Trajectory surface hopping study of the O(3P) + ethylene reaction dynamics

Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) induced intersystem crossing (ISC) has long been believed to play a crucial role in determining the product distributions in the O(3P) + C2H4 reaction. In this paper, we present the first nonadiabatic dynamics study of the title reaction at two center-of-mass collision energies: 0.56 eV, which is barely above the H-atom abstraction barrier on the triplet surface, and 3.0 eV, which is in the hyperthermal regime. The calculations were performed using a quasiclassical trajectory surface hopping (TSH) method with the potential energy surface generated on the fly at the unrestricted B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level of theory. To simplify our calculations, nonadiabatic transitions were only considered when the singlet surface intersects the triplet surface. At the crossing points, Landau-Zener transition probabilities were computed assuming a fixed spin-orbit coupling parameter, which was taken to be 70 cm-1 in most calculations. Comparison with a recent crossed molecular beam experiment at 0.56 eV collision energy shows qualitative agreement as to the primary product branching ratios, with the CH3 + CHO and H + CH2CHO channels accounting for over 70% of total product formation. However, our direct dynamics TSH calculations overestimate ISC so that the total triplet/singlet ratio is 25:75, compared to the observed 43:57. Smaller values of SOC reduce ISC, resulting in better agreement with the experimental product relative yields; we demonstrate that these smaller SOC values are close to being consistent with estimates based on CASSCF calculations. As the collision energy increases, ISC becomes much less important and at 3.0 eV, the triplet to singlet branching ratio is 71:29. As a result, the triplet products CH2 + CH2O, H + CH2CHO and OH + C2H3 dominate over the singlet products CH3 + CHO, H2 + CH2CO, etc.     

Thermal stability of new zinc acetate-based complex compounds

New zinc acetate based complex compounds (of general formula Zn(CH₃COO)₂·1?2L·nH₂O) containing one or two molecules of urea, thiourea, coffeine and phenazone were prepared namely: Zn(CH₃COO)₂·2.5H₂O, Zn(CH₃COO)₂·2u·0.5H₂O, Zn(CH₃COO)₂·tu·0.5H₂O, Zn(CH₃COO)₂·2tu, Zn(CH₃COO)₂·cof·2.5H₂O, Zn(CH₃COO)₂·2cof·3.5H₂O, Zn(CH₃COO)₂·2phen·1.5H₂O. The compounds were characterized by IR spectroscopy, chemical analysis and thermal analysis. Thermal analysis showed that no changes in crystallographic modifications of the compounds take place during (heating in nitrogen before) the thermal decompositions. The temperature interval of the stability of the prepared compounds were determined. It was found that the thermal decomposition of hydrated compounds starts by the release of water molecules. During the thermal decomposition of anhydrous compounds in nitrogen the release of organic ligands take place followed by the decomposition of the acetate anion. Zinc oxide and metallic zinc were found as final products of the thermal decomposition of the zinc acetate based complex compounds studied. Carbon dioxide and acetone were detected in the gaseous products of the decomposition of the compounds if ZnO is formed. Carbon monoxide and acetaldehyde were detected in the gaseous products of the decomposition, if metallic Zn is formed. It is supposed that ZnO and Zn resulting from Zn acetate complex compounds here studied, possess different degree of structural disorder. Annealing takes place by further heating above 600°C.     

Molecular structure of ethynylbenzene from electron diffraction and ab initio molecular orbital calculations

The molecular structure and benzene ring distortions of ethynylbenzene have been investigated by gas-phase electron diffraction and ab initio MO calculations at the HF/6-31G^* and 6-3G^** levels. Least-squares refinement of a model withC _2v, symmetry, with constraints from the MO calculations, yielded the following important bond distances and angles:r _g(C _i -C _o )=1.407±0.003 Å,r _g(C _o -C _m )=1.397±0.003 Å,r _g(C _m -C _p )=1.400±0.003 Å,r _g(Cr _i -CCH)=1.436 ±0.004 Å,r _g(C=C)=1.205±0.005 Å, C _o -C _i -C _o =119.8±0.4°. The deformation of the benzene ring of ethynylbenzene given by the MO calculations, including o-C_i-C_o=119.4°, is insensitive to the basis set used and agrees with that obtained by low-temperature X-ray crystallography for the phenylethynyl fragment, C₆H₅-CC-, in two different crystal environments. The partial substitution structure of ethynylbenzene from microwave spectroscopy is shown to be inaccurate in the ipso region of the benzene ring.     

Gold(III) π-Allyl Complexes

Gold(III) π-complexes have been authenticated recently with alkenes, alkynes, and arenes. The key importance of Pd^II π-allyl complexes in organometallic chemistry (Tsuji–Trost reaction) prompted us to explore gold(III) π-allyl complexes, which have remained elusive so far. The (P,C)Au^III(allyl) and (methallyl) complexes 3 and 3′ were readily prepared and isolated as thermally and air-stable solids. Spectroscopic and crystallographic analyses combined with detailed DFT calculations support tight quasi-symmetric η³-coordination of the allyl moiety. The π-allyl gold(III) complexes are activated towards nucleophilic additions, as substantiated with β-diketo enolates.     

(E)-3-(2-Alkyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)-1-arylprop-2-en-1-ones: Preparative, IR, NMR and DFT study on their substituent-dependent reactivity in hydrazinolysis and sonication-assisted oxidation with copper(II)nitrate

A series of novel 3(5)-aryl/ferrocenyl-5(3)-phenothiazinylpyrazoles and pyrazolines were obtained by substituent-dependent regioselective condensation of the corresponding (E)-3-(2-alkyl-10H-phenothiazin-3-yl)-1-aryl/ferrocenylprop-2-en-1-one with hydrazine or methylhydrazine in acetic acid. The different propensity of the primary formed beta-hydrazino adducts to undergo competitive retro-Mannich reaction was interpreted in terms of tautomerisation equilibrium constants calculated by DFT using a solvent model. The regioselectivity of the cyclisation reactions with methylhydrazine and the substituent-dependent redox properties of pyrazolines were also rationalized by comparative DFT calculations performed for simplified model molecules. On the effect of ultrasound-promoted oxidation with copper(II)nitrate phenothiazine-containing pyrazolines, enones and oxo-compounds were selectively transformed into sulfoxides. Only one sulfoxide enone was partially converted into an oxirane derivative. The structure of the novel products was determined by IR and NMR spectroscopy including COSY, HSQC, HMBC and DNOE measurements.     

Probing the 3d spin momentum with X-ray emission spectroscopy: the case of molecular-spin transitions

We report X-ray emission spectra of Fe(III), Fe(II), and Co(II) spin-crossover compounds in their high-spin and low-spin forms. It is shown that all X-ray emission features are sensitive to the spin state. Variations of the Kbeta and the Kalpha emission line shapes, which are in agreement with theory, can be used as quantitative probes of the spin state; it is suggested that with appropriate reference experiments one can extract the spin momentum for a general case. Resonant X-ray emission spectra unveil details of the redistribution of electrons on the 3d levels associated with the spin-state change by revealing features at the X-ray absorption preedge not accessible through standard absorption measurements.     

Molecular Structure of 1,3,5-Tris (Trimethylstannyl) Benzene: An Electron Diffraction Study

The molecular structure of 1,3,5-tris (trimethylstannyl) benzene has been determined by gas-phase electron diffraction. The C — C bond length is in good agreement with that in benzene. In agreement with the somewhat electron-releasing character of the substituents, the endocyclic bond angles at the substituents are somewhat smaller than 120°. The mean value of Sn — C bond lengths is greater than that in tetraphenyltin and tetramethyltin. The SnMe₃ groups appear freely rotating around the C_aryl — Sn bonds. The following bond lengths (r _g) and bond angles were determined: (Sn — C)_mean 2.150 ± 0.007 Å, C — C 1.399 ± 0.005 Å, (C — H)_mean 1.105 ± 0.006 Å, < C — C(Sn) — C 117.7 ± 1.7º, < C_aryl — Sn — C_methyl 106.7 ± 0.7º < Sn — C — H 111.5 ± 0.9º.     

Crystal structures of crown ethers containing an alkyl diarylphosphinate or a diarylphosphinic acid unit

This paper describes the structures of pseudo-18-crown-6 compounds (2, R,R-4 and 5) in the crystals together with theoretical calculations of the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra. The achiral macrocyclic phosphinic acid 5 forms hydrogen-bonded dimers in the crystal. The O1–O2 distance (2.489 Ǻ) indicates strong H-bondings. The conformations of the macrorings of the achiral phosphinate 2 and the monomers of the achiral phosphinic acid 5 are chiral. A comparison of the torsion angles of the achiral methyl phosphinate 2 and the monomeric units of achiral 5 indicates a similar geometry. The torsion angles of the chiral methyl phosphinate (R,R)-4 differ more significantly from those in achiral methyl phosphinate 2. A negative ¹B_b exciton couplet was observed in the ECD spectrum of monomeric (R,R)-6 in MeOH and H₂O as in the spectra of (R,R)-4 in all solvents. To support the idea that (R,R)-4 has basically the same conformation in the crystal and in solution, the ECD spectrum of (R,R)-4 was calculated using the geometry of the molecule in the crystal. The calculated ECD spectrum shows a reasonable agreement with the ECD spectra obtained in solution. This shows that the steric structure observed in the crystal is predominant in solution as well.     

Utilization of IR spectral detailed analysis for coordination mode determination in novel Zn-cyclen-aminoacid complexes

The infrared spectra, elemental and thermal (TG/DTG and DTA) analyses of novel [Zn(cyclen-κ4N1,4,7,10)(HGly-κ2O,O')](ClO4)2 (1), and [Zn2(cyclen-κ4N1,4,7,10)2(μ-S-Ala-κ2N,O)](ClO4)(3)·2H2O (2) complexes (cyclen - 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane) were recorded and analyzed in the relation to their structural peculiarities. IR spectral data indicate both mono- or bidentate coordination mode of a carboxylate group in the prepared complexes (at pH≈9). The results indicate unusual bidentate carboxylate coordination mode (in complex (1)) toward to Zn2+-cyclen unit. Therefore the crystal structure determination of the crystalline complex [Zn(cyclen-κ4N1,4,7,10)(NO3-κ2O,O')](NO3) was attached in order to support the coordination mode assignment in complex (1).