The vibrational spectra of molecular crystals of ferrocene,ruthenocene, osmocene and nickelocene

Studies are presented of the infrared spectra (3200–400 cm^?1) of monocrystal films of Fe (C₅H₅)₂ Ru(C₅H₅)₂, Os(C₅H₅)₂ using polarized radiation, and of the laser-Raman spectra of solid samples of these compounds in the temperature range +20° to ?190°C. The samples were prepared by slow cooling of the melts. The infrared spectra of solid films of Ni(C₅H₅)₂ made by deposition on a cold window, were also recorded. Assignments of the fundamental vibrational frequencies of these molecules are given. The fundamental modes of vibrations which are forbidden by symmetry appear in the spectra of the solid state. The vibrations of species E_1u and E_2u showed definite site group splitting. At the point of phase transition in the IR spectrum of Fe(C₅H₅)₂ factor-group splitting to give 3–4 components for bands of species A_1u and A_2u and 6–8 components for bands of species e_1u and E_2u was observed. Factor-group analysis is more consistent with C₁ site symmetry of the low-temperature phase of the crystal of ferrocene than C_i, as was proposed earlier.     

Phenylene ring dynamics in bisphenol-A-polysulfone by neutron scattering

We have investigated the dynamics of phenylene rings in a glassy polysulfone (bisphenol-A-polysulfone) by means of quasielastic neutron scattering. Nowadays it is well known that these molecular motions are directly connected with the mechanical properties of engineering thermoplastics in general. The particular system investigated by us has the advantage that by selective deuteration of the methyl groups, the neutron scattering measured is dominated by the incoherent contribution from the protons in the phenylene rings. In this way, the dynamics of such molecular groups can be experimentally isolated. Two different types of neutron spectrometers: time of flight and backscattering, were used in order to cover a wide dynamic range, which extends from microscopic (10(-13) s) to mesoscopic (10(-9) s) times. Moreover, neutron diffraction experiments with polarization analysis were also carried out in order to characterize the structural features of the sample investigated. Fast oscillations of increasing amplitude with temperature and pi-flips are identified for phenylene rings motions. Due to the structural disorder characteristic of the amorphous state, both molecular motions display a broad distribution of relaxation times, which spreads over several orders of magnitude. Based on the results obtained, we propose a model for phenylene rings dynamics, which combines the two kinds of molecular motions identified. This model nicely describes the neutron scattering results in the whole dynamic range investigated.     

Fragility by elastic incoherent neutron scattering

The present work furnishes an operative definition for the fragility degree by using elastic incoherent neutron scattering (EINS). Such a definition is based on the relation between viscosity, a macroscopic quantity, and the atomic mean-square displacement, which refers to a nanoscopic property. This procedure has been used to analyze a set of glass-forming systems and it allows to obtain a linear dependence of the fragility parameter M, obtained by EINS, on the fragility parameter m, obtained by viscosity measurements.     

Solvent and lipid dynamics of hydrated lipid bilayers by incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering

The microscopic dynamics of the planar, multilamellar lipid bilayer system 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) has been investigated using quasielastic neutron scattering. The DMPC was hydrated to a level corresponding to approximately nine water molecules per lipid molecule. Selective deuteration has been used to separately extract the dynamics of the water, the acyl chains, and the polar head groups from the strong incoherent scattering of the remaining hydrogen atoms. Furthermore, the motions parallel and perpendicular to the bilayers were probed by using two different sample orientations relative to the incident neutron beam. For both sample orientations, the results showed an onset of water motions at 260 K on the experimental time scale of about 100 ps. From lack of wave-vector dependence of the onset temperature for water motions, it is evident that the observed water dynamics is of mainly rotational character at such low temperatures. At 290 K, i.e., slightly below the gel-to-liquid transition around 295 K, the nature of the water dynamics had changed to a more translational character, well described by a jump-diffusion model. On the limited experimental time and length (about 10 A) scales, this jump-diffusion process was isotropic, despite the very anisotropic system. The acyl chains exhibited a weak onset of anharmonic motions already at 120 K, probably due to conformational changes (trans-gauche and/or syn-anti) in the plane of the lipid bilayers. Other anharmonic motions were not observed on the experimental time scale until temperature had been reached above the gel-to-liquid transition around 295 K, where the acyl chains start to show more substantial motions.     

Equilibrium oxidations of ferrocene and ruthenocene with iodine

Summary The thermodynamic characteristics (F, H, and S) of the formation of ferrocinium and ruthenocinium triand pentaiodides were measured.     

Dynamics of water studied by coherent and incoherent inelastic neutron scattering

This paper reviews the more recent results obtained on the dynamics of water by neutron scattering and shows that some information can be obtained by this technique at the microscopic level of the hydrogen bond. It also accounts for some very recent results obtained with the hydrated protein C-phycocyanin.

Incoherent quasi-elastic and inelastic neutron scattering by water has been performed in a temperature range extending to the supercooled state. The analysis of the quasi-elastic spectrum separates two main components and gives two characteristic times, one of them being related to the hydrogen-bond lifetime. The inelastic spectra extend until 600 meV, i.e. covering the intramolecular vibration region, showing for the first time the stretching band.

Collective excitations propagating at 3310 m s⁻¹ have been observed by coherent inelastic neutron scattering. This result was predicted by previous computer molecular dynamics simulations of water. The data are interpreted as a manifestation of short wavelength collective modes propagating within patches of highly bonded water molecules, and distinct from the ordinary sound wave.     

Neutron diffraction and incoherent neutron scattering from adsorbed layers

Neutron techniques are now able to probe the detailed structure and dynamics of molecularly thin physisorbed layers even in the presence of a much larger excess of bulk phases. As a result there have been important developments in areas such as the study of adsorbed multicomponent mixtures and their kinetics of phase separation. The information now available provides opportunities for detailed comparison with computer simulation models.     

Protonation of ferrocene,ruthenocene, and osmocene: a density functional study

Protonated forms of the ferrocene, ruthenocene, and osmocene molecules in the gas phase were calculated using the density functional approach with the Becke—Lee—Young—Parr functional. The proton affinity energies of ferrocene, ruthenocene, and osmocene were estimated at 214.2, 220.3, and 229.7 kcal mol^–1, respectively. The addition of a proton to carbon atoms of the cyclopentadienyl ring in the ferrocene molecule and to the metal atom in the ruthenocene and osmocene molecules is more energetically favorable. No minimum corresponding to ring protonation was located on the potential energy surface of protonated osmocene. The C—H _endo bond in the ring-protonated [C₁₀H₁₁M]⁺ (M = Fe, Ru) cations is involved in agostic interaction with the metal atom. Transition states of interconversions between the ring-protonated and metal-protonated forms were identified. A specific group of protonated forms of the ferrocene and ruthenocene molecules includes four types of structures, viz., ring-protonated (1a,b) and metal-protonated (2a,b) structures, transition states of the 1 2 interconversion (3a,b), as well as ring-protonated structures with the cyclopentadiene ring folded along the C(2)—C(5) line so that the M—H _endo interaction is virtually negligible. The latter structures are required for [1,5]-sigmatropic shift of the exo-hydrogen atom in the Cp ring to occur. The results obtained were used for the interpretation of the available schemes of electrophilic substitution reactions in metallocenes and of the sigmatropic shift mechanisms.     

Coherent dynamics of meta-toluidine investigated by quasielastic neutron scattering

The coherent dynamics of a typical fragile glass former, meta-toluidine, was investigated at the molecular level using quasielastic neutron scattering, with time-of-flight and neutron spin echo spectrometers. It is well known that the static structure factor of meta-toluidine shows a prepeak originating from clustering of the molecules through hydrogen bonding between the amine groups. The dynamics of meta-toluidine was measured for several values of the wavevector transfer Q, which is equivalent to an inverse length scale, in a range encompassing the prepeak and the structure factor peak. Data were collected in the temperature range corresponding to the liquid and supercooled states, down to the glass transition. At least two dynamical processes were identified. This paper focuses on the slowest relaxation process in the system, the α-relaxation, which was found to scale with the macroscopic shear viscosity at all the investigated Q values. No evidence of "de Gennes" narrowing associated with the prepeak was observed, in contrast with what happens at the Q value corresponding to the interparticle distance. Moreover, using partially deuterated samples, the dynamics of the clusters was found to be correlated to the single-particle dynamics of the meta-toluidine molecules.     

Molecular dynamics in liquid crystals by dielectric relaxation and neutron scattering

Abstract

Detailed dielectric permittivity and relaxation investigations have been performed on compounds having different liquid-crystalline phases. At the smectic B–smectic A as well as the smectic G–smectic B transitions definite jumps were found in the dielectric relaxation times associated with rotation of the molecules around their short axis. For the interpretation of the large jumps in the relaxation times the change of the phonon spectra at the two dimensional crystal-two dimensional liquid phase transition was assumed. To verify this idea an inelastic neutron scattering study was performed. The measurements have proved the good orientation of the smectic A and smectic B phases. The values of the layer spacing, and the appearance of libron peaks for the smectic B phase at different momentum transfer were determined.     

Structure and dynamics of halogenoethanol-water mixtures studied by large-angle X-ray scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, and NMR relaxation

To clarify the structure of solvent clusters formed in halogenoethanol-water mixtures at the molecular level, large-angle X-ray scattering (LAXS) measurements have been made at 298 K on 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE), 2,2,2-trichloroethanol (TCE), and their aqueous mixtures in the TFE and TCE mole fraction ranges of 0.002 < or = x(TFE) < or = 0.9 and 0.5 < or = x(TCE) < or = 0.9, respectively. The radial distribution functions (RDFs) for TFE-water mixtures have shown that the structural transition from inherent TFE structure to the tetrahedral-like structure of water takes place at x(TFE) approximately 0.2. In the TCE-water mixtures inherent TCE structure remains in the range of 0.5 < or = x(TCE) < or = 1. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments have been performed on CF(3)CH(2)OD- (TFE-d(1)-) D(2)O and CF(3)CD(2)OH- (TFE-d(2)-) H(2)O mixtures in the TFE mole fraction range of 0.05 < or = x(TFE) < or = 0.8. The SANS results in terms of the Ornstein-Zernike correlation length have revealed that TFE and water molecules are most heterogeneously mixed with each other in the TFE-water mixture at x(TFE) approximately 0.15, i.e., both TFE clusters and water clusters are most enhanced in the mixture. To evaluate the dynamics of TFE and ethanol (EtOH) molecules in TFE-water and ethanol-water mixtures, respectively, (1)H NMR relaxation rates for the methylene group within alcohol molecules have been measured by using an inversion-recovery method. The alcohol concentration dependence of the relaxation rates for the TFE-water and ethanol-water mixtures has shown a break point at x(TFE) approximately 0.15 and x(EtOH) approximately 0.2, respectively, where the structural transition from alcohol clusters to the tetrahedral-like structure of water takes place. On the basis of the present results, the most likely structure models of solvent clusters predominantly formed in TFE-water and TCE-water mixtures are proposed. In addition, effects of halogenation of the hydrophobic groups on clustering of alcohol molecules are discussed from the present results, together with the previous ones for ethanol-water and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol- (HFIP-) water mixtures.     

Enthalpies of sublimation of ferrocene and nickelocene measured by calorimetry and the method of Langmuir

A quick and accurate methodology that is based on Langmuir’s equation and that is developed by utilising a DSC7 device is proposed for the measurement of the enthalpies of sublimation of substances characterised by vapour pressures of approximately 1.0 Pa at room temperature. The procedure was applied to ferrocene and nickelocene; the accuracy and uncertainty associated with the experimental results show that the reliability of the developed indirect method is comparable to the direct calorimetric measurements also performed in this work. Furthermore, the melting data and crystal-phase heat capacities for both metallocenes were calorimetrically measured, whereas the gas-phase heat capacity for each metallic bis(cyclopentadienyl) was theoretically estimated by DFT calculations.     

Iridium hydride complexes with P,C,P pincer ligands based on ferrocene and ruthenocene

Russian Chemical Bulletin -     

Photochemical properties of ferrocene,cobaltocene and nickelocene and their complexes with 2,2,2-trichloroethanol in liquid phase

Summary Photochemical changes in the solutions of ferrocene, cobaltocene, nickelocene and their complexes with 2,2,2-trichloroethanol exposed to near u.v. and argon laser (=514.5 nm) radiation were investigated. The solutions of cobaltocene, nickelocene and their complexes were found to undergo photolysis, whereas ferrocene solutions are not sensitive to this kind of irradiation and the ferrocene bound in a complex undergoes photooxidation to give the ferricenium cation. The activating effect of laser irradiation of ferrocene was revealed as a tendency to complex formation. The quantum yield of the investigated photoreactions, equilibrium constant of complex formation,K, and their molar extinction coefficients, _c, were determined.     

Inelastic incoherent neutron scattering studies of water interacting with biological macromolecules.

The interaction between water and biological macromolecules in living organisms is of fundamental importance in a range of processes. We have studied water-DNA and water-proteolipid membrane systems over a range of hydration states using inelastic incoherent neutron scattering. We find a relatively sharp transition for both systems at a water concentration above which bulk solvent can be detected. Below this concentration, bulk water is essentially absent, i.e., all the water in the system is interacting with the biological macromolecules. This water is strongly perturbed as judged by its energy transfer spectrum, with a broader and lower energy transition than bulk water in the 50-75 meV (approximately 400-600 cm(-1)) range. Taking into account the differing geometry of (cylindrical) DNA and (planar) membranes, the number of water shells perturbed by each system was estimated. A conclusion is that in living organisms a large proportion of the cellular water will be in a state quite distinct from bulk water. The data add to the growing evidence that water structure in the vicinity of biological macromolecules is unusual and that the proximal water behaves differently compared to the bulk solvent.     

Dynamics of thin polymer films: Recent insights from incoherent neutron scattering

Incoherent neutron scattering is presented as a powerful tool for interpreting changes in molecular dynamics as a function of film thickness for a range of polymers. Motions on approximately nanosecond and faster timescales are quantified in terms of a mean-square atomic displacement (〈u²〉) from the Debye–Waller factor. Thin-film confinement generally leads to a reduction of 〈u²〉 in comparison with the bulk material, and this effect becomes especially pronounced when the film thickness approaches the unperturbed dimensions of the macromolecule. Generally, there is a suppression (never an enhancement) of 〈u²〉 at temperatures T above the bulk calorimetric glass-transition temperature (T_g). Below T_g, the reduction in the magnitude of 〈u²〉 depends on the polymer and the length scales being probed. Polymers with extensive segmental or local mobility in the glass are particularly susceptible to reductions of 〈u²〉 with confinement, especially at the Q vectors probing these longer length scales, whereas materials lacking these sub-T_g motions are relatively insensitive. Moreover, a reduced 〈u²〉 value correlates with reduced mobility at long time and spatial scales, as measured by diffusion in these thin polymer films. Finally, this reduced thin-film mobility is not reliably predicted by thermodynamic assessments of an apparent T_g, as measured by discontinuities or kinks in the T dependence of the thermal expansion, specific volume, index of refraction, specific heat, and so forth. These measurements illustrate that 〈u²〉 is a powerful and predictive tool for understanding dynamic changes in thin polymer films. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 3218–3234, 2004     

Inelastic neutron scattering study of methyl groups rotation in some methylxanthines

The three isomeric dimethylxanthines and trimethylxanthine are studied by neutron spectroscopy up to energy transfers of 100 meV at energy resolutions ranging from 0.7 microeV to some meV. The loss of elastic intensity with increasing temperature can be modeled by quasielastic methyl rotation. The number of inequivalent methyl groups is in agreement with those of the room temperature crystal structures. Activation energies are obtained. In the case of theophylline, a doublet tunneling band is observed at 15.1 and 17.5 microeV. In theobromine, a single tunneling band at 0.3 microeV is found. Orientational disorder in caffeine leads to a 2.7 microeV broad distribution of tunneling bands around the elastic line. At the same time, broad low energy phonon spectra characterize an orientational glassy state with weak methyl rotational potentials. Librational energies of the dimethylxanthines are clearly seen in the phonon densities of states. Rotational potentials can be derived which explain consistently all observables. While their symmetry in general is threefold, theophylline shows a close to sixfold potential reflecting a mirror symmetry.     

Inelastic incoherent neutron scattering measurements of intact cells and tissues and detection of interfacial water

We have previously used inelastic incoherent neutron scattering spectroscopy to investigate the properties of aqueous suspensions of biomolecules as a function of hydration. These experiments led to the identification of signals corresponding to interfacial (hydration) water at low water content. A prediction from these studies was that in the crowded environment inside living cells, a significant proportion of the water would be interfacial, with profound implications for biological function. Here we describe the first inelastic incoherent neutron scattering spectroscopy studies of living cells and tissues. We find that the interfacial water signal is similar to that observed for water interacting with purified biomolecules and other solutes, i.e., it is strongly perturbed in the librational and translational intermolecular optical regions of the spectrum at 20-150 meV. The ratio of interfacial water compared to total water in cells (approximately 30%) is in line with previous experimental data for hydration water and calculations based on simple assumptions.