Structural Characteristics of Graphane‐Type C and BN Nanostructures by Periodic Local MP2 Approach

The structural characteristics of fully‐hydrogenated carbon and boron nitride mono‐ and multilayer slabs, together with nanotubes derived from the slabs, are investigated mainly by means of periodic local second‐order Møller–Plesset perturbation (LMP2) calculations and the results are compared with Hartree–Fock (HF), density functional theory (DFT), and dispersion function‐augmented DFT (DFT‐D) obtained ones. The investigated systems are structurally analogous to (111) and (110) slabs of diamond, where the hydrogenated (111) slab of diamond corresponds to the experimentally known graphane. Multilayering of monolayers and nanotubes is energetically favorable at the LMP2 level for both C and BN, while HF and DFT are not able to reproduce this behavior for CH systems. The work highlights the importance of utilizing methods capable of properly describing weak interactions in the investigation of dispersively‐bound systems such as the multilayered graphanes and the corresponding nanotubes.     

Intensely luminescent homoleptic alkynyl decanuclear gold(I) clusters and their cationic octanuclear phosphine derivatives

Treatment of Au(SC(4)H(8))Cl with a stoichiometric amount of hydroxyaliphatic alkyne in the presence of NEt(3) results in high-yield self-assembly of homoleptic clusters (AuC(2)R)(10) (R = 9-fluorenol (1), diphenylmethanol (2), 2,6-dimethyl-4-heptanol (3), 3-methyl-2-butanol (4), 4-methyl-2-pentanol (4), 1-cyclohexanol (6), 2-borneol (7)). The molecular compounds contain an unprecedented catenane metal core with two interlocked 5-membered rings. Reactions of the decanuclear clusters 1-7 with gold-diphosphine complex [Au(2)(1,4-PPh(2)-C(6)H(4)-PPh(2))(2)](2+) lead to octanuclear cationic derivatives [Au(8)(C(2)R)(6)(PPh(2)-C(6)H(4)-PPh(2))(2)](2+) (8-14), which consist of planar tetranuclear units {Au(4)(C(2)R)(4)} coupled with two fragments [AuPPh(2)-C(6)H(4)-PPh(2)(AuC(2)R)](+). The titled complexes were characterized by NMR and ESI-MS spectroscopy, and the structures of 1, 13, and 14 were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The luminescence behavior of both Au(I)(10) and Au(I)(8) families has been studied, revealing efficient room-temperature phosphorescence in solution and in the solid state, with the maximum quantum yield approaching 100% (2 in solution). DFT computational studies showed that in both Au(I)(10) and Au(I)(8) clusters metal-centered Au → Au charge transfer transitions mixed with some π-alkynyl MLCT character play a dominant role in the observed phosphorescence.     

Modulation of metallophilic bonds: solvent-induced isomerization and luminescence vapochromism of a polymorphic Au-Cu cluster

We report a homoleptic Au-Cu alkynyl cluster that represents an unexplored class of luminescent materials with stimuli-responsive photophysical properties. The bimetallic complex formulated as [Au(2)Cu(2)(C(2)OHC(5)H(8))(4)](n) efficiently self-assembles from Au(SC(4)H(8))Cl, Cu(NCMe)(4)PF(6), and 1-ethynylcyclopentanol in the presence of NEt(3). This compound shows remarkably diverse polymorphism arising from the modulation of metallophilic interactions by organic solvents. Four crystalline forms, obtained from methanol (1a); ethanol, acetone, or choloroform (1b); toluene (1c); and diethyl ether or ethyl acetate (1d), demonstrate different photoluminescent characteristics. The solid-state quantum yields of phosphorescence (Φ) vary from 0.1% (1a) to 25% (1d), depending on the character of intermetallic bonding. The structures of 1b-d were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The ethanol (1b, Φ = 2%) and toluene (1c, Φ = 10%) solvates of [Au(2)Cu(2)(C(2)OHC(5)H(8))(4)](n) adopt octanuclear isomeric structures (n = 2), while 1d (Φ = 25%) is a solvent-free chain polymer built from two types of Au(4)Cu(4) units. Electronic structure calculations show that the dramatic enhancement of the emission intensity is correlated with the increasing role of metal-metal bonding. The latter makes the emission progressively more metal-centered in the order 1b < 1c < 1d. The metallophilic contacts in 1a-d show high sensitivity to the vapors of certain solvents, which effectively induce unusual solid-state isomerization and switching of the absorption and luminescence properties via non-covalent interactions. The reported polymorphic material is the first example of a gold(I) alkynyl compound demonstrating vapochromic behavior.     

A Facile Molecular Machine: Optically Triggered Counterion Migration by Charge Transfer of Linear Donor‐π‐Acceptor Phosphonium Fluorophores

The D‐π‐A type phosphonium salts in which electron acceptor (A=‐⁺PR₃) and donor (D=‐NPh₂) groups are linked by polarizable π‐conjugated spacers show intense fluorescence that is classically ascribed to excited‐state intramolecular charge transfer (ICT). Unexpectedly, salts with π=‐(C₆H₄)_n‐ and ‐(C₁₀H₆C₆H₄)‐ exhibit an unusual dual emission (F₁ and F₂ bands) in weakly polar or nonpolar solvents. Time‐resolved fluorescence studies show a successive temporal evolution from the F₁ to F₂ emission, which can be rationalized by an ICT‐driven counterion migration. Upon optically induced ICT, the counterions move from ‐⁺PR₃ to ‐NPh₂ and back in the ground state, thus achieving an ion‐transfer cycle. Increasing the solvent polarity makes the solvent stabilization dominant, and virtually stops the ion migration. Providing that either D or A has ionic character (by static ion‐pair stabilization), the ICT‐induced counterion migration should not be uncommon in weakly polar to nonpolar media, thereby providing a facile avenue for mimicking a photoinduced molecular machine‐like motion.     

F‐bridged Anions of Bromine and Gold: Predictions of Unexpected Behavior

The significant similarity between MF₃, MF₄^–, and M₂F₇^– (M = Au, Br) is studied using quantum chemical methods. It is expected that compounds containing Au₃F₁₀^– anions are likely to be stable. A theoretical background for the ongoing attempts of their synthesis is provided by calculations on the stabilities and molecular structures of various bromine and gold anions with the general composition of M_nF_3n+1^– (n = 1, 2, 3, 4). The anions show unexpected differences and peculiarities in their energetically preferable molecular structures. Different chain‐like structures are predicted as the global minima for the hypothetical Au₃F₁₀^– and Br₄F₁₃^– anions.     

Microscopic mechanism for cold denaturation

We elucidate the mechanism of cold denaturation through constant-pressure simulations for a model of hydrophobic molecules in an explicit solvent. We find that the temperature dependence of the hydrophobic effect induces, facilitates, and is the driving force for cold denaturation. The physical mechanism underlying this phenomenon is identified as the destabilization of hydrophobic contact in favor of solvent-separated configurations, the same mechanism seen in pressure-induced denaturation. A phenomenological explanation proposed for the mechanism is suggested as being responsible for cold denaturation in real proteins.     

Determination of loads applied perpendicularly to the outer boundary of a ring using coefficients of influence

A procedure is explained to determined the amount of several pairs of diametrical loads applied to the outside boundary of a ring when stresses at selected points of the inside or outside boundaries are known. Coefficients of influence are used, following an approach similar to the one presented in a previous paper. Examples of application are given and the possible increase in precision is shown when the number of points of measurements is larger than the number of loads to be determined.     

Solvent effects on optical excitations of poly <Emphasis Type="Italic">para</Emphasis> phenylene ethynylene studied by QM/MM simulations based on many-body Green's functions theory

Electronic excitations in dilute solutions of poly para phenylene ethynylene (poly-PPE) are studied using a QM/MM approach combining many-body Green's functions theory within the GW approximation and the Bethe-Salpeter equation with polarizable force field models. Oligomers up to a length of 7.5?nm (10 repeat units) functionalized with nonyl side chains are solvated in toluene and water, respectively. After equilibration using atomistic molecular dynamics (MD), the system is partitioned into a quantum region (backbone) embedded into a classical (side chains and solvent) environment. Optical absorption properties are calculated solving the coupled QM/MM system self-consistently and special attention is paid to the effects of solvents. The model allows to differentiate the influence of oligomer conformation induced by the solvation from electronic effects related to local electric fields and polarization. It is found that the electronic environment contributions are negligible compared to the conformational dynamics of the conjugated PPE. An analysis of the electron-hole wave function reveals a sensitivity of energy and localization characteristics of the excited states to bends in the global conformation of the oligomer rather than to the relative of phenyl rings along the backbone.