Thermochemistry of phosphorus sulfide cages: an extreme challenge for high-level ab initio methods

Structural Chemistry - The enthalpies of formation and isomerization energies of P4Sn molecular cages are not experimentally (or theoretically) well known. We obtain accurate enthalpies of...     

Explicitly correlated Wn theory: W1-F12 and W2-F12

In an attempt to extend the applicability of the W1 and W2 ab initio computational thermochemistry methods, we propose explicitly correlated versions thereof, denoted W1-F12 and W2-F12. In W2-F12, we can "save" one cardinal number (viz., angular momentum) in the basis set sequences without loss in accuracy; in W1-F12, we can do so for first-row compounds but not for second-row compounds. At a root mean square deviation (RMSD) = 0.19 kcal/mol for the first-row molecules in the W4-11 benchmark dataset, W1-F12 is in fact superior to ordinary W1 theory. For the entire W4-11 set, W2-F12 yields a RMSD = 0.20 kcal/mol, comparable to 0.19 kcal/mol from ordinary W2 theory. The extended applicability ranges of W1-F12 and W2-F12 are not just due to the lower computational cost but also to greatly reduced memory and especially storage requirements. They are illustrated through applications to nucleic acids and to polyacenes (with up to four rings), for which the following revised gas-phase heats of formation are found: Δ(f)H(298)(°) = 19.6 (benzene), 34.94 (naphthalene), 53.9, (anthracene), 73.9 (naphthacene/tetracene), 54.9 (adenine), -16.3 (cytosine), 5.1 (guanine), -80.6 (thymine), and -71.6 (uracil) kcal/mol. Our theoretical values for the DNA/RNA bases largely confirm recent predictions based on much lower-level calculations. The W1-F12 theoretical values for benzene, naphthalene, and anthracene are in very good to reasonable agreement with experiment. However, both W1-F12 and other computational estimates show that the accepted experimental value for naphthacene cannot be reconciled with those for the lower acenes: we suggest that Δ(f)H(298)(°)[naphthacene(g)] = 74.25 ± 1 kcal/mol is a more realistic estimate.     

Benchmark study of DFT functionals for late-transition-metal reactions

The performance of a wide variety of DFT exchange-correlation functionals for a number of late-transition-metal reaction profiles has been considered. Benchmark ab-initio reference data for the prototype reactions Pd + H2, Pd + CH4, Pd + C2H6 (both C-C and C-H activation), and Pd + CH3Cl are presented, while ab-initio data of lesser quality were obtained for the catalytic hydrogenation of acetone and for the low-oxidation-state and high-oxidation-state mechanisms of the Heck reaction. "Kinetics" functionals such as mPW1K, PWB6K, BB1K, and BMK clearly perform more poorly for late-transition-metal reactions than for main-group reactions, as well as compared to general-purpose functionals. There is no single "best functional" for late-transition-metal reactions, but rather a cluster of several functionals (PBE0, B1B95, PW6B95, and TPSS25B95) that perform about equally well; if main-group thermochemical performance is additionally considered, then B1B95 and PW6B95 emerge as the best performers. TPSS25B95 and TPSS33B95 offer attractive performance compromises if weak interactions and main-group barrier heights, respectively, are also important. In the ab-initio calculations, basis set superposition errors (BSSE) can be greatly reduced by ensuring that the metal spd shell has sufficient radial flexibility in the high-exponent range. Optimal HF percentages in hybrid functionals depend on the class of systems considered, increasing from anions to neutrals to cations to main-group barrier heights; transition-metal barrier heights represent an intermediate situation. The use of meta-GGA correlation functionals appears to be quite beneficial.     

Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Reactions Involving Criegee Intermediates: An Assessment of Density Functional Theory and Ab Initio Methods Through Comparison with CCSDT(Q)/CBS Data

Reactions involving Criegee intermediates (CIs, R₁R₂COO) are important in atmospheric ozonolysis models. In recent years, density functional theory (DFT) and CCSD(T)-based ab initio methods are increasingly being used for modeling reaction profiles involving CIs. We obtain highly accurate CCSDT(Q)/CBS reaction energies and barrier heights for ring-closing reactions involving atmospherically important CIs (R₁/R₂ = H, Me, OH, OMe, F, CN, cyclopropene, ethylene, acetaldehyde, and acrolein). We use this benchmark data to evaluate the performance of DFT, double-hybrid DFT (DHDFT), and ab initio methods for the kinetics and thermodynamics of these reactions. We find that reaction energies are more challenging for approximate theoretical procedures than barrier heights. Overall, taking both reaction energies and barrier heights into account, only one of the 58 considered DFT methods (the meta-GGA MN12-L) attains near chemical accuracy, with root-mean-square deviations (RMSDs) of 3.5 (barrier heights) and 4.7 (reaction energies) kJ mol⁻¹. Therefore, MN12-L is recommended for investigations where CCSD(T)-based methods are not computationally feasible. For reaction barrier heights performance does not strictly follow Jacob's Ladder, for example, DHDFT methods do not perform better than conventional DFT methods. Of the ab initio methods, the cost-effective CCSD(T)/CBS(MP2) approach gives the best performance for both reaction energies and barrier heights, with RMSDs of 1.7 and 1.4 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. All the considered Gaussian-n methods show good performance with RMSDs below the threshold of chemical accuracy for both reaction energies and barrier heights, where G4(MP2) shows the best overall performance with RMSDs of 2.9 and 1.5 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Reactive Compression Molding Post-Inverse Vulcanization: A Method to Assemble,Recycle, and Repurpose Sulfur Polymers and Composites

Inverse vulcanization provides dynamic and responsive materials made from elemental sulfur and unsaturated cross-linkers. These polymers have been used in a variety of applications such as energy storage, infrared optics, repairable materials, environmental remediation, and precision fertilizers. In spite of these advances, there is a need for methods to recycle and reprocess these polymers. In this study, polymers prepared by inverse vulcanization are shown to undergo reactive compression molding. In this process, the reactive interfaces of sulfur polymers are brought into contact by mechanical compression. Upon heating these molds at relatively low temperatures (≈100 °C), chemical bonding occurs at the polymer interfaces by S−S metathesis. This method of processing is distinct from previous studies on inverse vulcanization because the polymers examined in this study do not form a liquid phase when heated. Neither compression nor heating alone was sufficient to mold these polymers into new architectures, so this is a new concept in the manipulation of sulfur polymers. Additionally, high-level ab initio calculations revealed that the weakest S−S bond in organic polysulfides decreases linearly in strength from a sulfur rank of 2 to 4, but then remains constant at about 100 kJ mol⁻¹ for higher sulfur rank. This is critical information in engineering these polymers for S−S metathesis. Guided by this insight, polymer repair, recycling, and repurposing into new composites was demonstrated.     

Borane–Lewis Base Complexes as Homolytic Hydrogen Atom Donors

Radical stabilization energies (RSE)s have been calculated for a variety of boryl radicals complexed to Lewis bases at the G3(MP2)‐RAD level of theory. These are referenced to the B? H bond dissociation energy (BDE) in BH₃ determined at W4.3 level. High RSE values (and thus low BDE(B? H) values) have been found for borane complexes of a variety of five‐ and six‐membered ring heterocycles. Variations of RSE values have been correlated with the strength of Lewis acid–Lewis base complex formation at the boryl radical stage. The analysis of charge‐ and spin‐density distributions shows that spin delocalization in the boryl radical complexes constitutes one of the mechanisms of radical stabilization.     

Heats of formation of beryllium, boron, aluminum, and silicon re-examined by means of W4 theory

Benchmark total atomization energies (TAE0 values) were obtained, by means of our recent W4 theory [Karton, A.; Rabinowitz, E.; Martin, J. M. L.; Ruscic, B. J. Chem. Phys. 2006, 125, 144108], for the molecules Be2, BeF2, BeCl2, BH, BF, BH3, BHF2, B2H6, BF3, AlF, AlF3, AlCl3, SiH4, Si2H6, and SiF4. We were then able to deduce "semi-experimental" heats of formation for the elements beryllium, boron, aluminum, and silicon by combining the calculated TAE0 values with experimental heats of formation obtained from reactions that do not involve the species Be(g), B(g), Al(g), and Si(g). The elemental heats of formation are fundamental thermochemical quantities that are required whenever a molecular heat of formation has to be derived from a calculated binding energy. Our recommended DeltaH degrees f,0 [A(g)] values are Be 76.4+/-0.6 kcal/mol, B 135.1+/-0.2 kcal/mol, Al 80.2+/-0.4 kcal/mol, and Si 107.2+/-0.2 kcal/mol. (The corresponding values at 298.15 K are 77.4, 136.3, 80.8, and 108.2 kcal/mol, respectively.) The Be value is identical to the CODATA recommendation (but with half of the uncertainty), while the B, Al, and Si values represent substantial revisions from established earlier reference data. The revised B and Si values are in agreement with earlier semi-ab initio derivations but carry much smaller uncertainties.     

π–π Catalysis in Carbon Flatland—Flipping [8]Annulene on Graphene

Noncovalent interactions are an integral part of the modern catalysis toolbox. Although stronger noncovalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding are commonly the main driving force of catalysis, π–π interactions typically provide smaller additional stabilizations, for example, to afford selectivity enhancements. Here, it is shown computationally that pristine graphene flakes may efficiently catalyze the skeletal inversions of various benzannulated cyclooctatetraene derivatives, providing an example of a catalytic process driven solely by π–π stacking interactions. Hereby, the catalytic effect results from disproportionate shape complementarity between catalyst and transition structure compared with catalyst and reactant. An energy decomposition analysis reveals electrostatic and, especially with increasing system size, to a larger extent, dispersion interactions as the origin of stabilization.     

Stable room-temperature molecular negative differential resistance based on molecule-electrode interface chemistry

We show reproducible, stable negative differential resistance (NDR) at room temperature in molecule-controlled, solvent-free devices, based on reversible changes in molecule-electrode interface properties. The active component is the cyclic disulfide end of a series of molecules adsorbed onto mercury. As this active component is reduced, the Hg-molecule contact is broken, and an insulating barrier at the molecule-electrode interface is formed. Therefore, the alignment of the molecular energy levels, relative to the Fermi levels of the electrodes, is changed. This effect results in a decrease in the current with voltage increase as the reduction process progresses, leading to the so-called NDR behavior. The effect is reproducible and repeatable over more than 50 scans without any reduction in the current. The stability of the system, which is in the "solid state" except for the Hg, is due to the molecular design where long alkyl chains keep the molecules aligned with respect to the Hg electrode, even when they are not bound to it any longer.