pi-H...O hydrogen bonds: multicenter covalent pi-H interaction acts as the proton-donating system

The MP2 method and the Pople-style basis sets 6-311++G(d,p), 6-311++G(2df,2pd), and 6-311++G(3df,3pd) were used to perform calculations on H3O+...C2H2 and C2H3+...C2H2 complexes and related species. Hydrogen bonds existing for the analyzed complexes were investigated as well as related pi-H...O --> pi...H-O and pi-H...pi --> pi...H-pi proton-transfer processes. For some of the complexes analyzed the multicenter pi-H interaction possessing the properties of a covalent bond acts as a proton donor; more generally it is classified as the Lewis acid. The quantum theory of "atoms in molecules" (QTAIM) was also applied to deepen the nature of these interactions in terms of characteristics of bond critical points. The pi-H...O, O-H...pi, and pi-H...pi interactions analyzed here may be classified as hydrogen bonds since their characteristics are the same as or at least similar to those of typical hydrogen bonds. H...pi interactions are common in crystal structures of organic and organometallic compounds. The analyses performed here show a continuum of such interactions since there are H...pi contacts possessing the characteristics of weak intermolecular interactions on the one hand and pi-H multicenter covalent bonds on the other. Ab initio and QTAIM results support the latter statements.     

Pi-donation and stabilizing effects of pnicogens in carbenium and silicenium ions: a theoretical study of [C(XH2)3]+ and [Si(XH2)3]+ (X = N, P, As, Sb, Bi)

Quantum chemical calculations at the MP2 and CCSD(T) levels of theory are reported for cations of the general type [A(XH2)3]+ with A = C, Si and X = N, P, As, Sb, Bi. Population analysis, methyl stabilization energies (MSEs), and structural criteria were used to predict the p(pi)-donor ability of and the pi-stabilization energy exerted by this series of pnicogens. All of the substituents XH2 considered in these studies invariably stabilize the triply substituted carbenium as well as the silicenium ions. The calculated data show that the intrinsic p(pi)-donation of the group 15 atoms follows the order N < P < As < Sb < Bi. However, the trend of the stabilization energies is fully reversed. The intrinsic stabilization energies of the planar carbenium ions decrease monotonically from 161.2 kcal mol(-1) for X = NH2 to 98.0 kcal mol(-1) for X = BiH2. The effective stabilization of the pnicogens in the equilibrium structures, which also includes the energy-demanding pyramidalization of the XH2 substituents, follows the same trend, although the absolute numbers are reduced to 145.6 kcalmol(-1) for X = NH2 and 53.2 kcalmol(-1) for X = BiH2. This seemingly contrasting behavior of increasing p(pi) charge donation and decreasing stabilization has already been found for other substituents. Previous studies have shown that carbenium ions substituted by chalcogens up to the fourth row also stabilize C+ less effectively with respect to heavier substituents. Of the ions investigated in this study, only the silicenium ions that are stabilized by pnicogens from the third to the sixth row of the periodic system yield increased stabilizing energies that follow the corresponding intrinsic p(pi)-donor abilities of the respective substituent.     

Stereochemistry of aldols: configuration and conformation of aldols derived from cycloalkanones and aldehydes

The structures of cycloalkanone-based threo and erythro aldols were investigated by systematic introduction of stereo-determining factors. The combination of single-crystal X-ray analysis and cryoscopic measurement and solution NMR and IR studies elucidated the detailed geometry of these typical aldols. Currently, X-ray diffraction is the only reliable spectroscopic method to determine the relative configuration of aldols. Empirical NMR analysis can be safely applied in only limited cases. In hydrocarbon solvents, many aldols exist as monomers with an intramolecular OH...O=C hydrogen bond, but some compounds are in an equilibrium with higher aggregates via intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The aldols take various staggered conformers, where the relative stabilities are controlled largely by torsional strain affected by the size and nature of substituents. The intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonds, gauche interactions between the vicinal substituents, and sometimes CH/pi attractions significantly influence the distribution of conformers. The preferred structure in solution often differs greatly from the crystalline-state geometry.     

The nature of the chemical bond revisited: an energy-partitioning analysis of nonpolar bonds

The nature of the chemical bond in nonpolar molecules has been investigated by energy-partitioning analysis (EPA) of the ADF program using DFT calculations. The EPA divides the bonding interactions into three major components, that is, the repulsive Pauli term, quasiclassical electrostatic interactions, and orbital interactions. The electrostatic and orbital terms are used to define the nature of the chemical bond. It is shown that nonpolar bonds between main-group elements of the first and higher octal rows of the periodic system, which are prototypical covalent bonds, have large attractive contributions from classical electrostatic interactions, which may even be stronger than the attractive orbital interactions. Fragments of molecules with totally symmetrical electron-density distributions, like the nitrogen atoms in N(2), may strongly attract each other through classical electrostatic forces, which constitute 30.0 % of the total attractive interactions. The electrostatic attraction can be enhanced by anisotropic charge distribution of the valence electrons of the atoms that have local areas of (negative) charge concentration. It is shown that the use of atomic partial charges in the analysis of the nature of the interatomic interactions may be misleading because they do not reveal the topography of the electronic charge distribution. Besides dinitrogen, four groups of molecules have been studied. The attractive binding interactions in H(n)E-EH(n) (E=Li to F; n=0-3) have between 20.7 (E=F) and 58.4 % (E=Be) electrostatic character. The substitution of hydrogen by fluorine does not lead to significant changes in the nature of the binding interactions in F(n)E-EF(n) (E=Be to O). The electrostatic contributions to the attractive interactions in F(n)E-EF(n) are between 29.8 (E=O) and 55.3 % (E=Be). The fluorine substituents have a significant effect on the Pauli repulsion in the nitrogen and oxygen compounds. This explains why F(2)N-NF(2) has a much weaker bond than H(2)N-NH(2), whereas the interaction energy in FO-OF is much stronger than in HO-OH. The orbital interactions make larger contributions to the double bonds in HB=BH, H(2)C=CH(2), and HN=NH (between 59.9 % in B(2)H(2) and 65.4 % in N(2)H(2)) than to the corresponding single bonds in H(n)E-EH(n). The orbital term Delta E(orb) (72.4 %) makes an even greater contribution to the HC triple bond CH triple bond. The contribution of Delta E(orb) to the H(n)E=EH(n) bond increases and the relative contribution of the pi bonding decreases as E becomes more electronegative. The pi-bonding interactions in HC triple bond CH amount to 44.4 % of the total orbital interactions. The interaction energy in H(3)E-EH(3) (E=C to Pb) decreases monotonically as the element E becomes heavier. The electrostatic contributions to the E-E bond increases from E=C (41.4 %) to E=Sn (55.1 %) but then decreases when E=Pb (51.7 %). A true understanding of the strength and trends of the chemical bonds can only be achieved when the Pauli repulsion is considered. In an absolute sense the repulsive Delta E(Pauli) term is in most cases the largest term in the EPA.     

Synthesis, properties, and reactions of a series of stable dialkyl-substituted silicon-chalcogen doubly bonded compounds

The first dialkyl-substituted silicon-chalcogen doubly bonded compounds [R2Si=X; R2=1,1,4,4-tetrakis(trimethylsilyl)butane-1,4-diyl, X = S (4), Se (5), and Te (6)]were synthesized by the reactions of an isolable dialkylsilylene R2Si: (3) with phosphine sulfide, elemental selenium, and elemental tellurium, respectively. Systematic changes of characteristics of silicon-chalcogen double bonds are elucidated by X-ray analysis, UV-vis spectroscopy, and DFT calculations. In the solid state, the unsaturated silicon atom in 4-6 adopts planar geometry and the extent of the shortening of Si=X double bonds from the corresponding Si-X single bonds decreases in the order 4 > 5 > 6. In the absorption spectra of 4-6, pi -->pi* transition bands are observed distinctly in addition to n -->pi* transition bands. Both the n -->pi* and pi -->pi* transitions are red-shifted in the order 4 < 5 < 6, and the difference between the energies of the two transitions is kept almost constant among 4-6. The tendency is explained using the qualitative perturbation theory and is reproduced by the DFT calculations for model silanechalcogenones. Addition reactions of water, methanol, and isoprene to 4-6 are reported.     

Magnitude and directionality of the interaction energy of the aliphatic CH/pi interaction: significant difference from hydrogen bond

The CCSD(T) level interaction energies of CH/pi complexes at the basis set limit were estimated. The estimated interaction energies of the benzene complexes with CH(4), CH(3)CH(3), CH(2)CH(2), CHCH, CH(3)NH(2), CH(3)OH, CH(3)OCH(3), CH(3)F, CH(3)Cl, CH(3)ClNH(2), CH(3)ClOH, CH(2)Cl(2), CH(2)FCl, CH(2)F(2), CHCl(3), and CH(3)F(3) are -1.45, -1.82, -2.06, -2.83, -1.94, -1.98, -2.06, -2.31, -2.99, -3.57, -3.71, -4.54, -3.88, -3.22, -5.64, and -4.18 kcal/mol, respectively. Dispersion is the major source of attraction, even if substituents are attached to the carbon atom of the C-H bond. The dispersion interaction between benzene and chlorine atoms, which is not the CH/pi interaction, is the cause of the very large interaction energy of the CHCl(3) complex. Activated CH/pi interaction (acetylene and substituted methanes with two or three electron-withdrawing groups) is not very weak. The nature of the activated CH/pi interaction may be similar to the hydrogen bond. On the other hand, the nature of other typical (nonactivated) CH/pi interactions is completely different from that of the hydrogen bond. The typical CH/pi interaction is significantly weaker than the hydrogen bond. Dispersion interaction is mainly responsible for the attraction in the CH/pi interaction, whereas electrostatic interaction is the major source of attraction in the hydrogen bond. The orientation dependence of the interaction energy of the typical CH/pi interaction energy is very small, whereas the hydrogen bond has strong directionality. The weak directionality suggests that the hydrogen atom of the interacting C-H bond is not essential for the attraction and that the typical CH/pi interaction does not play critical roles in determining the molecular orientation in molecular assemblies.     

Direct estimate of the strength of conjugation and hyperconjugation by the energy decomposition analysis method

The intrinsic strength of pi interactions in conjugated and hyperconjugated molecules has been calculated using density functional theory by energy decomposition analysis (EDA) of the interaction energy between the conjugating fragments. The results of the EDA of the trans-polyenes H2C=CH-(HC=CH)n-CH=CH2 (n = 1-3) show that the strength of pi conjugation for each C=C moiety is higher than in trans-1,3-butadiene. The absolute values for the conjugation between Si=Si pi bonds are around two-thirds of the conjugation between C=C bonds but the relative contributions of DeltaE pi to DeltaE orb in the all-silicon systems are higher than in the carbon compounds. The pi conjugation between C=C and C=O or C=NH bonds in H2C=CH--C(H)=O and H2C=CH-C(H)=NH is comparable to the strength of the conjugation between C=C bonds. The pi conjugation in H2C=CH-C(R)=O decreases when R = Me, OH, and NH2 while it increases when R = halogen. The hyperconjugation in ethane is around a quarter as strong as the pi conjugation in ethyne. Very strong hyperconjugation is found in the central C-C bonds in cubylcubane and tetrahedranyltetrahedrane. The hyperconjugation in substituted ethanes X3C-CY3 (X,Y = Me, SiH3, F, Cl) is stronger than in the parent compound particularly when X,Y = SiH3 and Cl. The hyperconjugation in donor-acceptor-substituted ethanes may be very strong; the largest DeltaE pi value was calculated for (SiH3)3C-CCl3 in which the hyperconjugation is stronger than the conjugation in ethene. The breakdown of the hyperconjugation in X3C-CY3 shows that donation of the donor-substituted moiety to the acceptor group is as expected the most important contribution but the reverse interaction is not negligible. The relative strengths of the pi interactions between two C=C double bonds, one C=C double bond and CH3 or CMe3 substituents, and between two CH3 or CMe3 groups, which are separated by one C-C single bond, are in a ratio of 4:2:1. Very strong hyperconjugation is found in HC[triple bond]C-C(SiH3)3 and HC[triple bond]C-CCl3. The extra stabilization of alkenes and alkynes with central multiple bonds over their terminal isomers coming from hyperconjugation is bigger than the total energy difference between the isomeric species. The hyperconjugation in Me-C(R)=O is half as strong as the conjugation in H2C=CH-C(R)=O and shows the same trend for different substituents R. Bond energies and lengths should not be used as indicators of the strength of hyperconjugation because the effect of sigma interactions and electrostatic forces may compensate for the hyperconjugative effect.     

Rational design of substituted N-alkoxypyridine-2(1H)thiones with increased stability against daylight

N-alkoxypyridine-2(1H)thiones serve as valuable photochemical alkoxyl radical precursors in photobiological studies, but due to a broad absorption band at about 360 nm (pi --> pi* excitation), these molecules decompose readily when exposed to daylight. The goal of the present work is to propose N-alkoxypyridine-2(1H)thiones which due to a blue shift of this band become more stable with respect to daylight and consequently are easier to handle. The shift of the pi --> pi* excitation toward shorter wave length shall be achieved by substituents introduced at the pyridine heterocycle. To study the substituent effects, excitations to the first to singlet states were calculated applying the CASPT2 approach and time dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). The study indeed showed that electron rich substituents (like the methoxylgroup) at the positions 3, 4, and 6 of the pyridinethione heterocycle yield the desired hypsochromic shift. A free rotation of the substituent, however, is expected to quench these effects. Fluorine atoms, employed to model the influence of electron withdrawing substituents, induce also a blue shift for a substitution at the 3, 4, and 6 positions. For the multiply fluorinated molecule N-methoxy-3,4,6-trifluorinepyridine-2(1H)thione a blue shift of even 24 nm is predicted. Substituents that can conjugate with the pi electrons of the heterocycle (NO2 served as a model) only induce strong bathochromic shifts on the pi --> pi* excitation energy and therefore are not able to eliminate the daylight sensitivity of the precursor molecules.     

Energy analysis of metal-ligand bonding in transition metal complexes with terminal group-13 diyl ligands (CO)(4)Fe-ER, Fe(EMe)(5) and Ni(EMe)(4) (E = B-Tl; R = Cp, N(SiH(3))(2), Ph, Me) reveals significant pi bonding in homoleptical molecules.

The metal-ligand bonds of the title compounds have been investigated with the help of an energy partitioning analysis at the DFT level. It was found that the attractive orbital interactions between Fe and ER in (CO)(4)Fe-ER arise mainly from Fe <-- ER sigma donation. Only the boron diyl complexes (CO)(4)Fe-BR have significant contributions by Fe --> ER pi back-donation, but the Fe <-- BR sigma-donation remains the dominant orbital interaction term. The relative contributions of Fe-ER sigma donation and pi back-donation are only slightly altered when R changes from a good pi donor to a poor pi donor. Electrostatic forces between the metal fragment and the diyl ligand are always attractive, and they are very strong. They arise from the attraction between the local negative charge concentration at the overall positively charged donor atom E of the Lewis base ER and the positive charge of the iron nucleus. Electrostatic interactions and covalent interactions in (CO)(4)Fe-ER complexes have a similar strength when E is Al--Tl and when R is a good pi donor substituent. The Fe-BR bonds of the boron carbonyldiyl complexes have a significantly higher ionic character than the heavier group-13 analogues. Weak pi donor substituents R enhance the ionic character of the (CO)(4)Fe-ER bond. The metal-ligand bonds in the homoleptic complexes Fe(EMe)(5) and Ni(EMe)(4) have a higher ionic character than in (CO)(4)Fe-ER. The contribution of the TM --> ER pi back-donation to the Delta E(orb) term becomes clearly higher and contributes significantly to the total orbital interactions in the homoleptic complexes where no other pi acceptor ligands are present. The ligand BMe is nearly as strong a pi acceptor in Fe(BMe)(5) as CO is in Fe(CO)(5).     

An alternative way of characterising the bonding in compounds featuring main-group elements and with the potential for multiple bonding: on the dissociation of binary main-group hydrides

Herein the bonding in compounds featuring main-group elements and with the potential for multiple bonding is studied theoretically by examination of their fragmentation into two fragments that still exhibit the same structure as they had in the molecule prior to dissociation. The fragments were calculated both in their electronic ground state and in an excited electronic state, in which the number of unpaired electrons is equal to the maximal number of bonds in the compounds before dissociation. The energies of the fragmentation processes (DeltaE(frag)) can be more directly linked to the bond strengths than the dissociation energies (DeltaE(diss)), because of the absence of any secondary effects like relaxation of the electronic state or of the geometry of the fragments. These relaxation energies of the fragments (DeltaE(frag)) are also studied herein. The energies derived in this work allow for an accurate comparison of the bonding properties in main-group-element hydrides. The trends of the fragmentation and relaxation energies are discussed in detail. It will be shown that the relaxation energies allow for a classification of the bonds ("classical" sigma and pi bonds or donor-acceptor interactions), while the fragmentation energies are good quantitative measures for the total bond strength. Similar calculations are on the way to explore the bonding in systems in which the hydrogen atoms are replaced by organic groups or halogen atoms.     

The electrochemically-driven decomplexation/recomplexation of inclusion adducts of ferrocene derivatives with an electron-accepting receptor

The tetracationic cyclophane, cyclobis(paraquat-4,4'-biphenylene), binds 1,1'-disubstituted ferrocene-based polyethers as a result of (i) [pi...pi] stacking between the pi-electron-deficient bipyridinium units and the pi-electron-rich cyclopentadienyl rings and (ii) [C-H...O] hydrogen bonds between the alpha-bipyridinium hydrogen atoms and the polyether oxygen atoms. However, even the presence of a bulky tetraarylmethane group--which is too large to thread through the cavity of the cyclophane host--at the end of each of the two polyether substituents of the ferrocene-containing guest does not discourage adduct formation of the inclusion type. Thus, in these adducts, the ferrocene unit of the guest is located inside the cavity of the host with its two polyether chains protruding outward from the same side of the host. The alternative pseudorotaxane geometry is not observed in solutions of these 1:1 adducts. The host-guest adducts display absorption bands in the visible spectral region, characteristic of charge-transfer interactions. In the case of one of these adducts, reversible decomplexation/recomplexation takes place upon electrochemical oxidation/reduction of the ferrocene-based unit or upon reduction/oxidation of the tetracationic cyclophane.     

Accounting for the differences in the structures and relative energies of the highly homoatomic np pi-np pi (n > or = 3)-bonded S2I4 2+, the Se-I pi-bonded Se2I4 2+, and their higher-energy isomers by AIM, MO, NBO, and VB methodologies

The bonding in the highly homoatomic np pi-np pi (n > or = 3)-bonded S2I42+ (three sigma + two pi bonds), the Se-I pi-bonded Se2I42+ (four sigma + one pi bonds), and their higher-energy isomers have been studied using modern DFT and ab initio calculations and theoretical analysis methods: atoms in molecules (AIM), molecular orbital (MO), natural bond orbital (NBO), and valence bond (VB) analyses, giving their relative energies, theoretical bond orders, and atomic charges. The aim of this work was to seek theory-based answers to four main questions: (1) Are the previously proposed simple pi*-pi* bonding models valid for S2I42+ and Se2I42+? (2) What accounts for the difference in the structures of S2I42+ and Se2I42+? (3) Why are the classically bonded isolobal P2I4 and As2I4 structures not adopted? (4) Is the high experimentally observed S-S bond order supported by theoretical bond orders, and how does it relate to high bond orders between other heavier main group elements? The AIM analysis confirmed the high bond orders and established that the weak bonds observed in S2I42+ and Se2I42+ are real and the bonding in these cations is covalent in nature. The full MO analysis confirmed that S2I42+ contains three sigma and two pi bonds, that the positive charge is essentially equally distributed over all atoms, that the bonding between S2 and two I2+ units in S2I42+ is best described by two mutually perpendicular 4c2e pi*-pi* bonds, and that in Se2I42+, two SeI2+ moieties are joined by a 6c2e pi*-pi* bond, both in agreement with previously suggested models. The VB treatment provided a complementary approach to MO analysis and provided insight how the formation of the weak bonds affects the other bonds. The NBO analysis and the calculated AIM charges showed that the minimization of the electrostatic repulsion between EI2+ units (E = S, Se) and the delocalization of the positive charge are the main factors that explain why the nonclassical structures are favored for S2I42+ and Se2I42+. The difference in the structures of S2I42+ and Se2I42+ is related to the high strength of the S-S pi bond compared to the weak S-I sigma bond and the additional stabilization from increased delocalization of positive charge in the structure of S2I42+ compared to the structure of Se2I42+. The investigation of the E2X42+ series (E = S, Se, Te; X = Cl, Br, I) revealed that only S2I42+ adopts the highly np pi-np pi (n > or = 3)-bonded structure, while all other dications favor the pi-bonded Se2I42+ structure. Theoretical bond order calculations for S2I42+ confirm the previously presented experimentally based bond orders for S-S (2.1-2.3) and I-I (1.3-1.5) bonds. The S-S bond is determined to have the highest reported S-S bond order in an isolated compound and has a bond order that is either similar to or slightly less than the Si-Si bond order in the proposed triply bonded [(Me3Si)2CH]2(iPr)SiSi triple bond SiSi(iPr)[CH(SiMe3)2]2 depending on the definition of bond orders used.     

Ab initio study of the substituent effects on the relative stability of the E and Z conformers of phenyl esters. Stereoelectronic effects on the reactivity of the carbonyl group

Equilibria between the Z (tau1= 0 degrees) and E (tau1= 180 degrees) conformers of p-substituted phenyl acetates 4 and trifluoroacetates 5 (X = OMe, Me, H, Cl, CN, NO2) were studied by ab initio calculations at the HF/6-31G* and MP2/6-31G* levels of theory. The preference for the Z conformer, DeltaE(HF), was calculated to be 5.36 kcal mol(-1) and 7.50 kcal mol(-1) for phenyl acetate and phenyl trifluoroacetate (i.e., with X = H), respectively. The increasing electron-withdrawing ability of the phenyl substituent X increases the preference of the Z conformer. An excellent correlation with a negative slope was observed for both series between DeltaE of the E-Z equilibrium and the Hammett sigma constant. By using an appropriate isodesmic reaction, it was shown that electron-withdrawing substituents decrease the stability of both conformers, but the effect is higher with the E conformer. Electron-withdrawing phenyl substituents decrease the delocalization of the lone pair of the ether oxygen to the C=O antibonding orbital (nO--> pi*C=O) in both the E and Z forms and in both series studied; this effect is higher in the E conformer than in the Z conformer. The nO --> pi*C=O electron donation has a minimum value with tau1= 90 degrees and a maximum value with tau1= 0 degrees (the Z conformer), the value with tau1= 180 degrees (the E conformer) being between these two values, obviously due to steric hindrance. The effects of the phenyl substituents on the reactivity of the esters studied are discussed in terms of molecular orbital interactions. ED/EW substituents adjust the availability of the pi*C=O antibonding orbital to interact with the lone pair orbital of the attacking nucleophile and therefore affect the reactivity: EW substituents increase and ED substituents decrease it. Excellent correlations were observed between the rate coefficients of nucleophilic acyl substitutions and pi*C=O occupancies of the ester series 4 and 5.     

Experimental and theoretical charge density distribution in two ternary cobalt(III) complexes of aromatic amino acids

The experimental charge density distributions in two optically active isomers of a Co complex have been determined. The complexes are Delta-alpha-[Co(R,R-picchxn)(R-trp)](ClO4)2.H2O) (1) and Lambda-beta1-[Co(R,R-picchxn)(R-trp)](CF3SO3)2) (2), where picchxn is N,N'-bis(2-picolyl-1,2-diaminocyclohexane) and R-trp is the R-tryptophane anion. The molecular geometries of 1 and 2 are distinguished by the presence in complex 1 of intramolecular pi...pi stacking interactions and the presence in complex 2 of intramolecular hydrogen bonding. This pair of isomers therefore serves as an excellent model for studying noncovalent interactions and their effects on structure and electron density and the transferability of electron density properties between closely related molecules. For complex 2, a combination of X-ray and neutron diffraction data created the basis for a X-N charge density refinement. A topological analysis of the resulting density distribution using the atoms in molecules methodology is presented along with d-orbital populations, showing that the metal-ligand bonds are relatively unaltered by the geometry changes between 1 and 2. The experimental density has been supplemented by quantum chemical calculations on the cobalt complex cations: close agreement between theory and experiment is found in all cases. The energetics of the weak interactions are analyzed using both theory and experiment showing excellent quantitative agreement. In particular it is found that both methods correctly predict the stability of 2 over 1. The transferability between isomers of the charge density and derived parameters is investigated and found to be invalid for these structurally related systems.     

Synthesis, structure, and bonding of stable dialkylsilaketenimines

Stable (N-aryl)- and (N-alkyl)dialkylsilaketenimines R2SiCNR' [R = 1,1,4,4-tetrakis(trimethylsilyl)butane-1,4-diyl, R' = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl (2a) and 1-adamantyl (2b)] were synthesized as blue and red crystals by the reactions of isolable dialkylsilylene 3 with 2,6-diisopropylphenyl isocyanide and 1-adamantyl isocyanide. X-ray single-crystal analysis disclosed that molecular structures of 2a and 2b were close to each other and were characterized to be allenic rather than zwitterionic or a silylene-isocyanide complex. The bonding characteristics of silaketenimines are found to be affected strongly by the substituents on silicon and nitrogen atoms. Remarkable red-shift of the pi(Si=C) --> pi*(C=N) band of 2a [lambdamax/nm (epsilon) 647(156)] compared with that of 2b [465 nm (109)] is ascribed to lowering of the pi*(C=N) orbital level due to significant interaction between pi*(C=N) and pi*(N-aryl) orbitals.     

Nature and physical origin of CH/pi interaction: significant difference from conventional hydrogen bonds

Recently reported high-level ab initio calculations and gas phase spectroscopic measurements show that the nature of CH/pi interactions is considerably different from conventional hydrogen bonds, although the CH/pi interactions were often regarded as the weakest class of hydrogen bonds. The major source of attraction in the CH/pi interaction is the dispersion interaction and the electrostatic contribution is small, while the electrostatic interaction is mainly responsible for the attraction in the conventional hydrogen bonds. The nature of the "typical" CH/pi interactions is similar to that of van der Waals interactions, if some exceptional "activated" CH/pi interactions of highly acidic C-H bonds are excluded. Shifts of C-H vibrational frequencies and electronic spectra also support the similarity. The hydrogen bond is important in controlling structures of molecular assemblies, since the hydrogen bond is sufficiently strong and directional due to the large electrostatic contribution. On the other hand, the directionality of the "typical" CH/pi interaction is very weak. Although the "typical" CH/pi interaction is often regarded as an important interaction in controlling the structures of molecular assemblies as in the cases of conventional hydrogen bonds, the importance of the "typical" CH/pi interactions is questionable.     

Oxalate-bridged dinuclear M2 units: dimers of dimers, cyclotetramers, and extended sheets (m = Mo, W, Tc, Ru, and Rh)

The electronic structures of D(4h)-M(2)(O(2)CH)(4) and the oxalate-bridged complexes D(2h)-[(HCO(2))(3)M(2)](2)(mu-O(2)CCO(2)) and D(4h)-[(HCO(2))(2)M(2)](4)(mu-O(2)CCO(2))(4) have been investigated by a symmetry analysis of their MM and oxalate-based frontier orbitals, as well as by electronic structure calculations on the model formate complexes (M = Mo and W {d(4)-d(4)}, Tc, Ru {d(6)-d(6)}, and Rh {d(7)-d(7)}). Significant changes in the ordering, interactions, and electronic occupation of the molecular orbitals (MOs) arise through both the progression from d(4) to d(7) metals and the change from second to third row transition metals. For M = Mo and W, the highest-occupied orbitals are delta based, while the lowest-unoccupied orbitals are oxalate pi based; for M = Tc, the highest-occupied orbitals are an energetically tight delta-based set of MOs, while the lowest-unoccupied orbitals are MM-based pi. For both Ru and Rh, the highest-occupied MOs are the MM pi* and delta*, respectively, while the lowest-unoccupied MOs, in both instances, are MM-based sigma. With the exception of M = Ru, all of the complexes are closed shell. From the progression M(2) --> [M(2)](2) --> [M(2)](4), we can envision the nature of bandlike structures for a 2-dimensional square grid of formula [M(2)(mu-O(2)CCO(2))](infinity). Only for Mo and W oxalates should good electronic communication between MM centers generate a band of significant width to lead to metallic conductivity upon oxidation.     

Comparative studies of geometric and quasielastic characteristics of PP and SS bonds

It is demonstrated that density functional theory in B3PW91/aug-cc-pVTZ formulation provides a reasonable estimate of the geometrical and vibrational parameters of various PP and SS bonds. Calculated quasielastic characteristics of SS bonds, such as relaxed force constants f(SS), are approximately twice as large as f(PP). This means much higher elasticity of the PP bond, compared to the SS bond. From the dependence of the relaxed force constants on the formal bond order, the various PP bonds studied represent single bonds. By contrast, the more than twice as high rigidity of the SS bonds implies multiple SS bonding. Pronounced shortening of the SS bond on passing from less electronegative to more electonegative substituents at the sulfur atoms can be ascribed to the corresponding increase of the SS pi interactions. Essentially single PP bonds are not affected by electronic effects of this kind, which is the reason for the small variability of PP bond lengths in the gas phase. At the same time, intermolecular forces acting in crystals may strongly influence the length of highly elastic PP bonds.     

Multiorbital interactions during Acyl radical addition reactions involving imines and electron-rich olefins

Ab initio and DFT calculations reveal that acyl radicals add to imines and electron-rich olefins through simultaneous SOMO --> pi*, pi --> SOMO, and HOMO --> pi*C=O interactions between the radical and the radicalophile. At the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVDZ//QCISD/cc-pVDZ level, energy barriers of 15.6 and 17.9 kJ mol(-1) are calculated for the attack of the acetyl radical at the carbon and nitrogen ends of methanimine, respectively. These barriers are 17.1 and 20.4 kJ mol(-1) at BHandHLYP/cc-pVDZ. In comparison, barriers of 34.0 and 23.4 kJ mol(-1) are calculated at BHandHLYP/cc-pVDZ for reaction of the acetyl radical at the 1- and 2-positions in aminoethylene, repectively. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis at the BHandHLYP/6-311G** level of theory reveals that SOMO --> pi*imine, pi imine--> SOMO, and LPN --> pi*C=O interactions are worth 90, 278, and 138 kJ mol-1, respectively, in the transition state (2) for reaction of acetyl radical at the nitrogen end of methanimine; similar interactions are observed for the chemistry involving aminoethylene. These multiorbital interactions are responsible for the unusual motion vectors associated with the transition states involved in these reactions. NBO analyses for the remaining systems in this study support the hypothesis that the acetyl radical is ambiphilic in nature.