Dipole–reaction field interaction model for the solvent reorganization energy and its application to the benzoquinone–benzoquinone anion radical system

 Based on the spherical cavity approximation and the Onsager model, a dipole–reaction field interaction model has been proposed to elucidate the solvent reorganization energy of electron transfer (ET). This treatment only needs the cavity radius and the solute dipole moment in the evaluation of the solvent reorganization energy, and fits spherelike systems well. As an application, the ET reaction between p-benzoquinone and its anion radical has been investigated. The inner reorganization energy has been calculated at the level of MP2/6–31+G, and the solvent reorganization energies of different conformations have been evaluated by using the self-consistent reaction field approach at the HF/6–31+G level. Discussions have been made on the cavity radii and the values are found to be reasonable when compared with the experimental ones of some analogous intramolecular ET reactions. The ET matrix element has been determined on the basis of the two-state model. The fact that the value of the ET matrix element is about 10 times larger than RT indicates that this ET reaction can be treated as an adiabatic one. By invoking the classical Marcus ET model, a value of 4.9 × 10⁷M⁻¹s⁻¹ was obtained for the second-order rate constant, and it agrees quite well with the experimental one. Received: 19 October 2001 / Accepted: 17 January 2002 / Published online: 3 May 2002     

Competitive coupling of amide anion over menthyl propionate anion with aryl radical

A competitive coupling of amide anion over menthyl propionate anion with aryl radicalin photo-S_(RN) 1 mechanism was encountered. The rcaction afforded N-aryl propionic amide in excel-lent yield. In contrast, the expected nucleophilic photo-S_(RN) 1 substitution originating from the carb-anion was observed in the case of t-butyl propionate. According to the proposed mechanisms and MOcorrelation diagrams of the coupling step of nucleophiles with aryl radical, the interesting con-trast is reasonably attributed to the variation in energy gap between π~*c-o and π~*Ar of (ArNu)-Usually, the odd electron of (ArNu)- is weightly populated at π~*c-o, however, the diminished priv-ilege of π~*c-o in menthyl propionate promotes a dominant population of the odd electron at π~*Ar,which leads to the fragmentation of (ArNu)- into the starting carbanion and aryl radical.     

An unusual long-range proton hyperfine coupling in a nitroxyl radical

The EPR spectrum of doxyl cyclododecane (3,3-dimethyl-1-oxa-4-azaspiro[4.11] hexadec-4-yloxy) exhibits a large (0.195 mT at ?39°C) temperature-dependent proton hyperfine coupling. Selective deuteration demonstrates that the coupling is to one of the protons in the CH₂ groups adjacent to the point of attachment of the doxyl ring.     

The isotropic and anisotropic EPR spectra of the tetrafluoroethylene radical anion

The tetrafluoroethylene radical anion has been generated in solid solutions by electron addition to the parent molecule. Both its isotropic and anisotropic EPR spectra have been observed, including the isotropic ¹³C satellite lines in natural abundance. The isotropic EPR parameters are a_F = 94.3 G, a_C = 48.7 G, and g = 2.0027. Two possible geometries, planar and chair, are discussed for this radical anion. The magnitude of the ¹⁹F and ¹³C hyperfine coupling constants are consistent with a planar (D_2h) structure provided that the unpaired electron occupies the 5b_1u (σ*) rather than the 2b_1g (π*) molecular orbital which is predicted by ab initio calculations to be the LUMO of the parent molecule. On the other hand, the EPR parameters do not rule out a chair (C_2h) structure if the bending of the CF₂ groups introduces only a small distortion from planarity.     

Calculation of proton coupling constants for dibenzothiophene radical anion

The calculation of proton hyperfine coupling constants for dibenzothiophene radical anion is reported.     

Comments on the indo calculation of hyperfine coupling in the σ phenyl radical

The relative magnitudes and signs of the hyperfine coupling constants in the phenyl radical, calculated by INDO, are explained by a combination of delocalization of electron spin density into the sigma framwork and a modification of the exchange polarization effects commonly observed for π-type radicals.     

Mechanisms of spin transmission: Isotropic hyperfine interactions

The contributions of spin polarization and spin delocalization mechanisms to the proton hyperfine coupling constant is investigated. It is shown that these non-observables are not uniquely defined in most calculations. Arguments are presented which suggest that these non-observables may be profitably defined if both unrestricted Hartree-Fock and restricted Hartree-Fock calculations are made.     

Evaluation of MNDO approximation in quantum-chemical calculations of anisotropic hyperfine coupling tensors in free radicals

The MNDO approximation was tested for applicability in quantum-chemical calculations of anisotropic hyperfine coupling tensors using the same set of 17 free radicals as that used previously in evaluating a new procedure for quantum-chemical estimates of constants of isotropic hyperfine coupling with protons in the framework of the same approach. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2242–2247, December, 1999.     

A theoretical study on the hyperfine coupling constant of the radical cations of aliphatic ethers

Summary The hyperfine coupling constants of the radical cations of dimethylether, oxetane (oxacyclobutane), and tetrahydrofuran (oxacyclopentane) are studied byab-initio molecular orbital theories. The extraordinarily large hyperfine coupling constants of the protons of the ethers that have been found experimentally are analyzed to conclude that an important mechanism of the hole delocalization is the spin polarization in the H-C-O-C-H bond. It is also found that for the ethereal systems conventional molecular orbital calculations give glaringly small spin densities but the SAC-CI calculation gives remarkably improved values.     

Enhanced photoinduced oligomerization of fullerene via radical coupling between fullerene radical cation and radical anion using 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion

Photocatalytic oligomerization of fullerene in toluene-acetonitrile solution occurs efficiently via electron-transfer reactions with the photogenerated electron-transfer state of 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion, followed by the radical coupling reaction between fullerene radical cation and radical anion.     

Isotropic and anisotropic scattering from polyethylene during crystallization

A light-scattering method for determining the optical anisotropy of large molecules is considered in detail. An application of the method is demonstrated to linear polyethylene while isothermally crystallizing in p-xylene solution. The polyethylene crystals formed are characterized as anisotropic thin discs having an optical anisotropy of 0.4–0.6.     

Hyperfine coupling tensors of the benzosemiquinone radical anion from Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics.

Based on Car-Parrinello ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of the benzosemiquinone radical anion in both aqueous solution and the gas phase, density functional calculations provide the currently most refined EPR hyperfine coupling (HFC) tensors of semiquinone nuclei and solvent protons. For snapshots taken at regular intervals from the molecular dynamics trajectories, cluster models with different criteria for inclusion of water molecules and an additional continuum solvent model are used to analyse the HFCs. These models provide a detailed picture of the effects of dynamics and of different intermolecular interactions on the spin-density distribution and HFC tensors. Comparison with static calculations allows an assessment of the importance of dynamical effects, and of error compensation in static DFT calculations. Solvent proton HFCs depend characteristically on the position relative to the semiquinone radical anion. A point-dipolar model works well for in-plane hydrogen-bonded protons but deviates from the quantum chemical values for out-of-plane hydrogen bonding.     

Calculated hyperfine coupling constants for 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide radical products in water and benzene

The optimized structures of some radical adducts of 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide were computed by different methods on ESR spectra. As trapped radicals, H, N₃, NH₂, CH₃, CCl₃, OOH in water and F, OH, CF₃, CH₂OH, OC₂H₅ in benzene solutions were used. The calculated isotropic hyperfine coupling constants of all the trapped radicals were compared with the corresponding experimental data. The hyperfine coupling constant due to the β proton of the nitroxide radical was seen to be consist with the McConnel’s relation α_β = B ₀ + B ₁cos²θ and, to be effected with the opposite spin density of oxygen nucleus bonded to the nitrogen. It was concluded that in hyperfine calculations the DFT(B3PW91)/LanL2DZ level is superior computational quantum model relative to the used other level. Also, the study has been enriched by the computational of the optimized geometrical parameters, the hyper conjugative interaction energies, the atomic charges and spin densities for all the radical adducts.     

Isotropic and anisotropic Raman scattering study in liquid p-dioxane

The isotropic and anisotropic profiles of the 835 and 2965 cm⁻¹ Raman lines of p-dioxane in the neat liquid and in solution have been studied as a function of temperature and concentration. From the correlation functions obtained by Fourier inversion of band contours, the possible interaction responsible for the vibrational dephasing of the oscillators and their reorientational relaxation are considered. It is shown that the p-dioxane molecule tumbling about the C₂ axis in the molecular plane perpendicular to the oxygen-oxygen direction proceeds by small-step Brownian diffusion associated with an Arrhenius activation energy of 9.0 kJ mol⁻¹. The vibrational relaxation mechanism of the two modes is interpreted in terms of pure dephasing due to weak collisions.     

Nature of the unpaired orbital of the disulphide anion as disclosed from 33S hyperfine coupling

³³S-nuclear hyperfine structure has been analyzed in the ESR spectrum of the disulphide anion in γ-irradiated L-cystine dihydrochloride. The results have confirmed that the unpaired electron occupies an antibonding signa-type orbital consisting essentially of sulphur 3p orbitals.     

L-tryptophan radical cation electron spin resonance studies: connecting solution-derived hyperfine coupling constants with protein spectral interpretations

Fast-flow electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy has been used to detect a free radical formed from the reaction of l-tryptophan with Ce (4+) in an acidic aqueous environment. Computer simulations of the ESR spectra from l-tryptophan and several isotopically modified forms strongly support the conclusion that the l-tryptophan radical cation has been detected by ESR for the first time. The hyperfine coupling constants (HFCs) determined from the well-resolved isotropic ESR spectra support experimental and computational efforts to understand l-tryptophan's role in protein catalysis of oxidation-reduction processes. l-Tryptophan HFCs facilitated the simulation of fast-flow ESR spectra of free radicals from two related compounds, tryptamine and 3-methylindole. Analysis of these three compounds' beta-methylene hydrogen HFC data along with equivalent l-tyrosine data has led to a new computational method that can distinguish between these two amino acid free radicals in proteins without dependence on isotope labeling, electron-nuclear double resonance, or high-field ESR. This approach also produces geometric parameters (dihedral angles for the beta-methylene hydrogens) that should facilitate protein site assignment of observed l-tryptophan radicals as has been done for l-tyrosine radicals.     

Spectroscopy of free-base N-confused tetraphenylporphyrin radical anion and radical cation

The radical anions and radical cations of the two tautomers (1e and 1i) of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl N-confused free-base porphyrin have been studied using a combination of cyclic voltammetry, steady state absorption spectroscopy, and computational chemistry. N-Confused porphyrins (NCPs), alternatively called 2-aza-21-carba-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrins or inverted porphyrins, are of great interest for their potential as building blocks in assemblies designed for artificial photosynthesis, and understanding the absorption spectra of the corresponding radical ions is paramount to future studies in multicomponent arrays where electron-transfer reactions are involved. NCP 1e was shown to oxidize at a potential of E(ox) 0.65 V vs Fc(+)|Fc in DMF and reduce at E(red) -1.42 V, while the corresponding values for 1i in toluene were E(ox) 0.60 V and E(red) -1.64 V. The geometries of these radical ions were computed at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d)//B3LYP/6-31G(d) level in the gas phase and in solution using the polarizable continuum model (PCM). From these structures and that of H(2)TPP and its corresponding radical ions, the computed redox potentials for 1e and 1i were calculated using the Born-Haber cycle. While the computed reduction potentials and electron affinities were in excellent agreement with the experimental reduction potentials, the calculated oxidation potentials displayed a somewhat less ideal relationship with experiment. The absorption spectra of the four radical ions were also measured experimentally, with radical cations 1e(?+) and 1i(?+) displaying significant changes in the Soret and Q-band regions as well as new low energy absorption bands in the near-IR region. The changes in the absorption spectra of radical anions 1e(?-) and 1i(?-) were not as dramatic, with the changes occurring only in the Soret and Q-band regions. These results were favorably modeled using time-dependent density functional calculations at the TD-B3LYP/6-31+G(d)//B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. These results were also compared to the existing data of free base tetraphenylporphyrin and free base tetraphenylchlorin.