The RTAM electronic bibliography,version 17.0, on relativistic theory of atoms and molecules

The RTAM bibliography is freely available at rtam.csc.fi and the Version 17.0 of August 22, 2013 now contains 16,566 items from the year 1916–2013. “Production works” were systematically covered until 1999. Since the year 2000, mainly methodological papers were included. The methods and principles behind RTAM are described. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

SCF perturbation calculations on metalloporphyrins

The influence of metal ion on the oxidation and ionisation potentials of metalloporphyrins is investigated by the simple electrostatic model using SCF perturbation theory. The zero order wavefunctions are obtained from PPP and CNDO/2 methods. The wide variations in redox potentials with metal and the relative insensitivity of the optical transitions with metal are very well accounted for by the perturbation approach.     

autoCAS: A Program for Fully Automated Multiconfigurational Calculations

We present our implementation autoCAS for fully automated multiconfigurational calculations, which we also make available free of charge on our webpages. The graphical user interface of autoCAS connects a general electronic structure program with a density-matrix renormalization group program to carry out our recently introduced automated active space selection protocol for multiconfigurational calculations (Stein and Reiher, J. Chem. Theory Comput., 2016, 12, 1760). Next to this active space selection, autoCAS carries out several steps of multiconfigurational calculations so that only a minimal input is required to start them, comparable to that of a standard Kohn–Sham density-functional theory calculation, so that black-box multiconfigurational calculations become feasible. Furthermore, we introduce a new extension to the selection algorithm that facilitates automated selections for molecules with large valence orbital spaces consisting of several hundred orbitals. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Assessing the Viability of the Methylsulfinyl Radical-Ozone Reaction

Although integral to remote marine atmospheric sulfur chemistry, the reaction between methylsulfinyl radical (CH₃SO) and ozone poses challenges to theoretical treatments. The lone theoretical study on this reaction reported an unphysically large barrier of 66 kcal mol⁻¹ for abstraction of an oxygen atom from O₃ by CH₃SO. Herein, we demonstrate that this result stems from improper use of MP2 with a single-reference, unrestricted Hartree-Fock (UHF) wavefunction. We characterized the potential energy surface using density functional theory (DFT), as well as multireference methodologies employing a complete active-space self-consistent field (CASSCF) reference. Our DFT PES shows, in contrast to previous work, that the reaction proceeds by forming an addition adduct [CH₃S(O₃)O] in a deep potential well of 37 kcal mol⁻¹. An O−O bond of this adduct dissociates via a flat, low barrier of 1 kcal mol⁻¹ to give CH₃SO₂+O₂. The multireference computations show that the initial addition of CH₃SO+O₃ is barrierless. These results provide a more physically intuitive and accurate picture of this reaction than the previous theoretical study. In addition, our results imply that the CH₃SO₂ formed in this reaction can readily decompose to give SO₂ as a major product, in alignment with the literature on CH₃SO reactions.     

NMR Properties of Polylithiated C60

Endohedral, ¹³C, ⁷Li, and nucleus‐independent (NICS) chemical shifts are reported for selected Li_nC₆₀ isomers (n = 6, 12, 18) at the GIAO (gauge‐including atomic orbitals)‐SCF/DZP//BP86/3–21G level. Li₆C₆₀ closely resembles C₆₀^6– in terms of NMR criteria for aromaticity, as evidenced by an exceptionally high endohedral shielding. In contrast, nonaromaticity is indicated for Li₁₂C₆₀, based on a positive endohedral chemical shift. NICS and δ(endo) values very similar to those of Li₁₂C₆₀ are obtained for Li₁₈C₆₀. According to population analysis, indeed the same number of electrons are transferred to the fullerene cage in both cases. Endohedral chemical shifts, accessible via ³He NMR of the corresponding endohedral helium compounds, could thus be a valuable indicator for the extent of reduction of the C₆₀ molecule. Energetic estimates suggest that in the bulk, Li₁₂C₆₀ should be unstable with respect to decomposition into Li₆C₆₀ and lithium metal.     

A new program for CI calculations in molecules

Based on the formalism developed in a recent note, we have worked out a program for CI calculations in molecules. In the present note, the details of the program are discussed. The usefulness of the program has been illustrated using some calculations. On leave from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India.     

Hydrogen Bonded Complexes of Acetylacetone and Methanol: HF and DFT level Study

Summary. Several possible hydrogen-bonded complexes between the tautomeric forms of acetylacetone and methanol were studied by ab initio methods using 6-311G** and D95** basis functions at the HF and DFT (B3LYP) levels of theory. The calculations were carried out for isolated molecules and solvent assisted complexes by means of the isodensity polarized model (IPCM). The theoretical frequencies were compared with the experimental IR spectrum of an equimolar mixture of acetylacetone and methanol. It was proved that the most stable H-bonded complex acetylacetone–methanol is formed between O-bonded methanol- and the enol molecule.     

Experimental and theoretical multiple kinetic isotope effects for an SN2 reaction. An attempt to determine transition-state structure and the ability of theoretical methods to predict experimental kinetic isotope effects

The secondary alpha-deuterium, the secondary beta-deuterium, the chlorine leaving-group, the nucleophile secondary nitrogen, the nucleophile (12)C/(13)C carbon, and the (11)C/(14)C alpha-carbon kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) and activation parameters have been measured for the S(N)2 reaction between tetrabutylammonium cyanide and ethyl chloride in DMSO at 30 degrees C. Then, thirty-nine readily available different theoretical methods, both including and excluding solvent, were used to calculate the structure of the transition state, the activation energy, and the kinetic isotope effects for the reaction. A comparison of the experimental and theoretical results by using semiempirical, ab initio, and density functional theory methods has shown that the density functional methods are most successful in calculating the experimental isotope effects. With two exceptions, including solvent in the calculation does not improve the fit with the experimental KIEs. Finally, none of the transition states and force constants obtained from the theoretical methods was able to predict all six of the KIEs found by experiment. Moreover, none of the calculated transition structures, which are all early and loose, agree with the late (product-like) transition-state structure suggested by interpreting the experimental KIEs.     

Thermochemical and theoretical study of some methyldiazines

The standard (p ⁰ = 0.1 MPa) molar enthalpies of formation for the liquid 2,3-dimethylpyrazine and trimethylpyrazine and the crystalline 2,3-dimethylquinoxaline and tetramethylpyrazine were derived from the standard molar enthalpies of combustion, in oxygen, atT=298.15 K, measured by static-bomb combustion calorimetry. The standard molar enthalpies of vaporization or of sublimation for the same compounds were determined by Calvet microcalorimetry. Ab initio full geometry optimization at the 3-21G and 6-31G^* levels were also performed for all the methylpyrazine isomers. MP2/RHF/3-21G//3-21G and DFT energies were also calculated for all the methylpyrazine isomers, thus allowing us to estimate their isodesmic resonance energies.     

First principle lattice energy calculations for enantiopure and racemic crystals of α-(trifluoromethyl)lactic acid: Is self-disproportionation of enantiomers controlled by thermodynamic stability of crystals?

The lattice energies for the enantiopure and racemic crystals of α-(trifluoromethyl)lactic acid were calculated by a combination of the DFT calculations with the periodic boundary condition and the MP2 calculations of the interactions with neighboring molecules. The lattice energies calculated for the two crystals (−16.56 and −17.35 kcal/mol, respectively) show that the racemic crystals are thermodynamically more stable, although the racemic crystals sublime faster than the enantiopure crystals. The calculations suggest that the relative thermodynamic stability is not the cause of the faster sublimation rate of the racemic crystals compared with the enantiopure crystals. Although the crystals have hydrogen-bonding networks, the dispersion interactions contribute to the lattice energies significantly. The MP2 calculations for the evaluation of the dispersion interactions with the neighboring molecules are important for an accurate evaluation of the lattice energies. The relative thermodynamic stability of the two crystals is not determined solely by the hydrogen bonds. The interactions with other neighboring molecules also play important roles in determining the relative stability. We demonstrate that the geometry optimization is essential for an accurate evaluation of the lattice energy by the first principle calculation. The interaction energies calculated using the structure by X-ray diffraction often have large errors.     

Computational Study of Supramolecular Bis-porphyrin “Molecular Tweezers”

A computational study of a series of space separated bis-porphyrin “molecular tweezers” using semiempirical (AM1) and DFT (B3LYP and PBE1PBE) methods has been carried out. It was found that polynorbornane bis-porphyrin systems are significantly less rigid than previously thought. The variation of the metal–metal separation distance between the two porphyrin centers does not cause a significant energy change thus enabling these molecules to easily adjust to the optimal coordination distance required for complexation by various bidentate 4-pyridyl ligands inside the cavity of these “tweezers”. Article 54, ECCC-10, April 1-30 2005, http://www.eccc.monmouth.edu     

Relative Thermodynamic Stabilities of Isomeric Dimethyl Acetals Derived from 2-Acetyltetrahydrofuran. An Experimental and Computational Study

In the presence of an acid catalyst, the dimethyl acetal of 2-acetyltetrahydrofuran (1) is converted into a mixture of three isomeric acetals composed of the reactant and two diastereomers of 2-methoxy-2-(1-methoxyethyl)tetrahydrofuran (2). The relative thermodynamic stabilities of these acetals have now been determined by chemical equilibration. The least stable isomer is 1, in the liquid phase 4–6 kJ mol^–1 less stable than the two diastereomers. The geometry-optimized structures and relative energies of the title compounds were also studied by theoretical calculations (ab initio and DFT). Comparison of the theoretically determined relative stabilities of the diastereomers with the corresponding experimental data suggests the more volatile (and more stable) diastereomer to exist as a racemic mixture of the (R,S) and (S,R) configurations.     

Evaluation of the Electrophilicites and Band Gaps of Conductive Polymers: A New Model

It is shown that the obtained hardness and electrophilicity values of the short length oligomers for a heterocyclic conductive polymer from density functional theory method are quadraticly correlated to those obtained from semiempirical method. Therefore these quantities for all oligomers (up to 15 repeating units) are predicted using the obtained quadratic relations. Both of these predicted quantities for different oligomers are fitted to a new exponential model (Y = Y_∞ e^d/n) to estimate the electronic properties for the considered conjugated polymers. The calculated band gaps from this model show better agreement with the reported experimental data than those predicted by the previous models. Because of a wide range of variations, the electrophilicity could be a better index for investigating the doping effect in polymers than the hardness.

     

Photoelectron spectroscopic studies of the interfacial reaction between glass and commercial adhesive

The valence band and core‐level photoelectron spectroscopy [using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS)] were used to probe the interfacial reaction between glass and a commercial adhesive (Loctite). The interaction was investigated by comparing experimental valence band spectra with spectra calculated for various possible interaction schemes. The valence band spectrum for the interfacial region between the glass and the adhesive was obtained using difference spectra on a thin film of adhesive on glass. This film was sufficiently thin that the adhesion interphase could be directly probed. Chemical interaction occurs at the interface as evidenced by the fact that the spectrum for the interfacial region could not be represented by the addition of the spectrum of the glass alone and the adhesive alone. The XPS valence band spectrum and the UPS spectrum showed that the shallow top surface layer is very much enriched in acrylic acid, which is a minor component in the adhesive. When the Loctite adhesive was coated on glass, the C1s and O1s regions of the adhesion interface region showed evidences of new chemistry at the adhesive–glass interface. The possible reactions were evaluated by comparison of the experimental spectra with calculated ones based on different models using ab initio molecular orbital calculations. The experimental spectra are well represented by models where the acrylic acid of the surface region of the adhesive reacts with the glass, suggesting chemical interaction occurred at the adhesion interphase. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.