Accurate thermochemistry from quantum chemical calculations?

The answer to the title question is definitely “yes” – at least for fairly small molecules. Computational procedures, namely the Weizmann (Wn) and Gaussian-3 (G3) family of methods, the complete basis set extrapolation scheme (CBS-x), the “high accuracy extrapolated ab initio thermochemistry” (HEAT) as well as the “correlation consistent composite approach” (ccCA), aimed at energies with chemical accuracy or even better (sub kJ?mol^?1) are described and several applications illustrating the level of accuracy that can be achieved are presented.     

Electronic structure of hydantoin studied by He I photoelectron spectroscopy and MNDO quantum—chemical calculations

The He I photoelectron spectra of hydantoin, 1-methyl-hydantoin, 3-methylhydantoin and 1,3-dimethylhydantoin are reported. Displacement of the bands upon the N-methylsubstitution indicates that HOMO and the third highest occupied MO are localized on the nitrogen atoms, the former on the amidic nitrogen and the latter on the imidic one. The second and the fourth highest occupied MO's are oxygen lone pairs. The MNDO method provides the same picture.     

Crystal structures of layered zirconium pentafluorides of methylammonium,glycinium, and β-alanine

For the first time, new hybrid organic-inorganic layered zirconium pentafluorides of methylammonium, glycinium, and β-alanine with the composition (CH₃NH₃)ZrF₅·0.5H₂O, (H₃NCH₂COOH)ZrF₅·2H₂O, and (H₃N(CH₂)₂COOH)ZrF₅ are synthesized and their structures are analyzed. In the studied compounds, CN of the Zr atom is 8, and its coordination polyhedron represents a dodecahedron sharing its 6 vertex with three neighboring Zr polyhedra. The Zr dodecahedra are joined with each other in planar netlike anion layers of the composition _∞²[ZrF₅]⁻. The anion layers are hydrogen bonded into a three-dimensional structure by H₂O cations and molecules.     

Synthesis of β3-amino acid and peptides from D-ribose

Synthesis of new β³-amino acid, peptides and conformational analysis are reported from d-ribose, using Wittig olefination and Aza-Michael addition.     

Host-guest complex of nabumetone: β-cyclodextrin: quantum chemical study and QTAIM analysis

The aim of the present work is the investigation of the inclusion complex of nabumetone (NAB) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) using PM3, DFT, DFT-D and ONIOM2 methods. The results indicate that the most energetically favorable structure predicts a preference of the methoxy group to enter the cavity of β-CD from its wide rim. Consequently, the butanone moiety is positioned outside the cavity on the side of the secondary hydroxyls, with a total insertion of naphthalene group. The semi-empirical PM3 results are in good agreement with those obtained by the DFT optimization (with and without dispersion correction). The donor–acceptor interactions between drug and the cavity wall of the host, studied on the basis of natural bonding orbital (NBO) analysis, show the presence of weak intermolecular hydrogen bonds in addition to the most important van der Waals interactions. Furthermore, it is revealed that among the DFT and DFT-D techniques selected to quantify these interactions, WB97X-D functional provides the greatest values of stabilization energies E⁽²⁾. Finally, a detailed topological charge density analysis based on the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), developed by Bader and co-workers, has been accomplished using the WB97X-D and B3LYP methods on the most favorable complexes. A good correlation between the structural parameters and the electronic density is found.     

A study of the structure and energy of β-diketonates. XVIII. Molecular structure of chromium and cobalt tris-acetylacetonates according to quantum chemical calculations and gas electron diffraction

The molecular structure of chromium and cobalt tris-acetylacetonates is studied by the synchronous electron diffraction and mass spectrometric experiment and quantum chemically. It is found that molecules have the D ₃ symmetry with internuclear distances r _h1(Cr-O) = 1.960(4) Å r _h1(Co-O) = 1.893(4) Å. Quantum chemical calculations by the DFT methods with different basis sets yield a structure well consistent with that found in the experiment. Changes in the structural parameters of chromium and cobalt β-diketonate complexes whose ligands differ in ?CH₃, ?C(CH₃)₃, ?CF₃ substituents are considered.     

Synthesis of novel β2,2-amino acid from D-mannose and attempted synthesis of peptides from the amino acid

The study describes the synthesis of new α,α-disubstituted β-amino acid (β^2,2-Caa) and attempts the synthesis of peptides from it. The β^2,2-Caa was prepared from D-(+)-mannose, using crossed aldol and Cannizzaro reactions.     

Structure and energy of formation of β- and γ-cyclodextrin complexes with amino acid enantiomers

The interaction between cyclodextrins (CyD), β-CyD, and γ-CyD, and the L- and D-optical isomers of several amino acids (Ala, Leu, His, Phe) are calculated using DFT. It is found that the L-forms of the investigated amino acids bond more strongly to CyD, due to the different numbers of hydrogen bonds that form. The structures of the resulting complexes are analyzed.     

Elucidating the intermolecular hydrogen bonding interaction of proline with amides—quantum chemical calculations

Structural Chemistry - The hydrogen-bonded complexes formed between proline and amides have been investigated completely by the use of computational methods such as Atoms In Molecules (AIM),...     

More user-friendly phosphines? Molecular structure of methylphosphine and its adduct with borane, studied by gas-phase electron diffraction and quantum chemical calculations

The molecular structures of methylphosphine (CH(3)PH(2)) and methylphosphine-borane (CH(3)PH(2).BH(3)) have been determined from gas-phase electron diffraction data and rotational constants, employing the SARACEN method. The experimental geometric parameters generally showed a good agreement with those obtained using ab initio calculations and previous microwave spectroscopy studies. In order to assess the accuracy of the calculated structures a range of ab initio methods were used, including the CCSD(T) method, with correlation-consistent basis sets. The structural environment around the phosphorus atom was found to change significantly upon complexation with borane, with the P-C bond length shortening and the bond angles widening.     

β-Technetium trichloride: formation, structure, and first-principles calculations

A second polymorph of technetium trichloride, β-TcCl(3), has been identified from the reaction between Tc metal and Cl(2) gas. The structure of β-TcCl(3) consists of infinite layers of edge-sharing octahedra, similar to its MoCl(3) and RuCl(3) analogues. The Tc-Tc distance [2.861(3) ?] between adjacent octahedra is indicative of metal-metal bonding. Earlier theoretical work predicted that β-TcCl(3) is less stable than α-TcCl(3). In agreement with the prediction, β-TcCl(3) slowly transforms into α-TcCl(3) (Tc(3)Cl(9)) over 16 days at 280 °C.     

Use of alumina for elimination of sulfinic acid from β-aryl- and β-alkylsulfonyl carbonyl compounds.

Title compounds give α-unsaturated carbonyl compounds by treatment with basic alumina in dichloromethane or diethylether. α-Enones are thus obtained in high yield at room temperature.     

Silicon- and tin-directed oxidative decarboxylation: regioselective formation of olefins from β-silyl and β-stannyl carboxylic acids

Oxidative decarboxylation of β-silyl and β-stannyl carboxylic acids with lead tetraacetate (LTA) can be controlled by the silyl and stannyl functions to give the corresponding olefins under the mild conditions.     

Inclusion of α-lipoic acid in β-cyclodextrin. Physical–chemical and structural characterization

The inclusion of α-lipoic acid (LA) in β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) by increasing the aqueous solubility and photostability can enhance its medicinal use in the oral administration. Different preparation methods were employed to obtain an α-lipoic acid-β-cyclodextrin (LA-β-CD) inclusion complex and to determine the physical–chemical characteristics and the interactions present in this compound. The formation of the solid inclusion compound was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). FTIR and DSC data confirm the new obtained compound. The crystalline structure of this compound belongs to the monoclinic system with four molecules in the unit cell. ¹H NMR spectroscopic method was employed to study the inclusion process in aqueous solution. Job plots derived from the ¹H NMR spectral data demonstrated an 1:1 stoichiometry of the inclusion complex in liquid state. 2D NMR data suggest the orientation of LA with the carboxyl group near to narrower rim of the β-CD.     

Vibrational spectra of α-glucose, β-glucose, and sucrose: anharmonic calculations and experiment

The anharmonic vibrational spectra of α-D-glucose, β-D-glucose, and sucrose are computed by the vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF) method, using potential energy surfaces from electronic structure theory, for the lowest energy conformers that correspond to the gas phase and to the crystalline phase, respectively. The results are compared with ultraviolet-infrared (UV-IR) spectra of phenyl β-D-glucopyranoside in a molecular beam, with literature results for sugars in matrices and with new experimental data for the crystalline state. Car-Parrinello dynamics simulations are also used to study temperature effects on the spectra of α-D-glucose and β-D-glucose and to predict their vibrational spectra at 50, 150, and 300 K. The effects of temperature on the spectral features are analyzed and compared with results of the VSCF calculations conducted at 0 K. The main results include: (i) new potential surfaces, constructed from Hartree-Fock, adjusted to fit harmonic frequencies from M?ller-Plesset (MP2) calculations, that give very good agreement with gas phase, matrix, and solid state spectra; (ii) computed infrared spectra of the crystalline solid of α-glucose, which are substantially improved by including mimic groups that represent the effect of the solid environment on the sugar; and (iii) identification of a small number of combination-mode transitions, which are predicted to be strong enough for experimental observation. The results are used to assess the role of anharmonic effects in the spectra of the sugars in isolation and in the solid state and to discuss the spectroscopic accuracy of potentials from different electronic structure methods.     

Synthesis and tribological investigation of 4-vinyl guaiacol–based thioether derivatives as multifunctional additives and their interactions with the tribo surface using quantum chemical calculations

Novel 4-vinyl guaiacol based thioether derivatives were synthesized in a three-step reaction procedure by thiol-ene coupling as the key step. The synthesized compounds were characterised by spectroscopic techniques and evaluated for their tribological and antioxidant properties in two different base oils namely epoxy2-ethylhexyl esters of karanja fatty acids (EKE) and dioctyl sebacate (DOS). It was found that the synthesized products were exhibited superior antioxidant performance compared to butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). All the three synthesized additives were improved the tribological properties of the base oil EKE and DOS. Dithio derivative at 0.75 wt% reduced the wear scar diameter by 36% and at 1 wt% improved the weld point by 33% of base oil EKE. Surface and elemental analysis result suggests that in the tribochemical process the synthesized thioether derivatives decompose and form an effective tribofilms on interacting surfaces. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) of the surface lubricated with base oil containing DMFD was evidence for the formation of tribofilm with FeS, FeSO₄ and Fe₂O₃. The antiwear behaviour of the additives was well correlated with quantum chemical calculations. Overall the dithio derivative is more effective as antiwear, extreme pressure and antioxidant bio lubricant additive than other thioether derivatives.     

How strong can the bend be on a DNA helix from cisplatin? DFT and MP2 quantum chemical calculations of cisplatin-bridged DNA purine bases

The B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory was used for the optimization of [Pt(NH(3))(4)](2+), [Pt(NH(3))(3)(H(2)O)](2+), cis-[Pt(NH(3))(2)(H(2)O)(2)](2+), and related platinum complexes. In addition, water or ammonium ligands were replaced by DNA purine bases so that finally cis-diammineplatinum with two bases (Pt-bridged complexes) is obtained. Single point calculations using the MP2/6-31+G(d) method were performed on the obtained reference geometries and were utilized for estimating bond dissociation energies (BDEs) and stabilization energies, and for electron density analyses. After reoptimization, IR spectra were determined from HF second derivatives. It was found that replacement of both water and ammonium by the DNA base is an exothermic process (20-50 kcal/mol depending on the ligands present in the complex). Asymmetric structures with one interbase H-bond were obtained for cis-diammine[bond](N(7),N(7)'-diadenine)[bond]platinum and mixed cis-diammine[bond](N(7)-adenine)[bond](N(7)-guanine)[bond]platinum complexes. In the case of the diguanine Pt-bridge, a symmetrical complex with two ammonium...O(6) H-bonds was found. The higher stabilization energy of the di-guanine complex is linked to a larger component of the Coulombic interaction. However, the BDE of Pt[bond]N(7)(G) is smaller in this complex than the BDE of Pt[bond]N(7)(G) from the mixed Pt[bond]AG complex. Also, steric repulsion of the ligands is about 10 kcal/mol smaller for the asymmetrical Pt[bond]AA and Pt[bond]AG bridges. The influence of the trans effect on DBE can be clearly seen. Adenine exhibits the largest trans effect, followed by guanine, ammonium, and water. The strength of the H-bond can be determined from the IR spectra. The strongest H-bond is the interbase H-bridge between adenine and guanine in the mixed Pt[bond]AG complex; otherwise, the H-bonds of adenine complexes are weaker than in guanine complexes. BDE can be traced in the guanine-containing complexes. The nature of the covalent bonding is analyzed in terms of partial charges and MO. A general explanation of the lower affinity of transition metals to oxygen than nitrogen can be partially seen in the less favorable geometrical orientation of lone electron pairs of oxygen.     

New approach to exclusive formation of both enantiomers of β-amino acid derivatives

A highly selective two-step approach to chiral β-amino esters via the hydride reductive amination of chiral allenes is reported. β-Enamino esters were obtained from the nucleophilic addition of amines to 2,3-allenoates bearing a chiral auxiliary. The reduction of the (1R)-(−)-10-phenylsulfonylisobornyl β-enamino esters gave the corresponding β-amino esters with S configuration whereas the reduction of the (1S)-(+)-10-phenylsulfonylisobornyl β-enamino esters led to β-amino esters with R configuration. The rationalization of the observed selectivity was supported by semi-empirical molecular orbital calculations (PM3).