Protonolysis of a ruthenium-carbene bond and applications in olefin metathesis

The synthesis of a ruthenium complex containing an N-heterocylic carbene (NHC) and a mesoionic carbene (MIC) is described wherein addition of a Br?nsted acid results in protonolysis of the Ru-MIC bond to generate an extremely active metathesis catalyst. Mechanistic studies implicated a rate-determining protonation step in the generation of the metathesis-active species. The activity of the NHC/MIC catalyst was found to exceed those of current commercial ruthenium catalysts.     

A theoretical study of the structural and electronic properties of some titanocenes using DFT,TD-DFT,and QTAIM

Structural Chemistry - Titanocenes are gradually proven to possess good anticancer activity. In this paper, we present a theoretical study of some properties of six promising anticancer titanocenes...     

QTAIM characteristics of halogen bond and related interactions

Different types of noncovalent interactions such as, for example, halogen bond, hydrogen bond, and dihalogen bond are analyzed. The analysis is based on ab initio calculations which were performed on complexes of the F(3)CCl molecule. This choice is connected with the features of the Cl atom which may act as the Lewis acid and also as the Lewis base center. Such a dual role is a consequence of the existence of negative and positive regions of the electrostatic potential of the Cl center. Hence, the F(3)CCl molecule forms complexes linked by various interactions. The formation of the complexes leads to the electron charge redistribution which is reflected in the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) characteristics. Numerous correlations and tendencies were found here between QTAIM, geometrical and energetic parameters. It was found that the mechanism of the formation of complexes linked through various interactions is generally the same as that known for the hydrogen bond formation. The dependencies and QTAIM characteristics considered here are in agreement with Bent's rule.     

Chemical Bonds and Spin State Splittings in Spin Crossover Complexes. A DFT and QTAIM Analysis

Summary. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed for the high-spin (HS) and low-spin (LS) isomers of a series of iron(II) spin crossover complexes with nitrogen ligands. The calculated charge densities have been analyzed in the framework of the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM). For a number of iron(II) complexes with substituted tris(pyrazolyl) ligands the energy difference between HS and LS isomers, the spin state splitting, has been decomposed into atomic contributions in order to rationalize changes of the spin state splitting due to substituent effects.     

Reactivity of the carbon-carbon double bond towards nucleophilic additions. A DFT analysis

The global and local electrophilicity indexes have been used to characterize the reactivity pattern of the CC double bond towards nucleophilic addition reactions. A wide family of molecules including ketones, esters, anhydrides, nitriles and nitrocompounds containing appropriate substitution on the CC double bond have been classified within an unique scale of reactivity. The predictive capability of the theoretical model is tested against a series of benzylidenemalononitriles and substituted α-nitrostilbenes.     

Theoretical study of the interaction between carbon-carbon triple bonds in cyclic diynes: a combined DFT and QTAIM approach

Structural Chemistry - The aim of the present study is to investigate the nature of the intramolecular interaction that operates between the carbon-carbon triple bonds of cyclic diynes. A...     

Structure and intramolecular stabilization of geometric isomers of Bi- and trithiazolidine-4-ones and their methyl derivatives: A DFT and QTAIM study

At the DFT level with the B3LYP hybride functional the structure and relative stability of geometric isomers of bi- and trithiazolidine-4-ones are calculated. Based on Bader’s analysis of the electron density distribution the presence of intramolecular hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions is found in the studied isomers. Energies of these interactions are calculated. It is shown that the presence of a substituent in the thiazolidine ring affects the stabiliyty of the studied geometric isomers.     

Modeling of heavy-atom-ligand NMR spin-spin coupling in solution: molecular dynamics study and natural bond orbital analysis of Hg-C coupling constants

Ab initio molecular dynamics (MD) and relativistic density functional NMR methods were applied to calculate the one‐bond Hg? C NMR indirect nuclear spin–spin coupling constants (J) of [Hg(CN)₂] and [CH₃HgCl] in solution. The MD averages were obtained as J(¹⁹⁹Hg? ¹³C)=3200 and 1575 Hz, respectively. The experimental Hg? C spin–spin coupling constants of [Hg(CN)₂] in methanol and [CH₃HgCl] in DMSO are 3143 and 1674 Hz, respectively. To deal with solvent effects in the calculations, finite “droplet” models of the two systems were set up. Solvent effects in both systems lead to a strong increase of the Hg? C coupling constant. From a relativistic natural localized molecular orbital (NLMO) analysis, it was found that the degree of delocalization of the Hg 5d_σ nonbonding orbital and of the Hg? C bonding orbital between the two coupled atoms, the nature of the trans Hg? C/Cl bonding orbital, and the s character of these orbitals, exhibit trends upon solvation of the complexes that, when combined, lead to the strong increase of J(Hg? C).     

On the chemical bonding features in palladium containing compounds: A combined QTAIM/DFT topological analysis

Topological analyses of the electron density on N-benzoyl-L-pheylalanine and its palladium(II) complexes are carried out using the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) at the M06/6-31G(d) theoretical level. The topological parameters derived from the Bader theory are also analyzed; these are characteristics of Pd bond critical points and ring critical points. The calculated structural parameters are the highest occupied molecular orbital energy (E _HOMO), the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy (E _LUMO), the hardness (η), the softness (S), the absolute electronegativity (χ), the electrophilicity index (ω), and the fractions of electrons transferred (ΔN) from ethylenediamine, 2,2′-bipyridine and 1,10-phenanthroline complexes to N-benzoyl-L-pheylalanine. The numerous correlations and dependences between the energy terms of the symmetry adapted perturbation theory approach, geometrical, topological, and energy parameters are detected and described.     

草酰溴一价正离子(BrCO)+2几何构型及反应活性的DFT研究

用密度泛函方法BHandHIYP以6-311 G(d)和6-311 G(2df）为基组对草酰溴的一价正离子(BrCO)2^ 和中性分子(BrCO)2做了构象分析,结果表明,(BrCO)^ 2和(BrCO)2都具有平面反式和交叉式两种构象。交叉式构象存在超共轭现象。此外,对草酰溴离子、中性分子各解离通道初级反应的Gibbs自由能的计算,发现草酰溴离子C-C键解离通道的反应活性总体上大于中性分子,对该反应通道进一步做了反应机理研究,证实了热力学结论。     

Oxidative addition of the ethane C-C bond to Pd. An ab initio benchmark and DFT validation study

We have computed a state-of-the-art benchmark potential energy surface (PES) for the archetypal oxidative addition of the ethane C-C bond to the palladium atom and have used this to evaluate the performance of 24 popular density functionals, covering LDA, GGA, meta-GGA, and hybrid density functionals, for describing this reaction. The ab initio benchmark is obtained by exploring the PES using a hierarchical series of ab initio methods [HF, MP2, CCSD, CCSD(T)] in combination with a hierarchical series of five Gaussian-type basis sets, up to g polarization. Relativistic effects are taken into account either through a relativistic effective core potential for palladium or through a full four-component all-electron approach. Our best estimate of kinetic and thermodynamic parameters is -10.8 (-11.3) kcal/mol for the formation of the reactant complex, 19.4 (17.1) kcal/mol for the activation energy relative to the separate reactants, and -4.5 (-6.8) kcal/mol for the reaction energy (zero-point vibrational energy-corrected values in parentheses). Our work highlights the importance of sufficient higher angular momentum polarization functions for correctly describing metal-d-electron correlation. Best overall agreement with our ab initio benchmark is obtained by functionals from all three categories, GGA, meta-GGA, and hybrid DFT, with mean absolute errors of 1.5 to 2.5 kcal/mol and errors in activation energies ranging from -0.2 to -3.2 kcal/mol. Interestingly, the well-known BLYP functional compares very reasonably with a slight underestimation of the overall barrier by -0.9 kcal/mol. For comparison, with B3LYP we arrive at an overestimation of the overall barrier by 5.8 kcal/mol. On the other hand, B3LYP performs excellently for the central barrier (i.e., relative to the reactant complex) which it underestimates by only -0.1 kcal/mol.     

Oxidative addition of the fluoromethane C-F bond to Pd. An ab initio benchmark and DFT validation study

We have computed a state-of-the-art benchmark potential energy surface (PES) for two reaction pathways (oxidative insertion, OxIn, and S(N)2) for oxidative addition of the fluoromethane C-F bond to the palladium atom and have used this to evaluate the performance of 26 popular density functionals, covering LDA, GGA, meta-GGA, and hybrid density functionals, for describing these reactions. The ab initio benchmark is obtained by exploring the PES using a hierarchical series of ab initio methods (HF, MP2, CCSD, CCSD(T)) in combination with a hierarchical series of seven Gaussian-type basis sets, up to g polarization. Relativistic effects are taken into account through a full four-component all-electron approach. Our best estimate of kinetic and thermodynamic parameters is -5.3 (-6.1) kcal/mol for the formation of the reactant complex, 27.8 (25.4) kcal/mol for the activation energy for oxidative insertion (OxIn) relative to the separate reactants, 37.5 (31.8) kcal/mol for the activation energy for the alternative S(N)2 pathway, and -6.4 (-7.8) kcal/mol for the reaction energy (zero-point vibrational energy-corrected values in parentheses). Our work highlights the importance of sufficient higher angular momentum polarization functions for correctly describing metal-d-electron correlation. Best overall agreement with our ab initio benchmark is obtained by functionals from all three categories, GGA, meta-GGA, and hybrid DFT, with mean absolute errors of 1.4-2.7 kcal/mol and errors in activation energies ranging from 0.3 to 2.8 kcal/mol. The B3LYP functional compares very well with a slight underestimation of the overall barrier for OxIn by -0.9 kcal/mol. For comparison, the well-known BLYP functional underestimates the overall barrier by -10.1 kcal/mol. The relative performance of these two functionals is inverted with respect to previous findings for the insertion of Pd into the C-H and C-C bonds. However, all major functionals yield correct trends and qualitative features of the PES, in particular, a clear preference for the OxIn over the alternative S(N)2 pathway.     

DFT study of the C-Cl bond dissociation enthalpies and electronic structure of substituted chlorobenzene compounds

Quantum chemical calculations were used to estimate the bond dissociation energies (BDEs) for 13 substituted chlorobenzene compounds. These compounds were studied by employing the hybrid density functional theory methods (B3LYP, B3PW1, B3P86) with 6-31G** and 6-311G** basis sets. It was demonstrated that B3P86/6-311G** method is the best method for computing the reliable BDEs for substituted chlorobenzene compounds which contain the C-Cl bond. It was found that the C-Cl BDE depends strongly on a computational method and basis set used. Substitution effect on the C-Cl BDE of substituted chlorobenzene compounds is further discussed. It is shown that the effects of substitution on the C-Cl BDE of substituted chlorobenzene compounds are very insignificant. Frontier orbital energy gap of studied compounds was also investigated. From the data on frontier orbital energies gap, we estimated the relative thermal stability of substituted chlorobenzene compounds.     

Protonolysis of the carbon-palladium bond in palladium(II)-catalyzed enyne cyclization in imidazolium-type ionic liquids

The Pd-catalyzed cyclizations of 1,6-enynes are efficient reactions for the synthesis of α-methylene-γ-butyrolactones and lactams. The effects of solvent, proton source, chloride concentration, and temperature on the protonolysis of the carbon-Pd bond were investigated and the optimal reaction conditions were identified. We showed that imidazolium-type ionic liquids played an important role in the reaction both as a ligand for the palladium catalyst and as a solvent. The crystal structure of the Pd complex was obtained and the reaction mechanisms were discussed.     

Macrocyclic vs. dendrimeric effect. A DFT study

Macrocycles up to 15 members with different heteroatoms (N, O, and S) and dendrimeric functionalized branches were assembled, resulting in unique "collective" supramolecular hosts with several active sites for transition metal ions complexation. The nature of the interactions between these kinds of systems and metal ions of the first transition series (Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn) was evaluated by calculations of the binding energies at the B3LYP/LACVP* level of theory, resulting in a preference of metal ions for macrocyclic cavity in terms of complexation; however, there is a favorable contribution in energy due to the cooperative effect of dendrimeric branches (DBs) in the inclusion process by means of long-range interactions between metal ions and the heteroatoms present in DBs. According to calculated binding energies, even when the complexation in the middle of DBs appears as a less favored situation, still competes with the complexation occurred in several known macrocycles traditionally used in the formation of inclusion complexes. The capability of macrocycles as host entities is related to some criteria like: (1) the compatibility in orbital symmetry between host and guest molecules; (2) the cavity dimensions and the negative charge inside; and (3) the hardness-softness affinity between host and guest molecules. When DBs are included in host systems, their flexibility seems to be very important, in addition to localized negative charge, which permits the occurrence of long-range interactions.     

Structure and vibrational spectra of dicyclopentadienylzinc. A DFT study

The quantum-chemical DFT calculations of the Cp₂Zn structure confirm the conclusion made earlier from the vibrational spectra that the sandwich structure (⁵-C₅H₅)₂Zn (A) is not energetically favorable and more favorable are the close in energy -structure (⁵-C₅H₅)(¹-C₅H₅)Zn (B) and -structure (¹-C₅H₅)₂Zn (C). The vibrational spectra of structures B and C with the DFT-derived force fields were calculated. A comparison of the calculated spectra of the isolated Cp₂Zn molecules with the experimental data gives no way of deciding between the B and C structures. It is most likely that the molecule is nonrigid and experiences a strong influence from the nearest environment in solution or in the crystalline state.     

DFT study of Co-C bond cleavage in the neutral and one-electron-reduced alkyl-cobalt(III) phthalocyanines

Density functional theory (DFT) has been applied to the analysis of the structural and electronic properties of the alkyl-cobalt(III) phthalocyanine complexes, [CoIIIPc]-R (Pc = phthalocyanine, R = Me or Et), and their pyridine adducts. The BP86/6-31G(d) level of theory shows good reliability for the optimized axial bond lengths and bond dissociation energies (BDEs). The mechanism of the reductive cleavage was probed for the [CoIIIPc]-Me complex which is known as a highly effective methyl group donor. In the present analysis, which follows a recent study on the reductive Co-C bond cleavage in methylcobalamin (J. Phys. Chem. B 2007, 111, 7638-7645), it is demonstrated that addition of an electron and formation of the pi-anion radical [CoIII(Pc*)]-Me- significantly lowers the energetic barrier required for homolytic Co-C bond dissociation. Such BDE lowering in [CoIII(Pc*)]-Me- arises from the involvement of two electronic states: upon electron addition, a quasi-degenerate pi*Pc state is initially formed, but when the cobalt-carbon bond is stretched, the unpaired electron moves to a sigma*Co-C state and the final cleavage involves the three-electron (sigma)2(sigma*)1 bond. As in corrin complexes, the pi*Pc-sigma*Co-C states crossing does not take place at the equilibrium geometry of [CoIII(Pc*)]-Me- but only when the Co-C bond is stretched to approximately 2.3 A. The DFT computed Co-C BDE of 23.3 kcal/mol in the one-electron-reduced phthalocyanine species, [CoIII(Pc*)]-Me-, is lowered by approximately 37% compared to the neutral Py-[CoIIIPc]-Me complex where BDE = 36.8 kcal/mol. A similar comparison for the corrin-containing complexes shows that a DFT computed BDE of 20.4 kcal/mol for [CoIII(corrin*)]-Me leads to approximately 45% bond strength reduction, in comparison to 37.0 kcal/mol for Im-[CoIII(corrin)]-Me+. These results suggest some preference by the alkylcorrinoids for the reductive cleavage mechanism.     

Hydrolysis of a chlorambucil analogue. A DFT study

We study by density functional theory the hydrolysis of a chlorambucil analogue. Three SN(1) and one SN(2) mechanisms have been compared. Results show that the most likely mechanism involves the formation of an aziridinium ion via a first-order reaction subject to an energy barrier of 24.8 kcal/mol. Additionally, a kinetic study, using the thermodynamic formulation of the Transition State Theory, has been carried out. Theoretical results coincide with experimental values obtained under similar conditions of pH, temperature and chloride concentration.