Double ionization of cycloheptatriene and the reactions of the resulting C7H(n)2+ dications (n = 6, 8) with xenon

The formation and fragmentation of the molecular dication C(7)H(8)(2+) from cycloheptatriene (CHT) and the bimolecular reactivities of C(7)H(8)(2+) and C(7)H(6)(2+) are studied using multipole-based tandem mass spectrometers with either electron ionization or photoionization using synchrotron radiation. From the photoionization studies, an apparent double-ionization energy of CHT of (22.67 ± 0.05) eV is derived, and the appearance energy of the most abundant fragment ion C(7)H(6)(2+), formed via H(2) elimination, is determined as (23.62 ± 0.07) eV. Analysis of both the experimental data as well as results of theoretical calculations strongly indicate, however, that an adiabatic transition to the dication state is not possible upon photoionization of neutral CHT and the experimental value is just considered as an upper bound. Instead, an analysis via two different Born-Haber cycles suggests (2)IE(CHT) = (21.6 ± 0.2) eV. Further, the bimolecular reactivities of the C(7)H(n)(2+) dications (n = 6, 8), generated via double ionization of CHT as a precursor, with xenon as well as nitrogen lead, inter alia, to the formation of the organo-xenon dication C(7)H(6)Xe(2+) and the corresponding nitrogen adduct C(7)H(6)N(2)(2+).     

Revision of the second ionization energy of toluene

Charge stripping (CS) of the molecular ion of toluene, C(7)H(8) (+)-->C(7)H(8) (2+)+e, is often used as a reference for the determination of second ionization energies in energy-resolved CS experiments. For calibration of the kinetic energy scale, a value of IE(C(7)H(8) (+))=(15.7+/-0.2) eV derived from the appearance energy of the toluene dication upon electron ionization has been accepted generally. Triggered by some recent discrepancies between CS measurements on the one hand and different experimental methods as well as theoretical predictions on the other, we have reinvestigated the photon-induced double ionization of toluene using synchrotron radiation. These photoionization measurements yield phenomenological appearance energies of AE(C(7)H(8) (+))=(8.81+/-0.03) eV for the monocation and AE(C(7)H(8) (2+))=(23.81+/-0.06) eV for the dication. The former is in good agreement with a much more precise spectroscopic value, IE(C(7)H(8))=(8.8276+/-0.0006) eV. Explicit consideration of the Franck-Condon envelopes associated with photoionization to the dication in conjunction with the application of the Wannier law leads to an adiabatic ionization energy IE(a)(C(7)H(8) (+))=(14.8+/-0.1) eV, which is as much as 0.9 eV lower than the previous value derived from electron ionization. Because in many previous CS measurements the transition C(7)H(8) (+)-->C(7)H(8) (2+)+e was used as a reference, the energetics of several gaseous dications might need some readjustment.     

C7H12(2+): a prototype hexacoordinate carbonium ion

C(7)H(12)(2+) (1), the prototype hexacoordinate carbonium dication was found to be a viable minimum at the MP2/6-31G** and MP2/cc-pVTZ levels. Structure 1 is a propeller shaped molecule resembling a complex involving a C(2+) with three ethylene molecules resulting in the formation of three two-electron, three-center (2e-3c) bonds. Isomeric structure 2 was found to be 21.8 kcal/mol more stable than structure 1. However, conversion of 1 into 2 through transition structure 3 has a barrier of 5.7 kcal/mol. Related structures 4, 5, and 8 were also located as minima for C(7)H(12)(2+). The isoelectronic boron analogue BC(6)H(12)(+) (10) was also computed to be a minimum at the same level of calculations.     

Comparative ab initio study of the structures and stabilities of the ethane dication C2H6(2+) and its silicon analogues Si2H6(2+) and CSiH6(2+)

Ab initio MP2/6-311G and QCISD(T)/6-311G levels as well as Gaussian-2 theory were used to perform a comparative study of the structures and stabilities of the ethane dication C(2)H(6)(2+) and its silicon analogues Si(2)H(6)(2+) and CSiH(6)(2+). Similar to previous HF/6-31G results, our present calculations also indicate that the two-electron three-center (2e-3c) bonded carbonium-carbenium structure 1 is more stable than the doubly hydrogen bridged diborane-type structure 2 by about 12 kcal/mol. For the silicon analogue Si(2)H(6)(2+) the calculations, however, indicate that the 2e-3c bonded siliconium-silicenium structure 8 is about 9 kcal/mol less stable than doubly hydrogen bridged structure 9. Similar results were also computed for carbon-silicon mixed CSiH(6)(2+) dication structures. These studies are in agreement with the more electropositive character of silicon compared to carbon. Possible dissociation paths of the minimum structures were also calculated.     

A study of selected fragmentation paths of the ethyne dication: theory and experiment

The fragmentation of the C(2)H(2)(2+) dication, formed upon inner shell ionization and the subsequent Auger decay, has been studied by means of Auger electron-ion and Auger electron-ion-ion coincidence spectroscopy at four different kinetic energies of the Auger electron. The experimental investigation of three fragmentation paths leading to the C(2)H(+)/H(+), C(2)(+)/H(+) and C(+)/H(+) pairs has been complemented by theoretical calculations of the Potential Energy Surfaces (PES). It is found that when the amount of internal energy of the dication increases this is mainly transferred into the kinetic energy of the fragments of the second step of the dissociation.     

Dioxadiazuliporphyrin: a near-IR redox switchable chromophore

The synthesis of dioxadiazuliporphyrinogen 7 and its oxidized forms: dioxadiazuliporphyrin 8 and dication 8(2+), is reported. These compounds were characterized in solution using UV-vis and 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopic means and in the solid state via single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Dioxadiazuliporphyrin is a nonaromatic porphyrinoid, readily and reversibly oxidizable to its cation radical and to the aromatic carbaporphyrinoid dication, which can be viewed as a 21,23-dicarba-22,24-dioxaporphyrin with two fused tropylium rings. Further insight into the geometric and magnetic manifestations of aromaticity and antiaromaticity in the case of the redox couple 8, 8(2+) is obtained using density functional calculations and nucleus-independent chemical shifts.     

Electronic structure of 1,3,5-triaminobenzene trication and related triradicals: doublet versus quartet ground state

Quantum chemical calculations have been carried out to determine the electronic ground state of the parent 1,3,5-triaminobenzene trication triradical (TAB3+,C6H9N3 3+) containing a six-membered benzene ring coupled with three exocyclic amino NH(*+)2 groups, each containing an unpaired electron, as the simplest model for high-spin polyarylamine polycations. Related triradicals, including the 1,3,5-trimethylenebenzene (TMB, C9H9) and its nitrogen derivatives such as the monocation C8H9N+, the dication C7H9N2 2+, and the neutral C8H8N, C7H7N2, and C6H6N3 systems containing NH groups, have also been considered. Results obtained using the CASSCF [multiconfigurational complete active space (SCF--self-consistent field)] method, with active spaces ranging from (9e/9o) to (15e/12o), followed by second-order perturbation theory [CASPT2 and MS-CASPT2 (MS--multistate)] with polarized 6-311G(d,p) and natural orbital (ANO-L) basis sets reveal the following: (i) both TAB3+ and TMB (D3h) have a quartet 4A"1 ground state with doublet-quartet 2B1-4A"1 energy gaps of 8.0+/-2.0 and 12.4+/-2.0 kcal/mol, respectively; (ii) in the neutral N series, the quartet state remains the electronic ground state, irrespective of the number of N atoms, but each with slightly reduced gap, 11 kcal/mol for C8H8N (4A"), 10 kcal/mol for C7H7N2 (4A2), and 9 kcal/mol for C6H6N3 (4A2); and (iii) the ground state of monoamino cation and diamino dication is a low-spin doublet state (2B1 for C8H9N+ and 2A2 for C7H9N2 2+) and lying well below the corresponding quartet state by 10 and 12 kcal/mol, respectively. In the monocationic and dicationic amino systems, a slight preference is found for the low-spin state, apparently violating Hund's rule. This effect is due to the splitting of the orbital energies and the presence of the positive charge whose delocalization strongly modifies the electronic distribution and some structural features. In the latter cations, the positive charge basically pushes unpaired electrons onto the ring forming a kind of distonic radical cations and thus gives a preference for a low-spin state.     

Charge exchange in tandem mass spectrometry: dissociative single electron capture by doubly-charged toluene cations

Single electron capture by doubly-charged toluene cations upon collision with various target gases has been investigated by sector tandem mass spectrometry. Both non-dissociative and dissociative charge transfer reactions leading to C(7)H(7)(+) + H and to C(5)H(5)(+) + [C(2),H(3)] are detected. Seven atomic or molecular target gases have been used with ionisation energies ranging from 8.8 eV to 14 eV. The branching ratios between the different non-dissociative and dissociative exit channels have been determined as well as the translational energy release on the dissociation products. The experimental data are compared to the predictions of a two-state semi-classical theoretical model that takes into account the non-adiabatic transition responsible for the charge transfer reaction. A wide reaction window shows up but the internal energies of the C(7)H(8)(+) cations produced by single electron capture are observed to be larger than expected. We assign this effect partly to the influence of the large density of vibrational states and to the multichannel nature of the process. Excited states of the dication are also most probably involved in the charge exchange reaction.     

Stable ion NMR and GIAO-DFT study of novel cations from 8,16-dicyano[2.2]metacyclophanedienes and from strategically substituted/benzannelated dihydropyrenes: charge-induced tropicity modulation and pi-switching

The dicyanometacyclophanediene 1 is diprotonated at the cyano groups (1H2 2+) in various superacid media. Upon quenching, intact 1 and the ring-closed CPD 2 were obtained in a 3:2 or 3:1 ratio, depending on the superacid system. Compound 2 undergoes ring opening in the superacid to give the ipso-monoprotonated 2H+, which on quenching furnishes 1-cyanopyrene as a major product together with 2 and 1. The dication 3 2+, with strongly deshielded internal methyls, was generated from the epoxyannulene 3. Ketones 4-6 and ester 7 are O/C diprotonated to give paratropic carboxonium-annulenium dications (4H2 2+, 5H2 2+, 6H2 2+, and 7H2 2+, respectively). Ester 8 gives a trication by two-electron oxidation and O-protonation. Conjugated carboxylic acid 9 gives a mixture of two dications by CO and ring protonation. The dibromo derivatives 10 and 11 form carboxonium ions, whereas the monobromo derivative 12 is O/C diprotonated to give an oxonium-annulenium dication. Charge delocalization modes and tropicity in the resulting species are evaluated by NMR and GIAO-DFT. Facile formation of 2 from 1 in quenching experiments indicates that thermal closing can be achieved with the diprotonated dinitrile, without imposing skeletal rearrangement.     

Bond-formation versus electron transfer: C-C-coupling reactions of hydrocarbon dications with benzene

The bimolecular reactions of several hydrocarbon dications C(m)H(n)(2+) (m = 6-10, n = 4-9) with neutral benzene are investigated by tandem mass spectrometry using a multipole instrument. Not surprisingly, the major reaction of C(m)H(n)(2+) with benzene corresponds to electron transfer from the neutral arene to the dication resulting in the pair of monocationic products C(m)H(n)(+) + C(6)H(6)(+). In addition, also dissociative electron transfer takes place, whereas proton transfer from the C(m)H(n)(2+) dication to neutral benzene is almost negligible. Interestingly, the excess energy liberated upon electron transfer from the neutral arene to the C(m)H(n)(2+) dication is not equally partitioned in the monocationic products in that the cations arising from the dicationic precursor have a higher internal energy content than the monocations formed from the neutral reaction partner. In addition to the reactions leading to monocationic product ions, bond-forming reactions with maintenance of the two-fold charge are observed, which lead to a condensation of the C(m)H(n)(2+) dications with neutral benzene under formation of intermediate C(m+6)H(n+6)(2+) species and then undergo subsequent losses of molecular hydrogen or neutral acetylene. This reaction complements a recently proposed dicationic route for the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons under extreme conditions such as they exist in interstellar environments.     

Cu(II) mediated generation and spectroscopic study of the tris(4-anisyl)amine radical cation and dication. Unusually shielded chemical shifts in the dication

The reaction of tris(4-anisyl)amine (TAA) with Cu(2+) ion leading to formation of the TAA radical cation and dication is described. Spectroscopic studies confirm the formation of the radical cation and dication. (1)H and (13)C NMR spectral studies reveal interesting structural features of the dication.     

The charge delocalised beta,beta-carotene dication--preparation, structure elucidation by NMR and reactions with nucleophiles

The reaction between beta,beta-carotene and BF3-etherates has been investigated, leading to structural elucidation of the blue product, formed in appropriate organic solvents, as a symmetrical charge delocalised dication (lambda(max) 985 nm at room temperature in CHCl3) with considerable stability. The reaction, monitored by EPR studies at -25 degrees C, occurred via free radical intermediates. A C40H56BF3 intermediate was captured by EIMS. The detailed structure of the dication was established by COSY, HSQC, HMBC and 1D and 2D ROESY NMR techniques (600 MHz, CDCl3, -20 degrees C) leading to complete assignments of 1H and 13C chemical shifts and 3J(H,H) coupling constants. The effects of the two delocalised charges on chemical shift (charge distribution) and bond distance (3J(H,H)) were considered. The results are consistent with charge delocalisation mainly in the C-5-C-9 and C-5'-C-9' regions and with bond inversion to retro shifted double bonds in the central C-13-C-13' region. A convention for denoting the charge delocalisation and bond types is presented. The experimental results are discussed relative to previous theoretical calculations of the beta,beta-carotene dication structure. (All-E) and (15-Z)-beta,beta-carotene provided the same dication. The NIR spectra and stability of dications prepared in the same manner from the related carotenes 20,20'-dinor-beta,beta-carotene, heptapreno-beta,beta-carotene and nonapreno-beta,beta-carotene were examined for comparison. Reactions of the beta,beta-carotene dication with selected nucleophiles provided products including isocryptoxanthin, isocarotene and mutatochrome with H2O as nucleophile, and isocryptoxanthin methyl ether, 8-methoxy-7,8-dihydro-beta,beta-carotene and isocarotene with CH3ONa as nucleophile. The formation of these products is rationalised from the structure assigned to the dication.     

Ab initio probing of the aromatic oxygen cluster O4(2+)

The structure of the O(4)(2+) dication has been studied theoretically using a few conventional theoretical methods. We found the O(4)(2+) dication to be a metastable species with a perfect square structure. The molecular orbital analysis reveals that this dication is the first all-oxygen aromatic system with 6pi electrons. Although the O(4)(2+) dication is highly thermodynamically unstable, we believe that appropriate counteranions with very high electron detachment energy (superhalogens) can be found to form a solid-state compound containing O(4)(2+). Another way to probe the planar aromatic tetra oxygen dication could be a double-photoionization process of the (O(2))(2) dimer.     

Sterically crowded azulene-based dication salts as novel guests: synthesis and complexation studies with crown ethers and calixarenes in solution and in the gas phase

The 1,4-bis(3-guaiazulenylmethylium)benzene and 1,4-bis[1-(4,6,8-trimethylazulenylmethylium)]benzene dication salts were synthesized via an acid-catalyzed condensation/dehydration protocol with guaiazulene-terephthalaldehyde (2 : 1 ratio), and 4,6,8-trimethylazulene-terephthalaldehyde (2 : 1 ratio) respectively in one-pot processes. A similar condensation reaction with the parent azulene led to an insoluble oligomer that was shown by MALDI-TOF-MS to contain 1,4-bis[(diazulenyl)methylium]benzene as a repeating unit. Dication salts and were fully characterized by 2D NMR and NOE techniques and by electrospray-MS (ES-MS) and MALDI-TOF-MS. NMR studies confirm that the dications are best represented as bis-tropylium species. A delicate balance of electronic (inductive stabilization) and steric influence of the alkyl groups on the seven-membered ring seems to influence the chemo-/regioselectivity of the co-condensation process. NMR titration and T(1) measurements established that, despite its highly crowded structure, dication forms host-guest HG complexes with dibenzo-30-crown-10 (DB30C10) and dibenzo-24-crown-8 (DB24C8) in solution, but fails to complex with the smaller dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6). The corresponding HG cation-molecule cluster ions were also detected in the gas phase by ES-MS, showing the formation of both dication-crown 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 complexes. Similar complexation of dication salt with DB30C10 was observed via NMR titration and T(1) measurements in solution and by ES-MS in the gas phase. Although solution complexation studies (NMR titration) did not indicate stable complex formation between and p-tert-butyl-methoxycalix[8]arene, their [HG](2+) and [H(2)G](2+) clusters were detectable by ES-MS. Solution decomplexation experiments (HG(2+) --> H + G(2+)) were performed on -crown complex by addition of DMSO, acetone, silver tosylate, and tropylium cation salt. Complexation of with DB30C10 was also studied by microcalorimetric titration.     

Radical cation and dication of fluorene fully annelated with bicyclo[2.2.2]octene units: importance of the quinoidal resonance structure in the cationic fluorene

Fluorene 1 fully annelated with bicyclo[2.2.2]octene units was newly synthesized and oxidized to stable cationic species. The structure of radical cation salt 1(.+)SbCl(6)(-) was determined by X-ray crystallography, while the first fluorene dication 1(2+) was characterized by (1)H and (13)C NMR at -80 degrees C. Combined with the results of theoretical calculations, an important contribution of a quinoidal structure to the resonance hybrid was demonstrated in both 1(.+) and 1(2+). [structure: see text]     

Copper dioxygen adducts: formation of bis(mu-oxo)dicopper(III) versus (mu-1,2)Peroxodicopper(II) complexes with small changes in one pyridyl-ligand substituent

The preference for the formation of a particular Cu 2O 2 isomer coming from (ligand)-Cu (I)/O 2 reactivity can be regulated with the steric demands of a TMPA (tris(2-pyridylmethyl)amine) derived ligand possessing 6-pyridyl substituents on one of the three donor groups of the tripodal tetradentate ligand. When this substituent is an -XHR group (X = N or C) the traditional Cu (I)/O 2 adduct forms a (mu-1,2)peroxodicopper(II) species ( A). However, when the substituent is the slightly bulkier XR 2 moiety {aryl or NR 2 (R not equal H)}, a bis(mu-oxo)dicopper(III) structure ( C) is favored. The reactivity of one of the bis(mu-oxo)dicopper(III) species, [{(6tbp)Cu (III)} 2(O (2-)) 2] (2+) ( 7-O 2 ) (6tbp = (6- (t)Bu-phenyl-2-pyridylmethyl)bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine), was probed, and for the first time, exogenous toluene or ethylbenzene hydrocarbon oxygenation reactions were observed. Typical monooxygenase chemistry occurred: the benzaldehyde product includes an 18-O atom for toluene/ 7- (1) (8)O 2 reactivity, and a H-atom abstraction by 7-O 2 is apparent from study of its reactions with ArOH substrates, as well as the determination of k H/ k D approximately 7 in the toluene oxygenation (i.e., PhCH 3 vs PhCD 3 substrates). Proposed courses of reaction are presented, including the possible involvement of PhCH 2OO (*) and its subsequent reaction with copper(I) complex, the latter derived from dynamic solution behavior of 7-O 2 . External TMPA ligand exchange for copper in 7-O 2 and O-O bond (re)formation chemistry, along with the ability to protonate 7-O 2 and release of H 2O 2 indicate the presence of an equilibrium between [{(6tbp)Cu (III)} 2(O (2-)) 2] (2+) ( 7-O 2 ) and a (mu-1,2)peroxodicopper(II) form.     

Ab initio/GIAO-CCSD(T) study of propenoyl (H2C=CH-CO+) and isopentenoyl ((CH3)2C=CH-CO+) cations and their superelectrophilic protonated dications

Structures of superelectrophilic protonated propenoyl (H2C=CH-COH2+) and isopentenoyl ((CH3)2C=CH-COH2+) dications and their parent cations were calculated using ab initio methods at the MP2/6-311+G and MP2/cc-pVTZ levels. Energies were calculated using Gaussian-2 (G2) theory. The alpha-carbon (Calpha) protonated 3 and 7 were found to be the global minima for protonated propenoyl and isopentenoyl dications, respectively. 13C NMR chemical shifts of the cations were also calculated using the GIAO-CCSD(T), GIAO-MP2 and GIAO-SCF methods. 13C NMR chemical shifts of the related tert-butyl cation ((CH3)3C+) and protonated tert-butyl dication ((CH3)2CCH4(2+)) were also computed at the same level to compare and explore the effect of the additional charge in dications.     

Dual-mode electrochromism switched by proton transfer: dynamic redox properties of bis(diarylmethylenium)-type dyes

Upon oxidative dimerization of pale yellow Ar2C=CHPh 1 (Ar = 4-Me2NC6H4), deep blue 1,4-dication 2(2+) was obtained as a stable salt, which was transformed into 1 by reductive C-C bond fission; deprotonation of 2(2+) gave intense yellow diene 3, which was interconvertible with violet dication 4(2+) by two-electron transfer, thus exhibiting two distinct modes of electrochromism before and after proton transfer.     

Generation and detection of the radical cation and the dication derived from 4,9‐diethyl[1,4]dihydrodithiino[5,6‐f]benzotrithiole and its 5‐oxide

4,9‐Diethyl[1,4]dihydrodithiino[5,6‐f]benzotrithiole (DTBT) gave a radical cation, DTBT(•+), and a dication, DTBT(2+), on treatment with a single‐electron oxidizing reagent. Both compounds showed an ESR signal, whereas the dication, generated by this procedure, was silent for ¹H NMR. Hydrolysis of DTBT(2+) gave DTBT 1‐oxide (DTBT 1‐O) and 2‐oxide (DTBT 2‐O) together with DTBT and a mixture of several dioxides. A singlet‐state dication, DTBT(2+)‐S, which was generated upon treatment of DTBT 5‐oxide (DTBT 5‐O) with concentrated D₂SO₄, was detected by ¹H and ¹³C NMR. After 20 h, the NMR signals disappeared while the solution was active for ESR. The results suggest that (i) a species generated from DTBT by oxidation with the single‐electron oxidizing reagent is a triplet‐state dication, DTBT(2+)‐T, and (ii) DTBT(2+)‐S, initially generated, gradually isomerizes to DTBT(2+)‐T in the solution, and DTBT(2+)‐T forms a partial spin pair. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 19:394–401, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20445     

Reductive coupling of metal triangles in sandwich complexes

The one-electron reduction of [Pd3(C7H7)2(CH3CN)3][BF4]2 in acetonitrile resulted in the formation of the dimer dication [Pd6(C7H7)4(CH3CN)4][BF4]2, whose structure containing a novel bitriangle hexapalladium skeleton was determined by X-ray crystallographic analysis. The dimer is stable in CD3CN at ambient temperature for several days but is highly air-sensitive. Similarly, the cycloheptatriene tripalladium complex [Pd3(C7H7R)2(CH3CN)3][BF4]2 (R = H, t-Bu) dimerized upon one-electron reduction. Both monomer and dimer of cycloheptatriene complexes were structurally determined by X-ray crystallographic analyses.