Insertion of rare gas atoms into BF3 and AlF3 molecules: an ab initio investigation

The structure, stability, charge redistribution, and harmonic vibrational frequencies of rare gas inserted group III-B fluorides with the general formula F-Rg-MF(2) (where M=B and Al; Rg=Ar, Kr, and Xe) have been investigated using ab initio quantum chemical methods. The Rg atom is inserted in one of the M-F bond of MF(3) molecules, and the geometries are optimized for ground as well as transition states using the MP2 method. It has been found that Rg inserted F-Rg-M portion is linear in both F-Rg-BF(2) and F-Rg-AlF(2) species. The binding energies corresponding to the lowest energy fragmentation products MF(3)+Rg (two-body dissociation) have been computed to be -670.4, -598.8, -530.7, -617.0, -562.1, and -494.0 kJmol for F-Ar-BF(2), F-Kr-BF(2), F-Xe-BF(2), F-Ar-AlF(2), F-Kr-AlF(2), and F-Xe-AlF(2) species, respectively. The dissociation energies corresponding to MF(2)+Rg+F fragments (three-body dissociation) are found to be positive with respect to F-Rg-MF(2) species, and the computed values are 56.3, 127.8, and 196.0 kJmol for F-Ar-BF(2), F-Kr-BF(2), and F-Xe-BF(2) species, respectively. The corresponding values for F-Ar-AlF(2), F-Kr-AlF(2), and F-Xe-AlF(2) species are also found to be positive. The decomposition of F-Rg-MF(2) species into the MF(3)+Rg (two-body dissociation) channel typically proceeds via a transition state involving F-Rg-M out-of-plane bending mode. The transition state barrier heights are 35.5, 62.7, 89.8, 22.0, 45.6, and 75.3 kJmol for F-Ar-BF(2), F-Kr-BF(2), F-Xe-BF(2), F-Ar-AlF(2), F-Kr-AlF(2), and F-Xe-AlF(2) species, respectively. The calculated geometrical parameters and the energy values suggest that these species are metastable and may be prepared and characterized using low temperature matrix isolation techniques, and are possibly the next new candidates for gas phase or matrix experiments.