超声共振法测定圆柱体材料弹性常数的影响因素分析

为明确超声共振频谱分析法(RUS)测定圆柱体试样弹性常数的影响因素, 由此针对各向同性圆柱体开展实验, 观察圆柱体试样测量结果的分散性和稳定性, 且主要研究横纵比和有效模态数量对测量结果的影响, 并与拉伸试验的结果进行比较. 以测量结果标准差、变异系数和95%置信度下均值的区间估计3个指标来衡量结果的稳定性和分散性, 且从模态简并角度对实验结果进行分析. 最终结果表明, 当超声共振频谱分析法的有效模态数量在17左右、试样横纵比接近1时, 测量结果的稳定性和分散性较小.     

Sextic centrifugal distortion constants: interplay of density functional and basis set for accurate yet feasible computations

Quantum-chemical calculations assist the analysis of laboratory spectra, and often provide the only means to determine spectroscopic data that cannot be accessed experimentally. Accurate predictions of vibrational and rotational spectroscopic parameters are required for applications in the field of high-resolution molecular spectroscopy. While the accuracy issue of the quantum-chemical calculation of vibrational properties and of equilibrium structures has been addressed in the literature, the same is not true for centrifugal distortion constants that however play an essential role for the interpretation of remote sensing data. In this work, the performance of several model chemistries, rooted mainly in density functional theory, in computing sextic centrifugal distortion constants is assessed employing a benchmark set of molecules of both atmospheric and astrochemical relevance. The Jensen’s (aug-)pcs-n basis sets, different flavours of Dunning’s triple-ζ basis sets and the SNSD basis set, are employed in conjunction with different functionals, and their predictions are benchmarked against experimental and theoretical data at the coupled cluster level of theory. This study also demonstrates the reliability of the calculation of sextic centrifugal distortion constants within the Gaussian16 rev. B.01 program package. Reliable predictions of the sextic centrifugal distortion constants for the gauche- and trans-conformers of ethyl-mercaptan are also presented.     

How to measure long-range proton-carbon coupling constants from 1H-selective HSQMBC experiments

Heteronuclear long-range scalar coupling constants (ⁿJ_CH) are a valuable tool for solving problems in organic chemistry and are especially suited for stereochemical and configurational analyses of small molecules and natural products. This tutorial will focus on the step-by-step implementation of several 2D ¹H frequency selective HSQMBC experiments for the easy and accurate measurement of either the magnitude or both the magnitude and the sign of long-range ⁿJ_CH couplings. The performance of these experiments will be showcased with several scenarios in a range of different experimental conditions.     

What is the form of muscimol from fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria) in water? An insight from NMR experiment supported by molecular modeling

The biologically active alkaloid muscimol is present in fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria), and its structure and action is related to human neurotransmitter _γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The current study reports on determination of muscimol form present in water solution using multinuclear ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments supported by density functional theory molecular modeling. The structures of three forms of free muscimol molecule both in the gas phase and in the presence of water solvent, modeled by polarized continuous model, and nuclear magnetic isotropic shieldings, the corresponding chemical shifts, and indirect spin–spin coupling constants were calculated. Several J-couplings observed in proton and carbon NMR spectra, not available before, are reported. The obtained experimental spectra, supported by theoretical calculations, favor the zwitterion form of muscimol in water. This structure differs from NH isomer, previously determined in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution. In addition, positions of signals C3 and C5 are reversed in both solvents.     

Computational and dynamic NMR investigation of 2,2-dimesityl-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyltrisilane

The structure and rotational barrier for the mesityl-silicon bond of 2,2-dimesityl-1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyltrisilane have been investigated by ¹H- and ¹³C-variable temperature nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) as well as by density functional theory structural calculations. The calculations show that the lowest energy structure has C₂ symmetry with nonequivalent ortho methyl groups, consistent with the crystal structure and solution NMR. The nonequivalent ortho methyl groups exchange through a C_s transition state with a calculated relative free energy of 11.0 kcal mol⁻¹. The barrier for this rotation found by dynamic NMR is 13.4 ± 0.2 kcal mol⁻¹ at 298 K.     

Improving Our Knowledge on the 229mThorium Isomer: Toward a Test Bench for Time Variations of Fundamental Constants

For more than four decades, the lowest excitation in the whole landscape of atomic nuclei, the low‐lying, isomeric state of ²²⁹Th, the so‐called thorium isomer, has challenged physicists of various disciplines. Being a solitaire with its uniquely low excitation energy of <10 eV, its predicted lifetime of a few hours results in an extremely sharp relative linewidth ΔE/E as low as 10^–20. While until recently the indication of its existence was based only on indirect evidence, its unique properties inspired a multitude of potential applications, like the use of the thorium isomer as a nuclear frequency standard, potentially able to outperform even the best atomic clocks and a sensitivity‐enhanced access to potential temporal variations of fundamental constants. The various proposals to exploit the unique properties of ^229mTh are presented herein, in particular focusing on its ability to serve as a test bench for time variations of fundamental constants like the fine structure constant.     

The Hydrogen Bond and Beyond: Perspectives for Rotational Investigations of Non-Covalent Interactions

In the last decade, experiment and theory have expanded our vision of non-covalent interactions (NCIs), shifting the focus from the conventional hydrogen bond to new bridging interactions involving a variety of weak donor/acceptor partners. Whereas most experimental data originate from condensed phases, the introduction of broadband (chirped-pulse) microwave fast-passage techniques has revolutionized the field of rotational spectroscopy, offering unexplored avenues for high-resolution studies in the gas phase. We present an outlook of hot topics for rotational investigations on isolated intermolecular clusters generated in supersonic jet expansions. Rotational spectra offer very detailed structural data, easily discriminating the isomeric or isotopic composition and effectively cancelling any solvent, crystal, or matrix bias. The direct comparison with quantum mechanical predictions provides insight into the origin of the inter- and intramolecular interactions with much greater precision than any other spectroscopic technique, simultaneously serving as test-bed for fine-tuning of theoretical methods. We present recent examples of rotational investigations around three topics: oligomer formation, chiral recognition, and identification of halogen, chalcogen, pnicogen, or tetrel bonds. The selected examples illustrate the benefits of rotational spectroscopy for the structural and energetic assessment of inter-/intramolecular interactions, which may help to move from fundamental research to applications in supramolecular chemistry and crystal engineering.     

Formic acid catalyzed keto-enol tautomerizations for C2 and C3 enols: Implications in atmospheric and combustion chemistry

Enols are important species in atmospheric and combustion chemistry. However, their implications in these environments are not well established due to a lack of accurate rate constants and mechanisms to determine their fate. In this work, we investigate the formic acid catalyzed keto-enol tautomerizations converting vinyl alcohol, propen-2-ol and 1-propenol into acetaldehyde, acetone and propanal, respectively. High-level ab initio and multistructural torsional variational transition state theory calculations are performed with small-curvature tunneling corrections to obtain rate constants in the temperature range 200 K-3000 K. Tunneling is shown to be pronounced as a consequence of very narrow adiabatic potential energy curves, and indicates a need to revisit previous calculations. We show the implications of the studied reactions on the fate of enols under combustion relevant conditions by detailed kinetic modeling simulations. The yield of vinyl alcohol predicted by our calculated rate constants may be useful to lessen the underestimation of organic acids concentrations in current atmospheric models.