Lloyd Muzangwa

π-Stacking, C–H/π, and Halogen Bonding Interactions in Bromobenzene and Mixed Bromobenzene–Benzene Clusters

Noncovalent interactions play an important role in many chemical and biochemical processes. Building upon our recent study of the homoclusters of chlorobenzene, where π-π stacking and CH/π interactions were identified as the most important binding motifs, in this work we present a study of bromobenzene (PhBr) and mixed bromobenzene-benzene clusters. Electronic spectra in the region of the PhBr monomer S0-S1 (ππ*) transition were obtained using resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI) methods combined with time-of-flight mass analysis. As previously found for related systems, the PhBr cluster spectra show a broad feature whose center is red-shifted from the monomer absorption, and electronic structure calculations indicate the presence of multiple isomers and Franck-Condon activity in low-frequency intermolecular modes. Calculations at the M06-2X/aug-cc-pVDZ level find in total eight minimum energy structures for the PhBr dimer: four π-stacked structures differing in the relative orientation of the Br atoms (denoted D1-D4), one T-shaped structure (D5), and three halogen bonded structures (D6-D8). The calculated binding energies of these complexes, corrected for basis set superposition error (BSSE) and zero-point energy (ZPE), are in the range of -6 to -24 kJ/mol. Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations predict that these isomers absorb over a range that is roughly consistent with the breadth of the experimental spectrum. To examine the influence of dipole-dipole interaction, R2PI spectra were also obtained for the mixed PhBr···benzene dimer, where the spectral congestion is reduced and clear vibrational structure is observed. This structure is well-simulated by Franck-Condon calculations that incorporate the lowest frequency intermolecular modes. Calculations find four minimum energy structures for the mixed dimer and predict that the binding energy of the global minimum is reduced by ~30% relative to the global minimum PhBr dimer structure.

On π-stacking, C-H/π, and halogen bonding interactions in halobenzene clusters: resonant two-photon ionization studies of chlorobenzene.

Noncovalent interactions such as hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking, CH/π interactions, and halogen bonding play crucial roles in a broad spectrum of chemical and biochemical processes, and can exist in cooperation or competition. Here we report studies of the homoclusters of chlorobenzene, a prototypical system where π-π stacking, CH/π interactions, and halogen bonding interactions may all be present. The electronic spectra of chlorobenzene monomer and clusters (Clbz)(n) with n = 1-4 were obtained using resonant 2-photon ionization in the origin region of the S(0)-S(1) (ππ*) state of the monomer. The cluster spectra show in all cases a broad spectrum whose center is redshifted from the monomer absorption. Electronic structure calculations aid in showing that the spectral broadening arises in large part from inhomogeneous sources, including the presence of multiple isomers and Franck-Condon (FC) activity associated with geometrical changes induced by electronic excitation. Calculations at the M06-2x/aug-cc-pVDZ level find in total five minimum energy structures for the dimer, four π-stacked structures, and one T-shaped, and six representative minimum energy structures were found for the trimer. The calculated time-dependent density functional theory spectra using range-separated and meta-GGA hybrid functionals show that these isomers absorb over a range that is roughly consistent with the breadth of the experimental spectra, and the calculated absorptions are redshifted with respect to the monomer transition, in agreement with experiment. Due to the significant geometry change in the electronic transition, where for the dimer a transition from a parallel displaced to sandwich structure occurs with a reduced separation of the two monomers, significant FC activity is predicted in low frequency intermolecular modes.

Reactive pathways in the chlorobenzene-ammonia dimer cation radical: new insights from experiment and theory.

Building upon our recent studies of noncovalent interactions in chlorobenzene and bromobenzene clusters, in this work we focus on interactions of chlorobenzene (PhCl) with a prototypical N atom donor, ammonia (NH3). Thus, we have obtained electronic spectra of PhCl···(NH3)n (n = 1-3) complexes in the region of the PhCl monomer S0 -S1 (ππ*) transition using resonant 2-photon ionization (R2PI) methods combined with time-of-flight mass analysis. Consistent with previous studies, we find that upon ionization the PhCl···NH3 dimer cation radical reacts primarily via Cl atom loss. A second channel, HCl loss, is identified for the first time in R2PI studies of the 1:1 complex, and a third channel, H atom loss, is identified for the first time. While prior studies have assumed the dominance of a π-type complex, we find that the reactive complex corresponds instead to an in-plane σ-type complex. This is supported by electronic structure calculations using density functional theory and post-Hartree-Fock methods and Franck-Condon analysis. The reactive pathways in this system were extensively characterized computationally, and consistent with results from previous calculations, we find two nearly isoenergetic arenium ions (Wheland intermediates; denoted WH1, WH2), which lie energetically below the initially formed dimer cation radical complex. At the energy of our experiment, intermediate WH1, produced from ipso-addition, is not stable with respect to Cl or HCl loss, and the relative branching between these channels observed in our experiment is well reproduced by microcanonical transition state theory calculations based upon the calculated parameters. Intermediate WH2, where NH3 adds ortho to the halogen, decomposes over a large barrier via H atom loss to form protonated o-chloroaniline. This channel is not open at the (2-photon) energy of our experiments, and it is suggested that photodissociation of a long-lived (i.e., several ns) WH2 intermediate leads to the observed products.