Thermodynamic and kinetic study of ibuprofen with hydroxyl radical: A density functional theory approach

Ibuprofen, a frequently detected pharmaceutical in natural and engineered waters, was studied in both neutral and anionic forms using density functional theory at the B3LYP/6‐311++G**//B3LYP/6‐31G* level of theory in its reaction with hydroxyl radical ( ? OH). The reaction pathways included ? OH addition to aromatic ring, abstraction of a H‐atom, and nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl group. The results showed that H‐atom abstraction pathways are the most favorable. The free energy change for H‐atom abstraction reaction ranges from ?37.8 to ?15.9 kcal/mol; for ? OH addition ranges from ?3.85 to ?1.23 kcal/mol; and for nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl group is 13.9 kcal/mol. The calculated rate constant between neutral ibuprofen and ? OH, 6.72 × 10⁹ M^?1s^?1, is consistent with the experimental value, 6.5 ± 0.2 × 10⁹ M^?1s^?1. Our results provide direct evidence for byproduct formation and identification on the molecular level. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Interaction of methyl beta-D-xylopyranoside with metal ions: density functional theory study of cationic and neutral bridging and pendant complexes

Density functional theory calculations on complexes of 4C1, 1C4 and 2SO ring conformations of methyl beta-D-xylopyranoside 1 with divalent metal cations, M = Mg2+, Ca2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+, are presented. Bridging and pendant cationic, [M(H2O)41]2+ and [M(H2O)(5)1]2+, as well as neutral complexes, [M(OH)2(H2O)(2)1] and [M(OH)2(H2O)(3)1], and neutral complexes involving a doubly deprotonated sugar, [M(H2O)(4)1(2-)], are considered. In aqueous and chloroform solution the stability of cationic and pendant neutral complexes is greatly diminished compared with gas-phase results. In contrast, bridging neutral complexes [M(OH)2(H2O)(2)1] and those of type [M(H2O)(4)1(2-)], are stabilized with increasing solvent polarity. Solvation also profoundly influences the preferred binding position and ring conformation. Compared with complexes of bare metal cations, additional ligands, e.g., H2O or OH-, significantly reduce the stability of 1C4 ring complexes. Irrespective of the cation, the most stable structure of bridging complexes [M(H2O)(4)1]2+ results from coordination of the metal to O3 and O4 of methyl beta-D-xylopyranoside in its 4C1 ring conformation.     

Reactivity of (eta(6)-arene)tricarbonylchromium complexes toward additions of anions, cations, and radicals.

A computational and experimental study of additions of electrophiles, nucleophiles, and radicals to tricarbonylchromium-complexed arenes is reported. Competition between addition to a complexed arene and addition to a noncomplexed arene was tested using 1,1-dideuterio-1-iodo-2-((phenyl)tricarbonylchromium)-2-phenylethane. Reactions under anionic and cationic conditions give exclusive formation of 1,1-dideuterio-1-((phenyl)tricarbonylchromium)-2-phenylethane arising from addition to the complexed arene. Radical conditions (SmI(2)) afford two isomeric products, reflecting a 2:1 preference for radical addition to the noncomplexed arene. In contrast, intermolecular radical addition competition experiments employing ketyl radical addition to benzene and (benzene)tricarbonylchromium show that addition to the complexed aromatic ring is faster than attack on the noncomplexed species by a factor of at least 100,000. Density functional theory calculations using the B3LYP method, employing a LANL2DZ basis set for geometry optimizations and a DZVP2+ basis set for energy calculations, for all three reactive intermediates showed that tricarbonylchromium stabilizes all three types of intermediates. The computational results for anionic addition agree well with established chemistry and provide structural and energetic details as reference points for comparison with the other reactive intermediates. Intermolecular radical addition leads to exclusive reaction on the complexed arene ring as predicted by the computations. The intramolecular radical reaction involves initial addition to the complexed arene ring followed by an equilibrium leading to the observed product distribution due to a high-energy barrier for homolytic cleavage of an exo bond in the intermediate cyclohexadienyl radical complex. Mechanisms are explored for electrophilic addition to complexed arenes. The calculations strongly favor a pathway in which the cation initially adds to the metal center rather than to the arene ring.     

Mechanisms of the reactions of W AND W+ with H2O: computational studies

The mechanism of the reactions of W and W(+) with the water molecule have been studied for several lower-lying electronic states of tungsten centers at the CCSD(T)/6-311G(d,p)+SDD and B3LYP/6-31G(d,p)+SDD levels of theory. It is shown that these reactions are essentially multistate processes, during which lower-lying electronic states of the systems cross several times. They start with the formation of initial prereaction M(H(2)O) complexes with M-H(2)O bonding energies of 9.6 and 48.2 kcal/mol for M = W and W(+), followed by insertion of the metal center into an O-H bond with 20.0 and 53.3 kcal/mol barriers for neutral and cationic systems, respectively. The overall process of M + H(2)O --> t-HM(OH) is calculated to be highly exothermic, 48.4 and 48.8 kcal/mol for M = W and W(+). From the HM(OH) intermediate the reaction may proceed via several different channels, among which the stepwise HM(OH) --> HMO + H --> (H)(2)MO and concerted HM(OH) --> (H)(2)MO pathways are more favorable and can compete (energetically) with each other. For the neutral system (M = W), the concerted process is the most favorable, whereas for the charged system (M = W(+)), the stepwise pathway is slightly more favorable. From the energetically most favorable intermediate (H)(2)MO the reactions proceed via H(2)-molecule formation with a 53.1 kcal/mol activation barrier for the neutral system. For the cationic system, H-H formation and dissociation is an almost barrierless process. The overall reaction of W and W(+) with the water molecule leading to H(2) + MO formation is found to be exothermic by 48.2 and 39.8 kcal/mol, respectively. In the gas phase with the collision-less conditions the reactions W((7)S) + H(2)O --> H(2) + WO((3)Sigma(+)), and W(+)((6)D) + H(2)O --> H(2) + WO(+)((4)Sigma(+)) are expected to proceed via a 10.4 and 5.1 kcal/mol overall energy barrier corresponding to the first O-H dissociation at the TS1. On the basis of these PESs, we predict kinetic rate constants for the reactions of W and W(+) with H(2)O.     

Experimental and theoretical study on the structure and formation mechanism of [C6H5Cu(m)]- (m = 1-3)

The important intermediate phenyl-copper metal complexes [C(6)H(5)Cu(m)]- (m = 1-3), which are produced from the reactions between copper metal clusters formed by laser ablation and the benzene molecules seeded in argon carrier gas, are studied by photoelectron spectroscopy(PES) and density functional theory (DFT). Their structures and bonding patterns are investigated, which results in the conclusion that C(6)H(5) groups bond perpendicularly on copper clusters through Cu-C sigma bond. The formation mechanism of these complexes has been studied at B3LYP//6-311G(d, p)/Lanl2dz level. Direct insertion reaction between [Cu(m)]- and C(6)H(6) yields intermediate complex [C(6)H(5)Cu(m)H]-, and then eliminates the H atom, or releases the H atom to other neutral Cu atoms or anionic Cu ions via H abstraction reaction. The first step is the rate-limiting step with C-H activation and cleavage, and H abstraction by neutral Cu atom is the most energetically favorable pathway for the final step. Moreover, the complex [C(6)H(5)Cu(2)]- is ascertained to be easier to be generated than [C(6)H(5)Cu(3)]- and [C(6)H(5)Cu]-, which are in excellent agreement with the experimental results.     

Porous anionic, cationic, and neutral metal-carboxylate frameworks constructed from flexible tetrapodal ligands: syntheses, structures, ion-exchanges, and magnetic properties

A series of coordination polymers with anionic, cationic, and neutral metal-carboxylate frameworks have been synthesized by using a flexible tetrapodal ligand tetrakis[4-(carboxyphenyl)oxamethyl] methane acid (H(4)X). The reactions between divalent transition-metal ions and H(4)X ligands gave [M(3)X(2)]·[NH(2)(CH(3))(2)](2)·8DMA (M = Co (1), Mn (2), Cd(3)) which have anionic metal-carboxylate frameworks with NH(2)(CH(3))(2)(+) cations filled in channels. The reactions of trivalent metal ions Y(III), Dy(III), and In(III) with H(4)X ligands afforded cationic metal-carboxylate frameworks [M(3)X(2)·(NO(3))·(DMA)(2)·(H(2)O)]·5DMA·2H(2)O (M = Y(4), Dy(5)) and [In(2)X·(OH)(2)]·3DMA·6H(2)O (6) with the NO(3)(-) and OH(-) serving as counterions, respectively. Moreover, a neutral metal-carboxylate framework [Pb(2)X·(DMA)(2)]·2DMA (7) can also be isolated from reaction of Pb(II) and H(4)X ligands. The charged metal-carboxylate frameworks 1-5 have selectivity for specific counterions in the reaction system, and compounds 1 and 2 display ion-exchange behavior. Moreover, magnetic property measurements on compounds 1, 2, and 5 indicate that there exists weak antiferromagnetic interactions between magnetic centers in the three compounds.     

Nitrogen fixation under mild ambient conditions: part I--the initial dissociation/association step at molybdenum triamidoamine complexes

In several recent studies Schrock and collaborators demonstrated for the first time how molecular dinitrogen can be catalytically transformed under mild and ambient conditions to ammonia by a molybdenum triamidoamine complex. In this work, we investigate the geometrical and electronic structures involved in this process of dinitrogen activation with quantum chemical methods. Density functional theory (DFT) has been employed to calculate the coordination energies of ammonia and dinitrogen relevant for the dissociation/association step in which ammonia is substituted by dinitrogen. In the DFT calculations the triamidoamine chelate ligand has been modeled by a systematic hierarchy of increasingly complex substituents at the amide nitrogen atoms. The most complex ligand considered is an experimentally known ligand with an HMT = 3,5-(2,4,6-Me3C6H2)2C6H3 substituent. Several assumptions by Schrock and collaborators on key reaction steps are confirmed by our calculations. Additional information is provided on many species not yet observed experimentally. Particular attention is paid to the role of the charge of the complexes. The investigation demonstrates that dinitrogen coordination is enhanced for the negatively charged metal fragment, that is, coordination is more favorable for the anionic metal fragment than for the neutral species. Coordination of N2 is least favorable for the cationic metal fragment. Furthermore, ammonia abstraction from the cationic complex is energetically unfavorable, while NH3 abstraction is less difficult from the neutral and easily feasible from the anionic low-spin complex.     

Molecular structure and antioxidant properties of delphinidin

Density functional theory calculations were performed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of delphinidin, taking into account its acid/base equilibrium. The conformational behavior of both the isolated and the aqueous solvation species (simulated with the polarizable continuum model) were analyzed at the B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) level, considering the cationic, neutral, and anionic forms, the latter two forms consisting of diverse tautomers. The analysis of their electron density distributions, using the quantum theory of atoms in molecules, reveals several facts that are not in line with their usual Lewis structures. The prototropic preferences observed in the gas phase and in solution are similar. Thus, in both phases, most stable tautomer of neutral delphinidin is obtained by deprotonating the hydroxyl at C4', and the most stable tautomer of the anion is obtained by deprotonating the hydroxyls at C4' and C5. All the planar conformers obtained display an intramolecular hydrogen bond (IHB) between O3 and H6'. Furthermore, the most stable tautomers of the neutral and anionic forms display two IHBs between O4' and H3' and H5'. To obtain ionization potentials (IPs) and homolytic O-H bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs), the corresponding radical species were optimized at the UB3LYP level. Heterolytic O-H bond dissociation enthalpies (proton dissociation enthalpies, PDEs) were also computed. The expected important antioxidant activity can be justified from these results. IP, O-H BDE, and O-H PDE values suggest that one-step H atom transfer rather than sequential proton loss-electron transfer or electron transfer-proton transfer would be the most favored mechanisms for explaining the antioxidant activity of delphinidin in nonpolar solvents as well as in aqueous solution.     

Fragmentation pathways of deprotonated amide‐sulfonamide CXCR4 inhibitors investigated by ESI‐IT‐MSn,ESI‐Q‐TOF‐MS/MS and DFT calculations

Amide‐sulfonamides provide a potent anti‐inflammatory scaffold targeting the CXCR4 receptor. A series of novel amide‐sulfonamide derivatives were investigated for their gas‐phase fragmentation behaviors using electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry and quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry in negative ion mode. Upon collision‐induced dissociation (CID), deprotonated amide‐sulfonamides mainly underwent either an elimination of the amine to form the sulfonyl anion and amide anion or a benzoylamide derivative to provide sulfonamide anion bearing respective substituent groups. Based on the characteristic fragment ions and the deuterium–hydrogen exchange experiments, three possible fragmentation mechanisms corresponding to ion‐neutral complexes including [sulfonyl anion/amine] complex ( INC‐1 ), [sulfonamide anion/benzoylamide derivative] complex ( INC‐2 ) and [amide anion/sulfonamide] complex ( INC‐3 ), respectively, were proposed. These three ion‐neutral complexes might be produced by the cleavages of S–N and C–N bond from the amide‐sulfonamides, which generated the sulfonyl anion (Route 1), sulfonamide anion (Route 2) and the amide anion (Route 3). DFT calculations suggested that Route 1, which generated the sulfonyl anion (ion c ) is more favorable. In addition, the elimination of SO₂ through a three‐membered‐ring transition state followed by the formation of C–N was observed for all the amide‐sulfonamides.     

DFT and experimental investigation of catecholate derivatives of benzoic acid and pyridine

DFT calculations, at the B3LYP/TZVP level of theory for pyrocatechuic acid (2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2,3-DHBA), 2,3-dihydroxy-pyridine 2,3-DHPY and their ionized and oxidized forms, have been performed, in combination with experimental data. ¹H, ¹³C, 2D COSY NMR, IR and electronic spectra were coupled to the theoretical calculations. The geometrical parameters were checked by reported crystallographic data. The neutral form of pyrocatechuic acid is the most stable, regarding its ionized (mono-, di- or tri-anions) and oxidized ([2,3-DHBA-sqH]⁻, [2,3-DHBA-sq]²⁻, [2,3-DHBA-q]⁻) species. The most stable conformer 2,3-DHBA-H₃ displays the COOH– group co-planar to the catechol ring, hydrogen bonded with OH(2). In the [2,3-DHBA-H₂]⁻ the stable conformer shows the presence of protonated COOH, while OH(2) is ionized. The tri-anion is the form of 2,3-DHBA with the highest energy. Among the protonated semiquinone radical forms [2,3-DHBA-sqH]⁻, more stable is the OH(3)-oxidized, cited 21.3 kcal/mol lower in energy from the OH(2)-oxidized; in this latter the COO⁻ group lies perpendicular to the benzene ring. The same calculation procedure fitted on the oxygenated [2,3-DHBA-H-O₂]²⁻ shows a weak π-bonding between O(2) and dioxygen, strongly H–bonded to OH(3), while the C(2)–O bond order increases. The different way of 2,3-DHBA oxidation parallels the different, from 3,4-isomer, degradation products. Our DFT calculations show that the keto/enol tautomeric forms of the neutral 2,3-DHPY-H₂ differ by 5.02 kcal/mol. Both species give, upon ionization, the [2,3-DHPY-H]⁻ with the OH(2) deprotonated. The electronic density distribution of [2,3-DHPY-q] justifies further reactions (degradation or dienic addition) as experimentally observed.     

Pseudorotation barriers of biological oxyphosphoranes: a challenge for simulations of ribozyme catalysis

Pseudorotation reactions of biologically relevant oxyphosphoranes were studied by using density functional and continuum solvation methods. A series of 16 pseudorotation reactions involving acyclic and cyclic oxyphosphoranes in neutral and monoanionic (singly deprotonated) forms were studied, in addition to pseudorotation of PF5. The effect of solvent was treated by using three different solvation models for comparison. The barriers to pseudorotation ranged from 1.5 to 8.1 kcal mol(-1) and were influenced systematically by charge state, apicophilicity of ligands, intramolecular hydrogen bonding, cyclic structure and solvation. Barriers to pseudorotation for monoanionic phosphoranes occur with the anionic oxo ligand as the pivotal atom, and are generally lower than for neutral phosphoranes. The OCH3 groups were observed to be more apicophilic than OH groups, and hence pseudorotations that involve axial OCH3/equatorial OH exchange had higher reaction and activation free energy values. Solvent generally lowered barriers relative to the gas-phase reactions. These results, together with isotope 18O exchange experiments, support the assertion that dianionic phosphoranes are not sufficiently long-lived to undergo pseudorotation. Comparison of the density functional results with those from several semiempirical quantum models highlight a challenge for new-generation hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical potentials for non-enzymatic and enzymatic phosphoryl transfer reactions: the reliable modeling of pseudorotation processes.     

Neutral and cationic chiral NCN pincer nickel(II) complexes with 1,3-bis(2'-imidazolinyl)benzenes: synthesis and characterization

Chiral 1,3-bis(2'-imidazolinyl)benzenes 1a-e easily undergo direct nickelation at the C2 position of the central benzene ring via the C-H bond activation in the reaction with anhydrous NiCl(2) giving neutral NCN pincer nickel(II) complexes 2a-e in 40-87% yields. Treatment of the nickel pincers 2a or 2c with AgBF(4) in CH(3)CN-CH(2)Cl(2) afforded the cationic nickel pincers 3a or 3c in good yields. All the complexes were characterized by elemental analysis, (1)H, (13)C NMR, and IR spectra. Molecular structures of the neutral complexes 2a, 2b and 2c as well as the cationic complex 3c have been determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The cationic nickel pincers 3 are found to be effective catalysts for the Michael addition of ethyl 2-cyanopropionate to methyl vinyl ketone in the presence of i-Pr(2)NEt base with a catalyst loading of 5 mol% even at -78 °C, producing the adduct in >99% yield after 24 h albeit with no ee.     

Exploring the transfer of hydrogen atom from kaempferol-based compounds to hydroxyl radical at ground state using PCM-DFT approach

Thermodynamic and kinetic studies of the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) from hydroxyl (OH) groups of four kaempferol-based compounds, namely kaempferol, morin, morin-5^*-sulfonate and morin-7-O-sulfate to hydroxyl radical (·OH), have been carried out using density functional theory (DFT) methods at the CAM-B3LYP/6–311++G(d,p) level equipped with polarizable continuum model (PCM) of solvation. All HAT reactions in aqueous solution are exothermic and spontaneous. For most compounds, the most preferable OH group for HAT is situated at position C3 (O3-H3) on the pyrone ring. The reaction potential of such a reactive group is found to be highest in morin-7-O-sulfate. The rate constants for the HAT reactions at different OH groups of each compound have been determined based on the transition state theory. The presence of substituents leads to the variation in either the characteristic interactions at the reactive site or the charge distribution on transition-state geometries, hence significantly affecting the kinetics of HAT. The highest rate of HAT is resulted for the OH group at position C4^* (O4^*-H4^*) on the phenyl ring (ring B) of morin-5^*-sulfonate because a hydrogen bond between ·OH and the sulfonate group favors the formation of transition state. However, for most compounds under study, the HAT reaction at O3-H3 initiated by ·OH is highly favorable both thermodynamically and kinetically.

     

Thorium(IV) molecular clusters with a hexanuclear Th core

Three polynuclear thorium(IV) molecular complexes have been synthesized under ambient conditions from reactions of an amorphous Th precipitate, obtained via hydrolysis, with carboxylate functionalized ligands. The structures of Th(6)(OH)(4)O(4)(H(2)O)(6)(HCO(2))(12)·nH(2)O (1), Th(6)(OH)(4)O(4)(H(2)O)(6)(CH(3)CO(2))(12)·nH(2)O (2), Th(6)(OH)(4)O(4)(H(2)O)(6)(ClCH(2)CO(2))(12)·4H(2)O (3) each consist of a hexanuclear Th core wherein six 9-coordinate Th(IV) cations are bridged by four μ(3)-hydroxo and four μ(3)-oxo groups. Each Th(IV) center is additionally coordinated to one bound "apical" water molecule and four oxygen atoms from bridging carboxylate functionalized organic acid units. "Decoration" of the cationic [Th(6)(μ(3)-O)(4)(μ(3)-OH)(4)](12+) cores by anionic shells of R-COO(-) ligands (R = H, CH(3), or CH(2)Cl) terminates the oligomers and results in the formation of discrete, neutral molecular clusters. Electronic structure calculations at the density functional theory level predicted that the most energetically favorable positions for the protons on the hexanuclear core result in the cluster with the highest symmetry with the protons separated as much as possible. The synthesis, structure, and characterization of the materials are reported.     

Density functional study of carbon monoxide adsorption on small cationic,neutral, and anionic aluminum nitride clusters

CO adsorption on small cationic, neutral, and anionic (AlN)_n (n = 1–6) clusters has been investigated using density functional theory in the generalized gradient approximation. Among various possible CO adsorption sites, an N on‐top (onefold coordinated) site is found to be the most favorable one, irrespective of the charge state of the clusters. The adsorption energies of CO on the anionic (AlN)_nCO (n = 2–4) clusters are greater than those on the neutral and cationic complexes. The adsorption energies on the cationic and neutral complexes reflect the odd–even oscillations, and the adsorption energies of CO on the cationic (AlN)_nCO (n = 5, 6) clusters are greater than those on the neutral and anionic complexes. The adsorption energies for the different charge states decrease with increasing cluster size. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Experimental IR and Raman spectra and quantum chemical studies of molecular structures, conformers and vibrational characteristics of L-ascorbic acid and its anion and cation

IR and spectra of the L-ascorbic acid (L-AA) also known as vitamin C have been recorded in the region 4000-50 cm(-1). In order to make vibrational assignments of the observed IR and Raman bands computations were carried out by employing the RHF and DFT methods to calculate the molecular geometries and harmonic vibrational frequencies along with other related parameters for the neutral L-AA and its singly charged anionic (L-AA(-)) and cationic (L-AA(+)) species. Significant changes have been found for different characteristics of a number of vibrational modes. The four ν(O-H) modes of the L-AA molecule are found in the order ν(O(9)-H(10))>ν(O(19)-H(20))>ν(O(7)-H(8))>ν(O(14)-H(15)) which could be due to complexity of hydrogen bonding in the lactone ring and the side chain. The CO stretching wavenumber (ν(46)) decreases by 151 cm(-1) in going from the neutral to the anionic species whereas it increases by 151 cm(-1) in going from the anionic to the cationic species. The anionic radicals have less kinetic stabilities and high chemical reactivity as compared to the neutral molecule. It is found that the cationic radical of L-AA is kinetically least stable and chemically most reactive as compared to its neutral and anionic species.     

Interaction of amino acids with gold and silver clusters

Binding of gold and silver clusters with amino acids (glycine and cysteine) was studied using density functional theory (DFT). Geometries of neutral, anionic, and cationic amino acids with Au3 and Ag3 clusters were optimized using the DFT-B3LYP approach. The mixed basis set used here was denoted by 6-31+G** (union or logical sum)LANL2DZ. This work demonstrated that the interaction of amino acids with gold and silver clusters is governed by two major bonding factors: (a) the anchoring N-Au(Ag), O-Au(Ag), and S-Au(Ag) bonds and (b) the nonconventional N-H...Au(Ag) and O-H...Au(Ag) hydrogen bonds. Among the three forms of amino acids, anionic ones exhibited the most tendency to interact with the Au and Ag clusters. Natural bond orbital analysis was performed to calculate charge transfer, natural population analysis, and Wiberg bond indices of the complexes. Atoms-in-molecules theory was also applied to determine the nature of interactions. It was shown that these bonds are partially electrostatic and partially covalent.     

OH-initiated oxidation mechanism and kinetics of organic sunscreen benzophenone-3: A theoretical study

Benzophenone-3 (BP-3), as an important organic UV filter, is widely used in the sunscreen, cosmetic, and personal care products. The chemical reaction mechanism and kinetics of BP-3 degradation initiated by hydroxyl (OH) radical was investigated in the atmosphere based on the density functional theory (DFT). The results showed that the OH radical is more easily added to the C3 position of the aromatic ring (pathway 3), while the H atom abstraction from the OH group on the aromatic ring (pathway 23) is an energetically favorable reaction pathway. At ambient temperature, 298 K, the overall rate constant for the primary reaction is about 1.50 × 10^?10 cm³ mol^?1 s^?1 with the lifetime of 1.92 h. OH addition reactions play the key role in the OH-initiated reaction of BP-3. The study is helpful for better understanding of the removal, transformation, and fate of BP-3 in the atmosphere.     

Ab initio calculation of bowl, cage, and ring isomers of C20 and C20-

High-level ab initio calculations have been carried out to reexamine relative stability of bowl, cage, and ring isomers of C(20) and C(20)(-). The total electronic energies of the three isomers show different energy orderings, strongly depending on the hybrid functionals selected. It is found that among three popular hybrid density-functional (DF) methods B3LYP, B3PW91, PBE1PBE, and a new hybrid-meta-DF method TPSSKCIS, only the PBE1PBE method (with cc-pVTZ basis set) gives qualitatively correct energy ordering as that predicted from ab initio CCSD(T)/cc-pVDZ [CCSD(T)-coupled-cluster method including singles, doubles, and noniterative perturbative triples; cc-pVDZ-correlation consistent polarized valence double zeta] as well as from MP4(SDQ)/cc-pVTZ [MP4-fourth-order Moller-Plesset; cc-pVTZ-correlation consistent polarized valence triple zeta] calculations. Both CCSD(T) and MP4 calculations indicate that the bowl is most likely the global minimum of neutral C(20) isomers, followed by the fullerene cage and ring. For the anionic counterparts, the PBE1PBE calculation also agrees with MP4/cc-pVTZ calculation, both predicting that the bowl is still the lowest-energy structure of C(20)(-) at T=0 K, followed by the ring and the cage. In contrast, both B3LYP/cc-pVTZ and B3PW91/cc-pVTZ calculations predict that the ring is the lowest-energy structure of C(20)(-). Apparently, this good reliability in predicting the energy ordering renders the hybrid PBE method a leading choice for predicting relative stability among large-sized carbon clusters and other carbon nanostructures (e.g., finite-size carbon nanotubes, nano-onions, or nanohorns). The relative stabilities derived from total energy with Gibbs free-energy corrections demonstrate a changing ordering in which ring becomes more favorable for both C(20) and C(20)(-) at high temperatures. Finally, photoelectron spectra (PES) for the anionic C(20)(-) isomers have been computed. With binding energies up to 7 eV, the simulated PES show ample spectral features to distinguish the three competitive C(20)(-) isomers.     

Theoretical insight of nitric oxide adsorption on neutral and charged Pdn (n = 1–5) clusters

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations within the framework of generalized gradient approximation have been used to systematically investigate the adsorption of nitric oxide (NO) molecule on neutral, cationic, and anionic Pd_n (n = 1–5) clusters. NO coordinate to one Pd atom of the cluster by the end‐on mode, where the tilted end‐on structure is more favorable due to the additional electron in the π* orbital. On the contrary, in the neutral and cationic Pd₂ system, NO coordinates to the bridge site of cluster preferably by the side‐on mode. Charge transfer between Pd clusters and NO molecule and the corresponding weakening of N? O bond is an essential factor for the adsorption. The N? O stretching frequency follow the order of cationic > neutral > anionic. Binding energy of NO on anionic clusters is found to be greater than those of neutral and cationic clusters. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.