He 2++ molecular ion in a strong time-dependent magnetic field: a current-density functional study

The He molecular ion exposed to a strong ultrashort time‐dependent (TD) magnetic field of the order of 10⁹ G is investigated through a quantum fluid dynamics (QFD) and current‐density functional theory (CDFT) based approach using vector exchange‐correlation (XC) potential and energy density functional that depend not only on the electronic charge‐density but also on the current density. The TD‐QFD‐CDFT computations are performed in a parallel internuclear‐axis and magnetic field‐axis configuration at the field‐free equilibrium internuclear separation R = 1.3 au with the field‐strength varying between 0 and 10¹¹ G. The TD behavior of the exchange‐ and correlation energy of the He is analyzed and compared with that obtained using a [B‐TD‐QFD‐density functional theory (DFT)] approach based on the conventional TD‐DFT under similar computational constraints but using only scalar XC potential and energy density functional dependent on the electronic charge‐density alone. The CDFT based approach yields TD exchange‐ and correlation energy and TD electronic charge‐density significantly different from that obtained using the conventional TD‐DFT based approach, particularly, at typical magnetic field strengths and during a typical time period of the TD field. This peculiar behavior of the CDFT‐based approach is traced to the TD current‐density dependent vector XC potential, which can induce nonadiabatic effects causing retardation of the oscillating electronic charge density. Such dissipative electron dynamics of the He molecular ion is elucidated by treating electronic charge density as an electron‐“fluid” in the terminology of QFD. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011     

Current‐density functional study of the HeH+ molecular ion under a strong ultrashort magnetic field

The HeH⁺ molecular ion under an ultrashort magnetic field on the order of 10⁹ G is investigated through quantum fluid dynamics and a current‐density functional theory (CDFT) based approach, employing a vector exchange–correlation (XC) potential which depends on the electronic charge‐density as well as on the current‐density. The behavior of the exchange and correlation energies of the HeH⁺ ion is analyzed and compared with those obtained using an approach based on the time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) under similar computational constraints but employing a scalar XC potential dependent only on the electronic charge‐density. The CDFT‐based approach yields exchange and correlation energies as well as TD electronic charge‐densities drastically different from those obtained using the TD‐DFT‐based approach particularly, at typical TD magnetic field strengths. This is attributed to the nonadiabatic effects induced by the vector XC potential of the CDFT in the oscillating charge‐density of the HeH⁺ ion, which are further explained in the terminology of quantum fluid dynamics. The vector XC potential of the CDFT‐based approach is observed to augment the magnetic interactions in the H₂ molecule and in the He ion, whereas it opposes the magnetic interactions in the HeH⁺ ion particularly, at the intermediate magnetic field strengths. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Dynamics of electronic motion in hydrogen atom under parallel strong oscillating magnetic field and intense laser fields

The mechanism of ionization of an H atom interacting with intense laser electric fields is altered when a strong, oscillating magnetic field is applied along a direction parallel to the laser field. In this first study, these two strongly nonperturbative situations have been combined together and the corresponding time‐dependent (TD) Schrödinger equation has been numerically solved without using any basis set. The electric field arising out of the magnetic field and the magnetic field arising out of the laser electric field are found to be negligibly small, thereby not affecting the results. There are two main, apparently counter‐intuitive results from this study of parallel fields of the same frequency but different field strengths: (1) In presence of an oscillating magnetic field, the ionization rate due to the laser field diminishes, and (2) increasing the laser intensity, keeping the magnetic field strength the same, makes the electron density ionize with a lesser rate, in contrast to the situation with intense lasers in the absence of a strong TD magnetic field. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Time-dependent density functional theory for calculating origin-independent optical rotation and rotatory strength tensors

An approach to calculate origin-independent electronic chiroptical property tensors using time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and gauge-including atomic orbital (GIAO) basis sets is evaluated. Computations of origin-dependent optical rotation tensors and of rotatory strengths needed to simulate circular dichroism spectra are presented. The optical rotation tensor computations employ solutions of coupled perturbed Kohn-Sham equations for a dynamic electric field and a static magnetic field. Because the magnetic field is time independent, the GIAO treatment is somewhat simplified compared to a previously reported method, at some added computational cost if hybrid functionals are employed. GIAO rotatory strengths are also calculated, using transition density matrices from a standard TDDFT excitation energy module. A new implementation in the NWChem quantum chemistry package is employed for representative computations of origin-invariant chiroptical response tensors for methyloxirane, norbornenone, and the ketosteroid androstadienone. For the steroid molecule the vibrational structure of the CD spectrum is modeled explicitly by using calculated Franck-Condon factors. The agreement with experiment is favorable.     

SCF-CI calculations of the potential energy curve and one-electron property curves of theX 1∑ g + ground state of N2

The energy and important one-electron properties of the nitrogen molecule are evaluated in the¹ _g ⁺ ground state for various internuclear separations near the equilibrium geometry, at the SCF-CI level. Both our Roos CI and Graphical Unitary Group (GUG) programs were used in performing single and multiple root CI computations. The one-electron properties included are the quadrupole and hexadecapole moments (both with respect to the centre of mass) and the electric field gradient at the N nucleus. Dependence of the properties upon the vibrational quantum number are evaluated using the Dunham analysis scheme.     

Theoretical Shaping of Femtosecond Laser Pulses for Molecular Photodissociation with Control Techniques Based on Ehrenfest′s Dynamics and Time‐Dependent Density Functional Theory

The combination of nonadiabatic Ehrenfest‐path molecular dynamics (EMD) based on time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and quantum optimal control formalism (QOCT) was used to optimize the shape of ultra‐short laser pulses to achieve photodissociation of a hydrogen molecule and the trihydrogen cation H₃⁺. This work completes a previous one [A. Castro, ChemPhysChem, 2013 , 14, 1488–1495], in which the same objective was achieved by demonstrating the combination of QOCT and TDDFT for many‐electron systems on static nuclear potentials. The optimization model, therefore, did not include the nuclear movement and the obtained dissociation mechanism could only be sequential: fast laser‐assisted electronic excitation to nonbonding states (during which the nuclei are considered to be static), followed by field‐free dissociation. Here, in contrast, the optimization was performed with the QOCT constructed on top of the full dynamic model comprised of both electrons and nuclei, as described within EMD based on TDDFT. This is the first numerical demonstration of an optimal control formalism for a hybrid quantum–classical model, that is, a molecular dynamics method.     

Magnetic Bistability of Isolated Giant‐Spin Centers in a Diamagnetic Crystalline Matrix

Polynuclear single‐molecule magnets (SMMs) were diluted in a diamagnetic crystal lattice to afford arrays of independent and iso‐oriented magnetic units. Crystalline solid solutions of an Fe₄ SMM and its Ga₄ analogue were prepared with no metal scrambling for Fe₄ molar fractions x down to 0.01. According to high‐frequency EPR and magnetic measurements, the guest SMM species have the same total spin (S=5), anisotropy, and high‐temperature spin dynamics found in the pure Fe₄ phase. However, suppression of intermolecular magnetic interactions affects magnetic relaxation at low temperature (40 mK), where quantum tunneling (QT) of the magnetization dominates. When a magnetic field is applied along the easy magnetic axis, both pure and diluted (x=0.01) phases display pronounced steps at evenly spaced field values in their hysteresis loops due to resonant QT. The pure Fe₄ phase exhibits additional steps which are firmly ascribed to two‐molecule QT transitions. Studies on the field‐dependent relaxation rate showed that the zero‐field resonance sharpens by a factor of five and shifts from about 8 mT to exactly zero field on dilution, in agreement with the calculated variation of dipolar interactions. The tunneling efficiency also changes significantly as a function of Fe₄ concentration: the zero‐field resonance is significantly enhanced on dilution, while tunneling at ±0.45 T becomes less efficient. These changes were rationalized on the basis of a dipolar shuffling mechanism and transverse dipolar fields, whose effect was analyzed by using a multispin model. Our findings directly prove the impact of intermolecular magnetic couplings on SMM behavior and disclose the magnetic response of truly isolated giant spins in a diamagnetic crystalline environment.     

Excited‐State Proton Transfer and Intramolecular Charge Transfer in 1,3‐Diketone Molecules

The photophysical signature of the tautomeric species of the asymmetric (N,N‐dimethylanilino)‐1,3‐diketone molecule are investigated using approaches rooted in density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent DFT (TD‐DFT). In particular, since this molecule, in the excited state, can undergo proton transfer reactions coupled to intramolecular charge transfer events, the different radiative and nonradiative channels are investigated by making use of different density‐based indexes. The use of these tools, together with the analysis of both singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces, provide new insights into excited‐state reactivity allowing one to rationalize the experimental findings including different behavior of the molecule as a function of solvent polarity.     

Time-dependent quantum fluid density functional theory of hydrogen molecule under intense laser fields

A time-dependent generalized non-linear Schr?dinger equation (GNLSE) of motion was earlier derived in our laboratory by combining density functional theory and quantum fluid dynamics in three-dimensional space. In continuation of the work reported previously, the GNLSE is applied to provide additional knowledge on the femtosecond dynamics of the electron density in the hydrogen molecule interacting with high-intensity laser fields. For this purpose, the GNLSE is solved numerically for many time-steps over a total interaction time of 100 fs, by employing a finite-difference scheme. Various time-dependent (TD) quantities, namely, electron density, ground-state survival probability and dipole moment have been obtained for two laser wavelengths and four different intensities. The high-order harmonics generation (HHG) is also examined. The present approach goes beyond the linear response formalism and, in principle, calculates the TD electron density to all orders of change. Dedicated to Prof. D Mukherjee on his 60th birthday     

Effect of interprotein polarization on protein–protein binding energy

Molecular dynamics simulation in explicit water for the binding of the benchmark barnase‐barstar complex was carried out to investigate the effect polarization of interprotein hydrogen bonds on its binding free energy. Our study is based on the AMBER force field but with polarized atomic charges derived from fragment quantum mechanical calculation for the protein complex. The quantum‐derived atomic charges include the effect of polarization of interprotein hydrogen bonds, which was absent in the standard force fields that were used in previous theoretical calculations of barnase‐barstar binding energy. This study shows that this polarization effect impacts both the static (electronic) and dynamic interprotein electrostatic interactions and significantly lowers the free energy of the barnase‐barstar complex. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Visualizing molecular wavefunctions using Monte Carlo methods

Using explicitly correlated wavefunctions and variational Monte Carlo we calculate the electron density, the electron density difference, the intracule density, the extracule density, two forms of the kinetic energy density, the Laplacian of the electron density, the Laplacian of the intracule density, and the Laplacian of the extracule density on a dense grid of points for the ground state of the hydrogen molecule at three internuclear distances (0.6, 1.4, 8.0). With these values we construct a contour plot of each function and describe how it can be used to visualize the distribution of electrons in this molecule. We also examine the influence of electron correlation on each expectation value by calculating each function with a Hartree–Fock wavefunction and then comparing these values with our explicitly correlated values. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

Evidence for site‐specific intra‐ionic hydrogen/deuterium exchange in the low‐energy collision‐induced dissociation product ion spectra of protonated small molecules generated by electrospray ionisation

The experimental investigation of site‐specific intra‐ionic hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange in the low‐energy collision‐induced dissociation (CID) product ion spectra of protonated small molecules generated by electrospray ionisation (ESI) is presented. The observation of intra‐ionic H/D exchange in such ions under low‐energy CID conditions has hitherto been rarely reported. The data suggest that the intra‐ionic H/D exchange takes place in a site‐specific manner between the ionising deuteron, localised at either a tertiary amine or a tertiary amine‐N‐oxide, and a γ‐hydrogen relative to the nitrogen atom. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy measurements showed that no H/D exchange takes place in solution, indicating that the reaction occurs in the gas phase. The compounds analysed in this study suggested that electron‐withdrawing groups bonded to the carbon atom bearing the γ‐hydrogen can preclude exchange. The effect of the electron‐withdrawing group appears dependent upon its electronegativity, with lower χ value groups still allowing exchange to take place. However, the limited dataset available in this study prevented robust conclusions being drawn regarding the effect of the electron‐withdrawing group. The observation of site‐specific intra‐ionic H/D exchange has application in the area of structural elucidation, where it could be used to introduce an isotopic label into the carbon skeleton of a molecule containing specific structural features. This could increase the throughput, and minimise the cost, of such studies due to the obviation of the need to produce a deuterium‐labelled analogue by synthetic means. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In Situ and Ex Situ Low‐Field NMR Spectroscopy and MRI Endowed by SABRE Hyperpolarization

By using 5.75 and 47.5 mT nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, up to 10⁵‐fold sensitivity enhancement through signal amplification by reversible exchange (SABRE) was enabled, and subsecond temporal resolution was used to monitor an exchange reaction that resulted in the buildup and decay of hyperpolarized species after parahydrogen bubbling. We demonstrated the high‐resolution low‐field proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of pyridine in a 47.5 mT magnetic field endowed by SABRE. Molecular imaging (i.e. imaging of dilute hyperpolarized substances rather than the bulk medium) was conducted in two regimes: in situ real‐time MRI of the reaction mixture (in which pyridine was hyperpolarized), and ex situ MRI (in which hyperpolarization decays) of the liquid hyperpolarized product. Low‐field (milli‐Tesla range, e.g. 5.75 and 47.5 mT used in this study) parahydrogen‐enhanced NMR and MRI, which are free from the limitations of high‐field magnetic resonance (including susceptibility‐induced gradients of the static magnetic field at phase interfaces), potentially enables new imaging applications as well as differentiation of hyperpolarized chemical species on demand by exploiting spin manipulations with static and alternating magnetic fields.     

On the Control of Magnetic Anisotropy through an External Electric Field

The effect of an external electric field on the magnetic anisotropy of a single‐molecule magnet has been investigated, for the first time, with the help of DFT. The application of an electric field can alter the magnetic anisotropy from “easy‐plane” to “easy‐axis” type. Excitation analysis performed through time‐dependent DFT predicts that the external electric field facilitates metal to π‐acceptor ligand charge transfer, leading to uniaxial magnetic anisotropy and concomitant spin Hall effect in a single molecule.     

外电场对甲醛分子的结构与电子光谱的影响

采用密度泛函理论(DFT)在B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)基组水平上,计算了不同外加电场(-8.22×10~9~8.22×10~9 V/m)下甲醛分子基态稳定构型、分子键长、电荷分布、能级分布、能隙、红外光谱、拉曼光谱和分子的总能量.在此基础上利用TDDFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)方法研究了甲醛分子由基态跃迁到前25个激发态的激发能E、谐振强度f、吸收波长λ受外电场的影响.结果表明:随着C=O连线方向外电场的增加,C=O键键长、氢原子电荷、偶极矩和能隙递增;C—H键键长、C,O原子电荷递减,总能量降低.振动频率与红外强度及拉曼强度由于不同振动有不同变化.甲醛分子UV-Vis光谱随外电场的增加,不同的吸收峰发生了不同程度的蓝移或者红移;外电场对甲醛分子的激发能、谐振强度和吸收波长的强度有一定影响,但随电场变化比较复杂.     

Experimental Determination of Magnetic Anisotropy in Exchange‐Bias Dysprosium Metallocene Single‐Molecule Magnets

We investigate a family of dinuclear dysprosium metallocene single‐molecule magnets (SMMs) bridged by methyl and halogen groups [Cp′₂Dy(μ‐X)]₂ (Cp′=cyclopentadienyltrimethylsilane anion; 1 : X=CH₃^?; 2 : X=Cl^?; 3 : X=Br^?; 4 : X=I^?). For the first time, the magnetic easy axes of dysprosium metallocene SMMs are experimentally determined, confirming that the orientation of them are perpendicular to the equatorial plane which is made up of dysprosium and bridging atoms. The orientation of the magnetic easy axis for 1 deviates from the normal direction (by 10.3°) due to the stronger equatorial interactions between Dy^III and methyl groups. Moreover, its magnetic axes show a temperature‐dependent shifting, which is caused by the competition between exchange interactions and Zeeman interactions. Studies of fluorescence and specific heat as well as ab initio calculations reveal the significant influences of the bridging ligands on their low‐lying exchange‐based energy levels and, consequently, low‐temperature magnetic properties.     

Through‐Space Conjugated Molecular Wire Comprising Three π‐Electron Systems

A [2.2]paracyclophane‐based through‐space conjugated oligomer comprising three π‐electron systems was designed and synthesized. The arrangement of three π‐conjugated systems in an appropriate order according to the energy band gap resulted in efficient unidirectional photoexcited energy transfer by the Förster mechanism. The energy transfer efficiency and rate constants were estimated to be >0.999 and >10¹² s^?1, respectively. The key point for the efficient energy transfer is the orientation of the transition dipole moments. The time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) studies revealed the transition dipole moments of each stacked π‐electron system; each dipole moment was located on the long axis of each stacked π‐electron system. This alignment of the dipole moments is favorable for fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET).     

Ethyl 1‐ethyl‐7‐fluoro‐4‐oxo‐1,4‐dihydroquinoline‐3‐carboxylate: X‐ray and DFT studies

The basic building unit in the structure of the title compound, C₁₄H₁₄FNO₃, is pairs of molecules arranged in an antiparallel fashion, enabling weak C—H...O interactions. Each molecule is additionally involved in π–π interactions with neighbouring molecules. The pairs of molecules formed by the C—H...O hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions form ribbon‐like chains running along the c axis. Theoretical calculations based on these pairs showed that, although the main intermolecular interaction is electrostatic, it is almost completely compensated by an exchange–repulsion contribution to the total energy. As a consequence, the dominating force is a dispersion interaction. The F atoms form weak C—F...H—C interactions with the H atoms of the neighbouring ethyl groups, with H...F separations in the range 2.59–2.80 Å.     

Quantum dynamics of relaxation of a pair of coupled Morse oscillators: Effects of mass and electrical asymmetries

A multiconfiguration time‐dependent Hartree method based recipe is used to study the role of mass and electrical asymmetry in controlling the quantum dynamics of relaxation of a locally excited O? H bond in a water molecule, modeled by a pair of interacting Morse oscillators. The fast periodic energy transfer between the two equivalent O? H bonds in H? O? H is replaced by a rather slow process when one of the H atom is replaced by a deuterium atom. Application of static electric field along the O? D bond in HOD molecule is seen to either enhance or damp the relaxation rate, depending on the strength of the applied field. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Chemical bonding in the hydrogen molecule

The chemical bond in the hydrogen molecule is examined using the electron density and the generalized overlap amplitudes. Logarithmic derivatives of the electron density provide a clear picture of its behavior in the bonding region as well as in the outer region. The GOA expansion of the density is used to examine the dependence of the rate of decay of the density on the GOA ionization potentials. The increase in the electron density at the nuclei and in the bonding region coincides with the higher ionization potential of H₂ over the H atom. The density in the bonding region along the internuclear axis does not decay exponentially, but its shape is very nearly an inverted Gaussian. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.