Ab initio calculations find 2,2-disilylcyclopentane-1,3-diyl is a singlet diradical with a high barrier to ring closure

Ab initio calculations on the lowest singlet and triplet states of 2,2-disilylcyclopentane-1,3-diyl find that the singlet lies well below the triplet. The C ₂ singlet diradical is calculated to be a minimum on the potential energy surface with an enthalpic barrier to ring closure of ΔH ^‡ ₂₉₈ = 13.5 kcal/mol at the CASPT2/6-31G* level of theory. The energy of the 1,3-divinyl-substituted singlet diradical is calculated to be only 0.8 kcal/mol higher than that of 5,5-disilyl-1,3-divinylbicyclo[2.1.0]pentane at this level of theory, but the transition state for their equilibration is computed to be 12.8 kcal/mol above the diradical in energy. Received: 2 July 1998 / Accepted: 4 August 1998 / Published online: 16 November 1998     

Filling a Niche in “Ligand Space” with Bulky,Electron-Poor Phosphorus(III) Alkoxides

The chemistry of phosphorus(III) ligands, which are of key importance in coordination chemistry, organometallic chemistry and catalysis, is dominated by relatively electron-rich species. Many of the electron-poor P^III ligands that are readily available have relatively small steric profiles. As such, there is a significant gap in “ligand space” where more sterically bulky, electron-poor P^III ligands are needed. This contribution discusses the coordination chemistry, steric and electronic properties of P^III ligands bearing highly fluorinated alkoxide groups of the general form PR_n(OR^F)_3−n, where R=Ph, R^F=C(H)(CF₃)₂ and C(CF₃)₃; n=1–3. These ligands are simple to synthesize and a range of experimental and theoretical methods suggest that their steric and electronic properties can be “tuned” by modification of their substituents, making them excellent candidates for large, electron-poor ligands.     

Calculations of the effects of methyl groups on the energy differences between cyclooctatetraene and bicyclo[4.2.0]octa-2,4,7-triene and between their iron tricarbonyl complexes

In accord with experiment, DFT calculations find that cyclooctatetraene (COT, 1a) is lower in energy than its valence isomer, bicyclo[4.2.0]octa-2,4,7-triene (BCOT, 3a) and that the iron tricarbonyl complex of COT [COT-Fe(CO)(3), 2a] is lower in energy than the iron tricarbonyl complex of BCOT [BCOT-Fe(CO)(3), 4a]. Also in agreement with experiment are the DFT findings that 1,3,5,7-tetramethylCOT (TMCOT, 1b) is lower in energy than 1,3,5,7-tetramethylBCOT (TMBCOT, 3b), but that the iron tricarbonyl complex of TMCOT [TMCOT-Fe(CO)(3), 2b] is higher in energy than the iron tricarbonyl complex of TMBCOT [TMBCOT-Fe(CO)(3), 4b]. Calculations of the energies of isodesmic reactions allow the effect of each of the four methyl groups in 1b-4b to be analyzed in terms of its additive contribution to the relative energies of TMCOT (1b) and TMBCOT (3b) and to the Fe(CO)(3) binding energies in TMCOT-Fe(CO)(3) (2b) and TMBCOT-Fe(CO)(3) (4b). Our calculations also predict that the eight methyl groups in octamethylCOT-Fe(CO)(3) [OMCOT-Fe(CO)(3), 2c] should have much more than twice the effect of the four methyl groups in TMCOT-Fe(CO)(3) (2b) on raising the energy of OMCOT-Fe(CO)(3) (2c), relative to that of OMBCOT-Fe(CO)(3) (4c). The effects of the interactions between the methyl groups in OMCOT-Fe(CO)(3) (2c) and OMBCOT-Fe(CO)(3) (4c) are dissected and discussed.     

With a little help from my friends: forty years of fruitful chemical collaborations

Over the past 40 years, much of the author's research, both computational and experimental, has involved collaborations. This Perspective describes some of the author's collaborative research in eight different areas of organic and theoretical chemistry: (1) hydrocarbons containing unsaturatively, 1,3-bridged cyclobutane rings, (2) the use of orbital topology for predicting the ground states of diradicals, (3) violations of Hund's rule, (4) the chemistry of phenylnitrenes, (5) tunneling by carbon in organic reactions, (6) the Cope rearrangement and the effect of substituents on it, (7) pyramidalized alkenes, dehydrocubanes, cubyl cation, and octanitrocubane, and (8) the effects of geminal fluorine substitution at C-2 of 1,3-diradicals. Highlighted in this Perspective are the synergism between calculations and experiments in the author's research and the many different roles that serendipity has played in the collaborations that are described herein.     

Rheology measurements of a biomass slurry: an inter-laboratory study

The conversion of biomass, specifically lignocellulosic biomass, into fuels and chemicals has recently gained national attention as an alternative to the use of fossil fuels. Increasing the concentration of the biomass solids during biochemical conversion has a large potential to reduce production costs. These concentrated biomass slurries have highly viscous, non-Newtonian behavior that poses several technical challenges to the conversion process. A collaborative effort to measure the rheology of a biomass slurry at four separate laboratories has been undertaken. A comprehensive set of rheological properties were measured using several different rheometers, flow geometries, and experimental methods. The tendency for settling, water evaporation, and wall slip required special care when performing the experiments. The rheological properties were measured at different concentrations up to 30% insoluble solids by mass. The slurry was found to be strongly shear-thinning, to be viscoelastic, and to have a significant concentration-dependent yield stress. The elastic modulus was found to be almost an order of magnitude larger than the loss modulus and weakly dependent on frequency. The techniques and results of this work will be useful to characterize other biomass slurries and in the design of biochemical conversion processing steps that operate at high solids concentrations.