气相中开壳型(CH3)2S(O)…HOO红移氢键复合物的结构与性质

在DFT-B3LYP/6-311++G**水平上分别求得(CH3)2S…HOO和(CH3)2O…HOO开壳型氢键复合物势能面上的稳定构型. 频率分析表明, 与单体HOO自由基相比, 复合物中H10-O11键伸缩振动频率发生显著的红移, 红移值分别为424.21和374.22 cm-1. 在MP2/6-311++G**水平计算得到, 含基组重叠误差(BSSE)校正和零点振动能(ZPVE)校正的相互作用能分别为-24.68和-31.01 kJ·mol-1. 自然键轨道(NBO)理论分析表明, 在(CH3)2S…HOO复合物中, 引起H10-O11键变长的因素包括两种电荷转移: (1) LP(S1)1→σ*(H10-O11); (2) LP(S1)2→σ*(H10-O11), 其中LP(S1)2→σ*(H10-O11)占主要作用, 总的结果是使σ*(H10-O11)的自然布居数增加了37.27 me; 在(CH3)2O…HOO中也有相似的电荷转移的超共轭作用. AIM理论分析表明, S1…H10间和O1…H10间都存在键鞍点, ▽2ρ(r)分别为0.06196和0.03745, 说明这种相互作用介于共价键和离子键之间, 偏于静电作用.     

Theoretical evidence for a NH...XC blue-shifting hydrogen bond: complexes pairing monohalomethanes with HNO

Correlated ab initio calculations are used to analyze the interaction between nitrosyl hydride (HNO) and CH3X (X = F, Cl, Br). Three minima are located on the potential energy surface of each complex. The more strongly bound contains a NH...X bond, along with CH...O; CH...O and CH...N bonds occur in the less stable minimum. Binding energies of the global minimum lie in the range of 11-13 kJ/mol, and there is little sensitivity to the identity of the halogen atom. Unlike most other such hydrogen bonds, the NH covalent bond in this set of complexes becomes shorter, and its stretching frequency shifts to the blue, upon forming the NH...X hydrogen bond. The amount of this blue shift varies in the order F > Cl > Br.     

Quantitative relationships between bond lengths,stretching vibrational frequencies,bond force constants,and bond orders in the hydrogen-bonded complexes involving hydrogen halides

To uncover the correlation between the bond length change and the corresponding stretching frequency shift of the proton donor D–H upon hydrogen bond formation, a series of hydrogen-bonded complexes involving HF and HCl which exhibit the characteristics of red-shifted hydrogen bond were investigated at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ, M062X/aug-cc-pVTZ, and B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ(GD3) levels of theory with CP optimizations. A statistical analysis of these complexes leads to the quantitative illustrations of the relations between bond length and stretching vibrational frequency, between bond length and bond force constant, between stretching vibrational frequency and bond force constant, between bond length and bond order for hydrohalides in a mathematical way, which would provide valuable insights into the explanation of the geometrical and spectroscopic behaviors during hydrogen bond formation.     

Existence of both blue-shifting hydrogen bond and Lewis acid-base interaction in the complexes of carbonyls and thiocarbonyls with carbon dioxide

In this study, 16 gas phase complexes of the pairs of XCHZ and CO(2) (X = F, Cl, Br; Z = O, S) have been identified. Interaction energies calculated at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ//MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level including both BSSE and ZPE corrections range from -5.6 to -10.5 kJ mol(-1) for XCHOCO(2) and from -5.7 to -9.1 kJ mol(-1) for XCHS···CO(2). Substitution of one H atom by one halogen in formaldehyde and thioformaldehyde reduces the interaction energy of XCHZ···CO(2), while a CH(3) substitution increases the interaction energy of both CH(3)CHO···CO(2) and CH(3)CHS···CO(2). NBO and AIM analyses also point out that the strength of Lewis acid-base interactions decreases going from >C1=S3···C6 to >C1=O3C6 and to >C1-X4···C6. This result suggests the higher capacity of solubility of thiocarbonyl compounds in scCO(2), providing an enormous potential application for designing CO(2)-philic materials based on the >C=S functional group in competition with >C=O. The Lewis acid-base interaction of the types >C=S···C, >C-Cl···C and >C-Br···C is demonstrated for the first time. The contribution of the hydrogen bonding interaction to the total interaction energy is larger for XCHS···CO(2) than for XCHO···CO(2). Upon complexation, a contraction of the C1-H2 bond length and a blue shift of its stretching frequency have been observed, as compared to the isolated monomer, indicating the existence of a blue-shifting hydrogen bond in all complexes examined. Calculated results also lend further support for the viewpoint that when acting as proton donor, a C-H bond having a weaker polarization will induce a stronger distance contraction and frequency blue shift upon complexation, and vice versa.     

Interactions between the chloride anion and aromatic molecules: infrared spectra of the Cl- -C6H5CH3, Cl- -C6H5NH2 and Cl- -C6H5OH complexes

The Cl- -C6H5CH3*Ar, Cl- -C6H5NH2*Ar, and Cl- -C6H5OH*Ar anion complexes are investigated using infrared photodissociation spectroscopy and ab initio calculations at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level. The results indicate that for Cl- -C6H5NH2 and Cl- -C6H5OH, the Cl- anion is attached to the substituent group by a single near-linear hydrogen bond. For Cl--C6H5CH3, the Cl- is attached to an ortho-hydrogen atom on the aromatic ring and to a hydrogen atom on the methyl group by a weaker hydrogen bond. The principal spectroscopic consequence of the hydrogen-bonding interaction in the three complexes is a red-shift and intensity increase for the CH, NH, and OH stretching modes. Complexities in the infrared spectra in the region of the hydrogen-bonded XH stretch band are associated with Fermi resonances between the hydrogen-stretching vibrational modes and bending overtone and combination levels. There are notable correlations between the vibrational red-shift, the elongation of the H-bonded XH group, and the proton affinity of the aromatic molecule's conjugate base.     

Comparison of Hydrogen Bonds in FH—CO and FH—OC Weakly Bound Dimer Complexes

Weakly bound dimer complexes FH—CO and FH—OC were investigated using various ab initio and density function theory (DFT) methods. This study compares the strengths of the H—C H‐bond in FH—CO and the H—O H‐bond in FH—OC. The energy difference between dimers, the H‐bond energy, the inter‐monomer distance, the inter‐monomer vibration frequencies, the red shift of the HF stretching frequency, and the elongation of HF bond, all demonstrate that the H—C H‐bond is stronger than the related H—O H‐bond, according to all methods. The calculated Gibbs energies of the formation of the two dimers show that the weakly bound complexes are unstable at room temperature (T = 298 K) and ordinary pressure (P = 1 atm). However, decreasing T or increasing P monotonically decreases ΔG and increases the related equilibrium constant, K, of their dimer formation.     

Selective C-C bond formation between alkynes mediated by the [RuCp(PR)(3)](+) fragment leading to allyl,butadienyl, and allenyl carbene complexes--an experimental and theoretical study

The reaction of alkynes with [RuCp(PR(3))(CH(3)CN)(2)]PF(6) (R=Me, Ph, Cy) affords, depending on the structure of the alkyne and the substituent of the phosphine ligand, allyl carbene or butadienyl carbene complexes. These reactions involve the migration of the phosphine ligand or a facile 1,2 hydrogen shift. Both reactions proceed via a metallacyclopentatriene complex. If no alpha C[bond]H bonds are accessible, allyl carbenes are formed, while in the presence of alpha C[bond]H bonds butadienyl carbenes are typically obtained. With diphenylacetylene, on the other hand, a cyclobutadiene complex is formed. A different reaction pathway is encountered with HC[triple bond]CSiMe(3), ethynylferrocene (HC[triple bond]CFc), and ethynylruthenocene (HC[triple bond]CRc). Whereas the reaction of [RuCp(PR(3))(CH(3)CN)(2)]PF(6) (R=Ph and Cy) with HC[triple bond]CSiMe(3) affords a vinylidene complex, with HC[triple bond]CFc and HC[triple bond]CRc this reaction does not stop at the vinylidene stage but subsequent cycloaddition yields allenyl carbene complexes. This latter C[bond]C bond formation is effected by strong electronic coupling of the metallocene moiety with the conjugated allenyl carbene unit, which facilitates transient vinylidene formation with subsequent alkyne insertion into the Ru[double bond]C bond. The vinylidene intermediate appears only in the presence of bulky substituents of the phosphine coligand. For the small R=Me, head-to-tail coupling between two alkyne molecules involving phosphine migration is preferred, giving the more usual allyl carbene complexes. X-ray structures of representative complexes are presented. A reasonable mechanism for the formation of both allyl and allenyl carbenes has been established by means of DFT calculations. During the formation of allyl and allenyl carbenes, metallacyclopentatriene and vinylidene complexes, respectively, are crucial intermediates.     

Infrared spectra of methylidynes formed in reactions of re atoms with methane, methyl halides, methylene halides, and ethane: methylidyne C-H stretching absorptions, bond lengths, and s character

Rhenium carbyne complexes (HC identical with ReH 3, HC identical with ReH 2X, HC identical with ReHX 2, [X = F, Cl, and Br] and CH 3C identical with ReH 3) are produced by reactions of laser-ablated Re atoms with methane, methyl halides, methylene halides, and ethane via oxidative C-H(X) insertion and alpha-hydrogen migration in favor of the carbon-metal triple bond. The stabilities of the carbyne complexes relative to other possible products are predicted by DFT calculations. The diagnostic methylidyne C-H stretching absorptions of HC identical with ReH 3 and its mono- and dihalo derivatives are observed on the blue sides of the precursor C-H stretching bands, and the frequency decreases and the bond length increases in the order of H, F, Cl, and Br, following the decreasing s character in hybridization for the C-H bond. The dihalo methylidynes have higher C-H stretching frequencies and s characters than the monohalo species. The rhenium methylidynes have C s structures, and as a result the HC identical with ReH 3 and CH 3C identical with ReH 3 complexes have two equivalent shorter and one longer Re-H bonds, as compared to the tungsten methylidyne HC identical with WH 3 with three equivalent W-H bonds.     

The HRuCCH, RuCCH2, and Ru-η2-C2H2 molecules: infrared spectra and density functional calculations

Laser-ablated ruthenium atoms undergo reaction with acetylene during condensation in excess neon and argon matrices to form a metallacycle complex, insertion into the C-H bond, and rearrangement to the vinylidene complex. The subject molecules were identified by (13)C(2)H(2) and C(2)D(2), isotopic substitutions and density functional theory (DFT) frequency calculations. The HRuCCH molecule is described by Ru-H, CH, and CC stretching modes and CCH deformation modes. A very strong CC double bond stretching, weak CH stretching, and CCH deformation frequencies were observed for the Ru═C═CH(2) complex. The metallacycle Ru-η(2)-(C(2)H(2)) is characterized through CC double bond stretching, CH stretching and CCH deformation modes. The reaction mechanism for formation of the Ru═C═CH(2) complex was investigated by B3LYP internal reaction coordinate calculations, and the hydrido-alkyny complex is the rate-determining step. The delocalized three-center-four-electron π bond using the Ru 4d(xz) electron pair contributes to the C-C π* orbital and provides stabilization energy (ΔE((2)), second-order perturbation) for the vinylidene Ru═C═CH(2) complex.     

Strongly blue-shifted C-H stretches: interaction of formaldehyde with hydrogen fluoride clusters

The equilibrium structures, binding energies, and vibrational spectra of the cyclic, hydrogen-bonded complexes formed between formaldehyde, H(2)CO, and hydrogen fluoride clusters, (HF)(1< or =n < or =4), are investigated by means of large-scale second-order M?ller-Plesset calculations with extended basis sets. All studied complexes exhibit marked blue shifts of the C-H stretching frequencies, exceeding 100 cm(-1) for n = 2-4. It is shown that these blue shifts are, however, only to a minor part caused by blue-shifting hydrogen bonding via C-H...F contacts. The major part arises due to the structural relaxation of the H(2)CO molecule under the formation of a strong C=O...H-F hydrogen bond which strengthens as n increases. The close correlation between the different structural parameters in the studied series of complexes is demonstrated, and the consequences for the frequency shifts in the complexes are pointed out, corroborating thus the suggestion of the primary role of the C=O...H-F hydrogen bonding for the C-H stretching frequency shifts. This particular behavior, that the appearance of an increasingly stronger blue shift of the C-H stretching frequencies is mainly induced by the formation of a progressively stronger C=O...H-F hydrogen bond in the series of H(2)CO...(HF)(1< or =n < or =4), complexes and only to a lesser degree by the formation of the so-called blue-shifting C-H...F hydrogen bond, is rationalized with the aid of selected sections of the intramolecular H(2)CO potential energy surface and by performing a variety of structural optimizations of the H(2)CO molecule embedded in external, differently oriented dipole electric fields, and also by invoking a simple analytical force-field model.     

Blue-shifted A-H stretching modes and cooperative hydrogen bonding. 1. Complexes of substituted formaldehyde with cyclic hydrogen fluoride and water clusters

The structures and vibrational spectra of the intermolecular complexes formed by insertion of substituted formaldehyde molecules HRCO (R = H, Li, F, Cl) into cyclic hydrogen fluoride and water clusters are studied at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ computational level. Depending on the nature of the substituent R, the cluster type, and its size, the C-H stretching modes of HRCO undergo large blue and partly red shifts, whereas all the F-H and O-H stretching modes of the conventional hydrogen bonds are strongly red-shifted. It is shown that (i) the mechanism of blue shifting can be explained within the concept of the negative intramolecular coupling between C-H and C=O bonds that is inherent to the HRCO monomers, (ii) the blue shifts also occur even if no hydrogen bond is formed, and (iii) variation of the acceptor X or the strength of the C-H...X hydrogen bond may either amplify the blue shift or cause a transition from blue shift to red shift. These findings are illustrated by means of intra- and intermolecular scans of the potential energy surfaces. The performance of the negative intramolecular coupling between C-H and C=O bonds of H(2)CO is interpreted in terms of the NBO analysis of the isolated H(2)CO molecule and H(2)CO interacting with (H2O)n and (HF)n clusters.     

H-bonded complexes of aniline with HF/F- and anilide with HF in terms of symmetry-adapted perturbation, atoms in molecules, and natural bond orbitals theories

The hydrogen-bonded isoelectronic complexes of aniline with HF/F- and an ionic form of aniline with HF were investigated by use of computational methods: Symmetry-Adapted Perturbation Theory (SAPT), Atoms in Molecules (AIM), and Natural Bond Orbitals (NBO) approaches. All computations were based on structural models previously generated at the B3LYP/6-311+(d,p) level. The differences between neutral (Ph-NH2...HF)and anionic (Ph-NH2...F- and Ph-NH-...HF) complexes were clearly outlined. The discussed charged complexes serve as Lewis acids and base, HF and F-, respectively. It was found that electrostatic and induction energy terms, obtained as a result of the SAPT method, are most dependent on the type of H-bonding (i.e.,charged or neutral). The electrostatic term is the most distinctive between the neutral and charge-assisted hydrogen bonds in the investigated two-body systems, whereas the latter is more significant in the case of weaker interactions (larger H...B distances). Application of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to energy components obtained from the SAPT procedure indicated that all of them are relatively well intercorrelated.The above-mentioned terms together with the exchange energy terms are the most important contributions ofthe main principal component, which describes 95% of the total variance. Comparison of AIM parameters in bond critical points for modeled H-bond systems shows a good agreement with those from equilibrium complexes, both experimental and calculated ones. It was found that charged H-bonded complexes exhibit larger fluctuation of electron density and its Laplacian in bond critical points, in line with SAPT analysis. NBO results confirmed the effect of the strength of interaction on property changes both in the region of H-bonding and outside of it. The latter, more distant consequences follow the Bent-Walsh rule for all studied complexes.     

Infrared spectra of the Cl- -C2H4 and Br- -C2H4 anion dimers

Infrared spectra of mass-selected Cl- -C2H4 and Br- -C2H4 complexes are recorded in the vicinity of the ethylene CH stretching vibrations (2700-3300 cm(-1) using vibrational predissociation spectroscopy. Spectra of both complexes exhibit 6 prominent peaks in the CH stretch region. Comparison with calculated frequencies reveal that the 4 higher frequency bands are associated with CH stretching modes of the C2H4 subunit, while the 2 weaker bands are assigned as overtone or combinations bands gaining intensity through interaction with the CH stretches. Ab initio calculations at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level suggest that C2H4 preferentially forms a single linear H-bond with Cl- and Br- although a planar bifurcated configuration lies only slightly higher in energy (by 110 and 16 cm(-1), respectively). One-dimensional potential energy curves describing the in-plane intermolecular bending motion are developed which are used to determine the corresponding vibrational energies and wavefunctions. Experimental and theoretical results suggest that in their ground vibrational state the Cl- -C2H4 and Br- -C2H4 complexes are localized in the single H-bonded configuration, but that with the addition of modest amounts of internal energy, the in-plane bending wavefunction also has significant amplitude in the bifurcated structure.     

Supramolecular silanol chemistry in the gas phase. Topological (AIM) and population (NBO) analyses of hydrogen-bonded complexes between H3SiOH and selected O- and N-acceptor molecules

Hydrogen bonding of the type SiO-H...A (A = O, N) has been studied in the gas phase for simple H3SiOH.acceptor complexes with the acceptor molecules being O(H)SiH3, OH2, O(H)CH3, O(CH3)2, O(CH3)SiH3, O(SiH3)2, NH3, N(CH3)H2, N(CH3)2H, N(CH3)3, N(CH3)2C6H5, and NC5H5, respectively, at the B3LYP/6-311+(2d,p) level of theory, using Bader's atoms in molecules (AIM) and Weinhold's natural bond orbital (NBO) methodology. For all complexes (except H3SiOH.N(CH3)2C6H5) the complex energy Eadd. is a good estimate for the hydrogen bond energy EHB, which is generally higher in N-acceptor complexes (-5.52 to -7.17 kcal mol-1) than in O-acceptor complexes (-2.09 to -5.06 kcal mol-1). In case of H3SiOH.N(CH3)2C6H5, EHB and Eadd. differ by the energy associated with the loss of n(N)-->pi conjugation in N(CH3)2C6H5 upon complex formation. EHB shows no correlation with O...A distances and the red shifts Deltanu(OH) of the OH-stretching vibrations when different acceptors are compared, although both parameters are commonly used to estimate the strength of the hydrogen bond from spectroscopic and diffraction data. A good linear correlation of the hydrogen bond energy EHB has been established with parameters derived from the AIM and NBO analyses, namely, the electron densities rho(HA) and rho(OH) at the H...A and O-H bond critical points (BCPs) and the NLMO bond orders BONLMO(HA) of the H...A bonds of the H3SiOH.acceptor complexes as well as the change of natural charges DeltaqNPA(O) at the O-donor atom upon H3SiOH.acceptor complex formation. Hydrogen bonding of the type SiO-H...A (A = O, N) has been also studied in the related cyclic multiple H3SiOH.acceptor complexes (H3SiOH)3, (H3SiOH)2.NC5H5, and (H3SiOH)4, respectively, at the same level of theory. Cooperative hydrogen bonding is evident for all cyclic multiple H3SiOH.acceptor complexes, whereby the strongest concomitant strengthening of the hydrogen bonds is observed for (H3SiOH)4 and (H3SiOH)2.NC5H5.     

The boron-boron single bond in diborane(4) as a non-classical electron donor for hydrogen bonding

An ab initio study of an isomer of diborane(4) [B(2)H(4)] has been carried out at MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ to investigate the ground-state properties of this unusual molecule, a derivative of which has been described in the recent literature. The geometric, electronic and orbital characteristics of B(2)H(4)(4) have been analyzed using AIM, NBO, and ELF methodologies. A region with a high concentration of electron density is located near and along the B-B bond, on the opposite side of this bond relative to the bridging H atoms. This site serves as an electron-donor site to electrophiles, resulting in hydrogen-bonded complexes of B(2)H(4) with proton donors HF, HNC, HCl, HCN, and HCCH, and a van der Waals complex with H(2). These complexes have C(2v) symmetry and stabilization energies that vary from 2 to 27 kJ mol(-1). The SAPT2 energy decomposition analysis shows that the relative importance of the various terms that contribute to the interaction energy depends on the strength of the interaction.     

Tracking the chemistry of unsaturated C3H3 groups adsorbed on a silver surface: propargyl-allenyl-acetylide triple bond migration, self-hydrogenation, and carbon-carbon bond formation

A diverse array of unsaturated C1 (methylene and methylidyne) and C2 (vinyl, vinylidene, ethylidene, and ethylidyne) bound to metal center(s) and surfaces has received much attention. In sharp contrast to the effort devoted to C1 and C2 ligands, complexes or surfaces bearing C3 fragments have been less explored, especially the M-C3H3 systems, which include propargyl (M-CH2C[triple bond]CH), allenyl (M-CH=C=CH2), and acetylide (M-C[triple bond]CCH3) forms. To understand the bonding and reactivity of these C3 species appended to an extended metal structure, proprargyl bromide (Br-CH2C[triple bond]CH) was utilized as a precursor to generate C3H3 fragments on a Ag(111) surface under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The molecular transformation process was explored by a combination of temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were conducted to obtain the optimized geometries and energies for the various surface intermediates. The computed IR spectra facilitated the vibrational mode assignments. TPD spectra show that C3H3(ad) self-hydrogenates to C3H4 around 300 and 475 K, respectively. In addition to hydrogenation, a C-C coupling product C6H6 (2,4-hexadiyne) is also unveiled as part of the desorption feature at 475 K. Identification of the possible C3H4 isomers (propyne and/or allene) was equivocal, but it was circumvented by using an alpha,alpha-dimethyl-substituted propargylic species--(CH3)2(alpha)C-C[triple bond]CH, which results in hydrogenation products, alkynic (CH3)2CH-C[triple bond]CH and allenic (CH3)2C=C=CH2, distinguishable by the mass spectrometry. The substitution experiments clarify that in the normal case the convoluted TPD feature around 300 K, in fact, consists of both allene at 260 K and propyne at 310 K, while the last hydrogenation product at 475 K is solely propyne. The RAIR spectroscopy demonstrates that at 200 K C3H3(ad) on Ag(111) readily adopts the allenyl formalism involving concerted CBr bond scission and [1,3]-sigmatropic migration (i.e., Br-*CH2C[triple bond]CH --> *CH2=C=CH-Ag), in which the sigma bond moves to a new metal location across the pi-periphery. Single hydrogen incorporation to the alpha-carbon of the surface allenyl rationalizes the allene formation at 260 K. When the surface is heated to the range of 250-300 K, both RAIR and XP spectra reveal drastic changes, indicative of a new species whose spectral characteristics could be duplicated by separate measurements from 1-propyn-1-yl iodide (CH3-C[triple bond]C-I) being a direct source for the surface methylacetylide (CH3-C[triple bond]C-Ag). It is thus suggested that allenyl is further reorganized to render acetylide presumably via [1,3]-hydrogen shift (i.e., *CH2=C=CH-Ag --> *CH3=C[triple bond]C-Ag). The presence of this third Ag-C3H3 isomeric form demonstrates an unprecedented propargyl-allenyl-acetylide multiple rearrangements on a metal surface. Migration of the triple bond from the remote terminal position into the chain, through the stage of allenic structure, is driven by thermodynamic stabilities, supported by the DFT total energy calculations. Consequently, the evolutions of propyne at 310 and 475 K, as well as 2,4-hexadiyne (bismethylacetylide), can all be reasoned out.     

Matrix isolation infrared and ab initio study of the hydrogen bonding between formic acid and water

The infrared spectra of the formic acid-water complexes isolated in argon matrices are reported. Both supersonic jet expansion and a conventional effusive source followed by trapping in solid argon at 10K are used to obtain the matrices. The experimental IR spectra are compared to the data obtained from high level ab initio (MP2) and DFT (B3LYP) calculations with 6-311++G(d,p) and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets. The complex formation results in red shifts in the C=O and O-H stretching vibrations and a blue shift in the C-O stretching vibration of formic acid. The O-H stretching modes of water also exhibit pronounced red shifts. Both the MP2 and B3LYP calculations located three minima corresponding to cyclic HCOOH...H2O complexes with two hydrogen bond interactions. The binding energies are -10.3, -5.1, and -3.5 kcal mol(-1), respectively, for the three complexes at the MP2/ aug-cc-pVTZ level, corrected for the basis set superposition error (BSSE) using the Boys-Bernardi counterpoise scheme. Comparison of the calculated frequencies of the three complexes with the matrix IR spectrum reveals that the lowest energy complex is formed. In addition, a complex of formic acid with two water molecules is observed.     

Protonolysis of the Hg-C bond of chloromethylmercury and dimethylmercury. A DFT and QTAIM study

Possible mechanisms for degrading chloromethylmercury (CH(3)HgCl) and dimethylmercury [(CH3)2Hg] involving thiol and ammonium residues were investigated by DFT and atoms-in-molecules (QTAIM) calculations. Using H2S and HS- as models for thiol and thiolate groups RSH and RS-, respectively, we obtained transition states and energy barriers for possible decomposition routes to Hg(SH)2 based on a model proposed by Moore and Pitts (Moore, M. J.; Distefano, M. D.; Zydowsky, L. D.; Cummings, R. T.; Walsh, C. T. Acc. Chem. Res. 1990, 23, 301. Pitts, K. E.; Summers, A. O. Biochemistry 2002, 41, 10287). Demethylation was found to be a multistep process that involved initial substitution of Cl- by RS-. We found that successive coordination of Hg with thiolates leads to increased negative charge on the methyl group and facilitates the protonolysis of the Hg-C bond by H-SH. This was also found to be the case for (CH3)2Hg. We found that NH4(+) readily protonolyzes the Hg-C bond of these thiolate complexes, suggesting that ammonium residues of protonated amino acids might also act as effective proton donors.