Visualizing dispersion interactions through the use of local orbital spaces

The interpretation of chemical properties/phenomena can often be aided through the use of imagery. The mapping of molecular electrostatic potentials is a prime example, serving as a guideline in the design of novel compounds or understanding transition state stabilization effects. It is today a common tool for theoreticians and experimentalists alike. With the emergence of concepts such as dispersion energy donors, and the overall importance of dispersion in chemical systems, representations targeting such a class of interactions are warranted. In this work, we make use of local orbital analysis to extract dispersion interactions and represent them in a scalar quantity, the Dispersion Interaction Density (DID). A particular advantage of the method is the possibility to represent at the same footing intermolecular and intramolecular interactions in a straightforward fashion from wave function calculations. We present examples for the benzene dimer, several substituted benzenes and a coupled diamondoid molecule. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Molecular mechanics on bonding and non-bonding interactions in (atom@C60)

The interactions between the embedded atom X (X = Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs; F, Cl, Br, I) andC60 cage in the endohedral-form complexes (X@C₆₀) are calculated and discussed according to molecular mechanics from the point of view of the bonding and non-bonding. It is found from the computational results that for atoms with radii larger than Li’s, their locations with the minimum interaction in (X@C₆₀) are at the cage center, while atom Li has an off-center location with the minimum interaction deviation of ~0.05 nm, and the cage-environment in C₆₀ can be regarded as syhero-symmetry in the region with radiusr of ~0.2 nm. It is shown that the interaction between X and C₆₀ cage is of non-bonding characteristic, and this non-bonding interaction is not purely electrostatic. The repulsion and dispersion in non-bonding interactions should not be neglected, which make important contribution to the location with minimum interaction of X, at center or off center. Some rules about the variations of interactions with atomic radii have been obtained. Project supportt:d by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Reaction of the low-valent transition metal complexes with non-transition organometallic compounds

The zero-valent triphenylphosphine complexes of palladium and platinum were found to react readily under mild conditions with organomercurials RHgX and R₂Hg. Final products appear to be σ-bonded organic derivatives of Pd and Pt. In several cazses, the relatively stable intermediates with platinum to mercury bond were isolated. Dibenzylideneacetone-palladium (0) and -platinum(0) complexes exhibits similar reactivity towards organomercurials.     

One-pot and catalyst-free amidation of ester: a matter of non-bonding interactions

This paper describes a one-pot procedure for acetamide synthesis directly from amines and pyrimidine ester, without any catalyst or coupling agents. The inexpensive and simple reaction conditions are the most important features of this amidation. This reaction was performed with various amines, showing that long range stabilizing interactions (H-bonding and π-stacking) are the driving force for chemoselectivity.     

Molecular mechanics on bonding and non-bonding interactions in (atom@C_(60))

The interactions between the embedded atom X (X=Li,Na,K,Rb,Cs; F,Cl,Br,I) and C60cage in the endohedral-form complexes (X@C60) are calculated and discussed according to molecular mechanics from the point of view of the bonding and non-bonding.It is found from the computational results that for atoms with radii larger than Li's,their locations with the minimum interaction in (X@C60) are at the cage center,while atom Li has an off-center location with the minimum interaction deviation of-0.05 nm,and the cage-environment in C60 can be regarded as sphero-symmetry in the region with radius r of ~0.2 nm.It is shown that the interaction between X and C60 cage is of non-bonding characteristic,and this non-bonding interaction is not purely electrostatic.The repulsion and dispersion in non-bonding interactions should not be neglected,which make important contribution to the location with minimum interaction of X,at center or off center.Some rules about the variations of interactions with atomic radii have been ob     

Lone-pair orbital interactions in polythiaadamantanes

The electronic structures of a series of polythiaadamantanes from thiaadamantane through 2,4,6,8,9,10-hexathiaadamantane (HTA) have been analyzed using density functional theory calculations in conjunction with Hückel and natural bond orbital analysis. The effects of multiple sulfur p-type lone-pair orbital interactions on ionization potentials, hole mobilities, and electronic coupling have been determined. An overall increase in the average energy of the lone-pair orbitals as the number of sulfur atoms increases is predicted, with the exact positioning of the HOMO depending on specific lone-pair interactions. Separation of through-bond (TB) and through-space (TS) interactions between intramolecular sulfur atoms has been performed using localized molecular orbitals and model systems based on interacting hydrogen sulfide molecules. TB interations were found to reduce orbital splitting, while TS interactions were found to increase orbital splitting. TS interactions were more or less constant from one polythiaadamantane to the next, and the contributions of TB effects to individual orbital energies vary depending on the relative orientation of sulfur atoms as determined by the sigma molecular framework. Electronic coupling between intermolecular sulfur lone-pair orbitals was determined by investigating unique dimer pairs observed in the crystal structure of HTA. Electronic coupling is not as strong as expected given the short intermolecular S-S distances observed in the crystal structure. In general, B3LYP/6-31G(d) and B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) give very similar orbital energies and splittings.     

Unusually high electron density in an intermolecular non-bonding region: Role of metal substrate

It has been demonstrated that intermolecular interaction,crucial in a plenty of chemical and physical processes,may vary in the presence of metal surface.However,such modification is yet to be quantitatively revealed.Here,we present a systematical density functional theory study on adsorbed bis(para-pyridyl)acetylene(BPPA)tetramer on Au(111)surface.We observed unusually high electron density between two head-to-head N atoms,an intermolecular "non-bonded" region,in adsorbed BPPA tetramer.This exceptional electron density originates from the wavefunction hybridization of the two compressed N lone-electron-pair states of two BPPA,as squeezed by a newly revealed N-Au-N three-center bonding.This bond,together with the minor contribution from N H-C intermolecular hydrogen bonding,shortens the N-N distance from over 4 Å to 3.30 Å and offers an attractive lateral interacting energy of 0.60 eV,effectively to a surface-confined in-plane pressure.The overlapped non-bonding wavefunction hybridization arising from the effective pressure induced by the N-Au-N three-center bonding,as not been fully recognized in earlier studies,was manifested in non-contact Atomic Force Microscopy.     

P6Se12]4-: a phosphorus-rich selenophosphate with low-valent P centers

The new selenophosphate Rb4P6Se12 features the trans-decalin-like, [P6Se12]4- anion, a phosphorus-rich species that possesses three parallel P-P bonds and formally P2+ and P4+ centers. The synthesis of Rb4P6Se12 was accomplished with the reductive addition of P to RbPSe6 and represents an interesting example of how alkali chalcophosphates can serve as starting materials to produce new compounds under mild reaction conditions.     

Three-coordinate metal centers in extended transition metal oxides

The n = 3 Ruddlesden-Popper phase Sr3LaFe1.5Co1.5O10+/-delta is capable of sustaining O contents as low as O7.5 with a mean metal oxidation state of +2 and three coordination at the central site in the trilayer of originally octahedral transition metal sites. The shortening of the axial bonds to the flanking octahedral layers stabilizes the low oxidation state and consequent unusual low coordination number of the Fe2+ and Co2+ cations within the extended structure.     

Reaction of α-haloester having internal double bond with the low-valent metal complex

The α-haloester having an internal double bond was allowed to react with a catalytic amount of Pd(PPh₃)₄ to afford a cyclized product in a fairly good yield and the same product was obtained by treatment with Pd(OAc)₂ to ketene silyl acetal.     

The existence of secondary orbital interactions

B3LYP/6-311+G** (and MP2/6-311+G**) computations, performed for a series of Diels-Alder (DA) reactions, confirm that the endo transition states (TS) and the related Cope-TSs are favored energetically over the respective exo-TSs. Likewise, the computed magnetic properties (nucleus-independent chemical shifts and magnetic susceptibililties) of the endo- (as well as the Cope) TS's reveal their greater electron delocalization and greater aromaticity than the exo-TS's. However, Woodward and Hoffmann's original example is an exception: their endo-TS model, involving the DA reaction of a syn- with an anti-butadiene (BD), actually is disfavored energetically over the corresponding exo-TS; magnetic criteria also do not indicate the existence of SOI delocalization in either case. Instead, a strong energetic preference for endo-TSs due to SOI is found when both BDs are in the syn conformations. This is in accord with Alder and Stein's rule of "maximum accumulation of double bonds:" both the dienophile and the diene should have syn conformations. Plots along the IRC's show that the magnetic properties typically are most strongly exalted close to the energetic TS. Because of SOI, all the points along the endo reaction coordinates are more diatropic than along the corresponding exo pathways. We find weak SOI effects to be operative in the endo-TSs involved in the cycloadditions of cyclic alkenes, cyclopropene, aziridine, cyclobutene, and cyclopentene, with cyclopentadiene. While the endo-TSs are only slightly lower in energy than the respective exo-TSs, the magnetic properties of the endo-TS's are significantly exalted over those for the exo-TS's and the Natural Bond Orbitals indicate small stabilizing interactions between the methylene cycloalkene hydrogen orbitals (and lone pairs in case of aziridine) with pi-character and the diene pi MOs.     

Charge distribution from a simple molecular orbital type calculation and non-bonding interaction terms in the force field MAB

A simple and fast method to calculate charge distributions in organic molecules is presented. The method is based on charge shifts within the saturated -system, driven by orbital electronegativities, coupled to a modified Hückel treatment of the unsaturated -systems. Experimental molecular dipole moments of a set of 119 molecules are reproduced with a root mean square deviation of 0.36 Debye units. Furthermore, the obtained charge distribution is used to describe hydration free energies in terms of hydrogen-bonding donor and acceptor strengths of polar groups. Least square fitting to experimental data of 281 compounds leads to values for these strengths with accuracy limits of ±4.3% and ±2.5%, respectively. Properly normalized values are taken to parametrize the hydrogen bonding terms in our MAB force field. The method is sufficiently fast to be used in the preparatory phase of interactive force-field calculations.     

Silane complexes of electrophilic metal centers

Photolysis of solutions of M(CO)6 (M = Cr, Mo, and W) in the presence of Et3SiH affords the silane complexes Cr(CO)5(eta2-HSiEt3), Mo(CO)5(eta2-HSiEt3), and W(CO)5(eta2-HSiEt3). Observed values of J(SiH) in these complexes are consistent with modest elongation of the Si-H bond. With Ph3SiH, complexes of Cr(CO)5 and W(CO)5 were obtained, but no complex with Mo was observed. When Ph2SiH2 was employed, only one Si-H bond interacts with the metal center. A dynamic exchange process observable on the magnetic resonance time scale exchanges the pendant and coordinated Si-H bonds of the coordinated diphenylsilane. Silanes bound to M(CO)5 are activated with respect to reaction with nucleophiles. With methanol, catalytic methanolysis of HSiEt3 has been observed in the presence of Cr(CO)5(eta2-HSiEt3), affording Et3SiOMe.     

Novel [2]catenane structures introducing communication between transition metal centers via pi...pi interactions

[2]Catenane systems containing copper(II) and nickel(II) as metal centers have been self-assembled using tetraazamacrocyclic complexes and benzo-24-crown-8 as building blocks. A variety of methods, including X-ray crystallography, ESI mass spectrometry, (13)C and (1)H NMR, and electrochemistry, were applied to characterize these new face-to-face bismacrocyclic systems. Weak pi...pi interactions introduced by interlocking transition metal complexes with benzocrown moieties were shown to increase the communication (cooperativity) of metal centers. Introduction of the benzocrown increases the stability of the mixed valence state of the macrocyclic complex, which is reflected in high values of conproportionation constants. Moreover, this effect was found to be stronger than that obtained by shortening the length of the spacer between the two tetraazamacrocyclic subunits in the parent bismacrocycles. The extent of communication is larger for the nickel catenane than for the copper one.     

Cyclization of α-haloamide with internal double bond by use of the low-valent metal complex

The α-haloamide having internal double bond was allowed to react with a catalytic amount of Pd(PPh₃)₄ in the presence of proton sponge to produce a cyclized product in a fairly good yield possibly through the intermediation of σ-alkylmetal complex although it was not isolated.     

Redox tuning of two biological copper centers through non-covalent interactions: same trend but different magnitude

The same non-covalent interactions previously found to affect the redox potential (E(m)) of the mononuclear T1 Cu protein azurin (Az) are shown to also fine-tune the E(m) of the dinuclear Cu(A) center in the same Az protein scaffold. The effects of these mutations are in the same direction but with smaller magnitude in the Cu(A) site, due to dissipation of the effects by the dinuclear Cu(A) center.     

Atomic orbital basis sets for molecular interactions

We describe a general approach to the parametrization of linear combinations of Gaussian atomic orbitals, useful for atomic and molecular interactions. We use a Gaussian transform method and Gauss-Legendre quadratures to express hydrogenic atomic orbitals, with varying effective charges, in terms of Gaussian-type orbitals. This procedure provides well-defined rules for calculating exponent factors and combination coefficients of the linear combinations of Gaussians in problems where nuclear distances may vary over large ranges during interactions. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Molecular orbital calculations on transition metal complexes

INDO SCF MO calculations are reported for the complexes (C₅H₅)M(C₇H₇) (M = Ti, V and Cr), and for the corresponding V and Cr cations. The results correctly predict¹ A ₁ ground states for the V⁺ and the neutral Ti and Cr species, and for the neutral V and Cr⁺ complexes confirm the² A ₁ ground levels. The formally metald-levels followed theH ^core sequencee ₂<a ₁<e ₁, and the most important interactions were those between the metale ₂ level and the ligand C₇H₇ -orbitals, and between the metale ₁ level and the ligand C₅H₅ -orbitals. Calculations also satisfactorily reproduced other experimental quantities, and the results indicate that thee ₂ ligand interaction becomes more important, and thee ₁ ligand interaction less important, with increasing size of the ligand ring.     

Molecular orbital calculations on transition metal clusters

Transition metal clusters have been subject of experimental and theoretical interest due to their catalytic activity, as well as their unusual physical properties. Semi-empirical extended Hückel molecular orbital calculations are presented for a series of small metal clusters with nuclearity ranging from 3 to 6. Naked and carbonylated clusters of Fe, Ru, and Os are studied. The charge transfer between ligands shell and metal core is found to be a function of nuclearity, CO coordination and the chemical species forming the bare cluster. The observed magnetic properties of these systems are discussed in terms of their electronic structure and CO-metal charge transfer.     

C-C bond formation at polynuclear metal centers

Studies on C-C bond formation between simple hydrocarbon species such as CH₂, C=CH₂, CH=CH₂, CH₂=CH₂, CH₂=C=CH₂ and CHCH at a diruthenium center suggest that the process is promoted when the dimetal center can readily compensate for the two electrons lost in the formation of the new C-C bond. Thus, whereas -CH₂ and ethene combine only under forcing conditions, the combination of -CH₂ with allene or ethyne, which have additional -electrons available for coordination, occurs readily at room temperature. Likewise, the availability of uncoordinated -electrons in -C=CH₂ allows vinylidene to link rapidly with ethene at room temperature. Alkyne complexes [Ru₂(CO)(-RCCR)(-C₅H₅)₂] (R=CF₃ or Ph) react only under vigorous conditions with additional alkyne to give [Ru₂(CO)(-C₄R₄) (-C₅H₅)₂], but give these same species at room temperature in the presence of acid, shown to be due to the intermediacy of highly reactive 30-electron -vinyl cations. Thermally, alkyne linking proceedsvia three-alkyne species [Ru₂(-C₆R₆)(-C₅H₅)₂] to a four-alkyne complex [Ru₂(-C₈R₈)(-C₅H₅)₂], containing an unprecedented C₈ ligand composed of a C₆ ring with a C₂ tail. Treatment of [Ru₂(CO)(-RCCR)(-C₅H₅)₂] with unsaturated metal fragments gives trimetal complexes such as [Ru₃(CO)₅(₃-CF₃CCCF₃) (-C₅H₅)₂]. The MeCN derivative of this species undergoes unusual linking processes on reaction with additional alkyne to giveinter alia [Ru₃(CO)₃(₃-CCF₃){₃-C₃(CF₃)₃}(-C₅H₅)₂], arising from alkyne cleavage, and [Ru₃(CO)₃{₃-C₄(CF₃)₂(CO₂Me)₂}(-C₅H₅)₂], a closo-pentagonal bipyramidal Ru₃C₄ cluster.