We investigate gas-phase structures of homo- and heterochiral asparagine proton-bound dimers with infrared multi-photon dissociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations. Their IRMPD spectra are recorded at room temperature in the range of 500-1875 and 3000-3600 cm(-1). Both varieties of asparagine dimers are found to be charge-solvated based on their IRMPD spectra. The location of the principal intramolecular H-bond is discussed in light of harmonic frequency analyses using the B3LYP functional with GD3BJ empirical dispersion. Contrary to theoretical analyses, the two spectra are very similar.
The structures of three proton-bound dimers (Met(2)H(+), MetTrpH(+), and Trp(2)H(+)) are investigated in the gas phase with infrared multiple photon disassociation (IRMPD) spectroscopy in combination with quantum chemical calculations. Their IRMPD spectra in the range of 600-1850 cm(-1) are obtained experimentally using an FT-ICR mass spectrometer and the CLIO free electron laser as an IR light source. The most abundant conformers are elucidated by comparing the IRMPD spectra with harmonic frequencies obtained at the B3LYPGD3BJ/6-311++G** level of theory. Discrepancies between the experimental and theoretical data in the region of 1500-1700 cm(-1) are attributed to the anharmonicity of the amino bending modes. We confirm the result of a previous IRMPD study that the structure of gas-phase Trp(2)H(+) is charge-solvated but find that there are more stable structures than originally reported (Feng, R.; Yin, H.; Kong, X. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom. 2016, 30, 24-28). In addition, gas-phase Met(2)H(+) and MetTrpH(+) have been revealed to have charge-solvated structures. For all three dimers, the most stable conformer is found to be of type A. The spectrum of Met(2)H(+), however, cannot be explained without some abundance of type B charge-solvated conformers as well as salt-bridged structures.
Fluorescence spectroscopy of gas-phase ions generated through electrospray ionization is an emerging technique able to probe intrinsic molecular photophysics directly without perturbations from solvent interactions. While there is ample scope for the ongoing development of gas-phase fluorescence techniques, the recent expansion into low-temperature operating conditions accesses a wealth of data on intrinsic fluorophore photophysics, offering enhanced spectral resolution compared with room-temperature measurements, without matrix effects hindering the excited-state dynamics. This perspective reviews current progress on understanding the photophysics of anionic fluorone dyes, which exhibit an unusually large Stokes shift in the gas phase, and discusses how comparison of gas- and condensed-phase fluorescence spectra can fingerprint structural dynamics. The capacity for temperature-dependent measurements of both fluorescence emission and excitation spectra helps establish the foundation for the use of fluorone dyes as fluorescent tags in macromolecular structure determination. We suggest ideas for technique development.
The photophysics of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and red Kaede fluorescent protein (rKFP) are defined by the intrinsic properties of the light-absorbing chromophore and its interaction with the protein binding pocket. This work deploys photodissociation action spectroscopy to probe the absorption profiles for a series of synthetic GFP and rKFP chromophores as the bare anions and as complexes with the betaine zwitterion, which is assumed as a model for dipole microsolvation. Electronic structure calculations and energy decomposition analysis using Symmetry-Adapted Perturbation Theory are used to characterize gas-phase structures and complex cohesion forces. The calculations reveal a preponderance for coordination of betaine to the phenoxide deprotonation site predominantly through electrostatic forces. Calculations using the STEOM-DLPNO-CCSD method are able to reproduce absolute and relative vertical excitation energies for the bare anions and anion–betaine complexes. On the other hand, treatment of the betaine molecule with a point-charge model, in which the charges are computed from some common electron density population analysis schemes, show that just electrostatic and point-charge induction interactions are unable to account for the betaine-induced spectral shift. The present methodology could be applied to investigate cluster forces and optical properties in other gas-phase ion–zwitterion complexes.
The nucleobase uracil exhibits high photostability due to ultrafast relaxation processes mediated by conical intersections (CoIns), where the interplay between nuclear and electron dynamics becomes crucial. In our previous study, we observed seemingly long-lived traces of electronic coherence for the relaxation process through the S-2/S-1 CoIn by applying our ansatz for coupled nuclear and electron dynamics in molecules (NEMol). In this work, we theoretically investigate how time-dependent transient X-ray absorption spectroscopy can be used to observe this ultrafast dynamics. Therefore, we calculated X-ray absorption spectra (XAS) for the oxygen K-edge, using a multireference protocol in combination with NEMol dynamics. Thus, we have access to both the transient XAS based on the nuclear wavepacket dynamics and the modulation of the signals caused by the electronic coherence induced by the excitation process and the presence of a CoIn seam. In both cases, we were able to qualitatively predict its influence on the resulting XAS.
The structure of the novel Zintl phase, Cs5NbAs10, is reported for the first time. This compound crystallizes in the monoclinic P21/c space group (no. 14) with eight formula units per cell. The structure represents a unique atomic arrangement, constituting a new structure type with Wyckoff sequence e32. The most important structural element is the unprecedented [Nb(As5)2]5– cluster anion, formed by a Nb atom enclosed between two As5 rings. These nonaromatic cyclic species, formally [As5]5–, adopt an envelope conformation similar to that of cyclopentane. To date, it is only the second example of an [As5]5– ring with this conformation, reported in an inorganic solid-state compound. The bonding characteristics of the [Nb(As5)2]5– cluster and the [As5]5– rings are thoroughly investigated using first-principles methods and discussed. Electronic band structure calculations on Cs5NbAs10 suggest that this compound is a semiconductor with an estimated band gap of ca. 1.4 eV.
A simple first-principles electronic structure computation, further qc (quantum chemistry) computation, of the methyl radical gives three equal hf (hyperfine) couplings for the three protons with the unpaired electron. The corresponding dipolar tensors were notably rhombic and had different orientations and regular magnitude components, as they should, but what the overall A-tensor was seen by the electron spin is a different story! The final g = (2.002993, 2.002993, 2.002231) tensor and the hf coupling results obtained in vacuum, at the B3LYP/EPRIII level of theory clearly indicate that in particular the above A = (-65.19, -65.19, 62.54) MHz tensor was axial to a first approximation without considering any rotational dynamics for the CH3. This approximation was not applicable, however, for the trifluoromethyl CF3 radical, a heavier and nonplanar rotor with very anisotropic hf coupling, used here for comparison. Finally, a derivation is presented explaining why there is actually no need for the CH3 radicals to consider additional rotational dynamics in order for the electron to obtain an axially symmetric hf (hyperfine) tensor by considering the simultaneous dipolar couplings of the three protons. An additional consequence is an almost isotropic A-tensor for the electron spin of the CH3 radical. To the best of our knowledge, this point has not been discussed in the literature before. The unexpected isotropy of the EPR parameters of CH3 was solely attributed to the rotational dynamics and was not clearly separated from the overall symmetry of the species. The present theoretical results allowed a first explanation of the forbidden satellite lines in the CH3 EPR spectrum. The satellites are a fingerprint of the radical rotation, helping thus in distinguishing the CH3 reorientation from quantum rotation at very low temperatures.
The hydrogen-bonded complex between acrylonitrile (CH2=CHCN) and methanol has been characterized spectroscopically in the millimeter wave range (59.6-74.4 GHz) using a free jet absorption millimeter wave spectrometer. Precise values of the rotational and centrifugal distortion constants were obtained from the measured frequencies of the complex of acrylonitrile with CH3OH and CD3OD. The analysis of the splittings of the rotational lines due to the hindered internal rotation of the methanol methyl group led to the determination of a V-3 value of 221.9(7) and 218(5) cm(-1) for the complexes of CH3OH and CD3OD, respectively, and these values are about 40% lower than that of free methanol. The structure of the observed conformation is in agreement with the global minimum determined at the MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level of calculation, and the counterpoise corrected intermolecular binding energy, obtained at the same theoretical level, is D-e = 26.3 kJ mol(-1).
The weakly bound 1:1 complex between acrylonitrile (CH2=-CHCN) and water has been characterized spectroscopically in the millimeter wave range (59.6-74.4 GHz) using a Free Jet Absorption Millimeter Wave spectrometer. Precise values of the rotational and quartic centrifugal distortion constants have been obtained from the measured frequencies of the normal and isotopically substituted water moiety (DOH, DOD, (HOH)-O-18). Structural parameters have been estimated from the rotational constants and their differences among isotopologues: the complex has a planar structure with the two subunits held together by a O-H center dot center dot center dot N (2.331(3) angstrom) and a C- H center dot center dot center dot O (2.508(4) angstrom) interaction. The ab initio intermolecular binding energy, obtained at the counterpoise corrected MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level of calculation, is D-e = 24.4 kJ mol(-1)
The photophysical behavior of a new fluorescein derivative has been explored by using absorption and steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements. The influence of ionic strength, as well as total buffer concentration, on both the absorbance and fluorescence has been investigated. The apparent acidity constant of the dye determined by absorbance is almost independent of the added buffer and salt concentrations. A semiempirical model is proposed to rationalize the variations in the apparent pK(a) values. The excited-state proton-exchange reaction around the physiological pH becomes reversible upon addition of phosphate buffer, inducing a pH-dependent change of the steady-state fluorescence and decay times. Fluorescence decay traces, collected as a function of total buffer concentration and pH, were analyzed by global compartmental analysis, yielding the following values of the rate constants describing excited-state dynamics: k(01) = 1.29 x 10(10) s(-1), k(02) = 4.21 x 10(8) s(-1), k(21)approximate to 3 x 10(6) M-1 s(-1), k(12)(B) = 6.40 x 10(8) M-1 s(-1), and k(21)(B) = 2.61 x 10(7) M-1 s(- 1). The decay rate constant values of k(01), k(21), and k(21)(B), along with the low molar absorption coefficient of the neutral form, mean that coupled decays are practically monoexponential at buffer concentrations higher than 0.02 M and any pH. Thus, the pH and buffer concentration can modulate the main lifetime of the dye.
Cardiolipin is a key lipid component in many biological membranes. Proton conduction and proton−lipid interactions on the membrane surface are thought to be central to mitochondrial energy production. However, details on the cardiolipin headgroup structure are lacking and the protonation state of this lipid at physiological pH is not fully established. Here we present ab initio DFT calculations of the cardiolipin (CL) headgroup and its 2′-deoxy derivative (dCL), with the aim of establishing a connection between structure and acid−base equilibrium in CL. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of solvation on the molecular conformations. In our model, both CL and dCL showed a significant gap between the two pKa values, with pKa2 above the physiological range, and intramolecular hydrogen bonds were found to play a central role in the conformations of both molecules. This behavior was also observed experimentally in CL. Structures derived from the DFT calculations were compared with those obtained experimentally, collected for CL in the Protein Data Bank, and conformations from previous as well as new molecular dynamics simulations of cardiolipin bilayers. Transition states for proton transfer in CL were investigated, and we estimate that protons can exchange between phosphate groups with an approximate 4−5 kcal/mol barrier. Computed NMR and IR spectral properties were found to be in reasonable agreement with experimental results available in the literature.
Strong light-matter coupling can modify the photochemistry of molecular systems. The collective dynamics of an ensemble of molecules coupled to the light field plays a crucial role in experimental observations. However, the theory of polaritonic chemistry is primarily understood in terms of single molecules, since even in small molecular ensembles the collective dynamics becomes difficult to disentangle. Understanding of the underlying ensemble mechanisms is key to a conceptual understanding and interpretation of experiments. We present a model system that simplifies the problem by mixing two-level Mg atoms with a single MgH+ molecule and investigate its collective dynamics. Our focus is on the modified chemical properties of a single diatomic molecule in the presence of an ensemble of resonant atoms as well as the structure of the major and intermediate polariton states. We present quantum dynamics simulations of the coupled vibronic-photonic system for a variable size of the atomic ensemble. Special attention is given to dissociative the dynamics of the MgH+ molecule.
Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are important enzymes in the metabolism of electrophilic xenobiotic and endobiotic toxic compounds. In addition, human GST A3-3 also catalyzes the double bond isomerization of Delta 5-androstene-3,17-dione (Delta(5)-AD) and Delta(5)-pregnene-3,20-dione (Delta(5)-PD), which are the immediate precursors of testosterone and progesterone. In fact, GST A3-3 is the most efficient human enzyme known to exist in the catalysis of these reactions. In this work, we have used density functional theory (DFT) calculations to propose a refined mechanism for the isomerization of Delta(5)-AD catalyzed by GST A3-3. In this mechanism the glutathione (GSH) thiol and Tyr9 catalyze the proton transfer from the Delta(5)-AD C4 atom to the Delta(5)-AD C6 atom, with a rate limiting activation energy of 15.8 kcal.mol(-1). GSH has a dual function, because it is also responsible for stabilizing the negative charge that is formed in the 03 atom of the enolate intermediate. The catalytic role of Tyr9 depends on significant conformational rearrangements of its side chain. Neither of these contributions to catalysis has been observed before. Residues Phe10, Leul11, Ala 208, and Ala 216 complete the list of the important catalytic residues. The mechanism detailed here is based on the GST A3-3:GSH:Delta(4)-AD crystal structure and is consistent with all available experimental data.
Organic dyes have shown high efficiencies in solar cells, which is mainly attributed to the push-pull strategy present in such dyes upon attaching to the semiconductor surfaces. We deeply studied the fundamental photophysical properties of cyanoacrylic dyes, mostly the L1 dye, and found unique emission properties that depend on many factors such as the solvent polarity and the concentration of the dye and could present a complete emission picture about this family of dyes. The L1 dye shows an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) emission state at low concentrations (approximately nanomolar scale) and shows a twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) emission state in specific solvents upon increasing the concentration to the micromolar scale. Moreover, the associated emission lifetimes of the ICT and TICT states of the L1 dye depend on solvent basicity, highlighting the role of hydrogen bond formation on controlling such states. Density functional theory calculations are performed to gain insight into the photophysical properties of the dye and revealed that H-bonding between the carboxylic groups triggers the dimerization at low concentrations. Using femtosecond transient absorption, we assigned the rate of TICT formation to be in the range (160-650 fs)(-1), depending on the size of the studied cyanoacrylic dye. Therefore, we add herein a new dimension for controlling the formation of the TICT state, in addition to the solvent polarity and acceptor strength parameters. These findings are not limited to the studied dyes, and we expect that numerous organic carboxylic acids dyes show similar properties.
The photolysis of o-nitrophenol (o-NP), a typical push pull molecule, is of current interest in atmospheric chemistry as a possible source of nitrous acid (HONO). To characterize the largely unknown photolysis mechanism, the dynamics of the lowest lying excited singlet state (S-1) of o-NP was investigated by means of femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy in solution, time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TRPES) in the gas phase and quantum chemical calculations. Evidence of the unstable aci-nitro isomer is provided both in the liquid and in the gas phase. Our results indicate that the Si state displays strong charge transfer character, which triggers excited state proton transfer from the OH to the NO2 group as evidenced by a temporal shift of 20 fs of the onset of the photoelectron spectrum. The proton transfer itself is found to be coupled to an out-of-plane rotation of the newly formed HONO group, finally leading to a conical intersection between Si and the ground state So. In solution, return to So within 0.2-0.3 ps was monitored by stimulated emission. As a competitive relaxation channel, ultrafast intersystem crossing to the upper triplet manifold on a subpicosecond time scale occurs both in solution and in the gas phase. Due to the ultrafast singlet dynamics, we conclude that the much discussed HONO split-off is likely to take place in the triplet manifold.
The eigen energies and the statistical distributions of the rovibrational levels (J = 0-2) of the bosonic van der Waals argon trimer were calculated using a full angular momentum three-dimensional finite element method. The influence of interatomic potentials on the vibrational levels and statistical properties of the trimer was discussed.
The excited state relaxation pathways of isoxazole and oxazole upon excitation with UV-light were investigated by nonadiabatic ab initio dynamics simulations and time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. Excitation of the bright ππ*-state of isoxazole predominantly leads to ring-opening dynamics. Both the initially excited ππ*-state and the dissociative πσ*-state offer a combined barrier-free reaction pathway, such that ring-opening, defined as a distance of more than 2 Å between two neighboring atoms, occurs within 45 fs. For oxazole, in contrast, the excited state dynamics is about twice as slow (85 fs) and the quantum yield for ring-opening is lower. This is caused by a small barrier between the ππ*-state and the πσ*-state along the reaction path, which suppresses direct ring-opening. Theoretical findings are consistent with the measured time-resolved photoelectron spectra, confirming the timescales and the quantum yields for the ring-opening channel. The results indicate that a combination of time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and excited state dynamics simulations can explain the dominant reaction pathways for this class of molecules. As a general rule, we suggest that the antibonding σ*-orbital located between the oxygen atom and a neighboring atom of a five-membered heterocyclic system provides a driving force for ring-opening reactions, which is modified by the presence and position of additional nitrogen atoms.
Chemiluminescence is a thermally activated chemical process that emits a photon of light by forming a fraction of products in the electronic excited state. A well-known example of this spectacular phenomenon is the emission of light in the firefly beetle, where the formation of a four-membered cyclic peroxide compound and subsequent dissociation produce a light-emitting product. The smallest cyclic peroxide, dioxetane, also exhibits chemiluminescence but with a low quantum yield as compared to that of firefly dioxetane. Employing the strong light–matter coupling has recently been found to be an alternative strategy to modify the chemical reactivity. In the presence of an optical cavity, the molecular degrees of freedom greatly mix with the cavity mode to form hybrid cavity–matter states called polaritons. These newly generated hybrid light–matter states manipulate the potential energy surfaces and significantly change the reaction dynamics. Here, we theoretically investigate the effects of a strong light–matter interaction on the chemiluminescent reaction of dioxetane using the extended Jaynes–Cummings model. The cavity couplings corresponding to the electronic and vibrational degrees of freedom have been included in the interaction Hamiltonian. We explore how the cavity alters the ground- and excited-state path energy barriers and reaction rates. Our results demonstrate that the formation of excited-state products in the dioxetane decomposition process can be either accelerated or suppressed, depending on the molecular orientation with respect to the cavity polarization.
Strong light-matter coupling provides a new strategy to manipulate the non-adiabatic dynamics of molecules by modifying potential energy surfaces. The vacuum field of nanocavities can couple strongly with the molecular degrees of freedom and form hybrid light-matter states, termed as polaritons or dressed states. The photochemistry of molecules possessing intrinsic conical intersections can be significantly altered by introducing cavity couplings to create new conical intersections or avoided crossings. Here, we explore the effects of optical cavities on the photo-induced hydrogen elimination reaction of pyrrole. Wave packet dynamics simulations have been performed on the two-state, two-mode model of pyrrole, combined with the cavity photon mode. Our results show how the optical cavities assist in controlling the photostability of pyrrole and influence the reaction mechanism by providing alternative dissociation pathways. The cavity effects have been found to be intensely dependent on the resonance frequency. We further demonstrate the importance of the vibrational cavity couplings and dipole-self interaction terms in describing the cavity-modified non-adiabatic dynamics.
An investigation into the dissociative recombination process for (HCO+)-C-13 using merged ion-electron beam methods has been performed at the heavy ion storage ring CRYRING, Stockholm, Sweden. We have measured the branching fractions of the different product channels at similar to 0 eV collision energy to be the following: CO + H 87 +/- 2%, OH + C 9 +/- 2%, and O + CH 4 +/- 2%. The formation of electronically excited CO in the dominant reaction channel has also been studied, and we report the following tentative branching fractions for the different CO product electronic states: CO(X (1)Sigma(+)) + H, 54 +/- 10%; CO(a (3)Pi) + H, 23 +/- 4%; and CO(a' (3)Sigma(+)) + H, 23 +/- 4%. The absolute cross section between similar to 2-50 000 meV was measured and showed resonance structures between 3 and 15 eV. The cross section was fitted in the energy range relevant to astrophysics, i.e., between 1 and 300 meV, and was found to follow the expression sigma = 1.3 +/- 0.3 X 10(-16) E-1.29 +/- 0.05 cm(2) and the corresponding thermal rate constant was determined to be k(T) = 2.0 +/- 0.4 X 10(-7)(T/300)(-0.79 +/- 0.05) cm(3) s(-1). Radioastronomical observations with the IRAM 30 m telescope of HCO+ toward the Red Rectangle yielded an upper column density limit of 4 X 10(11) cm(-2) of HCO+ at the 1 sigma level in that object, indicating that previous claims that the dissociative recombination of HCO+ plays an important role in the production of excited CO molecules emitting the observed Cameron bands in that object are not supported.
The geometric structures and reaction dynamics of clusters of carbon fullerene molecules are reviewed. The topics on structure cover the elementary building blocks, the interatomic and intermolecular potentials, and the geometric structures of the aggregates. The dynamics part describes the time development after excitation with laser light, in bimolecular collisions, and in collisions with high energy atomic ions. These reactions produce singly or multiply charged clusters, fragmented or intact fullerene monomers, and fusion products. The duration of the interaction time and the transferred energy are found to play determining roles for the nature of the products. Short interaction times and high energy excitation favor intramolecular reactions on excited potential energy surfaces, producing fused products, often with a strong release of the combined excess energy and heat of fusion. Clusters excited at low energies tend to disintegrate into intact fullerene molecules.
A combination of solid-state C-13 NMR tensor data and DFT computational methods is utilized to predict the conformation in disordered methyl alpha-L-rhamnofuranoside. This previously uncharacterized solid is found to be crystalline and consists of at least six distinct conformations that exchange on the kHz time scale. A total of 66 model structures were evaluated, and six were identified as being consistent with experimental C-13 NMR data. All feasible structures have very similar carbon and oxygen positions and differ most significantly in OH hydrogen orientations. A concerted rearrangement of OH hydrogens is proposed to account for the observed dynamic disorder. This rearrangement is accompanied by smaller changes in ring conformation and is slow enough to be observed on the NMR time scale due to severe steric crowding among ring substituents. The relatively minor differences in non-hydrogen atom positions in the final structures suggest that characterization of a complete crystal structure by X-ray powder diffraction may be feasible.
Black carbon soot (BS) is considered to be the second most contributing organic matter next to carbon dioxide for the global warming effect. There is, however, so far no consensus on the quantitative warming effect due to the increased distribution of black carbon in the atmosphere. A recent report (Science 2012, 337, 1078) suggests that due to BS there is only a few percentage enhancement in absorption of BS-immersed aerosols. To get proper interpretation of the available experimental data, it becomes essential to obtain details of the microscopic origin of the absorption and scattering processes of the aerosol clusters due to the presence of soot. However, so far, due to the large spatial scale and the need for a quantum mechanical description of the particles involved in the absorption and scattering, this quest has posed an insurmountable challenge. In the present work we propose the use of a multiscale integrated approach based on molecular dynamics and a quantum mechanical molecular mechanical method to model the optical property of molecules immersed in nanosized aerosol particles. We choose fluoranthene (FA) with varying cis-pinonic acid (CPA) impurity concentration as an illustrative example of application. We observe that normally FA tends to be on the surface of the nanoaerosols but in the presence of CPA impurities its spatial location changes to a core aggregate to some extent. We find that the absorption maximum is only slightly red-shifted in the presence of increased CPA concentrations and that the oscillator strengths are not altered significantly. The comparable values for the oscillator strengths of all the low energy excitations suggest that the absorption enhancement of the aerosol due to BS will not be substantial, which is in line with the recent experimental report in Science.
Formation of new particles through clustering of molecules from condensable vapors is a significant source for atmospheric aerosols. The smallest clusters formed in the very first steps of the condensation process are, however, not directly observable by experimental means. We present here a comprehensive series of electronic structure calculations on the hydrates of clusters formed by up to four molecules of sulfuric acid, and up to two molecules of ammonia or dimethylamine. Though clusters containing ammonia, and certainly dimethylamine, generally exhibit lower average hydration than the pure acid clusters, populations of individual hydrates vary widely. Furthermore, we explore the predictions obtained using a thermodynamic model for the description of these hydrates. The similar magnitude and trends of hydrate formation predicted by both methods illustrate the potential of combining them to obtain more comprehensive models. The stabilization of some clusters relative to others due to their hydration is highly likely to have significant effects on the overall processes that lead to formation of new particles in the atmosphere.
In this work, we report an energy decomposition and electronic structure analysis using DFT calculations for the C-C coupling step in the Henry reaction with cinchona thiourea as catalyst and DMF solvent to unravel the origin of enantioselectivity. We found that the conformation of flexible thiourea moiety is affected by the solvent, and in the preferred conformation of thiourea in strong Lewis basic DMF solvent, the N-H sites are in the opposite direction, i.e., in trans conformation. Hence, the thiourea moiety acts via single hydrogen bonding with substrates. The conformation of the substrates with respect to the forming C-C bond plays critical role to increase orbital interaction between two substrates and enhances hydrogen bond strength between substrates and catalyst, which in turn stabilizes the positive charge developing on the catalyst at the transition state for one of the enantiomers (S). Thus, the enantioselectivity has electronic structure origin. The stronger H-bond formation in the S enantiomer has been confirmed by the calculated IR spectra and is in agreement with thus far experimental and computational results.
Knowing that the Papai's electron transfer (ET) and the Grimme's electric field (EF) models draw attention to somewhat different physical aspects, we are going to systematically (re)examine interactions in the transition states (TSs) of the heterolytic H-2-cleavage by the Frustrated Lewis Pairs (FLPs). Our main vehicle is the quantitative energy decomposition analysis (EDA), a powerful method for elucidation of interactions, plus the analysis of molecular orbitals (MOs). Herein, the Lewis acid (LA) is B(C6F5)(3) and the Lewis bases (LBs) are tBu(3)P, (o-C6H4Me)(3)P, 2,6-lutidine, 2,4,6-lutidine, MeN=C(Ph)Me imine, MeN(H)-C(H)PhMe amine, THF, 1,4-dioxane, and acetone. For a series of the phosphorus-, nitrogen-, and oxygen-bearing LBs plus B(C6F5)(3), we will show that (i) neither the electrostatic nor the orbital interactions dominate but instead both are essential alongside the Pauli repulsion and (ii) the frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs) of a TS can arise not only from the push-pull molecular orbital scheme by Papai et al., which directly involves the occupied sigma and the empty sigma* MOs of H-2, but also from a more intricate but energetically more fitting orbital interactions which have escaped notice thus far.
We apply Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamics to the practically significant [dioxane-H(+)-acetone]-[(C6F5)(3)B-H(-)] and [Et2O-H(+)-OCPr2][(C6F5)(3)B-H(-)] ion pair intermediates. Dynamics of hydride transfer in cation/anion ion pair takes place on the background of large amplitude configurational changes. Geometry of oxocarbenium/borohydride ion pairs is flexible, meaning that we uncover significant actual structural disorder at a finite temperature. Therefore, although the starting structure can be fairly close to the configurational area of the hydride transfer transition state (TS) and despite a low potential energy barrier (ca. 1.5 kcal/mol, according to the literature), already at T approximate to 325 K the system can remain ignorant of the TS region and move round and about (roam) in the configurational space for a period of time in the range between 10 and 100 ps. This indicates structural flexibility of oxocarbenium/borohydride ion pair on apparently a flat potential energy landscape of cation/anion interaction, and this has not been taken into consideration by the free energy estimations in static considerations made thus far. The difference between the dynamics-based representation of the system versus the static representation amounts to the difference between quasi-bimolecular versus unimolecular descriptions of the hydride transfer step.
We investigate the geometry of oxonium/borohydride ion pairs [ether-H(+) ether] [LA-H(-)] with dioxane, THF, and Et2O as ethers and B(C6F5)(3) as the Lewis acid (LA). The question is about possible location of the disolvated proton [ether -H(+) -ether], with respect to the hydride of the structurally complex [LA -H(-)] anion. Using Born Oppenheimer molecular dynamics and a comparison of the potential and free energies of the optimized configurations, we show that herein considered ion pairs are much more flexible geometrically than previously thought. Conformers with different locations of cations with respect to anions are governed by a flat energy -landscape. We found a novel configuration in which oxonium is below [LA-11((-))], with respect to the direction of borane -> hydride vector, and the proton -hydride distance is ca. 6 A. With calculations of the vibrational spectra of [ether-H(+)-ether][(C6F5)(3)B-H(-)] for dioxane, THF, and Et2O as ethers, we investigate the manifestation of SSLB-type (short, strong, low -barrier) hydrogen bonding in the OHO motif of an oxonium cation.
Photoswitchable systems with charge-transfer (CT) transitions have gained much attention during the recent years because of their many emerging applications. CT transitions themselves are of fundamental importance from physical, chemical, engineering, and molecular modeling points of view because they depend on the modified intramolecular electronic structure. CT transitions in azobenzene (AB) were observed when substituted with the maleimide (MI) functional group. This work represents a systematic theoretical study of excited states of the AB MI structures of eight azo derivatives. In addition to the two main azo transitions (pi -> pi* and n -> pi*), our calculations show a CT occurring between the azo moiety as a donor and the MI group as an acceptor. The CT mechanism can be characterized based on both the number and the position of the MI fragments. MI groups in the azo structure result in low-energy transitions, changing the order of the main transitions by introducing a CT character. Calculations using both density functional theory (DFT) and high-end molecular orbital theories confirm the CT character of these derivatives, although the order of excited states was found to differ depending on the chosen level of theory. We present here the first theoretical investigation of the electronic excited states (n pi*CT and pi pi*CT) and corresponding transitions for this class of compounds. The computational results showed that the CT mechanism in AB MI derivatives can occur via two pathways: planar and twisted. Our findings are expected to be of substantial interest, especially in the area of molecular optoelectronics and in the design of responsive materials.
The condensational growth of submicrometer aerosol particles to climate relevant sizes is sensitive to their ability to accommodate vapor molecules, which is described by the mass accommodation coefficient. However, the underlying processes are not yet fully understood. We have simulated the mass accommodation and evaporation processes of water using molecular dynamics, and the results are compared to the condensation equations derived from the kinetic gas theory to shed light on the compatibility of the two. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed for a planar TIP4P-Ew water surface at four temperatures in the range 268-300 K as well as two droplets, with radii of 1.92 and 4.14 nm at T = 273.15 K. The evaporation flux from molecular dynamics was found to be in good qualitative agreement with that predicted by the simple kinetic condensation equations. Water droplet growth was also modeled with the kinetic multilayer model KM-GAP of Shiraiwa et al. [Atmos. Chem. Phys. 2012, 12, 2777]. It was found that, due to the fast transport across the interface, the growth of a pure water droplet is controlled by gas phase diffusion. These facts indicate that the simple kinetic treatment is sufficient in describing pure water condensation and evaporation. The droplet size was found to have minimal effect on the value of the mass accommodation coefficient. The mass accommodation coefficient was found to be unity (within 0.004) for all studied surfaces, which is in agreement with previous simulation work. Additionally, the simulated evaporation fluxes imply that the evaporation coefficient is also unity. Comparing the evaporation rates of the mass accommodation and evaporation simulations indicated that the high collision flux, corresponding to high supersaturation, present in typical molecular dynamics mass accommodation simulations can under certain conditions lead to an increase in the evaporation rate. Consequently, in such situations the mass accommodation coefficient can be overestimated, but in the present cases the corrected values were still close to unity with the lowest value at approximate to 10.99.
Nearby charges affect the electronic energy levels of chromophores, with the extent of the effect being determined by the magnitude of the charge and degree of charge-chromophore separation. The molecular configuration dictates the charge chromophore distance. Hence, in this study, we aim to assess how the location of the charge influences the absorption of a set of model protonated and diprotonated peptide ions, and whether spectral differences are large enough to be identified. The studied ions were the dipeptide YK, the tripeptide KYK (Y = tyrosine; K = lysine) and their complexes with 18-crown-6-ether (CE). The CE targets the ammonium group by forming internal ionic hydrogen bonds and limits the folding of the peptide. In the tripeptide, the distance between the chromophore and the backbone ammonium is enlarged relative to that in the dipeptide. Experiments were performed in an electrostatic ion storage ring using a tunable laser system, and action spectra based on lifetime measurements were obtained in the range from 210 to 310 nm. The spectra are all quite similar though there seems to be some changes in the absorption band between 210 and 250 nm, while in the lower energy band all ions had a maximum absorption at similar to 275 nm. Lifetimes after photoexcitation were found to shorten upon protonation and lengthen upon CE complexation, in accordance with the increased number of degrees of freedom and an increase in activation energies for dissociation as the mobile proton model is no longer operative.
The gas-phase fragmentation of the protonated n-butylamine Schiff base of all-trans-retinal (NB-RPSB) was measured in low- and high-energy collisional activation modes. The protonated n-butyl β-ionone Schiff base (NB-BISB) peak at m/z = 248, known to be formed as a result of a complex gas-phase rearrangement reaction, has been reported to dominate in mass spectra of NB-RPSB after photo- and collisionally activated fragmentation processes. Earlier reported high-energy collision (50 keV) mass spectra have shown a broad distribution of the fragments with the peak at m/z = 248 present but not dominating. We observed the formation of a peak at m/z = 248 only in collisional activation of NB-RPSB parent ion below a few eV, which shows that the rearrangement process is extremely efficient and happens in a very narrow energy range. On the other hand, our high-energy collision induced dissociation experiments yielded fragmentation patterns, which are fully accounted for simple bond cleavages of the NB-RPSB molecular backbone. We do not observe any peak corresponding to the formation of NB-BISB in the 10 eV – 1 keV collision energy range. This leaves the question open why this fragment reappears in the mass spectra at much higher energies.
The reaction dynamics of excited sulfur atoms, S(D-1), with acetylene has been investigated by the crossed-beam scattering technique with mass spectrometric detection and time-of-flight (TOF) analysis at the collision energy of 35.6 kJ mol(-1). These studies have been made possible by the development of intense continuous supersonic beams of S(P-3,D-1) atoms. From product angular and TOF distributions, center-of-mass product angular and translational energy distributions are derived. The S(D-1) + C2H2 reaction is found to lead to formation of HCCS (thioketenyl) + H, while the only other energetically allowed channels, those leading to CCS((3)Sigma(-), Delta) + H-2, are not observed to occur to an appreciable extent. The dynamics of the H-elimination channel is discussed and elucidated. The interpretation of the scattering results is assisted by synergic high-level ab initio electronic structure calculations of stationary points and product energetics for the C2H2S ground-state singlet potential energy surface. In addition, by exploiting the novel capability of performing product detection by means of a tunable electron-impact ionizer, we have obtained the first experimental information on the ionization energy of thioketenyl radical, HCCS, as synthesized in the reactive scattering experiment. This has been complemented by ab initio calculations of the adiabatic and vertical ionization energies for the ground-state radical. The theoretically derived value of 9.1 eV confirms very recent, accurate calculations and is corroborated by the experimentally determined ionization threshold of 8.9 +/- 0.3 eV for the internally warm HCCS produced from the title reaction.
The mechanism for water oxidation in photosystem II has been a major topic for several decades. The active catalyst has four manganese atoms connected by bridging oxo bonds, in a complex termed the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC), which also includes a calcium atom. The O-O bond of oxygen is formed after absorption of four photons in a state of the OEC termed S-4. There has been essential consensus that in the S-4 state, all manganese atoms are in the Mn(IV) oxidation state. However, recently there has been a suggestion that one of the atoms is in the Mn(VII) state. In the present computational study, the feasibility of that proposal has been investigated. It is here shown that the mechanism involving Mn(VII) has a much higher barrier for forming O-2 than the previous proposal with four Mn(IV) atoms.
Mercury (Hg) pollution is a global environmental problem. The abiotic formation of dimethylmercury (DMeHg) from monomethylmercury (MMeHg) may account for a large portion of DMeHg in oceans. Previous experimental work has shown that abiotic formation of DMeHg from MMeHg can be facilitated by reduced sulfur groups on sulfide mineral surfaces. In that work, a mechanism was proposed in which neighboring MMeHg moieties bound to sulfide sites on a mineral surface react through an SN2-type mechanism to form DMeHg and incorporate the remaining Hg atoms into the mineral surface. Here, we perform density functional theory calculations to explore the mechanisms of DMeHg formation on the 110 surface of a CdS(s) (hawleyite) nanoparticle. We show that coordination of MMeHg substituents to adjacent reduced sulfur groups protruding from the surface indeed facilitates DMeHg formation and that the reaction proceeds through direct transmethylation from one MMeHg substituent to another. Coordination of Hg by multiple S atoms provides a transition-state stabilization and activates a C–Hg bond for methyl transfer. In addition, solvation effects play an important role in the surface reconstruction of the nanoparticle and in decreasing the energetic barrier for DMeHg formation relative to the corresponding reaction in vacuo.
The reaction of C3N- with acetylene was studied using three different experimental setups, a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (Trento), a tandem quadrupole mass spectrometer (Prague), and the CERISES guided ion beam apparatus at Orsay. The process is of astrophysical interest because it can function as a chain elongation mechanism to produce larger anions that have been detected in Titan's ionosphere by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer. Three major products of primary processes, C2H-, CN-, and C5N-, have been identified, whereby the production of the cyanide anion is probably partly due to collisional induced dissociation. The formations of all these products show considerable reaction thresholds and also display comparatively small cross sections. Also, no strong signals of anionic products for collision energies lower than 1 eV have been observed. Ab initio calculations have been performed to identify possible pathways leading to the observed products of the title reaction and to elucidate the thermodynamics of these processes. Although the productions of CN- and C5N- are exoergic, all reaction pathways have considerable barriers. Overall, the results of these computations are in agreement with the observed reaction thresholds. Due to the existence of considerable reaction enenrgy barriers and the small observed cross sections, the title reaction is not very likely to play major role in the buildup of large anions in cold environments like the interstellar medium or planetary and satellite ionospheres.
High-resolution mass spectra of helium droplets doped with gold and ionized by electrons reveal HenAu+ cluster ions. Additional doping with heavy noble gases results in NenAu+, ArnAu+, KrnAu+, and XenAu+ cluster ions. The high stability predicted for covalently bonded Ar2Au+, Kr2Au+, and Xe2Au+ is reflected in their relatively high abundance. Surprisingly, the abundance of Ne2Au+, which is predicted to have zero covalent bonding character and no enhanced stability, features a local maximum, too. The predicted size and structure of complete solvation shells surrounding ions with essentially nondirectional bonding depends primarily on the ratio sigma* of the ion-ligand versus the ligand-ligand distance. For Au+ solvated in helium and neon, the ratio sigma* is slightly below 1, favoring icosahedral packing in agreement with a maximum observed in the corresponding abundance distributions at n = 12. HenAu+ appears to adopt two additional solvation shells of I-h symmetry, containing 20 and 12 atoms, respectively. For ArnAu+, with sigma* approximate to 0.67, one would expect a solvation shell of octahedral symmetry, in agreement with an enhanced ion abundance at n = 6. Another anomaly in the ion abundance at Ar9Au+ matches a local maximum in its computed dissociation energy.
The fragmentation of deuterated benzene (CA) in ultrashort intense laser fields (9 fs, 1 x 10(15) W/cm(2)) is studied by the ion-coincidence momentum imaging technique. Five two-body and eight three-body Coulomb explosion pathways from the trication (C6D63+), associated with the deprotonation and ring-opening reactions, are identified. It is found from the fragment momentum correlation that all the observed three-body explosion processes proceed sequentially via the two-body Coulomb explosion forming molecular dications, CmDn2+, with (m,n) = (6,5), (5,5), (5,4), (4,4), (4,3), and (3,3), which further dissociate into pairs of monocations. The branching ratio of the fragmentation pathways estimated from the number of the observed coincidence events indicates that the fragmentation is nonstatistical.
Sulfur K-edge XANES was measured for two divalent sulfurs (dibenzyl and benzyl phenyl) and two disulfides (dibenzyl and diphenyl). The absorption spectra could be assigned using density functional theory with the “half core hole” approximation for the core hole including relaxation of selected excited states at the absorption edge. Analysis of the molecular orbitals shows that the characteristic double peak of the dibenzyl disulfide arises as a consequence of the enhanced splitting of the LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) and the LUMO + 1. Exchange of the ligand benzyl by phenyl introduces more transitions at the absorption edge, which enhance the broadening in the divalent sulfur and splitting of the peaks of the disulfide. It is shown that different ligand groups introduce significant differences in the absorption edge, which poses a problem for the speciation analysis when the ligand groups are not clearly defined.
We compare and contrast measurements of the mass accommodation coefficient of water on a water surface made using ensemble and single particle techniques under conditions of supersaturation and subsaturation, respectively. In particular, we consider measurements made using an expansion chamber, a continuous flow streamwise thermal gradient cloud condensation nuclei chamber, the Leipzig Aerosol Cloud Interaction Simulator, aerosol optical tweezers, and electrodynamic balances. Although this assessment is not intended to be comprehensive, these five techniques are complementary in their approach and give values that span the range from near 0.1 to 1.0 for the mass accommodation coefficient. We use the same semianalytical treatment to assess the sensitivities of the measurements made by the various techniques to thermophysical quantities (diffusion constants, thermal conductivities, saturation pressure of water, latent heat, and solution density) and experimental parameters (saturation value and temperature). This represents the first effort to assess and compare measurements made by different techniques to attempt to reduce the uncertainty in the value of the mass accommodation coefficient. Broadly, we show that the measurements are consistent within the uncertainties inherent to the thermophysical and experimental parameters and that the value of the mass accommodation coefficient should be considered to be larger than 0.5. Accurate control and measurement of the saturation ratio is shown to be critical for a successful investigation of the surface transport kinetics during condensation/evaporation. This invariably requires accurate knowledge of the partial pressure of water, the system temperature, the droplet curvature and the saturation pressure of water. Further, the importance of including and quantifying the transport of heat in interpreting droplet measurements is highlighted; the particular issues associated with interpreting measurements of condensation/evaporation rates with varying pressure are discussed, measurements that are important for resolving the relative importance of gas diffusional transport and surface kinetics.
The abundance and basicity of a stabilizing base have shown to be key factors in sulfuric acid driven atmospheric new-particle formation. However, since experiments indicate that a low concentration of ammonia enhances particle formation from sulfuric acid and dimethylamine, which is a stronger base, there must be additional factors affecting the particle formation efficiency. Using quantum chemistry, we provide a molecular-level explanation for the synergistic effects in sulfuric acid-dimethylamine-ammonia cluster formation. Because of the capability of ammonia to form more intermolecular interactions than dimethylamine, it can act as a bridge-former in sulfuric acid-dimethylamine clusters. In many cluster compositions, ammonia is more likely to be protonated than dimethylamine, although it is a weaker base. By nanoparticle formation rate simulations, we show that due to the synergistic effects, ammonia can increase the particle formation rate by up to 5 orders of magnitude compared to the two-component sulfuric acid-amine system.
We investigate the effect of the bisulfate anion HSO4-, ammonium cation NH4+, and ammonia NH3 on the clustering of sulfuric acid and pinic acid or 3-methyl-1,2,3-butanetricarboxylic acid (MBTCA). The systems were chosen based on their expected relevance in atmospheric new particle formation. Using quantum chemical methods together with kinetic calculations, we study the ability of these compounds to enhance cluster formation and growth. The cluster structures are obtained and frequencies are calculated using three different DFT functionals (M06-2X, PW91, and omega B97X-D) with the 6-31++G(d,p) basis set. The electronic energies are corrected using an accurate DLPNO-CCSD(T)/def2-QZVPP level of theory. The evaporation rates are evaluated based on the calculated Gibbs free energies. The interaction between the ions and sulfuric acid or carboxylic acid group is strong, and thereby small two-component ionic clusters are found to be very stable against evaporation. The presence of bisulfate stimulates the cluster formation through addition of the sulfuric acid, whereas the presence of ammonium favors the addition of organic acids. Bisulfate and ammonium enhance the first steps of cluster formation; however, at atmospheric conditions further cluster growth is limited due to the weak interaction and fast evaporation of the larger three-component clusters. On the basis of our results it is therefore unlikely that the studied organic acids and sulfuric acid, even together with bisulfate, ammonia, or ammonium can drive new-particle formation via clustering mechanisms. Other mechanisms such as chemical reactions are needed to explain observed new-particle formation events in the presence of oxidized organic compounds resembling the acids studied here.
The role of a strong organobase, guanidine, in sulfuric acid-driven new-particle formation is studied using state-of-the-art quantum chemical methods and molecular cluster formation simulations. Cluster formation mechanisms at the molecular level are resolved, and theoretical results on cluster stability are confirmed with mass spectrometer measurements. New-particle formation from guanidine and sulfuric acid molecules occurs without thermodynamic barriers under studied conditions, and clusters are growing close to a 1:1 composition of acid and base. Evaporation rates of the most stable clusters are extremely low, which can be explained by the proton transfers and symmetrical cluster structures. We compare the ability of guanidine and dimethylamine to enhance sulfuric acid-driven particle formation and show that more than 2000-fold concentration of dimethylamine is needed to yield as efficient particle formation as in the case of guanidine. At similar conditions, guanidine yields 8 orders of magnitude higher particle formation rates compared to dimethylamine. Highly basic compounds such as guanidine may explain experimentally observed particle formation events at low precursor vapor concentrations, whereas less basic and more abundant bases such as ammonia and amines are likely to explain measurements at high concentrations.
The amino acid-catalyzed aldol condensation is of great interest in organic synthesis and natural environments such as atmospheric particles. But kinetic and mechanistic information on these reactions is limited. In this work, the kinetics of the aldol condensation of acetaldehyde in water and aqueous salt solutions (NaCl, CaCl2, Na2SO4, MgSO4), catalyzed by five amino acids (glycine, alanine, serine, arginine, and proline) at room temperature (295 ± 2K) has been studied. Monitoring the formation of three products, crotonaldehyde, 2,4-hexadienal, and 2,4,6-octatrienal by UV-Visible absorption over 200 – 1100 nm revealed two distinct kinetic regimes: at low amino acid concentrations (in all cases, below 0.1 M) the overall reaction was first order with respect to acetaldehyde and kinetically limited by the formation of the enamine intermediate. At larger amino acid concentrations (at least 0.3 M) the kinetics was second order and controlled by the C-C bond-forming step. The first-order rate constants increased linearly with amino acid concentration, consistent with the enamine formation. Inorganic salts further accelerated the enamine formation according to their pKb plausibly by facilitating the iminium and/or enamine formation. The rate constant of the C-C bond-forming step varied with the square of amino acid concentration, suggesting the involvement of two amino acid molecules. Thus, the reaction proceeded via a Mannich pathway. However, the contribution of an aldol pathway, first-order in amino acid, could not be excluded. Our results show that the rate constant for the self-condensation of acetaldehyde in aqueous atmospheric aerosols (up to 10 of mM of amino acids) is identical as in sulfuric acid 10 - 15 M (kI ~ 10-7 - 10-6 s-1), clearly illustrating the potential importance of amino acid catalysis in natural environments. This work also demonstrates that under usual laboratory conditions and in natural environments aldol condensation is likely to be kinetically controlled by the enamine formation. Notably, kinetic investigations of the C-C bond-forming addition step would only be possible with high concentrations of amino acids.
Does the fine-structure in oxygen K-edge X-ray emission (Fuchs et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 2008, 100, 027801) imply that liquid water is a two-component mixture or is it the signature of a transient OH species arising in the core-excitation process? As with the interpretation of the X-ray absorption spectrum of liquid water, this question is also intensely discussed in the water and X-ray spectroscopy communities. X-ray emission is an independent probe of the electronic structure yielding complementary information on hydrogen bonding in liquid water. In this study, the angular anisotropy in the resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering (resonant X-ray emission (XE)) spectrum of liquid water is simulated on the basis of ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to allow for direct comparison to recent experimental data (Forsberg et al. Phys. Rev. B 2009, 79, 132203). Theoretical simulations unequivocally show that the difference in angular anisotropy in the water lone-pair features is related to their fundamentally different origin. The high emission-energy peak is primarily due to the contribution from the out-of-plane (1b(1)) lone-pair in intact water molecules. On the other hand, the low emission-energy lone-pair peak originates from the bonding (3a(1)) state and is assigned to a transient OH species formed by ultrafast (<10 fs) photodissociation. The information in the XE spectrum on the structure of liquid water is limited and buried in features arising from excited state dynamics. In combination with available experimental data, the theoretical simulations settle a rising debate on the interpretation of resonant and nonresonant XE spectra of liquid water and there are strong implications for the XE spectroscopy of hydrogen-bonded liquids. The simulations show that the fine-structure in the XE spectrum of liquid water can be explained simply in terms of present day ab initio molecular dynamics simulations.
In this paper, we present a variable temperature 2H solid-state NMR investigation of cryptophane-E:chloroform and cryptophane-E:dichloromethane inclusion complexes. The 2H line shapes and nuclear spin relaxation rates were analyzed in terms of the distribution of C−D bond orientations and the time scale of the guest dynamics. It was found that encaged chloroform produces broad 2H spectra, and that its reorientation is relatively slow with a correlation time of 0.17 μs at 292 K. In contrast, the 2H line shapes of encaged dichloromethane are narrow and the motion of this guest molecule is fast with a correlation time of 1.4 ps at 283 K. The 2H NMR data were complemented by an X-ray diffraction study of the cryptophane-E:dichloromethane structure, which was utilized in the analysis of the NMR parameters.
The structure and harmonic and anharmonic IR spectra of the protonated water dimer (PWD) were calculated in C-1,C- C-2.., and C-s, symmetry at the MP4/acc-pVTZ level of theory. We found that structure and IR spectra are practically identical in C-2 and C-1 symmetry, demonstrating that an equilibrium C-1 configuration of the PWD is not realized. Anharmonic coupling of the shared proton stretching-vibration with all other modes in the PWD in C-2 and C-s symmetry was the focus of this investigation. For this purpose, 28 two-dimensional potential energy surfaces (2D PES) were built at the MP4/acc-pVTZ level of theory and the corresponding vibrational Schrodinger equations were solved using the DVR method. Differences in the coupling of the investigated mode with other modes in the C-2 and C-s configurations, along with some factors that determine the red-or blue-shift of the stretching vibration frequency, were analyzed. We obtained a rather reasonable value of the stretching frequency of the bridging proton (1058.4 cm(-1)) unperturbed by Fermi resonance. The Fermi resonance between the fundamental vibration v7 and the combined vibration v(2) + v(6) of the same symmetry was analyzed through anharmonic second order perturbation theory calculations, as well as by 3D PES constructed using Q(2), Q(6), and Q(7) as normal coordinates. A significant (up to 50%) transfer of intensity from the fundamental vibration to the combined one was found. We have estimated the frequency of the bridging proton stretching vibration in the C-s configuration of the PWD based on calculations of the intrinsic anharmonicity and anharmonic double modes interactions at the MP4/acc-pVTZ level of theory (1261 cm(-1)).
Autocatalysis is a fundamental concept, used in a wide range of domains. From the most general definition of autocatalysis, that is, a process in which a chemical compound is able to catalyze its own formation, several different systems can be described. We detail the different categories of autocatalyses and compare them on the basis of their mechanistic, kinetic, and dynamic properties. It is shown how autocatalytic patterns can be generated by different systems of chemical reactions. With the notion of autocatalysis covering a large variety of mechanistic realizations with very similar behaviors, it is proposed that the key signature of autocatalysis is its kinetic pattern expressed in a mathematical form.
Magnesium clusters exhibit a pronounced nonmetal-to-metal transition, and the neutral dimer is exceptionally weakly bound. In the present study, we formed pristine Mgnz+ (n = 1–100, z = 1–3) clusters and mixed (C60)mMgnz+ clusters (m = 1–7, z = 1, 2) upon electron irradiation of neutral helium nanodroplets doped with magnesium or a combination of C60 and magnesium. The mass spectra obtained for pristine magnesium cluster ions exhibit anomalies, consistent with previous reports in the literature. The anomalies observed for C60Mgn+ strongly suggest that Mg atoms tend to wet the surface of the single fullerene positioning itself above the center of a pentagonal or hexagonal face, while, for (C60)mMgnz+, the preference for Mg to position itself within the dimples formed by fullerene cages becomes apparent. Besides doubly charged cluster ions, with the smallest member Mg22+, we also observed the formation of triply charged ions Mgn3+ with n > 24. The ion efficiency curves of singly and multiply charged ions exhibit pronounced differences compared to singly charged ions at higher electron energies. These findings indicate that sequential Penning ionization is essential in the formation of doubly and triply charged ions inside doped helium nanodroplets.
The infrared spectrum of phosphoenol pyruvate (PEP) in aqueous solution was studied experimentally and theoretically in its fully ionized, singly protonated and doubly protonated form. The density functional theory with the B3LYP functional and with the 6-31G(d,p), 6-31++G(d,p), and 6-311++G(d,p) basis sets were used in the theoretical study. The calculations with the two latter basis sets and the CPCM continuum model for water showed good agreement with the experiments except for vibrations assigned to hydroxyl groups. These needed to be modeled with explicit water molecules. The effects of deuteration and of 13C2,3 labeling of PEP were reproduced by the calculations.