Solvation of monovalent anions in acetonitrile and N,N-dimethylformamide: Parameterization of the IEF-PCM model

The present work reports the parameterization of the polarizable continuum model for predicting the free energies of solvation for monovalent anions in acetonitrile and N,N-dimethylformamide. The parameterization of the model for acetonitrile employed the experimental free energies of solvation for a set of 12 charged solutes, containing H, C, N, O, S, F, Cl, Br, and I atoms. For the N,N-dimethylformamide solutions, experimental solvation free energies for 11 monovalent anions were used. A mean absolute error of 0.7 kcal/mol in the solvation free energies has been achieved for the 12 anions in acetonitrile, whereas the mean absolute error for the 11 anions corresponds to 0.5 kcal/mol in N,N-dimethylformamide. These results indicate that the polarizable continuum model is a suitable methodology for the study of thermodynamic effects in solutions of monovalent anions in both solvents.     

Calculation of electron affinities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and solvation energies of their radical anion

Electron affinities (EAs) and free energies for electron attachment (DeltaGo(a,298K)) have been directly calculated for 45 polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and related molecules by a variety of theoretical methods, with standard regression errors of about 0.07 eV (mean unsigned error = 0.05 eV) at the B3LYP/6-31 + G(d,p) level and larger errors with HF or MP2 methods or using Koopmans' Theorem. Comparison of gas-phase free energies with solution-phase reduction potentials provides a measure of solvation energy differences between the radical anion and neutral PAH. A simple Born-charging model approximates the solvation effects on the radical anions, leading to a good correlation with experimental solvation energy differences. This is used to estimate unknown or questionable EAs from reduction potentials. Two independent methods are used to predict DeltaGo(a,298K) values: (1) based upon DFT methods, or (2) based upon reduction potentials and the Born model. They suggest reassignments or a resolution of conflicting experimental EAs for nearly one-half (17 of 38) of the PAH molecules for which experimental EAs have been reported. For the antiaromatic molecules, 1,3,5-tri-tert-butylpentalene and the dithia-substituted cyclobutadiene 1, the reduction potentials lead to estimated EAs close to those expected from DFT calculations and provide a basis for the prediction of the EAs and reduction potentials of pentalene and cyclobutadiene. The Born model has been used to relate the electrostatic solvation energies of PAH and hydrocarbon radical anions, and spherical halide anions, alkali metal cations, and ammonium ions to effective ionic radii from DFT electron-density envelopes. The Born model used for PAHs has been successfully extended here to quantitatively explain the solvation energy of the C60 radical anion.     

Correlations between the Basicity and Proton Affinity of Substituted Anilines

The enthalpies and free energies of gas-phase proton affinity (PA) of aniline and 62 derivatives with different electron donor and electron acceptor substituents in the aromatic ring and at the nitrogen atom were calculated by the PM3 technique. Linear correlations between the shapes of pK_a and PA have been found. The deviation of data from the above dependences for ortho-substituted anilines are discussed in the light of possible hydrophobic hydration of molecular fragments near the protonation reaction center.     

Quantum-Chemical Evaluation of the Protolytic Properties of Thiophenols

The enthalpies and free energies of proton affinity (PA) were calculated by the PM3 method for 27 thiophenoxide anions. For thiophenols, linear correlation has been found between the PAs and the values of pK _a measured by different authors in aqueous acetone, aqueous ethanol, and methanol media. The dependences found permit one to predict a priori the protolytic properties of thiophenols. The differential effects of aqueous ethanol media with different ethanol contents on thiophenol acidity were evaluated based on quantum-chemical data.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by A. N. Pankratov and A. V. Shalabai__________Translated from Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 45, No. 5, pp. 800–806, September–October, 2004.     

Electron propagator and coupled-cluster calculations on the photoelectron spectra of thiouracil and dithiouracil anions

Electron affinities, vertical electron detachment energies, and isomerization energies of 4-thiouracil, 2-thiouracil, and 2,4-dithiouracil and their valence anions have been calculated with ab initio electron propagator and other many-body methods. Anions in which protons have been transferred to the C5 from the N1 or N3 ring positions have been considered, but the canonical forms are most stable for the 4-thiouracil and 2,4-dithiouracil anions. Electron affinities of 0.61, 0.26, and 0.87 eV have been determined for 4-thiouracil, 2-thiouracil, and 2,4-dithiouracil, respectively. Electron propagator calculations on the canonical anions yield vertical electron detachment energies that are in close agreement with experimental peaks at 1.05, 3.21, and 3.32 eV for 4-thiouracil and at 1.4 eV for 2,4-dithiouracil.     

Dipole-stabilized carbanions: a computational study of N-methylformamide anion and methyl N-methylcarbamate anion

The relative energies of the rotamers of the carbanions derived from N-methylformamide and methyl N-methylcarbamate have been studied at the MP2/6-311+G and B3LYP/6-311+G theoretical levels. There results are in good agreement but differ substantially from previously reported HF/6-31G calculations for the N-methylformamide anions. Transition states for rotation and inversion of the anions were located. The methoxy group in methyl N-methylcarbamate has a large effect on the relative energies of the anions. The results are compared with those previously reported for the N-(methoxycarbonyl)piperidine anions, and it is found that the decreased conformational flexibility has an effect on the relative energies of these ions.     

Calculation of acidic dissociation constants in water: solvation free energy terms. Their accuracy and impact

Three polarizable continuum models, DPCM, CPCM, and IEFPCM, have been applied to calculate free energy differences for nine neutral compounds and their anions. On the basis of solvation free energies, the pK_a values were obtained for the compounds in question by using three thermodynamic cycles: one, involving the combined experimental and calculated data, as well as two other cycles solely with calculated data. This paper deals with the influence of factors such as the SCRF model applied, choice of a particular thermodynamic cycle, atomic radii used to build a cavity in the solvent (water), optimization of geometry in water, inclusion of electron correlation, and the dimension of the basis set on the solvation free energies and on the calculated pK_a values. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi: ) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Substrate discrimination by cholapod anion receptors: geometric effects and the "affinity-selectivity principle"

Cholapod anion receptors can achieve high affinities while maintaining compatibility with nonpolar media. Previously they have been shown to transport anions across cell and vesicle membranes. In the present work, the scope of the architecture is expanded and structure-selectivity relationships are investigated. Eight new receptors have been synthesized, with up to six H-bond donor centers. Using Cram's extraction method, these compounds plus five known examples have been tested for binding to seven monovalent anions (tetraethylammonium salts, wet chloroform as solvent). Association constants in excess of 10(10) M(-1) have been measured for several pairings. Selectivities vary with receptor geometry, as expected. More remarkably, they also depend on receptor strength: more powerful receptors show a wider range of binding free energies, and therefore a greater spread of Ka(X-)/Ka(Y-). This "affinity-selectivity" effect can be derived from empirical relationships for H-bond strengths, and could prove widely operative in supramolecular chemistry.     

Regioselectivity Patterns Featured by Formaldehyde in the Electrophilic Addition to gem-Difluoro and gem-Dichloroallyl Systems. An ab Initio Theoretical Study

The addition reactions of formaldehyde with (1,1-difluoroallyl)lithium and (1,1-dichloroallyl)lithium and -potassium (and corresponding free anions) have been investigated at the HF and MP2 levels of theory. The two competing pathways leading from the initial electrostatic sigma-complexes to the alpha and gamma addition products have been studied. In (1,1-difluoroallyl)lithium, (1,1-dichloroallyl)potassium, and both free anions the alpha-pathway is sharply preferred. In contrast, for (1,1-dichloroallyl)lithium the difference between the two activation energies is smaller and in favor of the gamma-pathway: as a consequence, on the basis of the present calculations, it is expected that in this case varying substituents on the electrophilic carbon could modulate the regioselective preferences. All results appear to be consistent with available experimental evidences. A balance between an exothermicity factor and the different destabilization undergone by the various reactants in the transition structures offers a qualitative rationalization of the opposite regioselective inclinations of (1,1-dichloroallyl)lithium with respect to the other systems.     

Computational prediction of monosaccharide binding free energies to lectins with linear interaction energy models

The linear interaction energy (LIE) method to compute binding free energies is applied to lectin‐monosaccharide complexes. Here, we calculate the binding free energies of monosaccharides to the Ralstonia solanacearum lectin (RSL) and the Pseudomonas aeruginosa lectin‐II (PA‐IIL). The standard LIE model performs very well for RSL, whereas the PA‐IIL system, where ligand binding involves two calcium ions, presents a major challenge. To overcome this, we explore a new variant of the LIE model, where ligand–metal ion interactions are scaled separately. This model also predicts the saccharide binding preference of PA‐IIL on mutation of the receptor, which may be useful for protein engineering of lectins. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Computer‐Aided Design of Ionic Liquids as CO2 Absorbents

Ionic liquids (ILs), vary strongly in their interaction with CO₂. We suggest simple theoretical approach to predict the CO₂ absorption behavior of ILs. Strong interaction of the CO₂ with the IL anions corresponds to chemical absorption whereas weak interaction indicates physical absorption. A predictive estimate with a clear distinction between physical and chemical absorption can be simply obtained according to geometries optimized in the presence of a solvation model instead of optimizing it only in gas phase as has been done to date. The resulting Gibbs free energies compare very well with experimental values and the energies were correlated with experimental capacities. Promising anions, for ionic liquids with reversible CO₂ absorption properties can be defined by a reaction Gibbs free energy of absorption in the range of ?30 to 16 kJ mol^?1.     

Adding explicit solvent molecules to continuum solvent calculations for the calculation of aqueous acid dissociation constants

Aqueous acid dissociation free energies for a diverse set of 57 monoprotic acids have been calculated using a combination of experimental and calculated gas and liquid-phase free energies. For ionic species, aqueous solvation free energies were calculated using the recently developed SM6 continuum solvation model. This model combines a dielectric continuum with atomic surface tensions to account for bulk solvent effects. For some of the acids studied, a combined approach that involves attaching a single explicit water molecule to the conjugate base (anion), and then surrounding the resulting anion-water cluster by a dielectric continuum, significantly improves the agreement between the calculated pK(a) value and experiment. This suggests that for some anions, particularly those concentrating charge on a single exposed heteroatom, augmenting implicit solvent calculations with a single explicit water molecule is required, and adequate, to account for strong short-range hydrogen bonding interactions between the anion and the solvent. We also demonstrate the effect of adding several explicit waters by calculating the pK(a) of bicarbonate (HCO(3)(-)) using as the conjugate base carbonate (CO(3)(2-)) bound by up to three explicit water molecules.     

Solvation of ions in hydrophilic layer of polyoxyethylated nonionic micelle. Cooperative approach by electrophoresis and ion-transfer voltammetry

Electrophoretic measurements of micellar mobility have revealed that polyoxyethylated nonionic surfactant micelles have negative zeta potential in various electrolytes, indicating that the partition of anions into the micelle dominates the entire electrolyte partition and the induced surface potential of the micelle. Although an excess of a negative charge is thus revealed in the micelle, it is uncertain whether anions are preferably solvated in the micelles or cations are expelled from the micelles. To determine the solvation energies of single ions in the hydrophilic layer of the micelle, we have performed ion transfer voltammetric measurements at microinterfaces between nitrobenzene and aqueous tetraethyleneglycol solution, which acts as a model for the palisade layer of the micelles. The cooperative utilization of these different methods has allowed us to determine the Gibbs free energy of transfer of a single ion without an extrathermodynamic assumption. On the basis of the resulting values, the partition of ions and the zeta potential induced by the imbalance of anionic and cationic partition have been quantitatively explained.     

Tautomeric forms of azolide anions: vertical electron detachment energies and Dyson orbitals

Several decouplings of the electron propagator, including the relatively new P3+ approximation for the self-energy, have been used to calculate vertical electron detachment energies of tautomeric forms of closed-shell, pentagonal, aromatic anions in which ring carbons without bonds to hydrogens appear. This study extends previous work in which the most stable forms of anionic, five-member rings with one to five nitrogens were considered. Whereas the lowest electron detachment energies sometimes are assigned by Koopmans's theorem results to pi orbital vacancies, electron propagator calculations always obtain sigma orbital vacancies for the ground states of the doublet radicals. Higher electron detachment energies that correspond to excited doublets with pi vacancies also are presented. The predicted transition energies are in good agreement with low-intensity peaks in recent anion photoelectron spectra that have been assigned to less stable, tautomeric forms of these anions.     

Quantum Chemistry Studies on the Heteropoly Blues of Molybdosilic Series with α-Keggin Structure

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Structures, energetics, and spectra of hydrated hydroxide anion clusters

The structures, energetics, electronic properties, and spectra of hydrated hydroxide anions are studied using density functional and high level ab initio calculations. The overall structures and binding energies are similar to the hydrated anion clusters, in particular, to the hydrated fluoride anion clusters except for the tetrahydrated clusters and hexahydrated clusters. In tetrahydrated system, tricoordinated structures and tetracoordinated structures are compatible, while in pentahydrated systems and hexahydrated systems, tetracoordinated structures are stable. The hexahydrated system is similar in structure to the hydrated chloride cluster. The thermodynamic quantities (enthalpies and free energies) of the clusters are in good agreement with the experimental values. The electronic properties induced by hydration are similar to hydrated chloride anions. The charge-transfer-to-solvent energies of these hydrated-hydroxide anions are discussed, and the predicted ir spectra are used to explain the experimental data in terms of the cluster structures. The low-energy barriers between the conformations along potential energy surfaces are reported.     

Electronic structure analysis and electron detachment energies of polynitrogen pentagonal aromatic anions

Various decouplings of the electron propagator have been employed to provide theoretical comparison to experimental electron detachment energies for the pyrrolide, imidazolide, and pyrazolide anions. Predictions for isoelectronic anions in which CH groups are replaced by N atoms also are reported. The ab initio electron propagator results agree closely with experimental values, and the associated Dyson orbitals provide a detailed catalog of bonding changes as the number and positions of N atoms vary within the set of pentagonal aromatic anions.     

Anion Effects on Sodium Ion and Acid Molecule Adduction to Protein Ions in Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry

Gaseous protein–metal ion and protein–molecule complexes can be readily formed by electrospray ionization (ESI) from aqueous solutions containing proteins and millimolar concentrations of sodium salts of various anions. The extent of sodium and acid molecule adduction to multiply charged protein ions is inversely related and depends strongly on the proton affinity (PA) of the anion, with extensive sodium adduction occurring for anions with PA values greater than ~300 kcal·mol^–1 and extensive acid molecule adduction occurring for anions with PA values less than 315 kcal·mol^–1. The role of the anion on the extent of sodium and acid molecule adduction does not directly follow the Hofmeister series, suggesting that direct protein–ion interactions may not play a significant role in the observed effect of anions on protein structure in solution. These results indicate that salts with anions that have low PA values may be useful solution-phase additives to minimize nonspecific metal ion adduction in ESI experiments designed to identify specific protein-metal ion interactions.     

Ab initio study of small acetonitrile cluster anions

Ab initio electronic structure calculations have been performed for (CH(3)CN)(2) (-) and (CH(3)CN)(3) (-) cluster anions using a diffuse basis set. We found both the dipole-bound structures and internal structures, where in the former structure an excess electron is mainly distributed on the surface of the cluster while an excess electron is internally trapped in the latter configuration. The optimized structures found for cluster anions were compared to those for neutral clusters. Potential-energy surfaces were also plotted as a function of appropriate internal coordinates in order to understand the interconversions of the optimized structures of clusters. The relative stabilities of the optimized confirmers have been discussed on the basis of the characteristics of these potential surfaces, relative energies, and electron vertical detachment energies.     

Quantum-chemical investigation of the dependence of pK a on the calculated energy of proton removal for certain derivatives of indole and phenol

The total energies of derivatives of N-hydroxyindole, indole, and phenol, and of their corresponding anions have been estimated with the aid of ab initio calculations on the 3-21G basis. The energies of proton removal were calculated from the difference in total energies of the appropriate anions and molecules. By comparing the calculated energies of proton removal with experimental values of pK_a (acidity characteristic) a practically linear dependence was shown for the acidity characteristic on the energy of proton removal for the series of compounds investigated. An empirical formula has been proposed expressing the dependence of pK_a on the energy of proton removal, which makes it possible to predict pK_a in this series by carrying out calculations of the energy of proton removal (transfer). __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 47–50, January, 2006.