Photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio study of the doubly antiaromatic B(6) (2-) dianion in the LiB(6) (-) cluster

A metal-boron mixed cluster LiB(6) (-) was produced and characterized by photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. A number of electronic transitions were observed and used to compare with theoretical calculations. An extensive search for the global minimum of LiB(6) (-) was carried out via an ab initio genetic algorithm technique. The pyramidal C(2v) ((1)A(1)) molecule was found to be the most stable at all levels of theory. The nearest low-lying isomer was found to be a triplet C(2) ((3)B) structure, 9.2 kcal/mol higher in energy. Comparison of calculated detachment transitions from LiB(6) (-) and the experimental photoelectron spectra confirmed the C(2v) pyramidal global minimum structure. Natural population calculation revealed that LiB(6) (-) is a charge-transfer complex, Li(+)B(6) (2-), in which Li(+) and B(6) (2-) interact in a primarily ionic manner. Analyses of the molecular orbitals and chemical bonding of B(6) (2-) showed that the planar cluster is twofold (pi- and sigma-) antiaromatic, which can be viewed as the fusion of two aromatic B(3) (-) units.     

Gas-phase stability of derivatives of the closo-hexaborate dianion B(6)H(6)(2-)

B(6)H(6)(2-) does not represent a stable gas-phase dianion, but emits spontaneously one of its excess electrons in the gas phase. In this work we address the question whether small stable gas-phase dianions can be constructed from the parent B(6)H(6)(2-) dianion by substitution of the hydrogens with appropriate ligands. Various hexa-, tetra-, and disubstituted derivatives B(6)L(6)(2-), B(6)H(2)L(4)(2-), and B(6)H(4)L(2)(2-) (L = F, Cl, CN, NC, or BO) are investigated with ab initio methods in detail. Four stable hexasubstituted B(6)L(6)(2-) (L = Cl, CN, NC, or BO) and three stable B(6)H(2)L(4)(2-) (L = CN, NC, or BO) gas-phase dianions could be identified and predicted to be observable in the gas phase. The trends in the electron-detachment energies depending on various ligands are discussed and understood in the underlying electrostatic pattern and the electronegativities of the involved elements.     

Reactions of a 4-(trifluoromethyl)thiazole dianion

Treatment of 2-trifluoroacetamido-4-(trifluoromethyl)thiazole with two equivalents of n-butyllithium at -78° produced the thiazole dianion 5 in situ, which reacted preferentially at the 5-position with a variety of electrophiles. These electrophiles include: an aldehyde, ketone, chloroformate, acid chloride, phosphorus oxychloride, silicon chloride, and disulfide. Dianion 5 also combined with dibromodifluoromethane at -98° to give the corresponding 5-(bromodifluoromethyl)thiazole 7 , which is an unusual reaction for an aromatic or heteroaromatic system. Compound 7 was converted to a 4,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl)thiazole 8 using tetrabutylammonium fluoride.     

Der erste Vertreter des K2PtCl6-Typs bei Fluoriden A2[PtF6]: β-Cs2[PtF6]

The First Fluoride A₂[PtF₆] of the K₂PtCl₆ Type: β-Cs₂[PtF₆] For the first time, yellow cubic single crystals of Cs₂[PtF₆] have been obtained by solid state reaction, heating (Pt-tube, 35 d, 800°C) the fluorination product of an intimate mixture of (NH₄)₂PtCl₆ and 2 CsCl (diluted F₂, F₂:N₂ = 1:5, 10 d, 400°C). The new form is isostructural with K₂PtCl₆: Fm3 m; a = 905.5(2) pm; Z = 4 (Guinier-de Wolff data, CuKα₁); R = 2.32% (SHELX-76); 1398 I₀(hkl), Image-Plate diffractometer data (Stoe IPDS). It is compared with already known α-Cs₂[PtF₆] (K₂GeF₆-type, P3 m1). The Madelung-Part of Lattice Energy, MAPLE, Effective Coordination Numbers, ECoN, and Mean Fictive Ionic Radii, MEFIR, are calculated and discussed in comparison with the data of further Hexafluoroplatinates(IV). A complete analysis of MAPLE was carried out for the title compound as well as for the α- and a hypothetical α′-form.     

2-(Trimethylsilyloxy)furan as a dianion equivalent: a two-step synthesis of functionalized spirocyclic butenolides

[reaction: see text] The use of 2-(trimethylsilyloxy)furan derivatives as dianion equivalents leads to a general and connective spiroannulation protocol for the efficient preparation of spirocyclic butenolides.     

Comprehensive relativistic ab initio and density functional theory studies on PtH, PtF, PtCl, and Pt(NH(3))(2)Cl(2)

Platinum monohydride is taken as an example to compare the performance of various relativistic and correlation approaches, such as all-electron DPT (direct perturbation theory), ECP (effective core potential); RSPT2, RSPT3 (second- and third-order multireference Rayleigh-Schr?dinger perturbation theory), CCSD(T) (coupled-cluster with singles, doubles, and perturbative triples), as well as the four-component relativistic density functional theory. It is shown that first-order DPT performs significantly better than the (first-order) Breit-Pauli Hamiltonian. The performance of different approaches for the excitation energies of the platinum diatomics is discussed critically. The molecular spectroscopic constants for PtF and PtCl are predicted for the first time. The geometric data for several isomers of cis- and trans-Pt(NH(3))(2)Cl(2) are reported. The corresponding energetic data are calculated at relativistic all-electron and ECP-CCSD(T) as well as four-component relativistic density functional levels of theory. Contrary to previous results, it is found that the two C(2v) isomers of cis-Pt(NH(3))(2)Cl(2) are marginally separated in energy, which could be ascribed to Cl-H interactions.     

Infrared spectrum of the hyponitrite dianion, N(2)O(2)2-, isolated and insulated from stabilizing metal cations in solid argon.

Ultraviolet irradiation of a rigid 7 K argon matrix containing alkali or alkaline earth metal atoms and NO(2) isolated from each other by one or two layers of argon forms N(2)O(2)2-dianions insulated from two M(+) cations by argon atoms, and visible photolysis reverses this electron-transfer process likely involving the N(2)O(2)(-) anion intermediate. The isolated N(2)O(2)2- dianion is identified from isotopic substitution and isotopic mixtures, which show that the new 1028.5 cm(-1) metal independent absorption involves two equivalent NO subunits. DFT calculations predict a strong 1078.1 cm(-1) fundamental for the Li(NO)(2)Li molecule and isotopic frequency ratios in excellent agreement with the observed values, which provides a model for the matrix dianion system. The spectrum of solid Na(2)N(2)O(2) exhibits a 1030 cm(-1) infrared band, which strongly supports the present N(2)O(2)2- dianion assignment. The electrostatic stabilization of N(2)O(2)2-, which is probably unstable in the gas phase, is made possible by metal cations separated by one or two insulating layers of argon in the rigid 7 K matrix.     

A density functional study on beryllium-doped carbon dianion clusters CnBe2- (n = 4-14)

Making use of the software of molecular graphics, we designed numerous models of C(n)()Be(2-) (n = 4-14). We carried out geometry optimization and calculation on vibration frequency by means of the B3LYP density functional method. After comparison of structure stability, we found that the ground-state isomers of C(n)()Be(2-) (n = 4-14) are linear with the beryllium atom located inside the C(n)() chain. When a side carbon chain is with an even number of carbon atoms, it is polyacetylene-like, whereas when a side chain is with an odd number of carbon atoms, it is cumulene-like. The C(n)Be(2-) (n = 4-14) clusters with an even number of carbon atoms are more stable than that with an odd number of carbon atoms, matching the peak pattern observed in accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and Coulomb Explosion Imaging (CEI) investigations of C(n)()Be(2-) (n = 4-14). The trend of such odd/even alternation is explained based on concepts of bonding characteristics, electronic configuration, electron detachment, and incremental binding energy.     

Ozonic acid and its ionic salts: ab initio probing of the O(4)(2)(-) dianion

The pyramidal O(4)(2)(-) dianion is valence isoelectronic to the well-known ClO(3)(-) and SO(3)(2)(-) anions, and yet it has not been observed. The synthesis of any molecule containing such a dianion would represent a major breakthrough in making molecules containing more than three covalently bound oxygen atoms. We found that the parent H(2)O(4) ozonic acid is unstable in the form of the valence isoelectronic sulfurous acid H(2)SO(3). Our quantum chemical probing of the Li(2)O(4) ionic salt molecule is inconclusive. However, we found that the specially designed FLi(3)O(4) gas phase molecule is a true metastable species and could be considered as the first molecule containing the O(4)(2)(-) dianion. Our theoretical prediction of the first compound containing the tetraatomic covalently bound O(4)(2)(-) dianion opens the possibility to even more oxygen rich compounds, which will have a great potential as high density oxygen storage.     

Photoelectron spectroscopy and the electronic structure of the uranyl tetrachloride dianion: UO(2)Cl(4) (2-)

The uranyl tetrachloride dianion (UO(2)Cl(4) (2-)) is observed in the gas phase using electrospray ionization and investigated by photoelectron spectroscopy and relativistic quantum chemical calculations. Photoelectron spectra of UO(2)Cl(4) (2-) are obtained at various photon energies and congested spectral features are observed. The free UO(2)Cl(4) (2-) dianion is found to be highly stable with an adiabatic electron binding energy of 2.40 eV. Ab initio calculations are carried out and used to interpret the photoelectron spectra and elucidate the electronic structure of UO(2)Cl(4) (2-). The calculations show that the frontier molecular orbitals in UO(2)Cl(4) (2-) are dominated by the ligand Cl 3p orbitals, while the U-O bonding orbitals are much more stable. The electronic structure of UO(2)Cl(4) (2-) is compared with that of the recently reported UO(2)F(4) (2-) [P. D. Dau, J. Su, H. T. Liu, J. B. Liu, D. L. Huang, J. Li, and L. S. Wang, Chem. Sci. 3 1137 (2012)]. The electron binding energy of UO(2)Cl(4) (2-) is found to be 1.3 eV greater than that of UO(2)F(4) (2-). The differences in the electronic stability and electronic structure between UO(2)Cl(4) (2-) and UO(2)F(4) (2-) are discussed.     

Protonation behavior of 6-deoxy-6-(2-aminoethyl)amino cellulose: a potentiometric titration study

The protonation behavior of 6-deoxy-6-(2-aminoethyl)amino cellulose as a novel soluble aminated derivate of cellulose was studied by means of the potentiometric titration technique. The resulting proton binding isotherms exhibit two equivalent steps, which can be described by the standard macroscopic two-pK model, in which the degree of protonation is averaged over all the amine groups. In addition, a microscopic proton binding model was applied, in which the protonation sites are distinguished and the protonation free energy is expanded into an intrinsic term and an electrostatic repulsion between the primary and secondary amine groups. The protonation behavior of 6-deoxy-6-(2-aminoethyl)amino cellulose was compared with a model compound (N-methylethylenediamine).     

Cubic and spirocyclic radicals containing a tetraimidophosphate dianion [P(NR)3(NR')]*2-

The reaction of Cl(3)PNSiMe(3) with 3 equiv of LiHNR (R = (i)Pr, Cy, (t)Bu, Ad) in diethyl ether produces the corresponding tris(amino)(imino)phosphoranes (RNH)(3)PNSiMe(3) (1a, R = (i)Pr; 1b, R = Cy; 1c, R = (t)Bu; 1d, R = Ad); subsequent reactions of 1b-d with (n)BuLi yield the trilithiated tetraimidophosphates {Li(3)[P(NR)(3)(NSiMe(3))]} (2a, R = Cy; 2b, R = (t)Bu; 2c, R = Ad). The reaction of [((t)BuNH)(4)P]Cl with 1 equiv of (n)BuLi results in the isolation of ((t)BuNH)(3)PN(t)Bu (1e); treatment of 1e with additional (n)BuLi generates the symmetrical tetraimidophosphate {Li(3)[P(N(t)Bu)(4)]} (2d). Compounds 1 and 2 have been characterized by multinuclear ((1)H, (13)C, and (31)P) NMR spectroscopy; X-ray structures of 1b,c were also obtained. Oxidations of 2a-c with iodine, bromine, or sulfuryl chloride produces transient radicals in the case of 2a or stable radicals of the formula {Li(2)[P(NR)(3)(NSiMe(3))]LiX.3THF}* (X = Cl, Br, I; R = (t)Bu, Ad). The stable radicals exhibit C(3) symmetry and are thought to exist in a cubic arrangement, with the monomeric LiX unit bonded to the neutral radical {Li(2)[P(NR)(3)(NSiMe(3))]}* to complete the Li(3)N(3)PX cube. Reactions of solvent-separated ion pair {[Li(THF)(4)]{Li(THF)(2)[(mu-N(t)Bu)(2)P(mu-N(t)Bu)(2)]Li(THF)(2)} (6) with I(2) or SO(2)Cl(2) produce the persistent spirocyclic radical {(THF)(2)Li(mu-N(t)Bu)(2)P(mu-N(t)Bu)Li(THF)(2)}* (10a); all radicals have been characterized by a combination of variable concentration EPR experiments and DFT calculations.     

High resolution and low-temperature photoelectron spectroscopy of an oxygen-linked fullerene dimer dianion: C(120)O(2-)

C(120)O comprises two C(60) cages linked by a furan ring and is formed by reactions of C(60)O and C(60). We have produced doubly charged anions of this fullerene dimer (C(120)O(2-)) and studied its electronic structure and stability using photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. High resolution and vibrationally resolved photoelectron spectra were obtained at 70 K and at several photon energies. The second electron affinity of C(120)O was measured to be 1.02+/-0.03 eV and the intramolecular Coulomb repulsion was estimated to be about 0.8 eV in C(120)O(2-) on the basis of the observed repulsive Coulomb barrier. A low-lying excited state ((2)B(1)) was also observed for C(120)O(-) at 0.09 eV above the ground state ((2)A(1)). The C(120)O(2-) dianion can be viewed as a single electron on each C(60) ball very weakly coupled. Theoretical calculations showed that the singlet and triplet states of C(120)O(2-) are nearly degenerate and can both be present in the experiment. The computed electron binding energies and excitation energies, as well as Franck-Condon factors, are used to help interpret the photoelectron spectra. A C-C bond-cleaved isomer, C(60)-O-C(60) (2-), was also observed with a higher electron binding energy of 1.54 eV.     

Synthesis of (E)-2-methoxy-6-(R-imino)methylphenols and 2-methoxy-6-(R-amino)methylphenols

(E)-2-Methoxy-6-(R-imino)methylphenols were synthesized by the condensation of 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde with primary amines. By reduction of the iminophenols with sodium triacetoxyborohydride 2-methoxy-6-(R-amino)methylphenols were obtained.     

Synthesis of D-(6R) - and D-(6S) -(6-2H1) glucose

Chemical synthesis ofD-(6R)- and D(6S)-(6-²H₁) glucose is described comprising (i) formation of 6-²H₁)-3-o-benzyl-5,6-dideoxy-l, 2-0-isopropylidene-α-D-xylo-hex-5-ynofuranose from D-glucose; (ii) stereospecific reduction of the deuterated acetylene functionality to (E)- or (Z)-deuterated olefin; (iii) stereospecific cis-dihydroxylation of the deuterated olefin; and (iv) separation of stereoisomers based on the intrinsic chirality of D-glucose and subsequent deprotection.