Are the solvent effects critical in the modeling of polyoxoanions?

DFT calculations were driven for a set of differently charged polyoxoanions in the gas phase and in solution. We have calculated and analyzed their geometries and orbital energies to trace simple rules of behavior regarding the modeling of anions in isolated form. We discuss the quality of the results depending on the molecular charge, q, and the size of the cluster in terms of the number of metal centers, m. When the q/m ratio reaches a value of approximately 0.8, DFT calculations for the isolated anion fail to describe the gap between the band of occupied oxo orbitals and the set of unoccupied orbitals delocalized among the metal atoms. In these cases the incorporation of the stabilizing external fields generated by the solvent through continuum models improves the geometries and orbital energies.     

Prediction of heterofullerene stabilities: a combined DFT and chemometric study of C56Pt2, C57Pt2 and C81Pt2

A systematic search of the regioisomers of the heterofullerenes, C57Pt2 and C56Pt2, has been carried out by means of density functional calculations to find the most stable structures. Both heterofullerenes incorporate two metal atoms into the fullerene surface. In the case of C57Pt2, one platinum atom substitutes one carbon atom of C60 and the other platinum atom replaces a C--C bond, whereas in C56Pt2 each platinum atom replaces one C--C bond. Several geometric factors were studied, three of which have particularly important effects on the relative stabilities of the regioisomers: the Pt--Pt separation, the number of C--C bonds remaining after substitution, and the type of C--C bond that is substituted. All these factors indicate that the deformation of the carbon framework is a general factor that governs the relative stabilities of the regioisomers. Because a high number of factors affect the stability of the heterofullerenes we also used chemometric techniques in this study. Partial least-squares (PLS) regression was used to establish the structure-energy relationships of C57Pt2 and C56Pt2 heterofullerenes. The understanding gained of the factors that affect the relative isomers stabilities has allowed us to predict the stabilities of larger disubstituted carbon cages, for example, C81Pt2 heterofullerene.     

DFT study on the five isomers of PW(12)O(40)(3)(-): relative stabilization upon reduction

The electronic characteristics and the redox properties of each isomer of PW(12)O(40)(3)(-) depend on the arrangement adopted by the metal-oxide framework. At the DFT/BP86 level, we computed the structures of the five isomers of PW(12)O(40)(3)(-) in oxidized form. The energy scale fits the experimental findings as well as the number of rotated triads of the metal-oxide core since the energy grows as follows: alpha < beta < gamma < delta < epsilon. The reduced clusters behave differently as long as the beta form becomes the most stable isomer after the second reduction. The gamma isomer also gains stability upon reduction, but not enough to be competitive with beta. For the 4-fold reduced PW(12) cluster, the energy difference computed between beta and gamma in solution is 11 kcal mol(-)(1). This large difference proves that the beta --> gamma isomerization is not favored upon simple reduction. The other isomers, delta and epsilon, are much more unstable than alpha or beta in any reduction state.     

Effects of Adsorbed Polyaniline on Redox Processes on As(2)O(3) Surfaces

Polyaniline deposited on As(2)O(3) surface resulted in a new material, which was characterized by infrared spectoscopy, thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and cyclic voltammetry. The mass percentage of polymer deposited on oxide surface is approximately 13%. The scanning electron microscopy images as well as the X-ray diffraction patterns provided conclusive evidence that the oxide surface is coated by the polymer. The cyclic voltammograms of the polyaniline adsorbed on As(2)O(3) surface showed that the adsorbate exerts remarkable effects on redox processes on this oxide. The pure oxide exhibited two oxidation/reduction peaks at 0.25/-0.06 and 0.47/-0.25 V attributed tentatively to the processes As(2)O(3)(s)+6H(+)+6e(-)=2As(s)+3H(2)O and As(s)+3H(+)+3e(-)=AsH(3)(g), respectively. The polyaniline-coated sample exhibited a better-defined voltammogram in which the first oxidation peak of the oxide had its intensity increased about four times. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Synthetic and theoretical study of the incorporation of metal halides in [{Ti(eta5-C5Me5)(mu-NH)}3(mu3-N)

The capacity of the imido-nitrido organometallic ligand [{Ti(eta5-C5Me5)(mu-NH)}3(mu3-N)] (1) to entrap main group metal halides MXn has been investigated. Treatment of 1 with metal halides in toluene or dichloromethane afforded several soluble adducts [MXn(L)] (L=1) in good yields. The reaction of 1 with one equivalent of Group 1 and 13 monohalides MX afforded single cube-type complexes [XM{(mu3-NH)3Ti3(eta5-C5Me5)3(mu3-N)}] (M=Li, X=Br (2), I (3); M=Na, X=I (4); M=In, X=I (5); M=Tl, X=I (6)). Analogous treatment of 1 with Group 2 and 14 dihalides MX(2) gave the corresponding adducts [I2M{(mu3-NH)3Ti3(eta5-C5Me5)3(mu3-N)}] (M=Mg (7), Ca (8), Sr (9)) and [Cl(2)M{(mu3-NH)3Ti3(eta5-C5Me5)3(mu3-N)}] (M=Sn (10), Pb (11)). The treatment of 1 with SnI2 or the reaction of 10 with MeI at 60 degrees C afforded two azametallocubane units linked by two bridging iodine atoms [{ISn(mu3-NH)3Ti3(eta5-C5Me5)3(mu3-N)}2(mu-I)2] (12). Indium triiodide reacted with 1 in toluene to form the adduct [I3In(mu3-NH)3Ti3(eta5-C5Me5)3(mu3-N)] (13). Density functional theory calculations have been carried out to study these processes and evaluate the influence of the solvent. X-ray crystal structure determinations have been performed for complexes 10, 12, and 13.     

Electronic properties of polyoxometalates: electron and proton affinity of mixed-addenda Keggin and Wells-Dawson anions

A series of systematic DFT calculations were conducted on Keggin [SiW(9)M(3)O(40)](n-), M = Mo, V, and Nb; and Wells-Dawson anions [P(2)M(18)O(62)],(6-) M = W and Mo; [P(2)M(15)M(3)'O(62)](m-), M = W and Mo, M' = W, Mo, and V to analyze the redox properties and the basicity of the external oxygen sites in polyoxometalates with nonequivalent addenda metals. The energy and composition of the lowest unoccupied orbitals, formally delocalized over the addenda atoms, determine the redox properties of a polyoxometalate. When a Mo(6+) substitutes one W(6+) in the 1:12 tungstate, the energy of the LUMO decreases and the cluster is more easily reduced. The tungstoniobates behave differently because the niobium orbitals insert into the tungsten band and the reduction of [SiW(9)Nb(3)O(40)](7-) yields the blue species SiW(9)Nb(3) 1e and not the cluster SiW(9)Nb(2)Nb(IV). In Wells-Dawson structures, the polar and equatorial sites have different electron affinities and the reduction preferentially occurs in the equatorial sites. Inserting ions with larger electron affinities into the polar sites can modify this traditional conduct. Hence, the trisubstituted [P(2)W(15)V(3)O(62)](9-) anion is reduced in the vanadium polar sites. By means of molecular electrostatic potential maps and the relative energy of the various protonated forms of [SiW(9)V(3)O(40)](7-) and [SiW(9)Mo(3)O(40)](4-), we established the basicity scale: OV(2) > OMo(2) > OW(2) > OV > OW > OMo. Finally, a continuum model for the solvent enabled us to compare anions with different total charges.     

On the origin of alternating bond distortions and the emergence of chirality in polyoxometalate anions

Alternating short and long bond length (ABL) distortions observed within the ring structures of molecular metal oxide anions or polyoxometalates (POMs) are reminiscent of the cooperative linear ABL distortions in perovskite d(0) metal oxides. We show herein that these distortions have a common origin: a pseudo Jahn-Teller (PJT) vibronic instability. Four POM structural types with different M(n)O(n) ring sizes are investigated herein using density functional theoretical methods: Lindqvist [M6O19](q-) (n = 4), Keggin alpha-[XM12O40](q-) (n = 6), Wells-Dawson alpha-[X2M18O62](q-) (n = 8), and Preyssler [(Na)P5W30O110](14-) (n = 10), where M = Mo(VI) and W(VI) and X = Si(IV), Ge(IV), P(V), As(V), S(VI), and Se(VI). Chirality is induced within the latter three structural types by the ABL ring distortions. The calculations confirm the PJT vibronic origin of the ABL distortions with good agreement between calculated geometries and published single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. Both theory and experiment show that the vibronic interaction and distortion magnitude increase for (1) molybdates relative to that of tungstates, (2) larger M(n)O(n) ring sizes, (3) increases in negative charge of the internalized fragments (O(2-) or XO4(q-)), and (4) d(0) versus d(n) metal oxidation states. The PJT vibronic coupling model explains these observations in terms of the energy gap between Kohn-Sham frontier molecular orbitals (MOs) concomitant with the propensity for metal-oxygen pi-bonding within the M(n)O(n) rings. The frontier MOs for the undistorted nuclear configurations are largely nonbonding pi-O(p) (occupied) and pi-M(d) (unoccupied) in character, where smaller HOMO-LUMO (H-L) gap energies lead to greater metal-oxygen pi-orbital mixing under the influence of the nuclear distortion. A reduction in pi-bond order decreases the distortion in mixed-valence POMs. Of the tungstates examined, only the Preyssler anion shows pronounced ABL ring distortions, which derive from its large ring size and concomitant small H-L gap.