Microwave spectrum, conformational composition, and intramolecular hydrogen bonding of (2-chloroethyl)amine (ClCH2CH2NH2)

The microwave spectrum of (2-chloroethyl)amine, ClCH(2)CH(2)NH(2), has been investigated in the 22-120 GHz region. Five rotameric forms are possible for this compound. In two of these conformers, denoted I and II, the Cl-C-C-N chain of atoms is antiperiplanar, with different orientations of the amino group. The link of the said atoms is synclinal in the three remaining forms, III-V, which differ with respect to the orientation of the amino group. The microwave spectra of four of these conformers, I-IV, have been assigned. In two of these rotamers, III and IV, the amino group is oriented in such a manner that rare and weak five-membered N-H···Cl intramolecular hydrogen bonds are formed. The geometries of conformers I and II preclude a stabilization by this interaction. The energy differences between the conformers were obtained from relative intensity measurements of spectral lines. The hydrogen-bonded conformer IV represents the global energy minimum. This rotamer is 0.3(7) kJ/mol more stable than the other hydrogen-bonded conformer III, 4.1(11) kJ/mol more stable than II, and 5.5(15) kJ/mol more stable than I. The spectroscopic work has been augmented by quantum chemical calculations at the CCSD/cc-pVTZ and MP2/6-311++G(3df,3pd) levels of theory. The CCSD rotational constants and energy differences are in good agreement with their experimental counterparts.     

Anharmonic treatment of vibrational resonance polyads—the diborane: a critical case for numerical methods

Based on accurate computational results, the IR spectra of diborane B₂H₆ and its deuterated derivative B₂D₆ were experimentally revisited to reconsider or complete their band assignments. A pure, variational approach, developed in both mechanical and electrical anharmonicities, was applied to study the diborane molecule for which many uncertainties remain in the spectral IR assignment. This work, together with all the experiments on this system over recent decades, shows the difficulty of interpreting the spectral data, making it a “benchmark” ideal for testing the mathematical approaches for the implementation of vibrational codes.     

On the Origin of the Enhanced Acidity of Chalcocyclopentadienes (Cyclopentadiene Chalcogenols) in the Gas Phase

The intrinsic acidity of chalcocyclopentadienes (CpXH; X=O, S, Se, Te) is investigated by high‐level G3B3 and G2 ab initio as well as B3LYP DFT calculations, which show that, independent of the nature of the heteroatom, all chalcocyclopentadienes are stronger acids in the gas phase than cyclopentadiene. However the acidity does not increase regularly down the group, and the acidity enhancement for Te derivatives is five times larger than for O derivatives, but only twice that of S‐containing compounds. The most favorable deprotonation process corresponds to loss of the proton attached to the heteroatom, with the sole exception of the 5‐substituted 1,3‐cyclopentadienes, for which the O and S derivatives are predicted to behave as carbon acids. No matter the nature of the heteroatom, the 1‐substituted 1,3‐cyclopentadienes are the strongest acids. The intrinsic acidity of all isomers, namely, 1‐substituted, 2‐substituted, and 5‐substituted 1,3‐cyclopentadienes, increases with increasing aromaticity of the anion formed on deprotonation, and therefore the Te compound is the strongest acid for the three series. However, the intrinsic acidity of chalcocyclopentadienes is not dictated by aromaticity, so that, in general, the most stable deprotonated species do not coincide with the most aromatic ones.     

Dihydrogen generation from amine/boranes: synthesis, FT-ICR, and computational studies

A Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance spectrometry (FT-ICR) study of the gas-phase protonation of ammonia-borane and sixteen amine/boranes R(1)R(2)R(3)N-BH(3) (including six compounds synthesized for the first time) has shown that, without exception, the protonation of amine/boranes leads to the formation of dihydrogen. The structural effects on the experimental energetic thresholds of this reaction were determined experimentally. The most likely intermediate and the observed final species (besides H(2)) are R(1)R(2)R(3)N-BH(4)(+) and R(1)R(2)R(3)N-BH(2)(+), respectively. Isotopic substitution allowed the reaction mechanism to be ascertained. Computational analyses ([MP2/6-311+G(d,p)] level) of the thermodynamic stabilities of the R(1)R(2)R(3)N-BH(3) adducts, the acidities of the proton sources required for dihydrogen formation, and the structural effects on these processes were performed. It was further found that the family of R(1)R(2)R(3)N-BH(4)(+) ions is characterized by a three-center, two-electron bond between B and a loosely bound H(2) molecule. Unexpected features of some R(1)R(2)R(3)N-BH(4)(+) ions were found. This information allowed the properties of amine/boranes most suitable for dihydrogen generation and storage to be determined.     

Frequency and intensity analyses of the far infrared ν5 band system of cyanogen (C2N2) and applications to Titan

The far infrared spectrum of cyanogen has been studied at high resolution to improve the rotational analysis of the ν₅ band system around 234 cm^?1. Present in the sample in natural abundances, both isotopologues N¹³CCN and ¹⁵NCCN have also been studied. The weak ν₄–ν₅ difference band centered at 270 cm^?1 has been studied for the first time. On the basis of a global rovibrational analysis limited to the ν₂, ν₄, and ν₅ modes, energy levels up to 2300 cm^?1 have been considered to contribute to the overall spectrum intensity at room temperature leading to a new line list of 196,994 lines. The line intensity prediction has been used to correct previous line intensity measurements by taking into account line mixing. A new vibrational transition moment has been deduced and compared to new band intensity measurements obtained by low resolution studies which are also presented in this paper. The agreement between both approaches is very good and rules out the apparent disagreement between line intensity and band intensity measurements observed in the past. An intensity study of ¹⁵NCCN is also proposed here thanks to the availability of a pure sample. Those results open the way to the search for isotopologues of cyanogen in Titan's atmosphere.     

Unusual Photoinduced Response of mTHPC Liposomal Formulation (Foslip)

Liposomal formulations of meso-tetra(hydroxyphenyl)chlorin (mTHPC) have already been proposed with the aim to optimize photodynamic therapy. Spectral modifications of these compounds upon irradiation have not yet been investigated. The objective of this study was to evaluate photobleaching properties of mTHPC encapsulated into dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposomes, Foslip. Fluorescence measurements in DPPC liposomes with different DPPC:mTHPC ratios demonstrated a dramatic decrease in fluorescence anisotropy with increasing local mTHPC concentration, thus suggesting strong interactions between mTHPC molecules in lipid bulk medium. Exposure of Foslip suspensions to small light doses (<50 mJ/cm²) resulted in a substantial drop in fluorescence, which, however, was restored after addition to the sample of a non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100. We attributed this behavior to photoinduced fluorescence quenching. This effect depended strongly on the molar DPPC:mTHPC ratio and was revealed only for high local mTHPC concentrations. The results were interpreted supposing energy migration between closely located mTHPC molecules with its subsequent dissipation by the molecules of photoproduct acting as excitation energy traps. We further assessed the effect of photoinduced quenching in plasma protein solution. Relatively slow kinetics of photoinduced Foslip response during incubation in the presence of proteins was attributed to mTHPC redistribution from liposomal formulations to proteins. Therefore, changes in mTHPC distribution pattern in biological systems would be consistent with changes in photoinduced quenching and would provide valuable information on mTHPC interactions with a biological environment.     

The Ever‐Surprising Chemistry of Boron: Enhanced Acidity of Phosphine⋅Boranes

The acidity‐enhancing effect of BH₃ in gas‐phase phosphine ? boranes compared to the corresponding free phosphines is enormous, between 13 and 18 orders of magnitude in terms of ionization constants. Thus, the enhancement of the acidity of protic acids by Lewis acids usually observed in solution is also observed in the gas phase. For example, the gas‐phase acidities (GA) of MePH₂ and MePH₂ ? BH₃ differ by about 118 kJ mol^?1 (see picture).