Development and evaluation of needle trap device geometry and packing methods for automated and manual analysis

For air/headspace analysis, needle trap devices (NTDs) are applicable for sampling a wide range of volatiles such as benzene, alkanes, and semi-volatile particulate bound compounds such as pyrene. This paper describes a new NTD that is simpler to produce and improves performance relative to previous NTD designs. A NTD utilizing a side-hole needle used a modified tip, which removed the need to use epoxy glue to hold sorbent particles inside the NTD. This design also improved the seal between the NTD and narrow neck liner of the GC injector; therefore, improving the desorption efficiency. A new packing method has been developed and evaluated using solvent to pack the device, and is compared to NTDs prepared using the previous vacuum aspiration method. The slurry packing method reduced preparation time and improved reproducibility between NTDs. To evaluate the NTDs, automated headspace extraction was completed using benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, p-xylene (BTEX), anthracene, and pyrene (PAH). NTD geometries evaluated include: blunt tip with side-hole needle, tapered tip with side-hole needle, slider tip with side-hole, dome tapered tip with side-hole and blunt with no side-hole needle (expanded desorptive flow). Results demonstrate that the tapered and slider tip NTDs performed with improved desorption efficiency.     

Needle trap micro-extraction for VOC analysis: Effects of packing materials and desorption parameters

Combining advantages of SPE and SPME needle trap devices (NTD) represent promising new tools for a robust and reproducible sample preparation. This study was intended to investigate the effect of different packing materials on efficacy and reproducibility of VOC analysis by means of needle trap micro extraction (NTME). NTDs with a side hole design and containing different combinations of PDMS, DVB and Carbopack X and Carboxen 1000 and NTDs containing a single layer organic polymer of methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate were investigated with respect to reproducibility, LODs and LOQs, carry over and storage. NTDs were loaded with VOC standard gas mixtures containing saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons, oxygenated and aromatic compounds. Volatile substances were thermally desorbed from the NTDs using fast expansive flow technique and separated, identified and quantified by means of GC–MS. Optimal desorption temperatures between 200 and 290 °C could be identified for the different types of NTDs with respect to desorption efficiency and variation. Carry over was below 6% for polymer packed needles and up to 67% in PDMS/Carboxen 1000 NTDs. Intra and inter needle variation was best for polymer NTDs and consistently below 9% for this type of NTD. LODs and LOQs were in the range of some ng/L. Sensitivity of the method could be improved by increasing sample volume. NTDs packed with a copolymer of methacrylic acid and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate were universally applicable for sample preparation in VOC analysis. If aromatic compounds were to be determined DVB/Carboxen 1000 and DVB/Carbopack X/Carboxen 1000 devices could be considered as an alternative. PDMS/Carbopack X/Carboxen 1000 NTDs may represent a good alternative for the analysis of hydrocarbons and aldehydes. NTME represents a powerful tool for different application areas, from environmental monitoring to breath analysis.     

Chiral receptors for phosphate ions

The binding tendencies of the enantiomeric forms, R,R and S,S, of the neutral receptor 1 towards anions were investigated through UV-vis and 1H NMR titration experiments in DMSO. Both enantiomers form stable H-bond complexes with carboxylates and phosphates. In particular, receptor 1 strongly binds two H2PO4- ions according two stepwise equilibria, in which logK2 is higher than logK1. Such an unusual cooperativity effect is to be ascribed to the formation of strong H-bond interactions between the two H2PO4- anions, when bound to the two urea subunits of the receptor, as demonstrated by the crystal and molecular structures of the 1 : 2 complex salt: [Bu4N]2[R,R-1...(H2PO4)2]. The S,S enantiomer forms an H-bond complex with the biologically relevant D-2,3-diphosphoglycerate anion, whose association constant is twice that of the R,R complex. Such an effect is ascribed to the different structural features of the two diastereomeric complexes in solution, as shown by 31P NMR studies.     

Cooperativity between OH...O and CH...O hydrogen bonds involving dimethyl sulfoxide-H2O-H2O complex

The cooperativity between the O-H...O and C-H...O hydrogen bonds has been studied by quantum chemical calculations at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) level in gaseous phase and at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level in solution. The interaction energies of the O-H...O and C-H...O H-bonds are increased by 53 and 58%, respectively, demonstrating that there is a large cooperativity. Analysis of hydrogen-bonding lengths, OH bond lengths, and OH stretching frequencies also supports such a conclusion. By NBO analysis, it is found that orbital interaction plays a great role in enhancing their cooperativity. The strength increase of the C-H...O H-bond is larger than that of the O-H...O H-bond due to the cooperativity. The solvent has a weakening effect on the cooperativity.     

Positive cooperativity in the template-directed synthesis of monodisperse macromolecules

Two series of oligorotaxanes R and R' that contain -CH(2)NH(2)(+)CH(2)- recognition sites in their dumbbell components have been synthesized employing template-directed protocols. [24]Crown-8 rings self-assemble by a clipping strategy around each and every recognition site using equimolar amounts of 2,6-pyridinedicarboxaldehyde and tetraethyleneglycol bis(2-aminophenyl) ether to efficiently provide up to a [20]rotaxane. In the R series, the -NH(2)(+)- recognition sites are separated by trismethylene bridges, whereas in the R' series the spacers are p-phenylene linkers. The underpinning idea here is that in the former series, the recognition sites are strategically positioned 3.5 ? apart from one another so as to facilitate efficient [π···π] stacking between the aromatic residues in contiguous rings in the rotaxanes and consequently, a discrete rigid and rod-like conformation is realized; these noncovalent interactions are absent in the latter series rendering them conformationally flexible/nondiscrete. Although in the R' series, the [3]-, [4]-, [8]-, and [12]rotaxanes were isolated after reaction times of <5-30 min in yields of 72-85%, in the R series, the [3]-, [4]-, [5]-, [8]-, [12]-, [16]-, and [20]rotaxanes were isolated in <5 min to 14 h in 88-98% yields. It follows that while in the R' series the higher order oligorotaxanes are formed in lower yields more rapidly, in the R series, the higher order oligorotaxanes are formed in higher yields more slowly. In the R series, the high percentage yields are sustained throughout, despite the fact that up to 39 components are participating in the template-directed self-assembly process. Simple arithmetic reveals that the conversion efficiency for each imine bond formation peaks at 99.9% in the R series and 99.3% in the R' series. This maintenance of reaction efficiency in the R series can be ascribed to positive cooperativity, that is, when one ring is formed it aids and abets the formation of subsequent rings presumably because of stabilizing extended [π···π] stacking interactions between the arene units. Experiments have been performed wherein the dumbbell is starved of the macrocyclic components, and up to five times more of the fully saturated rotaxane is formed than is predicted based on a purely statistical outcome, providing a clear indication that positive cooperativity is operative. Moreover, it would appear that as the R series is traversed from the [3]- to the [4]- to the [5]rotaxane, the cooperativity becomes increasingly positive. This kind of cooperative behavior is not observed for the analogous oligorotaxanes in the R' series. The conventional bevy of analytical techniques (e.g., HR-MS (ESI) and both (1)H and (13)C NMR spectroscopy) help establish the fact that all the oligorotaxanes are pure and monodisperse. Evidence of efficient [π···π] stacking between contiguous arene units in the rings in the R series is revealed by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. Ion-mobility mass spectrometry performed on the R and R' series yielded the collisional cross sections (CCSs), confirming the rigidity of the R oligorotaxanes and the flexibility of the R' ones. The extended [π···π] stacking interactions are found to be present in the solid-state structures of the [3]- and [4]rotaxanes in the R series and also on the basis of molecular mechanics calculations performed on the entire series of oligomers. The collective data presented herein supports our original design in that the extended [π···π] stacking between contiguous arene units in the rings of the R series of oligorotaxanes facilitate an essentially rigid rod-like conformation with evidence that positive cooperativity improves the efficiency of their formation. This situation stands in sharp contrast to the conformationally flexible R' series where the oligorotaxanes form with no cooperativity.     

Structure and NMR spectra of cyclophanes with unsaturated bridges (cyclophenes)

The calculated structures of several known and hypothetical cyclophanes with ethylene bridges (cyclophenes) are reported together with experimental and calculated values of their NMR parameters. Of the exchange‐correlation functionals and basis sets used in this work, only the ωB97X‐D/6‐311++G(2d,2p) and ωB97X‐D/cc‐pVQZ yielded values of the C_sp3–C_sp3 bond length close to the experimental data, although significant differences still remain. As far as the NMR parameters are concerned, except for close‐lying signals, chemical shifts and coupling constants calculated at the ωB97X‐D/cc‐pVQZ level reproduce in most cases the experimental trends. Contrary to the calculations of geometries, an agreement between the values of the NMR parameters obtained at ωB97X‐D/cc‐pVQZ level and the experimental ones is the poorest compared with that of the ωB97X‐D/6‐311++G(2d,2p) one. Taking into account that the results of the different calculations show the same qualitative trends in most cases, we believe that they correctly describe the structure and properties of the hypothetical molecules studied here. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prediction of the 13C NMR Chemical Shifts of Fluorenone Analogues by the GIAO Method

After the geometry optimization at B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level,the NMR calcula-tions of a series of fluorenone analogues have been carried out by GIAO method at HF/6-31+G(d) level and B3LYP/6-311G+(2d,p) level,respectively.The 13C NMR chemical shifts calculated at HF/6-31+G(d) level show better agreement with the observed values.By a series of linear correction equations (δpred=a + bδcalc),accurate prediction of 13C chemical shifts was achieved for the new fluorenone compound.The linear correlation of δpred with δexptl is excellent,and the square of correlation coefficient,r2,is up to 0.994.The maximum absolute difference between δpred and δexptl,Δδ,is 4.6 ppm,and the root-mean-square error between δpred and δexptl is only 2.6 ppm.     

A needle trap device packed with a sol–gel derived,multi-walled carbon nanotubes/silica composite for sampling and analysis of volatile organohalogen compounds in air

A needle trap device (NTD) packed with silica composite of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) prepared based on sol–gel technique was utilized for sampling and analysis of volatile organohalogen compounds (HVOCs) in air. The performance of the NTD packed with MWCNTs/silica composite as sorbent was examined in a variety of sampling conditions and was compared with NTDs packed with PDMS as well as SPME with Carboxen/PDMS-coated fibers. The limit of detection of NTDs for the GC/MS detection system was 0.01–0.05 ng mL⁻¹ and the limit of quantitation was 0.04–0.18 ng mL⁻¹. The RSD were 1.1–7.8% for intra-NTD comparison intended for repeatability of technique. The NTD-MWCNTs/silica composite showed better analytical performances compared to the NTD-PDMS composite and had the same analytical performances when compared to the SPME-Carboxen/PDMS fibers. The results show that NTD-MWCNTs-GC/MS is a powerful technique for active sampling of occupational/environmental pollutants in air.     

密度泛函法计算C1-C14正构烃生成焓及C-C键裂解能

采用密度泛函理论(DFT)方法研究了费托石脑油裂解反应中涉及到C₁-C₁₄正构烃和自由基中间体的生成焓及其C-C键解离能(BDE)。 结果表明,在所有评价的密度泛函理论方法（B97-1、BB1K、B1B95、MPWB1K和MPW1B95）中,MPW1B95/6-311G(d,p)方法计算最精确。 以此方法为基准,进一步对高碳烃及其裂解产物的标准生成焓和C-C键解离能进行了预测。 与可得到的实验数据相比,MPW1B95/6-311G(d,p)方法预测的烃和自由基的平均生成焓分别为0.8和2.7 kJ/mol,C-C键解离能的平均绝对误差只有3.1 kJ/mol,表明此方法不仅可准确计算正构烃标准生成焓和C-C键解离能,而且还能正确预测C-C键解离能变化趋势。     

Influence of DNA structure on adjacent site cooperative binding

Previous NMR studies of Hoechst 33258 with the d(CTTTTGCAAAAG)2 sequence have shown very strong (K2 > K1) cooperativity between two adjacent binding sites (Searle, M. S.; Embrey, K. J. Nucleic Acids Res. 1990, 18 (13), 3753- 3762). In contrast, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) results with the hairpin analog of the same sequence show significantly reduced cooperativity. In an effort to explain the difference, two-dimensional (2-D) NMR experiments were done on both duplex and hairpin. Hoechst 33258 and an amidine analog, DB183, show very strong cooperativity with the duplex DNA but much weaker cooperativity with the hairpin. The significantly lower thermal melting temperature (Tm) of the duplex (34.8 degrees C) in comparison to its hairpin analog (62.3 degrees C) supports the idea of a dynamic difference between the two DNA structures that can influence cooperativity in binding. These results confirm the role of conformational entropy in positive cooperativity in some DNA interactions.     

Self-assembled metallocycles with two interactive binding domains

Five metallocycles 1 a-e have been self-assembled from S-shaped bispyridyl ligands 2 a-e and a palladium complex, [Pd(dppp)(OTf)(2)] (dppp=1,3-bis(diphenylphosphanyl)propane), and have been characterized by elemental analysis and various spectroscopic methods including (1)H NMR spectroscopy and electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry. These metallocycles all are monocyclic compounds, but can fold to generate two binding domains bearing hydrogen-bonding sites based on pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide units. The binding properties of the metallocycles with N,N,N',N'-tetramethylterephthalamide (G) have been probed by means of ESI mass spectrometry and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. The results both in the gas phase and in solution are consistent with the fact that the metallocycles accommodate two molecules of the guest G. Thus, the ESI mass spectra clearly show fragments corresponding to the 1:2 complexes in all cases. (1)H NMR studies on 1 a and G support the formation of a 1:2 complex in solution; the titration curves are nicely fitted to a 1:2 binding isotherm, but not to a 1:1 binding isotherm. In addition, a Job plot also suggests a 1:2 binding mode between 1 a and G, showing maximum complexation at approximately 0.33 mol fraction of the metallocycle 1 a in CDCl(3). The binding constants K(1) and K(2) are calculated to be 1600 and 1400 M(-1) (+/-10 %), respectively, at 25 degrees C in CDCl(3), indicative of positively cooperative binding. This positive cooperativity was confirmed by the Hill equation, affording a Hill coefficient of n = 1.6. Owing to insufficient solubility in CDCl(3), for comparison purposes the binding properties of the metallocycles 1 b-e were investigated in a more polar medium, 3 % CD(3)CN/CDCl(3). (1)H NMR titrations revealed that the metallocycles all bind two molecules of the guest G with Hill coefficients ranging from 1.4 to 1.8. This positive cooperativity may be attributed to a structural reorganization of the second binding cavity when the first guest binds to either one of the subcavities present in the metallocycles.     

DFT and AIM study of the protonation of nitrous acid and the pKa of nitrous acidium ion

The gas phase and aqueous thermochemistry, NMR chemical shifts, and the topology of chemical bonding of nitrous acid (HONO) and nitrous acidium ion (H(2)ONO(+)) have been investigated by ab initio methods using density functional theory. By the same methods, the dissociation of H(2)ONO(+) to give the nitrosonium ion (NO(+)) and water has also been investigated. We have used Becke's hybrid functional (B3LYP), and geometry optimizations were performed with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. In addition, highly accurate ab initio composite methods (G3 and CBS-Q) were used. Solvation energies were calculated using the conductor-like polarizable continuum model, CPCM, at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory, with the UAKS cavity model. The pK(a) value of H(2)ONO(+) was calculated using two different schemes: the direct method and the proton exchange method. The calculated pK(a) values at different levels of theory range from -9.4 to -15.6, showing that H(2)ONO(+) is a strong acid (i.e., HONO is only a weak base). The equilibrium constant, K(R), for protonation of nitrous acid followed by dissociation to give NO(+) and H(2)O has also been calculated using the same methodologies. The pK(R) value calculated by the G3 and CBS-QB3 methods is in best (and satisfactory) agreement with experimental results, which allows us to narrow down the likely value of the pK(a) of H(2)ONO(+) to about -10, a value appreciably more acidic than literature values.     

DFT和热力学研究氢键协同效应及对关联1H NMR的影响

用DFT方法在B3LYP/6-311＋＋G (d,p)水平下研究了甲醇线性和环状分子簇. 对于不同大小的分子簇之间定义了协同因子. 计算得到的协同因子可以验证氢键的强协同效应, 环状分子簇之间的协同效应远远大于线性分子簇. 做为理论验证和比较, 热力学模型分别采用含氢键缔合的格子流体状态方程(LFHB), 以及含氢键协同效应的LFHB, 关联醇-惰性体系的¹H核磁共振化学位移. 考虑协同效应的关联结果优于原始的LFHB. 比较量子化学计算的和热力学模型中采用的协同因子, 认为甲醇和乙醇在溶液中更可能大部分以线性缔合形式存在.     

DFT和热力学研究氢键协同效应及对关联1H NMR的影响

用DFT方法在B3LYP／6—311 G(d,p)水平下研究了甲醇线性和环状分子簇．对于不同大小的分子簇之间定义了协同因子,计算得到的协同因子可以验证氢键的强协同效应,环状分子簇之间的协同效应远远大于线性分子簇,做为理论验证和比较,热力学模型分别采用含氢键缔合的格子流体状态方程(LFHB),以及含氢键协同效应的LFHB,关联醇一惰性体系的^1H核磁共振化学位移．考虑协同效应的关联结果优于原始的LFHB,比较量子化学计算的和热力学模型中采用的协同因子,认为甲醇和乙醇在溶液中更可能大部分以线性缔合形式存在。     

Achieving conformational control over C-C, C-N and C-O bonds in biaryls, N,N'-diarylureas and diaryl ethers: advantages of a relay axis

The orientation of Ar-C, Ar-N and Ar-O bonds in biaryls, N,N'-diarylureas and diaryl ethers (whose conformers are distinguishable by NMR) may be controlled with a selectivity up to >95 : 5 by an adjacent stereogenic centre; the selectivity may be greater when a second stereogenic axis is inserted between the controlling centre and the slowly rotating bond.     

Are there reliable DFT approaches for 13C NMR chemical shift predictions of fullerene C60 derivatives?

The relationships between experimental and theoretical ¹³C NMR chemical shifts of a pristine fullerene C₆₀, monoadducts from [2 + n] cycloaddition (n = 1–3), and one [2 + 1] bis‐adduct are systematically analyzed for the first time by using diverse quantum‐chemical levels of theory. These levels involved B3LYP, B3PW91, B97‐2, mPW1PW91, PBE1PBE, and X3LYP hybrid functionals combined with 3‐21G, 6‐31G, 6‐31G(d), 6‐31G(d,p), 6‐31G(d,2p), LanL2DZ, and SDDAll basis sets. X3LYP/6‐31G approach is determined to have the lowest deviations from the ¹³C NMR experimental data compared to the other methods for all the fullerene compounds (mean absolute error value is 0.856 ppm and root mean squared error value is 1.197 ppm). The highest deviations are characteristic for α (sp² C2/C5/C8/C10) and β (sp² C6/C7/C11/C12) carbon atoms relative to a functionalization site and for those (sp³ C1/C9) directly attached with a side fragment in the [2 + n] monoadducts (n = 1–3). A probable reason of such deviation is that the approaches do not take into account a contribution of paramagnetic ring currents to ¹³C NMR chemical shifts. The results will be useful in design of novel fullerene derivatives and in performing unambiguous ¹³C NMR chemical shift assignments with modern quantum chemistry calculations.     

Needle-Trap Device (NTD) Packed with Reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) for Sample Preparation Prior to the Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) from Aqueous Samples by Gas Chromatography–Mass spectrometry (GC-MS)

A needle trap device (NTD) was developed for the extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from liquid samples followed by determination by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The extraction was performed using the dynamic sampling approach, in which a liquid sample was pumped through the system. Due to the flexibility and softness of graphene, its application in NTD may be difficult. Herein, the effectiveness of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) packed in NTD in dynamic extraction of PAHs was evaluated. Several experimental parameters, such as the adsorbent mass, eluent type and its volume, as well as the sample volume were optimized to achieve satisfactory performance for dynamic extraction. Comparative studies showed that the extraction performance of rGO-NTD was better than using NTDs packed with other sorbents such as activated carbon. The recovery rate for reduced graphene oxide exceeded 92%. Comparison of dynamic and headspace sampling showed comparable results but the dynamic mode is more suitable for field measurements. The recovery rates of PAHs spiked in water samples were from 76.5 to 100.2% and the relative standard deviation values were from 2.7 to 7.5% under the optimal conditions. This work reveals the potential of NTD with a graphene-based material for sample preparation before chromatographic analysis of liquid samples.     

Size, shape, and flexibility of RNA structures

Determination of sizes and flexibilities of RNA molecules is important in understanding the nature of packing in folded structures and in elucidating interactions between RNA and DNA or proteins. Using the coordinates of the structures of RNA in the Protein Data Bank we find that the size of the folded RNA structures, measured using the radius of gyration R(G), follows the Flory scaling law, namely, R(G)=5.5N(1/3) A, where N is the number of nucleotides. The shape of RNA molecules is characterized by the asphericity Delta and the shape S parameters that are computed using the eigenvalues of the moment of inertia tensor. From the distribution of Delta, we find that a large fraction of folded RNA structures are aspherical and the distribution of S values shows that RNA molecules are prolate (S>0). The flexibility of folded structures is characterized by the persistence length l(p). By fitting the distance distribution function P(r), that is computed using the coordinates of the folded RNA, to the wormlike chain model we extracted the persistence length l(p). We find that l(p) approximately 1.5N(0.33) A which might reflect the large separation between the free energies that stabilize secondary and tertiary structures. The dependence of l(p) on N implies that the average length of helices should increase as the size of RNA grows. We also analyze packing in the structures of ribosomes (30S, 50S, and 70S) in terms of R(G), Delta, S, and l(p). The 70S and the 50S subunits are more spherical compared to most RNA molecules. The globularity in 50S is due to the presence of an unusually large number (compared to 30S subunit) of small helices that are stitched together by bulges and loops. Comparison of the shapes of the intact 70S ribosome and the constituent particles suggests that folding of the individual molecules might occur prior to assembly.     

Vibrational assignments, normal coordinate analysis, B3LYP calculations and conformational analysis of methyl-5-amino-4-cyano-3-(methylthio)-1H-pyrazole-1-carbodithioate

The Raman and infrared spectra of solid methyl-5-amino-4-cyano-3-(methylthio)-1H-pyrazole-1-carbodithioate (MAMPC, C7H8N4S3) were measured in the spectral range of 3700-100 cm(-1) and 4000-200 cm(-1) with a resolution of 4 and 0.5 cm(-1), respectively. Room temperature 13C NMR and (1)H NMR spectra from room temperature down to -60 °C were also recorded. As a result of internal rotation around C-N and/or C-S bonds, eighteen rotational isomers are suggested for the MAMPC molecule (Cs symmetry). DFT/B3LYP and MP2 calculations were carried out up to 6-311++G(d,p) basis sets to include polarization and diffusion functions. The results favor conformer 1 in the solid (experimentally) and gaseous (theoretically) phases. For conformer 1, the two -CH3 groups are directed towards the nitrogen atoms (pyrazole ring) and CS, while the -NH2 group retains sp2 hybridization and C-CN bond is quasi linear. To support NMR spectral assignments, chemical shifts (δ) were predicted at the B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p) level using the method of Gauge-Invariant Atomic Orbital (GIAO) method. Moreover, the solvent effect was included via the Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM). Additionally, both infrared and Raman spectra were predicted using B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculations. The recorded vibrational, 1H and 13C NMR spectral data favors conformer 1 in both the solid phase and in solution. Aided by normal coordinate analysis and potential energy distributions, confident vibrational assignments for observed bands have been proposed. Moreover, the CH3 barriers to internal rotations were investigated. The results are discussed herein are compared with similar molecules whenever appropriate.     

The shape of gaseous n-butylbenzene: assessment of computational methods and comparison with experiments

Conformational landscape of neutral and ionized n-butylbenzene has been examined. Geometries have been optimized at the B3LYP/6-31G(d), B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p), B3LYP-D/6-31+G(d,p), B2PLYP/6-31+G(d,p), B2PLYP-D/6-31+G(d,p), B97-D/6-31+G(d,p), and M06-2X/6-31+G(d,p) levels. This study is complemented by energy computations using 6-311++G(3df,2p) basis set and CBS-QB3 and G3MP2B3 composite methods to obtain accurate relative enthalpies. Five distinguishable conformers have been identified for both the neutral and ionized systems. Comparison with experimentally determined rotational constants shows that the best geometrical parameters are provided by B3LYP-D and M06-2X functionals, which include an explicit treatment of dispersion effects. Composite G3MP2B3 and CBS-QB3 methods, and B2PLYP-D, B3LYP-D, B97-D, and M06-2X functionals, provide comparable relative energies for the two sets of neutral and ionized conformers of butyl benzene. An exception is noted however for conformer V(+) the stability of which being overestimated by the B3LYP-D and B97-D functionals. The better stability of neutral conformers I, III, and IV, and of cation I(+) , demonstrated by our computations, is in perfect agreement with conclusions based on micro wave, fluorescence, and multiphoton ionization experiments.