Solvent and substitution effects upon the phosphorescent triplet state of carbonyl pyridines

The effects of perturbing nitrogen upon localized triplet excitations are observed for several carbonyl pyridines. Conventional and pulse optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) techniques are used to characterize the spin-relaxation processes in these aromatic carbonyl molecules.     

Kinetic energy release during evaporation from large sodium clusters

We have measured the distribution of momenta of atoms evaporating from large sodium clusters produced in a supersonic expansion source. The distributions are well described by phase space theory when polarization effects are included in the atomic capture cross section. Alternatively, the data can be fitted by a simple powerlaw preexponential. The cluster temperature extracted from both models differ, but still agree reasonable well with evaporative ensemble predictions. The data rule out a non-trivial transition state.     

Kinetic and thermodynamic effects on intramolecular aromatic substitution in meta and para substituted benzalacetones

meta and para substituted benzalacetones lose the substituents after electron impact in a multi-step intramolecular aromatic substitution. The differences in the relative abundances of the benzopyrylium ions thus formed are not determined by the activation energies for the substituent losses but depend on a delicate balance between the thermodynamic stability of the intermediates involved and the rates of several H-shifts within the intermediates (kinetic stability). The consequences for the analytical utility of intramolecular aromatic substitution are discussed briefly.     

Effect of nonproximate atomic substitution on excited state intramolecular proton transfer

The central C atom of the OCCCO skeleton of the malonaldehyde molecule is replaced by N, and the effects upon the intramolecular H-bond and the proton transfer are monitored by ab initio calculations in the ground and excited electronic states. The H-bond is weakened in the singlet and triplet states arising from n→π* excitation in both molecules, which is accompanied by a heightened barrier to proton transfer.³ππ* behaves in the same manner, but the singlet ππ* state has a stronger H-bond and lower barrier. Replacement of the central C atom by N strengthens the intramolecular H-bond. Although the proton transfer barrier in the ground state of formimidol is lower than in malonaldehyde, the barriers in all four excited states are higher in the N-analog. The latter substitution also dampens the effect of the n→π* excitation upon the H-bond and increases the excitation energies of the various states, particularly ππ*. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 19: 129–138, 1998     

A direct method for the substitution of imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines at position 5

3-Ethylthioimidazo[1,5-a]pyridine lithiates at carbon 5. Quenching of the anion with an electrophile followed by desulphurisation gives 5-substituted imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines.     

Kinetic parameters and geometry of the transition state of acyl radical decarbonylation

Experimental data on acyl radical decomposition reactions (RC^·O → R^· + CO, where R = alkyl or aryl) are analyzed in terms of the intersecting parabolas method. Kinetic parameters characterizing these reactions are calculated. The transition state of methyl radical addition to CO at the C atoms is calculated using the DFT method. A semiempirical algorithm is constructed for calculating the transition state geometry for the decomposition of acyl radicals and for the reverse reactions of R^· addition to CO. Kinetic parameters (activation energy and rate constant) and geometry (interatomic distances in the transition state) are calculated for 18 decomposition reactions of structurally different acyl radicals. A linear correlation between the interatomic distance r ^#(C…C) (or r ^#(C…O)) in the transition state the enthalpy of the reaction (δH _e) is established for acyl decomposition reactions (at br _e = const). A comparative analysis of the enthalpies, activation energies, and interatomic distances in the transition state is carried out for the decomposition and formation of acyl, carboxyl, and formyl radicals.     

Renner spliting in the first ionized state of BeF2

The splitting of the ²Π_g state of BeF₂⁺ into the ²B₂ and ²A₂ components has been investigated theoretically by ab initio UHF calculations. The ²A₂ component is found to be linear, and the ²B₂ state is calculated to have minima at bond angles of 180° and ≈100°, with the bent conformation lying lower. Analysis of a possible interaction between two states of ²B₂ symmetry is made. Electron binding energies and symmetric bending force constants are reported. For comparison, a parallel investigation is reported on the analogous states of the isoelectronic CO₂⁺.     

Role of angular momentum conservation in unimolecular translational energy release: validity of the orbiting transition state theory

The translational kinetic energy release distribution (KERD) for the halogen loss reaction of the bromobenzene and iodobenzene cations has been reinvestigated on the microsecond time scale. Two necessary conditions of validity of the orbiting transition state theory (OTST) for the calculation of kinetic energy release distributions (KERDs) have been formulated. One of them examines the central ion-induced dipole potential approximation. As a second criterion, an adiabatic parameter is derived. The lower the released translational energy and the total angular momentum, the larger the reduced mass, the rotational constant of the molecular fragment, and the polarizability of the released atom, the more valid is the OTST. Only the low-energy dissociation of the iodobenzene ion (E approximately 0.45 eV, where E is the internal energy above the reaction threshold) is found to fulfill the criteria of validity of the OTST. The constraints that act on the dissociation dynamics have been studied by the maximum entropy method. Calculations of entropy deficiencies (which measure the deviation from a microcanonical distribution) show that the pair of fragments does not sample the whole of the phase space that is compatible with the mere specification of the internal energy. The major constraint that results from conservation of angular momentum is related to a reduction of the dimensionality of the dynamics of the translational motion to a two-dimensional space. A second and minor constraint that affects the KERD leads to a suppression of small translational releases, i.e., accounts for threshold behavior. At high internal energies, the effects of curvature of the reaction path and of angular momentum conservation are intricately intermeddled and it is not possible to specify the share of each effect.     

Molecular decomposition of polyolefins: Kinetic parameters and geometry of the transition state

The experimental data on the molecular decomposition of olefins ( 1 -pentens) of various structures to two olefins in a gas phase were analyzed by means of the parabola intersection method. The enthalpies and kinetic parameters characterizing such decomposition were calculated for eighteen reactions. Decomposition of olefins representing two-centered concerted re action was found to be characterized by a very high classic potential barrier of thermoneutral reaction (197.4 kJ/mol). The kinetic parameters (activation energy and velocity constant) of fifteen reverse reactions of formation of olefins from two alkenes were calculated using the parabola-intersection method. The factors affect ing the activation energy of the reactions of olefin decomposition and formation are discussed. Quantum chemical calculations of the transition state energy and geometry for six reactions of olefin decomposition were performed.     

Kinetic energy release distribution in the fragmentation of energy-selected iodopropane ions

The technique of threshold photoelectron-photoion coincidence (PEPICO) has been employed to determine the average kinetic energy release and the kinetic energy release distribution (KERD) for the iodine loss from 1- and 2-iodopropane ions as a function of the ion internal energy. The KERDs at all precursor-ion energies investigated (0–3 eV excess energy) have the shape of statistically expected distributions, 1-iodopropane ions which dissociate with an apparent 0.16 eV reverse activation barrier, are shown to isomerize at low energies prior to dissociation, to produce subsequently the 2-propyl C₃H₇^? structure. At high energies they may form a different C₃H₇^? isomer. The experimentally observed average kinetic energy releases are approximately a factor of 2 greater than expected statistically suggesting that not all vibrational modes participate in the energy disposal. The secondary dissociation of the C₃H₇^? isomers to C₃H₃ which is inhibited by a reverse activation barrier of = 0.4 eV indicates that the 1- and 2-iodopropane ions dissociate 75% and 60% respectively, to form the excited 1(²P_1/2) atoms.     

SCN· loss by intramolecular substitution of electron impact ionized 3-cyano-5-thiocyanatoalka-2,4-dienoic acid esters

The behaviour of some 5-thiocyanatoalkadienoic acid esters under electron impact has been investigated by means of low-resolution mass spectrometry. Some characteristic rearrangement processes have been observed under SCN· radical loss.     

Influence of diene substitution on transition state stabilization in Diels-Alder reaction

A theoretical analysis of transition state stabilization in D-A reactions of substituted dienes according to the nature and position of the substituent has been carried on. Results revealed that substituents (de)stabilize TS through four effects (steric, mesomeric, inductive, and polarizability) acting principally by favoring the electronic transfer between the two partners. The correlations observed point out nevertheless that the reactivity of substituted dienes in [4 + 2] cycloadditions on ethylene may principally be predicted by the sole use of the F + R electronic parameters.     

Kinetic energy release in metastable ions from β-keto esters

The kinetic energy release, T, in metastable ion transitions accompanying the main fragmentation reaction by electron impact has been determined for methyl-, ethyl- and propyl-pivaloyl acetates. The measurements have been made using a MAT 311 mass spectrometer with inverse Nier–Johnson geometry, by high voltage and mass-analysed ion kinetic energy methods. The peak width at 50% height has been used in the calculations. The T values and the shape of the metastable peaks are correlated to reaction types and to the alcohol radical.     

Kinetic calculation for the reaction of H with Si_2H_6 using the variational transition state theory

The reaction of disilane with atomic hydrogen has been studied. This reaction involves both substitution and abstraction. Calculations show that the hydrogen abstraction is the strongest competing channel. The canonical variational transition state theory with a small curvature tunneling correction (SCT) has been used for the kinetic calculation. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the available experimental data. Comparing the reactions of atomic hydrogen with disilane and silane, it can be seen that the reactivity of the Si-H bond is higher in Si2H6than that in SiH4.     

Kinetic calculation for the reaction of H with Si2H6 using the variational transition state theory

The reaction of disilane with atomic hydrogen has been studied. This reaction involves both substitution and abstraction. Calculations show that the hydrogen abstraction is the strongest competing channel. The canonical variational transition state theory with a small curvature tunneling correction (SCT) has been used for the kinetic calculation. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the available experimental data. Comparing the reactions of atomic hydrogen with disilane and silane, it can be seen that the reactivity of the Si-H bond is higher in Si₂H₆ than that in SiH₄.     

Kinetic energy release during CO loss by rearrangement of α-benzoylcarbenium ions

Primary α-benzoylcarbenium ions (a) and tertiary α-benzoyldimethylcarbenium ions (b) are obtained by chemical ionization of ω-hydroxyacetophenone and its dimethyl derivative, respectively. Both α-acylcarbenium ions decompose by a rearrangement reaction and subsequent loss of a CO molecule. The kinetic energy released during this process by metastable ions a and b has been determined under different experimental conditions. The kinetic energy released during the CO elimination from the tertiary α-benzoyldimethylcarbenium ions b is independent of the experimental conditions and gives rise to dish-topped peaks with T₅₀=440±20 meV in the MIKE spectra of b. In contrast to this the kinetic energy releases and the peak-shapes in the MIKE spectra of the primary α-benzoylcarbenium ion a varies with the experimental conditions. The mechanism of this rearrangement reaction is discussed, and it is shown by a MNDO calculation of the heats of formation of the relevant ions that the different characteristics of the kinetic energy release during the fragmentation of primary and tertiary carbenium ions can be attributed to different types of reaction energy profiles.     

Exploring transition state structures for intramolecular pathways by the artificial force induced reaction method

Finding all required transition state (TS) structures is an important but hard task in theoretical study of complex reaction mechanisms. In the present article, an efficient automated TS search method, artificial force induced reaction (AFIR), was extended to intramolecular reactions. The AFIR method has been developed for intermolecular associative pathways between two or more reactants. Although it has also been applied to intramolecular reactions by dividing molecules manually into fragments, the fragmentation scheme was not automated. In this work, we propose an automated fragmentation scheme. Using this fragmentation scheme and the AFIR method, a fully automated search algorithm for intramolecular pathways is introduced. This version for intramolecular reactions is called single‐component AFIR (SC‐AFIR), to distinguish it from multicomponent AFIR for intermolecular reactions. SC‐AFIR was tested with two reactions, the Claisen rearrangement and the first step of cobalt‐catalyzed hydroformylation, and successfully located all important pathways reported in the literature. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Optimizing the structures of minimum and transition state on the free energy surface

Presented here is the application of a scheme for optimizing the structures of minima and transition states on the free energy surface (FES) for a path along a fixed reaction coordinate with the aid of ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulation. In the direction of the reaction coordinate, the values corresponding to the stationary points were optimized using the quasi-Newton method, in which the gradient of the free energy along the reaction coordinate was obtained by a constraint AIMD method, and the Bofill Hessian update scheme was used. The equilibrium values for the other directions were taken as the corresponding averages in the dynamic simulation. This scheme was applied to several elementary bimolecular addition reactions: (A) BH(3) + H(2)O --> H(2)O.BH(3); (B) BF(3) + NH(3) --> FB(3).NH(3); (C) SO(3) + NH(3) --> O(3)S.NH(3); (D) C(2)H(4) + CCl(2) --> H(4)C(2).CCl(2); (E) Ni(NH(2))(2) + PH(3) --> (NH(2))(2)Ni.PH(3); (F) W(CO)(5) + CO --> W(CO)(6). For reactions A, B, C, and F, no transition state (TS) exists on the potential energy surface (PES). However there is a TS on the FES. This stems from the curvature difference of the PES and -TDeltaS as a function of the reaction coordinate. For all reactions, it is found that the TS shifts toward the complexation product with increasing temperature because of the curvature increase of -TDeltaS. The equilibrium bond distances for the inactive coordinates perpendicular to the reaction coordinate always increase with temperature, which is due to the thermal excitation and anharmonicity of the PES.     

Potential energy functions for an intramolecular proton transfer reaction in the ground and excited state

We describe the development of empirical potential functions for the study of the excited state intramolecular proton transfer reaction in 1-(trifuloroacetylamino)-naphtaquinone (TFNQ). The potential is a combination of the standard CHARMM27 force field for the backbone structure of TFNQ and an empirical valence bond formalism for the proton transfer reaction. The latter is parameterized to reproduce the potential energies both in the ground and the excited state, determined at the CASPT2 level of theory. Parameters describing intermolecular interactions are fitted to reproduce molecular dipole moments computed at the CASSCF level of theory and to reproduce ab initio hydrogen bonding energies and geometries for TFNQ-water bimolecular complexes. The utility of this potential energy function was examined by computing the potentials of mean force for the proton transfer reactions in the gas phase and in water, in both electronic states. The ground state PMF exhibits little solvent effects, whereas computed potential of mean force shows a solvent stabilization of 2.5 kcal mol⁻¹ in the product state region, suggesting proton transfer is more pronounced in polar solvents, consistent with experimental findings. Electronic Supplementary Material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Contribution to the Fernando Bernardi Memorial Issue.     

Kinetic energy release in unimolecular decompositions of ions. hydrogen rearrangements

The partition of reverse activation energy in hydrogen rearrangements is considered in terms of atomic motions composing the transition state reaction coordinate. It is shown how this approach predicts that, in general, elimination of H₂ from any small ion (as defined in the paper) is likely to be characterized by partition of significant proportions of any reverse activation energy as translational energy of the products. Hydrogen rearrangements in large ions leading to fragments of comparable mass are much less likely to partition reverse activation energy into product translation.