Ahmed Mahjoub

Chirality influence on the aggregation of methyl mandelate

The methyl ester of mandelic acid is investigated by a wide range of techniques to unravel its aggregation pattern and the influence of relative chirality of the aggregating monomers. Matrix isolation confirms that a single monomer conformation prevails. The electronic spectrum of the dimers is strongly affected by the relative monomer chirality. Vibrational effects are more subtle and can be explained in terms of the most stable homo- and heteroconfigurational dimer structures, when compared to results of MP2 and DFT-D computations. Selective IR/UV double resonance techniques and wide-band FTIR spectroscopy provide largely consistent spectroscopic fingerprints of the chirality discrimination phenomena. The dominant homochiral dimer has two intermolecular O–H⋯OC hydrogen bonds whereas the more strongly bound heterochiral dimer involves only one such hydrogen bond. This is a consequence of the competition between dispersion and intramolecular or intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Aromatic interactions also play a role in trimers and larger clusters, favoring homochiral ring arrangements. Analogies and differences to the well-investigated methyl lactate system are highlighted. Bulk phases show a competition between different hydrogen bond patterns. The enantiopure, racemic, and 3 : 1 crystals involve infinite hydrogen-bonded chains with different arrangements of the aromatic groups. They exhibit significantly different volatility, the enantiopure compound being more volatile than the racemic crystal. The accumulated experimental and quantum-chemical evidence turns methyl mandelate into a model system for the role of competition between dispersion forces and hydrogen bond interactions in chirality discrimination.

Chiral recognition in jet-cooled complexes of (1R,2S-(+)-cis-1-amino-2-indanol and methyl lactate: on the importance of the CH···π interaction

Complexation between (1R,2S)-(+)-cis-1-amino-2-indanol (AI) and the two enantiomers of methyl lactate has been studied by means of laser-induced fluorescence, resonance-enhanced two-photon ionisation, and IR-UV double resonance spectroscopy, in the region of 3 microm. Two isomeric complexes have been spectroscopically characterised for each diastereoisomer. Comparison with ab initio calculations shows that the most stable form is an insertion structure, common to the two diastereoisomers, in which the OH group of methyl lactate inserts into the intramolecular bond of AI. This structure shows almost no chiral discrimination. A secondary structure has been observed, which is specific to each enantiomer. It involves a main hydrogen bond from the OH group of methyl lactate to AI together with weaker hydrogen bonds, which depend on chirality. The enantioselectivity in the hydrogen bond topology is due to a weak stabilizing CH...pi interaction, involving the CH located on the asymmetric carbon of methyl lactate, which can be obtained for one of the enantiomers only.

Chiral recognition between alpha-hydroxylesters: a double-resonance IR/UV study of the complexes of methyl mandelate with methyl glycolate and methyl lactate.

Chiral recognition between alpha hydroxylesters has been studied in jet-cooled complexes of methyl mandelate with methyl lactate. The complex with nonchiral methyl glycolate has also been studied for the sake of comparison. The hydrogen-bond topology of the complexes has been interrogated by means of IR/UV double-resonance spectroscopy in the range of 3 mum. A theoretical approach has been conducted in conjunction with the experimental work to assist in the analysis of the spectra. Owing to the conformational flexibility of the subunits at play, emphasis has been put on the methodology used for the exploration of the potential-energy surface. The hydrogen-bond topology is very similar in the homo- and heterochiral complexes. It involves insertion of the hydroxyl group of methyl mandelate within the intramolecular hydrogen bond of methyl lactate or methyl glycolate, resulting in a five-membered ring. This contrasts with methyl lactate clusters previously studied by FTIR spectroscopy in a filet jet.

Slow Photoelectron Spectroscopy of δ-Valerolactam and Its Dimer.

We studied the single-photon ionization of gas-phase δ-valerolactam (piperidin-2-one) and of its dimer using vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) synchrotron radiation coupled to a velocity map imaging electron/ion coincidence spectrometer. The slow photoelectron spectrum (SPES) of the monomer is dominated by the vibrational transitions to the ͠X state. Moreover, several weaker and complex bands are observed, corresponding to the population of the vibrational bands (pure or combination) of the electronically excited states of the cation arising from their mutual vibronic interactions. For the dimer, we measure a unique large band. These spectra are assigned with the help of theoretical calculations dealing with the equilibrium geometries, electronic-state patterns and evolutions, harmonic and anharmonic wavenumbers of the monomer and dimer, either neutral or positively charged. The state energies of the [δ-valerolactam](+) cation in the ͠X ground, ͠A, ͠B, ͠C, excited electronic states, and of the [δ-valerolactam](2) (+) cations lowest states are determined. After its formation, [δ-valerolactam](2) (+) is subject to intramolecular isomerization, H transfer and then unimolecular fragmentation processes. Close to the ionization thresholds, the photoionization of these molecules is found to be mainly dominated by a direct process whereas the indirect route (autoionization) contributes at higher energies.

Role of conformational isomerism in solvent-mediated charge transfer in chiral (S) 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-3-isoquinoline methanol (THIQM): condensed-phase to jet-cooled spectroscopic studies.

Intramolecular charge-transfer reaction in chiral (S) 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-3-isoquinoline methanol (THIQM) has been investigated in the condensed phase and in jet-cooled conditions by means of laser-induced fluorescence, dispersed emission, resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization, and IR-UV double resonance experiments, as well as quantum chemical calculations. In the condensed phase, THIQM only shows local emission in nonpolar and protic solvents and dual emission in aprotic polar solvents, where the solvent-polarity dependent Stokes shifted emission is ascribed to a state involving charge transfer from the nitrogen lone pair to the benzene π-cloud. Ab initio calculations reveal two low-energy conformers, which are observed in jet-cooled conditions. In the most stable conformer, THIQM(I), the CH(2)OH substituent acts as a hydrogen bond donor to the nitrogen lone pair in the equatorial position, while the second most stable conformer, THIQM(II), corresponds to the opposite NH···O hydrogen bond, with the nitrogen lone pair in the axial position. The two low-energy jet-cooled conformers of THIQM evidenced from the laser-induced fluorescence and dispersed emission spectra only show structured local emission. Complexes with usual solvents reproduce the condensed phase properties. The jet-cooled complex with aprotic polar solvent acetonitrile shows both local emission and charge transfer emission as observed in solution. The jet-cooled hydrate mainly shows local emission due to the unavailability of the nitrogen lone pair through intermolecular hydrogen bonding.

State-Selected Unimolecular Decomposition of δ-Valerolactam+ and δ-Valerolactam2+ Cations: Theory and Experiment

The near threshold photofragmentation pattern of δ-valerolactam(+) and δ-valerolactam(2)(+) has been recorded combining electron/ion coincidence techniques and vacuum ultraviolet synchrotron radiation. The experimental method yields the fragment intensity as a function of the internal energy deposited into the parent cation, up to 3.1 eV above the first ionization threshold. In parallel, ab initio studies on the δ-valerolactam(+) and δ-valerolactam(2)(+) cations and their ionic and neutral fragmentation products have been performed with the aim of determining the isomers of the ionic products observed experimentally as well as of their neutral counterparts. These computations were performed using the PBE0 exchange-correlation functional and the aug-cc-pVDZ basis set. We found good agreement between the calculated reaction enthalpies and experimental appearance energies of the ions. More generally, our experimental and theoretical results reveal that the fragmentation of the ionic species of interest leads to a multitude of neutral and ionic fragments, which may be formed after intramolecular isomerization and complex decomposition processes. Multistep reaction pathways are expected.

Optical properties of analogs of Titan's aerosols produced by dusty plasma

Analogs of Titan’s aerosols are produced in the laboratory as grains in a gas mixture, or as layers on a substrate. This production procedure enables the methane-nitrogen mixture composition to be changed. The aim of this paper is to understand the variations observed on the linear polarization of the scattered light as a function of the production conditions. The influence of the concentration of methane injected in the plasma will be discussed and compared with the previous work of Hadamcik et al. (2009a). The diameter of the grains are measured by SEM-FEG images. The decrease of absorption with increasing wavelength, measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry on layers, is observed for a decreasing initial methane ratio and analyzed in terms of an increasing ‘amine’ content in the materials. The phase function parameters of the linear polarization of the scattered light are discussed in terms of the diameters of the aggregates and of the constituent grains, and the variation of the refractive indices (mainly absorption). The polarization is found to be highly correlated with the constituent grain size. Finally, the experimental results are compared to polarization measurements from space of the Titan’s atmosphere.

Structural Rearrangement in the Formation of Jet-Cooled Complexes of Chiral (S)-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-3-isoquinolinemethanol with Methyl Lactate: Chirality Effect in Conformer Selection

The jet-cooled complexes between the two enantiomers of methyl lactate (ML) and (S)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-3-isoquinolinemethanol (THIQM) are studied by double resonance spectroscopy combined with ab initio calculations. Both diastereomer complexes exist in different isomers, involving either direct addition of THIQM on ML with no structural rearrangement of the subunits or formation of very stable structures involving multiple intermolecular hydrogen bonds and extensive deformation of the subunits. Competition between these two processes and its dependence upon chirality are discussed. It is shown that the most stable form of the chromophore (THIQMI with an OH···N hydrogen bond) prefers to directly stick to ML to form the addition complex whereas the second conformer (THIQMII with NH···O hydrogen bond) rearranges to form a strongly bound structure. The two structures are formed for the homochiral as well the heterochiral complex, however with different relative abundance. This shows an enantioselective binding preference of ML for one of the conformers of the chromophore.

Characterization of aromaticity in analogues of titan's atmospheric aerosols with two-step laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry

The role of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and Nitrogen containing PAH (PANH) as intermediates of aerosol production in the atmosphere of Titan has been a subject of controversy for a long time. An analysis of the atmospheric emission band observed by the Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) at 3.28 µm suggests the presence of neutral polycyclic aromatic species in the upper atmosphere of Titan. These molecules are seen as the counter part of negative and positive aromatics ions suspected by the Plasma Spectrometer onboard the Cassini spacecraft, but the low resolution of the instrument hinders any molecular speciation. In this work we investigate the specific aromatic content of Titans atmospheric aerosols through laboratory simulations. We report here the selective detection of aromatic compounds in tholins, Titans aerosol analogues, produced with a capacitively coupled plasma in a N2:CH4 95:5 gas mixture. For this purpose, Two-Step Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (L2DI-TOF-MS) technique is used to analyze the so produced analogues. This analytical technique is based on the ionization of molecules by Resonance Enhanced Multi-Photon Ionization (REMPI) using a λ=248 nm wavelength laser which is selective for aromatic species. This allows for the selective identification of compounds having at least one aromatic ring. Our experiments show that tholins contain a trace amount of small PAHs with one to three aromatic rings. Nitrogen containing PAHs (PANHs) are also detected as constituents of tholins. Molecules relevant to astrobiology are detected as is the case of the substituted DNA base adenine.

Double resonance IR/UV study of the complexes of methyl mandelate with methyl glycolate and methyl lactate

We have studied the complexation between the chiral chromophore methyl mandelate and the chiral solvent methyl lactate. Non chiral methyl glycolate has also been studied for the sake of comparison. The goal of our study is to understand the forces responsible for chiral recognition. To circumvent the effect of solvation and thermal agitation in solution, we form weakly bound diastereomers between chiral molecules in isolated gas phase conditions. The chiral pairs are characterised by the non‐equivalence of their structure which involves different interaction energy both in the ground and excited states. The diastereomers exhibit thus a different shift of the S0–S1 transition relative to the bare chromophore. We characterise the topology of the complexes using the double resonance IR/UV spectroscopy technique by determining the ν(OH) and ν(CH) stretch mode frequencies and we can understand the role of hydrogen bonding in chiral discrimination.