Ab-initio study of Na n F n and Na n F n−1 clusters: atypical structures

Alkali halide clusters Na _n F _n have most frequently cuboid structures and Na _n F _n?1 clusters are derived from Na _n F _n by removing a F^? centre. An excess electron localises on the site of the removed F^? ion. In this paper, other kind of clusters are studied at the SCF level: i) The non-cubic structures. ii) The cubic Na _n F _n?1 for which the excess electron has no defined site. Due to very large size of these species (at least 27 atoms!) some equivalent fictive linear and planar geometries are studied.     

Atomic and electronic structure of Na10K10Cs n clusters

Density functional theory is used to study the atomic and electronic structures of Na₁₀K₁₀Cs _n clusters with up to sixty atoms. The simplifying approximation has been made of replacing the external potential of the ionic background by its spherical average about the cluster centre in the iterative process of solving the Kohn-Sham equations for each geometry tested. The search for the equilibrium geometry is performed by employing the technique of simulated annealing. We have always found segregation of Cs atoms to the surface as well as a rather neat separation of different species in different (radial) regions of the cluster. This layering effect appears to be consistent with a tendency to maximize electronegativity differences. When the cluster is big enough, Cs atoms begin to appear also inside the cluster. Those geometrical effects do not perturb the electronic magic numbers well known for pure alkali metal clusters.     

Spectroscopy of non-stoichiometric sodium-fluoride clusters Na n F n -1; infrared spectral signature and classification

We report in this paper resonant two-photon spectroscopy from 290nm to 1000nm of Na _n F _n -1 clusters. Spectral signature are shown to be correlated with the structure and allows us to sort these clusters according to a classification which supplements that of Whetten et al.     

Ar n HF van der Waals clusters revisited. I. New low-energy isomeric structures for n=6-13

New low-lying isomeric structures of Ar(n)HF clusters are reported for n=6-13. They were determined using simulated annealing and evolutionary programming, for pairwise additive intermolecular potential energy surfaces. New global minima were found for the clusters with n=7, 10, 11. The new lowest-energy structure of Ar(7)HF and several new local minima for n=6, 7 clusters have the HF bound on a threefold surface site, consistent with the recent spectroscopic data for Ar(n)HF clusters in helium nanodroplets. A new type of low-energy local minima were determined for n=9-13 clusters.     

Infrared photodissociation spectroscopy of Na(NH3)n clusters: probing the solvent coordination

The first mass-selective vibrational spectra have been recorded for Na(NH3)n clusters. Infrared spectra have been obtained for n = 3-8 in the N-H stretching region. The spectroscopic work has been supported by ab initio calculations carried out at both the DFT(B3LYP) and MP2 levels, using a 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. The calculations reveal that the lowest energy isomer for n or= 7 is indicative of molecules entering a second solvation shell, i.e., the inner solvation shell around the sodium atom can accommodate a maximum of six NH3 molecules.     

Stability of alkali-atom clusters

A detailed study of the stability of alkali-atom clusters is presented and discussed. Free clusters are produced in an unseeded adiabatic expansion and ionized by a pulsed laser beam. A tandem time-of-flight system provides a size selection of ionized species and mass spectrometry of fragments. We have investigated for sodium and potassium clusters containing up to fifty atoms: the metastable decay following ionization, the photo-induced dissociation, the collisional induced dissociation and the collisional charge exchange. Experimental evidence is shown for dissociative process involving evaporation of monomers and dimers. This is explained by the statistical unimolecular theory and by the energetics of the systems.     

Stability and structure of singly-charged argon clusters Ar n + ,n=3–27. A Monte-Carlo simulation

Monte-Carlo calculations have been performed for positively charged argon clusters in the temperature range between 10 K and 40 K using two different models (one with a dimer ion core, the other one with a trimer ion). The argon-argon interaction potential stems from empirical data, the ion-neutral atoms potential is determined by ab initio MRD-CI calculations. Special stability is found for clusters sizesn=13, 19, 23 and 25/26 atoms using the ‘trimeric core model’ and for those withn=14,n=17,n=20 using the ‘dimeric core model’. The geometrical structure of the clusters is given and the construction principles are discussed in light of the interactions among neutral argon atoms and the ion-neutral atoms interaction.     

Stability of clusters of fullerenes

We have studied the formation and stability of pure and mixed clusters of C ₆₀ and C ₆₀/C ₇₀ produced in a gas aggregation source. The source yields very smooth abundance distributions indicating an efficient cooling. The stability of the clusters was probed by varying the degree of heating with a XeCl excimer laser (hv I.P.) followed by single photon ionisation with a F ₂ excimer laser. The stability patterns show features related to geometrical packing structures but much stronger than previously seen in cluster spectra. The fragmentation patterns for the mixed clusters indicate that C ₆₀ and C ₇₀ have similar binding energies in the clusters in contrast to what would be expected from vapour pressure data of macroscopic samples.     

Photoabsorption spectra of Cs n O and Cs n clusters

Photoabsorption spectra of several Cs _N+2O and Cs _N clusters were obtained by means of laser-induced beam-depletion techniques. The strong absorption of clusters withN≥3 in the near infrared indicates that collective motion might play an important role. Dipole transitions between molecular orbitals, enhanced by plasmon oscillations, generate remarkably distinct spectra for(a) closed-shell clusters atN=8 and(b) geometrically symmetric clusters like Cs₆O and Cs₁₄O.     

Insight into the vertical detachment energy oscillation of Na(n)C60(-) clusters

We have performed a detailed density functional theory study on the structural and electronic properties of Na(n)C(60)(-) (n = 1-12) clusters. The calculated vertical detachment energies show good agreement with the experimental data, which confirms the 3p (n = 3p) oscillation rule. The oscillation can be attributed to the combination of the charge depletion distribution induced by removing electrons and the number of the sodium atoms in direct contact with the fullerene. Based on the structural and electronic properties, the Na atoms can be categorized into two groups, one is for the metal atoms directly bonded to the fullerene surface, and the other one is for those without bonding to the fullerene. The Na atoms in group one would donate electrons to both the fullerene and the Na atoms in group two. As the total number of the sodium atoms increases, the number of Na atoms in group one would continue increasing till the size n = 3p - 1 to meet a shoulder from n = 3p - 1 to n = 3p, which accounts for the maximum vertical detachment energy at the size of n = 3p as drawn from the detailed electronic property studies.     

Solvation of Na+ in argon clusters

The structures and stabilities of Ar(n)Na+ clusters (n < or = 54) are investigated using atomistic potentials fitted to reproduce ab initio calculations performed at the coupled-cluster level on the smaller clusters. Polarization effects are described using either the interaction between dipoles induced by the sodium ion, or a small charge transfer in the framework of a fluctuating charges model. In both models, extra three-body contributions of the Axilrod-Teller type are also included between the sodium ion and all pairs of argon atoms. The two models predict essentially similar growth patterns, and a transition in the metal ion coordination from 8 (square antiprism) to 12 (icosahedron) is seen to occur near n = 50, in response to the intrasolvent constraints.     

Stability of cyclic (H2O)n clusters within molecular solids: Role of aromaticity

Cyclic water clusters (H₂O)_n (n = 3–12) trapped inside organic/inorganic hosts do not correspond to the global energy minimal structures. Their closed loop connections through the H‐bonds, although weakly interacting, result in diamagnetic ring currents leading to what we term “H‐bonded aromaticity.” Such H‐bonded aromaticity in supramolecular structures generalizes the formation of such stable (H₂O)_n molecules confined within various host systems. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006     

Ionization energies and stabilities of Na n,n<25: shell structure from measurements on cold clusters

The stability patterns found in alkali-atomic clusters and their explanation in terms of electronic and structural factors have been controversial for some time. Generation of very cold Na _n clusters in a novel source and use of a special photoion normalization method resolve the remaining questions by allowing precise determination of photoionization thresholds. This is demonstrated here for several sizes in the 7<n<26 range, where in two crucial cases the interpretations of earlier ionization threshold measurements on oven-beam clusters [M. Kappes, M. Schär, P. Radi, and E. Schumacher, J. Chem. Phys.84, 1863 (1986)] disagreed with the explanation of the observed stability pattern. Combining the new values with the charged-cluster fragmentation energies of Bréchignac et al. [C. Bréchignac, P. Cahuzac, J. Leygnier, and J. Weiner, J. Chem. Phys.90, 1492 (1989)] yields neutral cluster fragmentation energies that successfully account for the famous “magic-number” ledges [W.D. Knight, K. Clemenger, W.A. de Heer, W.A. Saunders, M.Y. Chou, and M.L. Cohen, Phys. Rev. Lett.52, 2141 (1984)]. Our measurements offer decisive support for the applicability of the spherical/spheroidal electronic shell-model to smaller Na _n clusters, even in their low-temperature form.     

Stability of multiply charged silver clusters

Using the gasaggregation technique it is possible to generate metal clusters in narrow size distributions and to vary their mean size by adjusting the cell parameters. The high intensity of this source allows to detect besides singly charged clusters also multiply charged ones. Ag _n ²⁺ and Ag _n ³⁺ are observed forn≧9 andn≧31, respectively; i.e. at values well below the critical sizes reported for spheres.     

Systematic study of (Na n )2 dimer transient state in Na n +Na n collisions (n=8, 9, 19, and 20)

From distance dependent tight-binding molecular dynamics simulations, we systematically study the Na _n +Na _n collision dynamics around the first two closed shells (n=8 and 20). We investigate the stability of sodium cluster dimers (Na _n )₂, for many events with random relative orientation at finite temperature, various impact parameters and incident energies. We find that (Na₈)₂, (Na₉)₂, (Na₁₉)₂ and (Na₂₀)₂ can exist during about 3000 fs in central collisions while they can exist up to about ten thousands fs in peripheral collisions with larger impact parameters in fusion mechanism at c.o.m energy per atomE _cm/n=0.025 eV. We observe that the lower the incident energy, the longer the lifetime of the cluster dimers in both central and peripheral collisions. There is no apparent difference in the dynamical stability of (Na₈)₂ and (Na₉)₂, (Na₁₉)₂ and (Na₂₀)₂ although (Na₈)₂ and (Na₂₀)₂ are respectively slightly colder than (Na₉)₂ and (Na₁₉)₂ for the same incident energy per atom and the same impact parameter.     

Stability of alkali-encapsulating silicon cage clusters

We report a computational study of the possibility to form alkali-encapsulating Si clusters A@Si(n) with n = 10 - 20. We predict and quantify the stability for lithium, sodium, and potassium atoms encapsulated in silicon cage. The structure and electronic properties are discussed. An electronic charge transfer from the alkali atom to the Si(n) cage is observed. The A@Si(n) cluster is formed of a positive charge located on the alkali surrounded by a negative one distributed on the whole Si cage. For each size the predicted stability of such structure is discussed and compared with that of surface-bound alkali isomers. The alkali-encapsulating Si clusters A@Si(n) are found to be stable but lying much higher in energy as compared to surface-bound alkali isomers.     

Hydration process of Na2- in small water clusters: photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical study of Na2- (H2O)n

Photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) of Na2- (H2O)n (n < or = 6) was investigated to examine the solvation of sodium aggregates in small water clusters. The PES bands for the transitions from the anion to the neutral ground and first excited states derived from Na2 (1(1)Sigmag+) and Na2 (1(3)Sigmau+) shifted gradually to the blue, and those to the higher-excited states correlated to the 3(2)S + 3(2)P asymptote dropped down rapidly to the red and almost degenerated on the 1(3)Sigmau+-type band at n = 4. Quantum chemical calculations for n up to 3 showed that the spectra can be ascribed to structures where one of the Na atoms is selectively hydrated. From the electron distributions, it is found that the Na- -Na+(H2O)n- -type electronic state grows with increasing cluster size, which can be regarded as a sign of the solvation of Na2- with ionization of the hydrated Na.     

Doping-enhanced hyperpolarizabilities of silicon clusters: a global ab initio and density functional theory study of Si10 (Li, Na, K)n (n=1, 2) clusters

A global theoretical study of the (hyper)polarizabilities of alkali doped Si(10) is presented and discussed. First, a detailed picture about the low lying isomers of Si(10)Li, Si(10)Na, Si(10)K, Si(10)Li(2), Si(10)Na(2), and Si(10)K(2) has been obtained in a global manner. Then, the microscopic first (hyper)polarizabilities of the most stable configurations have been determined by means of ab initio methods of high predictive capability such as those based on the M?ller-Plesset perturbation and coupled cluster theory, paying extra attention to the (hyper)polarizabilities of the open shell mono-doped systems Si(10)Li, Si(10)Na, Si(10)K, and the influence of spin contamination. These results were used to assess the performance of methods of low computational cost based on density functional theory (DFT) in the reliable computation of these properties in order to proceed with an in-depth study of their evolution as a function of the alkali metal, the cluster composition, and the cluster structure. The most interesting outcomes of the performed (hyper)polarizability study indicate that while alkali doping leaves the per atom polarizability practically unaffected, influences dramatically the hyperpolarizabilities of Si(10). The lowest energy structures of the mono-doped clusters are characterized by significantly enhanced hyperpolarizabilities as compared to the analogue neutral or charged bare silicon clusters Si(10) and Si(11), while, certain patterns governed by the type and the number of the doping agents are followed. The observed hyperpolarizability increase is found to be in close connection with specific cluster to alkali metal charge transfer excited states and to the cluster structures. Moreover, an interesting correlation between the anisotropy of the electron density, and the hyperpolarizabilities of these systems has been observed. Finally, it is important to note that the presented method assessment points out that among the various DFT functionals used in this work, (B3LYP, B3PW91, BhandHLYP, PBE0, CAM-B3LYP, LC-BLYP, LC-BPW91) only B3PW91 and PBE0 out of the seven provided a consistent quantitative performance for both polarizabilities and hyperpolarizabilities with respect to the ab initio methods utilized here. On the other hand, the long range corrected functionals LC-(U)BLYP and LC-(U)BPW91 (μ = 0.47) failed to supply quantitatively accurate hyperpolarizability results in all the studied clusters while the CAM-(U)B3LYP functional performs satisfactory only in the case of the Na and K doped systems.     

Stability of transition metal complexes involving three isomeric quinolyl hydrazones

The stability constants of three isomeric quinolyl hydrazones; {4,6-(para); 4,7-(meta) and 4,8-MeBHQ(ortho)} towards some bivalent metal ions have been determined in 75% solvent (dioxane, isopropanol, ethanol and methanol)-water by a pH-titrimetry. The insertion of the Me-group in the 8-position decreases the stability of the complexes to a great extent. The complexation of the ortho-derivative is endothermic, whereas that of the para-derivative is exothermic. Using the solvent parameters, the stability constants of the para-derivative towards Co(II), Ni(II) and Cu(II) ions were evaluated in aqueous medium by five different methods. Also, the electronic absorption spectra of the ortho-hydrazone have been studied in solvents of various polarities to investigate the dependence of the band shift (Δ?) on the solvent parameters viz. 1/D, Z, E(T), DN, AN and (α, β, π*). The interaction of the hydrazones with CoCl(2)·6H(2)O afforded an octahedral complex in case of the ortho-hydrazone and square planar complexes in case of the meta- and para-hydrazones.     

Small atomic clusters: quantum chemical research of isomeric composition and physical properties

Structural Chemistry - In this review, we give a brief summary of methodological and computational aspects of determination of structure and different size-dependent properties of small atomic...