K. S. Viswanathan

Matrix isolation infrared and DFT study of the trimethyl phosphite-hydrogen chloride interaction: hydrogen bonding versus nucleophilic substitution.

Trimethyl phosphite (TMPhite) and hydrogen chloride (HCl), when separately codeposited in a N(2) matrix, yielded a hydrogen bonded adduct, which was evidenced by shifts in the vibrational frequencies of the TMPhite and HCl submolecules. The structure and energy of the adducts were computed at the B3LYP level using 6-31++G** and aug-cc-pVDZ basis sets. While our computations indicated four minima for the TMPhite-HCl adducts, only one adduct was experimentally identified in the matrix at low temperatures, which interestingly was not the structure corresponding to the global minimum, but was the structure corresponding to the first higher energy local minimum. The Onsager self-consistent reaction field model was used to explain this observation. In an attempt to prepare the hydrogen bonded adduct in the gas phase and then trap it in the matrix, TMPhite and HCl were premixed prior to deposition. However, in these experiments, no hydrogen bonded adduct was observed; on the contrary, TMPhite reacted with HCl to yield CH(3)Cl, following a nucleophilic substitution, a reaction that is apparently frustrated in the matrix.

Conformations of trimethyl phosphite: a matrix isolation infrared and ab initio study.

The conformations of trimethyl phosphite (TMPhite) were studied using matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. TMPhite was trapped in a nitrogen matrix using an effusive source maintained at two different temperatures (298 and 410 K) and a supersonic jet source. The experimental studies were supported by ab initio computations performed at the B3LYP/6-31++G** level. Computations identified four minima for TMPhite, corresponding to conformers with C(1)(TG(±)G(±)), C(s)(TG(+)G(-)), C(1)(G(±)TT), and C(3)(G(±)G(±)G(±)) structures, given in order of increasing energy. Computations of the transition state structures connecting the C(s)(TG(+)G(-)) and C(1)(G(±)TT) conformers to the global minimum C(1)(TG(±)G(±)) structure were also carried out. The barriers for the interconversion of C(s)(TG(+)G(-)) and C(1)(G(±)TT) to the ground state C(1)(TG(±)G(±)) conformer were 0.2 and 0.6 kcal/mol, respectively. Comparison of conformational preferences of TMPhite with the related carbon compound, trimethoxymethane, and the organic phosphate, trimethyl phosphate, was also made using natural bond orbital analysis.

The elusive ≡C-H⋯O complex in the hydrogen bonded systems of Phenylacetylene: A Matrix Isolation Infrared and Ab Initio Study

AbstractHydrogen-bonded complexes of phenylacetylene (PhAc) with methanol (MeOH) and diethylether (DEE) were studied using matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. This study specifically searched for the ≡C-H ⋯O hydrogen bonded complex in these systems, which manifest a n-σ* interaction and which is a local minimum on the PhAc-MeOH potential surface, as in the case of PhAc-H2O heterodimer. This n-σ* local minimum eluded observation in gas phase studies and it was therefore thought interesting to look for this isomer in cryogenic matrices. While MeOH can interact with PhAc as both a proton donor (O-H ⋯π complex) or a proton acceptor (n-σ* complex), DEE can only manifest the n-σ* isomer. A comparison of the spectral shifts observed in the features of PhAc-MeOH and PhAc-DEE would therefore independently confirm the existence or not of n-σ* complex in both these systems. In addition to the n-σ* complex observed in both the above systems, the O-H ⋯π complex was also discerned in the PhAc-MeOH system. These complexes have stabilization energy in the range of 8-25 kJ /mol. The experimental results were corroborated by computations performed at MP2 and M06-2X, levels of theory, using 6-311 ++G(d,p) and aug-cc-pVDZ basis sets. Single point calculations at the CCSD level of theory were also performed. Atoms-in-molecules (AIM), NBO and LMOEDA analysis were also performed to understand the nature of the intermolecular interactions in these complexes. Graphical AbstractThe ≡C-H..O hydrogen bonded complex in phenylacetylene-methanol system, which is a n-σ* interaction and a local minimum was observed in a cryogenic inert gas solid. This n-σ* local minima had eluded observation in gas phase studies.

H-π Landscape of the Phenylacetylene-HCl System: Does this Provide the Gateway to the Markovnikov Addition?

Non covalently bonded complexes of phenylacetylene-HCl were studied using matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. Phenylacetylene (PhAc) is an interesting hydrogen bond precursor as it has multiple sites for weak interactions, and it was therefore considered worthwhile to study PhAc-HCl landscape. The interactions in PhAc-HCl were identified using the shifts in the infrared frequencies of the precursor molecules, as a result of complex formation. Our experiments unambiguously revealed spectral signatures of two types of H-π complexes, in both of which HCl was the proton donor. In one complex, the acetylenic π cloud (H-πAc) was the proton acceptor, while in the second, the role of the proton acceptor was played by the phenyl π cloud (H-πPh). The H-πAc and H-πPh complexes were evidenced by a 124 and 80 cm-1 red shift respectively, in the fundamental HCl stretch, relative to that of the uncomplexed HCl monomer. Ab initio calculations performed at M06-2X and MP2 level of theory using 6-311++G(d,p) and aug-cc-pVDZ basis functions indicated the H-πAc complex to be the global minimum and the H-πPh complex to be a local minimum; thus corroborating our experimental results. These conclusions were also confirmed by calculations at MP2/CBS and CCSD(T)/CBS limits. Interestingly, there were two isomers for the H-πAc complex, and it appears from an analysis of the charge densities, that one of the two isomers may serve as the gateway complex for the Markovnikov addition reaction. Computations identified a number of other minima, characterized by n-σ* and possibly Cl-π bonded structures, on the PhAc-HCl potential surface. AIM, NBO, and LMO-EDA analyses were also performed to characterize the non covalent interactions in the PhAc-HCl heterodimer.

Multiple Hydrogen Bond Tethers for Grazing Formic Acid in Its Complexes with Phenylacetylene

Complexes of phenylacetylene (PhAc) and formic acid (FA) present an interesting picture, where the two submolecules are tethered, sometimes multiply, by hydrogen bonds. The multiple tentacles adopted by PhAc-FA complexes stem from the fact that both submolecules can, in the same complex, serve as proton acceptors and/or proton donors. The acetylenic and phenyl π systems of PhAc can serve as proton acceptors, while the ≡C-H or -C-H of the phenyl ring can act as a proton donor. Likewise, FA also is amphiprotic. Hence, more than 10 hydrogen-bonded structures, involving O-H···π, C-H···π, and C-H···O contacts, were indicated by our computations, some with multiple tentacles. Interestingly, despite the multiple contacts in the complexes, the barrier between some of the structures is small, and hence, FA grazes around PhAc, even while being tethered to it, with hydrogen bonds. We used matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy to experimentally study the PhAc-FA complexes, with which we located global and a few local minima, involving primarily an O-H···π interaction. Experiments were corroborated by ab initio computations, which were performed using MP2 and M06-2X methods, with 6-311++G (d,p) and aug-cc-pVDZ basis sets. Single-point energy calculations were also done at MP2/CBS and CCSD(T)/CBS levels. The nature, strength, and origin of these noncovalent interactions were studied using AIM, NBO, and LMO-EDA analysis.

Conformational Landscape of Tri-n-butyl Phosphate: Matrix Isolation Infrared Spectroscopy and Systematic Computational Analysis

The conformations of tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) were studied using matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. TBP was trapped in a N2 matrix using both effusive and supersonic sources, and its infrared spectra were recorded. The computational exploration of TBP is a very demanding problem to confront, due to the presence of a large multitude of conformations in TBP. To simplify the problem, computations were done on model compounds, dimethyl butyl phosphate (DMBP) and dibutyl methyl phosphate (DBMP), to systematically arrive at the conformations of TBP that are expected to contribute to its chemistry at room temperature. Some predictive rules seem to simplify this complex conformational landscape problem. The predictive rules that were formulated enabled us to search the relevant portion of the conformational topography of this molecule. The computations were performed at the B3LYP level of theory using the 6-31++G(d,p) basis set. Vibrational wavenumber calculations were also performed for the various conformers to assign the infrared features of TBP, trapped in solid N2 matrix.

H-Π beats N-Σ in phenylacetylene-HCL hydrogen bonded heterodimer: A matrix isolation infrared and AB initio study

Hydrogen bonded complexes of phenylacetylene (PhAc) and HCl were studied using matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy and ab initio computations. An H. . . π complex was observed in our experiments, which was indicated to be the global minimum by our computations. In this complex, HCl serves as the proton donor to the acetylenic π cloud of PhAc. Computations also located two other minima on the PhAc-HCl potential surface. One was an H. . . π complex where the proton of HCl interacts with the π cloud of the phenyl ring, which was nearly isoenergetic with the global minimum. The other was an n-σ complex, where the acetylenic hydrogen in PhAc interacted with the chlorine of HCl. The phenylacetylene-HCl system was theoretically investigated, employing MP2 and M06-2X methods, with 6-311++G(d,p) and aug/cc-pVDZ basis sets. AIM, EDA and NBO analysis were also performed to explore the nature, physical origin and the strength of the noncovalent interactions. Experiments with phenylacetylene deuterated at the acetylenic hydrogen (PhAcD) were also performed, to confirm the above observation, through the isotopic effect. This work is part of a study of the hydrogen bonded interactions of phenylacetylene with various precursors, which provide an interesting interaction landscape ranging from a strong n-σ to a strong H-π interaction. As it turns out, HCl is at one end of this range, displaying a strong H-π interaction. While this presentation will give the details of the phenylacetyleneHCl complex, it will also summarize the landscape mentioned above, putting the present study in perspective.