The hydroxyl radical reaction rate constant and products of ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate

The relative rate technique has been used to measure the hydroxyl radical (OH) reaction rate constant of ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate (EEP, CH₃CH₂(SINGLE BOND)O(SINGLE BOND)CH₂CH₂C(O)O(SINGLE BOND)CH₂CH₃). EEP reacts with OH with a bimolecular rate constant of (22.9±7.4)×10⁻¹² cm³ molecule⁻¹s⁻¹ at 297±3 K and 1 atmosphere total pressure. In order to more clearly define EEP's atmospheric reaction mechanism, an investigation into the OH+EEP reaction products was also conducted. The OH+EEP reaction products and yields observed were: ethyl glyoxate (EG, 25±1% HC((DOUBLE BOND)O)C((DOUBLE BOND)O)(SINGLE BOND)O(SINGLE BOND)CH₂CH₃), ethyl (2-formyl) acetate (EFA, 4.86±0.2%, HC((DOUBLE BOND)O)(SINGLE BOND)CH₂(SINGLE BOND)C((DOUBLE BOND)O)(SINGLE BOND)O(SINGLE BOND)CH₂CH₃), ethyl (3-formyloxy) propionate (EFP, 30±1%, HC((DOUBLE BOND)O)(SINGLE BOND)O(SINGLE BOND)CH₂CH₂(SINGLE BOND)C((DOUBLE BOND)O)(SINGLE BOND)O(SINGLE BOND)CH₂CH₃), ethyl formate (EF, 37±1%, HC((DOUBLE BOND)O)O(SINGLE BOND)CH₂CH₃), and acetaldehyde (4.9±0.2%, HC((DOUBLE BOND)O)CH₃). Neither the EEP's OH rate constant nor the OH/EEP reaction products have been previously reported. The products' formation pathways are discussed in light of current understanding of oxygenated hydrocarbon atmospheric chemistry. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Ab initio studies of three-membered ring formation through intramolecular nucleophilic substitution

Three-membered ring (3MR) forming processes of ⁻X(SINGLE BOND)CH₂(SINGLE BOND)CH₂(SINGLE BOND)F and ⁻CH₂(SINGLE BOND)C((SINGLE BOND)Y)(SINGLE BOND)CH₂(SINGLE BOND)F (X(DOUBLE BOND)CH₂, O, or S and Y(DOUBLE BOND)0 or S) through a gas phase neighboring group mechanism (S_Ni) are studied theoretically using the ab initio molecular orbital method with the 6–31+G* basis set. When electron correlation effects are considered, the activation (ΔG^≠) and reaction energies (ΔG⁰) are lowered by ca. 10 kcal mol⁻¹, indicating the importance of the electron correlation effect in these reactions. The contribution of entropy of activation (−TΔS^≠) at 298 K to ΔG^≠ is very small, and the reactions are enthalpy controlled. The ΔG^≠ and ΔG⁰ values for these ring closure processes largely depend on the stabilities of the reactants and the heteroatom acting as a nucleophilic center. The Bell–Evans–Polanyi principle applies well to all these reaction series. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 18 : 1773–1784, 1997     

Benzazole-N(SINGLE BOND)BH3 adducts. Reductive transposition of 2-benzimidazole, 2-benzothiazole,and 2-benzoxazole N(SINGLE BOND)BH3 adducts to 1,3,2-benzimidazaborole, 1,3,2-benzoxaborole,and 1,3,2-benzothiazaborole

1,3,2-Benzimidazaborole, 1,3,2-benzoxaborole, and 1,3,2-benzothiazaborole were synthesized from the corresponding 2-benzazole N(SINGLE BOND)BH₃ and 2-benzazole S(SINGLE BOND)BH₃ adducts through a reductive transposition from the isolobal fragment X(SINGLE BOND)C(sp²) (DOUBLE BOND) N(sp²) (SINGLE BOND) B(sp³) (X (DOUBLE BOND) N, O, S) to the fragment X(SINGLE BOND)B(sp²) (DOUBLE BOND) N(sp²) (SINGLE BOND) C(sp³). N(SINGLE BOND)BH₃ substitution shifts to lower frequencies 4-H, C-3a, and C-7a resonances. The X-ray diffraction analysis of 2-(o-methoxyphenyl)benzothiazole N(SINGLE BOND)BH₃ adduct is reported. Two new tetracyclic boron-bridged compounds were observed as by-products (6,9-(ethyl)-diaza-2-oxa-1-bora[3,4,7,8]-dibenzobycyclo[4.3.0]-nona-3,7-diene, 6d, and 8-aza-9-oxa-2-thia-1-bora-[3,4,7,8]dibenzobycyclo[3.4.0]nona-3,7-diene, 15d, when 2-(o-methoxyphenyl)-1-ethylbenzimidazole-BH₃ 6b and 2-(o-methoxyphenyl)-benzothiazole-BH₃ 15b adducts were heated. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Synthesis and properties of polycarbosilanes with the meta-linkage bending unit by hydrosilylation polymerization

The polycarbosilanes (PCS) with meta-linkage bending unit ((SINGLE BOND)Me₂Si(SINGLE BOND)m(SINGLE BOND)C₆H₄(SINGLE BOND)Me₂Si(SINGLE BOND)CH₂CH₂(SINGLE BOND)) were successfully synthesized in mild conditions by hydrosilylation in the presence of [Pt{(CH₂(DOUBLE BOND)CHSiMe₂)₂O}₂]. The PCS obtained were soluble in various solvents owing to the lowering of the crystallinity. These properties are well compared with those of the PCS [(SINGLE BOND)Me₂Si(SINGLE BOND)p(SINGLE BOND)C₆H₄(SINGLE BOND)Me₂Si(SINGLE BOND)CH₂CH₂(SINGLE BOND)]_n. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Conformational analysis and rotation barriers of 2-aminoethanethiol and 2-aminoethanol: An ab initio study

All the possible rotamers of 2-aminoethanol and 2-amino-ethanethiol were fully optimized at the ab initio level using the 6–31G** basis with correlation energy inclusion and zero-point energy evaluation. Thirteen local minima for the former and 14 for the latter compound were found. In both molecules, the gauche′-gauche-gauche′ (g′Gg′) is the prevailing conformation, but in the sulfurated compound, it is accompanied by relevant percentages of other conformers, owing to the very low ΔE values. The stability of the g′Gg′ accommodation derives mainly from the presence of weak hydrogen bridges (O(SINGLE BOND)H···N and S(SINGLE BOND)H···N, respectively). The rotation barriers around the C(SINGLE BOND)C and C(SINGLE BOND)N bonds are higher than those around the C(SINGLE BOND)O and C(SINGLE BOND)S ones. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Internal conrotation and disrotation in H2BCH2BH2 and diborylmethane 1,3 H exchange

The paths of correlated internal disrotation (barrier less than 0.4 kcal/mol) and conrotation (barrier around 1.9 kcal/mol) of the two BH₂ groups in H₂BCH₂BH₂ have been computed employing ab initio [MP2(full)/6–31G**] and density functional theory (Becke3LYP/6–311+G**) methods. Two B(SINGLE BOND)C(DOTTED BOND)B(p) hyperconjugative interactions stabilize the C_s symmetric H₂BCH₂BH₂ isomer ( 1 ). The B(SINGLE BOND)C(DOTTED BOND)B(p) hyperconjugative stabilization, evaluated by homodesmotic reactions and using the orbital deletion procedure (which “deactivates” the “vacant” born p orbital), is less than 6 kcal/mol in diborylmethane. The B(SINGLE BOND)C(DOTTED BOND)B(p) stabilization is shown to be remarkably large in C₄B₆H₁₀ (Td). At MP2(fu)/6–31G**, disproportionation into 1 and methane is only 5.6 kcal/mol exothermic. The 1,3 H exchange in diborylmethane is an asynchronous process and proceeds via a doubly bridged cyclic intermediate with 9.3 kcal/mol barrier. Structures with “planar tetracoordinate” carbon are stabilized considerably by BH₂ substituents, but they are still high in energy. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 18 : 1792–1803, 1997     

Conformers of gaseous protonated glycine

Ab initio geometry optimizations were performed on gaseous protonated glycine using the second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation theory with the 6-31G*, 6-31G**, 6-31+G**, and 6-311+G** basis sets. Eight energy minima and 12 saddle points in the low-energy region of the electronic potential energy surface were characterized. The global minimum was an amino N-protonated conformer containing an ionic H bond between the (SINGLE BOND)NH₃⁺ and O(DOUBLE BOND)C(DIAGONAL BOND)(DIAGONAL BOND) groups. The lowest energy O-protonated conformer was stabilized by a conjugative attraction between the nitrogen lone-pair electrons and the positively charged planar fragment (SINGLE BOND)C(OH)₂⁺. Relative electronic energies of the nine N- and 11 O-protonated species fall in the ranges of 0–10 and 30–40 kcal mol⁻¹. At room temperature the equilibrium distribution contained the most stable N-protonated conformer almost exclusively. Additional subjects for investigation include the effects of basis set and electron correlation on the predicted structures, nonbonded interactions that influence the relative stability of protonated conformers, conformational interconversions based on intrinsic reaction coordinate calculations, and kinetic pathways for protonation and associated changes in Gibbs free energy. The work provides geometric, energetic, and thermodynamic data pertinent to the study of gas-phase ion chemistry of amino acids and peptides. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 19: 1862–1876, 1998     

Silaacetylene: A possible target for experimental studies

The equilibrium geometries and transition states for interconversion of the CSiH₂ isomers in the singlet electronic ground state are optimized at the MP2 and CCSD(T) levels of theory using a TZ2P basis set. The heats of formation, vibrational frequencies, infrared intensities, and rotational constants are also predicted. There are three energy minima on the CSiH₂ potential energy surface. Energy calculations at CCSD(T)/TZ2P(fd) + ZPE predict that the global energy minimum is silavinylidene (1), which is 34.1 kcal mol⁻¹ lower in energy than trans-bent silaacetylene (2) and 84.1 kcal mol⁻¹ more stable than the vinylidene isomer (3). The barrier for rearrangement 2→1 is calculated at the same level of theory to be 5.1 kcal mol⁻¹, while for the rearrangement 3→2 a barrier of 2.7 kcal mol⁻¹ is predicted. The natural bond orbital (NBO) population scheme indicates a clear polarization of the C(SINGLE BOND)Si bonds toward the carbon end. A significant ionic contribution to the C(SINGLE BOND)Si bonds of 1 and 2 is suggested by the NBO analysis. The C(SINGLE BOND)Si bond length of trans-bent silaacetylene (2) is longer than previously calculated [1.665 Å at CCSD(T)/TZ2P)]. The calculated carbon-silicon bond length of 2 is in the middle between the C(SINGLE BOND)Si double bond length of 1 (1.721 Å) and the C(SINGLE BOND)Si triple bond of the linear form HCSiH (4), which is 1.604 Å. Structure 4 is a higher-order saddle point on the potential energy surface. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Structure and dissociation of ylidyl chlorophosphanes

The ylidyl substituent of the chlorophosphane Ph₃P(DOUBLE BOND)CAr(SINGLE BOND)PRCl exerts a strong influence on the P(SINGLE BOND)Cl bond. An X-ray structure investigation of the representative with Ar(DOUBLE BOND)Ph, R(DOUBLE BOND)Me reveals the longest P(SINGLE BOND)Cl bond ever observed for an acyclic chlorophosphine (226.2(1) pm). It is connected to a conformation that allows an effective negative hyperconjugation. The ylidyl chlorophosphanes with an amino group R are covalent in benzene but become more or less ionic in dichloromethane solution. The solvent-dependent dissociation equilibrium can be followed by ³¹P NMR spectra. In case of an enamine-derived ylidyl chlorophosphane, the equilibrium shifts almost completely from the covalent to the ionic side within a rather narrow range of solvent composition (20 to 70 vol % dichloromethane). © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Theoretical study of intramolecular hydrogen bonding and molecular geometry of 2-trifluoromethylphenol

The conformational behavior of 2-trifluoromethylphenol was investigated by means of theoretical calculations. Four characteristic structures have been found on the potential energy hypersurface of the compound: anti form (local minimum), in which the hydroxy hydrogen points away from the trifluoromethyl group; and three syn forms (the hydrogen points towards the trifluoromethyl group), with different trifluoromethyl torsions (global minimum, one low and another one high lying saddle-point). The geometry of these conformers were optimized by ab initio calculations using 6-31G** basis set. The effects of electron correlation were investigated by MP2 and various DFT methods. To investigate the intramolecular interaction in the syn forms, the electron density distribution was calculated at the MP2 level of theory. In the structure corresponding to the global minimum at the MP2/6-31G** level a bond critical point was found in Bader's sense between the hydroxy hydrogen and a fluorine of the trifluoromethyl group indicating hydrogen bonding interaction. The length of the hydrogen bond, 1.98 Å, corresponds to medium strength interaction. The O(SINGLE BOND)H bond is slightly twisted and the C(SINGLE BOND)F bond, interacting with it, is considerably twisted out of the plane of the benzene ring to the same side of the ring. The most pronounced geometrical consequence of the hydrogen bond is the 0.02-Å lengthening of the C(SINGLE BOND)F bond participating in its formation. All the other geometrical changes in 2-trifluoromethylphenol, as compared with trifluoromethylbenzene and phenol, are also consistent with the phenomenon of resonance-assisted hydrogen bonding. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A comparative study of O2, CO,and NO binding to iron–porphyrin

Minimum-energy structures of O₂, CO, and NO iron–porphyrin (FeP) complexes, computed with the Car–Parrinello molecular dynamics, agree well with the available experimental data for synthetic heme models. The diatomic molecule induces a 0.3–0.4 Å displacement of the Fe atom out of the porphyrin nitrogen (N_p) plane and a doming of the overall porphyrin ring. The energy of the iron–diatomic bond increases in the order Fe(SINGLE BOND)O₂ (9 kcal/mol) < Fe(SINGLE BOND)CO (26 kcal/mol) < Fe(SINGLE BOND)NO (35 kcal/mol). The presence of an imidazole axial ligand increases the strength of the Fe(SINGLE BOND)O₂ and Fe(SINGLE BOND)CO bonds (15 and 35 kcal/mol, respectively), with few structural changes with respect to the FeP(CO) and FeP(O₂) complexes. In contrast, the imidazole ligand does not affect the energy of the Fe(SINGLE BOND)NO bond, but induces significant structural changes with respect to the FeP(NO) complex. Similar variations in the iron–imidazole bond with respect to the addition of CO, O₂, and NO are also discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 69: 31–35, 1998     

A density functional study of Fe(SINGLE BOND)N2, Fe(SINGLE BOND)N+2, and Fe(SINGLE BOND)N−2

The interaction of an iron atom with molecular nitrogen was studied using density functional theory. Calculations were of the all-electron type and both conventional local and gradient-dependent models were used. A ground state of linear structure was found for Fe(SINGLE BOND)N₂, with 2S + 1 = 3, whereas the triangular Fe(SINGLE BOND)N₂ geometry, of C_2v symmetry, was located 2.1 kcal/mol higher in energy, at least for the gradient-dependent model. The reversed order was found using the conventional local approximation. In Fe(SINGLE BOND)N₂, the N(SINGLE BOND)N bond is strongly perturbed by the iron atom: It has a bond order of 2.4, a vibrational frequency of 1886 cm⁻¹, and an equilibrium bond length of 1.16 Å: These values are 3.0, 2359 cm⁻¹, and 1.095 Å, respectively, for the free N₂ molecule. With the gradient-dependent model and corrections for nonsphericity of the Fe atom, a very small binding energy, 8.8 kcal/mol, was calculated for Fe(SINGLE BOND)N₂. Quartet ground states were found for both Fe(SINGLE BOND)N⁺₂ and Fe(SINGLE BOND)N⁻₂. The adiabatic ionization potential, electron affinity, and electronegativity were also computed; the predicted values are 7.2, 1.22, and 4.2 eV, respectively. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Absorption maxima study of chromophores of indigoid dyes

Molecular structure of 21 chromophores of indigoid dyes were studied by an ab initio MP2/6–31 + G*/ /HF/6–31 + G* method. Bond lengths and bond angles were affected by π-electron conjugation. The difference between molecular structures of chromophores and indigoid dyes indicated that benzene rings and five-membered rings in indigoid dyes are structurally important. Absorption maxima of chromophores were successfully calculated by the CI-singles-MP2/6–31 + G* theory. Like indigoid dyes, absorption maxima of the chromophores are affected by the positions of the donor and acceptor groups on the trimethine group. Bathochromic shifts of the absorption maxima were observed with the best donor group of (SINGLE BOND)NH among (SINGLE BOND)NH, (SINGLE BOND)O, and (SINGLE BOND)S groups. Appropriate substitution of longer-chain polymethines brought about chromophoric systems having hypsochromic shifts. From these calculations, the absorption maxima of some indigoid dyes could be explained by their chromophores qualitatively. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Hydrogen-bonding interactions of the trifluoromethyl group: 2-Trifluoromethylvinyl alcohol

As part of our investigation of intramolecular hydrogen bonding and its geometrical consequences, ab initio molecular orbital calculations on 2-trifluoromethylphenol and 2-trifluoromethylvinyl alcohol and their parent structures were performed at the MP2/6–31+G^** level of theory. The intramolecular hydrogen bonding in 2-trifluoromethylvinyl alcohol appears stronger than that in 2-trifluoromethylphenol as witnessed by the shorter F...H interaction (1.96 Å) and the greater bond length changes in the rest of the molecule, as compared with the respective parent molecules. Beyond the geometrical characteristics, the energetics of hypothetical isodesmic reactions and the small shift of the O(SINGLE BOND)H stretching frequency indicate that these C(SINGLE BOND)F...H(SINGLE BOND)O interactions are rather weak. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 62: 645–652, 1997     

Comparative study of BSSE correction methods at DFT and MP2 levels of theory

A comparative study of intermolecular potential energy curves is performed on the complexes H₂O(SINGLE BOND)HF, H₂O(SINGLE BOND)H₂O, H₂O(SINGLE BOND)H₂S, and H₂S(SINGLE BOND)H₂S using nine different basis sets at the MP2 and DFT (BLYP and B3LYP) levels of theory. The basis set superposition error is corrected by means of the counterpoise scheme and based on the “chemical Hamiltonian approach.” The counterpoise and CHA-corrected DFT curves are generally close to each other. Using small basis sets, the B3LYP functional cannot be favored against the BLYP one because the BLYP results sometimes get closer to the MP2 values than those of B3LYP. From the results—including the available literature data—we suggest that one has to use at least polarized-valence triple-zeta-quality basis sets (TZV, 6-311G) for the investigation of hydrogen-bonded complexes. Special attention must be paid to the physical nature of the binding. If the dispersion forces become significant DFT methods are not able to describe the interaction. Proper correction for the basis set superposition error is found to be mandatory in all cases. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 19: 575–584, 1998     

G2 ab initio calculations on three-membered rings: Role of hydrogen atoms

G2 ab initio calculations on all ABX three-membered rings (TMRs) that can be derived from cyclopropane by systematic substitution of the (SINGLE BOND)CH₂ groups by (SINGLE BOND)NH or (SINGLE BOND)O groups have been performed. Our results show that the decrease in the A(SINGLE BOND)B bond length as the electronegativity of X increases is significantly larger than that found for the corresponding acyclic analogs. In general, a systematic substitution of the (SINGLE BOND)CH₂ groups of cyclopropane by (SINGLE BOND)NH or (SINGLE BOND)O groups implies significant geometric changes that are not reflected in a parallel change of the corresponding conventional ring strain energy (CRSE). When the electronegativity of the groups forming the TMR increases the effect on the CRSE of the system is small, although the charge delocalization inside the ring decreases. The near constancy of the CRSE along the series can be explained in terms of the charge redistribution of the system where the (SINGLE BOND)CH₂ groups play a crucial role. There are, however, significant changes in the hydrogenation energies of the TMR investigated; our results show that, when in an ABX three-membered ring, the electronegativity of X increases the hydrogenation energy of A(SINGLE BOND)B bond decreases and vice versa. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 19: 1072–1086, 1998     

The structure of 1-chlorosilatrane: An ab initio molecular orbital and a density functional theory study

The molecular geometries of the 1-chloro-, 1-fluoro-, 1-methyl-, and 1-hydrogenosilatranes were fully optimized by the restricted Hartree-Fock (HF) method supplemented with 3-21G, 3-21G(d), 6-31G(d), and CEP-31G(d) basis sets; by MP2 calculations using 6-31G(d) and CEP-31G(d) basis sets; and by GGA-DFT calculations using 6-31G(d5) basis set with the aim of locating the positions of the local minima on the energy hypersurface. The HF/6-31G(d) calculations predict long (>254 pm) and the MP2/CEP calculations predicted short (∼225 pm) equilibrium Si(SINGLE BOND)N distances. The present GGA-DFT calculations reproduce the available gas phase experimental Si(SINGLE BOND)N distances correctly. The solid phase experimental results predict that the Si(SINGLE BOND)N distance is shorter in 1-chlorosilatrane than in 1-fluorosilatrane. In this respect the HF results show a strong basis set dependence, the MP2/CEP results contradict the experiment, and the GGA-DFT results in electrolytic medium agree with the experiment. The latter calculations predict that 1-chlorosilatrane is more polarizable than 1-fluorosilatrane and also support a general Si(SINGLE BOND)N distance shortening trend for silatranes during the transition from gas phase to polar liquid or solid phase. The calculations predict that the ethoxy links of the silatrane skeleton are flexible. Consequently, it is difficult to measure experimentally the related bond lengths and bond and torsion angles. This is the probable origin of the surprisingly large differences for the experimental structural parameters. On the basis of experimental analogies, ab initio calculations, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, a gas phase equilibrium (r_e) geometry is predicted for 1-chlorosilatrane. The semiempirical methods predict a so-called exo minimum (at above 310 pm Si(SINGLE BOND)N distance); however, the ab initio and GGA-DFT calculations suggest that this form is nonexistent. The GGA-DFT geometry optima were characterized by frequency analysis. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Theoretical study of ester enolate–imine condensation route to β-lactams

The condensation reaction of the enolate of methyl acetate with formaldimine to afford a β-lactam was studied using the MP2-FC/6-31+G* level of theory taking into account the electrostatic effect of the solvent by means of a self-consistent reaction field continuum model. The reaction is a stepwise process with three main steps: the formation of the C3(SINGLE BOND)C4 bond, the closure of the β-lactam ring, and the elimination of the methoxide ion. The formation of the C3(SINGLE BOND)C4 bond is rate determining and according to our calculations is not a reversible step. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 19: 1826–1833, 1998     

Cyanide adsorbed on coinage metal electrodes: A relativistic density functional investigation

The adsorptive properties of cyanide (CN⁻) on coinage metal (M) electrodes (M=Cu, Ag, Au) have been investigated using a relativistic density functional method. The way to model the electrochemical potential applied to the electrodes is to consider the systems in the presence of a perturbative external field F. The field-perturbative approach is proven to be a suitable method in interpreting the observed spectral shifts with electrode potential. The calculated potential-dependent shifts of ω_{M(SINGLE BOND)CN} and ω_{C(SINGLE BOND)M} are similar for the three metals, in agreement with experiment observations. The relativistic effects are required to account for the similarity in the frequency shifts of ω_{M(SINGLE BOND)CN}. The calculated vibrational tuning rates dω_{C(SINGLE BOND)N}/dF are 6.61×10⁻⁷, 6.61×10⁻⁷, and 5.64×10⁻⁷ cm⁻¹/(V/cm) for M=Cu, Ag, and Au, respectively. The coupling of the M(SINGLE BOND)CN and C(SINGLE BOND)N internal modes contributes significantly (about 25%) to the size of the frequency shifts Δω_{C(SINGLE BOND)N} of the ligand. The effect of electric fields on the metal(SINGLE BOND)CN⁻ bonding is also investigated. It is shown that changes in the magnitude of CN⁻ to the metal donation and M(SINGLE BOND)CN bond strength occur under the influence of the electric field. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 67: 175–185, 1998     

Theoretical investigation of unimolecular decomposition channels of furan4

Density functional theory and high-level ab initio calculations were carried out to investigate three unimolecular decomposition channels of furan. All equilibrium and transition state structures along the proposed decomposition channels are fully optimized by B3LYP/6-31G** and characterized at the same level of theory by vibrational and intrinsic reaction coordinate analyses. Relative energies of the optimized structures were evaluated at theoretical levels up to QCISD(T)/6-311++G**. The theoretical results suggest that the unimolecular decomposition channel of isoxazole, proposed in an experimental study and implied to be the main decomposition channel of furan, is responsible only for the formation of HC(TRIPLE BOND)CH and H₂O(DOUBLE BOND)C(DOUBLE BOND)O, minor products of furan thermal decomposition. A new decomposition mechanism, proposed in the present study, is shown to be more likely responsible for the formation of CH₃C(TRIPLE BOND)CH and CO, major products of furan thermal decomposition. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 19: 240–249, 1998