Acetylenic/cyanoacetylenic complexes: simulation of the Titan’s atmosphere chemistry

The structures and energies of the 1:1 acetylene/cyanoacetylene, acetylene/dicyanoacetylene and cyanoacetylene/dicyanoacetylene complexes in solid argon matrices have been investigated using FT-IR spectroscopy and ab initio calculations, at the B3LYP/6-31G** level of theory. For the three complexes, predicted frequency shifts for the L shaped structures, characterized by a hydrogen bond between the nitrogen of the cyano group and the acetylenic proton, were found to be in good agreement with those experimental. Only in the case of acetylene/cyanoacetylene complex, we obtained a second minimum with a T shaped structure characterized by an interaction between the proton of cyanoacetylene and the Π system of acetylene. It appears clearly that HC₃N acts as an electrophile or as a nucleophile in these complexes.     

A case study in conformation design: learning by doing

Efforts are described to design simple, fully flexible but conformationally preorganised omega-hydroxy-nonanoic acids that could serve as the conformation controlling unit in analogues of the potent protein-kinase C activator aplysiatoxin. Such analogues are macrodilactones incorporating the designed omega-hydroxy-nonanoic acid and 3,4-dihydroxy-pentanoic acid, which contains the pharmacophoric groups. The design process (replacement of CH(2) groups by an oxygen atom, annelation of a six-membered ring and placement of alkyl substituents) of the omega-hydroxy-nonanoic acids was monitored by force-field calculations. In the end of this process simple analogues of aplysiatoxin are proposed in which the proper disposition of the pharmacophoric groups is secured by a conformationally flexible but preorganised template structure as part of the macrodilactone ring.     

Modeling and simulation of free radical polymerization of styrene under semibatch reactor conditions

The first part of this approach is concerned with the elaboration of a radical polymerization model of styrenne, based on a kinetic diagram that includes chemical and thermal initiation, propagation, termination by recombination and chain transfer to the monomer. Furthermore, volume contraction during polymerization is considered, as well as the gel and glass effects. The mathematical formalism that describes the model in terms of moments is explored in detail. The model was then used to predict the changes in monomer conversion and molecular weight after intermediate addition of initiator and monomer. The results of this operation are dependent on the conditions of the reaction mass, quantity, and moment of substance addition. Therefore, the simulations were performed at different times with respect to the gel effect; before, during and after this phenomenon, and also with respect to different temperatures and initiators. Increasing the initiator concentration before the gel effect leads to an earlier appearance of the phenomenon and to a decrease in molecular weight. The ratio reveals a polydispersity index smaller for the intermediate addition of initiator. No significant changes take place during or after the gel effect. If along with the initiator, unreacted monomver (used to dissolve the initiator) enters the reactor, a small dip in conversion is observed. The general conclusion of this paper reveals the intermediate addition of initiator as a method to control polymer properties and to prevent the “dead-end” polymerization of styrene.     

Free energies of transfer of alkali halides from water to urea-water mixtures at 25°C from EMF measurements

The standard potentials_s E ^o of M/M⁺ (M=Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs) electrodes in aqueous urea solutions containing 12, 20, 30 and 37% by weight of urea have been determined at 25°C from emf measurements on the cell M(Hg)/MCl (m), solvent/AgCl–Ag, from the activities of metals in amalgams by use of a similar type of cell in water, and from the values of_s E ^o of the Ag/AgCl electrode determined earlier. The standard free energies of transfer of MCl, G _t ^o (MCl), from water to the mixed solvents, computed by use of these values and those for the Ag–AgCl electrode, rise sharply from Li⁺ to Na⁺ but fall from Na⁺ to K⁺ and rather sharply from K⁺ to Cs⁺ with a maximum at Na⁺ in all the solvent compositions. This has been attributed to the superimposition of soft-soft interactions on the electrostatic interactions between the ions and the negative charge centers of the possible hydrogen-bonded solvent complexes in the mixed solvents. Comparison of G _t ^o (i) values for individual ions, obtained by a simultaneous extrapolation procedure, with those in aqueous mixtures of methanol,t-butanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide leads to the conclusion that the solvation of these ions in all these solvents is chiefly dictated by the acid-base type of ion-solvent interactions.     

Matrix-isolation FT-IR and DFT theoretical studies of the intramolecular hydrogen bonding in Mannich bases

FT-IR Ar-matrix isolated spectra were studied for dichloro- (Cl₂-MB) and tetrachloroderivatives (Cl₄-MB) of the ortho Mannich base. The spectra were analyzed based on the DFT calculated frequencies and intensities and compared with those recorded in CCl₄ solution in the region of the ν(OH) and ν(OD) vibrations. The matrix-isolated spectra are characterized by narrower ν(OH) and ν(OD) bands with much better resolved fine structure than in solution. The fine structure originates from the anharmonic coupling with the low frequency modes as well as from Fermi resonance. The ν(OD) band shapes can be reproduced exclusively by assuming the Fermi resonance with overtones and summation of the frequencies of modes into which the bridge atoms are involved. The frequency isotopic ratio (ISR) is for both compounds 1.33 while the half-width ratios are equal to 1.82 and 1.94, for Cl₂-MB and Cl₄-MB, respectively.     

Structure‐Dependent Photoinduced Electron Transfer in Fullerodendrimers with Light‐Harvesting Oligophenylenevinylene Terminals

Oligophenylenevinylene (OPV)‐terminated phenylenevinylene dendrons G1 – G4 with one, two, four, and eight “side‐arms”, respectively, were prepared and attached to C₆₀ by a 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides generated in situ from dendritic aldehydes and N‐methylglycine. The relative electronic absorption of the OPV moiety increases progressively along the fullerodendrimer family C₆₀G1 – C₆₀G4 , reaching a 99:1 ratio for C₆₀G4 (antenna effect). UV/Vis and near‐IR luminescence and transient absorption spectroscopy was used to elucidate photoinduced energy and electron transfer in C₆₀G1 – C₆₀G4 as a function of OPV moiety size and solvent polarity (toluene, dichloromethane, benzonitrile), taking into account the fact that the free‐energy change for electron transfer is the same along the series owing to the invariability of the donor–acceptor couple. Regardless of solvent, all the fullerodendrimers exhibit ultrafast OPV→C₆₀ singlet energy transfer. In CH₂Cl₂, the OPV→C₆₀ electron transfer from the lowest fullerene singlet level (¹C₆₀*) is slightly exergonic (ΔG_CS≈0.07 eV), but is observed, to an increasing extent, only in the largest systems C₆₀G2 – C₆₀G4 with lower activation barriers for electron transfer. This effect has been related to a decrease of the reorganization energy upon enlargement of the molecular architecture. Structural factors are also at the origin of an unprecedented OPV→C₆₀ electron transfer observed for C₆₀G3 and C₆₀G4 in apolar toluene, whereas in benzonitrile, electron transfer occurs in all cases. Monitoring of the lowest fullerene triplet state by sensitized singlet oxygen luminescence and transient absorption spectroscopy shows that this level is populated through intersystem crossing and is not involved in photoinduced electron transfer.     

The convergence of the Rayleigh-Ritz Method in quantum chemistry

Two sufficient criteria for the convergence of the Rayleigh-Ritz Method (RRM) with respect to the eigenvalues (E-convergence) of non-relativistic electronic Hamiltonians of molecules are discussed and compared. Moreover, a necessary and sufficient criterion is given. By example (Sect. 9) it is shown that the L ²-completeness of the basis is not sufficient to guarantee E-convergence. The convergence of the wave functions in different norms (-convergence) is also investigated. In particular, sufficient conditions for the one-particle basis functions (orbitals) are given, such that a CI calculation in this basis is both E- and -convergent.     

A theoretical study of five nitrates: Electronic structure and bond dissociation energies

Three density-functional methods (B3P86, B3PW91, and B3LYP) are employed to investigate the O–NO₂ bond lengths, frontier orbital energies, and O–NO₂ bond dissociation energies (BDEs) of n-propyl nitrate (NPN), isopropyl nitrate (IPN), 2-ethylhexyl nitrate (EHN), triethylene glycol dinitrate (Tri-EGDN), and tetraethylene glycol dinitrate (Tetra-EGDN). It is found that the O–NO₂ bond lengthens (destabilizes) in the order of IPN, NPN, EHN, Tetra-EGDN, and Tri-EGDN. From the data of frontier orbital energies (E_HOMO, E_LUMO), and energy gaps (ΔE), we estimate the relative thermal stability ordering of five nitrates and their corresponding radicals. The predicted BDEs of O–NO₂ bond in NPN, IPN, EHN, Tri-EGDN, and Tetra-EGDN, are 176.6, 174.5, 168.1, 156.1, and 159.3 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. Based on the finding that the present results of BDEs are well coincident with the experimental results of apparent activation energies from the literature, we can draw a conclusion that the experimental thermolysis of five nitrates is only unimolecular homolytical cleavage of the O–NO₂ bonds.     

A density functional theory study on the electrocyclization of 1,2,4,6-heptatetraene analogues: converting a pericyclic to a pseudopericyclic reaction

A comprehensive B3LYP/6-31+G* study on the electrocyclization of 1,2,4,6-heptatetraene analogues was conducted. Starting from the cyclization of (2Z)-2,4,5-hexatrienal, a pericyclic disrotatory process favored by the assistance of a electron lone pair, we incorporated small modifications in its molecular structure to obtain a truly pseudopericyclic process. To this purpose electronegative atoms (fluorine and nitrogen) were added to give a more electrophilic character on the carbon atom which is attacked by the electron lone pair of the oxygen atom. The complete pathway for each reaction was determined, and changes in magnetic properties were monitored with a view to estimating the aromatization associated with each process. This information, together with the energetic and structural results, allowed us to classify the reactions as pseudopericyclic or pericyclic. Among all studied reactions only one was a truly pseudopericyclic process and another was a borderline case. The features of this unequivocally pseudopericyclic case were analyzed in depth.