Fast O2 binding at dicopper complexes containing Schiff-base dinucleating ligands

A new family of dicopper(I) complexes [CuI2RL](X)2 (R=H, 1X, R=tBu, 2X and R=NO2, 3X, X=CF3SO3, ClO4, SbF6, or BArF, BArF=[B{3,5-(CF3)2C6H3}4]-), where RL is a Schiff-base ligand containing two tridentate binding sites linked by a xylyl spacer, has been prepared and characterized, and its reaction with O2 has been studied. The complexes were designed with the aim of reproducing structural aspects of the active site of type 3 dicopper proteins; they contain two three-coordinate copper sites and a rather flexible podand ligand backbone. The solid-state structures of 1ClO4, 2CF3SO3, 2ClO4, and 3BArF.CH3CN have been established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. 1ClO4 adopts a polymeric structure in the solid state while 2CF3SO3, 2ClO4, and 3BArF.CH3CN are monomeric. The complexes have been studied in solution by means of 1H and 19F NMR spectroscopy, which put forward the presence of dynamic processes. 1-3BArF and 1-3CF3SO3 in acetone react rapidly with O2 to generate metaestable [CuIII2(mu-O)2(RL)]2+ 1-3(O2) and [CuIII2(mu-O)2(CF3SO3)(RL)]+ 1-3(O2)(CF3SO3) species, respectively, that have been characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy and resonance Raman analysis. Instead, reaction of 1-3BArF with O2 in CH2Cl2 results in intermolecular O2 binding. DFT methods have been used to study the chemical identities and structural parameters of the O2 adducts, and the relative stability of the CuIII2(mu-O)2 form with respect to the CuII2(mu-eta2:eta2-O2) isomer. The reaction of 1X, X = CF3SO3 and BArF, with O2 in acetone has been studied by stopped-flow UV-vis exhibiting an unexpected very fast reaction rate (k=3.82(4)x10(3) M-1 s-1, DeltaH=4.9+/-0.5 kJ.mol-1, DeltaS=-148+/-5 J.K-1.mol-1), nearly 3 orders of magnitude faster than in the parent [CuI2(m-XYLMeAN)]2+. Thermal decomposition of 1-3(O2) does not result in aromatic hydroxylation. The mechanism and kinetics of O2 binding to 1X (X=CF3SO3 and BArF) are discussed and compared with those associated with selected examples of reported models of O2-processing copper proteins. A synergistic role of the copper ions in O2 binding and activation is clearly established from this analysis.     

Growth and structure of water on SiO2 films on Si Investigated by Kelvin probe microscopy and in Situ X-ray spectroscopies

The growth of water on thin SiO2 films on Si wafers at vapor pressures between 1.5 and 4 Torr and temperatures between -10 and 21 degrees C has been studied in situ using Kelvin probe microscopy and X-ray photoemission and absorption spectroscopies. From 0 to 75% relative humidity (RH), water adsorbs forming a uniform film 4-5 layers thick. The surface potential increases in that RH range by about 400 mV and remains constant upon further increase of the RH. Above 75% RH, the water film grows rapidly, reaching 6-7 monolayers at around 90% RH and forming a macroscopic drop near 100%. The O K-edge near-edge X-ray absorption spectrum around 75% RH is similar to that of liquid water (imperfect H-bonding coordination) at temperatures above 0 degrees C and is ice-like below 0 degrees C.     

Highly enantioselective alpha-aminoxylation of aldehydes and ketones with a polymer-supported organocatalyst

The first catalytic enantioselective alpha-aminoxylation of aldehydes and ketones using an insoluble, polymer-supported organocatalyst (1) derived from trans-4-hydroxyproline is reported (ee: 96-99%). Reaction rates in the aminoxylation of cyclic ketones with 1 are higher than those reported with l-proline. The insoluble nature of 1 simplifies workup conditions and allows catalyst recycling without an apparent decrease in enantioselectivity or yield.     

Measuring electron sharing between atoms in first-principle simulations

Calculations of large scale electronic structure within periodic boundary conditions, mostly based on solid state physics, allow the modeling of atomic forces and molecular dynamics for atomic assemblies of 100–1000 atoms, thus providing complementary information in material and macromolecular sciences. Nevertheless, these methods lack connections with the chemistry of simple molecules as isolated entities. In order to contribute to establish a conceptual connection between solid state physics and chemistry, the calculation of the extent of electron sharing between atoms, also known as delocalization index, is performed on simple molecules and on complexes with transition metal atoms, using density functional calculations where the Kohn–Sham molecular orbitals are represented in terms of plane waves and in periodic boundary conditions. These applications show that the useful measure of electron sharing between atomic pairs can be recovered from density functional calculations using the same set-up applied to large atomic assemblies in condensed phases, with no projections of molecular orbitals onto atomic orbitals.     

All-metal aromatic clusters M4(2-) (M = B, Al, and Ga). Are π-electrons distortive or not?

The π-electrons in benzene, the quintessential aromatic molecule, were previously shown to be distortive, i.e., they prefer localized double bonds alternating with single bonds. It is the σ-electrons that force the double bonds to delocalize, leading to a regular, D(6h) geometry. Herein, we computationally investigate the double-bond localizing or delocalizing propensities of σ- and π-electrons in the archetypal all-metal aromatic cluster Al(4)(2-) and its second- and fourth-period analogs B(4)(2-) and Ga(4)(2-), using Kohn-Sham molecular orbital (MO) theory at BP86/TZ2P in combination with quantitative bond energy decomposition analyses (EDA). We compare the three all-metal aromatic clusters with the structurally related organic species C(4)H(4)(2+), C(4)H(4), and C(4)H(4)(2-). Our analyses reveal that the π-electrons in the group-13 M(4)(2-) molecules have a weak preference for localizing the double bonds. Instead, the σ-electrons enforce the regular D(4h) equilibrium geometry with delocalized double bonds.     

Aryl-O reductive elimination from reaction of well-defined aryl-Cu(III) species with phenolates: the importance of ligand reactivity

Well-defined aryl-Cu(III) species undergo rapid reductive elimination upon reaction with phenolates (PhO(-)), to form aryl-OPh cross-coupling products. Kinetic studies show that the reaction follows a different mechanistic pathway compared to the reaction with phenols. The pH active cyclized pincer-like ligand undergoes an initial amine deprotonation that triggers a faster reactivity at room temperature. A mechanistic proposal for the enhanced reactivity and the role of EPR-detected Cu(II) species will be discussed in detail.     

Zero-finder methods derived using Runge-Kutta techniques

In this paper some families of zero-finding iterative methods for nonlinear equations are presented. The key idea to derive them is to solve an initial value problem applying Runge-Kutta techniques. More explicitly, these methods are used to solve the problem that consists in a differential equation in what appears the inverse function of the one which zero will be computed and the condition given by the value attained by it at the initial approximation. Carrying out this procedure several families of different orders of local convergence are obtained. Furthermore, the efficiency of these families are computed and two new families using like-Newton’s methods that improve the most efficient one are also given.     

Performance of 3D‐space‐based atoms‐in‐molecules methods for electronic delocalization aromaticity indices

Several definitions of an atom in a molecule (AIM) in three‐dimensional (3D) space, including both fuzzy and disjoint domains, are used to calculate electron sharing indices (ESI) and related electronic aromaticity measures, namely, I_ring and multicenter indices (MCI), for a wide set of cyclic planar aromatic and nonaromatic molecules of different ring size. The results obtained using the recent iterative Hirshfeld scheme are compared with those derived from the classical Hirshfeld method and from Bader's quantum theory of atoms in molecules. For bonded atoms, all methods yield ESI values in very good agreement, especially for C–C interactions. In the case of nonbonded interactions, there are relevant deviations, particularly between fuzzy and QTAIM schemes. These discrepancies directly translate into significant differences in the values and the trends of the aromaticity indices. In particular, the chemically expected trends are more consistently found when using disjoint domains. Careful examination of the underlying effects reveals the different reasons why the aromaticity indices investigated give the expected results for binary divisions of 3D space. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011.