Non-empirical molecular orbital calculations on the protonation of carbon monoxide

Systematic analysis of electronic barrier heights and widths for concerted proton transfer in cyclic hydrogen bonded clusters: (HF)n, (HCl)n and (H2O)n where n = 3, 4, 5

The MP2 and CCSD(T) methods are paired with correlation consistent basis sets as large as aug-cc-pVQZ to optimize the structures of the cyclic minima for (HF)n, (HCl)n and (H2O)n where n = 3-5, as well as the corresponding transition states (TSs) for concerted proton transfer (CPT). MP2 and CCSD(T) harmonic vibrational frequencies confirm the nature of each minimum and TS. Both conventional and explicitly correlated CCSD(T) computations are employed to assess the electronic dissociation energies and barrier heights for CPT near the complete basis (CBS) limit for all 9 clusters. Results for (HF)n are consistent with prior studies identifying Cnh and Dnh point group symmetry for the minima and TSs, respectively. Our computations also confirm that CPT proceeds through Cs TS structures for the C1 minima of (H2O)3 and (H2O)5, whereas the process goes through a TS with D2d symmetry for the S4 global minimum of (H2O)4. This work corroborates earlier findings that the minima for (HCl)3, (HCl)4 and (HCl)5 have C3h, S4 and C1 point group symmetry, respectively, and that the Cnh structures are not minima for n = 4 and 5. Moreover, our computations show the TSs for CPT in (HCl)3, (HCl)4 and (HCl)5 have D3h, D2d, and C2 point group symmetry, respectively. At the CCSD(T) CBS limit, (HF)4 and (HF)5 have the smallest electronic barrier heights for CPT (≈15 kcal mol-1 for both), followed by the HF trimer (≈21 kcal mol-1). The barriers are appreciably higher for the other clusters (around 27 kcal mol-1 for (H2O)4 and (HCl)3; roughly 30 kcal mol-1 for (H2O)3, (H2O)5 and (HCl)4; up to 38 kcal mol-1 for (HCl)5). At the CBS limit, MP2 significantly underestimates the CCSD(T) barrier heights (e.g., by ca. 2, 4 and 7 kcal mol-1 for the pentamers of HF, H2O and HCl, respectively), whereas CCSD overestimates these barriers by roughly the same magnitude. Scaling the barrier heights and dissociation energies by the number of fragments in the cluster reveals strong linear relationships between the two quantities and with the magnitudes of the imaginary vibrational frequency for the TSs.

Insight into the Binding of Argon to Cyclic Water Clusters from Symmetry-Adapted Perturbation Theory

This work systematically examines the interactions between a single argon atom and the edges and faces of cyclic H2O clusters containing three-five water molecules (Ar(H2O)n=3-5). Full geometry optimizations and subsequent harmonic vibrational frequency computations were performed using MP2 with a triple-ζ correlation consistent basis set augmented with diffuse functions on the heavy atoms (cc-pVTZ for H and aug-cc-pVTZ for O and Ar; denoted as haTZ). Optimized structures and harmonic vibrational frequencies were also obtained with the two-body-many-body (2b:Mb) and three-body-many-body (3b:Mb) techniques; here, high-level CCSD(T) computations capture up through the two-body or three-body contributions from the many-body expansion, respectively, while less demanding MP2 computations recover all higher-order contributions. Five unique stationary points have been identified in which Ar binds to the cyclic water trimer, along with four for (H2O)4 and three for (H2O)5. To the best of our knowledge, eleven of these twelve structures have been characterized here for the first time. Ar consistently binds more strongly to the faces than the edges of the cyclic (H2O)n clusters, by as much as a factor of two. The 3b:Mb electronic energies computed with the haTZ basis set indicate that Ar binds to the faces of the water clusters by at least 3 kJ mol-1 and by nearly 6 kJ mol-1 for one Ar(H2O)5 complex. An analysis of the interaction energies for the different binding motifs based on symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) indicates that dispersion interactions are primarily responsible for the observed trends. The binding of a single Ar atom to a face of these cyclic water clusters can induce perturbations to the harmonic vibrational frequencies on the order of 5 cm-1 for some hydrogen-bonded OH stretching frequencies.

Stability improvement of UV-filter between methoxy cinnamic acid derivatives and cyclodextrins inclusion complexes based on DFT and TD-DFT investigations

Structures and UV-vis absorption spectra of the host-guest interaction of the methoxy cinnamic acid (MCA) derivatives and cyclodextrins (CDs) were performed by using the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations. All geometries of MCA derivatives (4-MCA, 245-MCA, 246-MCA), three types of CD (αCD, βCD, γCD), and five host-guest inclusion complexes between MCA and CD consisting of 4-MCA/αCD (1), 4-MCA/βCD (2), 245-MCA/βCD (3), 246-MCA/βCD (4), and 246-MCA/γCD (5) were fully optimized by using the M06-2X/6-31G (d,p) levels of theory. Two orientations (A and B) of the MCA guest molecule were considered. Upon examining the optimized geometry, five complexes of the methoxy cinnamic acid molecules are located inside the cavity of CD. Orientation B was more stable than orientation A because of the stronger intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the hydroxyl group of CD and the carboxylic group of MCA. The results indicated that the intermolecular hydrogen bond is mainly the driving force of formation between methoxy cinnamic acid and cyclodextrins. To reveal the host-guest interaction that is relevant to UV-filter compounds, the UV-vis absorption spectra were performed using TD-DFT calculations. The obtained results confirmed that orientation B is the most stable orientation and can absorb in both UVB and UVA regions which is similar to the parent MCA. Therefore, this knowledge will bring to understand the host-guest interaction between methoxy cinnamic acid and cyclodextrin complexes. The theoretical results are expected to provide valuable information for improving the stability of further UV-filter compounds.

Gas-Phase vs. Grain-Surface Formation of Interstellar Complex Organic Molecules: A Comprehensive Quantum-Chemical Study

Several organic chemical compounds (the so-called interstellar complex organic molecules, iCOMs) have been identified in the interstellar medium (ISM). Examples of iCOMs are formamide (HCONH2), acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), methyl formate (CH3OCHO), or formic acid (HCOOH). iCOMs can serve as precursors of other organic molecules of enhanced complexity, and hence they are key species in chemical evolution in the ISM. The formation of iCOMs is still a subject of a vivid debate, in which gas-phase or grain-surface syntheses have been postulated. In this study, we investigate the grain-surface-formation pathways for the four above-mentioned iCOMs by transferring their primary gas-phase synthetic routes onto water ice surfaces. Our objective is twofold: (i) to identify potential grain-surface-reaction mechanisms leading to the formation of these iCOMs, and (ii) to decipher either parallelisms or disparities between the gas-phase and the grain-surface reactions. Results obtained indicate that the presence of the icy surface modifies the energetic features of the reactions compared to the gas-phase scenario, by increasing some of the energy barriers. Therefore, the investigated gas-phase mechanisms seem unlikely to occur on the icy grains, highlighting the distinctiveness between the gas-phase and the grain-surface chemistry.

Competition between Solvent···Solvent and Solvent···Solute Interactions in the Microhydration of the Tetrafluoroborate Anion, BF4-(H2O)n=1,2,3,4

This study systematically examines the interactions of the tetrafluoroborate anion (BF4-) with up to four water molecules (BF4-(H2O)n=1,2,3,4). Full geometry optimizations and subsequent harmonic vibrational frequency computations are performed using a variety of density functional theory (DFT) methods (B3LYP, B3LYP-D3BJ, and M06-2X) and the MP2 ab initio method with a triple-ζ correlation consistent basis set augmented with diffuse functions on all non-hydrogen atoms (cc-pVTZ for H and aug-cc-pVTZ for B, O, and F; denoted as haTZ). Optimized structures and harmonic vibrational frequencies were also obtained with the CCSD(T) ab initio method and the haTZ basis set for the mono- and dihydrate (n = 1, 2) structures. The 2-body:Many-body (2b:Mb) technique, in which CCSD(T) computations capture the 1- and 2-body contributions to the interactions and MP2 computations recover all higher-order contributions, was used to extend these demanding computations to the tri- and tetrahydrate (n = 3, 4) systems. Four, five, and eight new stationary points have been identified for the di-, tri-, and tetrahydrate systems, respectively. The global minimum of the monohydrate adopts a symmetric double ionic hydrogen bond motif with C2v symmetry and an electronic dissociation energy of 13.17 kcal mol-1 at the CCSD(T)/haTZ level of theory. This strong solvent···solute interaction, however, competes with solute···solute interactions in the lowest-energy BF4-(H2O)n=2,3,4 minima that are not seen in the other di-, tri-, or tetrahydrate minima. The latter interactions help increase the 2b:Mb dissociation energies to more than 26, 41, and 51 kcal mol-1 for n = 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Structures that form hydrogen bonds between the solvating water molecules also exhibit the largest shifts in the harmonic OH stretching frequencies for the waters of hydration. These shifts can exceed -280 cm-1 relative to an isolated H2O molecule at the 2b:Mb/haTZ level of theory.

Adsorption of HCN on cosmic silicates: a periodic quantum mechanical study

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) represents a small but widely distributed fraction of the interstellar molecules, and it has been observed in all the environments characterizing the formation of a new planetary system. HCN can polymerize to form biomolecules, including adenine (H5C5N5), and it has drawn attention as a possible precursor of several building blocks of life due to the presence of its polymerization products in meteorites, comets and other asteroidal bodies. To elucidate the potential catalytic role that cosmic silicates have played in these processes, we have investigated, at DFT-PBE level inclusive of a posteriori dispersion correction, the energetic and spectroscopic features of the adsorption of HCN molecules on the most relevant crystalline surfaces of the mineral forsterite (Mg2SiO4), a common silicate constituent of the interstellar core grains and planetary rocky bodies. The results reveal that HCN adsorbs both in molecular and dissociative ways, within a wide range of adsorption energies (-29.4 to -466.4 kJ mol-1). Thermodynamic and kinetic results show that dissociative adsorption is dominant already at low temperatures, a fact particularly relevant at the protoplanetary conditions (i.e., the latest stages in the star system formation process). The simulated spectroscopic features of the studied adducts show a wide range of different degrees of perturbation of C-H and CN bonds. This finding agrees with previous experimental works, and our results confirm that a complex chemistry is observed when this astrochemically-relevant molecule interacts with Mg2SiO4, which may be associated with a considerable potential reactivity towards the formation of relevant prebiotic compounds.

Catalytic effect of graphene on the inversion of corannulene using a continuum approach with the Lennard-Jones potential

The catalytic effect of graphene on the corannulene bowl-to-bowl inversion is confirmed in this paper using a pair-wise dispersion interaction model. In particular, a continuum approach together with the Lennard-Jones potential are adopted to determine the interaction energy between corannulene and graphene. These results are consistent with previous quantum chemical studies, which showed that a graphene sheet reduces the barrier height for the bowl-to-bowl inversion in corannulene. However, the results presented here demonstrate, for the first time, that the catalytic activity of graphene can be reproduced using pair-wise dispersion interactions alone. This demonstrates the major role that pair-wise dispersion interactions play in the catalytic activity of graphene.

DFT Study of the Adsorption and SERS of Pyridine on M10N10 (M, N = Cu, Ag) Tetrahedral Clusters

This work presents a theoretical detailed analysis of the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) of the pyridine-M10N10 (M, N = Ag, Cu) tetrahedral (Td) clusters considering two binding positions: vertex (V) and surface (S). In addition to the well-known monometallic Td structure, we added two different bimetallic Ag-Cu compositions, named Td1 and Td2 geometries. Density functional methodology with the use of BP86 and CAM-B3LYP exchange-correlation functionals (XCs) and LANL2DZ pseudopotential has been employed for analyzing the electronic structure and geometries, the chemical static (CHEM), and resonant Raman mechanisms (RR): charge transfer RR-CT and intracluster excitation RR-CR. The static CHEM mechanism shows an increase in the enhancement factors (EFs) of Py-V concerning Py-S positions, which can also be distinguished by the averaged adsorption energies and bond polarizabilities. The static SERS response for Cu-Py-V junction is from 5 to 10 times greater than Ag-Py-V EFs and up to 28 times greater than Py-S complexes. For the static Raman, we found that the analyses of ν8a and ν1 normal modes are related to the EF changes and allow us to distinguish V from S complexes. The TDDFT calculations show striking differences between BP86 and CAM-B3LYP XCs analyzed spectra, and CAM-B3LYP granted a clear distinction between V and S for the location of CT-type transitions. In addition, important differences were obtained from the analysis of the charge transfer excitations between both XCs. Resonant Raman calculations evidenced significant enhancements for RR-CT and RR-CR as compared to the static enhancements, and RR-CT can be distinguished from the RR-CR mechanism, while specific normal modes help to differentiate the vertex from the surface Py-junction. Bimetallic Ag-Cu nanostructures represent promising choices for SERS substrates, showing EFs higher than those of monometallic Ag.

Molecular dynamics simulation studies of 1,3-dimethyl imidazolium nitrate ionic liquid with water

The fundamental understanding of intermolecular interactions of ionic liquids (ILs) with water is essential in predicting IL-water thermodynamic properties. In this study, intermolecular or noncovalent interactions were studied for 1,3-dimethyl imidazolium [DMIM]⁺ cation and nitrate [NO₃]^- anion with water, employing quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics simulations. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed using a revised multipolar polarizable force field. The effect of water on ionic liquids was evaluated in terms of thermodynamic and dynamic properties. Thermodynamic properties included liquid densities ρ, excess molar volumes ΔV^E, and liquid structures gr. Dynamic properties included self-diffusion coefficients D of mixture constituents as a function of water concentration. The density of ionic liquid-water mixtures monotonically decrease with increasing concentration of water. A negative excess volume was obtained for low and high water concentrations, demonstrating strong intermolecular interactions of water with ionic liquid components. Liquid structures of ionic liquid-water mixtures revealed a tendency for anions to interact with cations at shorter intermolecular distances when the water concentration is increased. Diffusion rates were found to increase for all mixture components with increase in the fraction of water. A significant change in the diffusion rate was found at ∼0.3 weight fraction of water. However, the water self-diffusion coefficient was dominant at all concentrations. The ratio of water/anion and anion/cation self-diffusion coefficients was found to decrease linearly with increasing concentration of water molecules.

Investigating the structure of the product of graphene oxide reaction with folic acid and chitosan: density functional theory calculations

Chitosan biopolymer was used to modify the level of graphene oxide. And the composite prepared from graphene oxide/chitosan, due to its favorable physical and chemical properties, have been used as a drug delivery system. In this study, the adsorption of Folic acid on the carrier was investigated using density functional theory (DFT). The geometry optimizations, electronic structures, and gas-phase properties of widely applicable graphene (G), graphene oxide (GO), chitosan (CS), folic acid (FA), GO-CS and GO-CS-FA were investigated using DFT. The studied molecules are based on graphene oxide. In GO-CS, DFT calculation show that two Chitosan connected to the GO molecule on both opposite sides, so that two Chitosan have maximum distance from each other. Finally, the electronic structure of FA was obtained with this molecule calculated and discussed. The interaction of hydrogen bonds in the most stable pair formers between molecules were determined. Furthermore, the hydrogen bonds were studied by atom in molecules natural bond orbital analyses.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Gold(I)···Lanthanide(III) Bonds in Discrete Heterobimetallic Compounds: A Combined Computational and Topological Study

The chemical nature of the ligand-unsupported gold(I)-lanthanide(III) bond in the proposed [Ln^III(η⁵-Cp)₂][Au^IPh₂] (Ln-Au; Ln^III = La^III, Eu^III, or Lu^III; Cp = cyclopentadienide; Ph = phenyl) models is examined from a theoretical viewpoint. The covalent bond-like Au-Ln distances (Au-La, 2.95 Å; Au-Eu, 2.85 Å; Au-Lu, 2.78 Å) result from a strong interaction between the oppositely charged fragments (ΔE_int^MP2 > 600 kJ mol^-1), including the aforementioned metal-metal bond and additional Ln^III-C_ipso and C-H···π interactions. The Au-Ln bond has been characterized as a chemical bond rather than a strong metallophilic interaction with the aid of energy decomposition analysis, interaction region indicator, and quantum theory of atoms in molecules topological tools. The chemical nature of the Au-Ln bond cannot be fully ascribed to a covalent or an ionic model; an intermediate situation or a charge shift bond is proposed. The [Au^IPh₂]^- anion has also been identified as a suitable lanthanide(III) emission sensitizer for La-Au and Lu-Au.

An Embedded Fragment Method for Molecules in Strong Magnetic Fields

An extension of the embedded fragment method for calculations on molecular clusters is presented, which includes strong external magnetic fields. The approach is flexible, allowing for calculations at the Hartree-Fock, current-density-functional theory, Møller-Plesset perturbation theory, and coupled-cluster levels using London atomic orbitals. For systems consisting of discrete molecular subunits, calculations using London atomic orbitals can be performed in a computationally tractable manner for systems beyond the reach of conventional calculations, even those accelerated by resolution-of-the-identity or Cholesky decomposition methods. To assess the applicability of the approach, applications to water clusters are presented, showing how strong magnetic fields enhance binding within the clusters. However, our calculations suggest that, contrary to previous suggestions in the literature, this enhanced binding may not be directly attributable to strengthening of hydrogen bonding. Instead, these results suggest that this arises for larger field strengths as a response of the system to the presence of the external field, which induces a charge density build up between the monomer units. The approach is embarrassingly parallel and its computational tractability is demonstrated for clusters of up to 103 water molecules in triple-ζ basis sets, which would correspond to conventional calculations with more than 12 000 basis functions.

An accurate vibrational signature in halogen bonded molecular crystals

The far infrared (FIR) and Raman fingerprints of the halogen bond in two representative 1D halogen bonded networks based on the recognition of TFIB, tetrafluorodiiodobenzene, with piperazine or azopyridine, have been accurately identified. It was demonstrated that the signature of the halogen bonding in the solid state, especially the N⋯I signal can be simply and directly evidenced in the far infrared region. The DFT theoretical calculations identified the N⋯I interaction in the molecular crystals and allowed estimation of the corresponding energies and distances of the involved halogen bonds, in accordance with the cristallographic data.

Characterization of Competing Halogen- and Hydrogen-Bonding Motifs in Simple Mixed Dimers of HCN and HX (X = F, Cl, Br, and I)

This work performs the first systematic comparison of hydrogen- and halogen-bonded configurations of the HCN/HX mixed dimer, where X = F, Cl, Br, and I. Eleven different minima have been characterized for these four heterogeneous dimers near the CCSD(T) complete basis set (CBS) limit. For each complex, two different hydrogen-bonded minima were identified: the global minimum where HX acts as the hydrogen bond donor and a local minimum where HX acts as the hydrogen bond acceptor. A halogen-bonded local minimum was also identified for all but the fluorine mixed dimer. To the best of our knowledge, three of the minima are identified here for the first time. The hydrogen- and halogen-bonded local minima of each complex become more energetically competitive with the global minimum as the atomic radius of the halogen atom increases. CCSD(T) relative energies of the hydrogen-bonded local minima computed near the CBS limit decrease from 4.5 kcal mol^-1 for HCN/HF to 2.9, 2.4, and 1.2 kcal mol^-1 for X = Cl, Br, and I, respectively. Corresponding relative energies for the halogen-bonded local minima range from 4.0 kcal mol^-1 for X = Cl to 2.7 kcal mol^-1 for X = Br and to as little as 0.5 kcal mol^-1 X = I. Harmonic vibrational frequency shifts reported here suggest that it may be feasible to differentiate between the various minima for X = Cl, Br, and I via spectroscopic analysis, as was the case for the HCN/HF dimer.

Visualization and Comprehension of Electronic and Topographic Contrasts on Cooperatively Switched Diarylethene-Bridged Ditopic Ligand

Diarylethene is a prototypical molecular switch that can be reversibly photoisomerized between its open and closed forms. Ligands bpy-DAE-bpy, consisting of a phenyl-diarylethene-phenyl (DAE) central core and bipyridine (bpy) terminal substituents, are able to self-organize. They are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy at the solid–liquid interface. Upon light irradiation, cooperative photochromic switching of the ligands is recognized down to the submolecular level. The closed isomers show different electron density of states (DOS) contrasts, attributed to the HOMO or LUMO molecular orbitals observed. More importantly, the LUMO images show remarkable differences between the open and closed isomers, attributed to combined topographic and electronic contrasts mainly on the DAE moieties. The electronic contrasts from multiple HOMO or LUMO distributions, combined with topographic distortion of the open or closed DAE, are interpreted by density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Water on porous, nitrogen-containing layered carbon materials: The performance of computational model chemistries

Porous, layered materials containing sp2-hybridized carbon and nitrogen atoms, offer through their tunable properties, a versatile route towards tailormade catalysts for electrochemistry and photochemistry. A key molecule interacting with these...

S66x8 noncovalent interactions revisited: new benchmark and performance of composite localized coupled-cluster methods

The S66x8 noncovalent interactions benchmark has been re-evaluated at the “sterling silver” level. Against this, a selection of computationally more economical alternatives has been assayed, ranging from localized CC to double hybrids and SAPT(DFT).

Isotope Effects on the Vaporization of Organic Compounds from an Aqueous Solution-Insight from Experiment and Computations

An isotope fractionation analysis of organic groundwater pollutants can assess the remediation at contaminated sites yet needs to consider physical processes as potentially confounding factors. This study explores the predictability of water–air partitioning isotope effects from experiments and computational predictions for benzene and trimethylamine (both H-bond acceptors) as well as chloroform (H-bond donor). A small, but significant, isotope fractionation of different direction and magnitude was measured with ε = −0.12‰ ± 0.07‰ (benzene), ε_C = 0.49‰ ± 0.23‰ (triethylamine), and ε_H = 1.79‰ ± 0.54‰ (chloroform) demonstrating that effects do not correlate with expected hydrogen-bond functionalities. Computations revealed that the overall isotope effect arises from contributions of different nature and extent: a weakening of intramolecular vibrations in the condensed phase plus additional vibrational modes from a complexation with surrounding water molecules. Subtle changes in benzene contrast with a stronger coupling between intra- and intermolecular modes in the chloroform–water system and a very local vibrational response with few atoms involved in a specific mode of triethylamine. An energy decomposition analysis revealed that each system was affected differently by electrostatics and dispersion, where dispersion was dominant for benzene and electrostatics dominated for chloroform and triethylamine. Interestingly, overall stabilization patterns in all studied systems originated from contributions of dispersion rather than other energy terms.

Solvation of Isoelectronic Halide and Alkali Metal Ions by Argon Atoms

This work systematically examines the interactions of alkali metal cations and their isoelectronic halide counterparts with up to six solvating Ar atoms (M⁺Ar_n and X^-Ar_n, where M = Li, Na, K, and Rb; X = H, F, Cl, and Br; and n = 1-6) via full geometry optimizations with the MP2 method and robust, correlation-consistent quadruple-ζ (QZ) basis sets. 116 unique M⁺Ar_n and X^-Ar_n stationary points have been characterized on the MP2/QZ potential energy surface. To the best of our knowledge, approximately two dozen of these stationary points have been reported here for the first time. Some of these new structures are either the lowest-energy stationary point for a particular cluster or energetically competitive with it. The CCSD(T) method was employed to perform additional single-point energy computations upon all MP2/QZ-optimized structures using the same basis set. CCSD(T)/QZ results indicate that internally solvated structures with the ion at/near the geometric center of the cluster have appreciably higher energies than those placing the ion on the periphery. While this study extends the prior investigations of M⁺Ar_n clusters found within the literature, it notably provides one of the first thorough characterizations of and comparisons to the corresponding negatively charged X^-Ar_n clusters.

Structural and vibrational characterization of HCO+ and Rg-HCO+, Rg = {He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe}

The structures of the formyl ion (HCO⁺) and its rare gas tagged counterparts (Rg-HCO⁺, Rg = He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) were studied at the coupled-cluster singles, doubles, and perturbative triples [CCSD(T)]/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory and basis set. A linear structure for these tagged complexes was predicted. The Rg binding energies for Rg-HCO⁺ are also examined at the CCSD(T) level. It was found that the binding interaction increases from He-HCO⁺ to Xe-HCO⁺. A multilevel potential energy surface built at the CCSD(T) and second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation levels of theory were used to study these species' vibrational spectra. By changing the Rg in the first-solvation shell for HCO⁺, the Fermi resonance interaction between the first H⁺ bend overtone and the asymmetric and symmetric H-C-O stretches can be modulated. This Fermi resonance modulation is demonstrated by examining a series of rare gas solvated HCO⁺.

Complexation of triangular silver(I) or copper(I) nitropyrazolates with dibenzothiophenes having potential use in adsorptive desulfurization

Triangular silver(i) and copper(i) 3,5-diethyl-4-nitropyrazolates (abbreviated as [Ag(denpz)]3 or Ag3pz3, and [Cu(denpz)]3 or Cu3pz3), as well as their adducts with dibenzothiophene (DBT), 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (DMDBT) and benzothiophene (BT), have been prepared and characterized by a series of techniques. X-ray analyses show that these adducts are stabilized by MS, MC contacts and ππ stacking interactions. NMR measurements and theoretical calculations indicate that the intensity of interaction between the metal complexes and dibenzothiophenes follows the trend: Ag3pz3-DMDBT > Ag3pz3-DBT > Cu3pz3-DMDBT > Cu3pz3-DBT, which can be understood on the basis of a weak interaction between π-acid (Ag3pz3 or Cu3pz3) and π-base (DBT/DMDBT). Both complexes show good adsorptive ability and reusability toward the removal of DBT and DMDBT from model oil (n-octane), with the maximum adsorption capacity at room temperature being 39 mg S (DMDBT) per g Cu3pz3, 34 mg S (DMDBT) per g Ag3pz3, 40 mg S (DBT) per g Cu3pz3, 36 mg S (DBT) per g Ag3pz3, respectively. Compared to Ag3pz3, Cu3pz3 exhibits higher adsorptive capacities for DBT/DMDBT, which has been attributed to its lower molecular mass.

The role of intermolecular interactions in stabilizing the structure of the nematic twist-bend phase

The understanding of the relationship between molecular structure and the formation of the nematic twist-bend phase is still at an early stage of development. This is mainly related to molecular geometry, while the correlation between the nematic twist-bend phase and the electronic structure is ambiguous. To explore the electronic effect on properties and stabilization of the nematic twist-bend phase we investigated 2′,3′-difluoro-4,4′′-dipentyl-p-terphenyl dimers (DTC5Cn). We used polarized fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which can, at least in principle, provide information about the ordering in the twist-bend phase. All dimers show a significant drop in the average value of the transition dipole moment for parallel dipoles at the transition from the nematic to the twist-bend phase, and an increase for perpendicular dipoles, despite remaining unchanged for the monomer. Density functional theory calculations were used to determine the geometric and electronic properties of the hydrogen bonded complexes. We have provided experimental and theoretical evidence of stabilization of the nematic twist-bend phase by arrays of multiple hydrogen bonds (XF⋯HX, X–benzene ring).

Stabilization of the nematic twist-band phase by arrays of multiple nonspecific short-range intermolecular interactions.

Assessing the Applicability of the Geometric Counterpoise Correction in B2PLYP/Double-ζ Calculations for Thermochemistry, Kinetics, and Noncovalent Interactions

We present a proof-of-concept study of the suitability of Kruse and Grimme’s geometric counterpoise correction (gCP) for basis set superposition errors (BSSEs) in double-hybrid density functional calculations with a double-ζ basis set. The gCP approach only requires geometrical information as an input and no orbital/density information is needed. Therefore, this correction is practically free of any additional cost. gCP is trained against the Boys and Bernardi counterpoise correction across a set of 528 noncovalently bound dimers. We investigate the suitability of the approach for the B2PLYP/def2-SVP level of theory, and reveal error compensation effects—missing London dispersion and the BSSE—associated with B2PLYP/def2-SVP calculations, and present B2PLYP-gCP-D3(BJ)/def2-SVP with the reparametrised DFT-D3(BJ) and gCP corrections as a more balanced alternative. Benchmarking results on the S66x8 benchmark set for noncovalent interactions and the GMTKN55 database for main-group thermochemistry, kinetics, and noncovalent interactions show a statistical improvement of the B2PLYP-gCP-D3(BJ) scheme over plain B2PLYP and B2PLYP-D3(BJ). B2PLYP-D3(BJ) shows significant overestimation of interaction energies, barrier heights with larger deviations from the reference values, and wrong relative stabilities in conformers, all of which can be associated with BSSE. We find that the gCP-corrected method represents a significant improvement over B2PLYP-D3(BJ), particularly for intramolecular noncovalent interactions. These findings encourage future developments of efficient double-hybrid DFT strategies that can be applied when double-hybrid calculations with large basis sets are not feasible due to system size.

Molecular level picture of the interplay between pH and phosphate binding at the goethite-water interface

The soil pH plays a substantial role in controlling phosphorus (P) adsorption and mobilization. These processes are strongly affected by the phosphate interaction strength with P-fixing soil minerals such as goethite. The target of the current contribution is to draw a molecular level picture of the interplay between pH and phosphate binding at the goethite-water interface via a joint experimental-theoretical approach. Periodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to provide a molecular level understanding of the pH dependence of P adsorption. To validate the modeling approach, adsorption experiments of phosphate at goethite were performed in the pH range of 4-12. There was agreement between experiments and simulations in the description of the adsorption behavior by two pH-dependent successive stages. The adsorption increases along the pH change from 4 to 8. A further increase of pH leads to a decrease of adsorption. By comparing with literature data it is concluded that the first stage will be observed only if there is no significant change of the surface charge at low pH. Moreover, the molecular modeling results point to the abundance of the monodentate (M) binding motif at both extremely low and high pH ranges. Otherwise, the bidentate (B) one is predominant along the intermediate pH range. These observations could resolve the existing debate about the assignment of phosphate-goethite binding motifs. Furthermore, the results point to a decrease of pH upon phosphate sorption due to an induced acidification of soil solution. The present joint experimental-theoretical approach provides a better understanding and description of the existing phosphate sorption experiments and highlights new findings at the atomistic/molecular scale.

Mesoporous silica synthesized from natural local kaolin as an effective adsorbent for removing of Acid Red 337 and its application in the treatment of real industrial textile effluent

This paper presents a synthesis of mesoporous silica (MS) from natural clay as a silica source using Pluronic L35 (EO11PO16EO11) as a structure-directing agent. The prepared material was characterized by XRD, X-ray fluorescence, thermogravimetric analysis, SEM, TEM, and N2 adsorption-desorption analyses. Then, mesoporous material was used for the removal of Acid Red 337 (AR337) from aqueous solution, and the treatment of real textile effluent. The effect of pH, contact time, weight of adsorbent, and initial concentration was studied in batch adsorption. The synthesized mesoporous material showed good discoloration efficiency with a 62% percentage. Experiment with real textile wastewater showed that 39%, 40%, and 31.5% of the color, TOC, and chemical oxygen demand respectively were eliminated by using 1 g of MS per liter of wastewater.

Competition between Solvent-Solvent and Solvent-Solute Interactions in the Microhydration of the Hexafluorophosphate Anion, PF6-(H2O)n=1,2

This study systematically examines the interactions of the hexafluorophosphate anion (PF₆^-) with one or two solvent water molecules (PF₆^-(H₂O)_n where n = 1, 2). Full geometry optimizations and subsequent harmonic vibrational frequency computations are performed on each stationary point using a variety of common density functional theory methods (B3LYP, B3LYP-D3, M06-2X, and ωB97XD) and the MP2 and CCSD(T) ab initio methods with a triple-ζ correlation consistent basis set augmented with diffuse functions on all non-hydrogen atoms (cc-pVTZ for H and aug-cc-pVTZ for P, O, and F; denoted as haTZ). Five new stationary points of PF₆^-(H₂O)₂ have been identified, one of which has an electronic energy of approximately 2 kcal mol^-1 lower than the only other dihydrate structure reported for this system. The CCSD(T) computations also reveal that the detailed interactions between PF₆^- and H₂O can be quite difficult to model reliably, with some methods struggling to correctly characterize stationary points for n = 1 or accurately reproduce the vibrational frequency shifts induced by the formation of the hydrated complex. Although the interactions between the solvent and ionic solute are quite strong (CCSD(T) electronic dissociation energy ≈10 kcal mol^-1 for the monohydrate minimum), the solvent-solvent interactions in the lowest-energy PF₆^-(H₂O)₂ minimum give rise to appreciable cooperative effects not observed in the other dihydrate minima. In addition, this newly identified structure exhibits the largest frequency shifts in the OH stretching vibrations for the waters of hydration (with Δω exceeding -100 cm^-1 relative to the values for an isolated H₂O molecule).

Radiosynthesis, molecular modeling and biodistribution of 99mTc-Protoporphyrin as a preclinical model for tumor diagnosis

Porphyrins are among the most important and widely used compounds involved in a variety of chemical and biochemical applications. These molecules exhibit very special properties that encourage researchers to label many derivatives with diagnostic or therapeutic radionuclides for medical applications. This study reports the radiolabeling and biodistribution of [Formula: see text]Tc-protoporphyrin IX ([Formula: see text]Tc-PPIX) as a novel potential solid-tumor imaging agent. The factors affecting the radiolabeling process were varied to achieve maximum radiochemical yield. [Formula: see text]Tc-PPIX was obtained in high yield of 97.34 ± 0.21% and high stability in serum up to 24 h. The radiochemical yield of [Formula: see text]Tc-PPIX was assessed by a combination of a paper chromatographic technique and HPLC. A computational analysis for all the potential structures that may be formed due to the interaction between protoporphyrin IX and technetium was performed via the DFT method of calculations in gas phase to predict the most likely structure. Molecular docking was further employed to shed light on the nature of the interaction between the most stable complexes with the target protein. Finally, the in-vivo biodistribution of [Formula: see text]Tc-PPIX complex was evaluated in solid-tumor-bearing mice and high tumor/tissue ratio of 5.17 ± 0.34 at 60 min post injection was obtained. Our finding clearly suggests [Formula: see text]Tc-PPIX as a potential SPECT agent for tumor imaging.

Interplay between σ Holes, Anion···H-C, and Cation-π Interactions in Dibromo[2,2]paracyclophane Complexes

Theoretical calculations were performed to investigate the interplay between σ-hole, anion-HC and cation-π interactions in the complexes of dibromo[2,2]paracyclophane (DBr[2,2]PCP) with alkali (Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺), alkaline earth metal cations (Be²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺), and halogen anions (F^-, Cl^-, and Br^-) using the wave function (MP2) and density functional theory (M06-2X and B3LYP) methods with the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set. The study reveals that DBr[2,2]PCP behaves as amphoteric molecule with a predominance of basic character. It prefers to interact with hard cations and hard anions such as Be²⁺ and F^- through cation-π and anion···HC interactions, respectively. Substitution of Br by F and Cl atoms in DBr[2,2]PCP decreases slightly the interaction energies of DX[2,2]PCP-halogen complexes (X = F, Cl, and Br) by 2.0 and 0.3 kcal/mol (M06-2X), respectively. The anion-HC interactions in DBr[2,2]PCP complexes are ∼10 kcal/mol stronger (B3LYP; ∼15 kcal/mol at M06-2X and 7 kcal/mol at MP2) than the σ-hole interactions.

Gas Phase Computational Study of Diclofenac Adsorption on Chitosan Materials

Environmental pollution with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and their metabolites exposes living organisms on their long-lasting, damaging influence. Hence, the ways of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) removal from soils and wastewater is sought for. Among the potential adsorbents, biopolymers are employed for their good availability, biodegradability and low costs. The first available theoretical modeling study of the interactions of diclofenac with models of pristine chitosan and its modified chains is presented here. Supermolecular interaction energy in chitosan:drug complexes is compared with the the mutual attraction of the chitosan dimers. Supermolecular interaction energy for the chitosan-diclofenac complexes is significantly lower than the mutual interaction between two chitosan chains, suggesting that the diclofenac molecule will encounter problems when penetrating into the chitosan material. However, its surface adsorption is feasible due to a large number of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors both in biopolymer and in diclofenac. Modification of chitosan material introducing long-distanced amino groups significantly influences the intramolecular interactions within a single polymer chain, thus blocking the access of diclofenac to the biopolymer backbone. The strongest attraction between two chitosan chains with two long-distanced amino groups can exceed 120 kcal/mol, while the modified chitosan:diclofenac interaction remains of the order of 20 to 40 kcal/mol.

A quantum mechanical study of dehydration vs. decarbonylation of formamide catalysed by amorphous silica surfaces

Formamide is abundant in the interstellar medium and was also present during the formation of the Solar system through the accretion process of interstellar dust. Under the physicochemical conditions of primordial Earth, formamide could have undergone decomposition, either via dehydration (HCN + H2O) or via decarbonylation (CO + NH3). The first reactive channel provides HCN, which is an essential molecular building block for the formation of RNA/DNA bases, crucial for the emergence of life on Earth. In this work, we studied, at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ level, the two competitive routes of formamide decomposition, i.e. dehydration and decarbonylation, either in liquid formamide (by using the polarization continuum model technique) or at the interface between liquid formamide and amorphous silica. Amorphous silica was adopted as a convenient model of the crystalline silica phases ubiquitously present in the primordial (and actual) Earth's crust, and also due to its relevance in catalysis, adsorption and chromatography. Results show that: (i) silica surface sites catalyse both decomposition channels by reducing the activation barriers by about 100 kJ mol-1 with respect to the reactions in homogeneous medium, and (ii) the dehydration channel, giving rise to HCN, is strongly favoured from a kinetic standpoint over decarbonylation, the latter being, instead, slightly favoured from a thermodynamic point of view.

A quantum chemical study of encapsulation and stabilization of gallic acid in β-cyclodextrin as a drug delivery system

This research paper describes the study of the inclusion complex formation of a 1:1 stoichiometry ratio of host–guest inclusion complex (X-β-CD) between gallic acid (GA), which is reported to have anti-cancer effects, and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). The use of β-CD for the encapsulation of bioactive compounds can protect the drugs against conjugation and metabolic inactivation and improve the aqueous solubility for increasing their capacity to functionalize the products. The objective of this study is to give insight on the mechanism of complexation and the capability of β-CD to encapsulate GA compound (X) in gas and solution phases. We examine and compare the performances of different quantum mechanical methods, namely HF/6-31G* and density functional theory (DFT; B97D3/6-31G* functional including dispersion correction), to study the importance of the contribution of the dispersion forces and the hydrogen bonding in the mechanism of interaction. The stability of the optimized geometries of the complex was evaluated with the supermolecule method. Two modes of complexation are taken into consideration. Moreover, the inclusion complex can be confirmed using the frontier molecular orbital (FMO) theory, the global indices of reactivity, the electronic populations condensed natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, and the molecular docking, which examine the quality and the nature of the hydrophobic interactions during the complexation process.

Constructive Quantum Interference in Single-Molecule Benzodichalcogenophene Junctions

Heteroatom substitution into the cores of alternant, aromatic hydrocarbons containing only even-membered rings is attracting increasing interest as a method of tuning their electrical conductance. Here, the effect of heteroatom substitution into molecular cores of non-alternant hydrocarbons, containing odd-membered rings, is examined. Benzodichalcogenophene (BDC) compounds are rigid, planar π-conjugated structures, with molecular cores containing five-membered rings fused to a six-membered aryl ring. To probe the sensitivity or resilience of constructive quantum interference (CQI) in these non-bipartite molecular cores, two C₂ -symmetric molecules (I and II) and one asymmetric molecule (III) were investigated. I (II) contains S (O) heteroatoms in each of the five-membered rings, while III contains an S in one five-membered ring and an O in the other. Differences in their conductances arise primarily from the longer S-C and shorter O-C bond lengths compared with the C-C bond and the associated changes in their resonance integrals. Although the conductance of III is significantly lower than the conductances of the others, CQI was found to be resilient and persist in all molecules.

Gas-phase electronic properties of tri-cationic imidazolium-based ionic liquids in comparison with mono- and di-cationic ionic liquids

The optimized geometries, electronic structures, and gas-phase properties of widely applicable non-linear trigeminal tri-cationic ILs (TT-X₃) were investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations and compared with mono- (M-X) and di-cationic (D-X₂) ionic liquids. The studied ILs are based on the imidazolium cation containing halide (X^‾) anions, where X^‾ = Cl^‾, Br^‾ and I^‾. Inter-molecular hydrogen bonds were studied by atoms in molecules (AIM) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses. Accordingly the most significant cation-anion charge transfer is related to C₁-H₁ … X (X = Cl, Br, I) interaction which strongly occurs in TT-X₃ ILs and especially in TT-Cl₃. Among ILs under investigation, TT-Cl₃ has the strongest cation-anion interaction. Also M - I IL has the largest and D-Cl₂ has the smallest electrical dipole moment.

The effect of anion complexation on the aromatic properties of aromatic and antiaromatic porphyrinoids

The effect of anion complexation on magnetically induced current densities and excitation energies of antiaromatic molecular rings has been investigated by calculations on expanded antiaromatic porphyrinoids including orangarin, rosarin, amethyrin and on a theoretically predicted strongly antiaromatic hydrocarbon ring.

The Halogen-Bond Nature in Noble Gas-Dihalogen Complexes from Scattering Experiments and Ab Initio Calculations

In order to clarify the nature of the halogen bond (XB), we considered the prototype noble gas–dihalogen molecule (Ng–X₂) systems, focusing on the nature, range, and strength of the interaction. We exploited data gained from molecular beam scattering experiments with the measure of interference effects to obtain a suitable formulation of the interaction potential, with the support of high-level ab initio calculations, and charge displacement analysis. The essential interaction components involved in the Ng–X₂ adducts were characterized, pointing at their critical balance in the definition of the XB. Particular emphasis is devoted to the energy stability of the orientational Ng–X₂ isomers, the barrier for the X₂ hindered rotation, and the influence of the X₂ electronic state. The present integrated study returns reliable force fields for molecular dynamic simulations in Ng–X₂ complexes that can be extended to systems with increasing complexity and whose properties depend on the selective formation of XB.

CO2-induced single-crystal to single-crystal transformations of an interpenetrated flexible MOF explained by in situ crystallographic analysis and molecular modeling

A molecular-level investigation is reported on breathing behaviour of a metal-organic framework (1) in response to CO2 gas pressure. High-pressure gas adsorption shows a pronounced step corresponding to a gate-opening phase transformation from a closed (1cp ) to a large-pore (1lp ) form. A plateau is observed upon desorption corresponding to narrow-pore intermediate form 1np which does not occur during adsorption. These events are corroborated by pressure-gradient differential scanning calorimetry and in situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis under controlled CO2 gas pressure. Complete crystallographic characterisation facilitated a rationalisation of each phase transformation in the series 1cp → 1lp → 1np → 1cp during adsorption and subsequent desorption. Metropolis grand-canonical Monte Carlo simulations and DFT-PBE-D3 interaction energy calculations strongly underpin this first detailed structural investigation of an intermediate phase encountered upon desorption.