Efficient silicon surface and cluster modeling using quantum capping potentials

A one-electron, silicon quantum capping potential for use in capping the dangling bonds formed by artificially limiting silicon clusters or surfaces is developed. The quantum capping potentials are general and can be used directly in any computational package that can handle effective core potentials. For silicon clusters and silicon surface models, we compared the results of traditional hydrogen atom capping with those obtained from capping with quantum capping potentials. The results clearly show that cluster and surface models capped with quantum capping potentials have ionization potentials, electron affinities, and highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gaps that are in very good agreement with those of larger systems. The silicon quantum capping potentials should be applied in cases where one wishes to model processes involving charges or low-energy excitations in silicon clusters and surfaces consisting of more than ca. 150 atoms.     

The mechanism for palladium catalyzed carbonylation of cinnamyl chloride

In the palladium catalyzed alkoxycarbonylation of cinnamyl chloride two mechanisms play a role. An associative mechanism was observed at low pressure, while an insertion mechanism was observed at high pressure or when an excess of ligand was used. Several putative intermediates of the catalytic alkoxycarbonylation have been synthesized and characterized, such as 5c of which an X-ray crystal structure was obtained.     

Probing the molecular orbitals and charge redistribution in organometallic (PP)Pd(XX) complexes. A Pd K-edge XANES study

Pd K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) is used to probe the unoccupied molecular orbitals in bidentate diphosphine Pd complexes. Complexes containing a series of bidentate diphosphine ligands (PP) are examined to study the effect of the ligand bite angle on the charge redistribution in these complexes. Different coordinating moieties (XX) have been used to induce a range of Pd oxidation states. A full interpretation of the Pd K-edge XANES data is presented. The negative second derivative of these XANES data provides direct information on the energy and electronic distribution of the different unoccupied molecular orbitals probed. The charge redistributions within the complexes, as reflected in the effective Pd oxidation state, are indicated by both the intensity of the first edge feature, the "Pd d peak", and the energy of the second edge feature, the "Pd p peak", which can be easily observed in the negative second derivative of the XANES data. Additionally, the changing covalent interaction between the Pd and coordinated moieties via the Pd p orbitals is reflected directly in the energy splitting of the "Pd p" peak. Thus, investigation of these (PP)Pd(XX) complexes, some used as catalysts in organic synthesis, with XANES spectroscopy provides new essential information on their electronic properties. Further, the XANES analysis techniques described in this paper can be applied to investigate the unoccupied molecular orbitals and charge redistributions within a wide range of samples.     

The effect of ring nitrogen atoms on the homolytic reactivity of phenolic compounds: understanding the radical-scavenging ability of 5-pyrimidinols

Six substituted 5-pyrimidinols were synthesized, and the thermochemistry and kinetics of their reactions with free radicals were studied and compared to those of equivalently substituted phenols. To assess their potential as hydrogen-atom donors to free radicals, we measured their O-H bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) using the radical equilibration electron paramagnetic resonance technique. This revealed that the O-H BDEs in 5-pyrimidinols are, on average, about 2.5 kcal mol(-1) higher than those in equivalently substituted phenols. The results are in good agreement with theoretical predictions, and confirm that substituent effects on the O-H BDE of 5-pyrimidinol are essentially the same as those on the Obond;H BDE in phenol. The kinetics of the reactions of these compounds with peroxyl radicals has been studied by their inhibition of the AIBN-initiated autoxidation of styrene, and with alkyl and alkoxyl radicals by competition kinetics. Despite their larger O-H BDEs, 5-pyrimidinols appear to transfer their phenolic hydrogen-atom to peroxyl radicals as quickly as equivalently substituted phenols, while their reactivity toward alkyl radicals far exceeds that of the corresponding phenols. We suggest that this rate enhancement, which is large in the case of alkyl radical reactions, small in the case of peroxyl radical reactions, and nonexistent in the case of alkoxyl radical reactions, is due to polar effects in the transition states of these atom-transfer reactions. This hypothesis is supported by additional experimental and theoretical results. Despite this higher reactivity of 5-pyrimidinols towards radicals compared to phenols, electrochemical measurements indicate that they are more stable to one-electron oxidation than equivalently substituted phenols. For example, the 5-pyrimidinol analogues of 2,4,6-trimethylphenol and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) were found to have oxidation potentials approximately 400 mV higher than their phenolic counterparts, but reacted roughly one order of magnitude faster with alkyl radicals and at about the same rate with peroxyl radicals. The 5-pyrimidinol structure should, therefore, serve as a useful template for the rational design of novel air-stable radical scavengers and chain-breaking antioxidants that are more effective than phenols.     

Solvolysis of para-substituted cumyl chlorides. Brown and Okamoto's electrophilic substituent constants revisited using continuum solvent models

Brown and Okamoto (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1958, 80, 4979) derived their electrophilic substitutent constants, sigma(p)+, from the relative rates of solvolysis of ring-substituted cumyl chlorides in an acetone/water solvent mixture. Application of the Hammett equation to the rates for the meta-substituted cumyl chlorides, where there could be no resonance interaction with the developing carbocation, gave a slope, rho(+) = -4.54 ( identical with 6.2 kcal/mol free energy). Rates for the para-substituted chlorides were then used to obtain sigma(p)+ values. We have calculated gas-phase C-Cl heterolytic bond dissociation enthalpy differences, Delta BDE(het) (= BDE(het)(4-YC(6)H(4)CMe(2)Cl) - BDE(het)(C(6)H(5)CMe(2)Cl)), for 16 of the 4-Y substituents employed by Brown and Okamoto. The plot of Delta BDE(het) vs sigma(p)+ gave rho(+) (SD) = 16.3 (2.3) kcal/mol, i.e., a rho(+) value roughly 2.5 times greater than experiment. Inclusion of solvation (water) energies, calculated using three continuum solvent models, reduced rho(+) and SD. The computationally least expensive model used, SM5.42R (Li et al. Theor. Chem. Acc. 1999, 103, 9) gave the best agreement with experiment. This model yielded rho(+) (SD) = 7.7 (0.9) kcal/mol, i.e., a rho(+) value that is only 24% larger than experiment.     

Application of the explicit finite difference simulation method to cyclic voltammetry and its use in electroanalytical investigations

The principles of the application of the explicit finite difference simulation method to cyclic voltammetry are described, and the limitations and capabilities of the method are discussed for several examples. The main reactions treated are an e.c. mechanism with the chemical reaction reversible in character, and an e.e. mechanism in which the second reversible charge-transfer competes with a dismutation equilibrium triggered by a subsequent irreversible chemical reaction. Attention is given to the proper notation for use in simulating homogeneous chemical reactions.     

Zur Bestimmung und Trennung des Chroms und zur Analyse von Chrom enthaltenden Substanzen

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