Homolytic dissociation in hydrogen-bonding liquids: energetics of the phenol O–H bond in methanol and the water O–H bond in water

The energetics of the phenol O–H bond in methanol and the water O–H bond in liquid water were investigated by microsolvation modelling and statistical mechanics Monte Carlo simulations. The microsolvation approach was based on density functional theory calculations. Optimised structures for clusters of phenol and the phenoxy radical with one and two methanol molecules are reported. By analysing the differential solvation of phenol and the phenoxy radical in methanol, we predict that the phenol O–H homolytic bond dissociation enthalpy in solution is 24.3±11 kJ/mol above the gas-phase value. The analysis of the water O–H bond dissociation by microsolvation was based on optimised structures of OH–(H₂O)_1–6 and –(H₂O)_1–7 clusters. Microsolvation modelling and statistical mechanics simulations predict that the HO–H bond dissociation enthalpies in the gas phase and in liquid water are very similar. Our results stress the importance of estimating the differences between the solvation enthalpies of the radical species and the parent molecule and the limitations of local models based on microsolvation.Proceedings of the 11th International Congress of Quantum Chemistry satellite meeting in honor of Jean-Louis Rivail     

Experimental and theoretical study on the structure and vibrational spectra of β-2-aminopyridinium dihydrogenphosphate

Experimental and theoretical vibrational spectra of β-2-aminopyridinium dihydrogenphosphate (β-2APDP) have been investigated. The FT-IR spectrum of β-2APDP was recorded in the region 4000-400 cm(-1). The optimized molecular structure and theoretical vibrational frequencies of β-2APDP have been investigated using ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) and density functional B3LYP method with 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. The optimized geometric parameters (bond lengths and bond angles) and theoretical frequencies have been compared with the corresponding experimental data and it is found that they agree well with each other. All the assignments of the theoretical frequencies were performed by potential energy distributions using VEDA 4 program. Furthermore, the used scale factors were obtained from the ratio of the frequency values of the strongest peaks in the experimental and theoretical IR spectra. From the results it was concluded that the B3LYP method is superior to the HF method for the vibrational frequencies.     

Substituent effect on N?H bond dissociation enthalpies of amines and amides: A theoretical study

N? H bond dissociation enthalpies for the substituted ammonia, amine, amides, and their thio‐ and seleno‐analogs have been studied employing ab initio and density functional methods. The orbital interactions involving lone pair of electrons on nitrogen and substituent, electrostatic interactions, spin delocalization, and hydrogen bonding are the important factors affecting the stability of the molecule and the radical. The molecule stabilization effect and radical stabilization effect have been calculated using isodesmic reactions in order to analyze the effect of substituent on the stabilization of the molecule and the radical. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

PCM study of the solvent and substituent effects on bond dissociation energies of the C?NO bond

Quantum chemical calculations are used to estimate the equilibrium C? NO bond dissociation energies (BDEs) for eight X? NO molecule (X = CCl₃, C₆F₅, CH₃, CH₃CH₂, iC₃H₇, tC₄H₉, CH₂CHCH₂, and C₆H₅CH₂). These compounds are studied by employing the hybrid density functional theory (B3LYP, B3PW91, B3P86) methods together with 6‐31G** and 6‐311G** basis sets and the complete basis set (CBS‐QB3) method. The obtained results are compared with the available experimental results. It is demonstrated that B3P86/6‐31G** and CBS‐QB3 methods are accurate for computing the reliable BDEs for the X? NO molecule. Considering the inevitably computational cost of CBS‐QB3 method and the reliability of the B3P86 calculations, B3P86 method with 6‐31G** basis set may be more suitable to calculate the BDEs of the C? NO bond. The solvent effects on the BDEs of the C? NO bond are analyzed and it is shown that the C? NO BDEs in a vacuum computed by using B3PW91/6‐311G** method are the closest to the computed values in acetontrile and the average solvent effect is 1.48 kcal/mol. Subsequently, the substituent effects of the BDEs of the C? NO bond are further analyzed and it is found that electron denoting group stabilizes the radical and as a result BDE decreases; whereas electron withdrawing group stabilizes the group state of the molecule and thus increases the BDE from the parent molecule. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

Possible intramolecular rearrangements of O-vinyloximes initiated by N—O bond dissociation: a quantum-chemical analysis

The potential surface of conformational transitions of O-vinylacetoxime was studied and the regions of starting states for possible isomeric transformations with the N—O bond dissociation as the limiting stage were recognized. The activation parameters and heat effects of intramolecular rearrangement O-vinylacetoxime iminoacetaldehyde were evaluated. Transition-state structure of the rearrangement was identified.     

Variationally determined electronic states for the theoretical analysis of intramolecular interaction: I. Resonance energy and rotational barrier of the C–N bond in formamide and its analogs

We present a new method that produces a variationally determined zeroth-order wave function for the analysis of intramolecular interactions between the fragments of a molecule. In our method, called the space-restricted wave function (SRW) method, this wave function is defined with nonorthogonal orbitals, which are obtained using the appropriately restricted variational spaces. The wave function thus obtained represents the electronic state with the target interactions deactivated, and it is constructed without unnecessarily breaking bonds, in contrast to some of the existing methods. Furthermore, we can perform energy decomposition analysis of intramolecular interactions using the zeroth-order functions that the SRW method yields. The validity of the SRW method is demonstrated in the analysis of the resonance energy and the rotational barrier of the C–N bond in formamide and its analogs. This method gives energy components that are different from those given by existing methods. With these components, we elucidate the origin of the rotational barrier from another point of view. Our SRW method gives meaningful results for the investigation of electron behavior and the nature of the molecular system.     

Experimental and theoretical study of the charge transport property of 4,4′-N,N′-dicarbazole-biphenyl

The hole and electron mobilities of the amorphous films of the organic semiconductor 4,4′-N,N′-dicarbazole-biphenyl (CBP) at different electric fields were measured through the time of flight (TOF) method. Based on its crystalline structure, the hole and electron mobilities of CBP were calculated. A detailed comparison between experimental and theoretical results is necessary for further understanding its charge transport properties. In order to do this, charge mobilities at zero electric field, μ(0), were deduced from experimental data as a link between experimental and theoretical data. It was found that the electron transport of CBP is less affected by traps compared with its hole transport. This unusual phenomenon can be understood through the distributions of frontier molecular orbitals. We showed that designing materials with frontier molecular orbitals localized at the center of the molecule has the potency to reduce the influence of traps on charge transport and provide new insights into designing high mobility charge transport materials.     

Homodesmotic method of determining the O–H bond dissociation energies in phenols

The dissociation energy of the O–H bond has been calculated by the homodesmotic reaction method for phenolic compounds, which are well-known antioxidants, including for natural phenols. Use of moderately complex computational levels, such as B3LYP/6-31G(d), is sufficient for reliably estimating the D(O–H) value for phenols within the homodesmotic approach. The O–H bond dissociation energy for monosubstituted phenols has been calculated, and the additive character of the effect of methyl groups on D(O–H) in methylphenols has been demonstrated: the introduction of a CH₃ group into the aromatic ring decreases the D value by 7.8 kJ/mol (ortho position), 1.8 kJ/mol (meta position), and 7.6 kJ/mol (para position). The O–H bond strength has been calculated for a number of ubiquinols, selenophens, flavonoids, and chromanols. The D(O–H) value recommended for α-tocopherol is 328.0 ± 1.3 kJ/mol.     

Experimental thermochemical study of the enthalpies of formation and sublimation of isonicotinamide,picolinamide, nicotinamide,isonicotinamideN-oxide,and nicotinamideN-oxide. The dissociation enthalpies of the N–O bonds

The standard (p ^∘  =  0.1MPa) molar enthalpies of combustion in oxygen, at T =  298.15 K, for crystalline picolinamide (2-NH₂COPy), nicotinamide (3-NH₂COPy), isonicotinamide (4-NH₂COPy), nicotinamide N -oxide (3- NH₂COPyNO), and isonicotinamide N - oxide (4-NH₂COPyNO) were measured by static-bomb calorimetry. These values were used to derive the standard molar enthalpies of formation of the crystalline compounds. The standard molar enthalpies of sublimation, at T =  298.15 K, for the three pyridinecarboxamide isomers were measured by microcalorimetry and the standard molar enthalpies of sublimation for the two pyridinecarboxamide N -oxide compounds were measured by a mass-loss effusion technique. From the enthalpies of formation of the gaseous compounds, the molar dissociation enthalpies D_m^oof the (N ⁺ – O ⁻ ) covalent bonds were derived. Comparison has been made with D_m^o(N–O) values in pyridine N -oxide derivatives.     

A theoretical study of the copper–cysteine bond in blue copper proteins

 The accuracy of theoretical calculations on models of the blue copper proteins is investigated using density functional theory (DFT) Becke's three-parameter hybrid method with the Lee–Yang–Parr correlation functional (B3LYP) and medium-sized basis sets. Increasing the basis set to triple-zeta quality with f-type functions on all heavy atoms and enlarging the model [up to Cu(imidazole-CH₃)₂(SC₂H₅) (CH₃SC₂H₅)^0/+] has only a limited influence on geometries and relative energies. Comparative calculations with more accurate wave-function–based methods (second-order M?ller–Plesset perturbation theory, complete-active-space second-order perturbation theory, coupled-cluster method, including single and double replacement amplitudes and in addition triple replacement perturbatively) and a variety of basis sets on smaller models indicate that the DFT/B3LYP approach gives reliable results with only a small basis set dependence, whereas the former methods strongly depend on the size of the basis sets. The effect of performing the geometry optimizations in a continuum solvent is quite small, except for the flexible Cu-S_Met bond. The results of this study confirm the earlier results that neither the oxidized nor the reduced copper site in the blue proteins is strained to any significant degree (in energy terms) by the protein surrounding. Received: 7 July 2000 / Accepted: 17 November 2000 / Published online: 21 March 2001     

Experimental determination of the dissociation energies D0 and De of H2O…HF

The zero-point and equilibrium dissociation energies of the hydrogen-bonded dimer H₂O…HF have been determined as D₀ = 34.3(3) kJmol⁻¹ and D_e = 42.9 (8) kJmol⁻¹ from absolute intensities of rotational transitions in an equilibrium mixture of H₂O, HF and H₂O…HF.     

Reorganization energy of supramolecular donor–acceptor dyad of octaethylporphyrin isomers and axial-coordinated acceptor: Experimental and computational study

The internal reorganization energy (λ_V) of photoinduced electron transfer (ET) in the supramolecular donor–acceptor dyads of 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylporphinatozinc(II) (ZnOEP) and electron acceptor ligands was compared with those of structural isomers, 2,3,7,8,11,12,17,18-octaethylhemiporphycenatozinc(II) (ZnHPc) and 2,3,6,7,12,13,16,17-octaethylporphycenatozinc(II) (ZnPcn). First, ET process of the supramolecular donor–acceptor dyads of ZnOEP was investigated by means of the transient absorption spectroscopy mainly. The formation of supramolecular dyads was confirmed by absorption spectral change, from which the association constant was estimated. The ET process was confirmed by the observation of radical cation of ZnOEP during the laser flash photolysis. The ET rates of these dyads are in the order of ZnOEP > ZnHPc > ZnPcn, when the driving forces for ET are similar to each other. From the free energy dependence of ET rates, the λ_V values of OEP and its isomers were estimated. The estimated λ_V value was in the order of ZnOEP < ZnHPc < ZnPcn. This tendency was reproduced by calculation at B3LYP/6-31G(d) and BHandHLYP/6-31G(d) levels. The origin of this tendency was discussed on the basis of the structural change during the ET process.     

A quantum chemistry study on C–H homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies of five-membered and six-membered heterocyclic compounds

The C–H homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) of 27 heterocyclic compounds of small systems (less than 8 non-hydrogen atoms) were evaluated by the composite ab initio methods of G4 and CBS-Q. In addition, the C–H BDEs of an extended database including 60 heterocyclic compounds were assessed by 16 DFT functionals. The correlation between the theoretical and experimental values reveals that the BMK functional provided the lowest root mean square error (RMSE) of 10.2 kJ/mol, and the correlation coefficient (R²) was 0.955. The mean deviation (MD), mean absolute deviation (MAD) of BMK are 0.1 kJ/mol and 7.9 kJ/mol separately. Therefore, we utilized BMK to research C–H BDEs together with the substituent effects of five-membered and six-membered heterocyclic compounds including large systems. The nature of C–H BDE change pattern was analyzed by the natural bond orbital (NBO).     

Experimental and theoretical study of N-hexylcytosine and N-hexylcytosinium nitrate: the crucial role of hydrophobic and anion–π interactions

We report the synthesis and X-ray characterization of N¹-hexylcytosine (1) and N¹-hexylcytosinium nitrate (2). N¹-hexylcytosine (1) does not follow the same behaviour previously described for N¹-hexylthymine and N¹-hexyluracil in the solid state. This different behavior has been analyzed by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations including the latest available correction for dispersion (D3). In addition hydrophobic and anion–π noncovalent interactions play a key role in stabilizing the 3D architectures of the compounds, which have been energetically studied using theoretical calculations and compared with similar structures retrieved from the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD). The anion–π–anion binding mode observed for nitrate in compound 2 is also observed in several crystal structures involving cytosine ring coordinated to transition metals.     

Thermochemistry of 2,2′-dipyridil N-oxide and 2,2′-dipyridil N,N′-dioxide. The dissociation enthalpies of the N−O bonds

In this paper, the first, second and mean (N?O) bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) were derived from the standard (p° = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation, in the gaseous phase, ${\mathrm{\Delta }}_{\text{f}}{H}_{\text{m}}^{°}(\text{g})$, at T = 298.15 K, of 2,2′-dipyridil N-oxide and 2,2′-dipyridil N,N′-dioxide. These values were calculated from experimental thermodynamic parameters, namely from the standard (p° = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation, in the crystalline phase, ${\mathrm{\Delta }}_{\text{f}}{H}_{\text{m}}^{°}(\text{cr})$, at T = 298.15 K, obtained from the standard molar enthalpies of combustion, ${\mathrm{\Delta }}_{\text{c}}{H}_{\text{m}}^{°}$, measured by static bomb combustion calorimetry, and from the standard molar enthalpies of sublimation, at T = 298.15 K, determined from Knudsen mass-loss effusion method.     

Effect of ZnO on the interfacial bonding between Na2O–B2O3–SiO2 vitrified bond and diamond

Diamond composites were prepared by sintering diamond grains with low melting Na₂O–B₂O₃–SiO₂ vitrified bonds in air. The influence of ZnO on the wettability and flowing ability of Na₂O–B₂O₃–SiO₂ vitrified bonds was characterized by wetting angle, the interfacial bonding states between diamond grains and the vitrified bonds were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the micro-scale bonding mechanism in the interfaces was investigated by means of energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The experimental results showed that ZnO facilitated the dissociation of boron/silicon–oxygen polyhedra and the formation of larger amount of non-bridging oxygen in the glass network, which resulted in the increase of the vitrified bonds' wettability and the formation of –CO, –O–H and –C–H bonds on the surface of diamond grains. B and Si diffused from the vitrified bonds to the interface, and C–C, C–O, CO and C–B bond formed on the surface of sintered diamond grains during sintering process, by which the interfacial bonding between diamond grains and the vitrified bonds was strengthened.     

Experimental study and thermodynamic modeling of the MgO–NiO–SiO2 system

The MgO–NiO–SiO₂ system has been studied by a combination of thermodynamic modeling and experimental measurements of phase equilibria. A complete literature review, critical evaluation and thermodynamic modeling of phase diagrams and thermodynamic properties of all oxide phases in the MgO–NiO–SiO₂ system at 1 atm total pressure are presented. To resolve the contradictions in the literature data, a new experimental investigation has been carried out over the temperature range from (1400 to 1650) °C using an equilibration and quenching technique followed by electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA). Tie-lines between olivine and monoxide, olivine and proto-pyroxene, liquid and olivine and liquid and cristobalite have been measured. The whole set of experimental data, including the new experimental results and previously published data, has been taken into consideration in thermodynamic modeling of oxide phases in the MgO–NiO–SiO₂ system. The Modified Quasichemical Model has been used for the liquid phase. A simple random mixing model with a polynomial expansion of the excess Gibbs energy has been used for the monoxide solid solution. The models for olivine and proto-pyroxene were developed within the framework of the Compound Energy Formalism. The optimized model parameters reproduce all available thermodynamic and phase diagram data within experimental error limits.     

Designing new free-radical reducing reagents: Theoretical study on Si–H bond dissociation energies of organic silanes

Bond dissociation energies of a series of substituted silanes were studied with the density functional theory methods. The performances of six different density functional methods including B3LYP, B3P86, BH&HLYP, B1LYP, PBE1KCIS, and TPSSLYP1W were examined for the prediction of Si–H bond dissociation energies. The results showed that B3P86 was the most accurate theoretical procedure among these six DFT methods. Using the B3P86 method, we then carried out a systematic study about the substituent effects on Si–H bond dissociation energies, with a focus to identify the possible approaches to weaken the Si–H bond strength. On the basis of the knowledge learned from the systematic study on model systems, we proposed some new silicon-based radical reducing reagents which may be used to replace toxic tin hydride reagents.     

Interaction in the ternary complexes of HNO3···HCl···H2O: a theoretical study on energetics, structure, and spectroscopy

Ternary complexes of HNO(3)···HCl···H(2)O were investigated by ab initio calculations with aug-cc-pVDZ and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets. The results are analyzed in terms of structures, energetics, and infrared vibrational frequencies. In all minima, neither HNO(3) nor HCl becomes ionized. The contribution of the nonadditivity effect, which is significant for hydrogen-bonded clusters, is bigger for the cyclic structures in which HNO(3) acts as a proton donor to HCl, although the global minimum contains HNO(3) donating its proton to a H(2)O molecule.