Quantum Spin Dynamics in Molecular Magnets

Summary.  The detailed theoretical understanding of quantum spin dynamics in various molecular magnets is an important step on the roadway to technological applications of these systems. Quantum effects in both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic molecular clusters are, by now, theoretically well understood. Ferromagnetic molecular clusters allow one to study the interplay of incoherent quantum tunneling and thermally activated transitions between states with different spin orientation. The Berry phase oscillations found in Fe₈ are signatures of the quantum mechanical interference of different tunneling paths. Antiferromagnetic molecular clusters are promising candidates for the observation of coherent quantum tunneling on the mesoscopic scale. Although challenging, application of molecular magnetic clusters for data storage and quantum data processing are within experimental reach already with present day technology. Corresponding author. E-mail: Daniel.Loss@unibas.ch Received May 7, 2002; accepted May 22, 2002     

Multiple Quantum Transitions Induced by Irradiating Single Quantum Coherence in a Heteronuclear Spin System

In a heteronuclear spin system, with initially prepared single quantum (SQ) coherence of X-spin, the irradiation of the proton spins will induce all the possible transitions including those SQs and multiple quanta (MQs) available in the system to be studied. The MQs appear in a rather weak irradiation while a strong irradiation results in a complete decoupling situation. Theoretical analysis is made to explain this phenomenon and is agreed qualitatively with experiments in the CH₂ group. This phenomenon of MQ induction may happen in a decoupling experiment, when the effective irradiation strength is rather weak and it may also provide a convenient approach to create and then to manipulate MQ coherences in heteronuclear spin systems.     

Quantum mechanical studies on model α‐pleated sheets

Pauling and Corey proposed a pleated‐sheet configuration, now called α‐sheet, as one of the protein secondary structures in addition to α‐helix and β‐sheet. Recently, it has been suggested that α‐sheet is a common feature of amyloidogenic intermediates. We have investigated the stability of antiparallel β‐sheet and two conformations of α‐sheet in solution phase using the density functional theoretical method. The peptides are modeled as two‐strand acetyl‐(Ala)₂‐N‐methylamine. Using stages of geometry optimization and single point energy calculation at B3LYP/cc‐pVTZ//B3LYP/6‐31G* level and including zero‐point energies, thermal, and entropic contribution, we have found that β‐sheet is the most stable conformation, while the α‐sheet proposed by Pauling and Corey has 13.6 kcal/mol higher free energy than the β‐sheet. The α‐sheet that resembles the structure observed in molecular dynamics simulations of amyloidogenic proteins at low pH becomes distorted after stages of geometry optimization in solution. Whether the α‐sheets with longer chains would be increasingly favorable in water relative to the increase in internal energy of the chain needs further investigation. Different from the quantum mechanics results, AMBER parm94 force field gives small difference in solution phase energy between α‐sheet and β‐sheet. The predicted amide I IR spectra of α‐sheet shows the main band at higher frequency than β‐sheet. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Spin Noise Detection of Nuclear Hyperpolarization at 1.2 K

We report proton spin noise spectra of a hyperpolarized solid sample of commonly used “DNP (dynamic nuclear polarization) juice” containing TEMPOL (4‐hydroxy‐2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine N‐oxide) and irradiated by a microwave field at a temperature of 1.2 K in a magnetic field of 6.7 T. The line shapes of the spin noise power spectra are sensitive to the variation of the microwave irradiation frequency and change from dip to bump, when the electron Larmor frequency is crossed, which is shown to be in good accordance with theory by simulations. Small but significant deviations from these predictions are observed, which can be related to spin noise and radiation damping phenomena that have been reported in thermally polarized systems. The non‐linear dependence of the spin noise integral on nuclear polarization provides a means to monitor hyperpolarization semi‐quantitatively without any perturbation of the spin system by radio frequency irradiation.     

One‐Dimensional Spin Chains from CuII Ions and 2,5‐Bis(pyrazol‐1‐yl)‐1,4‐dihydroxybenzene

The purple colored coordination polymer [1 Cu]_n was obtained from 2,5‐bis(pyrazol‐1‐yl)‐1,4‐dihydroxybenzene and CuBr₂ in aqueous ammonia. The crystal structure of [1 Cu]_n was determined from high resolution X‐ray powder diffraction data using the method of simulated annealing. In the solid state, [1 Cu]_n features largely independent linear chains, all of them being oriented parallel to the c‐axis of the crystal. The Cu ions are coordinated in a square‐planar fashion by two nitrogen atoms and two anionic oxygen donors. Magnetic susceptibility and magnetization measurements indicate the Cu ions in [1 Cu]_n to be antiferromagnetically coupled with a coupling constant of about 20 K.     

Diiron(III)–μ‐Fluoro Bisporphyrins: Effect of Bridging Ligand on the Metal Spin State

A hitherto unknown family of diiron(III)–μ‐fluoro bisporphyrins has been synthesized and structurally characterized. Fluoride abstraction from SbF₆^? and BF₄^? resulted in the synthesis of the μ‐fluoro complexes of ethane‐ and ethene‐bridged diiron(III) bisporphyrins. Two such complexes were structurally characterized, which revealed a single fluoro bridge between two iron centers with a remarkably bent Fe‐F‐Fe unit. Although isoelectronic with the μ‐hydroxo complexes, the μ‐fluoro species are quite divergent in terms of the electronic structure and properties. UV/Vis spectroscopy of the μ‐fluoro complex exhibits a large redshift (ca. 18 nm) of the Soret band in comparison to their μ‐hydroxo analog. Combined analysis by single crystal X‐ray structure determination and Mössbauer and ¹H NMR spectroscopy revealed the presence of two equivalent iron(III) centers in the μ‐fluoro complexes in both solid and solution phases. In contrast, the iron(III) centers of the μ‐hydroxo complexes are known to be inequivalent. Variable‐temperature magnetic studies show a weak antiferromagnetic interaction between the iron(III) centers of the μ‐fluoro complexes with coupling constants (J) ranging from ?33 to ?40 cm^?1. The experimental results were further supported by DFT calculations.     

Quantum Chemical Modeling of Pressure-Induced Spin Crossover in Octahedral Metal-Ligand Complexes

Spin state switching on external stimuli is a phenomenon with wide applicability, ranging from molecular electronics to gas activation in nanoporous frameworks. Here, we model the spin crossover as a function of the hydrostatic pressure in octahedrally coordinated transition metal centers by applying a field of effective nuclear forces that compress the molecule towards its centroid. For spin crossover in first-row transition metals coordinated by hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon monoxide, we find the pressure required for spin transition to be a function of the ligand position in the spectrochemical sequence. While pressures on the order of 1 GPa are required to flip spins in homogeneously ligated octahedral sites, we demonstrate a fivefold decrease in spin transition pressure for the archetypal strong field ligand carbon monoxide in octahedrally coordinated Fe²⁺ in [Fe(II)(NH₃)₅CO]²⁺.     

Quantum Control of Coherent ρρ‐Electron Dynamics in Chiral Aromatic Molecules

Control of mobile π‐electrons is one of the fundamental issues in the organic optoelectronics for designing the next generation ultrafast switching devices. The optimal control simulations of coherent π‐electron rotations in (P)‐2,2’‐biphenol, which is the typical nonplanar aromatic molecule with axial chirality, were performed by taking into account two types of the control targets: one is generation of the maximum π‐angular momentum, and the other is the maintaining of the generated unidirectional angular momentum during a setting time duration. The optimal control pulse for each target is designed. The analysis of the simulation results shows that the effective maintaining of the unidirectional angular momentum can be realized by applying 2π pulse to one of the electronic excited states forming the coherent electronic state. The 2π pulse prevents the reverse rotation of the π‐electrons by dumping the excited state population to the ground state and subsequently by pumping the population back to the excited state. The present results provide a theoretical basis for the designing next generation ultrafast switching devices made by organic aromatic molecules.     

Quantum Chemical Spin Densities for Radical Cations of Photosynthetic Pigment Models

The spin densities of radical cations of magnesium porphyrin, magnesium chlorine and a truncated chlorophyll a model are calculated with density‐functional theory and multiconfigurational quantum chemical methods. The latter serve as a reference for approximate density‐functional theory which yields spin densities that may suffer from the self‐interaction error. We carried out complete active space self‐consistent field calculations with increasing active orbital spaces to systematically converge qualitatively correct spin densities. In particular, for the magnesium chlorine and chlorophyll a model radical cations, this is not easy to achieve because of the lower symmetry compared to magnesium porphyrin. Strategies had to be employed which allowed us to consider very large active orbital spaces. We explored restricted active space self‐consistent field and density‐matrix renormalization group calculations. Based on these reference data, we assessed the accuracy of different density‐functional approximations. We show that in particular, exchange–correlation model potentials with correct asymptotic behavior yield good spin densities, and we find, in agreement with previous studies on different classes of compounds, that hybrid functionals systematically increase spin‐polarization effects with increasing amounts of exact exchange. Our results provide a starting point for investigations of spin densities of more complex systems such as the hinge model for the primary electron donor in photosystem II.     

Low‐Spin Pseudotetrahedral Iron(I) Sites in Fe2(μ‐S) Complexes

Fe^I centers in iron–sulfide complexes have little precedent in synthetic chemistry despite a growing interest in the possible role of unusually low valent iron in metalloenzymes that feature iron–sulfur clusters. A series of three diiron [(L₃Fe)₂(μ‐S)] complexes that were isolated and characterized in the low‐valent oxidation states Fe^II? S? Fe^II, Fe^II? S? Fe^I, and Fe^I? S? Fe^I is described. This family of iron sulfides constitutes a unique redox series comprising three nearly isostructural but electronically distinct Fe₂(μ‐S) species. Combined structural, magnetic, and spectroscopic studies provided strong evidence that the pseudotetrahedral iron centers undergo a transition to low‐spin S=1/2 states upon reduction from Fe^II to Fe^I. The possibility of accessing low‐spin, pseudotetrahedral Fe^I sites compatible with S^2? as a ligand was previously unknown.     

The Fascinating World of Low-Dimensional Quantum Spin Systems: Ab Initio Modeling

In recent times, ab initio density functional theory has emerged as a powerful tool for making the connection between models and materials. Insulating transition metal oxides with a small spin forms a fascinating class of strongly correlated systems that exhibit spin-gap states, spin–charge separation, quantum criticality, superconductivity, etc. The coupling between spin, charge, and orbital degrees of freedom makes the chemical insights equally important to the strong correlation effects. In this review, we establish the usefulness of ab initio tools within the framework of the N-th order muffin orbital (NMTO)-downfolding technique in the identification of a spin model of insulating oxides with small spins. The applicability of the method has been demonstrated by drawing on examples from a large number of cases from the cuprate, vanadate, and nickelate families. The method was found to be efficient in terms of the characterization of underlying spin models that account for the measured magnetic data and provide predictions for future experiments.     

Stability of the Konjac Glucomannan Topological Chain Based on Quantum Spin Model

In this paper we investigated the stability of konjac glucomnnan(KGM) chain hydrogen networks based on the quantum spin model. Dissipative particle dynamics method was applied in the structure simulation of KGM. The results reveled that acetyl residues of KGM were bonded with water molecules in aqueous solutions. Increasing the hydrogen bond formation decreases the energy in acetyl system. The expect-valuation of the thermal state with respect to the Hamiltonian is negative. Hence, the total energy of konjac glucomnnan chain with the acetyl groups decreases, which indicates the increasing stability of konjac glucomnnan chain. Our approach could provide a new insight into the investigation on the stability of konjac glucomnnan chain.     

Tuning Optical Properties of Si Quantum Dots by π‐Conjugated Capping Molecules

The absorption and photoluminescence (PL) properties of silicon quantum dots (QDs) are greatly influenced by their size and surface chemistry. Herein, we examined the optical properties of three Si QDs with increasing σ–π conjugation length: octyl‐, (trimethylsilyl)vinyl‐, and 2‐phenylvinyl‐capped Si QDs. The PL photon energy obtained from as‐prepared samples decreased by 0.1–0.3 eV, while the PL excitation (PLE) extended from 360 nm (octyl‐capped Si QDs) to 400 nm (2‐phenylvinyl‐capped Si QDs). A vibrational PL feature was observed in all samples with an energy separation of about 0.192±0.013 eV, which was explained based on electron–phonon coupling. After soft oxidization through drying, all samples showed blue PL with maxima at approximately 410 nm. A similar high‐energy peak was observed with the bare Si QD sample. The changes in the optical properties of Si QDs were mainly explained by the formation of additional states arising from the strong σ–π conjugation and QD oxidation.