Redshifts and blueshifts of OH vibrations

Ab initio calculations of potential energy, dipole moment, equilibrium OH distance, force constants, and anharmonic frequencies, and correlation between these quantities, are presented for a water molecule and an OH^? ion in a uniform electric field of varying field strength. It is explained why a bound H₂O molecule in nature always experiences a frequency downshift with respect to the free molecule, and a bound OH^?1 ion, either a downshift or an upshift. The frequency-field variation is well accounted for by the expression Δν_OH α ?E‖ · (d μ/dr_OH + 1/2 · ?μ/?r_OH). A frequency maximum occurs at the field strength where ?μ‖^tot/?r_OH ～ 0. Two cases can be discerned: (1) the frequency maximum falls at a positive field strength when dμ/dr_OH is positive (this is the situation for OH^?), and (2) the maximum frequency falls at a negative field when dμ/dr_OH is negative (this occurs for water). In general, for an OH bond in a bonding situation where the intermolecular interactions are dominated by electrostatic forces, the nonlinearity of the frequency shift with respect to an applied field is governed by how close to the frequency maximum one is, i.e., by both dμ/dr_OH and ?μ/?r_OH. Correlation curves between the external linear force constant, k^ext, and r_OH,e are closely linear over the whole field range studied here, whereas the frequency vs. r_OH,e and force constants vs. r_OH,e correlation curves form two approximately linear, parallel branches, corresponding to “before” and “after” the maximum in the frequency vs. field curves. Each branch of the ν vs. r_OH,e curves has a slope of ～ ? 16,000 cm^?1/Å. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On the red shift of OH stretching region vibrations in ice and water

The nature of the red shift of frequencies of the fundamental modes, v₁ and v₃, in the OH stretching region of the vibrational spectrum of ice (and, possibly, in water) under H-bonding formation is explained in the framework of the continuum approach for the one-dimensional infinite chain of water molecules represented as dipolar and polarizable OH oscillators vibrating in the definite force field. The explicit expressions in the form of the generalized cnoidal nonlinear waves describing these fundamental modes and obtained as the solutions of the nonlinear Klein–Gordon equation of motion, and their red shifts that are consistent with experimental observations, are presented.     

2D calculation of anharmonic OH vibrations in a layered hydroxide crystal

Anharmonic vibrational frequencies for the Raman-active (A(1g)) and the IR-active (A(2u)) modes have been calculated for the LiOH crystal within a plane-wave density functional theory (DFT) framework. We find that a two-dimensional quantum-mechanical vibrational approach, allowing for anharmonic coupling between symmetric and antisymmetric OH stretching modes, produces OH frequencies--both absolute frequencies and gas-to-solid frequency shifts--in good agreement with experiment. Remaining errors in the absolute frequencies are largely a consequence of the DFT model chosen. A one-dimensional normal-mode following vibrational treatment, on the other hand, fails to reproduce both absolute anharmonic frequencies and gas-to-solid frequency shifts.     

Transverse and longitudinal crystal modes associated with OH stretching vibrations in single crystals of kaolinite and dickite

Raman spectra of randomly-oriented kaolinite, dickite and nacrite show, for coarsely crystalline material, an extra band in the OH stretching region which is absent from the IR spectra of clay-size samples. Oriented single-crystal Raman spectra of these minerals provide confirmation for the assignment of the extra bands to transverse optical modes involving in-phase coupled vibrations of the layer-surface hydroxyl groups. The corresponding IR bands have transition moments nearly perpendicular to the layer surface, and appear at the higher frequencies of the longitudinal optical modes of macroscopic crystals.     

Analog Retinal Redshifts Visible Absorption of QuasAr Transmembrane Voltage Sensors into Near-infrared

Opsin-based transmembrane voltage sensors (OTVSs) are increasingly important tools for neuroscience enabling neural function in complex brain circuits to be explored in live, behaving animals. However, the visible wavelengths required for fluorescence excitation of the current generation of OTVSs limit optogenetic imaging in the brain to depths of only a few mm due to the strong absorption and scattering of visible light by biological tissues. We report that substitution of the native A1 retinal chromophore of the widely used QuasAr1/2 OTVSs with the retinal analog MMAR containing a methylamino-modified dimethylphenyl ring results in over a 100-nm redshift of the maxima of the absorption and fluorescence emission bands to near 700 and 840 nm, respectively. FT-Raman spectroscopy reveals that at pH 7 QuasAr1 with both the A1 and MMAR chromophores possess predominantly an all-trans protonated Schiff base configuration with the MMAR chromophore exhibiting increased torsion of the polyene single-/double-bond system similar to the O-intermediate of the BR photocycle. In contrast, the A1 and the MMAR chromophores of QuasAr2 exist partially in a 13-cis PSB configuration. These results demonstrate that QuasArs containing the MMAR chromophore are attractive candidates for use as NIR-OTVSs, especially for applications such as deep brain imaging.     

Using MD snapshots in ab initio and DFT calculations: OH vibrations in the first hydration shell around Li+(aq)

The average OH stretching vibrational frequency for the water molecules in the first hydration shell around a Li(+) ion in a dilute aqueous solution was calculated by a hybrid molecular dynamics + quantum-mechanical ("MD + QM") approach. Using geometry configurations from a series of snapshots from an MD simulation, the anharmonic, uncoupled OH stretching frequencies were calculated for 100 first-shell OH oscillators at the B3LYP and HF/6-31G(d,p) levels of theory, explicitly including the first shell and the relevant second shell water molecules into charge-embedded supermolecular QM calculations. Infrared intensity-weighting of the density-of-states (DOS) distributions by means of the squared dipole moment derivatives (which vary by a factor of 20 over the OH stretching frequency band at the B3LYP level), changes the downshift from approximately -205 to -275 cm(-1) at the B3LYP level. Explicit inclusion of relevant third-shell water molecules in the supermolecular cluster leads to a further downshift by approximately -30 cm(-1). Our final estimated average downshift is approximately -305 cm(-1). The experimental value lies somewhere in the range between -290 and -420 cm(-1). Also, the absolute nu(OH) frequency is well reproduced in our calculations. "In-liquid" instantaneous correlation curves between nu(OH) and various typical H-bond strength parameters such as R(O...O), R(H...O), the intramolecular OH bond length, and the IR intensity are presented. Some of these correlations are robust and persist also for the rather distorted instantaneous geometries in the liquid; others are less so.     

Al3+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Li+ in aqueous solution: calculated first-shell anharmonic OH vibrations at 300 K

The anharmonic OH stretching vibrational frequencies, ν(OH), for the first-shell water molecules around the Li(+), Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and Al(3+) ions in dilute aqueous solutions have been calculated based on classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and quantum-mechanical (QM) calculations. For Li(+)(aq), Ca(2+)(aq), Mg(2+)(aq), and Al(3+)(aq), our calculated IR frequency shifts, Δν(OH), with respect to the gas-phase water frequency, are about -300, -350, -450, and -750?cm(-1), compared to -290, -290, -420, and -830?cm(-1) from experimental infrared (IR) studies. The agreement is thus quite good, except for the order between Li(+) and Ca(2+). Given that the polarizing field from the Ca(2+) ion ought to be larger than that from Li(+)(aq), our calculated result seems reasonable. Also the absolute OH frequencies agree well with experiment. The method we used is a sequential four-step procedure: QM(electronic) to make a force field+MD simulation+QM(electronic) for point-charge-embedded M(n+) (H(2)O)(y) (second?shell) (H(2)O)(z) (third?shell) clusters+QM(vibrational) to yield the OH spectrum. The many-body Ca(2+)-water force-field presented in this paper is new. IR intensity-weighting of the density-of-states frequency distributions was carried out by means of the squared dipole moment derivatives.     

Planar and nonplanar vibrations of cytosine

The formalism developed in the preceding article is used in a normal coordinate analysis of the pyrimidine base cytosine. The results of both planar and nonplanar vibrations are reported. The model yields 66 frequencies with an average error of about 6.5 cm^?1 (ca. 0.5%). The vibrational modes are compared with experimental data and discussed in terms of potential energy distributions and Cartesian displacements. Two isolated low-frequency (near 200 cm^?1) out-of-plane modes are predicted in the vicinity of where two such modes are believed to occur. In addition, the model has taken into account the observed coalescence of the torsional and wagging modes of the amino group upon deuteration of the amino group. Recent data from sulfur-substituted cytosine (2-thiocytosine) were useful in making assignments.     

The vibrations of formaldehyde

A new six-dimensional variational code is presented for the determination of the vibrational energy levels of four-atom molecules which are either linearly connected or centrally connected. Internal (displacement) coordinates are used. It is demonstrated for the CCSD(T) surface of formaldehyde, due to Martin, Lee and Taylor, and it is shown that a small scaling of the force constants leads to a high-accuracy surface.     

IR+vacuum ultraviolet (118 nm) nonresonant ionization spectroscopy of methanol monomers and clusters: neutral cluster distribution and size-specific detection of the OH stretch vibrations

Small methanol clusters are formed by expanding a mixture of methanol vapor seeded in helium and are detected using vacuum UV (vuv) (118 nm) single-photon ionization/linear time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS). Protonated cluster ions, (CH3OH)(n-1)H+ (n=2-8), formed through intracluster ion-molecule reactions following ionization, essentially correlate to the neutral clusters, (CH3OH)n, in the present study using 118 nm light as the ionization source. Both experimental and Born-Haber calculational results clarify that not enough excess energy is released into protonated cluster ions to initiate further fragmentation in the time scale appropriate for linear TOFMS. Size-specific spectra for (CH3OH)n (n=4 to 8) clusters in the OH stretch fundamental region are recorded by IR+vuv (118 nm) nonresonant ion-dip spectroscopy through the detection chain of IR multiphoton predissociation and subsequent vuv single-photon ionization. The general structures and gross features of these cluster spectra are consistent with previous theoretical calculations. The lowest-energy peak contributed to each cluster spectrum is redshifted with increasing cluster size from n=4 to 8, and limits near approximately 3220 cm(-1) in the heptamer and octamer. Moreover, IR+vuv nonresonant ionization detected spectroscopy is employed to study the OH stretch first overtone of the methanol monomer. The rotational temperature of the clusters is estimated to be at least 50 K based on the simulation of the monomer rotational envelope under clustering conditions.     

Conformational stability and vibrations of aminopropylsilanol molecule

Density functional theory (DFT), using the B3-LYP/6-31G(d,p) method have been used to investigate the conformation and vibrational spectra of aminopropylsilanetriol (APST) NH2CH2CH2CH2Si(OH)3. The potential function for CCCSi torsion gives rise to two distinct conformers trans and gauche. The predicted energy of the more stable trans conformer is 337 cm-1 less than the energy of gauche conformer. The calculated barriers to the conformation interchange are: 1095, 2845 and 438 cm-1 for the trans to gauche, gauche to gauche and gauche to trans conformers, respectively. For the trans conformer the potential energy curve for the Si(OH)3 groups torsion in APST has been calculated changing the HOSiC dihedral angle. The barrier for the internal rotation of 3065 cm-1 has been obtained. The optimized molecular structure of APST dimer calculated for trans conformer has a SiOSi angle of 143.2 degrees, and a SiOSi bond length of 0.164 nm. A complete vibrational assignment for both conformers as well as for trans-dimer is supported by the normal coordinate analysis, calculated IR intensities as well as Raman activities. On the basis of the results, the vibrational spectra of APST aqueous solution and APST polymer have been analyzed. The average error between the observed and calculated frequencies is 14 cm-1.     

IR study of heterogeneity of OH groups in zeolite HY-splitting of OH and OD bands

We have been studying the problem of heterogeneity of OH groups in zeolites HY for a long time. The heterogeneity was suggested by the shift of the IR band of OH groups restoring upon ammonia desorption and also by the fact that the band of OH groups forming hydrogen bonds was relatively broad (broader than for homogeneous acidic OH). In the present study we present another important argument for heterogeneity: the splitting of the IR band of free OH and OD groups in a zeolite of Si/Al=8.3 dealuminated by (NH₄)₂SiF₆ treatment. Such a splitting is the best seen in low temperature spectra of OD groups. We found less acidic 3640 cm⁻¹ (AlO)(SiO)₂SiO₁HAl(OSi)₃ and more acidic 3625 cm⁻¹ (SiO)₃SiO₁HAl(OSi)₃ groups. The presence of these two kinds of hydroxyls corresponds to the presence of Si(2Al) and Si(1Al), respectively, detected in ²⁹Si MAS NMR spectra. We also found a small amount of strongly acidic 3599 cm⁻¹ hydroxyls interacting with extraframework Al species.     

Long-lived interfacial vibrations of water

We have observed long-lived OH-stretch (nu(OH)) excitations (v = 1) in water during ultrafast laser ablation by a mid-infrared pulse tuned to the nu(OH) absorption maximum. The spectrum of excitations is measured using incoherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy. Relative to the equilibrium water spectrum, these excitations evidence a narrowed (100 cm(-1) fwhm) and blue-shifted (3600 cm(-1) peak) transition. The excited-state lifetime is T1 > 200 ps, compared to 0.2 ps in bulk water. In the early stages of the ablation process, the water mean density decreases rapidly, which breaks up the hydrogen bonding. The long-lived species is attributed to nu(OH) excitations on water molecules associated with interfaces, having broken hydrogen bonds which cannot be rapidly reformed as in the liquid state.     

Lattice vibrations of polymethylene crystal

The energy levels of the lattice vibrations of orthorhombic polymethylene crystal was calculated quantum-mechanically. The rotational modes were treated in the same manner as employed for the internal-rotation problem. For the translational modes the energy levels were obtained from perturbation calculations. The results clearly indicated that the anharmonicities have significant effects on the lattice modes, the A_g rotational mode in particular.     

The vibrations of hydrogen bonds

I present recent inelastic incoherent neutron scattering (INS) work involving the study of the H-bond vibrations. These vibrations have spectral consequences which are strongly dependent upon spectroscopic technique, and these will be indicated for IR and Raman, and detailed for INS. The vibrational dynamics of the simple FHF⁻ will be used by way of an example. These INS results demonstrate that the latest generation of neutron spectrometers provides new insights into H-bonding dynamics.     

Model of silicooxygen ring vibrations

In order to assign the bands in the IR spectra of silicates to the appropriate normal vibrations, a vibrational model has been proposed. A complex silicooxygen ring is considered as a ‘unit cell' composed of the appropriate number of [SiO₄]⁴⁻ tetrahedra. According to this model, in the ring silicates spectra we have to observe bands due to internal vibrations of individual tetrahedra and bands corresponding exclusively to the ring structure. Change in the tetrahedra symmetry from T_d (ideal tetrahedron) to C_2v (tetrahedron in a ring) and then to the ring symmetry: D_3h, D_4h and D_6h (ideal rings) with respect to reducible representations makes it possible to differentiate between the bands due to ring structure (pseudo-lattice vibrations) and internal modes of tetrahedra. It has been established that in the case of all ideal rings there is only one IR active vibrational mode, namely the one symmetric with respect to the axis of the highest fold, i.e. A₂″ in the case of 3-membered rings and A_2u in the case of 4- and 6-membered rings. The model proposed has been verified for different membered ring silicates.