A combinatorial study of inverse Heusler alloys by first‐principles computational methods

In continuation of our recent combinatorial work on 810 X₂YZ full Heusler alloys, a computational study of the same class of materials but with the inverse (XY)XZ crystal structure has been performed on the basis of first‐principles (GGA) total‐energy calculations using pseudopotentials and plane waves. The predicted enthalpies of formation evidence 27 phases to be thermochemically stable against the elements and the regular X₂YZ type. A chemical‐bonding study yields an inherent tendency for structural distortion in a majority of these alloys, and we predict the existence of the new tetragonal phase Fe₂CuGa (P4₂/ncm; a = 5.072 Å, c = 7.634 Å; c/a ≈ 1.51) with a saturation moment of μ = 4.69 μ_B per formula unit. Thirteen more likewise new, isotypical phases are predicted to show essentially the same behavior. Six phases turn out to be the most stable in the inverse tetragonal arrangement. The course of the magnetic properties as a function of the valence‐electron concentration is analyzed using a Slater‐Pauling approach. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Deformation of single‐walled carbon nanotubes by interaction with graphene: A first‐principles study

The interaction between single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and graphene were studied with first‐principles calculations. Both SWNTs and single‐layer graphene (SLG) or double‐layer graphene (DLG) display more remarkable deformations with the increase of SWNT diameter, which implies a stronger interaction between SWNTs and graphene. Besides, in DLG, deformation of the upper‐layer graphene is less than in SLG. Zigzag SWNTs show stronger interactions with SLG than armchair SWNTs, whereas the order is reversed for DLG, which can be interpreted by the mechanical properties of SWNTs and graphene. Density of states and band structures were also studied, and it was found that the interaction between a SWNT and graphene is not strong enough to bring about obvious influence on the electronic structures of SWNTs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A first‐principles investigation of the hydrogen bond interaction and the sensitive characters in cis‐1,3,4,6‐tetranitrooctahydroimidazo‐[4,5‐d]imidazole

A theoretical study of structural and electronic properties of cis‐1,3,4,6‐tetranitrooctahydroimidazo‐[4,5‐d]imidazole (BCHMX) crystal is performed using density functional theory. The band structure, the total density of states, the atomic orbit projected density of states (PDOS) of C, N, O, and H, and Mulliken population analysis are discussed. The study by analyzing the PDOS shows that the structure of BCHMX crystal possesses C? H···O intra‐ and intermolecular hydrogen bonding. There are hydrogen bonds between H₃‐1s and O₅‐2p orbits, H₂‐1s and O₆‐2p orbits of intramolecules and between H₂‐1s and O₁‐2p orbits of intermolecules. The reasons for the smaller impact sensitivity compared with β‐1,3,5,7‐tetranitro‐1,3,5,7‐tetrazocane and 1,3,5‐trinitro‐1,3,5‐triazinane are also explored from the band gap in the crystal and the weakest bond dissociation energy in single molecule. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

Impact sensitivity of crystalline phenyl diazonium salts: A first‐principles study of solid‐state properties determining the phenomenon

Two crystalline salts, phenyl diazonium chloride ( PDC ) and tetrafluoroborate ( PDT ), were chosen as probes for theoretical study of solid‐state properties responsible for impact sensitivity since these salts differ only in the nature of anion and, hence, in the properties of solid state. In the present report, we have studied the influence of electronic structure, vibrational spectra, mechanical properties, crystal growth morphology, and the stored energy content on impact sensitivity of PDC and PDT to find the most important solid state characteristics governing this phenomenon. The band structure calculations at various external pressures indicate very different response of the band gap. Extremely sensitive PDC crystals acquire the metallic nature at 29 GPa (metallization point), whilst in the PDT crystals the complete closure of band gap occurs only at 200 GPa. Moreover, the stored energy content in PDC is by 1000 kJ mol^?1 higher than that of PDT . Only these two properties among the calculated in the present work differ significantly in the studied crystals. The rest solid‐state characteristics such as crystal packing, vibratial spectra (phonon‐valence vibration energy transfer probability), elastic properties (bulk moduli) demonstrate rather close values. The influence of metallization point (GPa) as well as crystal growth morphology on impact sensitivity is discussed for the first time.     

A first‐principles study on the existence and structures of the lighter alkaline‐earth pernitrides

The lighter alkaline‐earth pernitrides BeN₂, MgN and CaN₂ have been structurally predicted by a series of density‐functional (GGA/PBE/PAW) electronic‐structure calculations. Despite their crystal chemistry clearly pointing towards the formulation M²⁺N₂^2? with an N? N distance of 1.26 Å, all phases turn out as metallic compounds which are exothermic with respect to the elements. The M²⁺ coordination numbers are a simple function of the cationic radius. The bulk moduli are about three times smaller than those of the noble‐metal pernitrides, a consequence of the smaller anionic charge in the former phases. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Time‐dependent density functional theory study on the electronic excited‐state geometric structure,infrared spectra,and hydrogen bonding of a doubly hydrogen‐bonded complex

The geometric structures and infrared (IR) spectra in the electronically excited state of a novel doubly hydrogen‐bonded complex formed by fluorenone and alcohols, which has been observed by IR spectra in experimental study, are investigated by the time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method. The geometric structures and IR spectra in both ground state and the S₁ state of this doubly hydrogen‐bonded FN‐2MeOH complex are calculated using the DFT and TDDFT methods, respectively. Two intermolecular hydrogen bonds are formed between FN and methanol molecules in the doubly hydrogen‐bonded FN‐2MeOH complex. Moreover, the formation of the second intermolecular hydrogen bond can make the first intermolecular hydrogen bond become slightly weak. Furthermore, it is confirmed that the spectral shoulder at around 1700 cm^?1 observed in the IR spectra should be assigned as the doubly hydrogen‐bonded FN‐2MeOH complex from our calculated results. The electronic excited‐state hydrogen bonding dynamics is also studied by monitoring some vibraitonal modes related to the formation of hydrogen bonds in different electronic states. As a result, both the two intermolecular hydrogen bonds are significantly strengthened in the S₁ state of the doubly hydrogen‐bonded FN‐2MeOH complex. The hydrogen bond strengthening in the electronically excited state is similar to the previous study on the singly hydrogen‐bonded FN‐MeOH complex and play important role on the photophysics of fluorenone in solutions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2009     

Electronic structure and coordination chemistry of phenanthridine ligand in first‐row transition metal complexes: A DFT study

The geometric parameters, electronic structures, and haptotropic migration of a series of hypothetical compounds of general formula CpM(C₁₃H₉N) and (CO)₃M(C₁₃H₉N) (M = fist row transition metal, Cp = C₅H₅, and C₁₃H₉N = phenanthridine ligand) are investigated by means of the density functional theory. The phenanthridine ligand can bind to the metal through η¹ to η⁶ coordination mode, in agreement with the electron count and the nature of the metal, showing its capability to adapt itself to the electronic demand of the metal as well as to the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In the investigated species, the most favored closed‐shell count is 18‐electron except for the Ti and V models which are deficient open‐shell 16‐electron configuration. This study has shown the difference in coordination ability of this heteropolycyclic ligand: the coordination of the central C₅N ring is less favored than the terminal C₆ rings, in agreement with the π‐electron density localization. Most of the investigated complexes are expected to exhibit a rich fluxional behavior. This flexibility favors the possibility for the existence of several isomers as well as their interconversion through haptotropic shifts. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Weak hydrogen bonding and fluorous interactions in the chloride and bromide salts of 4‐[(2,2,3,3‐tetrafluoropropoxy)methyl]pyridinium

Neutralization of 4‐[(2,2,3,3‐tetrafluoropropoxy)methyl]pyridine with hydrohalo acids HX (X = Cl and Br) yielded the pyridinium salts 4‐[(2,2,3,3‐tetrafluoropropoxy)methyl]pyridinium chloride, C₉H₁₀F₄NO⁺·Cl⁻, (1), and 4‐[(2,2,3,3‐tetrafluoropropoxy)methyl]pyridinium bromide, C₉H₁₀F₄NO⁺·Br⁻, (2), both carrying a fluorous side chain at the para position of the pyridinium ring. Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction techniques revealed that (1) and (2) are isomorphous. The halide anions accept four hydrogen bonds from N—H, ortho‐C—H and CF₂—H groups. Two cations and two anions form a centrosymmetric dimeric building block, utilizing complimentary N—H…X …H—Csp ³ connections. These dimers are further crosslinked, utilizing another complimentary Csp ²—H…X …H—Csp ² connection. The pyridinium rings are π‐stacked, forming columns running parallel to the a axis that make angles of ca 44–45° with the normal to the pyridinium plane. There are also supramolecular C—H…F—C interactions, namely bifurcated C—H…F and bifurcated C—F…H interactions; additionally, one type II C—F…F—C halogen bond has been observed.     

Chemically modified fullerene derivatives as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy: A first‐principles study

The first‐principles density functional theory (DFT) and its time‐dependent approach (TD‐DFT) are used to characterize the electronic structures and optical spectra properties of five chemically modified fullerenes. It is revealed that the metal fullerene derivatives possess not only stronger absorption bands in visible light regions than organically modified fullerene but also the large energy gaps (ΔE_S–T > 0.98 eV) between the singlet ground state and the triplet state, which imply their significant aspect of potential candidates as a photosensitizer. We have found that a new metal‐containing bisfullerene complexes (Pt(C₆₀)₂), with the extended conjugated π‐electrons, much degenerate orbitals and a uniform electrostatic potential surface, behave more pre‐eminent photosensitizing properties than other examined fullerene derivatives. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Time‐dependent density functional theory study on the hydrogen bonding‐induced twisted intramolecular charge‐transfer excited states of 2‐(4′‐N,N‐dimethylaminophenyl)imidazo[4,5‐b]pyridine

In this work, the time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method was carried out to investigate the hydrogen‐bonded intramolecular charge‐transfer excited state of 2‐(4′‐N,N‐dimethylaminophenyl)imidazo[4,5‐b]pyridine (DMAPIP) in methanol (MeOH) solvent. All the geometric conformations of the ground state and locally excited (LE) state and the twisted intramolecular charge‐transfer (TICT) state for isolated DMAPIP and its hydrogen‐bonded complexes have been optimized. At the same time, the absorption and fluorescence spectra of DMAPIP and the hydrogen‐bonded complexes in different electronic states are also calculated. We theoretically demonstrated for the first time that the intermolecular hydrogen bond formed between DMAPIP and MeOH can induce the formation of the TICT state for DMAPIP in MeOH solvent. Therefore, the two components at 414 and 506 nm observed in the fluorescence spectra of DMAPIP in MeOH solvent were reassigned in this work. The fluorescence peak at 414 nm is confirmed to be the LE state. Furthermore, the red‐shifted shoulder at 506 nm should be originated from the hydrogen‐bonded TICT excited state. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

A density‐functional study of the phase diagram of cementite‐type (Fe,Mn)3C at absolute zero temperature

The phase diagram of (Fe_1?x Mn_x)₃C has been investigated by means of density‐functional theory (DFT) calculations at absolute zero temperature. The atomic distributions of the metal atoms are not random‐like as previously proposed but we find three different, ordered regions within the phase range. The key role is played by the 8d metal site which forms, as a function of the composition, differing magnetic layers, and these dominate the physical properties. We calculated the magnetic moments, the volumes, the enthalpies of mixing and formation of 13 different compositions and explain the changes of the macroscopic properties with changes in the electronic and magnetic structures by means of bonding analyses using the Crystal Orbital Hamilton Population (COHP) technique. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2010     

Unexpected beauty and diversity in the structures of three homologous 4,5‐dialkoxy‐1‐ethynyl‐2‐nitrobenzenes: the subtle interplay between intermolecular C—H…O hydrogen bonds and alkyl chain length

The synthesis, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra, and X‐ray structures are described for three dialkoxy ethynylnitrobenzenes that differ only in the length of the alkoxy chain, namely 1‐ethynyl‐2‐nitro‐4,5‐dipropoxybenzene, C₁₄H₁₇NO₄, 1,2‐dibutoxy‐4‐ethynyl‐5‐nitrobenzene, C₁₆H₂₁NO₄, and 1‐ethynyl‐2‐nitro‐4,5‐dipentoxybenzene, C₁₈H₂₅NO₄. Despite the subtle changes in molecular structure, the crystal structures of the three compounds display great diversity. Thus, 1‐ethynyl‐2‐nitro‐4,5‐dipropoxybenzene crystallizes in the trigonal crystal system in the space group , with Z = 18, 1,2‐dibutoxy‐4‐ethynyl‐5‐nitrobenzene crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system in the space group P 2₁/c , with Z = 4, and 1‐ethynyl‐2‐nitro‐4,5‐dipentoxybenzene crystallizes in the triclinic crystal system in the space group , with Z = 2. The crystal structure of 1‐ethynyl‐2‐nitro‐4,5‐dipropoxybenzene is dominated by planar hexamers formed by a bifurcated alkoxy sp‐C—H…O,O′ interaction, while the structure of the dibutoxy analogue is dominated by planar ribbons of molecules linked by a similar bifurcated alkoxy sp‐C—H…O,O′ interaction. In contrast, the dipentoxy analogue forms ribbons of molecules alternately connected by a self‐complementary sp‐C—H…O₂N interaction and a self‐complementary sp²‐C—H…O₂N interaction. Disordered solvent was included in the crystals of 1‐ethynyl‐2‐nitro‐4,5‐dipropoxybenzene and its contribution was removed during refinement.     

Non‐covalent dimers of the lysine containing protonated peptide ions in gaseous state: electrospray ionization mass spectrometric study

Study of the non‐covalent molecular complexes in gas phase by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) represents a promising strategy to probe the intrinsic nature of these complexes. ESI‐MS investigation of a series of synthetic octapeptides containing six alanine and two lysine residues differing only by their positions showed the formation of non‐covalent dimers, which were preserved in the gas phase. Unlike the monomers, the dimers were found to show only singly protonated state. The decrease in the solvent polarity from water to alcohol showed enhanced propensity of formation of the dimer indicating that the electrostatic interaction plays a crucial role to stabilize the dimer. Selective functionalization studies showed that ε‐NH₂ of lysine and C‐terminal amide (? CONH₂) facilitate the dimerization through intermolecular hydrogen bonding network. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Theoretical study of the remote control of hydrogen bond strengths in donor-bridge-acceptor systems: principles for designing effective bridges with substituent tuning

Remote control of hydrogen bond strengths has been studied based on conjugated donor-bridge-acceptor (pyrrole-bridge-imine) systems. The neutral and protonated states of the imine can change the hydrogen bonding ability of the pyrrole because, in the protonated state, significant partial intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) is induced that causes partial delocalization of the positive charge onto the pyrrole moiety. An efficient bridge, regardless of its length, should help electrons to flow out of pyrrole. A previously developed design strategy for the bridge (low bridge HOMO/LUMO) leads to the study of cyano- and fluoro-substituted conjugated systems. Substitution positions are found to be of key importance for maximizing the protonation-induced response from the donor-bridge-acceptor systems. Our results not only help to identify useful bridge substitution patterns, but also highlight interesting issues regarding the bridge conformation and the fluorine lone-pair effect.     

Comparative study on the nonadditivity of methyl group in lithium bonding and hydrogen bonding

Quantum chemical calculations at the second‐order Moeller–Plesset (MP2) level with 6‐311++G(d,p) basis set have been performed on the lithium‐bonded and hydrogen‐bonded systems. The interaction energy, binding distance, bond length, and stretch frequency in these systems have been analyzed to study the nonadditivity of methyl group in the lithium bonding and hydrogen bonding. In the complexes involving with NH₃, the introduction of one methyl group into NH₃ molecule results in an increase of the strength of lithium bonding and hydrogen bonding. The insertion of two methyl groups into NH₃ molecule also leads to an increase of the hydrogen bonding strength but a decrease of the lithium bonding strength relative to that of the first methyl group. The addition of three methyl groups into NH₃ molecule causes the strongest hydrogen bonding and the weakest lithium bonding. Although the presence of methyl group has a different influence on the lithium bonding and hydrogen bonding, a negative nonadditivity of methyl group is found in both interactions. The effect of methyl group on the lithium bonding and hydrogen bonding has also been investigated with the natural bond orbital and atoms in molecule analyses. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

Time‐dependent density functional theory study on the electronic excited‐state hydrogen‐bonding dynamics of 4‐aminophthalimide (4AP) in aqueous solution: 4AP and 4AP–(H2O)1,2 clusters

The time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method has been carried out to investigate the excited‐state hydrogen‐bonding dynamics of 4‐aminophthalimide (4AP) in hydrogen‐donating water solvent. The infrared spectra of the hydrogen‐bonded solute?solvent complexes in electronically excited state have been calculated using the TDDFT method. We have demonstrated that the intermolecular hydrogen bond C? O···H? O and N? H···O? H in the hydrogen‐bonded 4AP?(H₂O)₂ trimer are significantly strengthened in the electronically excited state by theoretically monitoring the changes of the bond lengths of hydrogen bonds and hydrogen‐bonding groups in different electronic states. The hydrogen bonds strengthening in the electronically excited state are confirmed because the calculated stretching vibrational modes of the hydrogen bonding C?O, amino N? H, and H? O groups are markedly red‐shifted upon photoexcitation. The calculated results are consistent with the mechanism of the hydrogen bond strengthening in the electronically excited state, while contrast with mechanism of hydrogen bond cleavage. Furthermore, we believe that the transient hydrogen bond strengthening behavior in electroniclly excited state of chromophores in hydrogen‐donating solvents exists in many other systems in solution. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

A first‐principles study of diatomic NiAl: Ground state,structure, and spectroscopic constants

A computational study of diatomic NiAl is reported. Molecular properties evaluated include the equilibrium bond length (r_e), equilibrium stretching frequency (ω_e), doublet‐quartet energy splitting, and nickel‐aluminum bond strength. Several interesting conclusions have resulted from this research. First, convergence in calculated properties is smoother with recently reported correlation consistent basis sets than earlier basis sets for Ni and Al. Second, with the exception of bond strength, basis set limit properties extrapolated using correlation basis sets are in agreement with reported data. Third, this research suggests that caution may be needed with regard to the use of DFT for developing interatomic potentials for larger scale simulations. For example, B97‐1 showed better agreement with reported r_e for ²NiAl than B3LYP. However, the situation was reversed for the calculation of ω_e. With respect to bond strength, the situation is unclear due to the scatter among experiment and calculations. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

Ab initio study of the structure,cooperativity, and vibrational properties in the mixed hydrogen‐bonded trimers of hydrogen isocyanide and water

The five trimers of H₂O···HNC···H₂O, H₂O···H₂O···HNC, HNC···H₂O···H₂O, H₂O···HNC···HNC, and HNC···HNC···H₂O have been studied with quantum chemical calculations. Their structures, harmonic vibrational frequencies and interaction energies have been calculated at the B3LYP and MP2 levels with the aug‐cc‐pVDZ and aug‐cc‐pVTZ basis sets. The cooperative effect on these properties has also been studied quantitatively. For HNC:(H₂O)₂ systems, the cyclic H₂O···H₂O···HNC trimer is most stable with an interaction energy of ?16.01 kcal/mol and a large cooperative energy of ?3.25 kcal/mol at the MP2/aug‐cc‐pVTZ level. For H₂O:(HNC)₂ systems, the interaction energy and cooperative energy in the H₂O···HNC···HNC trimer are larger than those in the HNC···HNC···H₂O trimer. The NH stretch frequency has a blue shift for the terminal HNC molecule in the HNC···H₂O···H₂O and HNC···HNC···H₂O trimers and a red shift in other cases. A many‐body analysis has also been performed to understand the interaction energies in these hydrogen‐bonded clusters. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

A structural study of (1RS,2SR,3RS,4SR,5RS)‐2,4‐dibenzoyl‐1,3,5‐triphenylcyclohexan‐1‐ol chloroform hemisolvate and (1RS,2SR,3RS,4SR,5RS)‐2,4‐dibenzoyl‐1‐phenyl‐3,5‐bis(2‐methoxyphenyl)cyclohexan‐1‐ol

(1RS,2SR,3RS,4SR,5RS)‐2,4‐Dibenzoyl‐1,3,5‐triphenylcyclohexan‐1‐ol or (4‐hydroxy‐2,4,6‐triphenylcyclohexane‐1,3‐diyl)bis(phenylmethanone), C₃₈H₃₂O₃, (1), is formed as a by‐product in the NaOH‐catalyzed synthesis of 1,3,5‐triphenylpentane‐1,5‐dione from acetophenone and benzaldehyde. Single crystals of the chloroform hemisolvate, C₃₈H₃₂O₃·0.5CHCl₃, were grown from chloroform. The structure has triclinic (P) symmetry. One diastereomer [as a pair of (1RS,2SR,3RS,4SR,5RS)‐enantiomers] of (1) has been found in the crystal structure and confirmed by NMR studies. The dichoromethane hemisolvate has been reported previously [Zhang et al. (2007). Acta Cryst. E 63 , o4652]. (1RS,2SR,3RS,4SR,5RS)‐2,4‐Dibenzoyl‐3,5‐bis(2‐methoxyphenyl)‐1‐phenylcyclohexan‐1‐ol or [4‐hydroxy‐2,6‐bis(2‐methoxyphenyl)‐4‐phenylcyclohexane‐1,3‐diyl]bis(phenylmethanone), C₄₀H₃₆O₅, (2), is also formed as a by‐product, under the same conditions, from acetophenone and 2‐methoxybenzaldehyde. Crystals of (2) have been grown from chloroform. The structure has orthorhombic (Pca2₁) symmetry. A diastereomer of (2) possesses the same configuration as (1). In both structures, the cyclohexane ring adopts a chair conformation with all bulky groups (benzoyl, phenyl and 2‐methoxyphenyl) in equatorial positions. The molecules of (1) and (2) both display one intramolecular O—H...O hydrogen bond.