Dhurba Rai

Methanol clusters (CH3OH)n, n = 3–6 in external electric fields: Density functional theory approach

Structural evolution of cyclic and branched-cyclic methanol clusters containing three to six molecules, under the influence of externally applied uniform static electric field is studied within the density functional theory. Akin to the situation for water clusters, the electric field is seen to stretch the intermolecular hydrogen bonds, and eventually break the H-bonded network at certain characteristic threshold field values of field strength in the range 0.009-0.016 a.u., yielding linear or branched structures with a lower energy. These structural transitions are characterized by an abrupt increase in the electric dipole moment riding over its otherwise steady nonlinear increase with the applied field. The field tends to rupture the H-bonded structure; consequently, the number of hydrogen bonds decreases with increasing field strength. Vibrational spectra analyzed for fields applied perpendicular to the cyclic ring structures bring out the shifts in the OH ring vibrations (blueshift) and the CO stretch vibrations (redshift). For a given field strength, the blueshifts increase with the number of molecules in the ring and are found to be generally larger than those in the corresponding water cluster counterparts.

Microsolvation of methyl hydrogen peroxide: Ab initio quantum chemical approach

Methyl hydrogen peroxide (MHP), one of the simplest organic hydroperoxides, is a strong oxidant, with enhanced activity in aqueous ambience. The present study investigates, at the molecular level, the role of hydrogen bonding that is conducive to cluster formation of MHP with water molecules from its peroxide end, with the methyl group remaining hydrophobic for up to five water molecules. Ab initio quantum chemical computations on MHP...(H(2)O)(n), [n=1-5] are performed at second order Møller-Plesset (MP2) perturbation theory employing the basis sets 6-31G(d,p) and 6-311++G(2d,2p) to study the cluster formation of MHP with water molecules from its peroxide end and hydrophobic hydration due to the methyl group. Successive addition of water molecules alters the hydrogen bonding pattern, which leads to changes in overall cluster geometry and in turn to IR vibrational frequency shifts. Molecular co-operativity in these clusters is gauged directly through a detailed many-body interaction energy analysis. Molecular electrostatic potential maps are shown to have a bearing on predicting further growth of these clusters, which is duly corroborated through sample calculations for MHP...(H(2)O)(8). Further, a continuum solvation model calculation for energetically stable clusters suggests that this study should serve as a precursor for pathways to aqueous solvation of MHP.