Compact method for calculating intermolecular interactions

The development of efficient methods for calculating intermolecular interactions (which are responsible for the existence of stable molecular associates, solvation shells, etc.) is a pressing problem of quantum chemistry. We propose a new method for correct calculations of intermolecular interactions, which is based on the solution of SCF equations with fractional occupation numbers. Calculating intermolecular interactions by this method does not require the use of exchange potentials in an explicit form. The method is intended primarily to describe the charge transfer between interacting subsystems. The calculations by this method are compact since the dimensions of matrix problems remain unchanged in the course of the numerical procedure. V. I. Vernadskii Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated fromZhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 401–405, May–June, 1995. Translated by I. Izvekova     

The intermolecular interactions in binaries

The recapitulation of systematical investigations of excess enthalpy of mixing in binary mixtures: pyridine base +n-alkane or some of arenes is presented. On the base of experimental results as well as model calculations (PFP, ERAS) the discussion of intermolecular interactions in pyridine bases is given.     

A BSSE-free SCF algorithm for intermolecular interactions

A very simple modification of the usual (～N⁴) SCF procedure is proposed, permitting the exclusion of basis set superposition errors (BSSE ) in problems of intermolecular interactions. No a posteriori corrections are required. The results of this “CHA /F method” are numerically close to those of the Boys–Bernardi correction scheme but are free from the “overcompensation” characteristic of the latter at smaller distances.     

The intermolecular interactions in the aminonitromethylbenzenes

The intermolecular non-covalent interactions in aminonitromethylbenzenes namely 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline, 4-methyl-3-nitroaniline, 2-methyl-6-nitroaniline, 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene, 2-methyl-5-nitroaniline, 4-methyl-2-nitroaniline, 2,3-dimethyl-6-nitroaniline, 4,5-dimethyl-2-nitroaniline and 2-methyl-3,5-dinitroaniline were studied by quantum mechanical calculations at RHF/311++G(3df,2p) and B3LYP/311++G(3df,2p) level of theory. The calculations prove that solely geometrical study of hydrogen bonding can be very misleading because not all short distances (classified as hydrogen bonds on the basis of interaction geometry) are bonding in character. For studied compounds interaction energy ranges from 0.23 kcal mol⁻¹ to 5.59 kcal mol⁻¹. The creation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds leads to charge redistribution in donors and acceptors. The Natural Bonding Orbitals analysis shows that hydrogen bonds are created by transfer of electron density from the lone pair orbitals of the H-bond acceptor to the antibonding molecular orbitals of the H-bond donor and Rydberg orbitals of the hydrogen atom. The stacking interactions are the interactions of delocalized molecular π-orbitals of the one molecule with delocalized antibonding molecular π-orbitals and the antibonding molecular σ-orbital created between the carbon atoms of the second aromatic ring and vice versa.      

Thermodynamic functions characterizing intermolecular interactions

It is shown that the Gibbs vaporization potential G^* is additive with respect to molecular groups at all temperatures and it most completely characterizes the intermolecular interactions. The excess entropy of vaporization is identical for all spherical molecules (30 J/mole·K and does not depend on the size of the molecule or the temperature. In long-chain molecules it is additive with respect to the number of links in the chain, varies with temperature, and is equal to the difference between the heat capacities of the gas and liquid and exceeds 30 J/mole·K.Leningrad State Scientific Institute of Industrial Chemistry. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, No. 1, pp. 66–70, January–February, 1991. Original article submitted April 27, 1988.     

Probing weak intermolecular interactions in self-assembled nanotubes

Extreme confinement affects the physical properties of fluids, but little quantitative data is available. We report on studies of a bisurea compound that self-assembles into nanotubes to probe solvent confinement on the angstrom scale. By applying a statistical model to calorimetric data obtained on solvent mixtures, we show that the thermodynamic stability of the nanotubes is an extremely sensitive function of the solvent composition because solvent interactions inside and outside of the nanotubes are different. We are able to measure energetic effects as small as 0.01 kT and relate them to the differences in molecular structure of the solvents.     

Nondiagonal second order intermolecular forces for interactions involving molecules

Very often only “diagonal” second order energies, varying as an even power of R^?1, occur in the multipole expansion of the interaction energy. However for many molecular interactions important “nondiagonal” second order energies, varying as an odd or even power of R^?1 can arise. This point is emphasized by a general discussion and by a detailed specific example, the interaction of an ionized dipolar molecule with a nondegenerate atom. Also some useful theorems, on the orientation average of various types of second order energies, are derived.     

SCF perturbation theory and intermolecular interactions

A self-consistent perturbation theory is derived in the framework of Roothaan's MOLCAO procedure for closed shell systems. Contrary to previous investigations which have considered only one particle perturbations, two particle perturbation operators are considered. Expressions for the first-order density matrix and first- and second-order energy corrections are obtained. A diagram formulation of the complete perturbation expansion is presented. The results are applied to the treatment of the intermolecular interaction problem. The interaction energy is represented as a sum of several contributions: Coulomb, exchange, resonance, polarization and exchange repulsion. A semi-empirical version of the theory is suggested which explicitly involves all the physically significant energy terms and may be useful for the investigation of complex systems.     

Retarded intermolecular interactions involving diamagnetic molecules

Second‐ and third‐order time‐dependent perturbation theory within the multipolar framework of nonrelativistic quantum electrodynamics is used to calculate the retarded dispersion interaction between two diamagnetic molecules, a diamagnetic molecule and a magnetic‐dipole susceptible molecule, and a diamagnetic molecule and an electric‐quadrupole polarizable molecule. New expressions for the energy shift valid for all intermolecular separation distances, R, beyond the region of overlap of molecular electronic wave functions and applicable to a pair of randomly oriented molecules in the ground electronic state are given. The R‐dependent behavior of the far‐zone limit of the interaction energies is also examined. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 78: 437–442, 2000     

A post-Hartree-Fock model of intermolecular interactions

Intermolecular interactions are of great importance in chemistry but are difficult to model accurately with computational methods. In particular, Hartree-Fock and standard density-functional approximations do not include the physics necessary to properly describe dispersion. These methods are sometimes corrected to account for dispersion by adding a pairwise C6R6 term, with C6 dispersion coefficients dependent on the atoms involved. We present a post-Hartree-Fock model in which C6 coefficients are generated by the instantaneous dipole moment of the exchange hole. This model relies on occupied orbitals only, and involves only one, universal, empirical parameter to limit the dispersion energy at small interatomic separations. The model is extensively tested on isotropic C6 coefficients of 178 intermolecular pairs. It is also applied to the calculation of the geometries and binding energies of 20 intermolecular complexes involving dispersion, dipole-induced dipole, dipole-dipole, and hydrogen-bonding interactions, with remarkably good results.     

Solute-solvent interactions probed by intermolecular NOEs

Nuclear Overhauser effects arising from the interactions of spins of solvent molecules with spins of a solute should reveal the "exposure" of solute spins to collisions with solvent. Such intermolecular NOEs could, therefore, provide information regarding conformation or structure of the solute. Determinations of solute-solvent NOEs of 1,3-di-tert-butylbenzene in solvents composed of perfluoro-tert-butyl alcohol, tetramethylsilane, and carbon tetrachloride have been carried out. A crude, but apparently reliable, method for prediction of intermolecular solvent-solute NOEs based on hard (noninteracting) spheres was developed. Comparison of experimental to predicted NOEs indicates that tetramethylsilane interacts with the solute according to the model. By contrast, intermolecular NOE data indicate attractive interactions between the solute and perfluoro-tert-butyl alcohol. All NOE results and the corresponding predictions confirm that proton H2 of the solute is protected by the flanking tert-butyl groups from interactions with solvent molecules.     

Millimeter spectroscopic study of intermolecular interactions in solutions

The absorption of 5 cm^–1 electromagnetic radiation by aqueous solutions of methyl, ethyl, n-, and isopropyl, sec-, iso-, and tert-butyl, and tert-amyl alcohols and ethylene glycol was measured within their solubility limits in water at 20°C. It was found that the observed nonadditivity of absorption (absorption deficit) is a qualitative measure of hydration of alcohols of two types: hydrophilic and hydrophobic. The possibility of distinguishing these effects by millimeter spectroscopy was demonstrated. Hydrophobic hydration makes the basic contribution to the hydration number of aliphatic alcohols. On the example of solutions of ethanol and tert-butanol, it was shown that hydrophobic hydration decreases with an increase in the temperature of the solution due to intensification of hydrophobic interactions between the hydrocarbon radicals.For previous communication, see [1].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 8, pp. 1755–1761, August, 1989.     

Weak intermolecular interactions in gas-phase nuclear magnetic resonance

Gas-phase nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra demonstrating the effect of weak intermolecular forces on the NMR shielding constants of the interacting species are reported. We analyse the interaction of the molecular hydrogen isotopomers with He, Ne, and Ar, and the interaction in the He-CO(2) dimer. The same effects are studied for all these systems in the ab initio calculations. The comparison of the experimental and computed shielding constants is shown to depend strongly on the treatment of the bulk susceptibility effects, which determine in practice the pressure dependence of the experimental values. Best agreement of the results is obtained when the bulk susceptibility correction in rare gas solvents is evaluated from the analysis of the He-rare gas interactions, and when the shielding of deuterium in D(2)-rare gas systems is considered.