Demeter Tzeli

Theoretical investigation of iron carbide, FeC

Employing multireference variational methods (MRCI), we have constructed full potential-energy curves for the ground state (X 3Δ) and forty excited states of the diatomic carbide, FeC. For all states we report potential-energy curves, bond lengths, dissociation energies, dipole moments, and certain spectroscopic constants, trying at the same time to get some insight on the bonding mechanisms with the help of Mulliken populations and valence-bond–Lewis diagrams. For the X 3Δ state at the MRCI level of theory, we obtain a dissociation energy De=86.7 kcal/mol at a bond length re=1.581 A. These values compare favorably to the corresponding experimental ones, De=91.2±7 (upper limit) kcal/mol and re=1.5924 A. The first excited state (1Δ) is predicted to be 9.7 kcal/mol above the X-state as compared to an experimental value of 9.786 kcal/mol.

On the dipole moment of the ground state X 3Δ of iron carbide, FeC

In the light of experimental results on the dipole moment of the FeC X 3Δ state, we have re-examined our recent theoretical numbers of this property, by increasing our basis set size and calculating also the dipole moment by the finite field method. Our best result is 1.94 D as compared to the experimental value of 2.36 D, signifying that care should be exercised in obtaining one-electron properties even from highly correlated wave functions.

First principles study of the electronic structure and bonding of Mn2

We have examined the electronic structure and bonding of the Mn(2) molecule through multireference variational calculations coupled with augmented quadruple correlation consistent basis sets. The Mn atom has a (6)S(4s(2)3d(5)) ground state with its first excited state, (6)D(4s(1)3d(6)), located 2.145 eV higher. For all six molecular states (1)Sigma(g)(+), (3)Sigma(u)(+), (5)Sigma(g)(+), (7)Sigma(u)(+), (9)Sigma(g)(+), and (11)Sigma(u)(+)(1) correlating to Mn((6)S)+Mn((6)S), and for six undecets, i.e., (11)Pi(u), (11)Sigma(g)(+), (11)Delta(g), (11)Delta(u), (11)Sigma(u)(+)(2), and (11)Pi(g) with end fragments Mn((6)S)+Mn((6)D), complete potential energy curves have been constructed for the first time. We prove that the bonding in Mn(2) dimer is of van der Waals type. The interaction of two Mn (6)S atoms is hardly influenced by the total spin, as a result the six Sigma states, singlet ((1)Sigma(g)(+)) to undecet ((11)Sigma(u)(+)(1)), are in essence degenerate packed within an energy interval of about 70 cm(-1). Their ordering follows the spin multiplicity, the ground state being a singlet, X (1)Sigma(g)(+), with binding energy D(e) (D(0)) approximately 600 (550)cm(-1) at r(e) approximately 3.60 A. The six undecet states related to the Mn((6)S)+Mn((6)D) manifold, are chemically bound with binding energies ranging from 3 ((11)Pi(g)) to 25 ((11)Pi(u))kcal/mol and bond distances about 1 A shorter than the states of the lower manifold, Mn((6)S)+Mn((6)S). The lowest of the undecets is of Pi(u) symmetry located 30 kcal/mol above the X (1)Sigma(g)(+) state.

Conformations and Fluorescence of Encapsulated Stilbene

Absorption and emission spectra of free and encapsulated stilbene in two different capsules were calculated using the DFT and the TDDFT methodology at the B3LYP, CAM-B3LYP, M06-2X, PBE0, and ωB97X-D/6-31G(d,p) levels of theory. The present work is directed toward the theoretical interpretation of recent experimental results on control of stilbene conformation and fluorescence in capsules [Ams, M. R.; et al. Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2009, 5, 79]. The results of the calculations are in agreement with experiment and show that fluorescence of trans-stilbene persists in the large cage while it is quenched in the small one. It is found that the geometry of trans-stilbene in the ground as well as in the first excited singlet state is unaffected by encapsulation in the large cage, and consequently the absorption and emission spectra are similarly unaffected. In the small cage, the ground state of encapsulated trans-stilbene is distorted, with the two phenyl groups twisted, while the geometry of the excited state, after relaxation, lies at the conical intersection with the ground state. Consequently, there is no emission similar to that of free trans-stilbene, and the state decays nonradiatively to the ground state.

Theoretical study of hydrogen bonding in homodimers and heterodimers of amide, boronic acid, and carboxylic acid, free and in encapsulation complexes.

The homodimers and the heterodimers of two amides, two boronic acids, and two carboxylic acids have been calculated in the gas phase and in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and CCl(4) solvents using the DFT (M06-2X and M06-L) and the MP2 methods in conjunction with the 6-31G(d,p) and 6-311+G(d,p) basis sets. Furthermore, their pairwise coencapsulation was studied to examine its effect on the calculated properties of the hydrogen bonds at the ONIOM[M06-2X/6-31G(d,p);PM6], ONIOM[MP2/6-31G(d,p); PM6], and M06-2X/6-31G(d,p) levels of theory. The present work is directed toward the theoretical rationalization and interpretation of recent experimental results on hydrogen bonding in encaptulation complexes [D. Ajami et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 9689-9691]. The calculated dimerization energy (ΔE) values range from 0.74 to 0.35 eV for the different dimers in the gas phase, with the ordering carboxylic homodimers > amide-carboxylic dimers > amide homodimers > boronic-carboxylic dimers > amide-boronic dimers > boronic homodimers. In solvents, generally smaller ΔE values are calculated with only small variations in the ordering. In the capsule, the ΔE values range between 0.67 and 0.33 eV with practically the same ordering as in the gas phase. The calculated % distributions of the encapsulated dimers, taking into account statistical factors, are in agreement with the experimental distribution, where the occurrence of boronic homodimer dominates, even though it is calculated to have the smallest ΔE.

A first principles study of the acetylene-water interaction

We present an extensive study of the stationary points on the acetylene–water (AW) ground-state potential energy surface (PES) aimed in establishing accurate energetics for the two different bonding scenarios that are considered. Those include arrangements in which water acts either as a proton acceptor from one of the acetylene hydrogen atoms or a proton donor to the triple bond. We used a hierarchy of theoretical methods to account for electron correlation [MP2 (second-order Moller–Plesset), MP4 (fourth-order Moller–Plesset), and CCSD(T) (coupled-cluster single double triple)] coupled with a series of increasing size augmented correlation consistent basis sets (aug-cc-pVnZ, n=2,3,4). We furthermore examined the effect of corrections due to basis set superposition error (BSSE). We found that those have a large effect in altering the qualitative features of the PES of the complex. They are responsible for producing a structure of higher (C2v) symmetry for the global minimum. Zero-point energy (ZPE) correc...

Electronic structure and bonding of the 3d transition metal borides, MB, M=Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu through all electron ab initio calculations

The electronic structure and bonding of the ground and some low-lying states of all first row transition metal borides (MB), ScB, TiB, VB, CrB, MnB, FeB, CoB, NiB, and CuB have been studied by multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) methods employing a correlation consistent basis set of quintuple cardinality (5Z). It should be stressed that for all the above nine molecules, experimental results are essentially absent, whereas with the exception of ScB and CuB the remaining seven species are studied theoretically for the first time. We have constructed full potential energy curves at the MRCI/5Z level for a total of 27 low-lying states, subsequently used to extract binding energies, spectroscopic parameters, and bonding schemes. In addition, some 20 or more states for every MB species have been examined at the MRCI/4Z level of theory. The ground state symmetries and corresponding binding energies (in kcal/mol) are 5Sigma-(ScB), 76; 6Delta(TiB), 65; 7Sigma+(VB), 55; 6Sigma+(CrB), 31; 5Pi(MnB), 20; 4Sigma-(FeB), 54; 3Delta(CoB), 66; 2Sigma+(NiB), 79; and 1Sigma+(CuB), 49.

Theoretical investigation of the ground and low-lying excited states of nickel carbide, NiC

The electronic structure and bonding of 19 states of the diatomic nickel carbide (NiC) has been studied by multireference methods. Potential energy curves have been constructed for all states, whereas for the three lowest states of symmetries X (1)Sigma(+), a (3)Pi, and A (1)Pi well separated from the rest of the states, special attention was paid through the use of very large basis sets and the calculation of core-valence correlation and scalar relativistic effects. The recommended binding energies for these states are 91, 67, and 54 kcal/mol with respect to the ground state atoms. Our results in general can be considered in fair agreement with the limited experimental findings.

The dipole moments of the excited states of FeC

With the purpose of comparing expectation dipole moment values mu with finite-field obtained dipole moments mu(FF), we recalculated by the finite-field method previously reported mu values of 38 excited states of FeC. In most of the cases mu(FF) is significantly larger than mu.

Accurate ab initio calculations of the ground states of FeC, FeC+, and FeC−

For the ground states of the diatomic carbide FeC(X (3)Delta) and its ions, FeC(+)(X (2)Delta) and FeC(-)(X (2)Delta), we report on accurate multireference variational ab initio results employing augmented correlation consistent basis sets of quintuple cardinality. The dissociation energies and bond lengths are found to be D(0) (0)=87+/-1, 95.2, and 84+/-1 kcal/mol at r(e)=1.581, 1.556, and 1.660 A for FeC, FeC(+), and FeC(-), respectively. All our final numbers are in agreement with the available experimental data.