Dynamical variational approach to non-adiabatic electronic structure

Studying non-adiabatic effects in molecular dynamics simulations and modeling their optical signatures in linear and non-linear spectroscopies calls for electronic structure calculations in a situation when the ground state is degenerate or almost degenerate. Such degeneracy causes serious problems in invoking single Slater determinant Hartree–Fock (HF) and density functional theory (DFT) methods. To resolve this problem, we develop a generalization of time-dependent (dynamical) variational approach which accounts for the degenerate or almost degenerate ground state structure. Specifically, we propose a ground state ansatz for the subspace of generalized electronic configurations spanned on the degenerate grounds state multi-electron wavefunctions. Further employing the invariant form of Hamilton dynamics we arrive with the classical equations of motion describing the time-evolution of this subspace in the vicinity of the stationary point. The developed approach can be used for accurate calculations of molecular excited states and electronic spectra in the degenerate case.     

Analysis of NAD(P) and NAD(P)H cofactors by means of imprinted polymers associated with Au surfaces:: A surface plasmon resonance study

Crosslinked films consisting of the acrylamide-acrylamidophenylboronic acid copolymer that are imprinted with recognition sites for β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺), β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate NADP⁺, and their reduced forms (NAD(P)H), are assembled on Au-coated glass supports. The binding of the oxidized cofactors NAD⁺ or NADP⁺ or the reduced cofactors NADH or NADPH to the respective imprinted sites results in the swelling of the polymer films through the uptake of water. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy is employed to follow the binding of the different cofactors to the respective imprinted sites. The imprinted recognition sites reveal selectivity towards the association of the imprinted cofactors. The method enables the analysis of the NAD(P)⁺ and NAD(P)H cofactors in the concentration range of 1×10⁻⁶ to 1×10⁻³ M. The cofactor-imprinted films associated with the Au-coated glass supports act as active interfaces for the characterization of biocatalyzed transformations that involve the cofactor-dependent enzymes. This is exemplified with the characterization of the biocatalyzed oxidation of lactate to pyruvate in the presence of NAD⁺ and lactate dehydrogenase using the NADH-imprinted polymer film.     

5-Pyrimidylboronic acid and 2-methoxy-5-pyrimidylboronic acid: new heteroarylpyrimidine derivatives via Suzuki cross-coupling reactions

5-Pyrimidylboronic acid and 2-methoxy-5-pyrimidylboronic acid 4 have been synthesised by lithium-halogen exchange reactions on 5-bromopyrimidine and 2-methoxy-5-bromopyrimidine, respectively, followed by reaction with triisopropylborate. Suzuki cross-coupling reactions of 2 and 4 with heteroaryl halides [Na(2)CO(3), Pd(PPh(3))(2)Cl(2), 1,4-dioxane, 95 degrees C] yield heteroarylpyrimidines (heteroaryl = thienyl, quinolyl and pyrimidyl). Two-fold reaction of 2 with 4,6-dichloropyrimidine 12 gave 4,6-bis(5-pyrimidyl)pyrimidine 8(56% yield). Reaction of 4,6-dichloropyrimidine with 2-methoxy-5-pyridylboronic acid gave 4,6-bis(2-methoxy-5-pyridyl)pyrimidine 14 (84% yield). Conversion of into 4,6-bis(2-chloro-5-pyridyl)pyrimidine 15 (63% yield) followed by two-fold Suzuki reaction with 4-tert-butylbenzeneboronic acid gave the penta-arylene derivative 4,6-bis[2-(4-tert-butyl)phenyl-5-pyridyl]pyrimidine 16 (16% yield). Analogous reaction of 12 with 2-methoxy-3-pyridylboronic acid 17 gave 4,6-bis(2-methoxy-3-pyridyl)pyrimidine 18 (64% yield). The X-ray crystal structures of compound 2.0.5H(2)O and compound 18 are reported. The two hydroxyl H atoms in 2 have the usual exo-endo orientation. However, unlike most arylboronic acids, molecule 2 does not form a centrosymmetric hydrogen-bonded dimer. In molecule 18, the pyridine rings form dihedral angles of 39.9 degrees and 22.8 degrees with the central pyrimidine ring.     

Reactivity of the hydrido/nitrosyl radical MHCl(NO)(CO)(P(i)Pr(3))(2), M = Ru, Os

The reaction of equimolar NO with the 16 electron molecule RuHCl(CO)L(2) (L = P(i)Pr(3)) proceeds, via a radical adduct RuHCl(CO)(NO) L(2), onward to form RuCl(NO)(CO)L(2) (X-ray structure determination) and RuHCl(HNO)(CO)L(2), in a 1:1 mole ratio. The HNO ligand, bound by N and trans to hydride, is rapidly degraded by excess NO. The osmium complex behaves analogously, but the adduct has a higher formation constant, permitting determination of its IR spectrum; both MHCl(CO)(NO)L(2) radicals are characterized by EPR spectroscopy, and DFT calculations on the Ru system show it to have a "half-bent" Ru-N-O unit with the spin density mainly on nitrogen. DFT (PBE) energies rule out certain possible mechanistic steps for forming the two products. A survey of the literature leads to the hypothesis that NO should generally be considered as a (neutral) Lewis base (2-electron donor) when it binds to a 16 electron complex which is resistant to oxidation or reduction, and that the resulting N-centered radical has a M-N-O angle of approximately 140 degrees, which distinguishes it from NO(-) (bent at <140 degrees ) and from NO(+) (>170 degrees ).     

Mechanistic Dichotomy in the Asymmetric Allylation of Aldehydes with Allyltrichlorosilanes Catalyzed by Chiral Pyridine N‐Oxides

Detailed kinetic and computational investigation of the enantio‐ and diastereoselective allylation of aldehydes 1 with allyltrichlorosilanes 5 , employing the pyridine N‐oxides METHOX ( 9 ) and QUINOX ( 10 ) as chiral organocatalysts, indicate that the reaction can proceed through a dissociative (cationic) or associative (neutral) mechanism: METHOX apparently favors a pentacoordinate cationic transition state, while the less sterically demanding QUINOX is likely to operate via a hexacoordinate neutral complex. In both pathways, only one molecule of the catalyst is involved in the rate‐ and selectivity‐determining step, which is supported by both experimental and computational data.     

Transition Metal Complexes of a Salen–Fullerene Diad: Redox and Catalytically Active Nanostructures for Delivery of Metals in Nanotubes

A covalently‐linked salen–C₆₀ (H₂L) assembly binds a range of transition metal cations in close proximity to the fullerene cage to give complexes [M(L)] (M=Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pd), [MCl(L)] (M=Cr, Fe) and [V(O)L]. Attaching salen covalently to the C₆₀ cage only marginally slows down metal binding at the salen functionality compared to metal binding to free salen. Coordination of metal cations to salen–C₆₀ introduces to these fullerene derivatives strong absorption bands across the visible spectrum from 400 to 630 nm, the optical features of which are controlled by the nature of the transition metal. The redox properties of the metal–salen–C₆₀ complexes are determined both by the fullerene and by the nature of the transition metal, enabling the generation of a wide range of fullerene‐containing charged species, some of which possess two or more unpaired electrons. The presence of the fullerene cage enhances the affinity of these complexes for carbon nanostructures, such as single‐, double‐ and multiwalled carbon nanotubes and graphitised carbon nanofibres, without detrimental effects on the catalytic activity of the metal centre, as demonstrated in styrene oxidation catalysed by [Cu(L)]. This approach shows promise for applications of salen–C₆₀ complexes in heterogeneous catalysis.     

Multidimensional infrared spectroscopy of water. I. Vibrational dynamics in two-dimensional IR line shapes

In this and the following paper, we describe the ultrafast structural fluctuations and rearrangements of the hydrogen bonding network of water using two-dimensional (2D) infrared spectroscopy. 2D IR spectra covering all the relevant time scales of molecular dynamics of the hydrogen bonding network of water were studied for the OH stretching absorption of HOD in D2O. Time-dependent evolution of the 2D IR line shape serves as a spectroscopic observable that tracks how different hydrogen bonding environments interconvert while changes in spectral intensity result from vibrational relaxation and molecular reorientation of the OH dipole. For waiting times up to the vibrational lifetime of 700 fs, changes in the 2D line shape reflect the spectral evolution of OH oscillators induced by hydrogen bond dynamics. These dynamics, characterized through a set of 2D line shape analysis metrics, show a rapid 60 fs decay, an underdamped oscillation on a 130 fs time scale induced by hydrogen bond stretching, and a long time decay constant of 1.4 ps. 2D surfaces for waiting times larger than 700 fs are dominated by the effects of vibrational relaxation and the thermalization of this excess energy by the solvent bath. Our modeling based on fluctuations with Gaussian statistics is able to reproduce the changes in dispersed pump-probe and 2D IR spectra induced by these relaxation processes, but misses the asymmetry resulting from frequency-dependent spectral diffusion. The dynamical origin of this asymmetry is discussed in the companion paper.     

Photodetachment and photofragmentation pathways in the [(CO2)2(H2O)m]- cluster anions

The mass-selected [(CO(2))(2)(H(2)O)(m)](-) cluster anions are studied using a combination of photoelectron imaging and photofragment mass spectroscopy at 355 nm. Photoelectron imaging studies are carried out on the mass-selected parent cluster anions in the m=2-6 size range; photofragmentation results are presented for m=3-11. While the photoelectron images suggest possible coexistence of the CO(2) (-)(H(2)O)(m)CO(2) and (O(2)CCO(2))(-)(H(2)O)(m) parent cluster structures, particularly for m=2 and 3, only the CO(2) (-) based clusters are both required and sufficient to explain all fragmentation pathways for m>/=3. Three types of anionic photofragments are observed: CO(2) (-)(H(2)O)(k), O(-)(H(2)O)(k), and CO(3) (-)(H(2)O)(k), k6) is attributed to hindrance from the H(2)O molecules.     

The chemical synthesis of beta-(1-->4)-linked D-mannobiose and D-mannotriose

A D-cellobiose derivative was converted to D-mannobiose via simultaneous epimerization at C-2 and C-2'. Subsequent beta-D-glucosylation and epimerization at C-2" gave D-mannotriose.     

Characterisation and cryomagnetic study of a hydrothermally synthesised hydrogen bonded L–M–L type co-ordination polymer

A ligand–metal–ligand type co-ordination polymer [Ni (C₆H₁₂N₄)(NCS)₂(H₂O)₂] _n has been synthesised under controlled hydrothermal conditions. Here 1,3,5,7-tetraazatricyclo[3.3.1]decane [or hexamethylenetetramine (hmt)] has been used as a μ-(N,N′) bidentate spacer molecule. The prepared polymeric complex has been characterised by elemental and spectral analyses. The structure has been confirmed by a single crystal X-ray diffraction study. Magneto-structural correlation has been drawn from cryomagnetic susceptibility measurements (2–300 K) which unequivocally reflects very weak magnetic spin interactions among the long distant octahedral Ni(II) metal centres mediated by hmt and weak hydrogen bonding interactions between the adjacent zigzag one-dimensional polymeric chains carrying into a two-dimensional infinite polymeric framework.