Computational s-block thermochemistry with the correlation consistent composite approach

The correlation consistent composite approach (ccCA) is a model chemistry that has been shown to accurately compute gas-phase enthalpies of formation for alkali and alkaline earth metal oxides and hydroxides (Ho, D. S.; DeYonker, N. J.; Wilson, A. K.; Cundari, T. R. J. Phys. Chem. A 2006, 110, 9767).The ccCA results contrast to more widely used model chemistries where calculated enthalpies of formation for such species can be in error by up to 90 kcal mol-1. In this study, we have applied ccCA to a more general set of 42 s-block molecules and compared the ccCA DeltaHf values to values obtained using the G3 and G3B model chemistries. Included in this training set are water complexes such as Na(H2O)n+ where n = 1 - 4, dimers and trimers of ionic compounds such as (LiCl)2 and (LiCl)3, and the largest ccCA computation to date: Be(acac)2, BeC10H14O4. Problems with the G3 model chemistries seem to be isolated to metal-oxygen bonded systems and Be-containing systems, as G3 and G3B still perform quite well with a 2.7 and 2.6 kcal mol-1 mean absolute deviation (MAD), respectively, for gas-phase enthalpies of formation. The MAD of the ccCA is only 2.2 kcal mol-1 for enthalpies of formation (DeltaHf) for all compounds studied herein. While this MAD is roughly double that found for a ccCA study of >350 main group (i.e., p-block) compounds, it is commensurate with typical experimental uncertainties for s-block complexes. Some molecules where G3/G3B and ccCA computed DeltaHf values deviate significantly from experiment, such as (LiCl)3, NaCN, and MgF, are inviting candidates for new experimental and high-level theoretical studies.     

The correlation-consistent composite approach: application to the G3/99 test set

The correlation-consistent composite approach (ccCA), an ab initio composite technique for computing atomic and molecular energies, recently has been shown to successfully reproduce experimental data for a number of systems. The ccCA is applied to the G3/99 test set, which includes 223 enthalpies of formation, 88 adiabatic ionization potentials, 58 adiabatic electron affinities, and 8 adiabatic proton affinities. Improvements on the original ccCA formalism include replacing the small basis set quadratic configuration interaction computation with a coupled cluster computation, employing a correction for scalar relativistic effects, utilizing the tight-d forms of the second-row correlation-consistent basis sets, and revisiting the basis set chosen for geometry optimization. With two types of complete basis set extrapolation of MP2 energies, ccCA results in an almost zero mean deviation for the G3/99 set (with a best value of -0.10 kcal mol(-1)), and a 0.96 kcal mol(-1) mean absolute deviation, which is equivalent to the accuracy of the G3X model chemistry. There are no optimized or empirical parameters included in the computation of ccCA energies. Except for a few systems to be discussed, ccCA performs as well as or better than Gn methods for most systems containing first-row atoms, while for systems containing second-row atoms, ccCA is an improvement over Gn model chemistries.     

Quantitative computational thermochemistry of transition metal species

The correlation consistent Composite Approach (ccCA), which has been shown to achieve chemical accuracy (+/-1 kcal mol-1) for a large benchmark set of main group and s-block metal compounds, is used to compute enthalpies of formation for a set of 17 3d transition metal species. The training set includes a variety of metals, ligands, and bonding types. Using the correlation consistent basis sets for the 3d transition metals, we find that gas-phase enthalpies of formation can be efficiently calculated for inorganic and organometallic molecules with ccCA. However, until the reliability of gas-phase transition metal thermochemistry is improved, both experimentally and theoretically, a large experimental training set where uncertainties are near +/-1 kcal mol-1 (akin to commonly used main group benchmarking sets) remains an ambitious goal. For now, an average deviation of +/-3 kcal mol-1 appears to be the initial goal of "chemical accuracy" for ab initio transition metal model chemistries. The ccCA is also compared to a more robust but relatively expensive composite approach primarily utilizing large basis set coupled cluster computations. For a smaller training set of eight molecules, ccCA has a mean absolute deviation (MAD) of 3.4 kcal mol-1 versus the large basis set coupled-cluster-based model chemistry, which has a MAD of 3.1 kcal mol-1. However, the agreement for transition metal complexes is more system dependent than observed in previous benchmark studies of composite methods and main group compounds.     

A pseudopotential-based composite method: the relativistic pseudopotential correlation consistent composite approach for molecules containing 4d transition metals (Y-Cd)

The correlation consistent composite approach (ccCA) has proven to be an effective first-principles-based composite approach for main group and first-row transition metal species. By combining relativistic pseudopotentials and ccCA, accurate energetic and thermodynamic data for heavier elements, including transition metals, is obtainable. Relativistic pseudopotential ccCA (rp-ccCA) was formulated and tested on 25 molecules from the G3∕05 set that contain 4p elements (Ga-Kr). A 32.5% time savings was obtained using rp-ccCA, relative to ccCA employing all-electron basis sets. When implementing rp-ccCA to compute dissociation energies and enthalpies of formation for molecules from the 4p block, rp-ccCA results in a mean absolute deviation of 0.89 kcal?mol(-1) from experimental data. rp-ccCA was also applied to a set of 30 4d transition metal-containing molecules, ranging from diatomics to Mo(CO)(6), and enthalpies of formation for these species were obtained with a mean absolute deviation of 2.89 kcal mol(-1) in comparison to experimental data. Based on quality of the experimentally available enthalpies of formation, where the average value of reported experimental error bars is 3.43 kcal mol(-1), rp-ccCA is within transition metal chemical accuracy for the 4d molecule set. rp-ccCA is a pseudopotential-based composite method for transition metals and is shown to yield accurate thermodynamic results for molecules containing heavy elements Ga-Kr and Y-Cd.     

The correlation consistent composite approach (ccCA): an alternative to the Gaussian-n methods

An alternative to the Gaussian-n (G1, G2, and G3) composite methods of computing molecular energies is proposed and is named the "correlation consistent composite approach" (ccCA, ccCA-CBS-1, ccCA-CBS-2). This approach uses the correlation consistent polarized valence (cc-pVXZ) basis sets. The G2-1 test set of 48 enthalpies of formation (DeltaHf), 38 adiabatic ionization potentials (IPs), 25 adiabatic electron affinities (EAs), and 8 adiabatic proton affinities (PAs) are computed using this approach, as well as the DeltaHf values of 30 more systems. Equilibrium molecular geometries and vibrational frequencies are obtained using B3LYP density functional theory. When applying the ccCA-CBS method with the cc-pVXZ series of basis sets augmented with diffuse functions, mean absolute deviations within the G2-1 test set compared to experiment are 1.33 kcal mol(-1) for DeltaHf,0.81 kcal mol(-1) for IPs, 1.02 kcal mol(-1) for EAs, and 1.51 kcal mol(-1) for PAs, without including the "high-level correction" (HLC) contained in the original Gn methods. Whereas the HLC originated in the Gaussian-1 method as an isogyric correction, it evolved into a fitted parameter that minimized the error of the composite methods, eliminating its physical meaning. Recomputing the G1 and G3 enthalpies of formation without the HLC reveals a systematic trend where most DeltaHf values are significantly higher than experimental values. By extrapolating electronic energies to the complete basis set (CBS) limit and adding G3-like corrections for the core-valence and infinite-order electron correlation effects, ccCA-CBS-2 often underestimates the experimental DeltaHf, especially for larger systems. This is desired as inclusion of relativistic and atomic spin-orbit effects subsequently improves theoretical DeltaHf values to give a 0.81 kcal mol(-1) mean absolute deviation with ccCA-CBS-2. The ccCA-CBS method is a viable "black box" method that can be used on systems with at least 10-15 heavy atoms.     

Thermal stability of alkali metal borates and alkaline earth metal borates

The correlation between the enthalpies of formation of alkali metal and alkaline earth metal borates and the composition of the vapor in equilibrium with their melts is considered. The thermal stabilities of the studied borates have been estimated. A method is suggested for determination of the relative composition of the vapor over borate melts on the basis of their enthalpies of formation.

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Zusammenfassung Es wurde die Beziehung zwischen den Bildungsenthalpien von Alkali- (Erdalkali-)metallboraten und der Zusammensetzung der sich mit der Schmelze im Gleichgewicht befindlichen Gasphase betrachtet. Die thermische Stabilität der untersuchten Borate wurde geschätzt. Es wurde ein Verfahren entwickelt, die relative Zusammensetzung der Gasphase über Boratschmelzen auf Grund ihrer Bildungsenthalpien zu bestimmen.

     

Substituent effects at nitrogen/phosphorus atoms of dialkaline earth metal complexes: Excess electron and large second-hyperpolarizability

A number of imido-, amido-, and phosphido-bridged dialkaline earth metal (M = Be, Mg, and Ca) complexes and their alkali metal (Li and Na) derivatives have been considered to study the ground state structure and the second-hyperpolarizability. The calculated ground state geometries contain four-membered M N(P) M N(P) ring having either planar or butterfly-like bent structure. The second-hyperpolarizability has been calculated at the HF and CCSD(T) levels using Sadlej's pol and aug-pc-2 basis sets, respectively. The addition of second hydrogen/alkali metal atom on nitrogen/phosphorus (N/P) atom substantially reduces the charge transfer from the alkaline earth metal atoms as the high negative charge on N/P exerts stronger push effect on the outermost electron pair in the “ns” sub-shell of M. The excess electron density on the alkaline earth metal atoms plays a crucial role in the enhancement of second-hyperpolarizability. The sum-over-state method calculated two-photon contribution of second-hyperpolarizability has been found to be significant. The variation of second-hyperpolarizability has been explained satisfactorily in terms of the TD-CAMB3LYP calculated spectroscopic properties in the light of two-state model. The calculated mean second-hyperpolarizabilities of alkali substituted amido- and phosphido-bridged complexes are in the order of 10⁷ au.     

Developments in Titanium-Based Alkali and Alkaline Earth Metal Oxide Catalysts for Sustainable Biodiesel Production: A Review

Biodiesel represents a biodegradable, environmentally friendly, and renewable alternative to fossil fuels. Despite more than three decades of research, significant obstacles still hinder the widespread production of biodiesel. This current review elucidates both the potential and the existing challenges associated with homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts in catalyzing biodiesel production, with a particular focus on alkali analogues, alkaline earth metal oxides, and titania-based catalysts. In particular, a comprehensive analysis is presented concerning alkali and alkaline earth-based titania (TiO₂) catalysts. Among these, the alkaline earth metal oxides, including lithium, calcium, and strontium when combined with titanium-based catalysts, exhibit superior catalytic activity compared to other metal oxides, owing to their heightened basicity. Consequently, this review offers a thorough and up-to-date insight into the potential of titania-based heterogeneous catalysts for advancing biodiesel production.     

Stabilization of p-block organoelement terminal hydroxides, thiols, and selenols requires newer synthetic strategies

Metal hydroxides represent a very interesting and highly useful class of compounds that have been known to chemists for a very long time. While alkali and alkaline earth metal hydroxides (s‐block) are commonplace chemicals in terms of their abundance and their use in a chemical laboratory as bases, the interest in Brønsted acidic molecular terminal hydroxides of p‐block elements, such as aluminum and silicon, has been of recent origin, with respect to the variety of applications these compounds can offer both in materials science and catalysis. Moreover, these systems are environmentally friendly, relative to the metal halides, owing to their ‐OH functionality (resembling that of water). Design and conceptualization of the corresponding terminal thiols, selenols, and tellurols (M? SH, M? SeH, and M? TeH) offer even more challenging problems to synthetic inorganic chemists. This concept summarizes some of the recent strategies developed to stabilize these otherwise very unstable species. The successful preparation of a number of silicon trihydroxides a few years back resulted in the generation of several model compounds for metal–silicates. The recent synthesis of unusual aluminum compounds such as RAl(OH)₂, RAl(SH)₂, and RAl(SeH)₂ with terminal EH (E=O, Se, or Se) groups is likely to change the ways in which some of the well‐known catalytic conversions are being carried out. The need for very flexible and innovative synthetic strategies to achieve these unusual compounds is emphasized in this concept.     

Paradoxes and paradigms: observations on pyrohydrolysis,oxygen bomb combustion,and alkaline carbonate fusion,most frequently used decomposition methods for subsequent determination of fluorine and accompanying thermochemistry

Pyrohydrolysis, oxygen bomb combustion, and alkaline carbonate fusion are the most frequently used methods for decomposition of fluorine containing materials. The efficiency of these methods was proven by the determination of fluorine content in certified reference materials of clay and vegetation. Possible reactions proceeding during decomposition were suggested and accompanying thermochemistry discussed. The Gibbs energies were estimated to establish if suggested reactions are thermodynamically favorable or not. In addition, linear relationships between the enthalpies of formation of metal fluorides and the balanced values of the enthalpies of formation of the plausible reaction products (metal tungstates, metal oxides, or metal carbonates), electronegativity of metals, and number of fluorine atoms in metal fluorides were established. These equations were suggested for the estimation of the enthalpies of formation of metal tungstates, metal oxides, or metal carbonates, for which experimental data are not available.     

Paradoxes and Paradigms: When Do Alkali Metal (Na) and Alkaline Earth (Mg,Ca) Halides (F,Cl) Completely Dissociate? A Combined Analytical and Thermochemical Approach

Combined theoretical and experimental work is very often desirable (and even prerequisite) for lightening loads and enlightening problems. Knowledge and intuition on the chemical reactions and equilibria of alkali metal (Na) and alkaline earth (Mg, Ca) halides (F, Cl) were examined. Both enthalpies and entropies were investigated.     

Synthesis and binding properties of calix[4]arenes with [2 + 2'] mixed ligating functional groups

A series of mixed [2 + 2'] p-tert-butylcalix[4]arene have been synthesised by selective 1,3-dialkylation of phenolic groups using various alkylating agents such as benzyl bromide, methyl iodide, ethyl bromoacetate, and 2-methoxyethyl tosylate. The extraction and complexation properties of the synthesized calixarenes towards alkali and alkaline earth metal cations have been investigated in acetonitrile by means of UV spectrophotometry and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The results show the formation of ML and/or ML2 species depending on the ligand and the cation. The enthalpies and entropies of complexation of alkali metal cations by a tetraglycol, diglycol-dibenzyl and diglycol-diester derivatives have been obtained from calorimetric measurements. The results revealed that the formation of ML species is controlled by enthalpy while the formation of ML2 from ML is entropy driven.     

Study of the polyelectrolyte properties of humic acids by conductimetric titration

Solutions of humic acids were titrated with potassium, sodium, lithium, calcium and barium hydroxide using conductimetry. A marked difference was observed in the shape of the curves for alkali metal hydroxides and those for alkaline earth metal hydroxides. From a careful analysis of the measured conductivities, it appears that monovalent cations are hardly bound by the humate polyion, hwereas divalent counter ions show an extremely strong interaction. The latter feature may be fruitfully utilized in quantitative analysis. The conductance properties of humic acids are basically different from those of a linear polyelectrolyte such as polymethacrylate.     

Interactions of metal ions with water: ab initio molecular orbital studies of structure, vibrational frequencies, charge distributions, bonding enthalpies, and deprotonation enthalpies. 2. Monohydroxides

The formation and properties of a wide range of metal ion monohydroxides, M(n)(+)[OH(-)], where n = 1 and 2, have been studied by ab initio molecular orbital calculations at the MP2(FULL)/6-311++G**//MP2(FULL)/6-311++G** and CCSD(T)(FULL)/6-311++G**//MP2(FULL)/6-311++G** computational levels. The ions M(n)()(+) are from groups 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A in the second, third, and fourth periods of the Periodic Table and from the first transition series. Geometrical parameters, vibrational frequencies, atomic charge distributions, orbital occupancies, and bonding enthalpies are reported. The M(n)(+)-O distances are shorter in the hydroxides than in the corresponding hydrates (published previously as Part 1, Inorg. Chem. 1998, 37, 4421-4431) due to a greater electrostatic interaction in the hydroxides. The natural bond orbitals for most of the first-row transition metal ion hydroxides do not contain a formal metal-oxygen bonding orbital; nevertheless the atomic charge distributions show that for both n = 1 and 2 a significant amount of electron density is consistently transferred from the hydroxide ion to the bound metal ion. Deprotonation enthalpies for the hydrates have been evaluated according to the simple dissociation process, M(n)(+)[OH(2)] --> M(n)(+)[OH(-)] + H(+), and also via proton transfer to another water molecule, M(n)(+)[OH(2)] + H(2)O --> M(n)(+)[OH(-)] + H(3)O(+). The drastic reduction in these deprotonation enthalpies as H(2)O molecules are sequentially bonded in the first coordination shell of the metal ion (amounting to 71, 64, 85, and 91 kcal/mol for the bonding of six water molecules to Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Mn(2+), and Zn(2+), respectively) is found to be due to the greater decrease in the bonding enthalpies for the hydroxides relative to the hydrates. Proton transfer to bases other than water, for example side chain groups of certain amino acids, could more than offset the decrease in deprotonation energy due to the filling of the first coordination shell. Linear relationships have been found between the pK(a) values for ionization of the Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Mn(2+), Fe(2+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), and Zn(2+) aquo ions, and Delta for the bonding of the first water molecule, for the bonding of the hydroxide ion, and for proton dissociation from the monohydrate. Similar relationships have also been found between the pK(a) values and the reciprocal of the M-O bond lengths in both the monohydrates and hydroxides. Thus the ionization of metal hydrates in water echoes the properties of the monomeric species M(n)(+)[OH(2)].     

Identification of condensed-phase species on the thermal transformation of alkaline and alkaline earth metal sulphates on a graphite platform

Thermal treatment of alkaline and alkaline earth metal sulphates on a graphite platform was performed over the temperature range 200–2000 °C. The solid residues produced at each temperature were located by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and then identified by energy-dispersive (ED) X-ray spectroscopy and Raman microanalysis. Additional experiments involved the dissolution of the residues from the platform and analysis by ion chromatography to determine the concentration of sulphate and other ions. A decomposition pattern was derived for the alkaline and alkaline earth metal sulphates. The transformation of the metal sulphates was dependent on temperature and the cation present. In general, the metal sulphates do not undergo significant decomposition to other species at temperatures less than 900 °C, with the exception of magnesium and beryllium sulphates, which are transformed into metal oxides to some extent. Above 900 °C, major transformations occur mainly for sodium, magnesium, and beryllium sulphates. For all the salts studied, there is evidence of the formation of species such as metal sulphides and elemental sulphur.     

Fluorometric sensing of alkali metal and alkaline earth metal cations by novel photosensitive monoazacryptand derivatives in aqueous micellar solutions

Novel monoazacryptand-type fluorescent chemosensors, (derived from an 18-crown-6) and (derived from a 15-crown-5) both with a pyrene ring as their photoresponsive moiety, were synthesized. Their fluorescence properties for alkali metal and alkaline earth metal cations in water were then examined. The detection of metal cations was accomplished by a change in the fluorescence intensity of the host compounds, based on a photoinduced electron transfer (PET) mechanism. In aqueous solution, showed little fluorescence upon the addition of Ba2+ because of the very weak complexation with Ba2+, but the presence of micelles of polyoxyethylene(10) isooctylphenyl ether (Triton X-100) enabled to show highly sensitive and selective Ba2+ detection among alkali metal and alkaline earth metal cations. With respect to the selective fluorescent detection of important metal cations (Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+) relevant to living organisms, was found to detect K+ with high selectivity in aqueous micellar solutions of polyoxyethylene(20) sorbitan monostearate (Tween-60). The selectivity for metal cations was mainly dependent on the goodness of fit of the host cavity and the metal cation size. In the presence of anionic surfactants, detected alkaline earth metal cations more effectively than alkali metal cations.     

Zur Kenntnis der sogenannten «Erdalkalicarbonyle»

The alkaline earth metals in liquid ammonia react with carbon monoxide to form the so-called ‘alkaline earth metal carbonyls’. These products which according to older literature are formulated as M(CO)₂(M = Ca, Sr, Ba) contain only 65–70% of the expected amount of carbon monoxide. As can be seen from the nitrogen content of the compounds the solvent ammonia participates in the reaction. By hydrolysis leading to a variety of compounds it is demonstrated that the ‘alkaline earth metal carbonyls’ are mixtures of substances such as metal acetylenediolates, metal methoxides, and ammonium carbonate. These mixtures are different from the ‘alkali carbonyls’ as for instance can be seen from the low acetylenediolate content of the ‘alkaline earth metal carbonyls’.     

Accurate predictions of the energetics of silicon compounds using the multireference correlation consistent composite approach

Theoretical studies, using the multireference correlation consistent composite approach (MR-ccCA), have been carried out on the ground and lowest lying spin-forbidden excited states of a series of silicon-containing systems. The MR-ccCA method is the multireference equivalent of the successful single reference ccCA method that has been shown to produce chemically accurate (within ±1.0 kcal mol(-1) of reliable, well-established experiment) results. The percentage contributions of the SCF configurations to complete active space self-consistent field wave functions together with the Frobenius norm of the t(1) vectors and related D(1) diagnostics of the coupled-cluster single double wave function with the cc-pVTZ basis set have been utilized to illustrate the multi-configurational characteristics of the compounds considered. MR-ccCA incorporates additive terms to account for relativistic effects, atomic spin-orbit coupling, scalar relativistic effects, and core-valence correlation. MR-ccCA has been utilized to predict the atomization energies, enthalpies of formation, and the lowest energy spin-forbidden transitions for Si(n)X(m) (2 ≤ n + m ≥ 3 where n ≠ 0 and X = B, C, N, Al, P), silicon hydrides, and analogous compounds of carbon. The energetics of small silicon aluminides and phosphorides are predicted for the first time.     

聚乙烯接枝马来酸盐离聚体FTIR的研究

以聚乙烯－马来酸酐接枝共聚物为基础，合成马来酸型的碱金属（Ｎａ和Ｋ）、碱土金属（Ｍｇ和Ｃａ）及过渡金属（Ｚｎ和Ｃｄ）离聚体，详细研究了它们在不同中的度下的ＦＴＩＲ光谱的变化规律，探讨它们的形成的机理及其聚集态的结构膜型。