Silicon hydride clusters Si5Hn (n = 3-12) and their anions: structures, thermochemistry, and electron affinities

The molecular structures, electron affinities, and dissociation energies of the Si(5)H(n)/Si(5)H(n)(-) (n = 3-12) species have been calculated by means of three density functional theory (DFT) methods. The basis set used in this work is of double-zeta plus polarization quality with additional diffuse s- and p-type functions, denoted DZP++. The geometries are fully optimized with each DFT method independently. Three different types of the neutral-anion energy separations presented in this work are the adiabatic electron affinity (EA(ad)), the vertical electron affinity (EA(vert)), and the vertical detachment energy (VDE). The first Si-H dissociation energies for neutral Si(5)H(n) and its anion have also been reported.     

Gallium phosphides GAmPn (m + n = 2–5) and their anions: Structures,electron affinities,and vibrational frequencies

Geometries, electronic states, and electron affinities of Ga_mP_n and Ga_mP (m + n = 2–5) clusters have been examined using four hybrid and pure density functional theory (DFT) methods. Structural optimization and frequency analyses are performed with the basis of a 6‐311+G(2df) one‐particle basis set. The geometries are fully optimized with each DFT method independently. Three types of energy separations reported in this work are the adiabatic electron affinity (EA_ad), the vertical electron affinity (EA_vert), and the vertical detachment energy (VDE). The calculation results show that the singlet structures have higher symmetry than that of doublet structures. The best method for predicting molecular structures was found to be BLYP, while other methods generally underestimated bond lengths. The most reliable adiabatic electron affinities and vertical detachment energy, obtained at the BP86 and B3LYP level of theory, are predicted to be 2.22 and 2.10 eV (GaP), 2.51 and 2.46 eV (Ga₂P), 1.86 and 1.94 eV (GaP₂), 1.96 and 2.27 eV (GaP₃), 1.76 and 1.99 eV (Ga₃P), 1.79 and 2.14 eV (Ga₂P₂), 2.85 and 3.67 eV (GaP₄), 2.08 and 2.10 eV (Ga₄P), 2.90 and 3.17 eV (Ga₂P₃), and 2.70 and 3.37 eV (Ga₃P₂), respectively. Those for Ga₂P, Ga₃P, Ga₂P₂, Ga₄P, GaP₄, Ga₂P₃, and Ga₃P₂ are in good agreement with experiment, but the predicted EA_ad values for GaP, Ga₂P, GaP₂, and GaP₃ are larger than the available experimental values. For the vibrational frequencies of the Ga_mP_n series, the B3LYP method produces good predictions with the average error only ～10 cm^?1 from available experimental and theoretical values. The other three methods overestimate or underestimate the vibrational frequencies, with the worst predictions given by the BLYP method. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006     

Silicon monohydride clusters Si(n)H (n = 4-10) and their anions: structures, thermochemistry, and electron affinities

The molecular structures, electron affinities, and dissociation energies of the Si(n)H/Si(n)H- (n = 4-10) species have been examined via five hybrid and pure density functional theory (DFT) methods. The basis set used in this work is of double-zeta plus polarization quality with additional diffuse s- and p-type functions, denoted DZP++. The geometries are fully optimized with each DFT method independently. The three different types of neutral-anion energy separations presented in this work are the adiabatic electron affinity (EA(ad)), the vertical electron affinity (EA(vert)), and the vertical detachment energy (VDE). The first Si-H dissociation energies, D(e)(Si(n)H --> Si(n) + H) for neutral Si(n)H and D(e)(Si(n)H- --> Si(n)- + H) for anionic Si(n)H- species, have also been reported. The structures of the ground states of these clusters are traditional H-Si single-bond forms. The ground-state geometries of Si5H, Si6H, Si8H, and Si9H predicted by the DFT methods are different from previous calculations, such as those obtained by Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics and nonorthogonal tight-binding molecular dynamics schemes. The most reliable EA(ad) values obtained at the B3LYP level of theory are 2.59 (Si4H), 2.84 (Si5H), 2.86 (Si6H), 3.19 (Si7H), 3.14 (Si8H), 3.36 (Si9H), and 3.56 (Si10H) eV. The first dissociation energies (Si(n)H --> Si(n) + H) predicted by all of these methods are 2.20-2.29 (Si4H), 2.30-2.83 (Si5H), 2.12-2.41 (Si6H), 1.75-2.03 (Si7H), 2.41-2.72 (Si8H), 1.86-2.11 (Si9H), and 1.92-2.27 (Si10H) eV. For the negatively charged ion clusters (Si(n)H- --> Si(n)- + H), the dissociation energies predicted are 2.56-2.69 (Si4H-), 2.80-3.01 (Si5H-), 2.86-3.06 (Si6H-), 2.80-3.03 (Si7H-), 2.69-2.92 (Si8H-), 2.92-3.18 (Si9H-), and 2.89-3.25 (Si10H-) eV.     

The arsenic clusters Asn (n = 1-5) and their anions: structures, thermochemistry, and electron affinities

The molecular structures, electron affinities, and dissociation energies of the As(n)/As(-) (n) (n = 1-5) species have been examined using six density functional theory (DFT) methods. The basis set used in this work is of double-zeta plus polarization quality with additional diffuse s- and p-type functions, denoted DZP++. These methods have been carefully calibrated (Chem Rev 2002, 102, 231) for the prediction of electron affinities. The geometries are fully optimized with each DFT method independently. Three different types of the neutral-anion energy separations reported in this work are the adiabatic electron affinity (EA(ad)), the vertical electron affinity (EA(vert)), and the vertical detachment energy (VDE). The first dissociation energies D(e)(As(n-1)-As) for the neutral As(n) species, as well as those D(e)(As(-) (n-1)-As) and D(e) (As(n-1)-As(-)) for the anionic As(-) (n) species, have also been reported. The most reliable adiabatic electron affinities, obtained at the DZP++ BLYP level of theory, are 0.90 (As), 0.74 (As(2)), 1.30 (As(3)), 0.49 (As(4)), and 3.03 eV (As(5)), respectively. These EA(ad) values for As, As(2), and As(4) are in good agreement with experiment (average absolute error 0.09 eV), but that for As(3) is a bit smaller than the experimental value (1.45 +/- 0.03 eV). The first dissociation energies for the neutral arsenic clusters predicted by the B3LYP method are 3.93 eV (As(2)), 2.04 eV (As(3)), 3.88 eV (As(4)), and 1.49 eV (As(5)). Compared with the available experimental dissociation energies for the neutral clusters, the theoretical predictions are excellent. Two dissociation limits are possible for the arsenic cluster anions. The atomic arsenic results are 3.91 eV (As(-) (2) --> As(-) + As), 2.46 eV (As(-) (3) --> As(-) (2) + As), 3.14 eV (As(-) (4) --> As(-) (3) + As), and 4.01 eV (As(-) (5) --> As(-) (4) + As). For dissociation to neutral arsenic clusters, the predicted dissociation energies are 2.43 eV (As(-) (3) --> As(2) + As(-)), 3.53 eV (As(-) (4) --> As(3) + As(-)), and 3.67 eV (As(-) (5) --> As(4) + As(-)). For the vibrational frequencies of the As(n) series, the BP86 and B3LYP methods produce good results compared with the limited experiments, so the other predictions with these methods should be reliable.     

Molecules for materials: germanium hydride neutrals and anions. Molecular structures,electron affinities,and thermochemistry of GeHn/GeHn- (n = 0-4) and Ge2Hn/Ge2Hn(-) (n = 0-6)

The GeH(n) (n = 0-4) and Ge(2)H(n) (n = 0-6) systems have been studied systematically by five different density functional methods. The basis sets employed are of double-zeta plus polarization quality with additional s- and p-type diffuse functions, labeled DZP++. For each compound plausible energetically low-lying structures were optimized. The methods used have been calibrated against a comprehensive tabulation of experimental electron affinities (Chemical Reviews 102, 231, 2002). The geometries predicted in this work include yet unknown anionic species, such as Ge(2)H(-), Ge(2)H(2)(-), Ge(2)H(3)(-), Ge(2)H(4)(-), and Ge(2)H(5)(-). In general, the BHLYP method predicts the geometries closest to the few available experimental structures. A number of structures rather different from the analogous well-characterized hydrocarbon radicals and anions are predicted. For example, a vinylidene-like GeGeH(2) (-) structure is the global minimum of Ge(2)H(2) (-). For neutral Ge(2)H(4), a methylcarbene-like HG?-GeH(3) is neally degenerate with the trans-bent H(2)Ge=GeH(2) structure. For the Ge(2)H(4) (-) anion, the methylcarbene-like system is the global minimum. The three different neutral-anion energy differences reported in this research are: the adiabatic electron affinity (EA(ad)), the vertical electron affinity (EA(vert)), and the vertical detachment energy (VDE). For this family of molecules the B3LYP method appears to predict the most reliable electron affinities. The adiabatic electron affinities after the ZPVE correction are predicted to be 2.02 (Ge(2)), 2.05 (Ge(2)H), 1.25 (Ge(2)H(2)), 2.09 (Ge(2)H(3)), 1.71 (Ge(2)H(4)), 2.17 (Ge(2)H(5)), and -0.02 (Ge(2)H(6)) eV. We also reported the dissociation energies for the GeH(n) (n = 1-4) and Ge(2)H(n) (n = 1-6) systems, as well as those for their anionic counterparts. Our theoretical predictions provide strong motivation for the further experimental study of these important germanium hydrides.     

Structures and properties of (H2GaN3)n (n = 1–4) clusters: A DFT study

Computations on the systems of (H₂GaN₃)_n (n = 1–4) are performed using the density functional theory (DFT)/B3LYP method with different basis sets. (H₂GaN₃)₂ possessing D_2h symmetry is found to exhibit the planar Ga₂N₂ ring structure. (H₂GaN₃)₃ involving a six‐membered Ga₃N₃ ring is found to exhibit two minima with very similar binding energies (ca. −235 ∼ −231 kJ · mol⁻¹). One minimum is the newly found boat‐like conformation possessing C_s symmetry. Another minimum possessing C_3v symmetry is the chair‐like conformation. (H₂GaN₃)₄ occurs in several structures with Ga₄N₄ eight‐membered ring structures that correspond to minima with slight energy differences among them. The structural changes of the clusters are large compared with the monomer. Frequency calculations are carried out on each optimized structure, and their infrared (IR) spectra are discussed. Thermodynamic properties demonstrate that the systems of H₂GaN₃ occur at dimer–trimer–tetramer equilibrium, and the trimer is the main component. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004     

The possibility of the existence of (H2O) n − anions withn=5, 6

Structural changes that occur in cyclic and chain-like water pentamers and hexamers when an electron is added were analyzed at the unrestricted Hartree—Fock level. The vertical and adiabatic electron affinity of the oligomers, the energies of vertical detachment of an electron from the anions (VDE), and the stability of the anions against dissociation into individual water molecules and a free electron were estimated taking into account the second order perturbation theory (MP2) corrections to the energy. All water anions considered are stable against dissociation, but theirVDE values are negative, and only the chain-like hexamer anion has a value ofVDE close to zero, which means metastability of the anion. The energy of attachment of an electron to the oligomers is lower in the case of chain-like structures. The process is accompanied by structure relaxation, which is more substantial for cycles, especially for the cyclic hexamer. In the chain-like anions, the excess electron density is localized on the hydrogen nuclei of that terminal water molecule that acts as an acceptor of the H-bond proton, while in the cyclic anions it is distributed on the orbitals of those free hydrogen atoms that significantly approach each other due to structural relaxation. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 47–53, January 1997     

Density functional study of HO(H2O)n (n = 1–3) clusters

The hydrogen bonding complexes HO(H₂O)_n (n = 1–3) were completely investigated in the present study using DFT and MP2 methods at varied basis set levels from 6‐31++G(d,p) to 6‐311++G(2d,2p). For n = 1 two, for n = 2 two, and for n = 3 five reasonable geometries are considered. The optimized geometric parameters and interaction energies for various complexes at different levels are estimated. The infrared spectrum frequencies and IR intensities of the most stable structures are reported. Finally, thermochemistry studies are also carried out. The results indicate that the formation and the number of hydrogen bonding have played an important role in the structures and relative stabilities of different complexes. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Geometries,vibrational frequencies,and electron affinities of X2Cl (X=C,Si,Ge) clusters

Ab initio quantum chemical calculations have been performed on X₂Cl^? and X₂Cl (X = C, Si, Ge) clusters. The geometrical structures, vibrational frequencies, electronic properties and dissociation energies are investigated at the Hartree–Fock (HF), Møller–Plesset second‐ and fourth‐order (MP2, MP4), CCSD(T) level with the 6‐311+G(d) basis set. The X₂Cl (X = C, Si, Ge) and X₂Cl^? (X = Si, Ge) take a bent shape obtained at the ground state, while C₂Cl^? has a linear structure. The impact on internal electron transfer between the X₂Cl and the corresponding anional clusters is studied. The three different types of electron affinities (EAs) at the CCSD(T) are reported. The most reliable adiabatic electronic affinities, obtained at the CCSD(T)/cc‐pvqz level of theory, are predicted to be 3.30, 2.62, and 1.98 eV for C₂Cl, Si₂Cl, and Ge₂Cl, respectively. The calculated EAs of C₂Cl and Ge₂Cl are in good agreement with theoretical results reported. The correlation effects and basis sets effects on the geometrical structures and dissociation energies are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

DFT studies on TinC2n (n=1–6) clusters

The geometric configurations and electronic structures of the Ti_nC_2n (n=1–6) clusters were studied by using the quantum chemical ab initio density functional theory (DFT) method. Our studies showed that these Ti_nC_2n (n=1–6) could grow gradually to form cyclic clusters through the subunits TiC₂ bonding to each other by C C or Ti C bond. The result could explain the existing experimental fact. The studies might also be helpful to the knowledge of the formation mechanism of the Met‐Cars. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 71: 313–318, 1999     

Theoretical study of silicon–sulfur clusters (SiS2)n− (n=1–6)

The possible geometrical structures and relative stability of silicon–sulfur clusters (SiS₂) (n=1–6) are explored by means of density functional theory (DFT) quantum chemical calculations. We also compare DFT with second‐order Møller–Plesset (MP2) and Hartree–Fock (HF) methods. The effects of polarization functions, diffuse functions, and electron correlation are included in MP2 and B3LYP quantum chemical calculations, and B3LYP is effective in larger cluster structure optimization, so we can conclude that the DFT approach is useful in establishing trends. The electronic structures and vibrational spectra of the most stable geometrical structures of (SiS₂)_n⁻ are analyzed by B3LYP. As a result, the regularity of the (SiS₂)_n⁻ cluster growing is obtained, and the calculation may predict the formation mechanism of the (SiS₂)_n⁻ cluster. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 81: 280–290, 2001     

Comparative theoretical study of the electron affinities of the alkaline‐earth clusters: Ben,Mgn, and Can (n = 2, 3)

If in atoms only one type of the electron affinity (EA) can be defined, in molecules there are three types of EAs: the vertical electron affinity (VEA), adiabatic electron affinity (AEA), and vertical electron detachment energy (VEDE). These three types of EAs for beryllium, magnesium, and calcium dimers and trimers are calculated at the all‐electron MP4(SDTQ) level employing the Dunning‐type basis sets. All obtained EAs satisfy the following inequality VEDE > AEA > VEA and are quite large to be observed in experiment, especially in the trimer case: VEDE (Be) = 1.63 eV, VEDE (Mg) = 0.72 eV, and VEDE (Ca) = 0.95 eV. The decomposition of VEDE into physical components (Koopmans, relaxation, and correlation) and the atomic orbital population analysis (at the NBO level) are used to elucidate the nature of the outer electron binding in studied anions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

Quantum chemical study of IrFn (n = 1–7) clusters: An investigation of superhalogen properties

In present investigation, the interactions of iridium (Ir) atom with fluorine (F) atoms have been studied using the density functional theory. Up to seven F atoms were able to bind to a single Ir atom which resulted in increase of electron affinities successively, reaching a peak value of 7.85 eV for IrF₇. The stability and reactivity of these clusters were analyzed by calculating highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)–LUMO gaps, molecular orbitals and binding energies of these clusters. The unusual properties of these clusters are due to the involvement of inner shell 5d‐electrons, which not only allows IrF_n clusters to belong to the class of superhalogens but also shows that its valence can exceed the nominal value of 2. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Study on structures and electron affinities of small potassium–silicon clusters Si n K (n = 2–8) and their anions with Gaussian-3 theory

The neutral Si _n K (n = 2–8) clusters and their anions have been systematically studied by means of the higher level of Gaussian-3 schemes. Equilibrium geometries and electron affinities have been calculated and are discussed for each considered size. For neutral Si _n K clusters, the ground state structure is found to be “attaching structure”, in which the K atom is bound to Si _n clusters. The most stable isomer for their anions, however, is found to be “substitutional structures”, which is derived from Si_(n+1) by replacing the Si atom with a K. The dissociation energies of K atom from the lowest energy structures of Si _n K have also been estimated to examine relative stabilities.     

Structure and stability of coinage metal fluoride and chloride clusters (MnFn and MnCln,M = Cu,Ag, or Au; n = 1–6)

Calculations in the framework of the density functional theory are performed to study the lowest‐energy isomers of coinage metal fluoride and chloride clusters (M_nF_n, M_nCl_n, M = Cu, Ag, or Au, n = 1–6). For all calculated species starting from the trimers the most stable structures are found to be cyclic arrangements. However, planar rings are favored in the case of metal fluorides whereas metal chlorides prefer nonplanar cycles. Calculated bond lengths and infrared frequencies are compared with the available experimental data. The nature of the bonding, involving both covalent and ionic contributions, is characterized. The stability and the fragmentation are also investigated. Trimers are found to be particularly stable when considering the Gibbs free energies. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Theoretical investigation of gas phase ethanol–(water)n (n = 1–5) clusters and comparison with gas phase pure water clusters (water)n (n = 2–6)

Various properties (such as optimal structures, structural parameters, hydrogen bonds, natural bond orbital charge distributions, binding energies, electron densities at hydrogen bond critical points, cooperative effects, and so on) of gas phase ethanol–(water)_n (n = 1–5) clusters with the change in the number of water molecules have been systematically explored at the MP2/aug‐cc‐pVTZ//MP2/6‐311++G(d,p) computational level. The study of optimal structures shows that the most stable ethanol‐water heterodimer is the one where exists one primary hydrogen bond (O? H…O) and one secondary hydrogen bond (C? H …O) simultaneously. The cyclic geometric pattern formed by the primary hydrogen bonds, where all the molecules are proton acceptor and proton donor simultaneously, is the most stable configuration for ethanol–(water)_n (n = 2–4) clusters, and a transition from two‐dimensional cyclic to three‐dimensional structures occurs at n = 5. At the same time, the cluster stability seems to correlate with the number of primary hydrogen bonds, because the secondary hydrogen bond was extremely weaker than the primary hydrogen bond. Furthermore, the comparison of cooperative effects between ethanol–water clusters and gas phase pure water clusters has been analyzed from two aspects. First of all, for the cyclic structure, the cooperative effect in the former is slightly stronger than that of the latter with the increasing of water molecules. Second, for the ethanol–(water)₅ and (water)₆ structure, the cooperative effect in the former is also correspondingly stronger than that of the latter except for the ethanol–(water)₅ book structure. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.