Theoretical refinements of theendo and theexo structures of tetraborane(8) carbonyl

The molecular structures of theendo (1a) andexo (1b) isomers of B₄H₈CO have been optimized at the ab initio MP2(Full)/6-31G^* level of theory. The agreement of the computed geometrical parameters with the recently published electron-diffraction (GED) data is very good, even though a number of geometrical constraints were applied in the experimental determination. The IGLO (individual gauge for localized orbitals)¹¹B NMR chemical shifts, calculated at the II//MP2/6-31G^* level, are also in accord with experiment. The formation of1a and1b by association of B₄H₈ and CO is computed to be exothermic by 22.8 and 22.2 kcal/mol, respectively, at the MP2(Full)/6-31G^*//MP2(Full)/6-31G^* + ZPE(6-31G^*) level of theory. The Lewis acid strength of B₄H₈ toward CO is comparable to that of BH₃.     

Hydration of the carboxylate group: Anab initio molecular orbital study of acetate-water complexes

The hydration of the carboxylate group in the acetate anion has been investigated by performingab initio molecular orbital calculations on selected conformers of complexes with the form CH₃CO₂ ^– ·nH₂O·mH₂O, wheren andm denote the number of water molecules in the first and second hydration spheres around the carboxylate group, andn + m 7. The results of RHF/6–31G^* optimizations for all the complexes and MP2/6–31+G^** optimizations for several one-water complexes are reported. The primary consequence of hydration on the structure of the acetate anion is a decrease in the length of the C-C bond. Enthalpy and free energy changes calculated at the MP2/6–31+G^** and MP2/6–311+ +G^** levels are reported for the reactions CH₃CO₂ ^– + [H₂O] _P CH₃CO₂ ^– ·nH₂O ·mH₂O where [H₂O] _P is a water cluster containingp water molecules andp=n+m 7. The calculations show that conformers with the lowest enthalpy change on complex formation are often not those with the lowest free energy change, due to a greater entropic loss in complexes with tighter and more favorable enthalpic interactions. Hydrogen bonding of six water molecules directly to the carboxylate group in CH₃CO₂ ^– is found to account for approximately 40% of the enthalpy change and 37% of the free energy change associated with bulk solvation.     

Unimolecular rearrangement of α-silylcarbenium ions. An ab initio study

The unimolecular rearrangements of hydrogen, methyl and phenyl groups at the Si atom in α-silylcarbenium ions have been investigated using an ab initio molecular orbital method. MP2/6–31 + G^*//HF/6–31G^* calculations predict that all three groups migrate from the Si to an adjacent C_α with no energy barrier. Thus, the silicenium ion is the only stable species in each potential energy surface. The conformation of the benzylsilicenium ion, (C₆H₅)CH₂−SiH₂⁺, indicates that the phenyl ring is significantly bent toward the silyl cationic center in order to interact with the vacant 3p(Si⁺) orbital. In contrast to MP2 results, Hartree-Fuck calculations (both HF/3–21G^* and HF/6–31G^* levels) predict small energy barriers for 1,2-migrations of H and Me (1.4 kcal mol⁻¹ for H migration, and 1.5 kcal mol⁻¹ for Me migration, respectively, at the HF/6–31G^* level). This difference provides convincing evidence that the incorporation of electron correlation is of particular importance in describing the potential energy surface for the rearrangement of α-silylcarbenium ions to silicenium ions. The results of the calculations have also been applied to the possible rearrangement mechanism of α-chlorosilanes to chlorosilanes, assuming that the experimental conditions are favorable toward the generation of ionic species. Various factors which may govern the migratory aptitudes of various R groups, i.e. (1) activation energies, (2) overall reaction energies and (3) the conformational preference of reactants have been investigated. The calculated activation energy obtained, namely the energy for the generation of the silicenium ion and the C⁻¹ ion from an α-chlorosilane, is consistent with the experimental migratory aptitude in the gas phase observed in mass spectrometers.     

Reexamination of the C2H4F potential surface. the status of the classical 2-fluoroethyl cation: a local minimum or transition structure?

According to ab initio molecular orbital calculations carried out with full geometry optimization at the MP2/6–31G^** level, the classical 2-fluoroethyl cation, FCH₂CH₂⁺, is a transition structure for H-scrambling in CH₃CHF⁺. Single point MP4/6–31G^** calculations at the optimized geometries predict the cyclic ethylene fluoronium ion to lie 24.2 kcal mol⁻¹ above CH₃CHF⁺ and 5.4 kcal mol⁻¹ below the 2-fluoroethyl cation. ΔG‡ for ring opening of the cyclic fluoronium ion at -60° is estimated to be ca 15 kcal mol⁻¹. This barrier is largely attributable to the powerful negative fluorine hyperconjugation in the transition state as described by Hoffmann and coworkers. When electron correlation effects are ignored a qualitatively different potential surface is obtained on which the 2-fluoroethyl cation is calculated to be a local minimum separated from the stable 1-fluoroethyl cation by an H-bridged transition state.     

Pathways of the reactions of nucleophilic addition of H2O and HF molecules to formaldehyde in the gas phase and in the complex with formic acid:ab initio calculations

The gradient pathways of the reactions of nucleophilic addition of H₂O and HF molecules to formaldehyde in the gas phase and in the XH…H₂CO…HC(O)OH complex (X=OH, F) were calculated by theab initio RHF/6-31G^**, MP2(fc)/6-31G^**, and MP2(full)/6-311++G^** methods. Both reactions proceed concertedly. The formation of H-bonded bimolecular pre-reaction complexes is the initial stage of the gas-phase reactions; at the same time, no indications of the formation of stable π-complexes were found on the potential energy surfaces of systems under study. The calculated energy barriers to the gasphase reactions exceed 40 kcal mol⁻¹, while those to reactions in the complex XH…H₂CO…HC(O)OH (X=OH, F) become more than halved. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2146–2154, November, 1998.     

Transfer Reactions of Rydberg (Quasi-Rydberg Molecular) Electrons in Condensed Media: IV. Large Proton Displacements upon Phosphorescence Quenching via Highly Excited Triplet States T* of Substituted Aromatic Solute Molecules in Solutions at 77 K

Intramolecular phosphorescence quenching via states T* in aromatic solute molecules containing N–H (diphenylamine (DPA) or carbazole), O–H (naphthol), etc. bonds was observed in methylcyclohexane at 77 K. The quantum yield of quenching measured for DPA increases with increasing the energy of the T* state. As in the case of external electron acceptors, the quenching and photodissociation are associated with the capture of excited * electrons onto polarized bonds N–H⁺, O–H⁺and with the formation of triplet complexes (for example, Ph₂N···H*, where H* is the excited hydrogen atom). The complexes can be deactivated via configurations with large proton displacement distances (Ph₂N^–···H⁺).     

CF22+ and CF2+, two unusually stable dications with carbon-fluorine double bonding

Ab initio calculations at MP2/6·31G^*//MP2/6·31G^* level of theory predict that CF₂²⁺ and CF²⁺ are very stable dications which in spite of strong Coulomb repulsion contain carbon-fluorine double bonding.     

Theoretical studies of the benzene oxide—oxepin valence tautomerism

We have calculated the geometry and energy of the valence tautomers benzene oxide and oxepin using the semiempirical AM1 model and the 6–31G and 6–31G^* basis sets utilizing full geometry optimization. In the oxide the folding angle, the angle between the epoxide ring and the adjacent plane containing four carbon atoms, is about 106°. The carbon skeleton is almost planar, the folding angle, the angle between the two four-carbon atom planes being about 175°. In contrast, oxepin is found to have a marked boat-shaped structure with the corresponding and angles about 137° and 159°, respectively. The AM1, 6–31G, and 6–31G^* calculations give –11.4, –10.8, and –2.9 kcal mol^–1 for the energy change that accompanies the valence tautomerism, oxide-oxepin, compared to an experimental value of about +0.3 kcal mol^–1. Single point calculations of the energies at the 6–31 G^* geometry using Møller-Plesset perturbation theory to second order (MP2/6–31 G^*) and third order (MP3/6–31G^*) give E _T =+3.3 and +0.8 kcal mol^–1. The values for the energy change in the transfer of epoxide oxygen from ethylene oxide to benzene using AM1, 6–31G, and 6–31G^* are in good agreement, viz., +31.1, +34.5, and +33.6 kcal mol^–1, respectively. A large positive energy change is to be expected in view of the loss of benzene aromaticity.     

The aromatic diboracyclopropenyl (diboriranyl) anion; CB2H3 −: An ab initio study

The most stable structure of CB₂H₃ ^–, as established computationally, is the aromatic diboracyclopropenyl (diboriranyl) anion (5), while open-chainC _2v, isomer H₂BCBH (7) is only 3 kcal/mol higher in energy at the QCISD(T)/6-311 +G^**//MP2/6-31+G^*+ZPE (HF/6-31 +G^*). The 47-kcal/mol barrier between cyclic,5, and open-chain,7, structures suggests that both of them may be observed. The aromatic stabilization energy of the diboriranyl anion (18 kcal/mol) is half the value in the isoelectronic cyclopropenium ion, C₃H₃ ⁺. The computed, by IGLO method (5a), and experimental (6a) chemical shifts,(¹³C) and(¹¹B), agree within 4 ppm range. The theoretical vibrational frequencies of the most stable isomers,5 and7, are presented for experimental verification of these species.     

A study by pulse radiolysis of the radiation-chemical transformation of aqueous solutions of hydrazine in the presence of oxygen

It is shown by pulse radiolysis that in aqueous solutions of hydrazine containing oxygen the radical N₂H₃ reduces oxygen to O₂ ^– at pH > 7 (k 3·10⁹ dm³· mole^–1·sec^–1), while this reaction does not occur for the protonated form N₂H₄ ⁺ at pH < 7 (k, 5·10⁶ dm³·mole^–1·sec^–1). The rate constants for the disappearance of O₂ ^– have been determined in the pH range from 4 to 12. Rate constants have been calculated for the reaction of O^– with N₂H₄ [k=(1.6 ±0.2)·10⁹ dm³·mole^–1·sec^–1] and of O₃with N₂H₄ [k=(1.2 ±0.2)·10⁶ dm³· mole^–1·sec^–1].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 341–345, February, 1991.     

Pulse radiolysis studies of the quenching processes of Xe* excited atoms

The time resolved fluorescence of Xe ₂ ^* excimers in pure xenon and Xe-M (M=H₂,N₂,N₂O,CO₂) mixtures has been observed. The formation rate constant of Xe ₂ ^* , k₂=(1.1±0.1)·10^–30 cm⁶/s and the lifetime of the excimer precursors, ₀(100 ± 40) ns were evaluated. The quenching rate coefficients of Xe(6p) states by M have been found to be in the range of (0.5–1.3)·10^–9 cm³/s. The basic parameters and operating characteristics of the newly constructed pulse radiolysis set up based on SINUS-5 electron accelerator are also presented.     

Ab initio quantum-chemical calculations of interactions of ions and hydrides of alkali metals with C3H6 and C4H8 molecules

Calculations of the C₃H₆ · LiH, C₄H₈ · M⁺, and C₄H₈ · MH systems and of C₂H₂ · MH complexes (M = Li or Na) were carried out by the unrestricted Hartree-Fock-Roothaan (UHF) method with partial optimization of the geometry using fixed geometric parameters of the C₃H₆ and C₄H₈ molecules. The standard 3-21G and 6-31G* basis sets were used. Unlike the C₃H₆ · LiH structure, the C₄H₈ · M⁺ and C₄H₈ · MH systems are typical complexes. It was found that the C₄H₈ · M⁺, C₄H₈ · MH, and C₂H₂ · MH complexes are similar in coordination of M⁺ ions and MH molecules by carbon atoms in spite of considerable differences in the interatomic distances (–1 A) between these atoms in the C₄H₈ and C₂H₂ molecules. The heats of formation (Q), which were calculated in the UHF/6-31G* approximation and using second- and fourth-order Möller-Plesset perturbation theory taking into account the electron correlation energy in the MP2/6-31G*. MP4(SDQ)/6-31G*, and MP4(SDTQ)/6-31G* approximations, satisfy the following relationships: Q(C₂H₃ · MH) < Q(C₄H₈ · MH) < Q(C₄H₈ · M⁺). It was observed that in going from Li to Na the corresponding values of Q tend to decrease.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya. No. 7, pp. 1636–1640, July, 1996.     

Structure and stability of closo-hexaboranes and their heteroanalogs

The molecular and electronic structures of closo-hexaboranes B₆H₆ ^2–, B₆H₇ ^–, and B₆H₈ and closo-heterohexaboranes XYB₄H₄ (X = Y = CH, N; X = BH, Y = CH^–, N^–, NH, O) were studed by the ab initio (MP2(full)/6-311+G**) and density functional (B3LYP/6-311+G**) methods. The bridging H atoms in closo-hexaboranes B₆H₇ ^– and B₆H₈ can undergo facile low-barrier migrations around the boron cage (the barrier heights are about 10—15 kcal mol^–1). All heteroboranes having octahedron-like structures with hypercoordinated N and O atoms are rather stable and can be the subject of synthetic research efforts.     

Interaction between a Decahydro-closo-Decaborate(2–) Anion and Aliphatic Carboxylic Acids

Interaction between a closo-decaborate anion B₁₀H^2– ₁₀and carboxylic acids RCOOH (R = H, CH₃, C₂H₅, iso-C₃H₇, C₄H₉) is studied. The mono-, di- tri- and tetrasubstituted products B₁₀H_{10 – n} (OCOR)^2– _n are formed in sequence with the temperature growth. The reaction follows an essentially regioselective mechanism: only one of all possible isomers forms at every stage of the process. The respective hydroxy-closo-decaborates B₁₀H_{10 – n} (OH)^2– _n were prepared by alkaline hydrolysis in aqueous and nonaqueous solutions. All the compounds were identified by chemical analysis and ¹¹B NMR and IR spectroscopy. The crystal structure of [Pb(Bipy)(DMF)(B₁₀H₉OH)] · DMF was determined by X-ray diffraction.     

Ab initio investigation of the diels-alder reaction between 2H-phosphole and phosphaethene: A model for phosphole dimerization

All four possible Diels-Alder reactions between 2H-phosphole and phosphaethene were examined at various theoretical levels, including HF, MP4SDQ, CCSD(T), and CASSCF. MP2/6-31G^* geometry optimizations could not be employed since the potential energy surface is qualitatively incorrect at this level of theory, due to the inherent underestimation of the activation energies (ameliorated at higher-order MP or coupled-cluster levels). Solvent effects were examined employing the Onsager, polarized continuum, and isodensity and surface polarized continuum models. At MP4SDQ/6-31G^*//HF/6-31G^* these reactions are exothermic by 34–38 kcal mol⁻¹ and have very low activation energies, 5–7 kcal mol⁻¹. The P P/C C regioisomer products are lower in energy than the C P isomers and, within each pair, the exo isomer is lower in energy. At low computational levels the smallest activation energy is for the reaction leading to the C P endo product. Larger basis sets, electron correlation, and solvent favor the transition state leading to the experimentally observed P P/C P endo isomer. The dimerization of phosphole is, therefore, kinetically controlled. Based on geometric and electron density analysis, the reactions are concerted and synchronous. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

An Ab Initio Study of the Relative Stabilities and Molecular Structures of 3-Substituted 2,5-Dihydrofurans and 4-Substituted 2,3-Dihydrofurans

The geometry optimized structures and total energies of 3-substituted (R) 2,5-dihydrofurans (a) and their isomers, 4-substituted 2,3-dihydrofurans (b), have been determined by ab initio calculations at the MP2/6-31G^*//HF/6-31G^* level. The nature of the moiety R has a marked effect on the relative total energies of the isomeric forms: at the calculation level cited, the reaction enthalpies for the a b isomerization range from +4.7 kJ mol^–1 for R = MeO to –30.5 kJ mol^–1 for both R = COOMe and R = NO₂. The reaction enthalpies appear to be controlled by the electronic effect of R on the strength of p- conjugation in b. The a isomer has a planar ring, independent of R (excluding NH₂), whereas the planarity of b depends on the electronic nature of R: the 2,3-dihydrofuran ring is planar for both R = COOMe and R = NO₂, but nonplanar for less conjugation-enhancing substituents.     

Studies on synthesis, characterization and thermochemistry of Mg2[B2O4(OH)2]·H2O

A new magnesium borate Mg₂[B₂O₄(OH)₂]·H₂O has been synthesized by the method of phase transformation of double salt at hydrothermal condition and characterized by XRD, IR, TG and DSC. The enthalpy of solution of Mg₂[B₂O₄(OH)₂]·H₂O in 0.9764 mol L^–1 HCl was determined. With the incorporation of the enthalpies of solution of H₃BO₃ in HCl (aq), of MgO in (HCl+H₃BO₃) (aq), and the standard molar enthalpies of formation of MgO(s), H₃BO₃(s), and H₂O(l), the standard molar enthalpy of formation of –(3185.78±1.91) kJ mol^–1 of Mg₂[B₂O₄(OH)₂]·H₂O was obtained.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Empirical force field and ab initio calculations on allyl cations

Allyl cation geometries optimized using an extended version of MMP2, newly parameterized for localized and delocalized classical cations, compare favorably with those obtained at the MP2(full) /6–31G^* level. Hence, the force field should provide good starting structures for ab initio calculations. The π-electron densities obtained by these two very different methods are quite similar. The relative energies of various isomers at MP4/6–31G^*//MP2(full)/6–31G^* are reproduced well by the force-field calculations. The heats of formation calculated by MMP2, as well as those predicted from the ab initio data, agree with experimentally determined values. The force-field method provides interpretive capabilities. Energy differences between isomers can be separated into electronic and steric contributions, reasonable estimates of resonance energies are given, and nonbonded resonance energies in delocalized cations can be evaluated. The stabilizing 1–3 π-interactions in allyl cations are quite significant, but are reduced by alkyl groups hyperconjugatively and sterically. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Specifics of Interaction of Acetone Molecules with Quasi-free Electrons: Analysis of Positron Annihilation Characteristics in Aqueous and Alcoholic Acetone Solutions

The yields of formation of radiolytic hydrogen (H₂) and orthopositronium (o-Ps) in aqueous and alcoholic acetone solutions were experimentally determined. A decrease in the o-Ps yield with an increase in the acetone concentration is much weaker than the decline in the yield of solvated electrons (e^– _s) under picosecond pulse radiolysis conditions. In contrast, the decrease in the o-Ps yield is minimal in higher alcohols where the inhibiting action of acetone e^– _s is most pronounced. These findings seem to contradict the conventional concepts of Ps formation via the intratrack reaction of positron recombination with a track electron (e^–), which competes with the reaction of e^– scavenging by dissolved acetone molecules. This contradiction can be eliminated, assuming that the scavenging of e^– by acetone begins from the formation of the weakly bound transient state (CH₃)₂CO···e^– capable of donating e^– to a positron. This opens up an additional pathway for the formation of the Ps atom.     

Die Möglichkeiten der Anwendung der Wechselstrompolarographie auf die Messung der Geschwindigkeitskonstanten

Zusammenfassung Die Wechselstrompolarographie ist für die Messung der Geschwindigkeitskonstanten der Elektrodenprozesse im Bereich von 5·10^–3–5·10^–2 cm sec^–1 anwendbar. Das bestätigen auch die Ergebnisse, die für ein Modellsystem erhalten wurden. Experimentell wurde die Anwendbarkeit der Methode am Redoxsystem [CrCl₂(H₂O)₄]⁺–[CrCl₂(H₂O)₄] in sauren 4–9n-LiCl-Lösungen nachgeprüft, und zwar durch den Vergleich der Resultate mit den Ergebnissen der Messungen derFaraday-impedanz und der Methode der überlagerten Spannung.

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Application of alternating current polarography for the measurement of rate constants

The method of alternating current polarography is known to be applicable to the measurement of rate constants of electrode reactions within the range of 5·10^–3 to 5·10^–2 cm sec^–1. This follows also from the results obtained with model systems. The applicability of the method has been studied in the redox-system [CrCl₂(H₂O)₄]⁺–[CrCl₂(H₂O)₄] in acid solutions of 4N to 9N LiCl. The results were compared with those obtained by measuring the faradaic impedance and with the results of the method of periodically changed rectangular voltage.

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