The photoelectron and microwave spectra of the unstable species thioacetaldehyde,CH3CHS,and thioacetone, (CH3)2CS

Combined photoelectron and microwave techniques have been used to study the unstable species thioacetaldehyde, CH₃CHS, and thioacetone, (CH₃)₂CS. These species are produced when their respective cyclic trimers, 1,3,5-trimethyl s-trithiane and hexamethyl s-trithiane, are pyrolysed. The trimer vapours are flowed at approximately 30 μ Hg pressure via a quartz tube heated to between 500 and 600°C into a photoelectron or microwave spectrometer. Under these low pressure conditions the lifetime of CH₃CHS was about 10 seconds. The lifetime of (CH₃)₂CS was much longer, of the order of several minutes.The first (vertical) ionisation potentials of thioacetaldehyde and thioacetone are 8.98 ± 0.02 eV and 8.60 ± 0.05 eV respectively. The photoelectron spectra of the parent trimers have also been studied as well as s-trithiane, the trimer of thioformaldehyde. The microwave rotational spectra show evidence of hindered internal rotation. Preliminary analyses indicate that in thioacetaldehyde the barrier is 1545 ± 20 cal per mole (6470 joule per mole) and in thioacetone it is 1300 ± 50 cal per mole (5440 joule per mole).     

π* ← n and π* ← π absorption spectra of aminopyrazine

π* ← n and π* ← π absorption spectra of aminopyrazine have been recorded and analysed assuming C_s symmetry for the molecule.     

The far ultraviolet spectrum of thioformaldehyde

The electronic absorption spectrum of thioformaldehyde has been recorded from 2200 to 1800 Å. Four electronic transitions have been identified in the spectrum and have been assigned to the π → π*, n → 4s, n → 4p_y and n → 4p_z electron promotions.     

Electronic absorption spectra of M2L6 compounds containing metal-metal triple bonds of σ2π4 configuration

The electronic absorption spectra of compounds containing metal-metal triple bonds of σ²π⁴ valence electronic configuration are presented and discussed. The lowest-energy transition of M₂L₆ compounds (M = Mo or W, L = CH₂Bu^t or OBu^t) is expected to be the dipole-allowed π → π* (e_u → e_g) transition. This appears to be the case for M₂(CH₂Bu^t)₆ and M₂(OBu^t)₆ compounds, in which the lowest energy absorption bands occur between 26,000 and 28,000 cm⁻¹ (ε = 1.1 x 10³-1.8 x 10³ M⁻¹ cm⁻¹). For M₂(NMe₂)₆ compounds, the lowest energy absorption is not the π → π* transition but is assigned instead to a LMCT transition originating from nitrogen lone-pair orbitals, N_1p → π*, observed at 30,800 cm⁻¹ (ε = 1.4 x 10⁴-1.9 x 10⁴ M⁻¹ cm⁻¹). The π → π* transition is not observed in these compounds, but is presumably masked by the more intense LMCT. These assignments are derived from Xα-SW calculations performed and described by other authors (Bursten et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1980, 102, 4579).     

The electronic absorption spectrum and excited state dipole moment of 3-fluoropyridine

The electronic absorption spectrum of 3-fluoropyridine in the vapour state and in solutions in different solvents in the region 3000-1900 Å has been measured and analysed. Three systems of absorption bands; n→π* transition I, π→π* transition II and π→π* transition III are identified. The oscillator strength of the absorption band systems due to the π→π* transition II and π→π* transition III and the excited state dipole moments associated with these transitions have been determined by the solvent-shift method.     

Electronic structure of benzaldehyde: A comparative study of the lowest excited singlet π* ← π and π* ← n states

VE-PPP, CNDO/2, and CNDO/s-CI methods have been used to investigate the electronic spectrum and structure of benzaldehyde. Electronic charge distributions and bond orders in the ground and lowest excited singlet π* ← π and π* ← n states of the molecule have been studied. The molecule has been shown to be nonplanar in the lowest π* ← n excited singlet state, in agreement with the conclusions drawn from the study of vibrational spectra. Dipole moments in both excited states have been shown to be larger than the ground-state value. Thus, the ambiguity in the experimental result for the π* ← π n excited singlet state dipole moment has been resolved. It has been shown that the n orbital is mainly localized on the CHO group. Furthermore, charge distributions, dipole moments, and molecular geometries are shown to be very different in the excited singlet π* ← π and π* ← n states.     

The intensities of low-energy electronic absorption transitions of some carbonyls and thiocarbonyls

The intensities of low-energy electronic transitions for some carbonyls and thiocarbonyls have been calculated from CNDO wavefunctions.Quite good agreement with experimental results has been obtained, where the latter are available. A satisfactory approximation for calculating intensities employs only one-center integrals. From the calculated trends in oscillator strengths, the absorption of thiophosgene at 4.46 eV can be identified as the π→π* ¹A₁←X?¹A₁ system. Another, very weak, system of thiophosgene at ≈ 3.9 eV is tentatively assigned to an n→π* ¹A₁ ← X?¹ A₁ transition, with the n orbital localized on the chlorine atoms.     

Infra-red and electronic absorption spectra of 2-bromopyrimidine

The electronic absorption spectrum of 2-bromopyrimidine in the u.v. region has been recorded in vapour phase and in solution phase in different solvents. Only one system has been observed in vapour phase and it has been identified as π* ← n transition. In solution phase two systems have been identified. The system on the longer wavelength side has been identified as corresponding to the one observed in vapour phase while the other one has been assigned to a π* ← π transition. The infrared spectrum of this molecule has also been recorded and analysed. Help of these i.r. data has been taken to analyse the u.v. spectrum of 2-bromopyrimidine, considering the molecule as belonging to C_2υ point group.     

π* ← n electronic absorption spectrum of 2,6-dichloropyrazine

The π* ← n electronic absorption system of 2,6-dichloropyrazine, corresponding to the ¹B_3u ← ¹A_1g transition of pyrazine, has been recorded in the vapour phase and in solution in cyclohexane. A vibrational analysis of this system has been proposed and it is shown that vibronic interaction between two excited states of 2,6-dichloropyrazine exists. Another system is observed in the solution spectrum of this molecule in cyclohexane and it is shown to be a π* ← π transition analogous to the ¹B_2u ← ¹A_1g transition in pyrazine.     

Synthesis of [?CH2C(CO2Et)2CH2Ar?]n polymers and their unique optical properties by through‐space interactions between Ar and CO groups

Polymers of type [? CH₂C(CO₂Et)₂CH₂Ar? ]_n (Ar = 1,4‐phenylene, 2,6‐naphthylene, 9,10‐anthrylene, or 1,4‐phenylene‐ethynylene‐1,4‐phenylene) were synthesized by alkylation of diethyl malonate with XCH₂ArCH₂X (X = Cl or Br). These polymers exhibited unexpectedly enhanced UV absorption and strong, broad, bathochromically shifted fluorescence spectra compared with the parent Ar compounds. The origin of these photophysical characteristics was postulated to be a configuration interaction between the π→π* excitation of the aromatic moiety and the n→π* excitation of the carbonyl moiety on the trimethylene tether via intramolecular charge transfer. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Charge transfer molecular complexes of arylidene anthranilic acid derivatives with π-electron acceptors

X-Benzylidenesanthranilic acid molecular complexes with π-acceptors, tetracyanoethylene, 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-p-benzoquinone and chloranil, have been studied. The intramolecular hydrogen bonding that exists in such compounds greatly inhibits the transition of the nitrogen azomethine n-electrons. The formation constant values and molar extinction coefficients of the p-dimethyl-aminobenzylidenean-thranilic acid-DDQ CT complexes have been determined in CH₂Cl₂, C₂H₄Cl₂ and CHCl₃ in the temperature range 10–30°C. Such CT complexes are of strong n-π type.     

An ab initio study of atomic interactions in monosubstituted benzenes

Molecules of monosubstituted benzenes XC₆H₅ (X = F, Cl, Br, OH, NH₂, CH₃, CH₂CH₃) were studied by the RHF/6-311G(d) method with full geometry optimization. Analysis of the molecular orbitals and contributions made to them by atomic orbitals, and also of the populations of the valence p orbitals of atoms in substituents X directly bonded to the aromatic ring showed that the features of the electron distribution in such molecules should not be attributed to the capability of the lone electron pairs of the heteroatoms in these substituents for p,π conjugation with the π-electron system of the molecule.     

Molecular orbital theory of the hydrogen bond. 25. Water–uracil complexes in excited n → π states

Hydrogen bonding of uracil with water in excited n → π* states has been investigated by means of ab initio SCF -CI calculations on uracil and water–uracil complexes. Two low-energy excited states arise from n → π* transitions in uracil. The first is due to excitation of the C₄? O group, while the second is associated with excitation of the C₂? O group. In the first n → π* state, hydrogen bonds at O₄ are broken, so that the open water–uracil dimer at O₄ dissociates. The “wobble” dimer, in which a water molecule is essentially free to move between its position in an open structure at N₃? H and a cyclic structure at N₃? H and O₄ in the ground state, collapses to a different “wobble” dimer at N₃? H and O₂ in the excited state. The third dimer, a “wobble” dimer at N₁? H and O₂, remains intact, but is destabilized relative to the ground state. Although hydrogen bonds at O₂ are broken in the second n → π* state, the three water–uracil dimers remain bound. The “wobble” dimer at N₁? H and O₂ changes to an excited open dimer at N₁? H. The “wobble” dimer at N₃? H and O₄ remains intact, and the open dimer at O₄ is further stabilized upon excitation. Dimer blue shifts of n → π* bands are nearly additive in 2:1 and 3:1 water:uracil structures. The fates of the three 2:1 water:uracil trimers and the 3:1 water:uracil tetramer in the first and second n → π* states are determined by the fates of the corresponding excited dimers in these states.     

Ab initio calculations on urea

Multiconfiguration wave functions constructed from contracted Gaussian-lobe functions have been found for the ground and valence-excited states of urea. ICSCF molecular orbitals of the excited states were used as the parent configurations for the CI calculations except for the ¹A₁(π → π*) state. The ¹A₁(π → π*) state used as its parent configuration an orthogonal linear combination of natural orbitals obtained from the second root of a three-configuration SCF calculation. The lowest excited states are predicted to be the n π → π* and π → π* triplet states. The lowest singlet state is predicted to be the n π → π* state with an energy in good agreement with the one known UV band at 7.2 eV. The π → π* singlet state is predicted to be about 1.9 eV higher, contrary to several previous assignments which assumed the lowest band was a π → π* amide resonance band. The predicted ionization energy of 9.0 eV makes this and higher states autoionizing.     

A DICD (dispersion-induced circular dichroism) and normal absorption study of the n → π* carbonyl transition for the isoelectronic substituent series −CH3, −NH2, −OH

An experimental DICD (dispersion-induced circular dichroism) and parallel normal absorption study of the lowest n → π* transition of the carbonyl chromophore in simple carbonyls of the form R₁R₂CO for the isoelectronic substituent series R_i = −CH₃, −OH and −NH₂ is presented. The results indicate that, contrary to conventional expectations, the energetic position of the transition is progressively shifted to lower energy for the above substituent ordering. The weakness of the absorption bands in acetic acid and urea provides a rationale for why these bands have not been previously reported. The results suggest that the relative shift is ascribable to resonance (through space) coupling between the substituent and the carbonyl π-system.     

Bonding in the ground state and excited states of copper-alkene complexes

The ground state and ¹B₂ excited state of Cu(C₂H₄)⁺ and of CuX(C₂H₄) (X  F, Cl) have been investigated by the Hartree-Fock-Slater (HFS) method. The main metal-ligand interactions in the ground state are ethene π → Cu 4s donation and Cu 3d_π → ethene π^* backdonation, which have comparable contributions to the metal-ligand bond strength. The excitation of CuX(C₂H₄) does not involve an alkene π → metal charge transfer (LMCT), but instead is metal 3d → alkene π^* charge transfer (MLCT) in character. The implications for the photochemistry of olefin-copper(I) complexes are discussed.     

π* ← π systems in the electronic absorption spectra of some trisubstituted benzenes

The electronic absorption spectra of 2,3-, 2,4-, 2,5- and 3,4-difluorobenzaldehyde in the UV region in vapour have been recorded on medium quartz and Hilger Large Quartz Spectrographs, and on a Hitachi U-3200 UV—vis spectrophotometer and analyzed. All the molecules investigated have exhibited two π* ← π band systems corresponding to ¹B_2u ← ¹A_1g (λ 2600 Å) and ¹B_1u ← ₁A_1g (λ 2100 Å) systems of benzene.     

The Importance of Ligand-Induced Backdonation in the Stabilization of Square Planar d10 Nickel π-Complexes

The electronic nature of Ni π-complexes is underexplored even though these complexes have been widely postulated as intermediates in organometallic chemistry. Herein, the geometric and electronic structure of a series of nickel π-complexes, Ni(dtbpe)(X) (dtbpe=1,2-bis(di-tert-butyl)phosphinoethane; X=alkene or carbonyl containing π-ligands), is probed using a combination of ³¹P NMR, Ni K-edge XAS, Ni K_β XES, and DFT calculations. These complexes are best described as square planar d¹⁰ complexes with π-backbonding acting as the dominant contributor to M−L bonding to the π-ligand. The degree of backbonding correlates with ²J_PP from NMR and the energy of the Ni 1s→4p_z pre-edge in the Ni K-edge XAS data, and is determined by the energy of the π*_ip ligand acceptor orbital. Thus, unactivated olefinic ligands tend to be poor π-acids whereas ketones, aldehydes, and esters allow for greater backbonding. However, backbonding is still significant even in cases in which metal contributions are minor. In such cases, backbonding is dominated by charge donation from the diphosphine, which allows for strong backdonation, although the metal centre retains a formal d¹⁰ electronic configuration. This ligand-induced backbonding can be formally described as a 3-centre-4-electron (3c-4e) interaction, in which the nickel centre mediates charge transfer from the phosphine σ-donors to the π*_ip ligand acceptor orbital. The implications of this bonding motif are described with respect to both structure and reactivity.     

Infrared and electronic absorption spectra of some trisubstituted benzenes

The electronic absorption spectra of 2,3-, 2,4-, 2,5-, 2,6- and 3,4-difluorobenzonitriles, 3,4-difluoroaniline and 3,4-difluoroanisole in the ultraviolet region in vapour phase have been recorded on medium quartz and Hilger large quartz spectrographs and on a Hitachi model 150-20 UV-VIS ratio recording spectrophotometer. All the molecules investigated have exhibited two π* ← π band systems corresponding to ¹B_2u ← ¹A_1g (λ2600 Å) and ¹B_1u ← ¹A_1g (λ2100 Å) systems of benzene. The infrared absorption spectra of all the molecules studied have also been recorded and analysed. These infrared data have been taken to help analyse the u.v. spectra of the molecules studied.     

Electronic absorption spectra of 5- and 6- fluoroindoles

The electronic absorption spectra of 5-and 6-fluoroindoles, corresponding to the λ2850 Å system of indole, have been recorded in the vapour phase and analysed, assuming C_s symmetry for the molecules. The observed band system in both the molecules which lies in the region λ3100–2680 Å has been identified as a π* ← π transition corresponding to a ¹A′ ← ¹A′ transition. The i.r. spectra of these molecules have also been recorded and analysed and the results are used in the analyses of the electronic spectra. These show that there is not much change in the shape and very little change in size of either of these molecules in the excited electronic states.