The computation of the potential energy surface for H2 + OH → H2O + H using ab initio and density functional theory methods

The reaction energy profile for H₂ + OH → H + H₂O was computed using HF, MP2, MP4, QCISD, G1, G2, and G2MP2 ab initio methods. In addition, the B3LYP, B3P86, B3PW91, BLYP, BP291, and SVWN density functional theory (DFT) methods were also used. All the ab initio methods, with the exception of the G series, produced much higher activation barriers and heats of reaction than the experimental values. On the other hand, the DFT methods produced negative forward and reverse barriers which were too low, with the exception of the hybrid DFT methods. The G2 ab initio method generated energies which deviated from the experimental values by ∼ 1 kcal/mol and therefore should be considered a very accurate computational method. The hybrid DFT methods produced positive forward reaction barriers with energies that were 2–4 kcal/mol lower than the experimental values. The geometries of the transition state and energies computed by the ab initio and DFT methods were compared. These results suggest that, in the hybrid exchange functional, the portion of the Slater exchange term should be increased. This may be the reason why the computed energies were too low. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 62: 639–644, 1997     

Ab initio study of the internal rotation barrier of formamide and the formamide–H2O complex

The barriers to internal rotation about the N? C bond of formamide and the formamide–H₂O complex have been examined by ab initio quantum chemistry methods. Both self-consistent field and correlated approaches have been utilized to determine the geometries, energies, and local harmonic vibrational frequencies of the minimum-energy and transition-state structures of these two systems. We find that formamide's rotation barrier of 14–15 kcal/mol is increased to 16–18 kcal/mol when a single H₂O molecule is attached. This result contrasts with the effect of a single H₂O solvent molecule on the barrier to tautomerization of formamide (to form formamidic acid HN? CHOH) for which a barrier lowering of ca. 20 kcal/mol has been observed. The rotation barriers obtained for formamide and for its H₂O complex are compared with barriers obtained experimentally in various solvents. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Vinyloxyborane and its isomers. An ab initio study of the C2H5BO potential energy surface,the barrier to 1,3-shifts in β-ketoboranes,and the mechanism of the carbonylation reaction of boranes

Vinyloxyboranes, CH₂?CH? ;O? ;BR₂, are shown by ab initio molecular orbital theory to be more stable than the isomeric β-aldoboranes, R₂B? CH₂? CH?O, by ca. 19 kcal/mol. The MP2/6-31G*/6-31G* + ZPE barrier for the [1,3] boron shift is only 10.9 kcal/mol (R ? Me) relative to the aldoborane. Other C₂H₅BO isomers (β-ketoboranes, boraepoxides and organoboron oxides), which are related to the proposed stages in the carbonylation reaction of boranes, are shown to be plausible intermediates. However, some of the computed barriers for methyl group migrations are unrealistically large, up to ca. 63 kcal/mol.     

Degenerate lithium-hydrogen exchange reactions: Ab initio models for metallation mechanisms involving H2, CH4, NH3, H2O,and HF

Hydrogen exchange reactions between lithium and sodium compounds, MX (M=Li: X=H, CH₃, NH₂, OH, F; M=Na: X=CH₃), and the corresponding hydrides, HX, have been modelled by means of ab initio calculations including electron correlation and zero point energy (ZPE) corrections. Small or no activation barriers (from the initial complexes) are encountered in systems involving lone pairs (10.8, 2.4, 0.0 kcal/mol for X=NH₂, OH, F, respectively). Since the association energies of the initial complexes are much larger (21.0, 20.4, 23.5 kcal/mol, respectively; MP2/6–31+G*/6–31+G* + ZPE), such exchange reactions should occur spontaneously in the gas phase. The methyl systems (X=CH₃) have the largest barriers: 26.7 (M=Li) and 31.7 (M=Na) kcal/mol (MP2/6–31+G*/6–31G* + ZPE), and the initial complexes are only weakly bound. The significance of these systems as models for hydrogen exchange reactions in complexes of electropositive transition metals is discussed. However, the gegenion-free exchange of hydrogen between CH₃ and CH₄ has a much lower, 11.8 kcal/mol barrier (MP2/6–31+G*/6–31+G* + ZPE). All the transition structures are highly ionic (charges on the metals > +0.8). The effect of aggregation has been considered by examining the hydrogen exchange between (LiX)₂ and HX(X=H, CH₃, NH₂, OH). Although these dimer reactions formally involve six, instead of four electrons, no “aromatic” preference is observed.     

Theoretical study on structures and vibrational spectra of M+(H2O)Ar (M = Cu,Ag, Au)

A theoretical study on the structures and vibrational spectra of M⁺(H₂O)Ar_0‐1 (M = Cu, Ag, Au) complexes was performed using ab initio method. Geometrical structures, binding energies (BEs), OH stretching vibrational frequencies, and infrared (IR) absorption intensities are investigated in detail for various isomers with Ar atom bound to different binding sites of M⁺(H₂O). CCSD(T) calculations predict that BEs are 14.5, 7.5, and 14.4 kcal/mol for Ar atom bound to the noble metal ion in M⁺(H₂O)Ar (M = Cu, Ag, Au) complexes, respectively, and the corresponding values have been computed to be 1.5, 1.3, and 2.1 kcal/mol when Ar atom attaches to a H atom of water molecule. The former structure is predicted to be more stable than the latter structure. Moreover, when compared with the M⁺(H₂O) species, tagging Ar atom to metal cation yields a minor perturbation on the IR spectra, whereas binding Ar atom to an OH site leads to a large redshift in OH stretching vibrations. The relationships between isomers and vibrational spectra are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

Ab initio studies on Al(+)(H(2)O)(n), HAlOH(+)(H(2)O)(n-1), and the size-dependent H(2) elimination reaction

We report computational studies on Al(+)(H(2)O)(n), and HAlOH(+)(H(2)O)(n-1), n = 6-14, by the density functional theory based ab initio molecular dynamics method, employing a planewave basis set with pseudopotentials, and also by conventional methods with Gaussian basis sets. The mechanism for the intracluster H(2) elimination reaction is explored. First, a new size-dependent insertion reaction for the transformation of Al(+)(H(2)O)(n), into HAlOH(+)(H(2)O)(n-1) is discovered for n > or = 8. This is because of the presence of a fairly stable six-water-ring structure in Al(+)(H(2)O)(n) with 12 members, including the Al(+). This structure promotes acidic dissociation and, for n > or = 8, leads to the insertion reaction. Gaussian based BPW91 and MP2 calculations with 6-31G* and 6-31G** basis sets confirmed the existence of such structures and located the transition structures for the insertion reaction. The calculated transition barrier is 10.0 kcal/mol for n = 9 and 7.1 kcal/mol for n = 8 at the MP2/6-31G** level, with zero-point energy corrections. Second, the experimentally observed size-dependent H(2) elimination reaction is related to the conformation of HAlOH(+)(H(2)O)(n-1), instead of Al(+)(H(2)O)(n). As n increases from 6 to 14, the structure of the HAlOH(+)(H(2)O)(n-1) cluster changes into a caged structure, with the Al-H bond buried inside, and protons produced in acidic dissociation could then travel through the H(2)O network to the vicinity of the Al-H bond and react with the hydride H to produce H(2). The structural transformation is completed at n = 13, coincident approximately with the onset of the H(2) elimination reaction. From constrained ab initio MD simulations, we estimated the free energy barrier for the H(2) elimination reaction to be 0.7 eV (16 kcal/mol) at n = 13, 1.5 eV (35 kcal/mol) at n = 12, and 4.5 eV (100 kcal/mol) at n = 8. The existence of transition structures for the H(2) elimination has also been verified by ab initio calculations at the MP2/6-31G** level. Finally, the switch-off of the H(2) elimination for n > 24 is explored and attributed to the diffusion of protons through enlarged hydrogen bonded H(2)O networks, which reduces the probability of finding a proton near the Al-H bond.     

Theoretical studies of O2−:(H2O)n clusters

The interaction of superoxide ion O₂^? with up to four water molecules [O₂^?: (H₂O)_n, n = 1, 2, 4] has been investigated using ab initio molecular orbital theory. The binding energy of O₂^?: H₂O is calculated to be ?20.6 kcal/mol in good agreement with gas phase experimental data. At the MP3/6-31G^* level the O₂^?:H₂O complex has a C_2v structure with a double (cyclic) hydrogen bond between O₂^? and H₂O. A C_s structure with a single hydrogen bond is only 0.7 kcal/mol less stable. Interaction of H₂O with the doubly occupied π^* orbital of O₂^? is preferred slightly over interaction with the singly occupied π^* orbital. Natural bond orbital analysis suggests that both electrostatic and charge transfer interactions are important in anionic complexes. The charge transfer occurs predominantly in the O₂^? → H₂O direction and is important in determining the relative stabilities of the different structures and states. Singly and doubly hydrogen-bonded structures for the O₂^?: (H₂O)₂ and O₂^?: (H₂O)₄ clusters were found to be similar in stability and the increase in binding of the cluster becomes smaller as each additional water molecule is added to the cluster.     

A theoretical study on CO2 insertion into an M(bond)H bond (M = Rh and Cu)

Insertion of CO₂ into the transition metal-hydride bond of [Rh^IIIH₂(PH₃)₃]⁺, Cu^IH(PH₃)₂, and Rh^IH(PH₃)₃ was theoretically investigated with ab initio MO/MP 4, SD-CI , and CCD methods. The geometries of reactants, transition states (TS ), and products were optimized at the Hartree-Fock level, and then MP 4, SD-CI , and CCD calculations were performed on those optimized structures. The TS of the CO₂ insertion into the Cu^I(bond)H bond is the most reactantlike, while the TS of the CO₂ insertion into the Rh^III(bond)H bond is the most productlike. The activation energy (E_a) and the reaction energy (ΔE) were calculated to be 6.5 and −33.5 kcal/mol for the CO₂ insertion into the Cu¹(bond)H bond, 21.2 and −7.0 kcal/mol for the CO₂ insertion into the Rh¹(bond)H bond, and 51.3 and −1.1 kcal/mol for the Rh¹¹¹(bond)H bond at the SD-CI level, where negative ΔE represents exothermicity. These results are discussed in terms of the M(bond)H bond energy and the trans-influence of the hydride ligand. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Basis sets for molecular interactions. 1. Construction and tests on (HF)2 and (H2O)2

Basis set superposition error (BSSE) remains one of the major difficulties besetting current ab initio calculations of molecular interactions. Despite the widespread notion that lowering of the BSSE to negligible magnitude requires extremely large basis sets, we show that simple modifications of basis sets of only moderate size (e.g., 6-31G**) can accomplish the same end at much reduced computational expense. These modifications include reoptimization of the orbital exponents within the framework of the relevant molecules, plus addition of a single diffuse shell of sp orbitals on nonhydrogen centers. Subsequent addition of a second set of d-functions further lowers the SCF BSSE, bringing it below 0.1 kcal/mol for both (HF)₂ and (H₂O)₂. It is notable that addition of the latter d-functions without prior reoptimization of the valence orbitals produces the opposite effect of an increase in the BSSE. Although the MP2 BSSE is also substantially decreased by the above modifications, it appears difficult to reduce this quantity below about 0.4 kcal/mol.     

Internal conrotation and disrotation in H2BCH2BH2 and diborylmethane 1,3 H exchange

The paths of correlated internal disrotation (barrier less than 0.4 kcal/mol) and conrotation (barrier around 1.9 kcal/mol) of the two BH₂ groups in H₂BCH₂BH₂ have been computed employing ab initio [MP2(full)/6–31G**] and density functional theory (Becke3LYP/6–311+G**) methods. Two B(SINGLE BOND)C(DOTTED BOND)B(p) hyperconjugative interactions stabilize the C_s symmetric H₂BCH₂BH₂ isomer ( 1 ). The B(SINGLE BOND)C(DOTTED BOND)B(p) hyperconjugative stabilization, evaluated by homodesmotic reactions and using the orbital deletion procedure (which “deactivates” the “vacant” born p orbital), is less than 6 kcal/mol in diborylmethane. The B(SINGLE BOND)C(DOTTED BOND)B(p) stabilization is shown to be remarkably large in C₄B₆H₁₀ (Td). At MP2(fu)/6–31G**, disproportionation into 1 and methane is only 5.6 kcal/mol exothermic. The 1,3 H exchange in diborylmethane is an asynchronous process and proceeds via a doubly bridged cyclic intermediate with 9.3 kcal/mol barrier. Structures with “planar tetracoordinate” carbon are stabilized considerably by BH₂ substituents, but they are still high in energy. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 18 : 1792–1803, 1997     

Thermochemical kinetics of bromine nitrate,bromine nitrite,halogen hydroperoxides,dichlorine pentoxide,peroxycarboxylic acids,and diacyl peroxides

Heats of formation of BrONO₂, BrONO, BrOOH, FOOH, FOOCl, CF₃C(O)OOH, HC(O)OOH, CH₃C(O)OOH, and [CH₃C(O)O]₂ are estimated from bond contributions taken from J. Phys. Chem., 100, 10150 (1996). They agree within ±2 kcal/mol with recent experimental or ab initio data. The resulting BDE(O(SINGLEBOND)O)=36 kcal/mol value in diacetyl peroxide requires the concerted assistance of exothermic C(SINGLEBOND)C(O) weakening in the transition state of its decomposition into free radicals. It also implies the existence of a previously unrecognized 12 kcal/mol nonbonded repulsion in acyl anhydrides. The formation of chloryl chlorate with ΔH_f(O₂ClOClO₂)=50 kcal/mol, a marginally stable species toward dissociation into (ClO₃+OClO), may account for observations made in the [O(³P+OClO] system at low temperatures. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet: 30: 41–45, 1998.     

Cooperative atomic migrations in the associates of formic acid molecule with H2O...X systems (X=CH3OH,NH2OH,H2O2, HOF,and H2O)

The pathways and activation barriers of cooperative biproton migrations in the associates of the formic acid molecule with H₂O and X molecules (X=CH₃OH, NH₂OH, H₂O₂, FOH, and H₂O) are calculated by an ab initio method (3-21G and 6-31G^** basis sets). A cooperative triproton transfer occurs in the system with X=H₂O. The activation barriers of this transfer calculated in the 3-21G and 6-31G^** basis sets are 6.94 and 27.29 (through the structure of C₂ symmetry) or 7.99 and 26.08 kcal/mole (through the structure of C_s symmetry), respectively. In the systems with X=H₃COH, HOOH, and FOH, the biproton transfer is accompanied by synchronous shifts of two hydroxyl groups and overcomes high activation barriers (>40 kcal/mole), which is accounted for by poor stereochemical similarity for the low-barrier cooperative processes in the given molecular associates. Scientific Research Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry, Rostov State University. Translated fromZhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 37, No. 5, pp. 845–858, September–October, 1996. Translated by I. Izvekova     

Reaction between U(IV) and H2O2 in hydrochloric acid medium

Kinetic investigations on the reaction between U(IV) and H₂O₂ have been carried out at different acidities in chloride medium at an ionic strength of 2M. The observed bimolecular rate constant has been found to be dependant on [H⁺]^?1.3. The activation energy of the overall reaction has been found to vary from 13.4 ± 0.7 to 18.0 ± 0.8 kcal/mol in the range of acidity from 0.3 to 1.5M. The results have been explained on the basis of three parallel rate-controlling reactions involving unhydrolyzed species of U(IV) and hydrolyzed species UCl(OH)²⁺ and UO²⁺. The values of the rate constants for these three reaction paths have been found to be of the order of 3.95, 5.59 × 10³, and 1.49 × 10⁵M^?1 min^?1, respectively.     

Examination of the structures,energetics, and vibrational frequencies of small sulfur-containing prototypical dimers, (H2S)2 and H2O/H2S

The optimized geometries, vibrational frequencies, and dissociation energies from MP2 and CCSD(T) computations with large correlation consistent basis sets are reported for (H₂S)₂ and H₂O/H₂S. Anharmonic vibrational frequencies have also been computed with second-order vibrational perturbation theory (VPT2). As such, the fundamental frequencies, overtones, and combination bands reported in this study should also provide a useful road map for future spectroscopic studies of the simple but important heterogeneous H₂O/H₂S dimer in which the hydrogen bond donor and acceptor can interchange, leading to two unique minima with very similar energies. Near the CCSD(T) complete basis set limit, the HOH⋯SH₂ configuration (H₂O donor) lies only 0.2 kcal mol⁻¹ below the HSH⋯OH₂ structure (H₂S donor). When the zero-point vibrational energy is included, however, the latter configuration becomes slightly lower in energy than the former by <0.1 kcal mol⁻¹. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Biproton transfer in associates of the formic acid molecule with H2O...YH systems (YH=H2O,HOF and HOOH)

An ab initio (STO-3G basis set) method is used to calculate the pathways and activation barriers of cooperative biproton migrations in the associates of the formic acid molecule with water and YH (YH=H₂O, HOF, and HOOH). The associate with YH=H₂O exhibits a cooperative triproton transfer with an activation barrier of 4.46 (C_s symmetry) or 3.08 kcal/mole (C₂ symmetry); in the systems with Y=HOF and HOOH, the biproton transfer is accompanied by synchronous shifts of two hydroxyl groups and has the activation barriers of 75.03 (C₂, Y=HOF), 75.74 (C_s, Y=HOF), and 89.62 kcal/mole (Y=HOOH). The hypothesis of stereochemical similarity for low-barrier cooperative processes in molecular associates is proposed. Scientific Research Institute of Physical and Organic Chemistry, Rostov State University. Translated fromZhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 37, No. 5, pp. 834–844, September–October, 1996. Translated by I. Izvekova     

Theoretical characterization of hydrogen pentoxide,H2O5

Following our investigations on hydrogen polyoxides, herein we employed coupled cluster theory in conjunction with Dunning's correlation consistent basis sets and density functional theory to study HOOOOOH (H₂O₅). The infrared spectra of H₂O₅ and its three deuterated isotopologues, as well as those of the five single‐substituted ¹⁸O isotopologues are discussed in detail. Internal valence coordinates were employed to classify the vibrational modes. The Raman activity is reported to help in the identification of hydrogen pentoxide. The suggested enthalpy of formation is ΔH_f,298° (HOOOOH) = 1.4 ± 1.5 kcal/mol. This value includes corrections for relativistic and core‐valence effects as well as anharmonic corrections to Zero‐point energy corrections. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Adsorption of O, H, OH, and H2O on Ag(100)

The adsorption of H(2)O and its dissociation products, O, H, and OH, on Ag(100) has been studied using an ab initio embedding method. Results at different sites (atop, bridge, and hollow) are presented. The four-fold hollow site is found to be the most stable adsorption site for O, H, and OH, and the calculated adsorption energies are 87.1, 42.7, and 76.2 kcal mol(-1), respectively. The adsorption energy of water at the atop and bridge sites is almost identical with values of 11.1 and 12.0 kcal mol(-1), respectively. The formation of adsorbed OH species by adsorption of water on oxygen-precovered Ag(100) is predicted to be exothermic by 36 kcal mol(-1).     

Theoretical studies of decomposition kinetics of CF3CCl2O radical

The unimolecular decomposition reaction of CF₃CCl₂O radical has been investigated using theoretical methods. Two most important channels of decomposition occurring via C–C bond scission and Cl elimination have been considered during the present investigation. Ab initio quantum mechanical calculations are performed to get optimized structure and vibrational frequencies at DFT and MP2 levels of theory. Energetics are further refined by the application of a modified Gaussian-2 method, G2M(CC,MP2). The thermal rate constants for the decomposition reactions involved are evaluated using Canonical Transition State Theory (CTST) utilizing the ab initio data. Rate constants for C–C bond scission and Cl elimination are found to be 6.7 × 10⁶ and 1.1 × 10⁸ s^?1, respectively, at 298 K and 1 atm pressure with an energy barrier of 8.6 and 6.5 kcal/mol, respectively. These values suggest that Cl elimination is the dominant process during the decomposition of the CF₃CCl₂O radical. Transition states are searched on the potential energy surface of the decomposition reactions involved and are characterized by the existence of only one imaginary frequency (NIMAG = 1) during frequency calculation. The existence of transition states on the corresponding potential energy surface is further ascertained by performing intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) calculation.     

An ab initio correlated study of the potential energy surface for the HOBr.H2O complex

The potential energy surface (PES) for the HOBr.H(2)O complex has been investigated using second- and fourth-order M?ller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2, MP4) and coupled cluster theory with single and doubles excitations (CCSD), and a perturbative approximation of triple excitations (CCSD-T), correlated ab initio levels of theory employing basis sets of triple zeta quality with polarization and diffuse functions up to the 6-311++G(3dp,3df ) standard Pople's basis set. Six stationary points being three minima, two first-order transition state (TS) structures and one second-order TS were located on the PES. The global minimum syn and the anti equilibrium structure are virtually degenerated [DeltaE(ele-nuc) approximately 0.3 kcal mol(-1), CCSD-T/6-311++G(3df,3pd) value], with the third minima being approximately 4 kcal mol(-1) away. IRC analysis was performed to confirm the correct connectivity of the two first-order TS structures. The CCSD-T/6-311++G(3df,3pd)//MP2/6-311G(d,p) barrier for the syn<-->anti interconversion is 0.3 kcal mol(-1), indicating that a mixture of the syn and anti forms of the HOBr.H(2)O complex is likely to exist.     

Energetics of proton transfer between carbon atoms (H3CH ? CH3)−

Ab initio calculations were carried out to study the potential energy surface of (H₃C? H? CH₃)^?. The 6–31G* basis set is supplemented by a set of diffuse p functions on both C and H (with a range of exponents for the latter). The binding energy of CH₄ and CH₃^? to form the (H₃CH? CH₃)^? complex is about 2 kcal/mol, much smaller than for comparable ionic H-bonded systems involving O or N atoms. Nearly half of this interaction energy is due to correlation effects, computed at second and third orders of Møller-Plesset perturbation theory. Correlation is also responsible for substantial reductions in the energy barrier to proton transfer within the complex. This barrier is computed to be 13?15 kcal/mol at the MP3 level, depending upon the exponent used for the H p functions.