The production and spectroscopy of molecular ions isolated in solid neon

Studies of the molecular spectra of small polyatomic molecular ions are stlll in therr infancy. The availability of survey spectra would facilitate the search for individual vibrational and vibronic bands of gas-phase ion species using sophisticated, highly sensitive laser techniques. Deeectable concentrations not only of simpee ions such as CO⁺ ₂ and H⁺ ₂ but also of dimer cations and anions such as O⁺ ₄ and O^- ₄ have been stabilized in solid neon when the parett molecule is codeposited with a beam of excited neon atoms. The vibrational fundamentals heretofore observed for the simpee ions isolated in solid neon lie very close to the positions of the corresponding gas-phase band centers. Molecular spectroscopic data are not yet available for the gas-phase dimer ions. Therefore, it is difficutt to estimate how closely the neon-matrix vibrational frequencies here reported for a numbrr of dimer ions correspond to the gas-phase band centers. Some guidance is available from comparison of the argon-matrix spectra of small molecules hydrogen-bonded to HF with the gasphaee spectra of theee hydrogen-bonded species [55]. In theee studies, the effect of the argon matrix is to enhance the apparent hydrogen-bond strength; the HF stretching frequency is lowered by 1 to 5% from the gas-phase value, and the absorptions contributed by the flexing of the HF with respect to the other molecule are raised by 5% or more. Since neon matrices are generally less perturbing than argon matrices, the deviation from the gas-phase frequencies shoudd be somewhat less in neon-matrix studies. In the present experiments, only the high frequency stretching fundamentals have been observed, suggesting that matrix shifss shoudd amoutt to less than 3 or 4%. Therefore, matrix isolation studies such as theee promise to provide a valuable new tool for the detection and spectroscopic characterization of small molecular ions and cluster ions.     

New infrared bands of nonpolar OCS dimer and experimental frequencies for two intermolecular modes

Spectra of the nonpolar carbonyl sulfide dimer in the region of the OCS ν(1) fundamental band were observed in a slit-jet supersonic expansion. The jet was probed using radiation from a tunable diode laser employed in a rapid-scan signal averaging mode. Six new bands were observed and analyzed, all of which originate from the dimer ground vibrational state. Three were vibrational fundamentals involving the ((18)OCS)(2) and (16)OCS-(18)OCS isotopologues. They enabled an estimate to be made of the frequency of the infrared-forbidden mode corresponding to in-phase vibration of the OCS monomers in the dimer, a value needed to obtain an intermolecular vibrational frequency from one of the observed combination bands. A relatively weak b-type dimer band centered at 2103.105 cm(-1) was assigned to the OCS 4ν(2) (l = 0) bending overtone. Combination bands were observed involving the geared bend and van der Waals stretch intermolecular modes. The resulting experimental frequencies of 37.5(20) cm(-1) for the bend and 42.9727(1) cm(-1) for the stretch are in good agreement with a recent high level theoretical calculation.     

Photodissociation of the water dimer: three-dimensional quantum dynamics studies on diabatic potential-energy surfaces

The results are presented of three-dimensional model studies of the photodissociation of the water dimer following excitation in the first absorption band. Diabatic potential-energy surfaces are used to investigate the photodissociation following excitation of the hydrogen bond donor molecule and of the hydrogen bond acceptor molecule. In both cases, the degrees of freedom considered are the two OH-stretch modes of the molecule being excited, and the dimer stretch vibration. The diabatic potentials are based on adiabatic potential surfaces computed with the multireference configuration-interaction method, and the dynamics of dissociation was studied using the time-dependent wave-packet method. The dynamics calculations yield a donor spectrum extending over roughly the same range of frequencies as the spectrum of the water monomer computed at the same level of theory. The acceptor spectrum has the same width as the monomer spectrum, but is shifted to the blue by 0.4-0.5 eV. The dimer spectrum obtained by averaging the donor and the acceptor spectrum is broader than the monomer spectrum, with the center of the dimer first absorption band shifted to the blue by about 0.2 eV relative to the monomer band. Our reduced dimensionality calculations do not find the red tail predicted for the dimer first absorption band by Harvey et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 109, 8747 (1998)]. This conclusion also holds if preexcitation of the dimer stretch vibration with one or two quanta is considered.     

Complete vapor phase assignment for the fundamental vibrations of furan,pyrrole and thiophene

Vibrational spectroscopic studies, including IR vapor, Raman vapor and Raman liquid spectra, have been made to obtain the complete set of fundamental vibrational frequencies in the vapor and liquid states for furan, pyrrole and thiophene. For furan, vapor values have been determined for the two previously ambiguous fundamentals, ν₁₁ and ν₁₈. Also determined is the vapor frequncy of two fundamentals of furan for which only the liquid value had been known. The fundamental vibrational frequencies of pyrrole have been completely determined in the gas and liquid states. The thiophene results confirm the assignment of Rico et al. [Spectrochim. Acta 21, 689 (1965)], although for several of the fundamental modes the vapor frequency is now measured. The Raman vapor spectra are conclusive concerning the refinements in vibrational assignment for furan and pyrrole, where virtually every binary combination band involving the out-of-plane fundamentals that yield an A₁ transition is observed. The Raman vapor results establish two significant Fermi resonances affecting fundamental vibration levels in pyrrole. Also, ¹³C and ³⁴S isotopomers are identified in the Q-branches of the Raman vapor spectra at natural abundance. A comparison of the spectroscopic and calorimetric ideal-gas thermodynamic properties is made. The differences are negligible in the region where the calorimetric data are most reliable.     

Hydrogen-bond vibrations in the S(1)<-->S(0) spectra of a nucleobase pair analog: a mixed dimer between 2-pyridone and formamide

The vibronically resolved electronic spectra for S(1)<-->S(0) transitions of a mixed dimer between 2-pyridone (2PY) and formamide have been measured in a supersonic free jet expansion using laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. Quantum chemistry method at different levels of theory has been used to optimize the geometries of the dimer for the S(0) and S(1) electronic states and also to calculate the normal vibrational modes. Assignments for the vibronic bands observed in the dispersed fluorescence spectrum of the 0(0) (0) band have been suggested with the aid of the ground state frequencies calculated by density functional theoretical method. Spectral analysis reveals that electronic excitation causes extensive mixing of the low-frequency intermolecular vibrational modes of the dimer with some of the intramolecular modes of the 2PY moiety. This spectral behavior is consistent with the complete active space self-consistent field theoretical prediction that with respect to a number of geometrical parameters the dimer geometry in S(1) is significantly distorted from the geometry of the S(0) state.     

Water trimer torsional spectrum from accurate ab initio and semiempirical potentials

The torsional levels of (H2O)3 and (D2O)3 were calculated in a restricted dimensionality (three-dimensional) model with several recently proposed water potentials. Comparison with the experimental data provides a critical test, not only of the pair interactions that have already been probed on the water dimer spectra, but also of the nonadditive three-body contributions to the potential. The purely ab initio CC-pol and HBB potentials that were previously shown to yield very accurate water dimer levels, also reproduce the trimer levels well when supplemented with an appropriate three-body interaction potential. The TTM2.1 potential gives considerably less good agreement with experiment. Also the semiempirical VRT(ASP-W)III potential, fitted to the water dimer vibration-rotation-tunneling levels, gives substantial disagreement with the measured water trimer levels, which shows that the latter probe the potential for geometries other than those probed by the dimer spectrum. Although the three-body nonadditive interactions significantly increase the stability of the water trimer, their effect on the torsional energy barriers and vibration-tunneling frequencies is less significant.     

Laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy of a mixed dimer between 2-pyridone and 7-azaindole

We report here the laser induced fluorescence excitation (FE) and dispersed fluorescence (DF) spectra of a 1:1 mixed dimer between 7-azaindole (7AI) and 2-pyridone (2PY) measured in a supersonic free jet expansion of helium. Density functional theoretical calculation at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level has been performed for predictions of the dimer geometry and normal mode vibrational frequencies in the ground electronic state. A planar doubly hydrogen-bonded structure has been predicted to be the most preferred geometry of the dimer. In the FE spectrum, sharp vibronic bands are observed only for excitation of the 2PY moiety. A large number of low-frequency vibronic bands show up in both the FE and DF spectra, and those bands have been assigned to in-plane hydrogen bond vibrations of the dimer. Spectral analyses reveal Duschinsky-type mixing among those modes in the excited state. No distinct vibronic band structure in the FE spectrum was observed corresponding to excitations of the 7AI moiety, and the observation has been explained in terms of nonradiative electronic relaxation routes involving the 2PY moiety.     

Study of NH stretching vibrations in small ammonia clusters by infrared spectroscopy in He droplets and ab initio calculations

Infrared spectra of the NH stretching vibrations of (NH3)n clusters (n = 2-4) have been obtained using the helium droplet isolation technique and first principles electronic structure anharmonic calculations. The measured spectra exhibit well-resolved bands, which have been assigned to the nu1, nu3, and 2nu4 modes of the ammonia fragments in the clusters. The formation of a hydrogen bond in ammonia dimers leads to an increase of the infrared intensity by about a factor of 4. In the larger clusters the infrared intensity per hydrogen bond is close to that found in dimers and approaches the value in the NH3 crystal. The intensity of the 2nu4 overtone band in the trimer and tetramer increases by a factor of 10 relative to that in the monomer and dimer, and is comparable to the intensity of the nu1 and nu3 fundamental bands in larger clusters. This indicates the onset of the strong anharmonic coupling of the 2nu4 and nu1 modes in larger clusters. The experimental assignments are compared to the ones obtained from first principles electronic structure anharmonic calculations for the dimer and trimer clusters. The anharmonic calculations were performed at the M?ller-Plesset (MP2) level of electronic structure theory and were based on a second-order perturbative evaluation of rovibrational parameters and their effects on the vibrational spectra and average structures. In general, there is excellent (<20 cm(-1)) agreement between the experimentally measured band origins for the N-H stretching frequencies and the calculated anharmonic vibrational frequencies. However, the calculations were found to overestimate the infrared intensities in clusters by about a factor of 4.     

The vibrational spectra of 1,1,4,4-tetrafluoro- and 1,1,4,4-tetrachlorobutadiene

Raman data are reported for gas, liquid and solid 1,1,4,4-tetrafluorobutadiene, F₂CCHCHCF₂, and IR data for gas and solid. The molecule has a planar trans conformation of C_2h symmetry. With the aid of Raman depolarization ratios and IR band contours, twenty of the twenty-four spectroscopically-active fundamentals can be assigned with assurance. Frequencies are suggested for the remaining four modes.Raman and IR data are reported for the liquid and solid 1,1,4,4-tetrachlorobutadiene. Mid-IR gas phase data are also reported. Again the data can be satisfactorily explained under C_2h symmetry. Fourteen fundamentals can be assigned with confidence. Suggestions have been made for the frequencies of nine other fundamentals.     

FT-IR, FT-Raman, NMR and UV-vis spectra, vibrational assignments and DFT calculations of 4-butyl benzoic acid

The solid phase FTIR and FT-Raman spectra of 4-butyl benzoic acid (4-BBA) have been recorded in the regions 400-4000 and 50-4000cm(-1), respectively. The spectra were interpreted in terms of fundamentals modes, combination and overtone bands. The structure of the molecule was optimized and the structural characteristics were determined by density functional theory (DFT) using B3LYP method with 6-311++G(d,p) as basis set. The vibrational frequencies were calculated for monomer and dimer by DFT method and were compared with the experimental frequencies, which yield good agreement between observed and calculated frequencies. The infrared and Raman spectra were also predicted from the calculated intensities. (13)C and (1)H NMR spectra were recorded and (13)C and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance chemical shifts of the molecule were calculated using the gauge independent atomic orbital (GIAO) method. UV-visible spectrum of the compound was recorded in the region 200-400nm and the electronic properties HOMO and LUMO energies were measured by time-dependent TD-DFT approach. The geometric parameters, energies, harmonic vibrational frequencies, IR intensities, Raman intensities, chemical shifts and absorption wavelengths were compared with the available experimental data of the molecule.     

Prediction of accurate anharmonic experimental vibrational frequencies for water clusters, (H2O)n, n=2-5

Accurate anharmonic experimental vibrational frequencies for water clusters consisting of 2-5 water molecules have been predicted on the basis of comparing different methods with MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ calculated and experimental anharmonic frequencies. The combination of using HF/6-31G* scaled frequencies for intramolecular modes and anharmonic frequencies for intermolecular modes gives excellent agreement with experiment for the water dimer and trimer and are as good as the expensive anharmonic MP2 calculations. The water trimer, the cyclic Ci and S4 tetramers, and the cyclic pentamer all have unique peaks in the infrared spectrum between 500 and 800 cm-1 and between 3400 and 3700 cm-1. Under the right experimental conditions these different clusters can be uniquely identified using high-resolution IR spectroscopy.     

Communication: The highest frequency hydrogen bond vibration and an experimental value for the dissociation energy of formic acid dimer

The highest frequency hydrogen bond fundamental of formic acid dimer, ν(24) (B(u)), is experimentally located at 264 cm(-1). FTIR spectra of this in-plane bending mode of (HCOOH)(2) and band centers of its symmetric D isotopologues (isotopomers) recorded in a supersonic slit jet expansion are presented. Comparison to earlier studies at room temperature reveals the large influence of thermal excitation on the band maximum. Together with three B(u) combination states involving hydrogen bond fundamentals and with recent progress for the Raman-active modes, this brings into reach an accurate statistical thermodynamics treatment of the dimerization process up to room temperature. We obtain D(0) = 59.5(5) kJ/mol as the best experimental estimate for the dimer dissociation energy at 0 K. Further improvements have to wait for a more consistent determination of the room temperature equilibrium constant.     

Infrared spectra of the CF3I dimer: a concurrent application of matrix-isolation spectroscopy and cavity ring-down spectroscopy

We have observed infrared spectra of the CF(3)I dimer produced in a supersonic jet by matrix-isolation Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and infrared cavity ring-down (IR-CRD) spectroscopy. In the matrix-isolation experiments, the dimer was isolated in an Ar matrix by the pulse-deposition method. The recorded spectral range covers the symmetric (nu(1)) and doubly degenerate (nu(4)) C-F stretching regions. From the concentration dependence of the matrix-isolation spectra we have assigned one dimer band for each fundamental region. It was not easy to identify the dimer band for the nu(4) band because of the multiplet feature of the monomeric nu(4) band caused by the site symmetry breaking. The spectra of (CF(3)I)(2) in the nu(4) band region were thus also measured in the gas phase by IR-CRD spectroscopy, where we detected two dimer bands. Comparing the observed band positions with the results of quantum chemical calculations, we have assigned the observed dimer bands to the head-to-head isomer. The structure of (CF(3)I)(2) and its photochemical implications are discussed, in comparison with methyl iodide dimer reported previously [Ito et al., Chem. Phys. Lett. 343, 185 (2001)].     

Calculation of the equilibrium configuration and intermolecular frequencies of water dimers and hexagonal ice

The equilibrium structure and vibrational frequencies of the water dimer and hexagonal ice have been calculated using the Hartree-Fock potential of Clementi and coworkers and the correction for dispersion interactions of Kolos and coworkers. This correction term is proven to improve substantially the calculated results in the solid. The results obtained for the dimer were compared to other semiempirical and ab initio calculations and converging trends of the different studies are pointed out. Zero point energy effects were analyzed in hexagonal ice. These effects are shown to have little influence on determining the equilibrium structure of the crystal due to the peculiar behavior of the lattice frequencies as a function of the molar volume.     

Molecular structure and vibrational spectra of 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl)propane by quantum chemical calculations

The experimental and theoretical study on the structures and vibrations of 1,3-bis(4-pyridyl)propane are presented. The FT-IR and Raman spectra of molecule have been measured. The optimized geometric bond lengths have been obtained by DFT show the best agreements with experimental values. The harmonic vibrational frequencies were calculated and scaled values have been compared with experimental FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra. Majority of the computed wavenumbers were found to be in good agreement with experimental observations. A complete assignment of the fundamentals was proposed based on the total energy distribution (TED) calculation.     

Structure of 7-azaindole···2-fluoropyridine dimer in a supersonic jet: competition between N-H···N and N-H···F interactions

In the present work, we have investigated the structure of 7-azaindole···2-fluoropyridine dimer in a supersonic jet by employing resonant two photon ionization (R2PI), IR-UV, and UV-UV double resonance spectroscopic techniques combined with quantum chemistry calculations. The R2PI spectrum of the dimer is recorded by electronic excitation of the 7-azaindole moiety, and a few low frequency intermolecular vibrations of the dimer are clearly observed in the spectrum. The electronic origin band of the dimer is red-shifted by 1278 cm(-1) from the S(1) ← S(0) origin band of 7-azaindole monomer. The presence of a single conformer of the dimer is confirmed by IR-UV and UV-UV hole-burning spectroscopic techniques. RIDIR (Resonant ion dip infrared) spectrum of the dimer shows a red-shift of 265 cm(-1) in the N-H stretching frequency with respect to that of the 7-azaindole monomer. Two planar double hydrogen bonded cyclic structures of the dimer have been predicted from DFT calculations. Comparison of experimental and theoretical N-H stretching frequencies confirms that the observed dimer is stabilized by N-H···N and C-H···N hydrogen bonding interactions. The less stable conformer with N-H···F and C-H···N interactions are not observed in the experiment. The competition between N-H···N and N-H···F interactions in the two dimeric structures are discussed from natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. The current results demonstrate that fluorine makes a hydrogen bond of intermediate strength through cooperative interaction of another hydrogen bond (C-H···N) present in the dimer, although fluorine is believed to be very weak hydrogen bond acceptor.     

Infrared spectra of water clusters in krypton and xenon matrices

The infrared absorption spectra of the water molecules and small water clusters, (H(2)O)(n) with n = 2-6, trapped in solid argon, krypton, and xenon matrices have been investigated. The infrared bands of the water clusters with n = 5 and 6 in krypton and n = 3, 4, 5, and 6 in xenon matrices have been identified for the first time in the bonded OH stretching region. The frequency shifts in the bonded OH stretching band of the water dimer and trimer in xenon matrices show fairly large deviations to the red from the empirical correlation between the matrix shifts and the square root of the critical temperatures of the matrix material. The observed anomalous shifts suggest that the water dimer and trimer in solid xenon are trapped in multiple sites, and that the structures of the preferential trapping sites are different from those in argon and krypton matrices.     

Hydrogen bond-induced vibronic mode mixing in benzoic acid dimer: a laser-induced fluorescence study

Laser-induced dispersed fluorescence spectra of benzoic acid dimer in the cold environment of supersonic jet expansion have been reinvestigated with improved spectral resolution of measurements. The spectra are analyzed with the aid of the normal mode vibrations of the dimer calculated by the ab initio quantum chemistry method at the DFT/B3LYP/6-311+G(*) (*) level of theory. The analysis reveals that the low-frequency intermolecular hydrogen bond modes are mixed extensively with the carboxyl as well as aromatic ring vibrations upon electronic excitation. The mode mixing is manifested as the complete loss of mirror symmetry relation between the fluorescence excitation and dispersed fluorescence spectra of the S(1) origin, and appearance of large number of cross-sequence transitions when the DF spectra are measured by exciting the low-energy vibrations near the S(1) origin. The cross-sequence bands are found in all the cases to be the combinations of two nontotally symmetric fundamentals consisting of one of the intermolecular hydrogen bond modes and the other from the aromatic ring and carboxyl group vibrations. The implications of this mode mixing on the excited state dynamics of the dimer are discussed.     

Ultraviolet absorption and vibrational spectra of 2-fluoro-5-bromopyridine

The ultraviolet absorption spectrum in the range 340-185 nm in the vapour and solution phase has been measured for 2-fluoro-5-bromopyridine. Three fairly intense band systems identified as the pi* <-- pi transitions II, III and IV have been observed. A detailed vibronic analysis of the vapor and solution spectra is presented. The first system of bands is resolved into about sixty-two distinct vibronic bands in the vapour-phase spectrum. The 0,0 band is located at 35944 cm(-1). Two well-developed progressions, in which the excited state frequencies nu'25 (283 cm(-1)) and nu'19 (550 cm(-1)) are excited by several quanta, have been observed. The corresponding excited state vibrational and anharmonicity constants are found to be omega'i = 292 cm(-1), x'ii = 4.5 cm(-1) (i = 25) and omega'i = 563.8 cm(-1), x'ii = 6.9 cm(-1) (i = 19). The other two band systems show no vibronic structure, the band maxima being located at 48346 and 52701 cm(-1), respectively. The oscillator strength of the band systems in different solutions and the excited state dipole moments associated with the first two transitions have been determined by the solvent-shift method. The infrared spectrum in the region 4000-130 cm(-1) and the laser Raman spectrum of the molecule in the liquid state have been measured and a complete vibrational assignment of the observed frequencies is given. A correlation of the ground and excited state fundamental frequencies observed in the UV absorption spectrum with the Raman or infrared frequencies is presented.     

Mechanistic Study on the Ozone‐Mercury Reaction and the Effect of Water and Water Dimer Molecules

The thermodynamics and mechanism of the reaction of elemental mercury with ozone has been studied computationally. The effect of water and water dimer molecules on the reaction has also been investigated. For dry reaction, we obtained two pathways and geometry optimization, atoms in molecules analysis and vibrational frequencies of all component of reaction have been used for confirming of reaction mechanism. Thermodynamic variable of reaction has been calculated. For the reaction in the presence of the water, our studies focus on ozone‐mercury complex reaction with water and water dimer and obtained the mechanism of reactions. Comparison of wet and dry reaction shows the energy profile of reaction decreases with water molecule correspond to experimental prediction. Calculated thermodynamic variable of all reaction shows the Gibbs free energy of reaction decreases with the number of water molecule.