Multiply charged anions in the gas phase

Unusual stability of multiply charged organo-metallic complexes

The addition of electron(s), capable of simultaneously satisfying three electron counting rules, renders unusual stability to the charged organometallic complexes.

Formation of dianions in helium nanodroplets

The formation of dianions in helium nanodroplets is reported for the first time. The fullerene cluster dianions (C60)n(2-) and (C70)n(2-) were observed by mass spectrometry for n≥5 when helium droplets containing the appropriate fullerene were subjected to electron impact at approximately 22 eV. A new mechanism for dianion formation is described, which involves a two-electron transfer from the metastable He(-) ion. As well as the prospect of studying other dianions at low temperature using helium nanodroplets, this work opens up the possibility of a wider investigation of the chemistry of He(-), a new electron-donating reagent.

Excited states of multiply-charged anions probed by photoelectron imaging: riding the repulsive Coulomb barrier

Recent progress towards understanding the repulsive Coulomb barrier in multiply-charged anion using photoelectron spectroscopy is discussed.

Quantifying the mechanism of phosphate monoester hydrolysis in aqueous solution by evaluating the relevant ab initio QM/MM free-energy surfaces

Understanding the nature of the free-energy surfaces for phosphate hydrolysis is a prerequisite for understanding the corresponding key chemical reactions in biology. Here, the challenge has been to move to careful ab initio QM/MM (QM(ai)/MM) free-energy calculations, where obtaining converging results is very demanding and computationally expensive. This work describes such calculations, focusing on the free-energy surface for the hydrolysis of phosphate monoesters, paying special attention to the comparison between the one water (1W) and two water (2W) paths for the proton-transfer (PT) step. This issue has been explored before by energy minimization with implicit solvent models and by nonsystematic QM/MM energy minimization, as well as by nonsystematic free-energy mapping. However, no study has provided the needed reliable 2D (3D) surfaces that are necessary for reaching concrete conclusions. Here we report a systematic evaluation of the 2D (3D) free-energy maps for several relevant systems, comparing the results of QM(ai)/MM and QM(ai)/implicit solvent surfaces, and provide an advanced description of the relevant energetics. It is found that the 1W path for the hydrolysis of the methyl diphosphate (MDP) trianion is 6-9 kcal/mol higher than that the 2W path. This difference becomes slightly larger in the presence of the Mg(2+) ion because this ion reduces the pKa of the conjugated acid form of the phosphate oxygen that accepts the proton. Interestingly, the BLYP approach (which has been used extensively in some studies) gives a much smaller difference between the 1W and 2W activation barriers. At any rate, it is worth pointing out that the 2W transition state for the PT is not much higher that the common plateau that serves as the starting point of both the 1W and 2W PT paths. Thus, the calculated catalytic effects of proteins based on the 2W PT mechanistic model are not expected to be different from the catalytic effects predicted using the 1W PT mechanistic model, which was calibrated on the observed barrier in solution and in which the TS charge distribution was similar to the that of the plateau (as was done in all of our previous EVB studies).

Lead-enhanced gas-phase stability of multiply charged EDTA anions: a combined experimental and theoretical study

Besides their fundamental importance, multiply charged anions (MCAs) are considered as promising molecular capacitors for which their intrinsic stabilities are of great significance. Herein, the gas-phase stabilities of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) anions (i.e. [EDTA-nH](n-), n = 1-4) and their Pb(II) complexes (i.e. [EDTA + Pb-nH]((2-n)-), n = 3, 4) have been investigated using an approach that combines extractive electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (EESI-MS) measurements, Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory/Tao-Perdew-Staroverov-Scuseria calculations. The EESI-MS data showed that the doubly charged EDTA anions in the form of [EDTA-2H](2-) and [EDTA + Pb-4H](2-) were much more abundantly observed than the singly charged species such as [EDTA-H](-) and [EDTA + Pb-3H](-), respectively. The calculation results indicated that [EDTA-2H](2-) and [EDTA + Pb-4H](2-) anions were thermodynamically more stable than the [EDTA-H](-) and [EDTA + Pb-3H](-) species in the gas phase, respectively. The [EDTA + Pb-3H](-) anions preferred five-coordinated structure, whereas [EDTA + Pb-4H](2-) anions formed either five-coordinated or six-coordinated structures. The calculations further revealed that significant electron clouds drifting from the ligand EDTA to the metal Pb(II) ions and the large distances between the carboxylic groups reduced the Coulomb repulsion among the excess electrons of these MCAs. Our data demonstrated that EESI-MS combined with theoretic calculations were able to provide a deep insight into the fundamental behavior of stability of MCAs in the gas phase and, thus, might be useful tools for studying MCAs for potential molecular capacitors.

Femtosecond Photoelectron Imaging of Aligned Polyanions: Probing Molecular Dynamics through the Electron-Anion Coulomb Repulsion

The first time-resolved photoelectron imaging study of a polyanion is presented. Using the alignment induced through resonance excitation, the photoelectron angular distributions can be qualitatively understood in terms of the position of localized excess charges on the molecular skeleton, which influence the photoemission dynamics. Pump-probe experiments are used to demonstrate that the photoelectron angular distribution is also sensitive to molecular dynamics. This is shown here for the rotational dynamics of a polyanion, in which the photoelectron anisotropy tracks the rotational coherence as it dephases. The methodology can in principle be applied to general molecular dynamics in large polyanions, providing a new route to studying ultrafast structural dynamics in complex gas-phase systems.

Effect of internal energy on the repulsive Coulomb barrier of polyanions

The nature of the repulsive Coulomb barrier in isolated molecular polyanions is studied by means of the photodetachment dynamics of the S(1) excited state of the fluorescein dianion which is bound solely by the repulsive Coulomb barrier. Photoelectron spectra reveal a feature at a constant electron kinetic energy, regardless of the excitation energy. This is explained by using an adiabatic tunneling picture for electron loss through successive repulsive Coulomb barriers correlating to vibrationally excited states. This physical picture is supported by time-resolved photoelectron spectra, showing that the tunneling lifetime is also invariant with excitation energy.

Spectroscopy and fragmentation of undercoordinated bromoiridates

We report gas-phase electronic photodissociation spectra of the undercoordinated bromoiridate complexes IrBr(4)(-) and IrBr(5)(-) at photon energies from 1 to 5.6 eV. Both ions have open-shell ground states with low-symmetry structures. The fragmentation is characterized by thresholds for the loss of one Br atom for IrBr(4)(-) and one or two Br atoms for IrBr(5)(-). The experimental spectra consist of ligand-to-metal charge transfer transitions and reveal a large density of electronic states that can be recovered by time-dependent density functional theory.

Guiding electron emissions by excess negative charges in multiply charged molecular anions

Using photoelectron imaging, we show the effects of excess negative charges on the directions of outgoing electrons in multiply charged anions. Photoemissions are observed to occur either in a perpendicular or parallel direction, depending on the molecular configurations and origins of the detached electrons. Detachment of the π electrons from biphenyl-disulfonate dianions is shown to occur in a perpendicular direction due to the Coulomb repulsion from the two terminal charges, whereas detachment from the sulfonate groups in linear aliphatic disulfonates occurs in parallel directions.

Tandem mass spectrometry for the analysis of self-sorted pseudorotaxanes: the effects of Coulomb interactions

The increasing complexity of self-assembled supramolecules generates the need for analytical techniques that can accurately elucidate their structures. Here, we explore the ability of tandem mass spectrometry to deliver structural information on a series of self-sorted crown ether/ammonium pseudorotaxanes. Of these intertwined molecules, different charge states are accessible and the effects of Coulomb interactions on the fragmentation pattern can be examined. Three different cases can be distinguished: (1) one or more counterions are present in the complex and compete with the crown for binding to the ammonium ion. This destabilizes the supramolecular bond. (2) In multiply charged complexes, charge repulsion significantly alters the fragmentation behavior as compared with singly charged ions. (3) If guest and host are both charged, the supramolecular bond becomes very weak. The different charge states provide different pieces of information about the supramolecules under study. Although singly charged complexes provide data on the building block connectivity, the doubly charged analogs are more reliable with respect to complex stoichiometry. As there are several factors which may cause differences in the gas phase and solution behavior of supramolecules (the presence and absence of solvation, changes in the strength of non-covalent interactions upon ionization), it is important to establish well understood correlations between the complexes' gas-phase behavior and their solution structures. A more detailed understanding will help to characterize the structures of even more complex supramolecular architectures by mass spectrometry.

First observation of a tetra-anionic metal cluster, Al(n)(4-)

The production of aluminum cluster tetra-anions, and thus the first observation of a tetra-anionic metal cluster in the gas-phase, is reported. The aluminum cluster polyanions were generated by use of the "electron-bath technique." The smallest tetra-anion observed was Al(215) (4-), containing 14% fewer atoms than expected from classical estimates of the tetra-anion appearance size.

Study of electronic structure and dynamics of interacting free radicals influenced by water

We present a study of electronic structure, stability, and dynamics of interaction and recombination of free radicals such as HO(2) and OH influenced by water. As simple model calculations, we performed ab initio and density functional calculations for the interaction of HO(2) and OH in the presence of water cluster. Results indicate that a significant interaction, overcoming the repulsive Columbic barrier, occurs at a separation distance between the radicals of 5.7 A. This confirms early predictions of the minimum size of molecular dianions stable in the gas phase. It is well known that atomic dianions are unstable in the gas phase but molecular dianions are stable when the size of the molecule is larger than 5.7 A. Ab initio molecular dynamics calculations with Car-Parrinello scheme show that the reaction is very fast and occurs on a time scale of about 1.5 ps. The difference in stability and dynamics of the interacting free radicals on singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces is also discussed.

Energetics of linear carbon chains in one-dimensional restricted environment

The energetics of even and odd linear C(n) carbon chain clusters are investigated by hybrid density functional theory (DFT) calculations. These molecular species are especially interesting due to their recent observation inside carbon nanotubes by polarized resonant Raman spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) by different research groups. Neutral, anionic and dianionic carbon chains were studied with sizes up to n=75, although most presented calculations are limited to n<or= 24. Aggregation into longer chains is favored for neutral and anionic chains of any size. The barrier to aggregation of 2C(n)<-->C(2n) is of the order of 40-20 kcal mol(-1), which gradually decreases with increasing chain size, n. These barriers can be overcome during the high temperature synthesis or annealing conditions, but not when cooled down for the HRTEM and Raman experiments. Therefore, in addition to the already observed long chains also shorter chains should be observable under appropriate conditions inside carbon nanotubes.