Topology features of chemically homogeneous sublattices in crystal structures

Using Voronoi-Dirichlet polyhedra, the principle of maximum space filling in sublattices containing atoms of a particular element (from H to Cf) is tested in the structures of all crystalline compounds studied so far. It is found that atoms of the overwhelming majority of elements are most often surrounded by 14 neighboring atoms in these sublattices. Anomalous features of H- and C-sublattices, in which hydrogen and carbon atoms most commonly have 15 and 16 neighboring atoms respectively, and sublattices consisting of Ar, Ac, Pa, Am, Cm, Bk, or Cf atoms, in which the number of nearest neighboring atoms is usually 12, are discovered. The main reasons for the revealed differences are discussed.     

Electrocatalysis by ad-atoms: Part IV. Enhancement of the oxidation of formic acid on Pt-Au(subs) and Au-Pt(subs) electrodes by bismuth ad-atoms

The roles of surface and bulk for electrocatalysis have been investigated. Bi ad-atoms enhance a platinum electrode to a great extent for HCOOH oxidation. In order to examine whether bulk platinum atoms are necessary for the electrocatalysis, monolayer or submonolayer amounts of platinum atoms were made to deposit on a gold electrode which is quite inactive for the oxidation. The deposition of a complete monolayer of platinum atoms on a gold electrode makes the electrode as active as a platinum electrode itself. Bi ad-atoms enhance this electrode to the same extent as they do a platinum electrode for the oxidation. Thus surface atoms, Pt and Bi atoms, having no bulk atoms on a quite inactive electrode work effectively for the electrocatalysis, the platinum atoms for the adsorption of the main reactant and the Bi atoms for blocking of the sites against the formation of poison. It is the adsorptive property of the surface that controls the electrocatalytic activity.     

Extracting atoms from molecular electron densities via integral equations

The observation that a molecular electron density is close to the superposition of its constituent atoms leads naturally to the idea of modeling a density by a sum of nuclear-centered, spherically symmetric functions. The functions that are optimal in a least-squares sense are known as Stewart atoms. Previous attempts to construct Stewart atoms by expanding them in an auxiliary basis have been thwarted by slow convergence with respect to the size of the auxiliary basis used. We present a method for constructing Stewart atoms via convolution integrals which bypasses the need for an auxiliary basis, and is able to produce highly accurate approximations to Stewart atoms.     

The "non-reaction" of ground-state triplet carbon atoms with water revisited.

We introduce a novel experimental setup for the generation of carbon atoms by means of pulsed laser ablation with a pulse rate optimized to avoid warming of the matrix. The combination of this technique with annealing of the matrix, recooling, and spectral recording (e.g. IR) allowed us to differentiate between the reactivity of triplet and singlet carbon atoms towards water under matrix-isolation conditions. Our experimental procedure assures the relaxation of all unreacted carbon atoms to their triplet ground state in the 10 K matrix before spectral recording. In agreement with CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ+ZPVE computational data and earlier lower level results, we find that triplet carbon atoms indeed do not react with water, despite their high initial energy. Intersystem crossing of the triplet to singlet states of hydroxy carbene are less important, as the barriers for rearrangement of the initial complex of triplet carbon atoms and water to covalently bound species are too high, and dissociation is more likely. We found no evidence for a direct O--H bond-insertion path for triplet carbon atoms. Self-condensation reactions of triplet carbon atoms are clearly favored and yield carbon clusters that show reactivity of their own. The proposed formation of aldoses in extraterrestrial environments can therefore only derive from "hot" carbon atoms or through photoreactions.     

含2-苯氧基丙酸根的镍、锌配位聚合物的合成与晶体结构

用溶液法和水热法分别合成了2个含2-苯氧基丙酸配体(HL)的聚合物{[NiL2(H2O)2(bipy)].2H2O}n(1)、{[ZnL2(bipy)].2H2O}n(2)(bipy=4,4′-联吡啶),用元素分析、红外光谱、热重和单晶X-射线衍射对产物进行了表征。在化合物1中,镍原子与2个羧基氧原子、2个配位水氧原子及2个4,4′-联吡啶的2个氮原子配位,配位数为6,镍原子的配位构型为畸变的八面体;而在化合物2中,锌原子与2个羧基氧原子及2个4,4′-联吡啶中的2个氮原子配位,锌原子的配位构型为畸变的四面体。在这2个化合物里,4,4′-联吡啶通过氮原子连接金属原子形成一维链状。链间氢键与π-π堆积作用又将一维链链接成二维层状结构。     

Theoretical studies on the ionization potential of interacting atoms at large separations

The theory of the one-particle Green's function is applied to calculations of the ionization potential of interacting atoms which are at large separations. Equations for the ionization potential involve terms which relate to Van der Waals interactions between separated atoms and long-range interactions between an atom and an ion. Numerical calculations of the ionization potential of two hydrogen atoms and two helium atoms at large separations are performed. Applications to the ionization potentials of weakly-interacting Van der Waals molecules (NeAr, NeKr, NeXe) are also reported.     

Nucleation of CuGa Phases on the MgO(100) Surface

MSINDO calculations are presented for the coadsorption of Cu and Ga atoms as clusters and islands on the MgO(100) surface. The surface is simulated by a (8 × 8 × 3) Mg₉₆O₉₆ cyclic cluster. The relative number of Cu and Ga atoms was varied in order to understand the influence of copper rich and gallium rich phases. It was found that the copper atoms have a dominating influence on the structural arrangement in mixed phases. The adsorption sites of Cu and Ga atoms are preferably O atoms, but in mixed phases these sites are usually occupied by Cu atoms.     

Mixed pseudo-potential approach to the on-top chemisorption of atomic hydrogen on the (100) silver surface

A mixed pseudo-potential approach in which the Ag atoms interacting directly with the adsorbate are treated by dealing explicitly with their 11 valence electrons whereas the remaining atoms are treated as one-electron atoms proves to be satisfactory with respect to the case in which all atoms are treated as 11-electron atoms. This approach permits, on the one hand, an easier interpretation of the results obtained and, on the other hand, the possibility of extending the model without being forced to carry out expensive calculations.The results for the Ag₅H and Ag₉H systems show that the same interactions are present in the two models, leading to nearly identical values for the adsorbate-surface distance, the vibrational frequency of the adsorbate perpendicular to the surface, and the net charge on the adatom.     

Unfolding Tin–Cobalt Interactions in Oxide‐Based Composite Electrodes for Li‐Ion Batteries by Mössbauer Spectroscopy

With a view to the development of new composite electrodes for lithium-ion batteries with electroactive tin and cobalt, Co-doped tin dioxide samples are studied. The role played by oxygen and cobalt atoms in the electrochemical behavior of tin-based electrodes for Li-ion batteries is examined by the powerful and selective (119)Sn M?ssbauer spectroscopy. For the discharged electrodes, the oxygen atoms in the lithia matrix tend to destabilize the Sn(0) atoms. In contrast, the presence of cobalt atoms helps to form a matrix that stabilizes the reduced tin atoms. Cobalt-tin interactions in electrochemical reduced Co(x)Sn(1-x)O(2) electrodes are deduced from the electrochemical and M?ssbauer results.     

Neutral carbon chain free energies

The structures and energies of singlet and triplet neutral carbon linear chains up to 22 atoms – and frequencies of vibrations for chains up to 17 atoms – are obtained using density functional theory (B3LYP) with a polarized split-valence basis set (6-31G*). Analytical expressions for the dependence of the energy with the number of atoms in the chains are presented with an explicit identification of the electrostatic contribution. The addition reaction free energies of two linear chains allow to visualize the reaction pathways of formation of chains up to 17 carbon atoms and to establish their dissociation temperatures. Free energy calculations show that odd chains of more than 15 atoms have triplet ground states at experimental accessible temperatures. Cycling characteristics of linear chains are discussed.     

Stability and magnetic properties of transition metal atoms endohedral BnNn (n=12-28) cages

First-principles calculations have been conducted to systemically investigate the stability and magnetic properties of 3d and 4d transitional-metal (TM) atoms doped in the BnNn (n=12,16,20,24,28) cages. Among those cages, the B24N24 is the optimal one for encapsulating 3d and 4d TM atoms according to the computed heat of formation. Inside B24N24 cage, 3d and 4d TM dopants belonging to the same group in the Periodic Table exhibit similar magnetic behaviors. Most of the 3d and 4d TM atoms remain magnetic after doped in the B24N24 cage except for Ni, Zr, and Pd. The magnitudes of the remaining moments for 3d (except for Sc, Ti, and V) and 4d dopants are reduced from those of free atoms. The energy gaps are localized at the doped transition metal atoms. Encapsulations of two TM atoms inside the B24N24 cage were also considered.     

Toward a fuzzy atom view within the context of the quantum theory of atoms in molecules: quasi-atoms

The notion of quasi-atoms is introduced within the context of the quantum theory of atoms in molecules. Being a subset of the quantum divided basins that were introduced previously, quasi-atoms are the quantum subsystems that are practically indistinguishable from the topological atoms; thus, revealing the continuous evolution of quantum divided basins into topological atoms. This indistinguishability is rooted in the limited accuracy of chemical observations; they are not sensitive to discriminate a topological atom from its associated quasi-atoms. In this regard, it is disclosed that the set of quantum atoms is in a wide-range including members other than topological atoms; the quasi-atoms are concrete examples. Finally, the idea of the fuzzy set of atoms that is foreign to the disjoint partitioning schemes for which the orthodox QTAIM is a classic example is extended employing the set of quasi-atoms.     

When does the non-variational nature of second-order Møller-Plesset energies manifest itself? All-electron correlation energies for open-shell atoms from K to Br

All-electron correlation energies E(c) are not very well known for open-shell atoms with more than 18 electrons. The complete basis-set (CBS) limits of second-order M?ller-Plesset (MP2) perturbation theory energies are obtained for open-shell atoms by computations in large basis sets combined with a knowledge of the MP2/CBS limit for the next larger closed-shell atom with the same valence shell structure. Then higher-order correlation corrections are found by coupled-cluster calculations using basis sets that are not quite as large. The method is validated for the open-shell atoms from Al to Cl for which E(c) is reasonably well established. Then, the method is used to obtain non-relativistic E(c) values, probably accurate to 3%, for the open-shell atoms of the fourth period: K, Sc-Cu, and Ga-Br. These energies are compared with the predictions of 19 density functionals and may be useful for the parameterization of new ones. The results show that MP2 overestimates |E(c)| for atoms heavier than Fe.     

An examination of UHF methods for atoms in the first three rows

The reliability and usefulness of UHF methods of calculating hyperfine parameters has been examined. Comparisons with CI and SEHF methods are made.A detailed analysis of OPHF calculations for first and second row atoms has shown that various one-electron properties are accurately described by physically reasonable functions of the atomic number Z. In addition there is a strong correlation between these properties. This has led to a method whereby UHF spin densities across a row of atoms can be obtained from UHF calculations of only two atoms in that row.A strong correlation between experimental and UHF spin densities is shown to exist for atoms of the first three rows. This is used to predict experimental spin densities for atoms in these rows which have not yet been measured experimentally.     

Structure and Thermodynamic Characteristics of Impurity Centers in Lithium-Doped Cadmium Oxide: an <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ab Initio</Emphasis> Paw-Study

The ab initio projector augmented wave (PAW) method is used to calculate the electronic structure of Li-doped cadmium oxide with NaCl structure. The preference energy for Li atoms in interstitial sites and the energy of impurity oxidation are calculated. Interstitial positions for Li atoms are shown to be stable under thermodynamic equilibrium, but Li atoms can substitute Cd atoms in presence of vacancies in the oxygen sublattice. We consider the following complexes: one Li atom in the interstitial site and the other Li atom in Cd position; one Li atom in Cd position and one oxygen vacancy; a pair of oxygen vacancies; and show that these complexes are formed to have the shortest possible distance between their components. The band gap substantially decreases when Li atoms occupy interstitial sites to explain considerable increase of experimental conductivity.     

Are there atomic orbitals in a molecule?

Effective atomic orbitals (AOs) have been calculated by the method of the "fuzzy atoms" analysis by using the numerical molecular orbitals (MOs) obtained from plane-wave DFT calculation, i.e., without introducing any atom-centered functions. The results show that in the case of nonhypervalent atoms there are as many effective AOs with non-negligible occupation numbers, as many orbitals are in the classical minimal basis set of the given atom. This means that, for nonhypervalent systems, it is possible to present the MOs as sums of effective atomic orbitals that resemble very much the atomic minimal basis orbitals of the individual atoms (or their hybrids). For hypervalent atoms some additional orbitals basically of d-type are also of some importance; they are necessary to describe the back-donation to these positive atoms. It appears that the d-type orbitals play a similar role also for strongly positive carbon atoms. The method employed here is also useful to decide whether the use of polarization functions of a given type is a matter of conceptual importance or has only a numerical effect.     

Tuning the Surface Chemistry of Pd by Atomic C and H: A Microscopic Picture

Palladium is crucial for industry‐related applications such as heterogeneous catalysis, energy production, and hydrogen technologies. In many processes, atomic H and C species are proposed to be present in the surface/near‐surface area of Pd, thus noticeably affecting its chemical activity. This study provides a detail and unified view on the interactions of the H and C species with Pd nanoparticles (NPs), which is indispensable for insight into their catalytic properties. Density functional calculations of the interplay of C and H atoms at various concentrations and sites on suitable Pd NPs have been performed, accompanied by catalysis‐relevant experiments on oxide‐supported bare and C‐modified Pd NPs. It is shown that on a Pd₇₉ NP a subsurface C atom destabilizes nearby atoms H at low coverage. Our experiments confirm that H atoms bind more weakly on C‐containing Pd NPs than on C‐free NPs. Various factors related to the presence of both H and C atoms on a Pd₇₉ surface, which may influence the penetration of H atoms from the surface into the subsurface area, have been investigated. Carbon atoms facilitate the subsurface penetration of atomic H both thermodynamically and kinetically when the surface is densely covered by H atoms. Moreover, subsurface H atoms are also energetically favored, even in the absence of C atoms, when several facets of the NP are covered by H atoms.     

Fast Reactions of Atom Substitution from Polyatomic Molecules and Solid Salts by Thermally Equilibrated Atomic Reactants

A new class of fast thermal gas-phase reactions of the direct substitution of atoms in polyatomic molecules by atomic reactants is discovered. The Arrhenius parameters are determined for the reactions of atomic deuterium with a number of hydrogen-containing compounds, occurring via the direct substitution of hydrogen atoms and via the abstraction of hydrogen atoms. Fast substitution of alkali metal atoms from the crystals of their salts for the reaction chain carriers of hydrogen flames is found. The importance of reactions of these types in chain combustion is demonstrated. The kinetic isotope effects of hydrogen atom abstraction from hydrocarbon molecules by hydrogen and deuterium atoms are studied. A method for the kinetic studies of free atoms and radicals is developed, which takes into account the role of longitudinal diffusion in the jet and does not require the knowledge of the concentrations of atoms and radicals or the rate constants of other reactions.     

Energy Stabilities,Magnetic Properties,and Electronic Structures of Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor Zn1-xMnxS(001) Thin Films

We investigate the electronic and magnetic properties of the diluted magnetic semiconductors Zn_1-xMn_xS(001) thin films with different Mn doping concentrations using the total energy density functional theory. The energy stability and density of states of a single Mn atom and two Mn atoms at various doped configurations and different magnetic coupling state were calculated. Different doping configurations have different degrees of p-d hybridization, and because Mn atoms are located in different crystal-field environment, the 3d projected densities of states peak splitting of different Mn doping configurations are quite different. In the two Mn atoms doped, the calculated ground states of three kinds of stable configurations are anti-ferromagnetic state. We analyzed the 3d density of states diagram of three kinds of energy stability configurations with the two Mn atoms in different magnetic coupling state. When the two Mn atoms are ferromagnetic coupling, due to d-d electron interactions, density of states of anti-bonding state have significant broadening peaks. As the concentration of Mn atoms increases, there is a tendency for Mn atoms to form nearest neighbors and cluster around S. For such these configurations, the antiferromagnetic coupling between Mn atoms is energetically more favorable.     

Parametric effects of the potential energy function on the geometrical features of ternary lennard-jones clusters

The impact of parameters in potential function for describing atomic or molecular clusters is complex due to the complicated potential energy surface. Ternary Lennard-Jones (TLJ) A(l)B(m)C(n) clusters with two-body potential are investigated to study the effect of parameters. In the potential, the size parameter (σ(AA)) of A atoms is fixed, and corresponding parameters of B and C atoms (relative to A atoms), i.e., σ(BB)/σ(AA) and σ(CC)/σ(AA) > 1.00, are used to control the atomic interaction among A, B, and C atoms in TLJ clusters. The minimum energy configurations of A(l)B(m)C(n) clusters with different species are optimized by adaptive immune optimization algorithm. Ternary cluster structures, bonds, and energies of the putative minima are studied. The results show that two different structures based on double-icosahedra are found in 30-atom TLJ clusters. Furthermore, with increasing potential size parameters of B and C atoms, A atoms tend to be more compact for the increasing numbers of A-A bonds, but the short-range attractive part in TLJ clusters becomes weaker. To lower the potential energy, B and C atoms grow around the A atoms in pursuit of a compact configuration. The results are also approved in A(l)B(m)C(n) (l + m + n = 9-55) clusters and A(l)B(m)C(n) (l = 13, m + n = 42) clusters.