Theoretical study of Al(n) and Al(n)O (n = 2-10) clusters

The stable structures, energies, and electronic properties of neutral, cationic, and anionic clusters of Al(n) (n = 2-10) are studied systematically at the B3LYP/6-311G(2d) level. We find that our optimized structures of Al5(+), Al9(+), Al9(-), Al10, Al10(+), and Al10(-) clusters are more stable than the corresponding ones proposed in previous literature reports. For the studied neutral aluminum clusters, our results show that the stability has an odd/even alternation phenomenon. We also find that the Al3, Al7, Al7(+), and Al7(-) structures are more stable than their neighbors according to their binding energies. For Al7(+) with a special stability, the nucleus-independent chemical shifts and resonance energies are calculated to evaluate its aromaticity. In addition, we present results on hardness, ionization potential, and electron detachment energy. On the basis of the stable structures of the neutral Al(n) (n = 2-10) clusters, the Al(n)O (n = 2-10) clusters are further investigated at the B3LYP/6-311G(2d), and the lowest-energy structures are searched. The structures show that oxygen tends to either be absorbed at the surface of the aluminum clusters or be inserted between Al atoms to form an Al(n-1)OAl motif, of which the Al(n-1) part retains the stable structure of pure aluminum clusters.     

Singly and doubly lithium doped silicon clusters: geometrical and electronic structures and ionization energies

The geometric structures of neutral and cationic Si(n)Li(m)(0/+) clusters with n = 2-11 and m = 1, 2 are investigated using combined experimental and computational methods. The adiabatic ionization energy and vertical ionization energy (VIE) of Si(n)Li(m) clusters are determined using quantum chemical methods (B3LYP/6-311+G(d), G3B3, and CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVxZ with x = D,T), whereas experimental values are derived from threshold photoionization experiments in the 4.68-6.24 eV range. Among the investigated cluster sizes, only Si(6)Li(2), Si(7)Li, Si(10)Li, and Si(11)Li have ionization thresholds below 6.24 eV and could be measured accurately. The ionization threshold and VIE obtained from the experimental photoionization efficiency curves agree well with the computed values. The growth mechanism of the lithium doped silicon clusters follows some simple rules: (1) neutral singly doped Si(n)Li clusters favor the Li atom addition on an edge or a face of the structure of the corresponding Si(n)(-) anion, while the cationic Si(n)Li(+) binds with one Si atom of the bare Si(n) cluster or adds on one of its edges, and (2) for doubly doped Si(n)Li(2)(0/+) clusters, the neutrals have the shape of the Si(n+1) counterparts with an additional Li atom added on an edge or a face of it, while the cations have both Li atoms added on edges or faces of the Si(n)(-) clusters.     

A G3 study of the structure of carbon-nitrogen nanoclusters

Possible structures of the carbon-nitrogen clusters of the form C(m)N(n) (m = 1-4, n = 1-4, m + n = 2-5) were predicted for the neutral, anion, and cation species in the singlet, doublet, and triplet states, whenever appropriate. The calculations were performed at the G3, MP2(fc)/6-311+G*, and B3LYP/6-311+G* levels of theory. Several molecular properties related to the experimental data--such as the electronic energy, equilibrium geometry, binding energy, HOMO-LUMO gap (HLG), and spin contamination --were calculated. In addition the vertical electron attachment, the adiabatic electron affinity, and vertical ionization energy, of the neutral clusters were calculated. Most of the predicted lowest energy structures were linear, whereas bent structures became more stable with the increase of the cluster size and increase of the number of the N atoms. In most of the predicted lowest energy structures, the N atom prefers the terminal position with acetylenic bond. The calculated BE of the predicted clusters increases with the increase of the cluster size for the neutral and cation clusters but decreases with the increase of the cluster size for the anion clusters. The predicted clusters are characterized by high HLG of about 11 eV on the average, with that of the anion clusters is smaller than that for the neutral and cation clusters. It is concluded then that the anion clusters are less stable than the corresponding neutral and cation clusters. Finally, the N(2) loss reaction is treated.     

Investigation of Structures and Stabilities of AlmPn and AlmP(m+n=2～6)Clusters by DFT

The geometries,electronic states and energies of Alm Pn （ m + n = 2 ～ 6）neutral and anionic clusters have been investigated using the density functional theory（DFT）method of Becke’s three-parameter hybrid exchange functional with the nonlocal correlation of B3LYP. Structural optimization and frequency analyses are performed with the basis of 6-311G（ d）. The calculations predict the existence of a number of previously unknown isomers（i. e. ,Al3P_ and AlmPn （ m + n.5））. The calculations have also predicted that small AlP and（AlP）2 clusters adopt two-and three-dimensional structures characteristic of Si2 and Si4 clusters,while the structures of the larger AlP clusters are different completely from those of Sin clusters with the same electrons. The results show that the structures with the singlet have higher symmetries,while those with the doublet have lower symmetries. The vertical detachment energy of AlmPn （ m + n = 2 ～ 6）are also discused and the adiabatic electron affinities of AlmPn（m + n = 2 ～ 6）and also discussed at the same level. The results agree satisfactorily with the anion photoelectron spectroscopy of aluminum phosphide clusters reported recently by Gomez et al.     

Structures and energetics of neutral and ionic silicon-germanium clusters: density functional theory and coupled cluster studies

We have calculated the structural and energetic properties of neutral and ionic (singly charged anionic and cationic) semiconductor binary silicon-germanium clusters Si(m)Ge(n) for s = m + n ≤ 12 using the density functional theory (DFT-B3LYP) and coupled cluster [CCSD(T)] methods with Pople's 6-311++G(3df, 3pd) basis set. Neutral and anionic clusters share similar ground state structures for s = 3-7, independent of the stoichiometry and atom locations, but start to deviate at s = 8. The relative energetic stability of the calculated ground state structures among possible isomers has been analyzed through a bond strength propensity model where the pair interactions of Si-Si, Si-Ge, and Ge-Ge are competing. Electron affinities, ionization potentials, energy gaps between the highest and lowest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO-LUMO gaps), and cluster mixing energies were calculated and analyzed. Overall, for a fixed s, the vertical ionization potential increases as the number of silicon atoms m increases, while the vertical electron affinity shows a dip at m = 2. As s increases, the ionization potentials increase from s = 2 to s = 3 and then decrease slowly to s = 8. The mixing energies for neutral and ionic clusters are all negative, indicating that the binary clusters are more stable than pure elemental clusters. Except for s = 4 and 8, cationic clusters are more stable than anionic ones and, thus, are more likely to be observed in experiments.     

Geometric and energetic properties of Al-doped Sin (n = 2–21) clusters: FP-LMTO-MD calculations

We have investigated the effect of aluminum impurity atoms on the geometric structures and stabilities of neutral and ionic Si_n (n = 2–21) clusters in detail by using full-potential linear-muffin-tin-orbital molecular-dynamics (FP-LMTO-MD) method. Our calculations suggest that most of the ground state structures for neutral and ionic Si_nAl (n = 1–20) clusters can be obtained by substituting one Si atom of their corresponding Si clusters with an Al atom. The neutral Si_n–1Al clusters with one Al atom have similar geometrical configurations to those of the pure Si_n clusters except for local structural distortion. But one Al impurity atom probably reverses the energy ordering of two isomers with small difference. Although, an Al heteroatom reduces the average binding energies for the mixed clusters, it would improve the bond strength between Si atoms in some mixed clusters. Our calculations also suggest that most of the ionic Si_n–1Al clusters adopt the same geometrical configurations as their neutral clusters. But for one selected mixed cluster, the charged structures probably have different energy ordering from the neutral clusters. The anionic Si_n–1Al⁻ clusters, which are isoelectronic to their corresponding pure Si_n clusters, show similar magic behavior.     

AlnO2±团簇结构的几何特征与稳定性

采用密度泛函理论(DFT)的B3LYP方法,在6-311G**水平上对AlnO2±(n=1-10)团簇的几何和电子结构进行了理论计算.讨论了混合团簇的基态结构与振动频率,以及电荷转移与分子轨道.结果表明,AlnO2±(n>1)团簇的基态结构都是2个较小的AlmO(m相似文献   

Structure and properties of polycoordinate planar boron compounds

Polycoordinate planar B compounds BX(n) (X=B, Al, C, N and Si; n=3-8) are optimized at B3LYP/6-311++G (3df,p) theoretical level. For X=B, center B atom can coordinate three to eight atoms, while for X=Al, C, Si, and N, it can only coordinate three to five atoms. The natural bond orbital analysis shows that the center B atom does not violate the octet rule, though the numbers of coordinated atom even reach 8. According to molecular orbital analysis and nucleus independent chemical shift value calculation, it seems that these polycoordinate planar B compounds BX(n) (X=B, Al, C, N, and Si; n=3-8) hold twofold (alpha and pi) aromatic, which play an important role in their stability and keeping all atoms in one plane.     

CnAl (n=2-11)团簇的结构特征与稳定性

采用密度泛函理论(DFT)的B3LYP方法, 在6-311++G**水平上对CnAl(n=2-11)团簇的几何构型和电子结构进行了结构优化和振动频率计算. 结果表明, n=2的CnAl团簇基态结构为Al原子与两个C原子相连形成的环状结构, n=3-11均为Al原子端基配位的线状结构. 通过对基态结构的能量分析, 得到了n为偶数的CnAl团簇比n为奇数团族稳定的结论.     

Structures and stability of lithium monosilicide clusters SiLin (n = 4–16): What is the maximum number,magic number,and core number for lithium coordination to silicon?

In the coordination, hypervalent and cluster chemistry, three important characteristic properties are the maximum coordination number, magic number, and core coordination number. Yet, few studies have considered these three numbers at the same time for an ML(n) cluster with n larger than 8. In this article, we systematically studied the three properties of SiLi(n) (n = 4-16) clusters at the B3LYP/6-31G(d), B3LYP/6-311++G(2d), and CCSD(T)/6-311++G(3df)//B3LYP/6-311++G(2d) (for energy only) levels. Various isomeric forms with different symmetries were calculated. For each SiLi(n) (n = 4-9), silicon cohesive energy (cE) from SiLi(n) --> Si + Li(n) reaction, vertical ionization potential (vIP), and vertical electron affinity (vEA) were obtained for the lowest-energy isomer. We found that the maximum Li-coordination number of Si is 9, which is the largest number among the known MLi(n) clusters. All cE, vIP, and vEA values predicted that 6 is the magic Li-coordination number of Si. For small SiLi(n) (n < or = 6) clusters, Li atoms favor direct coordination to Si, whereas for larger SiLi(n) (n > or = 7) clusters, there is a core cluster that is surrounded by excessive Li atoms. The core Li-coordination number is 6 for SiLi(n) (n = 7,8), 7 for SiLi(n) (n = 9,10), 8 for SiLi(n) (n = 11-15) and 9 for SiLi(n) (n > or = 16). Through the calculations, we verified the relationship between the structure and stability of SiLi(n) with the maximum coordination number, magic number, and core coordination number.     

质子化丙酮分子团簇的结构和振动光谱

The stable structures and vibrational spectra of protonated acetone molecule clusters with different sizes （CH3COCH3）nH +（n=1-7）are calculated at the 6-31G（d）level by means of density functional theory （B3LYP）quantum chemical calculations. The corresponding energies are analyzed at the level B3LYP/6-311+G（3df,2p）in order to obtain more accurate results. The proton affinity of neutral cyclic acetone molecule clusters increases with the increasing of cluster size. The calculated results show that the protonated acetone clusters have certain growth regularity with forming a solvation shell at the beginning and then new added acetone molecule attacking different active sites including the middle carbon atoms and the different methyl in solvation shell. The IR spectra of the protonated clusters are more complicate than that of neutral ones. The strongest peaks result from the movement of the proton between the two oxygen atoms in solvant shell apart from the case of n=1. Carbonyl stretching vibraional peaks split into the more and more and in general the corresponding intensities are weakened due to the protonation with the increasing of cluster size.     

Isomerization of B_6,B_6~- and B_6~+ clusters

The interconversions between isomers with the same spin multiplicity of neutral B6 and charged B6-and B6+ clusters have been investigated at the B3LYP/6-311+G level of theory,including determination of the minimum energy pathways with transition states connecting the corresponding reactants and products.In dynamic calculations,26 isomers were optimized,including 11 novel isomers.In order to further refine the energies,single-point B3LYP/6-311+G(3df) calculations were carried out on the corresponding B3LYP/6...     

小分子硫原子团簇正离子的结构稳定性

用分子图形软件设计出49种硫原子团簇Sn+(n=3～13)的结构,使用B3LYP密度泛函进行几何构型优化和振动频率计算,根据分子的总能量得出最稳定的同分异构体.在硫原子团簇正离子中,大部分原子为二配位成键.带有一、三配位的原子结构的总能量较高.部分最稳定硫原子团簇正离子的构型与最稳定的中性硫原子团簇的构型完全不同.     

Structures and electronic properties of Al7x0,- and Al13 X1,2,12- clusters with X=F, Cl, and Br

The structures, binding energies, and electronic properties for Al7X, Al7X-, Al13X-, Al13X2-, and Al13X12- (X = F, Cl, Br) were studied at the B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p) level. Among the systems studied, Al7 and Al13 clusters in Al7X and Al13X- reveal alkali-like and halogen-like superatom characters, respectively. Al7 can bind with one halogen atom to form a salt-like compound as Al7+delta-X-delta. Al13- can combine with one halogen atom to form a diatomic halogen anion Al13X-. However, when adding more halogens, the superatom structure would be destroyed, resulting in low-symmetry compounds with the center Al atom moving toward the cluster surface. The structures of Al13X1,2,12- (X = F, Cl, Br) are similar to those of X = I; however, their binding energies and electron structures are much different. In addition, the analyses of the calculated NBO charges show that Cl and Br have similar properties, but much different from F, when interacting with the Al clusters. The Al-Cl and Al-Br bonds have more covalent character in Al7X and Al13X2,12-, in contrast to the corresponding Al-F bond, which has prominent ionic character.     

Relative stability of planar versus double-ring tubular isomers of neutral and anionic boron cluster B20 and B20-

High-level ab initio molecular-orbital methods have been employed to determine the relative stability among four neutral and anionic B20 isomers, particularly the double-ring tubular isomer versus three low-lying planar isomers. Calculations with the fourth-order Moller-Plessset perturbation theory [MP4(SDQ)] and Dunning's correlation consistent polarized valence triple zeta basis set as well as with the coupled-cluster method including single, double, and noniteratively perturbative triple excitations and the 6-311G(d) basis set show that the double-ring tubular isomer is appreciably lower in energy than the three planar isomers and is thus likely the global minimum of neutral B20 cluster. In contrast, calculations with the MP4(SDQ) level of theory and 6-311+G(d) basis set show that the double-ring anion isomer is appreciably higher in energy than two of the three planar isomers. In addition, the temperature effects on the relative stability of both 10B20- and 11B20- anion isomers are examined using the density-functional theory. It is found that the three planar anion isomers become increasingly more stable than the double-ring isomer with increasing the temperature. These results are consistent with the previous conclusion based on a joint experimental/simulated anion photoelectron spectroscopy study [B. Kiran et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 102, 961 (2005)], that is, the double-ring anion isomer is notably absent from the experimental spectra. The high stability of the double-ring neutral isomer of B20 can be attributed in part to the strong aromaticity as characterized by its large negative nucleus-independent chemical shift. The high-level ab initio calculations suggest that the planar-to-tubular structural transition starts at B20 for neutral clusters but should occur beyond the size of B20- for the anion clusters.     

A density functional study of YnAl (n=1-14) clusters

The geometries, stabilities, and electronic and magnetic properties of Y(n)Al (n=1-14) clusters have been systematically investigated by using density functional theory with generalized gradient approximation. The growth pattern for different sized Y(n)Al (n=1-14) clusters is Al-substituted Y(n+1) clusters and it keeps the similar frameworks of the most stable Y(n+1) clusters except for Y(9)Al cluster. The Al atom substituted the surface atom of the Y(n+1) clusters for n<9. Starting from n=9, the Al atom completely falls into the center of the Y-frame. The Al atom substituted the center atom of the Y(n+1) clusters to form the Al-encapsulated Y(n) geometries for n>9. The calculated results manifest that doping of the Al atom contributes to strengthen the stabilities of the yttrium framework. In addition, the relative stability of Y(12)Al is the strongest among all different sized Y(n)Al clusters, which might stem from its highly symmetric geometry. Mulliken population analysis shows that the charges always transfer from Y atoms to Al atom in all different sized clusters. Doping of the Al atom decreases the average magnetic moments of most Y(n) clusters. Especially, the magnetic moment is completely quenched after doping Al in the Y(13), which is ascribed to the disappearance of the ininerant 4d electron spin exchange effect. Finally, the frontier orbitals properties of Y(n)Al are also discussed.     

Spectroscopic identification of carbenium and ammonium isomers of protonated aniline (AnH+): IR spectra of weakly bound AnH+ -Ln clusters (L = Ar, N2)

Infrared photodissociation (IRPD) spectra of mass-selected clusters composed of protonated aniline (C6H8N+ = AnH+) and a variable number of neutral ligands (L = Ar, N2) are obtained in the N-H stretch range. The AnH+ -Ln complexes (n < or = 3) are produced by chemical ionization in a supersonic expansion of An, H2, and L. The IRPD spectra of AnH+-Ln feature the unambiguous fingerprints of at least two different AnH+ nucleation centers, namely, the ammonium isomer (5) and the carbenium ions (1 and/or 3) corresponding to protonation at the N atom and at the C atoms in the para and/or ortho positions, respectively. Protonation at the meta and ipso positions is not observed. Both classes of observed AnH+-Ln isomers exhibit very different photofragmentation behavior upon vibrational excitation arising from the different interaction strengths of the AnH+ cores with the surrounding neutral ligands. Analysis of the incremental N-H stretch frequency shifts as a function of cluster size shows that microsolvation of both 5 and 1/3 in Ar and N2 starts with the formation of intermolecular H bonds of the ligands to the acidic NH protons and proceeds by intermolecular pi bonding to the aromatic ring. The analysis of both the photofragmentation branching ratios and the N-H stretch frequencies demonstrates that the N-H bonds in 5 are weaker and more acidic than those in 1/3, leading to stronger intermolecular H bonds with L. The interpretation of the spectroscopic data is supported by density functional calculations conducted at the B3LYP level using the 6-31G* and 6-311G(2df,2pd) basis sets. Comparison with clusters of neutral aniline and the aniline radical cation demonstrates the drastic effect of protonation and ionization on the acidity of the N-H bonds and the topology of the intermolecular potential, in particular on the preferred aromatic substrate-nonpolar ligand recognition motif.     

AlmN2－ (m=1～8)团簇的结构与稳定性

用密度泛函理论(DFT)的B3LYP方法, 在6-311G*水平上对AlmN2－ (m =1～8)团簇的几何构型、电子结构、振动频率、电荷分布与成键方式进行了理论研究. 结果表明, AlmN2－ 团簇的基态结构有两种基本构型, 一种是以N—N键为核心, 周围与Al原子配位形成的； 另一种是由两个AlnN(n＜m)分子碎片通过共用Al原子或Al—Al键相互结合形成的. 对AlnN分子碎片相互结合形成的基态结构亲和能讨论得到, m为奇数的AlmN2－团簇比m为偶数的稳定.     

Al2F2分子结构与稳定性的ab initio计算研究

用abinitio方法在UMP2/6-311G(d)水平下计算了Al2F2分子可能的异构体构型和AlF二聚化成Al2F2分子的反应能。UMP2/6-311G(d)和UQCISD(T)/6-311+G(3df)//UMP2/6-311G(d)水平下的能量值均说明具有D2h对称性、1^Ag电子态的异构是Al2F2分子的最稳定构型,其Al-F键长为0.19074nm,键角Al-F-Al和F-Al-F分别为104.62°和75.38°,以及两个强振动,441.27cm^-1和401.93cm^-1,均与实验结果相符合。电子结构分析表明,具有D2h对称性的异构体的活性中心在2个Al原子上,在形成衍生物时是主要的反应加成位置。在UMP2/6-311G(d)和UQCISD(T)6-311+G(3df)//UMP2/6-311G(d)水平下得到了AlF二聚化能量分别为-75.01kJ/mol和-66.07kJ/mol,与文献估计算基本一致,说明AlF二聚化反应能量上是有利的。     

Experimental and computational study of the Zn(n)S(n) and Zn(n)S(n)+ clusters

Zinc sulfide clusters produced by direct laser ablation and analyzed in a time-of-flight mass-spectrometer, showed evidence that clusters composed of 3, 6, and 13 monomer units were ultrastable. The geometry and energies of neutral and positively charged Zn(n)S(n) clusters, up to n = 16, were obtained computationally at the B3LYP/6-311+G level of theory with the assistance of an algorithm to generate all possible structures having predefined constraints. Small neutral and positive clusters were found to have planar geometries, neutral three-dimensional clusters have the geometry of closed-cage polyhedra, and cationic three-dimensional clusters have structures with a pair of two-coordinated atoms. Physical properties of the clusters as a function of size are reported. The relative stability of the positive stoichiometric clusters provides a thermodynamic rationale for the experimental results.