Molecular orbital theory of the hydrogen bond. 24. Ground-state water–uracil complexes

Ab initio SCF calculations with the STO -3G basis set have been performed to investigate the structural, energetic, and electronic properties of mixed water–uracil dimers formed at the six hydrogen-bonding sites in the uracil molecular plane. Hydrogen-bond formation at three of the carbonyl oxygen sites leads to cyclic structures in which a water molecule bridges N₁? H and O₂, N₃? H and O₂, and N₃? H and O₄. Open structures form at O₄, N₁? H, and N₃? H. The two most stable structures, with energies of 9.9 and 9.7 kcal/mole, respectively, are the open structure at N₁? H and the cyclic one at N₁? H and O₂. These two are easily interconverted, and may be regarded as corresponding to just one “wobble” dimer. At 1 kcal/mole higher in energy is another “wobble” dimer consisting of an open structure at N₃? H and a cyclic structure at N₃? H and O₄. The third cyclic structure at N₃? H and O₂ collapses to the “wobble” dimer at N₃? H and O₄. The two “wobble” dimers are significantly more stable than the open dimer formed at O₄, which has a stabilization energy of 5.4 kcal/mole. Uracil is a stronger proton donor to water through N₁? H than N₃? H, owing to a more favorable molecular dipole moment alignment when association occurs through H₁. Hydration of uracil by additional water molecules has also been investigated. Dimer stabilization energies and hydrogen-bond energies are nearly additive in most 2:1 water:uracil structures. There are three stable “wobble” trimers, which have stabilization energies that vary from 7 to 9 kcal/mole per water molecule. Hydrogen-bond strengths are slightly enhanced in 3:1 water:uracil structures, but the cooperative effect in hydrogen bonding is still relatively small. The single stable water–uracil tetramer is a “wobble” tetramer, with two water molecules which are relatively free to move between adjacent hydrogen-bonding sites, and a stabilization energy of approximately 8 kcal/mole per water molecule. Within the rigid dimer approximation, successive hydration of uracil is limited to the addition of one, two, or three water molecules.     

Ab initio study of 4-monosubstituted pyrimidines in ground and excited n → π* states

Ab initio SCF and SCF -CI calculations have been performed to investigate substituent effects on ground- and excited-state properties of 4-R-pyrimidines, and to compare these with substituent effects in 2- and 4-R-pyridines, with R including the π donating and σ withdrawing groups CH₃, NH₂, OH, F, and C₂H₃ and the σ and π electron-withdrawing groups CHO and CN. Substitution leads to significant changes in the internal angles of the pyrimidine ring, which are independent of the nature of the substituent. The geometry of the pyrimidine ring is more sensitive to substitution in the 4 position than the pyridine ring geometry is to substitution in either the 2 or the 4 position. The isodesmic reaction energies for substituent transfer from the 4 position of pyrimidine to the 2 or 4 position of pyridine indicate that all R groups except CN have a relative stabilizing effect in pyrimidine. The presence of a π donating group leads to an increase in the n→π* transition energy of 4-R-pyrimidines, while the π withdrawing group CN leads to a decrease in the transition energy relative to pyrimidine. Orbital energy differences and virtual excitation energies tend to correlate with n→π* transition energies of 4-R-pyrimidines with saturated R groups, but such correlations are masked by π conjugation, n orbital interaction, and configurational mixing when the unsaturated groups C₂H₃, CHO, and CN are present. The electronic effects of a π donating group are stronger when the group is bonded to pyrimidine than to pyridine, but those of a π withdrawing group are weaker when the group is bonded to pyrimidine.     

Molecular orbital theory of the hydrogen bond. 26. The hydration of uracil

Ab initio SCF calculations with the STO -3G basis set have been performed to determine the structure and stability of a 6:1 water:uracil heptamer in which water molecules are hydrogen bonded to uracil at each of the six hydrogen-bonding sites in the uracil molecular plane. The structure of the heptamer describes a stable arrangement of these six water molecules, which are the primary solvent molecules in the first solvation shell, and is suggestive of the arrangement of secondary solvent molecules in that shell in the nonpolar region of the uracil molecular plane. The stabilization energy of the heptamer is 49.6 kcal/mol, or 8.3 kcal/mol per water molecule. The hydrogen bonds between uracil and water are the primary factor in the stabilization of the complex, although water–water interactions and nonadditivity effects are also significant.     

Molecular orbital theory of the hydrogen bond. XXX. Water-cytosine complexes

Ab initio SCF and SCF -CI calculations with the STO -3G basis set have been performed to investigate the structures and energies of water–cytosine complexes and the intermolecular water–cytosine surface in the cytosine molecular plane. Although there are six nominal hydrogen-bonding sites in this plane, only three dimers are distinguishable in the ground state. The most stable has an energy of ?10.7 kcal/mol, and is found in the N₁? H and O₂ region. An asymmetric cyclic structure in which the water molecule bridges adjacent N₁? H and O₂ sites is the preferred form of this dimer. The dimer in the region between O₂ and N₄? H′ of the amino group is slightly less stable at ?10.4 kcal/mol, and also has an asymmetric cyclic structure as the preferred structure, with the water molecule bridging amino N₄? H′ and N₃ hydrogen-bonding sites. The third dimer has the amino group as the proton donor to water through the hydrogen cis to C₅, and a stabilization energy of ?7.0 kcal/mol. The water-cytosine surface is characterized by deeper minima and higher barriers than the water-thymine surface and by a decreased mobility of the water molecule between adjacent hydrogen-bonding sites. Absorption of energy by the C₂?O group leads to the first n → π* excited state in which interactions of water with O₂ are broken. The water-cytosine dimers remain bound in this state, but may change structurally. In the second n → π* state interactions between water and N₃ are no longer stabilizing. As a result, the dimer in the O₂ and N₄? H′ region collapses to either a dimer with water the proton donor to O₂, or one with N₄? H′ the proton donor to water. The other two dimers remain bound. All excited dimers are destabilized on vertical excitation relative to the ground state.     

Electronic structure of benzaldehyde: A comparative study of the lowest excited singlet π* ← π and π* ← n states

VE-PPP, CNDO/2, and CNDO/s-CI methods have been used to investigate the electronic spectrum and structure of benzaldehyde. Electronic charge distributions and bond orders in the ground and lowest excited singlet π* ← π and π* ← n states of the molecule have been studied. The molecule has been shown to be nonplanar in the lowest π* ← n excited singlet state, in agreement with the conclusions drawn from the study of vibrational spectra. Dipole moments in both excited states have been shown to be larger than the ground-state value. Thus, the ambiguity in the experimental result for the π* ← π n excited singlet state dipole moment has been resolved. It has been shown that the n orbital is mainly localized on the CHO group. Furthermore, charge distributions, dipole moments, and molecular geometries are shown to be very different in the excited singlet π* ← π and π* ← n states.     

Theoretical study of the π→π* excited states of linear polyenes: The energy gap between 11Bu+ and 21Ag− states and their character

Multireference perturbation theory with complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) reference functions is applied to the study of the valence π→π* excited states of 1,3-butadiene, 1,3,5-hexatriene, 1,3,5,7-octatetraene, and 1,3,5,7,9-decapentaene. Our focus was put on determining the nature of the two lowest-lying singlet excited states, 1¹B_u⁺ and 2¹A_g⁻, and their ordering. The 1¹B_u⁺ state is a singly excited state with an ionic nature originating from the HOMO→LUMO one-electron transition while the covalent 2¹A_g⁻ state is the doubly excited state which comes mainly from the (HOMO)²→(LUMO)² transition. The active-space and basis-set effects are taken into account to estimate the excitation energies of larger polyenes. For butadiene, the 1¹B_u⁺ state is calculated to be slightly lower by 0.1 eV than the doubly excited 2¹A_g⁻ state at the ground-state equilibrium geometry. For hexatriene, our calculations predict the two states to be virtually degenerate. Octatetraene is the first polyene for which we predict that the 2¹A_g⁻ state is the lowest excited singlet state at the ground-state geometry. The present theory also indicates that the 2¹A_g⁻ state lies clearly below the 1¹B_u⁺ state in decapentaene with the energy gap of 0.4 eV. The 0–0 transition and the emission energies are also calculated using the planar C_2h relaxed excited-state geometries. The covalent 2¹A_g⁻ state is much more sensitive to the geometry variation than is the ionic 1¹B_u⁺ state, which places the 2¹A_g⁻ state significantly below the 1¹B_u⁺ state at the relaxed geometry. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 66 : 157–175, 1998     

Nachweis von π → σ-Umlagerungen bei Ligandenverdrängungsreaktionen von π-Allyl-π-cyclopentadienyl-Palladiumkomplexen

It has been proved by NMR. measurements at low temperatures that the ligand displacement reactions of (π-all)Pd(π-C₅H₅) and Lewis bases L yielding PdL₄ proceed by a π → σ rearrangement of the allylic group as the primary step. The organic reaction product is the 1-isomer of the corresponding allylcyclopentadiene but in the reactions of (π-1,1,2-Me₃C₃H₂)Pd(π-C₅H₅) with L besides the isomeric allylcyclopentadienes also 2,3-dimethylbutadiene and cyclopentadiene are formed. The reaction mechanism will be discussed.     

Molecular orbital theory of the hydrogen bond.: XVI. A comparative study of pyridine and the diazines as proton acceptors in ground and excited n → π* states

Ab initio LCAO MO SCF calculations with a minimal STO-3G basis set have been performed to determine the structures and energies of dimers having pyridazine, pyrimidine, and pyrazine as proton acceptor molecules, with HF and H₂O as proton donors. The structures of these dimers are consistent with structures anticipated from the General Hybridization Model. Differences in the relative stabilities of dimers in the two series which have HF and H₂O as proton donors and pyridine and the diazines as proton acceptors are attributed to different weightings of secondary effects which influence dimer stabilities. These azabenzeme molecules form stronger hydrogen bonds than HCN and weaker hydrogen bonds than NH₃ whether HF or H₂O is the proton donor. Configuration interaction calculations indicate that vertical excitation to n → π* states of these proton aceptor molecules results in various degrees of destabilization of hydrogen bonded dimers and trimers, depending upon the excited state electron densities at the nitrogen atoms and the excited state dipole moments. With respect to the proton acceptor molecule, computed blue shifts of the n → π* bands increase in the order pyrazine < pyradizine < pyrimidine < pyridine.     

Molecular orbital theory of the hydrogen bond. 27. Substituent effects in water: 4-R-pyrimidine complexes

Ab initio SCF calculations with the STO -3G basis set have been performed to investigate substituent effects on the structures and stabilization energies of water:4-R-pyrimidine complexes, with R including CH₃, NH₂, OH, F, C₂H₃, CHO, and CN. Except for the cyclic water:4-aminopyrimidine complex hydrogen bonded at N₃, these complexes have open structures stabilized by a nearly linear hydrogen bond formed through a nitrogen lone pair of electrons. When hydrogen bonding occurs at N₃, the complexes may have planar or perpendicular conformations depending on the substituent, but when hydrogen bonding occurs at N₁, the perpendicular is generally slightly preferred, and there is essentially free rotation of the 4-R-pyrimidine. Primary substituent effects alter the electronic environment at the nitrogens, and tend to make N₃ a poorer site for hydrogen bonding than N₁, primarily because of a stronger π electron-withdrawing effect at N₃. However, the relative stabilities of complexes hydrogen bonded at N₁ and N₃ are also influenced by secondary substituent effects, which may be significant in stabilizing complexes bonded at N₃. Substitutent effects on the structures and stabilization energies of the water:4-R-pyrimidine complexes are similar to substitutent effects in water:2-R-pyridine and water:4-R-pyrimidine complexes are similar to substitutent effects in water:2-R-pyridine and water:4-R-pyridine complexes. Configuration interaction calculations indicate that although absorption of energy by the pyrimidine ring destabilizes the water:4-R-pyrimidine complexes, these may still remain bound in the excited n → π* state. This is in contrast to the fate of open water:2-R-pyridine and water:4-R-pyridine complexes, which dissociate in this state.     

Through bond interactions of non-bonding orbitals: The n,π* states of azanaphthalenes

The electronic transitions of eleven azanaphthalenes as dilute solid solutions in monocrystalline hosts have been studied. Provisional assignments imply significant energy gaps between n,π* states and lead to a low energy forbidden π*←n excitation in 1,5- and 1,8-diazanaphthalene. These assignments are consistent only with a significant through-bond coupling of the non-bonding orbitals, an analysis of which is presented.     

The effect of a positive charge on a π → π-transition

The position of the maximum for the π → π^*-transition of a bicyclic ketone containing a quaternary nitrogen atom at 3·1 Å from an :β-unsaturated ketone system is shown to depend largely upon electrostatic (repulsion) destabilization in both ground and excited states, the latter being affected more strongly.     

A theoretical study of molecular structure in the excited state and molecular luminescence : III. Types of molecular structure in the excited ππ singlet states

The molecular geometry (bond lengths) in the S₁, and S₂ excited states of a large number of conjugated organic molecules is calculated with the help of the SCF-CI-SC procedure, already described in previous communications. The analysis shows that all excited states studied can be classified in three basic types of structure: (1) with strong conjugation over the whole molecule or along its periphery; (2) with a long main conjugated framework and other shorter conjugated fragments moderately or slightly bonded with the framework and (3) structures consisting of two or more fragments slightly conjugated to each other. An estimation of the role of the possible intramolecular motions of low frequency is done, as well as some other factors contributing to the radiationless deactivation of a given excited state. The presence of structures with both lowest excited singlets of type 1 is shown.     

A CASSCF study on the lowest π→π* excitation of urocanic acid

The photochemical cis/trans isomerization of urocanic acid (UCA, (E)‐3‐(1′H‐imidazol‐4′‐yl)propenoic acid) was investigated using complete active space SCF (CASSCF) ab initio calculations. The singlet ground state and the triplet and the singlet manifolds of the lowest‐lying π→π* (HOMO→LUMO) excitation of the neutral and the anionic UCA were calculated using the 6‐31G* and the 6‐31+G* basis sets, respectively. The torsional barrier of the double bond of the propenoic acid moiety in UCA is observed to be considerably lower in the T₁ and S₁ excited states of the neutral UCA and in the T₁ but not in the S₁ excited state of the anionic UCA, as compared to the S₀ state of the respective protonation form. The cis‐isomer of both the neutral and the anionic UCA is lower in energy than the trans‐isomer in the S₀, T₁, and S₁ states. This energy difference is larger in the excited states than in the ground state, probably due to strengthening of the intramolecular hydrogen bond of cis‐UCA as the molecule is excited. The results of the calculations, interpreted in terms of the idea that UCA is deprotonated upon electronic excitation, led to construction of a new model for the photoisomerization mechanisms of UCA. According to this model, the trans‐to‐cis isomerization proceeds via both the triplet and the singlet manifolds in the deprotonated form of UCA. This isomerization may occur in the S₀ state of the neutral UCA as well. The cis‐to‐trans isomerization is suggested to proceed only in the S₀ state of the neutral UCA. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 72: 25–37, 1999     

Enhanced Aerogen–π Interaction by a Cation–π Force

The interaction between a noble gas atom and an aromatic π‐electron system, which mainly originates from the London dispersion force, is very weak and has not attracted enough attention yet. Herein, we reported a type of notably enhanced aerogen–π interaction between cation–π systems and noble gas atoms. The binding strength of a divalent cation–π system with a xenon atom is comparable to a moderate hydrogen bond (up to ca. 7 kcal mol^?1), whereas krypton and argon atoms produce slightly weaker interactions. Energy‐decomposition analysis reveals that the induction interaction is responsible for the stabilization of divalent cation–π?Xe species besides the dispersion interaction. Our results might be helpful to increase the understanding of some unsolved mysteries of aerogens.     

A novel two‐dimensional metal–organic supramolecular framework including π–π stacking and hydrogen‐bond interactions

[μ‐N,N′‐Bis(pyridin‐3‐yl)benzene‐1,4‐dicarboxamide‐<!?show [forcelb]><!?tlsb=0.12pt>1:2κ²N:N′]bis{[N,N′‐bis(pyridin‐3‐yl)benzene‐1,4‐dicarboxamide‐κN]diiodidomercury(II)}, [Hg₂I₄(C₁₈H₁₄N₄O₂)₃], is an S‐shaped dinuclear molecule, composed of two HgI₂ units and three N,N′‐bis(pyridin‐3‐yl)benzene‐1,4‐dicarboxamide (L) ligands. The central L ligand is centrosymmetric and coordinated to two Hg^II cations via two pyridine N atoms, in a syn–syn conformation. The two terminal L ligands are monodentate, with one uncoordinated pyridine N atom, and each adopts a syn–anti conformation. The HgI₂ units show highly distorted tetrahedral (sawhorse) geometry, as the Hg^II centres lie only 0.34 (2) or 0.32 (2) Å from the planes defined by the I and pyridine N atoms. Supramolecular interactions, thermal stability and solid‐state luminescence properties were also measured.