Vibrational study of intermolecular hydrogen bonds in dichloroanilines

The stretching infrared bands of the amine groups associated by intermolecular hydrogen bonding in solid polyethylene solution have been identified at 140 cm⁻¹ in 3,4 dichloaniline and at 176 and 215 cm⁻¹ in 2,6 dichloroaniline. That assignment has been carried out using medium- and far-infrared spectroscopy and some theoretical considerations.     

A new method for quick predicting the strength of intermolecular hydrogen bonds

A new method is proposed to quick predict the strength of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The method is employed to produce the hydrogen-bonding potential energy curves of twenty-nine hydrogen-bonded dimers. The calculation results show that the hydrogen-bonding potential energy curves obtained from this method are in good agreement with those obtained from MP2/6-31+G** calculations by including the BSSE correction, which demonstrate that the method proposed in this work can be used to calculate the hydrogen-bonding interactions in peptides. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants Nos. 20573049 and 20633050) and the research fund of the Educational Department of Liaoning Province (2004C019, 20060469)     

Interplay between hydrogen bond formation and multicenter pi-electron delocalization: intermolecular hydrogen bonds

The interplay between aromatic electron delocalization and intermolecular hydrogen bonding is thoroughly investigated using multicenter delocalization analysis. The effect on the hydrogen bond strength of aromatic electron delocalization within the acceptor and donor molecules is determined by means of the interaction energies between monomers, calculated at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. This magnitude is compared to variations of multicenter electron delocalization indices and covalent hydrogen bond indices, which are shown to correlate perfectly with the relative values of the interaction energies for the different complexes studied. The multicenter electron delocalization indices and covalent bond indices have been computed using the quantum theory of atoms in molecules approach. All the hydrogen bonds are formed with oxygen as the acceptor atom; however, the atom bonded to the donor hydrogen has been either oxygen or nitrogen. The water-water complex is taken as reference, where the donor and acceptor molecular environments are modified by substituting the hydrogens and the hydroxyl group by phenol, furan, and pyrrole aromatic rings. The results here shown match perfectly with the qualitative expectations derived from the resonance model.     

Spectroscopic study of hydrogen exchange processes and structure of intermediate complexes with intermolecular hydrogen bonds

The kinetics of hydrogen exchange in molecular systems with H-bonds has been studied by means of kinetic IR spectroscopy and low-temperature NMR spectroscopy. The experimental values of the rate constants and activation energies for molecules capable of forming H-bonds as both proton donors and proton acceptor are collected and analyzed from the point of view of the influence of H-bond formation ability of the molecules-partners. The evidence available testifies to a molecular mechanism of the H-exchange reactions in inert solvents and in the gas phase via the formation of cyclic bimolecular intermediates. The different mechanisms and the structure of intermediate complex of molecular H-exchange process in inert media are discussed and the possible paths of experimental elucidation of reaction mechanism are offered.     

Influence of intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the enzyme-catalyzed regioselective acylation of quinic and shikimic acid derivatives

Selective mono-functionalization of 3-epi, 4-epi-, and 5-epi quinic and shikimic acid derivatives has been accomplished by enzymatic acylation with Candida antarctica lipase A (CAL-A). We propose that the selectivity of this lipase is related to both the inherent receptor selectivity and the degree of intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the ligand. Conformational analysis of the hydroxyl protons has been carried out by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. We have shown that exchange of the hydroxyl protons by acid catalysis provides a useful method for the detection of intramolecular hydrogen bonds. The interpretation of exchange rates and coupling constants determines the direction of the H-bonds as conditioned by the relative acceptor and donor properties of the hydroxyl groups. The selectivity of the acylation agrees fully with the effectiveness of H-bonding networks in polyol compounds and with the higher reactivity of the equatorial hydroxyl groups.     

Charge-assisted intramolecular hydrogen bonds in disubstituted cyclohexane derivatives

In this paper, the N(+)-H···N, N(+)-H···O, and O-H···O(-) charge-assisted intramolecular hydrogen bonds (CAHBs) are investigated using different theoretical approaches. Monocharged cyclohexyldiamines (CHDA), aminocyclohexanols (ACHO), and cyclohexanediols (CHDO) are used as model compounds. Geometry optimizations at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level are used to find the equilibrium structures for all possible H-bonded conformers. CAHBs are characterized geometrically and spectroscopically, and their energy is evaluated by means of homodesmic reactions. By comparison with the neutral forms, the presence of the charge is found to have a deep influence on the geometric and energetic H-bond parameters. In addition, these parameters are strongly dependent on the type of the groups involved as well as on their relative position in the cyclohexyl ring. For the systems under study, the H-bond energies vary from -23 to -113 kJ mol(-1), being classified from moderate to strong H-bonds. These H-bonds are also characterized by the application of the NBO and AIM theories. NBO analysis reveals that the energy corresponding to the charge transfer between the lone-pairs of the electron donor group and the antibonding orbitals of the acceptor group represents an important contribution in the H-bond stabilization. From the application of the AIM theory it is possible to see that these H-bonds possess some covalence which varies according to the type and relative position of the intervenient groups.     

Selective gas-phase oxidation of pyridine derivatives with hydrogen peroxide

The interfering kinetics of the synchronous reactions of hydrogen peroxide decomposition and the oxidation of pyridine derivatives have been studied experimentally. The regions of the selective oxidation of the pyridine derivatives have been found, and the optimal conditions for the production of 4-vinylpyridine, 4-vinylpyridine N-monoxide, 2,2-dipyridyl, and pyridine have been determined. The most probable synchronization mechanism is suggested for hydrogen peroxide decomposition and the free-radical chain oxidation of pyridine derivatives. The HO ₂ ^· radical plays the key role in this mechanism. The activation energies are calculated for the elementary steps of 4-ethylpyridine dehydrogenation.     

Supramolecular self-assembly of new thiourea derivatives directed by intermolecular hydrogen bonds and weak interactions: crystal structures and Hirshfeld surface analysis

Research on Chemical Intermediates - We synthesized and characterized a series of four closely related thiourea derivatives (1–4) obtained by reaction of 4-R-benzoyl chloride (R: H, Cl, CH3,...     

Direct evaluation of individual hydrogen bond energy in situ in intra- and intermolecular multiple hydrogen bonds system

The results of evaluating the individual hydrogen bond (H-bond) strength are expected to be helpful for the rational design of new strategies for molecular recognition or supramolecular assemblies. Unfortunately, there is few obvious and unambiguous means of evaluating the energy of a single H-bond within a multiple H-bonds system. We present a local analytic model, ABEEMσπ H-bond energy (HBE) model based on ab initio calculations (MP2) as benchmark, to directly and rapidly evaluate the individual HBE in situ in inter- and intramolecular multiple H-bonds system. This model describes the HBE as the sum of electrostatic and van der Waals (vdW) interactions which all depend upon the geometry and environment, and the ambient environment of H-bond in the model is accounted fairly. Thus, it can fairly consider the cooperative effect and secondary effect. The application range of ABEEMσπ HBE model is rather wide. This work has discussed the individual H-bond in DNA base pair and protein peptide dimers. The results indicate that the interactions among donor H atom, acceptor atom as well as those atoms connected to them with 1,2 or 1,3 relationships are all important for evaluating the HBE, although the interaction between the donor H atom and the acceptor atom is large. Furthermore, our model quantitatively indicates the polarization ability of N, O, and S in a new style, and gives the percentage of the polarization effect in HBE, which can not be given by fixed partial charge force field.     

Subtly tuning intermolecular hydrogen bonds in hybrid crystals to achieve ultrahigh-temperature molecular ferroelastic

Molecular-based ferroic phase-transition materials have attracted increasing attention in the past decades due to their promising potential as sensors, switches, and memory. One of the long-term challenges in the development of molecular-based ferroic materials is determining how to promote the ferroic phase-transition temperature (T_c). Herein, we present two new hexagonal molecular perovskites, (nortropinonium)[CdCl₃] (1) and (nortropinium)[CdCl₃] (2), to demonstrate a simple design principle for obtaining ultrahigh-T_c ferroelastic phase transitions. They consist of same host inorganic chains but subtly different guest organic cations featuring a rigid carbonyl and a flexible hydroxyl group in 1 and 2, respectively. With stronger hydrogen bonds involving the carbonyl but a relatively lower decomposition temperature (T_d, 480 K), 1 does not exhibit a crystalline phase transition before its decomposition. The hydroxyl group subtly changes the balance of intermolecular interactions in 2via reducing the attractive hydrogen bonds but increasing the repulsive interactions between adjacent organic cations, which finally endows 2 with an enhanced thermal stability (T_d = 570 K) and three structural phase transitions, including two ferroelastic phase transitions at ultrahigh T_c values of 463 K and 495 K, respectively. This finding provides important clues to judiciously tuning the intermolecular interactions in hybrid crystals for developing high-T_c ferroic materials.

Two new hexagonal molecular perovskites with the same inorganic chain but subtly different organic cations exhibit distinct phase-transition behaviours owing to the different intermolecular interactions.     

Intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds in ethylene glycol,monoethanolamine, and ethylenediamine

The structures of ethylene glycol, aminoethanol, ethylenediamine, and their dimers with the formation of hydrogen bonds of different types are optimized by density functional theory (DFT) using hybrid functional B3LYP in the basis of 6-31++G(d,p), 6-311++G(2d,2p) and aug-CC-pVTZ. Energies of interactions, hydrogen bond parameters, and oscillation frequency are calculated, and NBO analysis is performed. The types of hydrogen bonds formed in dimers of 1,2-disubstituted ethanes X-CH₂-CH₂-Y (X, Y = OH, NH₂) are established.     

Asymmetry induction by cooperative intermolecular hydrogen bonds in surface-anchored layers of achiral molecules.

The mesoscale induction of two-dimensional supramolecular chirality (formation of 2D organic domains with a single handedness) was achieved by self-assembly of 1,2,4-benzenetricarboxylic (trimellitic) acid on a Cu(100) surface at elevated temperatures. The combination of spectroscopic [X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS)], real-space-probe [scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)], and computational [density functional theory (DFT)] methods allows a comprehensive characterization of the obtained organic adlayers, where details of molecular adsorption geometry, intermolecular coupling, and surface chemical bonding are elucidated. The trimellitic acid species, comprising three functional carboxylic groups, form distinct stable mirror-symmetric hydrogen-bonded domains. The chiral ordering is associated with conformational restriction in the domains: molecules anchor to the substrate with an ortho carboxylate group, providing two para carboxylic acid moieties for collective lateral interweaving through H bonding, which induces a specific tilt of the molecular plane. The ease of molecular symmetry switching in domain formation makes homochiral-signature propagation solely limited by the terrace width. The molecular layer modifies the morphology of the underlying copper substrate and induces mum-sized strictly homochiral terraces.     

Photochemistry of pyruvic acid is governed by photo-induced intermolecular electron transfer through hydrogen bonds

Despite more than 85 years of research, the mechanism behind the photodecarboxylation of pyruvic acid remains elusive. Most studies focused on the gas and liquid phase of diluted solutions of pyruvic acid to understand the impact of sun light on the degradation of this molecule in the atmosphere. By analyzing concentrated supercooled solutions at 77 K, we demonstrate that instead of decarboxylating, the pyruvic acid molecule plays the role of electron donor and transfers an electron to an acceptor molecule that subsequently degrades to form CO₂. We show that this electron transfer occurs via hydrogen bonding and that in aqueous solutions of pyruvic acid, the hydrated form is the electron acceptor. These findings demonstrate that photo-induced electron transfer via hydrogen bonding can occur between two simple carboxylic acids and that this mechanism governs the photochemistry of pyruvic acid, providing unexplored alternative pathways for the decarboxylation of photo-inactive molecules.

When supercooled pyruvic acid is photo-irradiated, a radical detectable by ESR forms following the transfer of an electron from a molecule in its keto form to a molecule in its hydrated form. The latter subsequently degrades to CO₂ and acetic acid.     

Influence of intramolecular hydrogen bonds on the tautomeric equilibrium of 1,3-diketones

The paper deals with a quantitative characterization of the influence of multiple intramolecular hydrogen bonds on the tautomeric equilibrium of 1,3-diketones by means of NMR-spectroscopy. The contents of the keto- and two enol forms of 1-(o-hydroxyphenyl) -1,3-butandione and 1-(o-methoxyphenyl)-1,3-butandione in tetrachloromethane, deuterochloroforme, acetone-d₆ and acetonitrile-d₃ are compared.The intramolecular hydrogen bond between the phenolic hydroxyl group and the aromatic carbonyl group in 1-(o-hydroxyphenyl)-1,3-butandione shifts are keto-enol equilibrium toward the keto-tautomer and enol-enol equilibrium toward the tautomer with an enolized aliphatic carbonyl group.     

An ab initio study on boundaries for characterizing cooperative effect of hydrogen bonds by intermolecular compression

The cooperative effect plays a significant role in understanding the intermolecular donor-acceptor interactions of hydrogen bonds (H-bonds, D-H···A). Here, using the coupled-cluster singles and doubles with perturbative triple excitations (CCSD(T)) method of high-precision ab initio calculations, we show that the intermolecular H-bonded systems with different D and A atoms reproduce the structural changes predicted by the well-known cooperative effect upon intermolecular compression. That is, with decreasing intermolecular distance, the D-H bond length first increases and then decreases, while the H···A distance decreases. On the contrary, when D and A are the same, as the intermolecular distance decreases, the D-H bond length decreases without increasing. This obvious difference means that the cooperative effect may not be generally characterized by intermolecular compression. Interestingly, further analyses of many intermolecular systems confirm that this failure has boundaries, i.e., cooperative systems at their respective equilibrium positions have a smaller core-valence bifurcation (CVB) index (<0.022) and stronger binding energies (>0.25 eV), showing a clear linear inverse relationship related to H-bond strength. These findings provide an important reference for the comprehensive understanding of H-bonds and its calculation methods.