Theoretical and Experimental Studies on a Metallorganic Complex of (Isopropylxanthato)(Phenyl)Mercury(I) [Hg(I)(C<Subscript>6</Subscript>H<Subscript>5</Subscript>)(C<Subscript>4</Subscript>H<Subscript>7</Subscript>OS<Subscript>2</Subscript>)]

The title compound, (isopropylxanthato)(phenyl)mercury(I), was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, IR and thermogravimetric analysis. Density functional theory (DFT) method calculations were performed at B3LYP/CEP-121G and B3LYP/CEP-31G levels of theory, respectively. Vibrational frequencies were predicted, assigned, compared with the experimental values, and they are supported each other. The calculated results show that the strength of bond Hg—C is stronger than that of Hg—S, which is good agreement with the experimental data. The calculations of the second order optical nonlinearity and electronic absorption spectra are also performed.     

Preparation,Thermal Behaviour,and Crystal Structure of MgAl<Subscript>2</Subscript>F<Subscript>8</Subscript>(H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O)<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Summary.  Single crystals of MgAl₂F₈(H₂O)₂ have been obtained under hydrothermal conditions (250°C, 14 d) from a starting mixture of AlF₃ and MgAlF₅(H₂O)₂ in a 5% (w/w) HF solution. The crystal structure has been determined and refined from single crystal data (Fmmm (#69), Z = 4, a = 7.2691(7), b = 7.0954(16), c = 12.452(2) ?, 281 structure factors, 27 parameters, R(F ² > 2σ (F ²)) = 0.0282, wR(F ² all) = 0.0885). The obtained crystals were systematically twinned according to (010/100/001) as twinning matrix, reflecting the pseudo-tetragonal metric. The crystal structure is composed of perowskite-type layers built of corner sharing AlF₆ octahedra with an overall composition of AlF₄ ⁻ which are connected via common fluorine atoms of [MgF_4/2(H₂O)_2/1] octahedra. Group-subgroup relations of MgAl₂F₈(H₂O)₂ to WO₃(H₂O)_0.33 and to other M(II)M(III)₂ F₈(H₂O)₂ structures are briefly discussed. Above 570°C, MgAl₂F₈(H₂O)₂ decomposes under elimination of water into α-AlF₃, β-AlF₃, and MgF₂. Received October 29, 2001. Accepted (revised) December 6, 2001     

Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Raman Spectrum of Hydrazinium(+2) Fluoroarsenate(III) Fluoride,N<Subscript>2</Subscript>H<Subscript>6</Subscript>AsF<Subscript>4</Subscript>F

Summary.  Hydrazinium(+2) fluoroarsenate(III) fluoride was prepared by the reaction of hydrazinium(+2) fluoride and liquid arsenic trifluoride. N₂H₆AsF₄F is stable at 273 K, but decomposes slowly at room temperature. N₂H₆AsF₄F crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnn2 with a = 774.0(2) pm, b = 1629.2(4) pm and c = 436.6(1) pm; V = 0.5506(3) nm³, Z = 4 and d _c  = 2.461 g cm⁻³. The structure consists of N₂H₆ ²⁺ cations, AsF₄ ⁻ anions, and F⁻ anions and is interconnected by a hydrogen bonding network. Distorted trigonal-bipyramidal AsF₄ ⁻ units are very weakly interconnected and form chains along the b axis. Bands in the Raman spectrum are assigned to the vibrations of N₂H₆ ⁺² cations and AsF₄ ⁻ anions. Corresponding author. E-mail: adolf.jesih@ijs.si Received April 18, 2002; accepted July 15, 2002     

A thermodynamic and kinetic study of the formation of C<Subscript>20</Subscript> compounds encapsulating H,He and Ne atoms

 Binding energies of helium, neon and atomic hydrogen encapsulated inside a C₂₀ cage were calculated using an ab initio method at the B3LYP/6-31+G⋆ level of theory. The standard equilibrium constants for the reactions of noble-gas atoms going into the C₂₀ molecular cage have also been studied. The transition states for the reactions of C₂₀ with hydrogen and helium were further obtained with an ab initio method at the B3LYP/6-31+G⋆ level and the rate constants were estimated by using conventional transition-state theory. It was found that the hydrogen and helium atoms are extremely difficult to put into the C₂₀ cage. Once inside the cage, a helium atom can hardly get out, while a hydrogen atom can easily escape from the cage. The results are expected to enrich fullerene science and be helpful for fullerene applications such as storage. Received: 2 November 2002 / Accepted: 19 December 2002 / Published online: 30 April 2003 Correspondence to: R. Q. Zhang, e-mail: aprqz@cityu.edu.hk Acknowledgements. The work described in this paper was jointly supported by a grant from the City University of Hong Kong (project no. 7001222) and a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (project no. 9040633/CityU, 1011/01P].     

Searching blue-shifted O–H···Y hydrogen bond in CH<Subscript>3</Subscript>OH complexes with CF<Subscript>4</Subscript>, C<Subscript>2</Subscript>F<Subscript>2</Subscript>, OC,Ne, and He: a theoretical study

The hydrogen-bonded structures of the CH₃OH complexes with CF₄, C₂F₂, OC, Ne, and He are designated as the starting points for geometry optimizations without and with counterpoise (CP) correction at MP2 level of theory with the basis sets 6-31+G*, 6-31++G**, and 6-311++G**, respectively. Tight convergence criteria are applied throughout all geometry optimizations in order to reduce the computational errors. According to the optimizations without CP correction, a blue-shifted O–H···Y (where Y = F, O, Ne, or He) hydrogen bond exists in all these five complexes. The magnitudes of blue shifts of ν(O–H) of the former four complexes with respect to that of CH₃OH are reduced greatly when the polarization and diffuse functions of the hydrogen atoms are added (results from 6-31+G* versus those from 6-31++G**). However, for the complexes CH₃OH–CF₄ and CH₃OH–C₂F₂, our optimizations using the CP corrections did not find the hydrogen-bonded structure to be a stationary point. The energy minimum of both the complexes corresponds to a non-hydrogen-bonded structure.     

Ab initio and density functional theory studies on the mechanism of nucleophilic vinylic substitution of 4<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-pyran-4-one and 2-methyl-4<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-pyran-4-one with ammonia

 Nucleophilic vinylic substitutions of 4H-pyran-4-one and 2-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one with ammonia were calculated by the B3LYP method using the 6-31G(d,p) basis set. Bulk solvent effects of aqueous solution were estimated by the polarized continuum and Poisson–Boltzmann self-consistent reaction field models using the 6-311+G(d,p) basis set. In the gas phase different mechanisms were found for the two reaction systems calculated. The reaction of 4H-pyran-4-one proceeds through enol, whereas a feasible path for the less reactive 2-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one is the mechanism through a keto intermediate. Addition of ammonia in concert with proton transfer is the rate-determining step ofthe reaction. The mechanism proceeding either by a bimolecular nucleophilic substitution (S_N2) or by one involving a tetrahedral zwitterionic intermediate is shown to be unlikely in the gas phase or nonpolar solution. The effects of bulk solvent not only consist in a reduction of the various activation barriers by about 25–40 kJ mol⁻¹ but also in a change in the reaction mechanism. Received 26 May 2002 / Accepted 26 July 2002 / Published online: 14 February 2003     

A new phosphor with flower-like structure and luminescent properties of Sr<Subscript>2</Subscript>MgSi<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript>: Eu<Superscript>2+</Superscript>, Dy<Superscript>3+</Superscript> long afterglow materials by sol–gel method

The flower-like phosphors of Sr₂MgSi₂O₇: Eu²⁺, Dy³⁺ with high brightness and long afterglow were obtained by sol–gel method. X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) shows that single-phased Sr₂MgSi₂O₇ phosphor is prepared by sol–gel method under 1250 °C. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) indicates that the phosphor consists of nano-sized whiskers which are detected for the first time in Eu²⁺ and Dy³⁺ co-doped long-lasting phosphorescence silicates. Furthermore, the investigation on the mechanism indicates that the internal structure and gas, liquid and solid phase effect play important roles in the formation of flower-like Sr₂MgSi₂O₇: Eu²⁺, Dy³⁺ nanostructure. Finally, the optical properties of flower-like Sr₂MgSi₂O₇ nanostructure have been characterized by photoluminescence (PL) spectra.     

The Electronic Structure and Bonding of the First p-Block Paddlewheel Complex,Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>(trifluoroacetate)<Subscript>4</Subscript>, and Comparison to d-Block Transition Metal Paddlewheel Complexes: A Photoelectron and Density Functional Theory Study

The photoelectron spectrum and a density functional computational analysis of the first p-block paddlewheel complex, Bi₂(tfa)₄, where tfa = (O₂CCF₃)⁻, are reported. The photoelectron spectrum of Bi₂(tfa)₄ contains an ionization band between the region of metal-based ionizations and the region of overlapping ligand ionizations that is not seen in the photoelectron spectra of d-block paddlewheel complexes. This additional ionization arises from an a_1g symmetry combination of the tfa ligand orbitals that is directed for σ bonding with the metals, and the unusual energy of this ionization follows from the different interaction of this orbital with the valence s and p orbitals of Bi compared to the valence d orbitals of transition metals. There is significant mixing between the Bi–Bi σ bond and this a_1g M–L σ orbital. This observation led to a re-examination of the ionization differences between Mo₂(tfa)₄ and W₂(tfa)₄, where the metal–metal σ and π ionizations are overlapping for the Mo₂ molecule but a separate and sharp σ ionization is observed for the W₂ molecule. The coalescing of the σ and π bond ionizations of Mo₂(tfa)₄ is due to greater ligand orbital character in the Mo–Mo σ bond (∼7%) versus the W–W σ bond (∼1%). In tribute to F. Albert Cotton for sharing the beauty of symmetry and the joy and excitement in the exploration of metal–metal bonds.     

Theoretical study of the mechanism for C-H bond activation in spin-forbidden reaction between Ti<Superscript>+</Superscript> and C<Subscript>2</Subscript>H<Subscript>4</Subscript>

The mechanism of the spin-forbidden reaction Ti⁺(⁴F, 3d²4s¹) + C₂H₄→TiC₂H₂ ⁺ (²A₂) + H₂ on both doublet and quartet potential energy surfaces has been investigated at the B3LYP level of theory. Crossing points between the potential energy surfaces and the possible spin inversion process are discussed by means of spin-orbit coupling (SOC) calculations. The strength of the SOC between the low-lying quartet state and the doublet state is 59.3 cm⁻¹ in the intermediate complex IM1-⁴B₂. Thus, the changes of its spin multiplicity may occur from the quartet to the doublet surface to form IM1-²A₁, leading to a sig-nificant decrease in the barrier height on the quartet PES. After the insertion intermediate IM2, two distinct reaction paths on the doublet PES have been found, i.e., a stepwise path and a concerted path. The latter is found to be the lowest energy path on the doublet PES to exothermic TiC₂H₂ ⁺(²A₂) + H₂ products, with the active barrier of 4.52 kcal/mol. In other words, this reaction proceeds in the following way: Ti⁺+C₂H₄→⁴IC→IM1-⁴B₂→^4,2ISC→IM1-²A₁→[²TS_ins]→IM2→[²TS_MCTS]→IM5→TiC₂H₂ ⁺(²A₂)+H₂. Supported by ‘Qinglan’ Talent Engineering Funds by Tianshui Normal University.     

H<Subscript>6</Subscript>P<Subscript>2</Subscript>W<Subscript>18</Subscript>O<Subscript>62</Subscript>: A green and reusable catalyst for the synthesis of 3,3-diaryloxindole derivatives in water

An efficient and improved procedure for the synthesis of oxindoles derivatives is developed via the electrophilic substitution reaction of indoles with various isatins in the presence of a Wells–Dawson tungsten heteropolyacid in water. Correspondence: Yaghoub Sarrafi, Department of Chemistry, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.     

Local structure and photoluminescent characteristics of Eu<Superscript>3+</Superscript> in ZnO–SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> glasses

The photoluminescence properties of xZnO–(100−x)SiO₂ (x = 0, 5, 10, 20) containing 1% Eu₂O₃ prepared by a sol–gel method were systematically investigated. The results indicated that the relative proportion of f–f transitions to charge transfer (CT) absorption decreased with the increase of ZnO concentration. The intensity of ⁵D₀–⁷F_J transitions of Eu³⁺ ions was enhanced with the increase of ZnO content due to local structure changes and decreased quantities of Eu³⁺ ions clusters. The results of fluorescence line narrow (FLN) spectra indicated that Eu³⁺ ions occupied one site in SiO₂ glass and two sites in ZnO–SiO₂ glasses. The second-order crystal field parameters were calculated. B₂₀ and B₂₂ for site 1 increased with excitation energy, while ones hardly changed for site 2.     

Comparative study of the synthesis of CoFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> and NiFe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> in silica through the polymerized complex route of the sol–gel method

In this work the synthesis of CoFe₂O₄-SiO₂ and NiFe₂O₄-SiO₂ nanocomposites was studied via the sol–gel method, using the polymerized complex route. The polymerized precursors obtained by the reaction of citric acid, ethylene glycol, tetraethylorthosilicate, ferric nitrate, and cobalt nitrate or nickel chloride were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. NMR and IR spectra of the precursors, without and with metallic ions, show the formation of polymeric chains with ester and ether groups and complexes of metal-polymeric precursor. The nanocomposites were obtained by the thermal decomposition of the organic fraction and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). XRD patterns show the formation of CoFe₂O₄ and NiFe₂O₄ in an amorphous silica matrix above 400 °C in both cases. When the calcination temperature was 800 °C the particle size of the crystalline phases, calculated using the Scherrer equation, reached ∼35 nm for the two oxides. VSM plots show the ferrimagnetic behavior that is expected for this type of magnetic material; the magnetization at 12.5 KOe of the CoFe₂O₄-SiO₂ and NiFe₂O₄-SiO₂ compounds was 29.5 and 17.4 emu/g, respectively, for samples treated at 800 °C.     

The Physical and Electronic Structure of M<Subscript>2</Subscript> Quadruply Bonded Complexes: A Density Functional Theory Study

The electronic structures and the physical properties (vertical excitation energies, vibrational stretching frequencies, and bond lengths) of a variety of M–M quadruply bonded (M = Mo, W) complexes are investigated using density functional theory (DFT). By utilizing a variety of pure and hybrid exchange-correlation (XC) functionals and a number basis sets, we are able to recommend a theoretical methodology for most efficiently probing the electronic structures of homoleptic M₂(O₂CR)₄ and bridged M₂(O₂C-X-CO₂)M₂ (R = organic group, typically H; X = conjugated organic group) complexes.

Validation of a screening method for the simultaneous identification of fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins (A,E, B<Subscript>1</Subscript>, B<Subscript>2</Subscript> and B<Subscript>6</Subscript>) in an aqueous micellar medium of hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride

Simultaneous determination of the fat-soluble vitamins A and E and the water-soluble vitamins B₁, B₂ and B₆ has been carried using a screening method from fluorescence contour graphs. These graphs show different colour zones in relation to the fluorescence intensity measured for the pair of excitation/emission wavelengths. The identification of the corresponding excitation/emission wavelength zones allows the detection of different vitamins in an aqueous medium regardless of the fat or water solubility of each vitamin, owing to the presence of a surfactant which forms micelles in water at the used concentration (over the critical micelle concentration). The micelles dissolve very water insoluble compounds, such as fat-soluble vitamins, inside the aggregates. This approach avoids the use of organic solvents in determining these vitamins and offers the possibility of analysing fat- and water-soluble vitamins simultaneously. The method has been validated in terms of detection limit, cut-off limit, sensitivity, number of false positives, number of false negatives and uncertainty range. The detection limit is about g L^–1. The screening method was applied to different samples such as pharmaceuticals, juices and isotonic drinks.