Excited state ab initio and Franck-Condon simulation of S1 → S0 fluorescence excitation spectra of p-, m-, and o-difluorobenzenes

Although difluorobenzenes (DFBs) are well-known organic molecules to understand the electronic structure and spectroscopy of benzene and its derivatives, few theoretical investigations have been performed to simulate their fine spectra and assign their vibrational bands. In this work, the fluorescence excitation (FEX) spectra of the first excited singlet states for three DFBs molecules (para-, meta- and ortho-difluorobenzene) were simulated by the Franck-Condon calculations with the displaced harmonic oscillator approximation plus the distorted correction. The calculated results indicated that the spectral profiles of three DFBs are primarily described by the Franck-Condon progression of their totally symmetric vibrational modes. Specifically, it is found that modes v(3) and v(5) of para-DFB, v(8) and v(9) of meta-DFB, and ortho-DFB play the most important roles in the fluorescence spectra. By taking into account the contributions of the distorted effect, we could assign most of the dominant overtones from the nontotally symmetric vibrational modes, and the results agree well with the experimental assignments. Some inferred and unassigned vibrational transitions in experiment were confirmed according to the present calculated results. In addition, in the simulated fluorescence spectra, we tentatively assigned several combination bands with relative moderate intensity and weak vibrational lines which appeared in the experimental observations but the corresponding assignments were not given. The present work reproduced satisfactorily the experimental FEX spectra of p-, m-, and o-DFBs derivatives and provided a useful method to simulate the FEX spectra of dihalogenated benzene molecules.     

Triethylsilanol: molecular conformations and role of the hydrogen-bonding oligomerization in its vibrational spectra

We report a theoretical study of the molecular structure of the triethylsilanol molecule and a thorough conformational analysis of the species following the Boltzmann's distribution law. The vibrational spectra of the title molecule have been assigned by means of the combined use of experimental data obtained from IR and Raman spectra and theoretical DFT calculations with the subsequent implementation of the SQMFF methodology. The role of hydrogen bonding in the shifting of the vibrational bands of the silanol group in the spectra of the liquid phase is discussed using a model of triethylsilanol dimer.     

A theoretical study of properties and reactions involving arsenic and selenium compounds present in coal combustion flue gases

Species of arsenic and selenium thought to be present in coal combustion flue gases were studied using density functional theory and a broad range of ab initio methods. At each level of theory, the calculated geometries and vibrational frequencies of each species as well as the reaction enthalpies of anticipated reactions were compared with experimental data where available. Comparisons between each calculation are given along with a discussion of the better performance of some theoretical calculations for a given species/reaction.     

Synthesis, characterization, and DFT studies of a novel azo dye derived from racemic or optically active binaphthol

We present a new azo reactive dye from racemic or optically active BINOL. This dye was characterized by UV-vis, FTIR, mass, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic techniques and elemental analysis. The structure and spectrometry of this azo dye have been investigated theoretically by performing HF and DFT levels of theory using the standard 6-31G^∗ basis set. The optimized geometries and calculated vibrational frequencies are evaluated via comparison with experimental values. The vibrational spectral data obtained from solid phase FTIR spectra are assigned based on the results of the theoretical calculations. The theoretical electronic absorption spectra have been calculated using CIS, TD-DFT, and ZINDO methods. In addition, a good agreement between calculated and experimental NMR data is observed.     

Spectroscopic investigation, computed IR intensity, Raman activity and vibrational frequency analysis on 3-bromoanisole using HF and DFT (LSDA/MPW1PW91) calculations

In this work, the experimental and theoretical spectra of 3-bromoanisole (3-BA) are studied. FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra of title molecule in the liquid phase have been recorded in the region 4000-100 cm(-1). The structural and spectroscopic data of the molecule in the ground state have been calculated by using Hartree-Fock and density functional method (LSDA and MPW1PW91) with the 6-31G (d, p) and 6-311G (d, p) basis sets. The vibrational frequencies are calculated and scaled values have been compared with the experimental FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra. The observed and calculated frequencies are found in good agreement. The DFT-LSDA/6-311G (d, p) calculations have been found are more reliable than the ab initio HF/6-31G (d, p) calculations for the vibrational study of 3-BA. The optimized geometric parameters (bond lengths and bond angles) are compared with experimental values of the molecule. The alteration of vibrational bands due to the substitutions in the base molecule is also investigated from their characteristic region of linked spectrum.     

Dissociative recombination of H(3)(+) in the ground and excited vibrational states

The article presents calculated dissociative recombination (DR) rate coefficients for H(3) (+). The previous theoretical work on H(3) (+) was performed using the adiabatic hyperspherical approximation to calculate the target ion vibrational states and it considered just a limited number of ionic rotational states. In this study, we use accurate vibrational wave functions and a larger number of possible rotational states of the H(3) (+) ground vibrational level. The DR rate coefficient obtained is found to agree better with the experimental data from storage ring experiments than the previous theoretical calculation. We present evidence that excited rotational states could be playing an important role in those experiments for collision energies above 10 meV. The DR rate coefficients calculated separately for ortho- and para-H(3) (+) are predicted to differ significantly at low energy, a result consistent with a recent experiment. We also present DR rate coefficients for vibrationally excited initial states of H(3) (+), which are found to be somewhat larger than the rate coefficient for the ground vibrational level.     

Density functional theory (DFT) and DRIFTS investigations of the formation and adsorption of enolic species on the Ag/Al2O3 surface

Molecular structure and vibrational frequencies of the novel surface enolic species intermediate on Ag/Al2O3 have been investigated by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and in situ infrared spectroscopy. The geometrical structures and vibrational frequencies were obtained at the B3P86 levels of DFT and compared with the corresponding experimental values. Theoretical calculations show that the calculated IR spectra are in good agreement with the experimental spectroscopic results. In addition, the adsorption energy of enolic species on the Ag/Al2O3 catalyst surface was also evaluated. The reaction mechanism from C2H5OH to enolic species on Ag/Al2O3 catalyst was proposed.     

DFT and ab initio calculations of the vibrational frequencies and visible spectra of triazenes derived from cyclic amines

We present a detailed analysis of the structural, infrared spectra and visible spectra of the 4-substituted aminoazo-benzenesulfonyl azides. The preparation of 4-sulfonyl azide benzenediazonium chloride with cyclic amines of various ring sizes (pyrrolidine, piperidine, 4-methylpiperidine, N-methylpiperazine, morpholine and hexamethyleneimine) have been investigated theoretically by performing HF and DFT levels of theory using the standard 6-31G* basis set. The optimized geometries and calculated vibrational frequencies are evaluated via comparison with experimental values. The vibrational spectral data obtained from solid phase FT-IR spectra are assigned modes based on the results of the theoretical calculations. The observed spectra are found to be in good agreement with the calculations.     

The vibrational spectra of (CH3)3SiX (S=H, F, Br) molecules, revisited Transferable scale factor sets for methylsilane derivatives

The joint experimental and theoretical study of the vibrational spectra of the molecular series (CH3)3SiX (with X=H, F and Br) is carried out. Data from newly recorded IR and Raman spectra for the bromo derivative, experimental data obtained previously for the remaining species, DFT theoretical calculations and the use of the SQMFF procedure have allowed us to propose common patterns and to unify criteria in their assignment. In addition, two sets of averaged scale factors for the B3LYP force field obtained with two different basis sets (6-31G* and DZP+diff) have been proposed for the common bulky moiety of that molecular series. These parameters were used successfully in order to reproduce the frequency of the bands assigned to the (CH3)3Si- group in the vibrational spectra of the corresponding silanolic and methoxy derivatives, i.e., trimethylsilanol and methoxytrimethylsilane, proving their transferability.     

FT-IR and FT-Raman spectral investigation, computed IR intensity and Raman activity analysis and frequency estimation analysis on 4-chloro-2-bromoacetophenone using HF and DFT calculations

In this work, the experimental and theoretical spectra of 4-chloro-2-bromoacetophenone (4C2BAP) are studied. FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra of title molecule have been recorded in the region 4000-100 cm(-1). The structural and spectroscopic data of the molecule in the ground state have been calculated by using Hartree-Fock and density functional method (B3LYP) with the 6-31G (d, p) and 6-311G (d, p) basis sets. The vibrational frequencies are calculated and scaled values are compared with the experimental FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra. The DFT (B3LYP/6-311G (d, p)) calculations are more reliable than the ab initio HF/6-311G (d, p) calculations for the vibrational study of 4C2BAP. The optimized geometric parameters (bond lengths and bond angles) are compared with experimental values of the molecule. The alteration of vibrational bands of the carbonyl and acetyl groups due to the presence of halogens (Cl and Br) in the base molecule is also investigated from their characteristic region of linked spectrum.     

Vibrational spectra of linear oligomers of carbonic acid: a quantum chemical study

Gas phase quantum chemical calculations of linear, hydrogen bonded oligomers of carbonic acid have been carried out to examine the feasibility for such species to be the building blocks of crystalline carbonic acid. Infrared and Raman vibrational spectra have been calculated and are compared against experimentally known spectra for two polymorphs of carbonic acid. The calculated anharmonic frequencies of the linear oligomer agree well with the experimental data for the centrosymmetric β-carbonic acid, rather than with that for the α polymorph. These calculations strongly suggest that β-carbonic acid should consist of one-dimensional hydrogen bonded carbonic acid molecules in the anti-anti conformation.     

Molecular geometry and vibrational spectroscopy of potassium O,O-diethyldithiophosphate

The aim of this work was to build a good theoretical and experimental basis for the further study of changes in structure and spectra of the O,O-diethyldithiophosphate anion upon its adsorption on the surfaces of transition metal sulfides.Infrared and Raman spectra of potassium O,O-diethyldithiophosphate were recorded. High level quantum chemical calculations were carried out to optimize the molecular geometry of both the potassium salt and its anion. Vibrational force constants were calculated from the second derivative of the molecular energy function with respect to the Cartesian coordinates of the atoms. With the aid of the optimized geometry and the calculated vibrational force constants a normal coordinate analysis was carried out to characterize the molecular vibrational modes and to assign the vibrational frequencies.     

Infrared spectroscopy of copper-resveratrol complexes: a joint experimental and theoretical study

Infrared multiple-photon dissociation spectroscopy has been used to record vibrational spectra of charged copper-resveratrol complexes in the 3500-3700 cm(-1) and 1100-1900 cm(-1) regions. Minimum energy structures have been determined by density functional theory calculations using plane waves and pseudopotentials. In particular, the copper(I)-resveratrol complex presents a tetra-coordinated metal bound with two carbon atoms of the alkenyl moiety and two closest carbons of the adjoining resorcinol ring. For these geometries vibrational spectra have been calculated by using linear response theory. The good agreement between experimental and calculated IR spectra for the selected species confirms the overall reliability of the proposed geometries.     

Calculation of the vibrational properties of chlorophyll a in solution

Chlorophyll a (Chl-a) is at the heart of solar energy capture and conversion in plants. Because of this, Chl-a has been the subject of innumerable studies. Recently, we have been able to use quantum mechanical methods to calculate the vibrational properties of neutral and oxidized Chl-a in the gas phase [Wang, R.; Parameswaran, S.; Hastings, G. Vib. Spectrosc. 2007, 44, 357-368]. The calculated vibrational properties do not agree with experiment, however. One factor ignored in our calculations was how solvents could impact the vibrational properties. Here we calculate the vibrational properties of Chl-a and Chl-a+ in several solvents that span a wide range of dielectric constant. The calculated and experimental (Chl-a+-Chl-a) infrared difference spectra now show a remarkable similarity. However, the composition of the calculated vibrational modes are very different from that suggested from experiment. We therefore use our calculated data to make new suggestions as to the origin of the bands in experimental (Chl-a+-Chl-a) FTIR difference spectra. We indicate why bands in experimental spectra may have been misassigned. We also point to other experimental data that support our new band assignments. Assignment of bands in (Chl-a+-Chl-a) FTIR difference spectra were first made nearly 20 years ago. These assignments have formed the basis for evaluating all "cation minus neutral" FTIR difference spectra obtained for all photosynthetic systems since then. All of these experimental FTIR difference spectra should be re-examined in light of our new assignments.     

Monosodium glutamate in its anhydrous and monohydrate form: differentiation by Raman spectroscopies and density functional calculations

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a common flavor enhancer, is detected in aqueous solutions by Raman and surface-enhanced Raman (SERS) spectroscopies at the micromolar level. The presence of different species, such as protonated and unprotonated MSG, is demonstrated by concentration and pH dependent Raman and SERS experiments. In particular, the symmetric bending modes of the amino group and the stretching modes of the carboxy moiety are employed as marker bands. The protonation of the NH(2) group at acidic pH values, for example, is detected in the Raman spectra. From the measured SERS spectra, a strong chemical interaction of MSG with the colloidal particles is deduced and a geometry of MSG adsorbed on the silver surface is proposed. In order to assign the observed Raman bands, calculations employing density functional theory (DFT) were performed. The calculated geometries, harmonic vibrational wavenumbers and Raman scattering activities for both MSG forms are in good agreement with experimental data. The set of theoretical data enables a complete vibrational assignment of the experimentally detected Raman spectra and the differentiation between the anhydrous and monohydrate forms of MSG.     

FT-IR and FT-Raman vibrational spectra and molecular structure investigation of nicotinamide: A combined experimental and theoretical study

In this work, the experimental and theoretical spectra of nicotinamide (C₆H₆N₂O) are studied. FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra of title molecule in the liquid phase have been recorded in the region 4000–100 cm^?1. The structural and spectroscopic data of the molecule in the ground state have been calculated by using Hartree–Fock and density functional method (B3LYP) with the 6-31+G*(d, p) and 6-31++G* (d, p)basis set. The vibrational frequencies have been calculated and scaled values have been compared with the experimental FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra. The observed and calculated frequencies are found in good agreement. The DFT-B3LYP/6-31++G (d, p) calculations have been found are more reliable than the ab initio HF/6-31+G (d, p) calculations for the vibrational study of nicotinamide. The optimized geometric parameters (bond lengths and bond angles) are compared with experimental values of the molecule. The alteration of vibrational bands due to the substitutions in the base molecule is also investigated from their characteristic region of linked spectrum.     

Infrared spectrum of 4-methoxypicolinic acid N-oxide: computation of asymmetric O-H stretching band

In this article we studied the strong intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded system 4-methoxypicolinic acid N-oxide. The potential energy surface V = V(rOH,rOO) and the corresponding dipole moment function were calculated using the DFT B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level of approximation. The time-independent vibrational Schr?dinger equation was solved using a rectangular grid basis set and shifted Gaussian basis set. The vibrational spectrum and metric parameters were also calculated. Effects of deuteration were considered. The calculated vibrational spectra were compared with the experimental spectra. The vibrational transition corresponding to asymmetric O-H stretching that occurs at about 1400 cm-1 compares well with the experimentally assigned O-H asymmetric stretching band centered at 1380 cm-1. The corresponding asymmetric O-D stretching band was predicted to be at 1154 cm-1, while the experimental O-D band was not assigned due to its very low intensity. Several overtones and hot transitions of significant intensities were located in the vicinity of the fundamental O-H stretching frequency, effectively broadening the infrared absorption attributed to the O-H stretching mode. This is in a good agreement with the observed broad protonic absorptions found in the infrared spectra of the title compound and its analogs. We have shown that the Gaussian basis set is the method of choice for a two-dimensional vibrational problem that requires several hundreds of vibrational basis functions and when high accuracy of the eigenvalues is required or when extending the calculations to more vibrational degrees of freedom. We have also demonstrated that for a large number of basis functions the Gramm-Schmidt orthogonalization procedure outperforms symmetric and canonical orthogonalization schemes.     

Molecular structure, spectroscopic studies and first-order molecular hyperpolarizabilities of ferulic acid by density functional study

Quantum chemical calculations of energies, geometrical structure and vibrational wavenumbers of ferulic acid (FA) (4-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid) were carried out by using density functional (DFT/B3LYP/BLYP) method with 6-31G(d,p) as basis set. The optimized geometrical parameters obtained by DFT calculations are in good agreement with single crystal XRD data. The vibrational spectral data obtained from solid phase FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra are assigned based on the results of the theoretical calculations. The observed spectra are found to be in good agreement with calculated values. The electric dipole moment (μ) and the first hyperpolarizability (β) values of the investigated molecule have been computed using ab initio quantum mechanical calculations. The calculation results also show that the FA molecule might have microscopic nonlinear optical (NLO) behavior with non-zero values. A detailed interpretation of the infrared and Raman spectra of FA was also reported. The energy and oscillator strength calculated by time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) results complements with the experimental findings. The calculated HOMO and LUMO energies shows that charge transfer occur within the molecule. The theoretical FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra for the title molecule have been constructed.     

Vibrational spectroscopy of resveratrol

In this article the authors deal with the experimental and theoretical interpretation of the vibrational spectra of trans-resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) of diverse beneficial biological activity. Infrared and Raman spectra of the compound were recorded; density functional calculations were carried out resulting in the optimized geometry and several properties of the molecule. Based on the calculated force constants, a normal coordinate analysis yielded the character of the vibrational modes and the assignment of the measured spectral bands.     

Ring inversion, structural stability and vibrational assignments of sulfolane c-C4H8SO2 and 3-sulfolene c-C4H6SO2

The structural stability of sulfolane (tetrahydrothiophene1,1-dioxide) and 3-sulfolene (dihydrothiophene1,1-dioxide) was investigated by DFT-B3LYP and ab initio MP2 calculations with 6-311+G**) basis set. The calculated symmetric ring-puckering potential of 3-sulfolene at the B3LYP level is consistent with a flat minimum that corresponds to a planar ring but at the MP2 level with a double minimum with a low barrier of about 193calmol(-1) to ring planarity in reasonable agreement with experimental results. From the calculations at the two levels of theory sulfolane was predicted to exist predominantly in the twist conformation. The vibrational wavenumbers were calculated at the MP2/6-31G** level of theory and the potential energy distributions PED among the symmetry coordinates of the normal modes were computed for the low-energy structure of the molecules. Complete vibrational assignments were provided on the basis of the calculated PED values. The experimental infrared and Raman spectra of the two molecules were compared to the calculated ones.