Quantum-chemical estimates of geometric parameters of free radicals

Experimental geometries of the HCO^· and H₂CO^·+ -electron radicals were compared with those obtained from calculations with the total energy optimization carried out in the framework of widely used ab initio and semiempirical computational procedures. For each structural form of the radicals, the magnetic resonance parameters calculated in the MNDO approximation were correlated with experimental values determined by ESR spectroscopy. Comparative analysis of the results obtained indicates the possibility of systematic correction of the optimized geometric parameters of free radicals using the results of ESR measurements. A simple computational procedure for automatic geometry correction in the MNDO approximation is developed and evaluated.     

Evaluation of MNDO approximation in quantum-chemical calculations of anisotropic hyperfine coupling tensors in free radicals

The MNDO approximation was tested for applicability in quantum-chemical calculations of anisotropic hyperfine coupling tensors using the same set of 17 free radicals as that used previously in evaluating a new procedure for quantum-chemical estimates of constants of isotropic hyperfine coupling with protons in the framework of the same approach. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2242–2247, December, 1999.     

An analysis of predictions by the semi-empirical MNDO molecular orbital method for some aspects of molecular energetics

Calculations using the MNDO HE molecular-orbital method predict that NH₄, PH₄ and H₃S are stable free radicals, and that local minima exist for H₃O and H₂Cl. The tendency of MNDO to overestimate the stability of such systems is traced to its neglect of overlap integrals. Results for H⁺₂ (both ground and excited states) support this conclusion. Stable radicals with formulas BeH₃ and BH₄ are also predicted. Analysis of hydrocarbon thermochemistry indicates that MNDO fails to predict the correct sign for the relative magnitude of bond interactions, whereas ab initio calculations give the correct sign and approximately the correct magnitude. Finally, it is shown that the apparent superiority of MNDO over ab initio MO calculations in predicting molecular energetics is illusory when the methods are compared on the same basis.     

Extension of the MNDO formalism tod orbitals: Integral approximations and preliminary numerical results

Summary The point charge model for calculating the two-center two-electron integrals in MNDO and related methods is extended tod orbitals. It is suggested to expand these integrals in terms of semiempirical multipole-multipole interactions where all monopoles, dipoles and quadrupoles are included, and all higher multipoles are neglected. The proposed scheme has been implemented, and numerical results for the integrals are reported. A preliminary MNDO parametrization for chlorine indicates that the inclusion ofd orbitals improves the results significantly, compared with the original MNDO and related methods.     

Automatic Quantum-Chemical Procedure for Correction of Optimized Spatial Structures of Free Radical Systems Based on Their Experimental Magnetic Resonance Parameters

The structural parameters of a test set of free radicals optimized by standard ab initio (UHF/6-31G**) and DFT (UB3LYP/6-31G**) procedures and in MNDO approximation are compared with each other and with experimental data. The possibility of quantum-chemical correction of the spatial structures of free radical systems after their optimization using semiempirical schemes is discussed. An automatic correction procedure is proposed and tested based on the requirement that optimal coincidence must be achieved between the magnetic resonance parameters calculated by a quantum-chemical procedure and the experimental parameters. Analysis of the results allowed us to formulate the criterion of applicability for the proposed procedure.     

Electron donor-acceptor complexes: Evaluation of MNDO as a computational tool to probe intermolecular interactions

Donor-acceptor pairs form EDA complexes that exist as conformational isomers exhibiting different ground-state and photochemical properties. We have sought a rapid, general, and accurate quantum mechanical computational method to generate potential energy surfaces that are representative of the donor-acceptor intermolecular interactions at the self-consistent field (SCF) level. The semiempirical molecular orbital (MO) method MNDO has been compared to ab initio methods to assess its behavior with respect to energy, dipole moment and ionization potential shifts. MNDO correctly distinguishes between repulsive and bound EDA complex states at the SCF level and produces potential curves that are smooth and free of spurious minima or cusps. MNDO curves are systematically more repulsive than those for ab initio STO-3G calculations; calculated interaction energies exhibit a mean absolute deviation of 2.90 kcal/mol. MNDO appears to provide a reliable qualitative estimate of the nondispersion portion of the interaction energy. Limitations and errors arising from minimal basis sets, single determinants, and neglect of dispersion are discussed.     

Quantum-chemical study of 4- and 8-element-substituted tetrahydro-sym-indacenes

Energies, geometries, and electronic structures of structural isomers of 4,4,8,8-tetramethyl-4,8-disila-3a,4,4a,8-tetrahydro-sym-indacene as well as some transition states for the intramolecular metallotropic rearrangements of these compounds were calculated using the semiempirical quantum-chemical INDO and MNDO methods. The applicability of the MINDO/3, INDO, and MNDO methods for describing ^l-silyl derivatives of cyclopentadienes was tested on model compounds R₃SiC₅H₅, where R is Me or H.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 859–865, May, 1993.     

Spatial Configuration of Derivatives of 5,5a,6,7-Tetrahydropyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole and 6,7-Dihydro-5aH-pyrido[1,2-b]benzoxazole

The spatial configurations of 7,9-diphenyl-5a,6-tetramethylene-5,5a,6,7-tetrahydropyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole and 7,9-diphenyl-5a,6-tetramethylene-2,5a,6,7-tetrahydropyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazol-2-one have been established by X-ray crystallography. Analogous configurations are proposed for a series of other derivatives of 5,5a,6,7-tetrahydropyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazoles and some derivatives of 6,7-dihydro-5aH-pyrido[1,2-b]benzoxazoles on the basis of ¹H NMR spectroscopic data and the results of quantum chemical calculations using the MNDO, AM1, and PM3 methods.     

Calculation of energies of excited states using MNDO

The energies of the lowest singlet (S₁) and triplet (T₁) states of 28 molecules have been calculated by the “half-electron” (MNDO -HE ) and spin-unrestricted (UMNDO ) versions of MNDO . While most of the calculated values are too negative, because of overestimation of the correlation energy in MNDO -HE and UMNDO , the errors are systematic and depend in an understandable way on the nature of the molecular orbitals (MO S) involved. When appropriate corrections are applied, the calculated energies agree with experiment almost as well as they do for ground states. This justifies the use of MNDO -HE or UMNDO for studies of excited state processes.     

A theoretical study of the decomposition of halogenated alkoxy radicals. II. Fluorine extrusion

The extrusion of a fluorine atom from alkoxy radicals is analyzed theoretically and compared with experiment. Although the MNDO/CI method gives qualitatively correct information about the nature of the wavefunction, the MNDO method with or without CI is inadequate to describe the dissociation reaction path, presumably due to parameterization problems. On the contrary, ab initio SCF coupled with extended CI seems to correctly mimic the barrier for fluorine extrusion. Using modified Marcus theory in conjunction with the ab initio results for CH₂FO, we evaluate the barriers for the other radicals investigated.     

Stereochemistry of the coupling step in photo-S_(RN) 1 reaction

The photo-S_(RN) 1 reaction of (+)-camphor and aryl halides was investigated in order toestimate the stereochemistry of the coupling step of aryl radicals with a nucleophile. The ratio of endo toexo products determined by ~1H NMR and CD spectra was found to be 99:1. MNDO calculationsof the orbital parameters showed a favorable one-sided overlap of the enolate ion with the SOMO of arylradical. In addition, fragmentation of (ArX)~- was found to be related to the energy of SOMO of(ArX)~-.     

An examination of intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bonding in biomolecules by AM1 and MNDO/M semiempirical molecular orbital studies

The recent NMDO/M modification and parameterization of the MNDO molecular orbital method has been used to analyze intermolecular hydrogen bonding between amino acids and water, and intramolecular hydrogen bonding in monosaccharides. The results have been compared to AM1 calculations on the same systems. The MNDO/M calculations gave values which were similar to ab initio calculations with respect to the intermolecular interactions, but yielded significantly poorer results for the intramolecular interactions. The AM1 procedure performed better on the intramolecular interactions than the MNDO/M procedure, but frequently provided unfavorable three-centered hydrogen bonding geometries for the intermolecular interactions.     

Chemiluminescence in the thermal decomposition of di(tert-butyl) trioxide

Intense chemiluminescence (CL) in the visible and IR regions arising during the thermal decomposition of di(tert-butyl) trioxide has been observed. The decomposition rate constants have been determined. The emitter of CL in the IR region is singlet oxygen, that of CL in the visible region is triplet excited acetone. Kinetic and spectral data and thermochemical and MNDO calculations point to a homolytic mechanism of decomposition. The formation of the CL emitters occurs in the reactions of radicals that arise upon the decay of di(tert-butyl) trioxide.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 12, pp. 2056–2059, December, 1993.     

Relation of the decay of free radicals in irradiated polyethylene to the molecular motion of the polymer and the configurations of the free radicals

Decay reactions of the free radicals produced in irradiated polyethylene (high-density and low-density materials) were examined in connection with the molecular motion of the matrix polymer. Three temperature regions, in which the free radicals decay very rapidly, at around 120, 200, and 250°K, were designated T_A, T_L, and T_B, respectively. The decay of the free radicals at these temperatures had activation energies in high-density polyethylene of 0.4 kcal/mole for T_A, 9.4 kcal/mole for T_L, and 18.4 kcal/mole for T_B. In low-density polyethylene these quantities were 0.7 kcal/mole for T_A, 23.1 kcal/mole for T_L, and 24.8 kcal/mole for T_B. Comparison of time constants for the decay reactions and for molecular motion of the matrix polymer indicate that the decay in T_A and T_B is closely related to molecular motion in the amorphous regions of the polymer. The decay of the free radicals at T_L in high-density polyethylene is due to molecular motion associated with local mode relaxation at lamellar surfaces, while that of low-density polyethylene is due to local mode relaxation in the completely amorphous region. Steric configurations of the free radicals which decay in the respective temperature regions were also investigated.     

Calculation of coulomb integrals in molecules over an spd basis of STO

A spherical tensor expansion of 1/r ₁₂ (where r ₁₂ is the separation considered) is used to represent Coulomb integrals in a molecular context for an MNDO method over an spd basis of STO. This is rendered invariant of the space fixed axes chosen using Wigner rotation matrices which transform the integrals from the molecular frame (as distinct from Dewar [1])-This procedure is found to be rigorous only in the long range limit but is satisfactory at separations of the order of most single bond lengths (as Dewar [1]). The pole at R _ab=0 is avoided by adding a constant to the separation, which takes the value that reproduces the Slater-Condon monocentric integrals there. Extension over the whole range is carried out using a unique multiplicative polynomial from the Legendre function expansion of 1/(R _ab ² +A ²) for small R _ab and an exponential decay in R _ab is dictated by symmetry in the overlap region expression, which retains rotational invariance.This calculation results in an easy evaluation of these functions and their first derivatives leading to a very rapid molecular geometry optimisation taking the d-orbitals into account in an MNDO hypothesis.Unité Associée au CNRS no 510 Interactions Moléculaires     

A quantum-chemical study of 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octaazanaphthalene and itsN-oxides

Calculations of hypothetical molecules of octaazanaphthalene and itsN-oxides were performed by the MNDO method with full geometry optimization. Probable decomposition reactions of these compounds were considered. Compounds with more pronounced alternation of charges on adjacent atoms were shown to be more thermodynamically favorable and thermally stable. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 879–881, May, 1999.     

Radiation chemistry of polybutadiene and butadiene-styrene block copolymers. II. Kinetics and mechanisms of free-radical decay reactions

The decay of free radicals produced in polybutadiene, polystyrene, and block copolymers of butadiene and styrene by γ irradiation at 77 K has been studied at ?110°C in the case of polybutadiene and at ?95°C for the other samples. The free-radical decay rate is best interpreted in terms of an equation based on a second-order decay mechanism of a fraction of the free radicals decaying in the presence of other nondecaying free radicals. Hydrogen gas accelerates the free-radical decay. Increase of radiation dose increases the fraction of the radicals that decay, while increase of the fraction of styrene segments decreases the decaying fraction. In pure polybutadiene the higher the cis content, the greater fraction of decaying free radicals, but the second-order decay constant is less in the high-cis-content polybutadiene and is also less at the higher dose, probably owing to the hindrance of the radiation-produced crosslinks on the free-radical decay. The decrease of the second-order constant with increase of dose is also true for all the block copolymers studied.     

Reactions of poly(methyl methacrylate) radicals with some <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-quinones in the presence of tri-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-butylboron in methyl methacrylate polymerization

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by dicyclohexyl peroxydicarbonate at 30 °C was studied in the presence of tri-n-butylboron and a series of quinones, namely, p-benzoquinone, chloranil, and 2,5-di-tert-butyl-p-benzoquinone, whose concentration changed from 0.25 to 2.00 mol.%. The initial polymerization rate and molecular weight of poly(methyl methacrylate) depend on the structure and concentration of quinone. The growth radicals react with p-benzoquinone and chloranil predominantly at the C=C bond, while they react at the C=O bond of 2,5-di-tert-butyl-p-benzoquinone. The terminal stable oxygen-centered radicals that formed react with alkylborane, terminating reaction chains and generating alkyl radicals into the bulk. The latter are involved in chain initiation.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 2114–2119, October, 2004.     

Hydrazyl,Nitronyl-, and imino-nitroxides: Synthesis,properties and reaction with nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide

Ten novel and stable free radicals of nitronyl-, imino-nitroxide and hydrazyl type compounds were synthesized and their physico-chemical properties investigated. UV-Vis and ESR spectroscopic data, as well as the lipophilicities and specific hydrophobic areas of the compounds are compiled. The reaction of these radical compounds with nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide was also investigated. The radicals synthesized, show selectivity in their reaction with these nitric oxides, depending on their structure (nitronyl-nitroxide radicals react with NO, while hydrazyl radicals react with NO₂). The processes are easily monitored by UV-Vis or ESR spectroscopy.     

Configurations of the free radicals in irradiated polypropylene and the relation of their decay reactions to the molecular motion

Free radicals produced in irradiated polypropylene were studied by the electron spin resonance method. Two temperature regions in which the free radicals decay rapidly were found at around 170°K. and 260°K. The first temperature region corresponds to the γ-dispersion of polypropylene and the second to the β-dispersion. Steric configurations of the free radicals were investigated, and it was concluded that the free radicals trapped in polymer, conformation of which is appreciably twisted from the stable 3₁-helical structure, decay with small-scale motion of the matrix polymer. The decay of free radicals trapped in polymer of less twisted conformation is associated with the large-scale motion of the matrix polymer. Activation energies of decay were found to be 11 kcal./mole at the lower temperature and 48 kcal./mole at the higher temperature. Time constants of the decay reactions were compared with those for molecular motion of the matrix, with results reflecting the relations of the decay of the polymer radicals to molecular motion in the matrix.