Experimental and theoretical studies of the propargyl-allenylindium system

The transient organoindium intermediates formed in the reaction of propargyl bromide with indium in aqueous media and tetrahydrofuran were investigated by NMR spectroscopy and found to be allenylindium(I) and allenylindium(III) dibromide. The influence of solvent and methyl substitution on the propargyl-allenylindium system was also studied. The experimental observations were supported by theoretical calculations using the B3LYP/6-311+G* method.     

Experimental and theoretical studies on oligomer formation of N-confused porphyrin-zinc(II) complexes

Dimer formation of the N-confused porphyrin zinc(II), cadmium(II), and mercury(II) complexes was investigated experimentally as well as theoretically. The stable dimers were formed through coordination of the peripheral nitrogen atoms owing to flexible rotation of the confused pyrrole rings. The Z dimers were significantly more stable than the E dimers likely due to pi-pi interaction between the two confused pyrrole rings. The possible formation of higher oligomers such as trimers was suggested in the case of meso-unsubstituted derivatives.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of the dimerizations of imidoylketenes

Reaction conditions are presented that, for the first time, allow the generation and dimerization of N-alkylimidoylketenes, e.g.,1d, while avoiding the intramolecular rearrangements observed under conventional conditions. The dimer of 1d (22a) is the result of [4 + 2] cycloaddition across the C=C bond of one ketene. In contrast, the N-H imidoylketene 1c dimerizes across the C=O bond to form 24b. Furthermore, N-methylbenzoimidoylketene (5b), in equilibrium with the more stable benzoazetidinone 14b, gives the formal [4 + 4] dimer 8b. B3LYP/6-31G(d) transition structure calculations on these three modes of dimerization reproduce and offer explanations for these divergent regiochemistries. Both [4 + 2] dimerizations have planar, pseudopericyclic transition structures (25a and 29b). Five transition structures were found for the formation of 8b. A unique pseudopericyclic dimerization of 5b with an orthogonal [4 + 4] geometry (31) has a barrier of only 0.7 kcal/mol. However, the overall lowest energy pathway involves concerted addition of 5b across a sigma bond in 14b via 35.     

Bromodifluoroacetyl fluoride,CF2BrC(O)F: Experimental and theoretical studies

Bromodifluoroacetyl fluoride, CF₂BrC(O)F, was prepared through the gas-phase reaction of bromotrifluoroethene, CF₂CFBr, with molecular oxygen initiated either by NO₂ or CF₃OF. The compound was experimentally studied by FTIR spectroscopy of the gas phase and also isolated in Ar and N₂ matrices at low temperature. The energy differences between the possible conformers were theoretically studied, as well as the vibrational spectra of the conformers.     

Experimental and theoretical studies on the radical-cation-mediated imino-Diels-Alder reaction

The feasibility of an electron transfer imino-Diels-Alder reaction between N-benzylideneaniline and arylalkenes in the presence of a pyrylium salt as a photosensitizer has been demonstrated by a combination of product studies, laser flash photolysis (LFP), and DFT theoretical calculations. A stepwise mechanism involving two intermediates and two transition states is proposed.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of diatomic gold halides

The diatomic gold halides AuX are studied by means of Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectroscopy and ab initio theory at a quasi-relativistic CCSD(T) level of theory. A thermokinetic approach is used to determine the bond-dissociation energies of neutral AuCl, AuBr, and AuI as well as cationic AuI+, i.e., D(0)(Au-Cl) = 66 +/- 3 kcal/mol, D(0)(Au-Br) = 50 +/- 5 kcal/mol, as well as the brackets 52 kcal/mol < D(0)(Au-I) < 64 kcal/mol and 54 kcal/mol < D(0)(Au+-I) < 66 kcal/mol at 0 K. These values allow an evaluation of previous experimental and theoretical data concerning diatomic gold halides.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of coupled chemical oscillators

Chemical oscillators may be coupled together in a variety of ways. Two of the most important forms of coupling are physical (via transport) and chemical (via common species). Such coupling can result in new phenomena. Here we focus on rhythmogenesis, the onset of oscillations when two steady state systems are coupled, and oscillator death, the cessation of oscillations when two oscillatory systems are coupled. We also discuss briefly a biological example, the crustacean stomatogastric ganglion, and the important role of delay, which may be brought on by coupling, in chemical oscillation.     

Experimental and theoretical charge distribution in (Z)-N-methyl-C-phenylnitrone

The total experimental charge density in (Z)-N-methyl-C-phenylnitrone (1) has been determined using high-resolution X-ray diffraction data in combination with neutron diffraction data measured at 100 K in terms of the rigid pseudoatom model. Multipole refinement converged at R = 0.03 for 7163 reflections with I > 2 sigma(I). Topological analysis of the total experimental charge density rho(r) and its Laplacian, -[symbol: see text]2 rho(r) and a comparison with high level theoretical gas-phase calculations reveals an unexpected electron distribution in the N-O group, both atoms having negative atomic charges, contrary to that commonly assumed in nitrone species. This observation is confirmed on examination of both the theoretical charges and the molecular electrostatic potential. Compound 1 contains a large number of hydrogen bonds and these are analysed using the atoms in molecules approach leading to quantitative values for bond strength, ranging from medium to very weak.     

Experimental and theoretical studies on the thermal decomposition of metformin

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - This work is a first attempt to understand the mechanism of metformin thermal decomposition under inert conditions. Thermal gravimetric analysis...     

Experimental and theoretical studies on the identification of p-biphenyloxycarbonylphenyl acrylate

This study presents the identification of a title compound, p-biphenyloxycarbonylphenyl acrylate by means of experimental and theoretical evidences. The spectroscopic properties of the compound were experimentally investigated by Fourier transformation-infrared spectra (in the region 400-4000 cm(-1)) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts (with a frequency of 400 MHz). Moreover, the optimized molecular structures, vibrational frequencies including infrared intensities and Raman activities, corresponding vibrational spectra interpreted with the aid of normal coordinate analysis based on scaled density functional force field, thermodynamic properties, atomic charges and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra were analyzed utilizing ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) and Density Functional Theory (B3LYP) methods at 6-31G(d,p) calculation level. It was found that the vibrational frequencies and chemical shifts obtained were shown to have a good agreement with available experimental results. We not only simulated frontier molecular orbitals (FMO) and molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) but also evaluated the transition state and energy band gap clearly.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of magnetic exchange in silole-bridged diradicals

Five bis(tert-butylnitroxide) diradicals connected by a silole (7 a-d) or a thiophene (12) ring as a coupler were studied. Compound 12 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pna2(1) with a = 20.752(5), b = 5.826(5), and c = 34.309(5) A. X-ray crystal structure determination, electronic spectroscopy, variable-temperature EPR spectroscopy, SQUID measurements and DFT computations (UB3LYP/6-31+G*) were used to study the molecular conformations and electronic spin coupling in this series of molecules. Whereas compounds 7 b, 7 c, and 7 d are quite stable both in solution and in the solid state, 7 a and 12 undergo a partial electronic rearrangement to both a diamagnetic quinonoidal form and a monoradical species owing to the fact that they correspond to the open form of a pi-conjugated Kekulé structure. In the solid state, magnetic measurements indicate that the diradicals are all antiferromagnetically coupled, as expected from their topology. These interactions are best reproduced by means of a "Bleaney-Bowers" model that gives values of J = -142.0 cm(-1) for 7 a, -1.8 cm(-1) for 7 b, -1.3 cm(-1) for 7 c, -4.2 cm(-1) for 7 d, and -248.0 cm(-1) for 12. The temperature dependence of the EPR half-field transition in frozen dichloromethane solutions is consistent with singlet ground states and thermally accessible triplet states for diradicals 7 b, 7 c, and 7 d with DeltaE(T-S) values of 3.48, 2.09, and 8 cm(-1), respectively. No evidence of a populated triplet state was found for diradicals 7 a and 12. Similarities between the DeltaE(T-S) and J values (DeltaE(T-S) = -2 J) clearly show the intramolecular origin of the observed antiferromagnetic interaction. Analyses of the data with a "Karplus-Conroy"-type equation enabled us to establish that the silole ring, as a whole, allows a more efficient magnetic coupling of the two nitroxide radicals attached to its 2,5-positions than the thiophene ring. This superiority probably originates from the nonaromaticity of the silole which thus permits a better magnetic interaction through it. DFT calculations also support the experimental results, indicating that the magnetic exchange pathway preferentially involves the carbon pi system of the silole.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of the quenching of Li(3p,4p) by N2

Quenching mechanisms of the Li3p and Li4p states in collision with the nitrogen molecule are studied by laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy and by a quantum chemical calculation. The Li3p state is observed to be efficiently quenched to the Li3s state detected as intense 3s-->2p emission. The Li4p state is efficiently quenched to the Li4s and Li3d states detected as 4s-2p and 3d-2p emissions, respectively. The potential-energy surfaces for the Li(2s-4p)N2 states show a large number of conical intersections and avoided crossings resulting from the couplings between the ionic [Li+(N2)-] and covalent configurations. There are a large number of stable excited states, and we give here the spectroscopic constants for the lowest two stable isomers correlating to Li2p+N2.     

Experimental and theoretical studies on Mannich-type reactions of chiral non-racemic N-(benzyloxyethyl) nitrones

The nucleophilic addition of both silyl ketene acetals and lithium enolates derived from methyl acetate to chiral non-racemic N-(benzyloxyethyl)nitrones has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. Aromatic nitrones showed lower reactivity that aliphatic nitrones and the addition of the silyl ketene acetal led to lower selectivities than the addition of the corresponding lithium enolate. Whereas low selectivity was obtained for the addition of the silyl ketene acetal, only one diastereomer could be detected in all cases for the addition of lithium enolate to aliphatic nitrones. The synthetic utility of the two chiral auxiliaries employed lies in the preparation of enantiomeric compounds. DFT theoretical calculations confirmed the stepwise mechanism for the addition of silyl ketene acetals to nitrones and are in good agreement with the observed experimental results.     

Experimental and theoretical studies on the complexes of [Pb(m)-pyridyl]- (m = 1-4)

The pyridyl-lead complexes [Pb(m)-C5H4N](-) (m = 1-4), which are produced from the reactions between lead clusters formed by laser ablation and the pyridine molecules seeded in argon carrier gas, are studied by photoelectron (PE) spectra and density functional theory. The adiabatic electron affinity (EA) of [Pb(m)C5H4N](-) is obtained from PE spectra at photon energies of 308 and 193 nm. Theoretical calculation is carried out to elucidate their structures and bonding modes. A variety of geometries for the isomers are optimized to search for the lowest-energy geometry. By comparing the theoretical results, including the EA and simulated density of state spectra, with the experimental determination, the lowest-energy structures for each species are obtained. The following analysis of the molecular orbital composition provides the evidence that the pyridyl binds on lead clusters through the Pb-C sigma bond. Moreover, there is an apparent spin-state transition from triplet state toward singlet state for the ground-state structure of [Pb(m)C5H4N](-) with an increase of lead cluster.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of the vibrational and electronic spectra of a lanthanide ion at a site of T(h) symmetry: Pr3+ in Cs2NaPr(NO2)6

The Pr(3+) ion in Cs(2)NaPr(NO(2))(6) is situated at a site of T(h) symmetry with 12-coordination to O atoms of bidentate nitrito groups. First-principles calculations of the vibrational modes of the complex were carried out using the density functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof exchange-correlation functional. The calculations that treated the Pr(3+) 4f electrons as valence electrons showed better agreement with the experimental vibrational assignments compared with those treating the 4f electrons a part of the inner core. The (1)D(2) → (3)H(4) emission spectra of Cs(2)NaPr(NO(2))(6) at 7 K enabled assignments to be made for the crystal-field (CF) levels of the ground-state multiplet. The emission of the dilute system Cs(2)NaY(NO(2))(6):Pr(3+) was dominated by NO(2)(-) triplet emission, which was quenched at elevated temperatures by energy transfer to trace Eu(3+) impurity. From magnetic dipole calculations and the vibronic fingerprint, detailed assignments are given for the complex 10 K electronic absorption spectrum of Cs(2)NaPr(NO(2))(6) between 3940 and 18800 cm(-1), and the derived Pr(3+) 4f(2) energy-level data set has been fitted by calculation. By comparison with Cs(2)NaPrCl(6), the fourth-order CF parameter in Cs(2)NaPr(NO(2))(6) is relatively small so that interaction with a 4fnp configuration is not important. From the NO(2)(-) absorption bands above 20,000 cm(-1), the N-O bond length change upon excitation is small, whereas the angle O-N-O opens by more than 10° in the triplet state. By contrast to the NO(2)(-) internal vibration frequencies, which except for the wagging mode show only minor changes with the environment, the triplet-state energy shows a linear decrease with an increase of the lanthanide (Ln(3+)) ionic radius in Cs(2)NaLn(NO(2))(6). Using the eigenvectors from the energy-level fit, the variation of the inverse magnetic susceptibility with temperature has been calculated between 1 and 100 K and the values are somewhat lower than those from experiment.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of the structure of alkali halide clusters

We have investigated the structures and properties of alkali halide cluster ions produced by laser vaporization of solid samples. In many alkali halide cluster ions, we observe the appearances of bulk-like characteristics even at sub-nanometer sizes:fcc crystalline structures (including surface terraces), ionic binding, and a susceptibility to common bulk defects such as F and H color-centers. To understand the origins of cluster structures, we have made calculations of ground state energetics, high-temperature molecular dynamics, and the electronic structure of clusters having excess electrons.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of the redox potentials of cyclic nitroxides

The redox potentials of 25 cyclic nitroxides from four different structural classes (pyrrolidine, piperidine, isoindoline, and azaphenalene) were determined experimentally by cyclic voltammetry in acetonitrile, and also via high-level ab initio molecular orbital calculations. It is shown that the potentials are influenced by the type of ring system, ring substituents and/or groups surrounding the radical moiety. For the pyrrolidine, piperidine, and isoindolines there is excellent agreement (mean absolute deviation of 0.05 V) between the calculated and experimental oxidation potentials; for the azaphenalenes, however, there is an extraordinary discrepancy (mean absolute deviation of 0.60 V), implying that their one-electron oxidation might involve additional processes not considered in the theoretical calculations. This recently developed azaphenalene class of nitroxide represents a new variant of a nitroxide ring fused to an aromatic system and details of the synthesis of five derivatives involving differing aryl substitution are also presented.     

Experimental and theoretical studies on the magnetic properties of manganese(II) compounds with mixed isocyanate and carboxylate bridges

Two manganese(II) isocyanate complexes with different flexible zwitterionic dicarboxylate ligands, [Mn(2)(bcpp)(NCO)(4)](n) (1; bcpp=1,3-bis(N-carboxylatomethyl-4-pyridinio)propane) and [Mn(2)(bcp)(NCO)(4)](n) (2; bcp=bis(N-carboxylatomethyl)-4,4'-bipyridinium, have been synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography and magnetic measurements. Both compounds consist of two-dimensional coordination layers in which uniform anionic chains with mixed (NCO)(2)(COO) triple bridges are cross-linked by flexible cationic 4,4'-trimethylenedipyridinium spacers. Magnetic studies revealed antiferromagnetic interactions through the triple bridges (J=-8.0 cm(-1) (1) and J=-8.6 cm(-1) (2)), which are stronger than those in the isoelectronic analogue (N(3))(2)(COO). To complement the experimental data, periodic and finite-cluster DFT and CASPT2 calculations were performed on the dimeric units of the (NCO)(2)(COO) and (N(3))(2)(COO) mixed-bridged systems to support the Heisenberg picture and stress the relative efficiency of the magnetic couplers. It was found that the isocyanate ligand plays a greater role in the conveyance of antiferromagnetic behavior than the azide counterpart, and that both pseudohalide bridges function cooperatively with the carboxylate group.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of the phenyl radical reaction with propene

The kinetics for the reaction of C6H5 with propene has been measured by cavity ring-down spectrometry (CRDS) at temperatures 296-496 K under an Ar pressure of 40 Torr. The total rate constant can be given by the following Arrhenius expression (in units of cm3 mol(-1) s(-1)): k(C6H5 + C3H6) = 10(11.93+/-0.06) exp[-(1512 +/- 51)/T]. Density functional and higher level of theory calculations (up to the G2M level) have been carried out to provide additional insights about the mechanism of this reaction, and we also performed transition state theory (TST) calculation for the rate constant prediction. Our theoretical kinetic calculations predict that the C6H5 addition to the terminal =CH2 site in propene is dominant at the temperature range of our CRDS measurements. However, the H-abstraction channel forming benzene and the allyl radical becomes increasingly important at higher temperatures. The total high-pressure limiting rate constant calculated on the basis of the G2M reaction barriers is in reasonable agreement with the experimental values.     

Experimental and theoretical studies on the thermal decomposition of heterocyclic nitrosimines

A series of substituted 2-nitrosiminobenzothiazolines (2) were synthesized by the nitrosation of the corresponding 2-iminobenzothiazolines (6). Thermal decomposition of 2a--f and of the seleno analogue 7 in methanol and of 3-methyl-2-nitrosobenzothiazoline (2a) in acetonitrile, 1,4-dioxane, and cyclohexane followed first-order kinetics. The activation parameters for thermal deazetization of 2a were measured in cyclohexane (Delta H(++) = 25.3 +/- 0.5 kcal/mol, Delta S(++) = 1.3 +/- 1.5 eu) and in methanol (Delta H(++) = 22.5 +/- 0.7 kcal/mol, Delta S(++) = -12.9 +/- 2.1 eu). These results indicate a unimolecular decomposition and are consistent with a proposed stepwise mechanism involving cyclization of the nitrosimine followed by loss of N(2). The ground-state conformations of the parent nitrosiminothiazoline (9a) and transition states for rotation around the exocyclic C==N bond, electrocyclic ring closure, and loss of N(2) were calculated using ab initio molecular orbital theory at the MP2/6-31G* level. The calculated gas-phase barrier height for the loss of N(2) from 9a (25.2 kcal/mol, MP4(SDQ, FC)/6-31G*//MP2/6-31G* + ZPE) compares favorably with the experimental barrier for 2a of 25.3 kcal/mol in cyclohexane. The potential energy surface is unusual; the rotational transition state 9a-rot-ts connects directly to the orthogonal transition state for ring-closure 9aTS. The decoupling of rotational and pseudopericyclic bond-forming transition states is contrasted with the single pericyclic transition state (15TS) for the electrocyclic ring-opening of oxetene (15) to acrolein (16). For comparison, the calculated homolytic strength of the N--NO bond is 40.0 kcal/mol (MP4(SDQ, FC)/6-31G*//MP2/6-31G* + ZPE).