P. Tarakeshwar

Structures, energies, vibrational spectra, and electronic properties of water monomer to decamer

The correlation of various properties of water clusters (H2O)n=1–10 to the cluster size has been investigated using extensive ab initio calculations. Since the transition from two dimensional (2-D) (from the dimer to pentamer) to 3-D structures (for clusters larger than the hexamer) is reflected in the hexamer region, the hexamer can exist in a number of isoenergetic conformers. The wide-ranging zero-point vibrational effects of the water clusters having dangling H atoms on the conformational stability by the O–H flapping or proton tunneling through a small barrier (∼0.5 kcal/mol) between two different orientations of each dangling H atom are not large (∼0.1) kcal/mol). Large dipole moments (>2.5 D) are found in the dimer and decamer, and significant dipole moments (∼2 D) are observed in the monomer, hexamer, and nonamer. The polarization per unit monomer rapidly increases with an increasing size of the cluster. However, this increase tapers down beyond the tetramer. The O–H vibrational frequencies serve ...

A theoretical investigation of the nature of the π-H interaction in ethene–H2O, benzene–H2O, and benzene–(H2O)2

We have carried out a detailed investigation of the nature of the π-H interaction in the ethene–H2O, benzene–H2O, and benzene–(H2O)2 complexes using large basis sets (ranging from 6-31+G* to TZ2P++) and high levels of theory. The minimum geometries, and hence the vibrational frequencies, of all the complexes have been obtained at the second order Mo/ller–Plesset (MP2) level of theory. The binding energy of the ethene–H2O complex is only about 1 kcal/mol lower than that of the benzene–H2O complex. In the benzene–(H2O)2 complex, the interaction of benzene with the π-bonded water to that with the second water is nearly equivalent. In order to explain the above interesting facets of the interaction of water with benzene and ethene, the interaction energies were decomposed into the individual interaction energy components using the recently developed symmetry adapted perturbation theory (SAPT) program. The SAPT results indicate that the repulsive exchange energies play a crucial role in governing the energies ...

Origin of the magic numbers of water clusters with an excess electron.

Electron-bound water clusters [e(-)(H(2)O)(n)] show very strong peaks in mass spectra for n=2, 6, 7, and (11), which are called magic numbers. The origin of the magic numbers has been an enigma for the last two decades. Although the magic numbers have often been conjectured to arise from the intrinsic properties of electron-bound water clusters, we attributed them not to their intrinsic properties but to the particularly weak stability of the corresponding neutral water clusters (H(2)O)(n=2,6,7, and (11)). As the cluster size increases; this nonsmooth characteristic feature in stability of neutral water clusters is contrasted to the smooth increase in stability of e(-)-water clusters. As the magic number clusters have significant positive adiabatic electron affinities, their abundant distributions in atmosphere could play a significant role in atmospheric thermodynamics.

Anisole-(H2O)n(n=1–3) complexes: An experimental and theoretical investigation of the modulation of optimal structures, binding energies, and vibrational spectra in both the ground and first excited states

We present the results obtained from spectroscopic investigations and quantum chemical calculations of the interaction of anisole (methoxybenzene) with small water clusters. The experiments have been carried out using resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI) and IR-UV double-resonance vibrational spectroscopy (IR/R2PI) in the region of the OH stretches. Apart from the vibrational spectra of the water moiety in the clusters, their intermolecular vibrations in the electronically excited S1 state are identified by IR/R2PI hole burning spectroscopy and assigned according to the vibrations calculated for the S1 state and compared with the vibrations calculated for the S0 state. The calculations for the S0 state were carried out at the second order Moller-Plesset level of theory using both the 6-31+G* and aug-cc-pVDZ basis sets and for the S1 state at the configuration interaction singles (CIS) level with the 6-31+G* basis set. In the electronic ground state (S0), the interaction of a water monomer to anisole is m...

Benzene-hydrogen halide interactions: Theoretical studies of binding energies, vibrational frequencies, and equilibrium structures

High level ab initio calculations have been performed on the benzene-HCl and benzene-HF systems using the second-order Mo/ller-Plesset perturbation theory. In contrast to existing theoretical studies, the calculated binding energies indicate that HCl binds more strongly to benzene than HF. This is in accordance with the limited experimental data available on these systems. An explanation has been forwarded for the above observation by performing a molecular orbital analysis of both C6H6⋯HF and C6H6⋯HCl. In the global minimum of C6H6⋯HF, HF lies inclined to the benzene ring with the hydrogen atom pointing either towards a benzene carbon or the center of carbon-carbon bond. In the C6H6⋯HCl complex, HCl is found to lie along the C6 axis of the benzene ring for smaller basis sets, but it also tends to lie inclined to the benzene ring for a very large basis set. The quantum mechanical probabilistic characterization of the structure of the C6H6⋯HCl complex provides a more realistic description of the experiment...

Fluorobenzene⋯water and difluorobenzene⋯water systems: An ab initio investigation

Recently, Brutschy and co-workers have reported the spectra of (substituted benzene)⋯(H2O)n systems. To investigate the possibility of these systems exhibiting a π–H kind of bonding interaction as observed in benzene⋯(H2O)n systems, we have carried out extensive ab initio calculations on different conformations of the fluorobenzene⋯(H2O) and p-difluorobenzene⋯(H2O) systems using various basis sets. Our results indicate that unlike the π interaction observed in benzene⋯(H2O)n, the O–H of the water molecule is involved in the formation of a six-membered ring system with the F–C–C–H of the aromatic ring. This six-membered ring which results from the formation of two H-bonds (water hydrogen and fluorine, water oxygen and benzene hydrogen), is extensively stabilized by electrostatic interactions. The strength of this σ-bonding interaction of water to fluorobenzene in C6H5F⋯H2O is nearly equal to the corresponding π-bonding interaction of water to benzene in C6H6⋯H2O. However the σ interaction of water to diflu...

Structures, energetics, and spectra of aqua-cesium (I) complexes: An ab initio and experimental study

The design of cesium-selective ionophores must include the nature of cesium-water interactions. The authors have carried out extensive ab initio and density functional theory calculations of hydrated cesium cations to obtain reasonably accurate energetics, thermodynamic quantities, and IR spectra. An extensive search was made to find the most stable structures. Since water...water interactions are important in the aqua-Cs+ clusters, the authors investigated the vibrational frequency shifts as a function of the number of water molecules and the frequency characteristics with and without the presence of outer-shell water molecules. The predicted vibrational frequencies were then compared with the infrared photodissociation spectra of argon-tagged hydrated cesium cluster ions. This comparison allowed the identification of specific hydrogen-bonding structures present in the experimental spectra.

Structures, energies, and spectra of aqua-silver (I) complexes

Owing to the utility of redox phenomena of silver in many chemical systems, it is important to understand the coordination chemistry of Ag+ ion and hence the hydration structure. The lowest-energy conformations of Ag+(H2O)1–6 are sensitive to the calculation method employed. The coordination number (Nc) of Ag+(H2O)n is predicted to be 2 for n=2–6 at the density functional theory level, while the Nc for n=3–5 is 3, and that for n=6 is 4 at the second-order Moller–Plesset perturbation level. Further accurate analysis based on coupled-cluster singles and doubles theory with perturbative corrections for triple excitations agrees with the MP2 results except that Nc of 4 is also as competitive as Nc of 3 for n=5. To identify the correct Nc, it would be useful to facilitate the IR experimental characterization. We thus provide the OH spectra for various possible structures. It is interesting to note that the hydration chemistry of Ag+ ion is somewhat different from that of alkali metal ions.

Role of molecular orbitals of the benzene in electronic nanodevices

In an effort to examine the intricacies of electronic nanodevices, we present an atomistic description of the electronic transport properties of an isolated benzene molecule. We have carried out ab initio calculations to understand the modulation of the molecular orbitals (MOs) and their energy spectra under the external electric field, and conducting behavior of the benzene molecule. Our study shows that with an increase in the applied electric field, the energy of the third lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of benzene decreases, while the first and second LUMO energies are not affected. Above a certain threshold of the external electric field, the third LUMO is lowered below the original LUMO and becomes the real LUMO. Since the transport through a molecule is to a large extent mediated by the molecular orbitals, the change in MOs can lead to a dramatic increase in the current passing through the benzene molecule. Thus, in the course of this study, we show that the modulation of the molecular orbitals in the presence of a tuning parameter(s) such as the external electric field can play important roles in the operation of molecular devices. We believe that this understanding would be helpful in the design of electronic nanodevices.

Interaction of the water dimer with π-systems: A theoretical investigation of structures, energies, and vibrational frequencies

The interaction of the water dimer with both the olefinic and aromatic π systems (ethene, benzene, toluene, fluorobenzene, and p-difluorobenzene) has been investigated using both the supermolecular [second-order Moller–Plesset (MP2)] and perturbational (symmetry adapted perturbation theory) approaches. The geometry optimizations, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and the components of the binding energy were evaluated using fairly large basis sets (6-31+G* and aug-cc-pVDZ). The minimum energy structures obtained at the MP2/6-31+G* and MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ levels of theory indicate that the water dimer exhibits a π-type of interaction with ethene, benzene, and toluene and a σ-type of interaction with both fluorobenzene and p-difluorobenzene. This is demonstrated from the vibrational frequencies which are in good agreement with the experimentally determined numbers. Our calculations indicate that the nature and strength of the interaction of the donor water molecule (water dimer) with the π system has a signific...