Quantum-chemical study of the structure and stability of polymolecular nitrogen,argon, and carbon monoxide clusters

Clusters of atmospheric gases (N₂, CO, Ar) of different composition comprising 11 and 13 molecules have been systematically studied by means of MP2(full)/6-311+G** calculations. The effect of a meduim (a nitrogen or carbon monoxide atmosphere) on the properties of the gas molecule dimers has been revealed, and general trends in the formation of large clusters have been determined.     

Aggregation modes of the spin mono-labeled tylopeptin B and heptaibin peptaibiotics in frozen solutions of weak polarity as studied by PELDOR spectroscopy

The X band PELDOR spectroscopy was used to investigate the magnetic dipole-dipole interactions in glassy solutions of nitroxide mono-labeled tylopeptin B and heptaibin peptaibiotics at 77 K. Specifically, a study was performed of the tylopeptin B peptides labeled at either position 3, 8, or 13, denoted as T3, T8, and T13, respectively. The heptaibin analogs labeled at either position 2 or 14, denoted as H2 and H14, respectively, were also investigated. It was shown that in frozen glassy peptide solutions in methanol, the spin labels are randomly distributed over the solvent volume. This result points to the absence of specific dipolar interactions between the peptides under these conditions. However, peptide aggregation was detected in weakly polar methanol/toluene environments. To study the properties of the resulting aggregates, we examined the depth of modulation for the PELDOR traces as a function of the concentration of the peptides in solution and the distances between the spin labels in the aggregates. Based on the concentration dependencies, the number of peptide molecules in the aggregates was estimated. We find that this value ranges from 2 to 3, depending on the position of the spin label in the peptide sequence. The combined analysis of the distance spectra and the number of peptide molecules in the aggregates allows us to suggest that dimer formation is the prevailing mode of self-association. In the case of spin-labeled tylopeptin B, the molecules in the dimer are head-to-head oriented. In addition, the distance spectra of the aggregates show that the C-termini of the molecules in the tylopeptin B dimer are more mobile than the Ntermini. This phenomenon leads to an increase in the spread of the distances between the nitroxides as the label position is approaching the peptide C-terminus. For heptaibin, we show that two forms of dimerization (head-to-head and head-to-tail) occur. Finally, in addition to dimers, aggregates containing 3 or 4 peptide molecules, which give broad lines in the distance spectra, are seen in solution.     

Universal pion freeze-out in heavy-ion collisions

Based on an evaluation of data on pion interferometry and on particle yields at midrapidity, we propose a universal condition for thermal freeze-out of pions in heavy-ion collisions. We show that freeze-out occurs when the mean free path of pions lambda(f) reaches a value of about 1 fm, which is much smaller than the spatial extent of the system at freeze-out. This critical mean free path is independent of the centrality of the collision and beam energy from the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron to the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider.     

Oxygen diffusion through the Ag(111) surface: A quantum chemical study by the NDDO/MC method

Atomic forms of oxygen on the (111) face of metallic silver are studied by the NDDO/MC semiempirical method. The surface (above the octahedral void) and subsurface (within the void) positions of oxygen between the first and second layers of the (111) face are investigated. The potential surface cross section is calculated for the subsurface position of oxygen. A new approach is used to take into account surface relaxation due to reaction with adsorbate. The barrier of atomic oxygen diffusion through the surface is much lower than the banier of its desorption from the surface. The correlation correction to the diffusion and desoption barrier energies is estimated by the double CI (DCIP) method. The greatest correlation effects are obtained in the desorption banier calculation. Translated fromZhumal Stmktunoi Khimii, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 248-254, March–April, 2000.     

Effect of Pumping Pulse Duration on Echo Signal Amplitude in Four-Pulse PELDOR

The impact of pumping pulse duration on four-pulse pulsed electron?Celectron double resonance (PELDOR) data was experimentally studied. For biradicals with known distances between two spin labels, it is shown that refocused echo amplitude decreases with increasing the pumping pulse duration and decreasing the distance between spin labels. The effect becomes substantial when the pumping pulse duration is comparable or exceeds the inverse value of the dipole?Cdipole interaction between spin labels. This effect is essential for determination of distance distribution between labels in double-labeled molecules and for determination of the number of labels in clusters of spin-labeled molecules. PELDOR signal distortion was observed when the pumping pulse position in the time scale coincided with those of the detecting pulses. An approach of signal correction to eliminate this distortion is proposed.     

On the molecular models of lewis acid sites on the surface of γ-Al2O3 and in zeolites: a density functional study of CO adsorption

Adsorption complexes of CO-Lewis acid sites with 3- and 5-coordinated Al³⁺ are modeled by the density functional method using the cluster approach. Cluster models of the site with 4-coordinated Al³⁺ on the surface of γ-Al₂O₃ and in zeolites are suggested. For these models of adsorption complexes, C-O vibration frequencies are calculated and the energetics of CO adsorption is evaluated. Translated fromZhurnal Struktumoi Khimii, Vol. 38, No. 5, pp. 834–839, September–October, 1997.     

Reaction of 5-(2-furyl)-1-methyl-1<Emphasis Type="Italic">H-</Emphasis> and 1-methyl-5-(2-thienyl)-1<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>-imidazoles with electrophilic reagents

5-(2-Furyl)-1-methyl-1H- and 1-methyl-5-(2-thienyl)-1H-imidazoles were synthesized. The electronwithdrawing effect of the 5- and 2-imidazole substituents on the furan ring was studied by ¹H NMR spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations. Some electrophilic substitution reactions were investigated (nitration, bromination, sulfonation, hydroxymethylation, formylation, and acylation). In some cases, depending on the reaction conditions, both the furan and thiophene ring and the imidazole fragment undergo electrophilic attack.     

Effect of the counterion on the steric and electronic structure of pyrylium cation

The effect of counterions on the stabilization of aromatic pyrylium cation, a heterocyclic analog of benzene, was examined by ab initio [MP2(full)/6-311++G**] method and density functional theory [B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)(6d,10f)]. Structures of the charge-transfer molecular complexes formed by interaction of pyrylium cation with counterion are predicted. The principal role of the counterion in the stabilization of the pyrylium cation aromatic system is demonstrated. The stabilization results from both electron density transfer and covalent bonding.     

Synthesis and properties of 2-(2-furyl)benzothiazole

The electrophilic reactions (nitration, bromination, hydroxymethylation, formylation, acylation) and radical substitution reactions (nitration, arylation) of 2-(2-furyl)benzothiazole have been studied. It was found that all of the reactions occur at position 5 of the furan ring. Only nitration in PPA gave the 5',6-dinitro derivative. Quantum-chemical calculation data for the electron density distribution in the neutral and protonated 2-(2-furyl)benzothiazole molecules are given. Dedicated to Boris Aleksandrovich Trofimov on his 70^th jubilee. Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 9, pp. 1331–1338, September, 2008.     

Scaling the Coulomb interaction in calculations of electron spectra of transition metal complexes

A simple technique of scaling two-electron integrals in ab initio calculations of the electronically excited states of transition metal complexes is proposed. This technique uses the fact that one-center two-electron integrals depend linearly on the scaling factor when Slater type functions are subjected to scaling transformation. This leads to a linear dependence of the d—d transition energy on the “scale” of Coulomb interaction, which allows one to affect the calculation result by varying the Slater exponential. To test the technique, ab initio configuration interaction and full active space calculations of the low excited states of the CrF ₆ ^3- , MnF ₆ ^2- , and VF ₆ ^3- complexes are performed. For transition elements, a basis of Slater type effective functions chosen from the optical spectra of the atoms and ions of transition elements is used. It is shown that in the STO-6G basis with effective exponentials, experimental transitions are reproduced with an accuracy of about 2000 cm^-1 even with the use of small active space determined by the orbitals localized on the central atom of the complex.