckered) structure of Si(4)H(4). The two types of instability and distortion of the high-symmetry D(4h) configuration in these systems emerge from the PJT coupling of the ground B(2g) state with the excited A(1g) term producing instability along the b(2g) coordinate (elongation of the carbon or silicon square ring), and with the excited E(g) term resulting in e(g) (puckering) distortion. A rhombic distortion b(1g) of the ring is also possible due to the coupling between excited A(1g) and B(1g) terms. For C(4)F(4), ab initio calculations of the energy profiles allowed us to evaluate the PJTE constants and to show that the two instabilities, square-to-tetragonal b(2g) and puckering e(g) coexist, thus explaining the origin of the observed geometry of this system in the ground state. The preferred cis-trans (e(g) type) puckering in C(4)F(4) versus trans-trans puckering (b(2u) distortion) in Si(4)H(4) follows from the differences in the energy gaps to their excited electronic E(g) and A(1u) terms causing different PJTE in these two cases.     

TARGETING OF PHOTOTOXIC DRUGS TO ANTIGEN-SPECIFIC T LYMPHOCYTES in vitro USING ANTIGEN-PRESENTING CELL MEMBRANES

We have used the complex of antigen with class II major histocompatibility proteins (la) in membrane-bound form to target a phototoxic compound to antigen-specific T cell hybridomas in vitro. The iodoacetamidyl ester of phototoxic pyrene was bound covalently to antigen-presenting cells (APC), and protein antigens were added to the cells for processing, presentation and targeting of the drug to three different T hybridomas specific for myelin basic protein (MBP), ovalbumin (OVA) and keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). The B hybridoma LS102.9 was used as APC to present MBP, KLH and either a tryptic digest of OVA or the synthetic peptide OVA323–339to these T cells. A transformed B lymphoma, which expresses trinitrophenol (TNP)-specific surface IgM, A20-HL, was used to present TNP conjugates of KLH and OVA to T cells. Either the antigen-bearing intact APC or Ia⁺ membranes shed spontaneously from them were used as drug carriers to target pyrene to the T cells. In the dark, or in the absence of pyrene, both the intact APC or the shed membranes stimulated interleukin-2 (IL-2) production by the T cells in an antigen-specific way. After UVA (320–400nm) irradiation, both forms of these drug carriers had an antigen-specific toxic effect on the T hybridoma cells with receptors for the antigen that they carried. Both spontaneous T cell proliferation and antigen-induced IL-2 production were inhibited. The shed membranes had a more antigen-specific toxic effect than the intact APC, which tend to settle out with the T cells in the microtiter plates, possibly causing nonspecific contact. These results indicate that the antigen-la complex in membrane-bound form can be used to antigen-target cytotoxic drugs to antigen-specific T cells. The Ia⁺ membranes shed from APC may be useful to target drugs to antigen-specific clones of T cells in vivo.     

A theoretical study of the strcture of (NO)2

Ab initio SCF calculations on the cis form of nitric oxide dimer, (NO)₂, indicate that the NN bond distance is 1.74 Å, the NO bond distance is 1.16 Å, and the angle NNO is 107°.     

Approaching the basis set limit for transition metal compounds with highly polar bonds: a benchmark coupled-cluster study of the ScF3 and FeF3 molecular structures and spectra

The molecular equilibrium geometries, quadratic and cubic force constants, vibrational frequencies, and infrared intensities of scandium and iron trifluorides are determined ab initio with a sequence of atomic natural orbital basis sets using the CCSD(T) treatment of electron correlation. The largest basis set of spdf ghi quality contains 462 contracted Gaussian functions. Relativistic corrections are applied to compute the equilibrium geometries and vibrational frequencies. The cubic force constants are used to estimate vibrational corrections to the effective r(g) internuclear distances determined in the gas electron diffraction experiments. The computed molecular properties are extrapolated to the complete basis-set limit. The predicted values are compared to the available experimental data; uncertainties and inconsistencies in these data are then discussed.