Vibrational analysis of phenol/(methanol)1

Ab initio calculations at the Hartree-Fock 4-31G* level were performed in order to calculate binding energies and vibrational frequencies of the phenol/CH₃OH-cluster and two deuterated isotopomers (d-phenol/CH₃OD,d-phenol-CD₃OD). The minimum energy structure is trans-linear, as for the phenol/H₂O-cluster. The calculated frequencies of phenol and methanol as well as the intramolecular frequencies of the phenol/CH₃OH-cluster are assigned to experimental values. The calculated intermolecular frequencies of the phenol/CH₃OH-cluster are compared with the available experimental frequencies of theS ₀ (andS ₁)-state of the phenol/methanol-cluster and the similarp-cresol/methanol-cluster. Assignments are suggested for the σ andp ₁-mode. In order to clarify the assignment of the low frequency vibration at 22 cm^?1 anharmonic corrections for the β₂-mode of the phenol/CH₃OH-cluster are calculated. These calculations show only slight anharmonicity compared with the β₂-mode calculations carried out for the phenol/H₂O-cluster.     

Determination and characterization of a transition structure for water–formaldehyde addition

Quantum mechanical calculations of the geometric, energetic, electronic, and vibrational features of a transition structure for gas-phase water–formaldehyde addition (FW1?) are described, and a new transition-structure search algorithm is presented. Basis-set-dependent effects are assessed by comparisons of computed properties obtained from self-consistent field (SCF) molecular orbital (MO) calculations with STO-3G, 4-31G, and 6-31G^** basis sets in the absence of electron correlation. The results obtained suggest that STO-3G-level calculations may be sufficiently reliable for the prediction of the transition structure of FW1? and for the transition structures of related carbonyl addition reactions. Moreover, the calculated activation energy for formation of FW1? from water and formaldehyde (?44 kcal mol^?1) is very similar in all three basis sets. However, the energy of formaldehyde hydration predicted by STO-3G (? ?45 kcal mol^?1) is about three times larger than that predicted by the other two basis sets, with the activation energy for dihydroxymethane dehydration also being too large in STO-3G. Calculated force constants in all three basis sets are generally too large, leading to vibrational frequencies that are also too large. However, uniformly scaled force constants (in internal coordinates) give much better agreement with experimental frequencies, scaled 4-31G force constants being slightly superior to scaled STO-3G force constants.     

On spectroscopic properties and isotope effects of vibrationally stabilized molecules

Results of quantum and semiclassical calculations obtained for two different potential-energy surfaces are used to discuss spectroscopic properties and isotope effects of the linear IHI and IDI molecules. The potentials are a purely repulsive LEPS surface and a DIM-3C potential with two van der Waals type minima for equivalent IH ··· I and I ··· HI configurations. Both systems are dominated by the effect of vibrational bonding giving rise to some very unusual spectroscopic phenomena, which are discussed in detail. The different vibrational frequencies and rotational constants are roughly estimated as ν₁ = 120 (100) cm^?1, ν₂ = 280 (210) cm^?1, ν₃ = 360 (160) cm^?1 and B = 0.0194 (0.0196) cm^?1 for IHI (IDI). A detailed discussion of the dependence of ν₁, ν₂ and B on ν₃, their sensitivity to variations of the potential-energy surface, and a comparison with the vibrational frequencies of I₂ and HI (ID) is given. It is predicted that there exists only one excited level of the antisymmetric stretching mode. The numbers of symmetrical stretching and bending levels are fairly constant or may even decrease upon deuteration. Simultaneously deuteration destabilizes the molecule. These unusual phenomena are rationalized by our calculations. A set of criteria for observing infrared and Raman bound-to-bound and bound-to-resonance state transitions are presented for the IHI and IDI molecule.     

Ab initio calculations of the equilibrium geometry of cis and trans methylglyoxal using the force method

Ab initio calculations of the equilibrium ground-state conformation of trans-methylglyoxal, CH₃COCHO, have been carried out using the gradient method and a 4-3 IG basis set. The results are compared with experiment and with a theoretical geometry computed using an STO-3G basis set, and the more usual stepwise optimization of the parameters. The molecular orbital energies, dipole moment and ionization energy are calulated. Calculations are also carried out on the cis-isomer and the barrier to cis-trans isomerization is obtained.     

In-plane vibrational modes of cytosine from an ab initio MO calculation

Harmonic force constants, in-plane vibrational frequencies, and in-plane vibrational modes of cytosine were calculated by an ab initio Hartree—Fock SCF MO method. The force contants were calculated by the use of an energy gardient method with the STO-3G basis set, and then they were corrected into “4-31G force constants” by the scaling factors given by us previously for the case of uracil. The corrected set of force constants can produce a calculated vibrational spectra of cytosine and cytosine-1,amino-d₃, that can be well corrected with the observed Raman and infrared spectra of these compounds, with little ambiguity. Thus, the assignments of all the in-plane vibrations are now practically established. The calculated vibrational modes, in addition, can account for the recently published resonance Raman effects of cytosine residue.     

A theoreticalab initio study of the reaction of formation of 2-fluoroethanol from oxirane and HF

The reaction of ring opening of epoxides under the action of a halogenic acid has been investigated using as model the system C₂H₄O + HF → CH₂OHCH₂F. The physical conditions chosen for the model more directly correspond to the gas phase reaction and under these conditions the preferred mechanism leads to the formation of a halohydrine having the same configuration at the C atom as the reagent. Parallel investigations have been performed on other mechanisms which postulate the preliminary formation of the conjugate acid of the oxirane (C₂H₄OH⁺) and proceed via the well known mechanismsA ₁ orA ₂. In this case the best mechanism corresponds to the so-called “borderlineA ₂” mechanism. This last type of mechanism probably is the dominant one in protic solutions, but by coupling the present calculations with experimental conductometric measurements in anhydrous aprotic media one could consider the first concerted mechanism as a possible candidate also for the reaction in “inert” media. A qualitative analysis of the transition state indicates, in addition, that the propension for the retention path, is probably emphasized by the use of HF as reactant, and that with other acids, like HC1, or even by assuming the presence of dimers like HF·HF, the inversion path could be preferred. The investigations have been done by determining the geometry of the transition state and the reaction coordinate withab initio SCF STO-3G calculations on the whole nuclear configuration space (21 dimensions). These calculations have been supplemented by a few CI calculations on the same basis set and by a few SCF calculations with a larger basis set.     

Scaled quantum mechanical (SQM) vibrational analysis of AlCl3, Al2Cl6 and the free ion AlCl−4

A series of basis sets are evaluated for AlCl₃ and AlCl⁻₄, and a common scaling factor derived for these compounds was transferred to Al₂Cl₆. 6-31G* calculations, scaled with a common factor of 0.92, give a good fit to all vibrational frequencies for AlCl₃, AlCl⁻₄ and Al₂Cl₆, and there is also a qualitative fit between calculated and observed IR intensities. Extending the basis set does not lead to significant improvements, either for the geometry or for the vibrational frequencies. The calculations verify earlier assignments based on general valence force fields and predict frequencies for some unobserved bands. The SQM force fields for aluminium chlorides show large similarities with the isoelectronic thiophosphates; the main deviations can be attributed to more ionic bonds in the aluminium chlorides. A significant influence on the out-of-plane vibration in AlCl₃ by the basis set on the d-orbitals may indicate that π_dp bonding plays a role. A remarkable and unexpected basis set sensitivity is found for the ν₆(B_1g) ring vibration in Al₂Cl₆.     

Ab initio studies on several species of the formula X3YO and X3YOH

Ab initio molecular orbital calculations using both minimal and extended basis sets have been applied to two isoelectronic sets of molecules. One set corresponds to the 18 electron species H₃NO, H₃CO^– and H₃COH while the second set contains the 42 electron fluorinated molecules F₃NO, F₃CO^– and F₃COH. The geometries of these molecules have been optimized, using both the minimal STO-3G and the extended 4-31G basis sets. These comparative calculations reveal that the 4-31G basis produced structural parameters in much better agreement with experiment. The effect of includingd-orbitals in the basis set was also investigated. For the fluorinated oxides it has been found that the optimized 4-31G structures were only slightly altered by the addition ofd-orbitals. For H₃NO, on the other hand, the inclusion ofd-orbitals considerably shortens the N-O bond distance. Both H₃NO and CF₃OH, which are unknown experimentally, are theoretically predicted to be capable of existence. The electronic structures of these molecules have also been examined using electronic partitioning according to the Mulliken scheme.     

Spectra and structure of small ring compounds. LXII. Conformational stability,structural parameters,ab initio calculations and vibrational assignment of cyclopropylmethyl ketone

The conformational stability, barriers to internal rotation, and fundamental vibrational frequencies of cyclopropylmethyl ketone, c-C₃H₅C(CH₃)O, have been obtained from Hartree—Fock ab initio calculations with the RHF/3-21G and RHF/6-31G* basis sets, as well as the 6-31G* basis set with electron correlation at the MP2 level, and the results are compared to those obtained from experiment. The data are consistent with the predominant rotamer having the cis conformation (carbonyl bond cis to the ring). A second form, having a “near” trans structure, is calculated to have a larger total dipole moment than the cis form, which accounts for its increased abundance in the liquid compared to that in the gas. A complete vibrational assignment is proposed based on experimental data and normal coordinate results from the ab initio calculations. The asymmetric torsional barrier has been calculated to be approximately 2000 cm⁻¹ and this result along with others is compared to the corresponding data obtained from both experiment and theory for the cyclopropylcarbonyl halides.     

Ab initio study of the rotational energy barrier in carbonylylide

The rotational energy barrier in carbonylylide CH₂OCH₂ is studied using RHF CI calculations. Depending on the size of the CI and the basis set (STO-3G and 4–31G), values in the range 13–17 $\text{kcal}\text{mol}$ are found. At this level of calculation, the mid-point of the isomerization process can be mainly described by the diradical rather than the zwitterion.     

Theoretical studies of the reactions of O(3P) with halogenated methyl (I)

The reaction of o(³P) with CH₂C1 radical has been studied usingab initio molecular orbital theory. G2 (MP.2) method is used to calculate the geometrical parameters, vibrational frequencies and energies of various stationary points on the potential energy surface. The reaction mechanism is revealed. The addition of o(³P) with CH₂Cl leads to the formation of an energy rich intermediate OCH₂Cl^* which can subsequently undergo decomposition or isomerization to the final products. The calculated heat of reaction for each channel is in agreement with the experimental value. The production of H+CHClO and C1+CH₂O are predicted to be the major channels. The overall rate constants are calculated using transition state theory on the basis ofab initio data. The rate constant is pressure independent and exhibits negative temperature dependence at lower temperatures, in accordance with the experimental results.     

Ab initio quantum mechanical calculations of energy,geometry, vibrational frequencies and IR intensities of tetraphosphorus tetrasulphide, α-P4S4(D2d), and vibrational analysis of As4S4 and As4Se4

Geometry, vibrational frequencies and IR intensities are calculated for α-P₄S₄ by scaled quantum mechanical calculations at the 6-31G*/SCF and STO-3G*/SCF levels. For both basis sets the frequencies are scaled with factors close to or equal to those found for P₄S₃, and based on these results a revised assignment is proposed. The α-P₄S₄ force field is transferred to the isostructural As₄S₄ and As₄Se₄ molecules and rescaled, and based on a good fit to experimental frequencies a new assignment is also proposed for these compounds.     

Basis set and correlation energy dependence of geometry and harmonic frequencies of difluoroethane,CHF2CH3

Optimum geometries and harmonic frequencies calculated at the Hartree–Fock and the MP2 level are reported for the fluorohydrocarbon CHF₂CH₃; basis sets employed range from STO-3G to 6-311G**. The significantly shortened C? C distance of 1.50 Å is reproduced already with the simplest split-valence basis set; the C? F distance of 1.36 Å on the other hand needs MP2 correction at least at the double-ζ or 6-311G* level. Symmetry coordinates defined in terms of internal coordinates are in qualitative agreement with available experimental evidence. Even the best basis set yields frequencies that differ from experimental (anharmonic) values by up to 200 cm^?1 indicating the well-known necessity of including higher-order force constants if quantitative agreement with experiment is to be achieved.     

H.T. Clarke,A handbook of organic analysis,qualitative and quantitative, (Fifth Edition), Edward Arnold,London (1975), Revised by B. Haynes,with E.C. Brick and G.G. Shone,pp. x + 291, price £12.00 (clothbound), 4.95 (paperback)

Ab initio calculations at minimal (STO-3G) and extended (4-31G) basis levels have been carried out for the cyclopropylcarbinyl radical using the unrestricted Hartree-Fock procedure. It is found that the ordering of the long-range proton isotropic hyperfine coupling constants are opposite to the results obtained from semi-empirical INDO calculations. The coupling constants for the extended basis set are a_exo = ?1.71 G, a_endo = ?4.25 G, a_β= 11.41 G, a_α1 = ?66.01 G and a_α2 = ?64.73 G.     

Performance of theoretical methods and basis sets on the molecular structure, atomisation and ionisation energies, electron affinity, and vibrational spectrum of silylene

This work compares the performance of theoretical methods and basis sets on the molecular structure, atomisation and ionisation energies, electron affinity, and vibrational spectrum of silylene. Silylene, its cation and anion have been studied in ¹ A ₁, ² A ₁ and ² B ₁ states, respectively, in the gas phase and C_2v symmetry. The methods considered are second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), the density functional theory (DFT), Gaussian-2 (G2) and complete basis set methods (CBS-4M and CBS-Q). The basis sets used are 6-31G(d,p), 6-311G(d,p), 6-31++G(d,p) and 6-311++G(d,p). The functional used for the DFT method is B3LYP. Silylene and its cation and anion have been optimised using the MP2 and DFT methods and the named basis sets. Single-point energy calculations (G2, CBS-4M and CBS-Q) were performed using MP2/6-311++G(d,p) structures and these energies have been used to calculate atomisation energy, ionisation energy and adiabatic electron affinity. Frequency calculations were also done and the raw vibrational frequencies were assigned. It is interesting to note the close similarity between the predicted parameters and some of the available literature values. The results obtained are consistent and converge with different basis sets with improved size and quality. However, the parameters obtained are very much method dependent.     

Quantum-chemical calculations of the IR absorption spectra of modified polytetrafluoroethylene forms

DFT(B3LYP) (basis set 6–31 + G(d)) and HF (basis set 6–31G) calculations were performed to determine the geometric structure and vibrational spectra of the C_nF_2n and C_nF_2n O molecules (n = 3–13). The IR spectra of chain C_nF_2n O molecules with the terminal carbonyl group (-COF) were found to contain a band at 1885 cm^?1. The C=C and C=O stretching vibrations of the-CF=CF₂ and COF terminal groups were independent, and there was no mutual influence of their frequencies starting with the seven-fragment molecule. In the presence of chain branching, the sensitivity of the ν(C=C) and ν(C=O) frequencies in the olefin and carbonyl groups depended on where branching occurred. The chain configuration was found to be energetically favorable compared with branched structures.     

Composition and structure of heteroassociates formed in a binary liquid system HF-CH<Subscript>3</Subscript>CN

The concentration dependence of normalized absorbance (to the total number of moles of components in one liter) of HF solutions in acetonitrile (1:12–10:1) is analyzed. It is found that in the binary liquid system (BLS) under study molecular complexes with stoichiometric 1:1 and ～10:1 ratios of molecules occur along with the heteroassociates (HAs) found previously with the ratio HF:CH₃CN of 4:1. For each of the HAs the concentration range at which it is formed in BLS is evaluated, and the positions of HF stretching vibrational bands are found. Optimum configurations and vibrational frequencies of molecular complexes (HF) _m ·(CH₃CN) _n (m = 1–6, n = 1–2) of various topology are calculated using the density functional method (B3LYP/6-31 ++ G (d, p)). Their relative stability and the structure peculiarities are studied; complexation tendencies in the HF-CH₃CN system are revealed. The structure of HAs with 1:1 and 4:1 stoichiometric ratios of molecules is determined by comparing the results of calculations and experiment.     

The structure, Raman spectra, and force fields of methylbromosilanes CH3SiClnBr3−n (n = 0, 1, 2)

The laser-excited Raman spectra of liquid CH₃SiCl_nBr_3?n (n = 0, 1, 2) were studied. Quantumchemical calculations of these substances with geometry optimization were performed to determine their harmonic force fields and vibrational frequencies. The calculations were made using the HF/6-31G* and HF/6-311++G** approximations and density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-31G* and B3LYP/6-311++G** levels. An interpretation of the spectra was suggested and the calculated force fields were discussed in comparison with the data on related compounds.     

Ab initio calculations on the barrier height for the hydrogen addition to ethylene and formaldehyde. The importance of spin projection

Heats of reaction and barrier heights have been computed for H + CH₂CH₂ → C₂H₅, H + CH₂O → CH₃O, and H + CH₂O → CH₂OH using unrestricted Hartree-Fock and Møller–Plesset perturbation theory up to fourth order (with and without spin annihilation), using single-reference configuration interaction, and using multiconfiguration self-consistent field methods with 3-21G, 6-31G(d), 6-31G(d,p), and 6-311G(d,p) basis sets. The barrier height in all three reactions appears to be relatively insensitive to the basis sets, but the heats of reaction are affected by p-type polarization functions on hydrogen. Computation of the harmonic vibrational frequencies and infrared intensities with two sets of polarization functions on heavy atoms [6-31G(2d)] improves the agreement with experiment. The experimental barrier height for H + C₂H₄ (2.04 ± 0.08 kcal/mol) is overestimated by 7?9 kcal/mol at the MP2, MP3, and MP4 levels. MCSCF and CISD calculations lower the barrier height by approximately 4 kcal/mol relative to the MP4 calculations but are still almost 4 kcal/mol too high compared to experiment. Annihilation of the largest spin contaminant lowers the MP4SDTQ computed barrier height by 8?9 kcal/mol. For the hydrogen addition to formaldehyde, the same trends are observed. The overestimation of the barrier height with Møller-Plesset perdicted barrier heights for H + C₂H₄ → C₂H₅, H + CH₂O → CH₃O, and H + CH₂O → CH₂OH at the MP4SDTQ /6-31G(d) after spin annihilation are respectively 1.8, 4.6, and 10.5 kcal/mol.     

Computational schemes for modeling proton transfer in biological systems: Calculations on the hydrogen bonded complex [CH3OH · H · NH3]+

Different schemes are explored for the calculation of the proton transfer process in the hydrogen bonded cation [CH₃OH · H · NH₃]⁺. Results from ab-initio calculations with the STO-3G, 3-21G and 4-31G basis sets, are compared in search for an efficient reliable scheme to study the potential energy curves for the proton transfer. The curve constructed from the lowest energies calculated with the frozen optimized geometries of the two possible pairs of proton donor and acceptor fragments, (i.e., CH₃OH/NH₃ and CH₃OH/NH) is in good agreement with that obtained when all the fragments of the hydrogen bonded complex are completely optimized simultaneously.