Coordination structures of lithium-methylamine clusters from infrared spectroscopy and ab initio calculations

Spectra of clusters formed between lithium atoms and methylamine molecules are reported for the first time. Mass-selective infrared spectra of Li(NH(2)CH(3))(n) have been recorded in both the N-H and C-H stretching fundamental regions. The infrared spectra are broadly in agreement with ab initio predictions, showing redshifted N-H stretching bands relative to free methylamine and a strong enhancement of the N-H stretching fundamentals relative to the C-H stretching fundamentals. The ab initio calculations suggest that, for n=3, the methylamine molecules bunch together on one side of the lithium atom to minimize repulsive interactions with the unpaired electron density. The addition of a fourth methylamine molecule results in closure of the inner solvation shell and, thus, Li(NH(2)CH(3))(5) is forced to adopt a two-shell coordination structure. This is consistent with neutron diffraction studies of concentrated lithium/methylamine solutions, which also suggest that the first solvation shell around the lithium atom can contain a maximum of four methylamine molecules.     

Electronic states and nature of bonding in the molecule YN by all-electron ab initio CASSCF calculations

In the present work, we present results of all-electron ab initio CASSCF calculations of nine electronic states of the molecule YN. Also reported are the spectroscopic constants derived on the basis of the calculated potential energies. The predicted electronic ground state is ¹∑⁺, and this state is found to be separated from the excited states ³∑⁺, ³Π, and ¹Π by 5177, 9290, and 9915 cm^?1, respectively. The chemical bond in the YN molecule is polar with charge transfer from Y to N, giving rise to a dipole moment of 8.19 Debye at 3.3 au in the ¹∑⁺ ground state is basically a double bond composed of two π bonds. The dissociation energy of the YN molecule has been derived as 4.59 eV. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The geometry of pyrazole: A test for ab initio calculations

Ab initio calculations on the structure of pyrazole have been carried out at different levels of accuracy. At the Hartree-Fock (HF) level, the performance of several basis sets, namely 3-21G, 6-31G, 6-31G**, and 6–311G** was investigated. The influence of electron correlation effects also was studied by carrying out geometry optimizations at the MP2, MP4, and QCISD levels. The performance of a density functional method also was evaluated. We have also investigated the possible influence of the frozen core approximation on the final optimized geometry. Three different statistical analyses were considered in determining which geometry is closest to the experimental microwave geometry—namely Paul Curtin's diagrams, cluster analysis, and multidimensional scaling. From these analyses, we conclude that there is no asymptotic approach to the experimental geometry by increasing the quality of the theoretical model, although, as expected, the more reliable structures are those obtained at the MP2, MP4, and QCISD levels, as well as those obtained by the B3LYP density functional method. We have also found that the values of the rotational constants are a tight criterion to define the quality of a molecular geometry. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Electronic states and nature of the chemical bond in the molecule CrC by all-electron ab initio calculations

All-electron ab initio Hartree–Fock (HF ), valence configuration interaction (CI ), and multiconfiguration self-consistent-field (CASSCF ) calculations have been applied to investigate the electronic states of the CrC molecule. The molecule is predicted as having four low-lying electronic states, ³∑^?, ⁵∑^?, ⁷∑^?, and ⁹∑^?, separated by an energy gap of 0.55 eV from the next higher-lying state, ¹∑^?, which is followed by the states ⁵Π and ⁷Π. The four lowest-lying electronic states are due to the coupling of the angular momenta of the ⁶S_g Cr⁺ ion with those of the ⁴S_u C^? anion. The chemical bond in the ³∑^? ground state can be viewed as a quadruple bond composed of two σ and two π bonds. One σ bond is due to the formation of a molecular orbital that is doubly occupied. The remaining bonds, i.e., one σ and two π bonds, arise from valence-bond couplings. The π bonds originate from the valence-bond couplings of the electrons in the C 2pπ orbitals with those in the Cr 3dπ orbitals. The σ bond originates from the valence-bond coupling of the C 2pσ electron with an electron in the Cr 4s, 4p hybrid that is polarized away from the C atom.     

Molecular structure of ethynylbenzene from electron diffraction and ab initio molecular orbital calculations

The molecular structure and benzene ring distortions of ethynylbenzene have been investigated by gas-phase electron diffraction and ab initio MO calculations at the HF/6-31G^* and 6-3G^** levels. Least-squares refinement of a model withC _2v, symmetry, with constraints from the MO calculations, yielded the following important bond distances and angles:r _g(C _i -C _o )=1.407±0.003 Å,r _g(C _o -C _m )=1.397±0.003 Å,r _g(C _m -C _p )=1.400±0.003 Å,r _g(Cr _i -CCH)=1.436 ±0.004 Å,r _g(C=C)=1.205±0.005 Å, C _o -C _i -C _o =119.8±0.4°. The deformation of the benzene ring of ethynylbenzene given by the MO calculations, including o-C_i-C_o=119.4°, is insensitive to the basis set used and agrees with that obtained by low-temperature X-ray crystallography for the phenylethynyl fragment, C₆H₅-CC-, in two different crystal environments. The partial substitution structure of ethynylbenzene from microwave spectroscopy is shown to be inaccurate in the ipso region of the benzene ring.     

Molecular structure and rotational isomerism in glyoxylicacid from microwave spectroscopy and ab initio calculations

An improved substitution structure for glyoxylic acid in the hydrogen bonded trans-1 form is presented. By means of microwave double resonance spectroscopy, the trans-2 form, with a zig-zag chain of atoms HOCCH, was identified. Using trans-2 dipole moment components calculated by ab initio SCF theory, the energy of the trans-2 form is found to be 1.2 ± 0.5 kcal mole^?1 higher than that of the trans-1 form. The ab initio energy difference (?1.0 kcal mole^?1) has the wrong sign.     

Study of NH stretching vibrations in small ammonia clusters by infrared spectroscopy in He droplets and ab initio calculations

Infrared spectra of the NH stretching vibrations of (NH3)n clusters (n = 2-4) have been obtained using the helium droplet isolation technique and first principles electronic structure anharmonic calculations. The measured spectra exhibit well-resolved bands, which have been assigned to the nu1, nu3, and 2nu4 modes of the ammonia fragments in the clusters. The formation of a hydrogen bond in ammonia dimers leads to an increase of the infrared intensity by about a factor of 4. In the larger clusters the infrared intensity per hydrogen bond is close to that found in dimers and approaches the value in the NH3 crystal. The intensity of the 2nu4 overtone band in the trimer and tetramer increases by a factor of 10 relative to that in the monomer and dimer, and is comparable to the intensity of the nu1 and nu3 fundamental bands in larger clusters. This indicates the onset of the strong anharmonic coupling of the 2nu4 and nu1 modes in larger clusters. The experimental assignments are compared to the ones obtained from first principles electronic structure anharmonic calculations for the dimer and trimer clusters. The anharmonic calculations were performed at the M?ller-Plesset (MP2) level of electronic structure theory and were based on a second-order perturbative evaluation of rovibrational parameters and their effects on the vibrational spectra and average structures. In general, there is excellent (<20 cm(-1)) agreement between the experimentally measured band origins for the N-H stretching frequencies and the calculated anharmonic vibrational frequencies. However, the calculations were found to overestimate the infrared intensities in clusters by about a factor of 4.     

Treatment of dilute clusters of methanol and water by ab initio quantum mechanical calculations

Large molecular clusters can be considered as intermediate states between gas and condensed phases, and information about them can help us understand condensed phases. In this paper, ab initio quantum mechanical methods have been used to examine clusters formed of methanol and water molecules. The main goal was to obtain information about the intermolecular interactions and the structure of methanol/water clusters at the molecular level. The large clusters (CH(4)O...(H(2)O)(12) and H(2)O...(CH(4)O)(10)) containing one molecule of one component (methanol or water) and many (12, 10) molecules of the other component were considered. M?ller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) was used in the calculations. Several representative cluster geometries were optimized, and nearest-neighbor interaction energies were calculated for the geometries obtained in the first step. The results of the calculations were compared to the available experimental information regarding the liquid methanol/water mixtures and to the molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations, and good agreement was found. For the CH(4)O...(H(2)O)(12) cluster, it was shown that the molecules of water can be subdivided into two classes: (i) H bonded to the central methanol molecule and (ii) not H bonded to the central methanol molecule. As expected, these two classes exhibited striking energy differences. Although they are located almost the same distance from the carbon atom of the central methanol molecule, they possess very different intermolecular interaction energies with the central molecule. The H bonding constitutes a dominant factor in the hydration of methanol in dilute aqueous solutions. For the H(2)O...(CH(4)O)(10) cluster, it was shown that the central molecule of water has almost three H bonds with the methanol molecules; this result differs from those in the literature that concluded that the average number of H bonds between a central water molecule and methanol molecules in dilute solutions of water in methanol is about two, with the water molecules being incorporated into the chains of methanol. In contrast, the present predictions revealed that the central water molecule is not incorporated into a chain of methanol molecules, but it can be the center of several (2-3) chains of methanol molecules. The molecules of methanol, which are not H bonded to the central water molecule, have characteristics similar to those of the methane molecules around a central water molecule in the H(2)O...(CH(4))(10) cluster. The ab initio quantum mechanical methods employed in this paper have provided detailed information about the H bonds in the clusters investigated. In particular, they provided full information about two types of H bonds between water and methanol molecules (in which the water or the methanol molecule is the proton donor), including information about their energies and lengths. The average numbers of the two types of H bonds in the CH(4)O...(H(2)O)(12) and H(2)O...(CH(4)O)(10) clusters have been calculated. Such information could hardly be obtained with the simulation methods.     

Molecular conformations of methyl formate and methyl vinyl ether from ab initio molecular orbital calculations

Ab initio molecular orbital theory with minimal and extended basis sets and a flexible rotor geometric model has been used to investigate the rotational potential surfaces of methyl formate and methyl vinyl ether. For both molecules, the most stable structures (IA and IIA, respectively) are planar cis; additional potential minima are found which correspond to planar trans structures (IB and IIB). The latter lie respectively about 4—8 and 1—2 kcal mol^?1 above the corresponding cis rotational isomers. Methyl rotational barriers have been determined for cis and trans structures of each molecule. For trans methyl formate, there is a slight but unexpected preference for an eclipsed arrangement of the methyl group.     

Molecular symmetry and ab initio calculations. I. Symmetry-matrix and symmetry-supermatrix

In this article the matrix elements can be grouped into classes by means of the molecular symmetry. By introducing the concepts of symmetry-matrix and symmetry-supermatrix and determining their operation rules, the storage of the supermatrix can be asymptotically reduced by a factor of ca. g² (g is the order of the molecular symmetry group) and the calculation of Fock matrix during each SCF cycle can be reduced proportionally. Besides, by using the DIIS method combined with the symmetry-matrices, the convergence behavior for highly symmetric molecules can be improved.     

Structure of protonated carbon dioxide clusters: infrared photodissociation spectroscopy and ab initio calculations

The infrared photodissociation spectra (IRPD) in the 700 to 4000 cm(-1) region are reported for H+ (CO2)n clusters (n = 1-4) and their complexes with argon. Weakly bound Ar atoms are attached to each complex upon cluster formation in a pulsed electric discharge/supersonic expansion cluster source. An expanded IRPD spectrum of the H+ (CO2)Ar complex, previously reported in the 2600-3000 cm(-1) range [Dopfer, O.; Olkhov, R.V.; Roth, D.; Maier, J.P. Chem. Phys. Lett. 1998, 296, 585-591] reveals new vibrational resonances. For n = 2 to 4, the vibrational resonances involving the motion of the proton are observed in the 750 to 1500 cm(-1) region of the spectrum, and by comparison to the predictions of theory, the structure of the small clusters are revealed. The monomer species has a nonlinear structure, with the proton binding to the lone pair of an oxygen. In the dimer, this nonlinear configuration is preserved, with the two CO2 units in a trans configuration about the central proton. Upon formation of the trimer, the core CO2 dimer ion undergoes a rearrangement, producing a structure with near C2v symmetry, which is preserved upon successive CO2 solvation. While the higher frequency asymmetric CO2 stretch vibrations are unaffected by the presence of the weakly attached Ar atom, the dynamics of the shared proton motions are substantially altered, largely due to the reduction in symmetry of each complex. For n = 2 to 4, the perturbation due to Ar leads to blue shifts of proton stretching vibrations that involve motion of the proton mostly parallel to the O-H+-O axis of the core ion. Moreover, proton stretching motions perpendicular to this axis exhibit smaller shifts, largely to the red. Ab initio (MP2) calculations of the structures, complexation energies, and harmonic vibrational frequencies are also presented, which support the assignments of the experimental spectra.     

FT-IR, Raman and NMR Spectra, Molecular Geometry, Vibrational Assignments, ab initio and Density Functional Theory Calculations for Diethyl Phthalate

Phthalate acid esters (PAEs) possess endocrine disruptive effects and can produce reproductive and developmental toxicities. In this paper, both experimental and theoretical studies on FT-IR, Raman and 1H NMR spectra of diethyl phthalate (DEP) have been carried out. The geometrical structure of DEP was optimized at the HF/6-31G*, HF/6-311G**, B3LYP/6-31G*, and B3LYP/6-311G** levels, respectively. The harmonic vibrational frequencies, IR intensity, Raman activity and 1H NMR chemical shifts have been computed at the B3LYP/6-31G* and B3LYP/6-311G** levels. Anharmonic corrections to frequencies were obtained by means of second-order perturbation theory (PT2) at the B3LYP/6-31G* level. Based on potential energy distribution (PED), the vibrational assignments have also been performed. The theoretical calculation values were compared with the experimental observations and the results indicate they are in excellent agreement.     

Dipole-quadrupole and dipole-octopole polarizability of OsO4 from depolarized collision-induced light scattering experiments, ab initio and density functional theory calculations

The dipole-quadrupole and dipole-octopole polarizability of osmium tetroxide (OsO(4)) has been determined from collision-induced light-scattering experiments. Our final estimates for these properties are |A|=(84+/-5)e(2)a(3)(0)E(-1)(h) and |E|=(214+/-25)e(2)a(4)(0)E(-1)(h). We have also analyzed previous experimental data of the relative permittivity and refractivity of OsO(4) to propose the electronic part of the static dipole polarizability of alpha=51.0e(2)a(2)(0)E(-1)(h). To support our findings we have performed high-level ab initio and density functional theory calculations to obtain theoretical static estimates alpha=(50.2+/-1.6)e(2)a(2)(0)E(-1)(h), A=(84+/-10)e(2)a(3)(0)E(-1)(h), and E=(-252+/-32)e(2)a(4)(0)E(-1)(h), in essential agreement with the proposed experimental values.     

Ab initio calculations of structure and stability of small boron nitride clusters

Clusters of boron nitride B_xN_x (x = 1–4, 12, 15, 30) were investigated by the Hartree-Fock and density functional methods using the 6-31G* basis. It was found that linear, cyclic, and shell structures are stable against minor deformations of the B_xN_x cluster. Inclusion of electron correlation in calculation markedly changes the electron density distribution and the structure of the clusters.     

Electronic structure and excitations in oligoacenes from ab initio calculations

Oligoacenes C(4n+2)H(2n+4) (n=2,...,6) are studied using a variety of ab initio methods. Density functional theory (DFT) optimized geometries were in good agreement with experiment. Vertical and adiabatic ionization potentials and electron affinities were computed with DFT and it was found that standard exchange-correlation (xc) functionals underestimate ionization potentials in oligoacenes. Possible reasons for this underestimation are discussed. Low lying electronic excitations were computed using time-dependent density functional theory, configuration interaction singles, and configuration interaction singles with approximate treatment of doubles. In agreement with earlier work, time-dependent DFT in conjunction with standard xc-energy functionals substantially underestimates the lowest (p) singlet-singlet electronic transition.     

Like-charge guanidinium pairing from molecular dynamics and ab initio calculations

Pairing of guanidinium moieties in water is explored by molecular dynamics simulations of short arginine-rich peptides and ab initio calculations of a pair of guanidinium ions in water clusters of increasing size. Molecular dynamics simulations show that, in an aqueous environment, the diarginine guanidinium like-charged ion pairing is sterically hindered, whereas in the Arg-Ala-Arg tripeptide, this pairing is significant. This result is supported by the survey of protein structure databases, where it is found that stacked arginine pairs in dipeptide fragments exist solely as being imposed by the protein structure. In contrast, when two arginines are separated by a single amino acid, their guanidinium groups can freely approach each other and they frequently form stacked pairs. Molecular dynamics simulations results are also supported by ab initio calculations, which show stabilization of stacked guanidinium pairs in sufficiently large water clusters.     

Conformational stability of trivinylborane from vibrational spectra and ab initio calculations

The conformational stability, barriers to internal rotation and vibrational frequencies of trivinylborane have been determined from the vibrational spectra and ab initio calculations. The ab initio calculations have been carried out utilizing the RHF/3-21G, RHF/6-31G*, and MP2/6-31G* basis sets and support the vibrational data that there are two stable conformations in the fluid phases separated by a relatively small energy difference. One of the conformations is a near-planar form which has the three vinyl groups twisted out of the BC₃ plane and belongs to the C₃ point group. The other conformer has a non-planar structure and belongs to the C₁ point group. These and other calculated results are compared to the corresponding quantities obtained from the experiment.     

Basis set effects and the choice of reference geometry in ab initio calculations of vibrational spectra

Tatewaki and Huzinaga's [J. Comput. Chem. 1 , 205 (1980)] basis sets, constructed to minimize superposition error, were used to calculate infrared (IR) frequencies and intensities. They were found inferior to Pople bases such as 3–21G and 6–31G*. The question of whether a theoretical vibrational spectrum should be computed at experimental or theoretical bond lengths was also investigated. If the magnitude of the correlation energy increases with bond length, Hartree-Fock bond lengths are expected to be shorter than experimental, and frequencies computed there will be higher than those computed at experimental lengths. Conversely, if this magnitude decreases with R, computed lengths should be longer than experimental and should give lower computed frequencies.     

Molecular symmetry and ab initio calculations: IV. Symmetry-matrix and symmetry-supermatrix in calculations of two-electron repulsion integrals

The product of two Gaussians having different centers is itself a one-center Gaussian, thus multicenter integrals with a Cartesian Gaussian basis can be reduced to one-center integrals. Recurrence relations for overlap integrals and electron repulsion integrals (ERIs) are derived at these centers. The calculations of overlap integrals and ERIs are carried out step by step from the highest symmetry case (one center) to required cases (different centers) by using the translation of Cartesian Gaussians. Full exploitation of symmetry in calculation processes can result in optimal use of these recurrence relations. Compared with the recently published algorithms, based on the recurrence relations derived by Obara and Saika [J. Chem. Phys., 84 , 3963 (1986)], the floating point operations (FLOPs) for ERI calculations (having four different centers) can be reduced by a factor of ca. 2. A significant extra saving in calculations and storage can be obtained if atoms, linear, or planar molecules are discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.