Geometry and electronic structure of a heterometallic cluster Mo<Subscript>2</Subscript>Mg<Subscript>2</Subscript> in different oxidation states of Mo: a DFT study

Reduction of tetranuclear heterometallic complex Mo₂Mg₂ was simulated using the B3LYP and PBE density functional methods. The results of geometry calculations of the initial complex [Mo^VIO₂Mg(MeOH)₂(OMe)₄]₂ and a partially reduced Mo^V complex are in good agreement with experimental data. The reduced Mo^III complex is characterized by a decrease in the binding energy of aqua ligands. Structural rearrangement of the complex with release of a coordination position at the Mo atoms requires small energy expenditure. One can assume that the reduction of the polynuclear complex causes overcrowding of its coordination sphere, which favors formation of dinitrogen complexes. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 441–457, March, 2008.     

Density functional study of the l-proline-catalyzed α-aminoxylation of aldehydes reaction: The reaction mechanism and selectivity

The reaction mechanism of the l-proline-catalyzed α-aminoxylation reaction between aldehyde and nitrosobenzene has been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Our calculation results reveal following conclusions [1]. The first step that corresponds to the formation of C–O bond, is the stereocontrolling and rate-determining step [2]. Among four reaction channels, the syn-attack reaction channel is more favorable than that of the anti one, and the TS-ss channel dominates among the four channels for this reaction in the step of C–O bond formation [3]. The intermolecular hydrogen bond between the acidic hydrogen of l-proline and the N atom of the nitrosobenzene in an early stage of the process catalyzes very effectively the C–O bond formation by a large stabilization of the negative charge that is developing at the O atom along the electrophilic attack [4]. The effect of solvent decreases the activation energy, and also, the calculated energy barriers are decrease with the enhancement of dielectric constants for C–O bond formation step. These results are in good agreement with experiment, and allow us to explain the origin of the catalysis and stereoselectivity for l-proline-catalyzed α-aminoxylation of aldehyde reaction. The addition of H₂O to substituted imine proline, intermolecular proton-transfer steps, and the l-proline elimination process were also studied in this paper.     

Comprehensive DFT and MO studies on glyoxilic acid oxime and related ions in gas phase and solution: Conformations,basicities and acidities

Density functional (BLYP, B3LYP and BHLYP) and highly correlated MP2 and CCSD(T) calculations have been performed to investigate conformers, energy barriers, intramolecular H-bond strength, gas-phase basicity and deprotonation energies of glyoxilic acid oxime (gao) and related ions in gas phase and in aqueous solution (SCRF-PCM method). BHLYP/6-311G(d,p) and B3LYP/6-31++G(d) predictions for the global minimum conformer of gao were consistent with experiment. BLYP level overestimated the H-bond and stabilized incorrectly the H-bonded conformer. The calculations in solution indicated destabilization of H-bonded conformers due to the small polarizability and weaken of the H-bond. The same global minimum structures in gas phase and aqueous solution were found for gao-neutral (ectt) and gao-dianion (e⁻²), whereas they were different for gao-anion because of the strong decrease of the conformational energies in solution. The global minimum structures of the neutral, anion and dianion of gao, obtained in solution, are in agreement with experiment. The gas-phase basicity (GB) and molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) calculations revealed the same sites for electrophilic attack, supported by the nature of HOMO: the carbonylic oxygen for the neutral, the carboxylic oxygen for the anion and the oxime nitrogen for the dianion. MEP results in gas phase and in solution suggested a region between the two atoms, but not on one atom in accordance with bidentate binding of gao ions to a metal. The BHLYP/6-31++G(d,p) molecular properties of gao were in best consistent with CCSD(T) results. The thermodynamical properties (GB and bond deprotonation energy) of gao were better estimated at B3LYP level.     

Ab Initio Study and Its Comparison with X-ray Crystal Structure of 4-[1-(4-Chloro-phenylamino)-ethyl] 5-methyl-2-<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-tolyl-2,4-dihydro-pyrazol-3-one

The ab initio calculation of the title compound was carried out at HF as well as DFT level of theory. The full geometry optimization of the ligand was carried out using 6-31G(d) basis set. The results obtained were correlated with the single crystal X-ray data, also reported in this paper, shows close resemblance between these two. The influence of electron correlation effects also was studied by carrying out geometry optimization at the MP2 level. The attempts were also made to ascertain the most stable tautomer of the said compound.     

Synthesis and properties of p-benzoquinone-fused hexadehydro[18]annulenes

A series of hexadehydro[18]annulenes fused with different numbers of p-benzoquinone, 4-6, were synthesized by stepwise transformation of the p-dimethoxybenzene moiety of the precursor dehydroannulene 3 fused with three 3,6-dimethoxy-4,5-dimethylbenzene units at 1,2-positions into p-benzoquinone using ceric ammonium nitrate. The UV-vis spectra of compounds 4 and 5, which have both electron-donating p-dimethoxybenzene unit(s) and electron-accepting p-benzoquinone unit(s) in the π-systems, showed the maximum absorption bands bathochromically shifted in comparison with 3 having only p-dimethoxybenzene units and 6 having only p-benzoquinone units. However, the solvatochromism expected for 4 and 5 was found to be quite weak possibly because the HOMO and LUMO (B3LYP/6-31G(d)) are not localized but rather delocalized over the whole π-systems.     

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.     

OH-Induced shift from carbon to oxygen acidity in the side-chain deprotonation of 2-, 3- and 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol radical cations in aqueous solution: results from pulse radiolysis and DFT calculations

DFT calculations have been carried out for 2-, 3- and 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol radical cations (1⁺, 3⁺ and 4⁺, respectively) and the α-methyl derivatives 2⁺ and 5⁺ using the UB3LYP/6-31G(d) method. The theoretical results have been compared with the experimental rate constants for deprotonation of 1⁺-5⁺ under acidic and basic conditions. In acidic solution, the decay of 1⁺-5⁺ proceeds by cleavage of the C-H bond, while in the presence of ⁻OH all the radical cations undergo deprotonation from the α-OH group. This pH-dependent change in mechanism has been interpreted qualitatively in terms of simple frontier molecular orbital theory. The ⁻OH induced α-O-H deprotonation is consistent with a charge controlled reaction, whereas the C-H deprotonation, observed when the base is H₂O, appears to be affected by frontier orbital interactions.     

The structure of 1-formyl-3-phenyl-Δ-pyrazoline in the gas phase (DFT calculations), in solution (NMR) and in the solid state (X-ray crystallography)

The molecular structure of 1-formyl-3-phenyl-Δ²-pyrazoline was determined by X-ray crystallography (triclinic, P-1). The geometry thus obtained was compared with that obtained by DFT calculations. The GIAO method was used to calculate absolute shieldings, which agree conveniently with those measured by ¹³C and ¹⁵N NMR. The title compound appears to be an essentially planar molecule.     

Optimisation of accurate rutile TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> (110), (100), (101) and (001) surface models from periodic DFT calculations

In this paper, geometric bulk parameters, bulk moduli, energy gaps and relative stabilities of the TiO₂ anatase and rutile phases were determined from periodic DFT calculations. Then, for the rutile phase, structures, relaxations and surface energies of the (110), (100), (101) and (001) faces were computed. The calculated surface energies are consistent with the natural rutile powder composition, even if a dependence on the number of layers of the slab used to model the surface was identified. Internal constraints, consisting in freezing some internal layers of the slab to atomic bulk positions, were thus added to mimic the bulk hardness in order to stabilise the computed surface energies for thinner systems. In parallel, the influence of pseudopotentials was studied and it appears that four valence electrons for titanium atoms are sufficient. The aim of this study was to optimise accurate rutile TiO₂ surface models that will be used in further calculations to investigate water and uranyl ion sorption mechanisms.