Ab initio calculation of anharmonic vibrational states of polyatomic systems: Electronic structure combined with vibrational self-consistent field

Infrared Spectra and Ab Initio Calculations for the F-−(CH4)n (n = 1−8) Anion Clusters

Infrared spectra of mass-selected F- -(CH4)n (n = 1-8) clusters are recorded in the CH stretching region (2500-3100 cm-1). Spectra for the n = 1-3 clusters are interpreted with the aid of ab initio calculations at the MP2/6-311++G(2df 2p) level, which suggest that the CH4 ligands bind to F- by equivalent, linear hydrogen bonds. Anharmonic frequencies for CH4 and F--CH4 are determined using the vibrational self-consistent field method with second-order perturbation theory correction. The n = 1 complex is predicted to have a C3v structure with a single CH group hydrogen bonded to F-. Its spectrum exhibits a parallel band associated with a stretching vibration of the hydrogen-bonded CH group that is red-shifted by 380 cm-1 from the nu1 band of free CH4 and a perpendicular band associated with the asymmetric stretching motion of the nonbonded CH groups, slightly red-shifted from the nu3 band of free CH4. As n increases, additional vibrational bands appear as a result of Fermi resonances between the hydrogen-bonded CH stretching vibrational mode and the 2nu4 overtone and nu2+nu4 combination levels of the methane solvent molecules. For clusters with n < or = 8, it appears that the CH4 molecules are accommodated in the first solvation shell, each being attached to the F- anion by equivalent hydrogen bonds.

Infrared studies of ionic clusters: The influence of Yuan T. Lee

Beginning in the mid-1980s, a number of innovative experimental studies on ionic clusters emerged from the laboratory of Yuan T. Lee combining infrared laser spectroscopy and tandem mass spectrometry. Coupled with modern electronic structure calculations, this research explored many facets of ionic clusters including solvation, structure, and dynamics. These efforts spawned a resurgence in gas-phase cluster spectroscopy. This paper will focus on the major areas of research initiated by the Lee group and how these studies stimulated and influenced others in what is currently a vibrant and growing field.

Charge Penetration and the Origin of Large O−H Vibrational Red-Shifts in Hydrated-Electron Clusters, (H2O)n-

The origin of O-H vibrational red-shifts observed experimentally in (H2O)n(-) clusters is analyzed using electronic structure calculations, including natural bond orbital analysis. The red-shifts are shown to arise from significant charge transfer and strong donor-acceptor stabilization between the unpaired electron and O-H sigma* orbitals on a nearby water molecule in a double hydrogen-bond-acceptor ("AA") configuration. The extent of e(-) --> sigma* charge transfer is comparable to the n --> sigma* charge transfer in the most strongly hydrogen-bonded X(-)(H2O) complexes (e.g., X = F, O, OH), even though the latter systems exhibit much larger vibrational red-shifts. In X(-)(H2O), the proton affinity of X(-) induces a low-energy XH...(-)OH diabatic state that becomes accessible in v = 1 of the shared-proton stretch, leading to substantial anharmonicity in this mode. In contrast, the H + (-)OH(H2O)(n-1) diabat of (H2O)n(-) is not energetically accessible; thus, the O-H stretching modes of the AA water are reasonably harmonic, and their red-shifts are less dramatic. Only a small amount of charge penetrates beyond the AA water molecule, even upon vibrational excitation of these AA modes. Implications for modeling of the aqueous electron are discussed.

Automatic generation of force fields and property surfaces for use in variational vibrational calculations of anharmonic vibrational energies and zero-point vibrational averaged properties

An automatic and general procedure for the calculation of geometrical derivatives of the energy and general property surfaces for molecular systems is developed and implemented. General expressions for an n-mode representation are derived, where the n-mode representation includes only the couplings between n or less degrees of freedom. The general expressions are specialized to derivative force fields and property surfaces, and a scheme for calculation of the numerical derivatives is implemented. The implementation is interfaced to electronic structure programs and may be used for both ground and excited electronic states. The implementation is done in the context of a vibrational structure program and can be used in combination with vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF), vibrational configuration interaction (VCI), vibrational Moller-Plesset, and vibrational coupled cluster calculations of anharmonic wave functions and calculation of vibrational averaged properties at the VSCF and VCI levels. Sample calculations are presented for fundamental vibrational energies and vibrationally averaged dipole moments and frequency dependent polarizabilities and hyperpolarizabilities of water and formaldehyde.

Ab Initio Study of the Isomeric Equilibrium of the HCN···H2O and H2O···HCN Hydrogen-Bonded Clusters

An ab initio study of the stability, spectroscopic properties, and isomeric equilibrium of the hydrogen-bonded HCN...H2O and H2O...HCN isomers is presented. Density functional theory and perturbative second-order MP2 and coupled-cluster CCSD(T) calculations were carried out and binding energies obtained with correlation-consistent basis sets including extrapolation to the infinity basis set level. At the best theoretical level, CCSD(T), the H2O...HCN complex is more stable than the HCN...H2O complex by ca. 6.3 kJ mol(-1). Rotational and vibrational spectra, including anharmonic corrections, are calculated. These calculated spectroscopic data are used to obtain thermochemical contributions to the thermodynamic functions and hence the Gibbs free energy. The relative free energies are used to estimate the equilibrium constant for isomerism. We find that under typical conditions of supersonic expansion experiments (T < 150 K) H2O...HCN is essentially the only isomer present. Furthermore, our calculations indicate that the hydrogen-bonded cluster becomes favorable over the separated moieties at temperatures below 200 K.

Explicit Dynamical Electron−Proton Correlation in the Nuclear−Electronic Orbital Framework

A method that includes explicit electron-proton correlation directly into the nuclear-electronic orbital self-consistent-field framework is presented. This nuclear-electronic orbital explicitly correlated Hartree-Fock (NEO-XCHF) scheme is formulated using Gaussian basis functions for the electrons and the quantum nuclei in conjunction with Gaussian-type geminal functions. The NEO approach is designed for the quantum treatment of a relatively small number of nuclei, such as the hydrogen nuclei involved in key hydrogen bonding interactions or hydrogen transfer reactions. The conventional nuclear-electronic-orbital-based methods produce nuclear wave functions that are too localized, leading to severe overestimations of hydrogen vibrational frequencies, as well as inaccuracies in geometries, isotope effects, couplings, and tunneling splittings. The application of the NEO-XCHF approach to a model system illustrates that the description of the nuclear wave function is significantly improved by the inclusion of explicit electron-proton correlation. In contrast to the NEO-HF method, the NEO-XCHF method leads to hydrogen vibrational stretch frequencies that are in excellent agreement with those calculated from grid-based methods. This approach is computationally practical for many-electron systems because only a relatively small number of nuclei are treated quantum mechanically and only electron-proton correlation is treated explicitly. Electron-electron dynamical correlation can be included with density functional theory or perturbation theory methods.

Franck-Condon factors based on anharmonic vibrational wave functions of polyatomic molecules

Franck-Condon (FC) integrals of polyatomic molecules are computed on the basis of vibrational self-consistent-field (VSCF) or configuration-interaction (VCI) calculations capable of including vibrational anharmonicity to any desired extent (within certain molecular size limits). The anharmonic vibrational wave functions of the initial and final states are expanded unambiguously by harmonic oscillator basis functions of normal coordinates of the respective electronic states. The anharmonic FC integrals are then obtained as linear combinations of harmonic counterparts, which can, in turn, be evaluated by established techniques taking account of the Duschinsky rotations, geometry displacements, and frequency changes. Alternatively, anharmonic wave functions of both states are expanded by basis functions of just one electronic state, permitting the FC integral to be evaluated directly by the Gauss-Hermite quadrature used in the VSCF and VCI steps [Bowman et al., Mol. Phys. 104, 33 (2006)]. These methods in conjunction with the VCI and coupled-cluster with singles, doubles, and perturbative triples [CCSD(T)] method have predicted the peak positions and intensities of the vibrational manifold in the X 2B1 photoelectron band of H2O with quantitative accuracy. It has revealed that two weakly visible peaks are the result of intensity borrowing from nearby states through anharmonic couplings, an effect explained qualitatively by VSCF and quantitatively by VCI, but not by the harmonic approximation. The X 2B2 photoelectron band of H2CO is less accurately reproduced by this method, likely because of the inability of CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ to describe the potential energy surface of open-shell H2CO+ with the same high accuracy as in H2O+.

Theoretical Characterization of the Gas-Phase O3⋅⋅⋅HO Hydrogen-Bonded Complex

We report a theoretical study on two gas-phase hydrogen-bonded complexes formed between ozone and hydroxyl radical that have relevance to atmospheric chemistry. This study was carried out by using CASSCF, CASPT2, QCISD, and CCSD(T) theoretical approaches in conjunction with the 6-311+G(2df,2p) and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets. Both complexes have a planar structure and differ from each other in the orientation of the electronic density of the unpaired electron associated with the HO radical moiety. Our calculations predict their stabilities to be 0.87 and 0.67 kcal mol(-1), respectively, at 0 K and show the importance of anharmonic effects in computing the red shift of the HO stretch originating from the hydrogen-bonding interaction. We also report two transition states involving the movement of the HO moiety on the potential energy surfaces of these hydrogen-bonded complexes.

The VMFCI method: a flexible tool for solving the molecular vibration problem

The present article introduces a general variational scheme to find approximate solutions of the spectral problem for the molecular vibration Hamiltonian. It is called the "vibrational mean field configuration interaction" (VMFCI) method, and consists in performing vibrational configuration interactions (VCI) for selected modes in the mean field of the others. The same partition of modes can be iterated until self-consistency, generalizing the vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF) method. As in contracted-mode methods, a hierarchy of partitions can be built to ultimately contract all the modes together. So, the VMFCI method extends the traditional variational approaches and can be included in existing vibrational codes based on the latter approaches. The flexibility and efficiency of this new method are demonstrated on several molecules of atmospheric interest.

New Experimental and Theoretical Approach to the Heterogeneous Hydrolysis of NO2: Key Role of Molecular Nitric Acid and Its Complexes

Although heterogeneous chemistry on surfaces in the troposphere is known to be important, there are currently only a few techniques available for studying the nature of surface-adsorbed species as well as their chemistry and photochemistry under atmospheric conditions of 1 atm pressure and in the presence of water vapor. We report here a new laboratory approach using a combination of long path Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and attenuated total reflectance (ATR) FTIR that allows the simultaneous observation and measurement of gases and surface species. Theory is used to identify the surface-adsorbed intermediates and products, and to estimate their relative concentrations. At intermediate relative humidities typical of the tropospheric boundary layer, the nitric acid formed during NO2 heterogeneous hydrolysis is shown to exist both as nitrate ions from the dissociation of nitric acid formed on the surface and as molecular nitric acid. In both cases, the ions and HNO3 are complexed to water molecules. Upon pumping, water is selectively removed, shifting the NO(3-)-HNO3(H2O)y equilibria toward more dehydrated forms of HNO3 and ultimately to nitric acid dimers. Irradiation of the nitric acid-water film using 300-400 nm radiation generates gaseous NO, while irradiation at 254 nm generates both NO and HONO, resulting in conversion of surface-adsorbed nitrogen oxides into photochemically active NO(x). These studies suggest that the assumption that deposition or formation of nitric acid provides a permanent removal mechanism from the atmosphere may not be correct. Furthermore, a potential role of surface-adsorbed nitric acid and other species formed during the heterogeneous hydrolysis of NO2 in the oxidation of organics on surfaces, and in the generation of gas-phase HONO on local to global scales, should be considered.

Classical Trajectory Simulations of Photoionization Dynamics of Tryptophan: Intramolecular Energy Flow, Hydrogen-Transfer Processes and Conformational Transitions

One-photon and two-photon ionization dynamics of tryptophan is studied by classical trajectory simulations using the semiempirical parametric method number 3 (PM3) potential surface in "on the fly" calculations. The tryptophan conformer is assumed to be in the vibrational ground state prior to ionization. Initial conditions for the trajectories are weighted according to the Wigner distribution function computed for that state. Vertical ionization in the spirit of the classical Franck-Condon principle is assumed. For the two-photon ionization process the ionization is assumed to go resonantively through the first excited state. Most trajectories are computed, and the analysis is carried out for the first 10 ps. A range of interesting effects are observed. The main findings are as follows: (1) Multiple conformational transitions are observed in most of the trajectories within the ultrafast duration of 10 ps. (2) Hydrogen transfer from the carboxyl group to the amino group and back has been observed. A zwitterion is formed as a transient state. (3) Two new isomers are formed during the dynamics, which have apparently not been previously observed. (4) Fast energy flow between the ring modes and the amino acid backbone is observed for both one- and two-photon ionization. However, the effective vibrational temperatures only approach the same value after 90 ps. The conformation transition dynamics, the proton-transfer processes and the vibrational energy flow are discussed and analyzed.

Highly accurate potential-energy and dipole moment surfaces for vibrational state calculations of methane

Full-dimensional ab initio potential-energy surface (PES) and dipole moment surface are constructed for a methane molecule at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ and MP2/cc-pVTZ levels of theory, respectively, by the modified Shepard interpolation method based on the fourth-order Taylor expansion [MSI(4th)]. The reference points for the interpolation have been set in the coupling region of CH symmetric and antisymmetric stretching modes so as to reproduce the vibrational energy levels related to CH stretching vibrations. The vibrational configuration-interaction calculations have been performed to obtain the energy levels and the absorption intensities up to 9000 cm(-1) with the use of MSI(4th)-PES. The calculated fundamental frequencies and low-lying vibrational energy levels show that MSI(4th) is superior to the widely employed quartic force field, giving a better agreement with the experimental values. The absorption bands of overtones as well as combination bands, which are caused by purely anharmonic effects, have been obtained up to 9000 cm(-1). Strongly coupled states with visible intensity have been found in the 6500-9000 cm(-1) region where the experimental data are still lacking.

Prediction of accurate anharmonic experimental vibrational frequencies for water clusters, (H2O)n, n=2-5

Accurate anharmonic experimental vibrational frequencies for water clusters consisting of 2-5 water molecules have been predicted on the basis of comparing different methods with MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ calculated and experimental anharmonic frequencies. The combination of using HF/6-31G* scaled frequencies for intramolecular modes and anharmonic frequencies for intermolecular modes gives excellent agreement with experiment for the water dimer and trimer and are as good as the expensive anharmonic MP2 calculations. The water trimer, the cyclic Ci and S4 tetramers, and the cyclic pentamer all have unique peaks in the infrared spectrum between 500 and 800 cm-1 and between 3400 and 3700 cm-1. Under the right experimental conditions these different clusters can be uniquely identified using high-resolution IR spectroscopy.

First-principles calculation of geometry and anharmonic vibrational spectra of thioformamide and thioformamide-d2

The equilibrium geometry of thioformamide HCSNH2 has been determined at the MP2 and CCSD(T) electron correlation levels under C(s) symmetry constraints using triple-zeta basis sets up to cc-pVTZ. All optimized planar structures are true minima on the potential-energy surface and are characterized by the C-N bond length within 1.353-1.343 A, C-S distances of 1.656-1.628 A, and NCS angle between 125.7 degrees and 125.9 degrees . The wave number of the NH2 out-of-plane wagging mode computed in the harmonic approximation shows stronger dependence on the basis set rather than the electron correlation level and varies from 85.9 cm(-1) at CCSD(T)cc-pVDZ level to 335 cm(-1) at MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ level. Anharmonic vibrational spectra of HCSNH2 and HCSND2 have been determined directly from the potential-energy surfaces computed at MP2 level in triple-zeta valence (TZV)(2df,2p) and TZV+(2df,2p) basis sets using vibrational self-consistent-field (VSCF) and correlation-corrected VSCF (CC-VSCF) methods. CC-VSCF wave numbers of fundamental, first overtone, and most intense combination transitions are reported for thioformamide and those of fundamentals for thioformamide-d2. The NH2 wagging (nu12) mode is strongly anharmonic and its fundamentals have been computed at 406.9 cm(-1) [TZV(2df,2p)] and 399.5 cm(-1) [TZV+(2df,2p)], which is remarkably close to the experimental energy of 393 cm(-1). Anharmonically computed fundamentals of this mode in thioformamide-d2, 299.7 cm(-1) [TZV(2df,2p)] and 299.6 cm(-1) [TZV+(2df,2p)], are only approximately 7 cm(-1) higher than the transition energy (293 cm(-1)) observed in the gas phase spectrum of HCSND2. The first overtone of the NH2 wagging mode of thioformamide (nu12 (02)) has been calculated by CC-VSCF procedure at 830.8 cm(-1) [TZV(2df,2p)] and 880.0 cm(-1) [TZV+(2df,2p)], which implies "negative" (nu12 (02)>2*nu12 (01)) anharmonicity of this mode.

The World of Non-Covalent Interactions: 2006

The review focusses on the fundamental importance of non-covalent interactions in nature by illustrating specific examples from chemistry, physics and the biosciences. Laser spectroscopic methods and both ab initio and molecular modelling procedures used for the study of non-covalent interactions in molecular clusters are briefly outlined. The role of structure and geometry, stabilization energy, potential and free energy surfaces for molecular clusters is extensively discussed in the light of the most advanced ab initio computational results for the CCSD(T) method, extrapolated to the CBS limit. The most important types of non-covalent complexes are classified and several small and medium size non-covalent systems, including H-bonded and improper H-bonded complexes, nucleic acid base pairs, and peptides and proteins are discussed with some detail. Finally, we evaluate the interpretation of experimental results in comparison with state of the art theoretical models: this is illustrated for phenol...Ar, the benzene dimer and nucleic acid base pairs. A review with 270 references.

Experimental infrared spectra of Cl−(ROH) (R = H, CH3, CH3CH2) complexes in the gas-phase

Infrared multiple photon dissociation spectra for the chloride ion solvated by either water, methanol or ethanol have been recorded using an FTICR spectrometer coupled to a free-electron laser, and are presented here along with assignments to the observed bands. The assignments made to the Cl(-)/H(2)O, Cl(-)(CH(3)OH), and Cl(-)(CH(3)CH(2)OH) spectra are based on comparison with the neutral H(2)O, CH(3)OH, and CH(3)CH(2)OH spectra, respectively. This work confirms that a band observed around 1400 cm(-1) in the Cl(-)(H(2)O) spectrum is not due to the Ar tag in Ar predissociation spectra. The carrier of this band is, most likely, the first overtone of the OHCl bend. Based on the position of the overtone in the IRMPD spectrum, 1375 cm(-1), the fundamental must occur very close to 700 cm(-1) and observation of this band should aid theoretical treatments of the spectrum of this complex. B3LYP/6-311++G(2df,2pd) calculations are shown to reproduce the IRMPD spectra of all three solvated chloride species. They also predict that attaching one or two Ar atoms to the Cl(-)(H(2)O) complex results in a shift of no more than a few wavenumbers in the fundamental bands for the bare complex, in agreement with previous experiment. For both alcohol-Cl(-) complexes, the S(N)2 "backside attack" isomers are not observed and Cl(-) is predicted theoretically, and confirmed experimentally, to be bound to the hydroxyl hydrogen. For Cl(-)(CH(3)CH(2)OH), the trans and gauche conformers are similar in energy, with the gauche conformer predicted to be thermodynamically favoured. The experimental infrared spectrum agrees well with that predicted for the gauche conformer but a mixture of gauche and anti conformers cannot be ruled out based on the experimental spectra nor on the computed thermochemistry.

Impact of Nuclear Quantum Effects on the Molecular Structure of Bihalides and the Hydrogen Fluoride Dimer

The structural impact of nuclear quantum effects is investigated for a set of bihalides, [XHX](-), X = F, Cl, and Br, and the hydrogen fluoride dimer. Structures are calculated with the vibrational self-consistent-field (VSCF) method, the second-order vibrational perturbation theory method (VPT2), and the nuclear-electronic orbital (NEO) approach. In the VSCF and VPT2 methods, the vibrationally averaged geometries are calculated for the Born-Oppenheimer electronic potential energy surface. In the NEO approach, the hydrogen nuclei are treated quantum mechanically on the same level as the electrons, and mixed nuclear-electronic wave functions are calculated variationally with molecular orbital methods. Electron-electron and electron-proton dynamical correlation effects are included in the NEO approach using second-order perturbation theory (NEO-MP2). The nuclear quantum effects are found to alter the distances between the heavy atoms by 0.02-0.05 A for the systems studied. These effects are of similar magnitude as the electron correlation effects. For the bihalides, inclusion of the nuclear quantum effects with the NEO-MP2 or the VSCF method increases the X-X distance. The bihalide X-X distances are similar for both methods and are consistent with two-dimensional grid calculations and experimental values, thereby validating the use of the computationally efficient NEO-MP2 method for these types of systems. For the hydrogen fluoride dimer, inclusion of nuclear quantum effects decreases the F-F distance with the NEO-MP2 method and increases the F-F distance with the VSCF and VPT2 methods. The VPT2 F-F distances for the hydrogen fluoride dimer and the deuterated form are consistent with the experimentally determined values. The NEO-MP2 F-F distance is in excellent agreement with the distance obtained experimentally for a model that removes the large amplitude bending motions. The analysis of these calculations provides insight into the significance of electron-electron and electron-proton correlation, anharmonicity of the vibrational modes, and nonadiabatic effects for hydrogen-bonded systems.

Investigation of isotope effects with the nuclear-electronic orbital approach

This paper addresses fundamental issues that arise in the application of the nuclear-electronic orbital (NEO) approach to systems with equivalent quantum nuclei. Our analysis illustrates that Hartree-Fock nuclear wave functions do not provide physically reasonable descriptions of systems comprised of equivalent low-spin fermions or equivalent bosons. The physical basis for this breakdown is that the ionic terms dominate due to the localized nature of the nuclear orbitals. Multi-configurational wave functions that include only covalent terms provide physically reasonable descriptions of these types of systems. The application of the NEO approach to a variety of chemical systems is presented to elucidate the isotope effects on the geometries and electronic wave functions. Deuteration of hydrogen halides, water, ammonia, and hydronium ion decreases the bond length and the magnitude of negative partial atomic charge on the heavy atom. These results are consistent with experimental spectroscopic data. Deuteration at the beta position for formate anion and a series of amines increases the magnitude of negative partial atomic charge on the protonation site for the unprotonated species. This observation is consistent with the experimentally observed increase in basicity upon deuteration at the beta position for carboxylic acids and amines.

Vibrational Spectroscopy of the G· · ·C Base Pair: Experiment, Harmonic and Anharmonic Calculations, and the Nature of the Anharmonic Couplings

The results of harmonic and anharmonic frequency calculations on a guanine-cytosine complex with an enolic structure (a tautomeric form with cytosine in the enol form and with a hydrogen at the 7-position on guanine) are presented and compared to gas-phase IR-UV double resonance spectral data. Harmonic frequencies were obtained at the RI-MP2/cc-pVDZ, RI-MP2/TZVPP, and semiempirical PM3 levels of electronic structure theory. Anharmonic frequencies were obtained by the CC-VSCF method with improved PM3 potential surfaces; the improved PM3 potential surfaces are obtained from standard PM3 theory by coordinate scaling such that the improved PM3 harmonic frequencies are the same as those computed at the RI-MP2/cc-pVDZ level. Comparison of the data with experimental results indicates that the average absolute percentage deviation for the methods is 2.6% for harmonic RI-MP2/cc-pVDZ (3.0% with the inclusion of a 0.956 scaling factor that compensates for anharmonicity), 2.5% for harmonic RI-MP2/TZVPP (2.9% with a 0.956 anharmonicity factor included), and 2.3% for adapted PM3 CC-VSCF; the empirical scaling factor for the ab initio harmonic calculations improves the stretching frequencies but decreases the accuracy of the other mode frequencies. The agreement with experiment supports the adequacy of the improved PM3 potentials for describing the anharmonic force field of the G...C base pair in the spectroscopically probed region. These results may be useful for the prediction of the pathways of vibrational energy flow upon excitation of this system. The anharmonic calculations indicate that anharmonicity along single mode coordinates can be significant for simple stretching modes. For several other cases, coupling between different vibrational modes provides the main contribution to anharmonicity. Examples of strongly anharmonically coupled modes are the symmetric stretch and group torsion of the hydrogen-bonded NH2 group on guanine, the OH stretch and torsion of the enol group on cytosine, and the NH stretch and NH out-of-plane bend of the non-hydrogen-bonded NH group on guanine.

Anharmonic midinfrared vibrational spectra of benzoic acid monomer and dimer

Anharmonic vibrational calculations for the benzoic acid monomer and dimer in the mid-IR regime (500-1800 cm(-1)) are reported. Harmonic frequencies and intensities are obtained at the DFT/B3LYP level of theory employing D95(d,p) and cc-pVTZ basis sets. Anharmonic corrections obtained from standard perturbation theory lead to redshifts of 1%-3%. In almost all cases, the resulting frequencies deviate by less than 1% from previous measurements [Bakker et al., J. Chem. Phys. 119, 11180 (2003)]. Calculated intensities are in qualitative agreement with the absorption experiment, with the cc-pVTZ values being superior to the D95(d,p) ones for a few modes of the dimer. The antisymmetric out-of-plane bending mode of the dimer, which is strongly blueshifted with respect to the monomer frequency, represents a remarkable exception: The harmonic frequencies obtained for the two basis sets differ notably from each other, and the anharmonically corrected frequencies deviate from the experimental value by 8% [D95(d,p)] or 3% (cc-pVTZ). Nonperturbative calculations in reduced dimensionality reveal that the relatively small total anharmonic shift (few tens of cm(-1)) comprises of partly much larger contributions (few hundreds of cm(-1)) which are mostly canceling each other. Many of the individual anharmonic couplings are beyond the validity of second-order perturbation theory based on cubic and semidiagonal quartic force constants only. This emphasizes the need for high-dimensional, nonperturbative anharmonic calculations at high quantum-chemical level when accurate frequencies of H-atom vibrations in double hydrogen bonds are sought for.

Ab Initio Vibrational Calculations for H2SO4 and H2SO4·H2O: Spectroscopy and the Nature of the Anharmonic Couplings

Vibrational frequencies for fundamental, overtone, and combination excitations of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and of sulfuric acid monohydrate cluster (H2SO4 x H2O) are computed directly from ab initio MP2/TZP potential surface points using the correlation-corrected vibrational self-consistent field (CC-VSCF) method, which includes anharmonic effects. The results are compared with experiment. The computed transitions show in nearly all cases good agreement with experimental data and consistent improvement over the harmonic approximation. The CC-VSCF improvements over the harmonic approximation are largest for the overtone and combination excitations and for the OH stretching fundamental. The agreement between the calculations and experiment also supports the validity of the MP2/TZP potential surfaces. Anharmonic coupling between different vibrational modes is found to significantly affect the vibrational frequencies. Analysis of the mean magnitude of the anharmonic coupling interactions between different pairs of normal modes is carried out. The results suggest possible mechanisms for the internal flow of vibrational energy in H2SO4 and H2SO4 x H2O.

Spectral Signatures of Hydrated Proton Vibrations in Water Clusters

The ease with which the pH of water is measured obscures the fact that there is presently no clear molecular description for the hydrated proton. The mid-infrared spectrum of bulk aqueous acid, for example, is too diffuse to establish the roles of the putative Eigen (H3O+) and Zundel (H5O2+) ion cores. To expose the local environment of the excess charge, we report how the vibrational spectrum of protonated water clusters evolves in the size range from 2 to 11 water molecules. Signature bands indicating embedded Eigen or Zundel limiting forms are observed in all of the spectra with the exception of the three- and five-membered clusters. These unique species display bands appearing at intermediate energies, reflecting asymmetric solvation of the core ion. Taken together, the data reveal the pronounced spectral impact of subtle changes in the hydration environment.

Isomeric Mono- and Bis[(phosphane)gold(I)] Thiocyanate Complexes

The solid-state IR spectrum of Me(3)PAuSCN shows two signals in the range of the C-N stretching vibrations at 2075 and 2113 cm(-1). On the basis of thoroughly tested quantum chemical ab initio calculations (MP2 level of theory) these signals have been assigned to the two isomeric forms Me(3)PAuNCS and Me(3)PAuSCN. The molecular structures, the vibrational frequencies, and the relative energies of the two species have been calculated and the results compared with the experimental IR data. Treatment of Me(3)PAuSCN with equimolar quantities of [(Me(3)P)Au](+)[SbF(6)](-) in CH(2)Cl(2) at -78 degrees C gives the dinuclear reaction product [C(7)H(9)Au(2)NP(2)S](+)[SbF(6)](-) in high yields. A comparison of results of ab initio calculations and IR data suggest that at least three isomeric cationic species [(R(3)PAu)(2)NCS](+), [(R(3)PAu)(2)SCN](+) and [(R(3)PAu)SCN(AuPR(3))](+) are present, the second and third being the predominant components. The structures and vibrational frequencies of all three species have been calculated. The relative energies in the gas phase and in solution are discussed and compared with the corresponding data of the experimental IR spectra.

A study of the anharmonic effects on the vibrational spectra of a realistic retinal chromophore model

Ab initio and vibrational self-consistent field (VSCF) computations are used to investigate the vibrational normal coordinates of the protonated Schiff base (PSB) 4-cis-gamma,eta-dimethyl-C9H9 NH2+. The ground and the first excited states are investigated. Both harmonic and anharmonic frequencies for the first three overtones of the ground and first excited states are reported. Special attention is payed to the discussion of the normal coordinates modes that involve the central C=C bond which plays a significant role in the isomerization process.

Response theory for vibrational wave functions

A formalism for deriving and implementing response functions for vibrational wave functions is described. The formalism utilizes a recently developed second-quantization formulation of many-mode dynamics to define nonredundant parameterizations for different types of approximate vibrational wave functions. The derived response functions cover the cases of an exact state, a vibrational self-consistent field state, and a vibrational configuration interaction state. Sample calculations are presented for the linear-response function and response excitation energies for a two-mode model system and for formaldehyde employing a quartic force field. The advantages and disadvantages of the response theoretical approach for describing excitation energies using different parameterizations are discussed.

Photoionization dynamics of glycine adsorbed on a silicon cluster: “On-the-fly” simulations

Dynamics of glycine chemisorbed on the surface of a silicon cluster is studied for a process that involves single-photon ionization, followed by recombination with the electron after a selected time delay. The process is studied by "on-the-fly" molecular dynamics simulations, using the semiempirical parametric method number 3 (PM3) potential energy surface. The system is taken to be in the ground state prior to photoionization, and time delays from 5 to 50 fs before the recombination are considered. The time evolution is computed over 10 ps. The main findings are (1) the positive charge after ionization is initially mostly distributed on the silicon cluster. (2) After ionization the major structural changes are on the silicon cluster. These include Si-Si bond breaking and formation and hydrogen transfer between different silicon atoms. (3) The transient ionization event gives rise to dynamical behavior that depends sensitively on the ion state lifetime. Subsequent to 45 fs evolution in the charged state, the glycine molecule starts to rotate on the silicon cluster. Implications of the results to various processes that are induced by transient transition to a charged state are discussed. These include inelastic tunneling in molecular devices, photochemistry on conducting surfaces, and electron-molecule scattering.

Isotope effects in dipole-bound anions of acetone

Precision measurements using the Rydberg charge-exchange and electric field-detachment methods find that the dipole-bound electron affinity (EA) of acetone (C3H6O) is 55+/-10 mueV greater than for deuterated acetone (C3D6O). The result agrees well with a theoretical prediction obtained with high-level electronic-structure and anharmonic vibrational calculations. The dipole moments calculated for the vibrationally averaged structures of C3H6O and C3D6O show that the isotope effect (2% reduction) on the EA of acetone is mainly due to a slight reduction (0.5%) of the average dipole moment upon deuteration.

On the Contribution of Vibrational Anharmonicity to the Binding Energies of Water Clusters

The second-order vibrational perturbation theory method has been used together with the B3LYP and MP2 electronic structure methods to investigate the effects of anharmonicity on the vibrational zero-point energy (ZPE) contributions to the binding energies of (H2O)n, n = 2-6, clusters. For the low-lying isomers of (H2O)6, the anharmonicity correction to the binding energy is calculated to range from -248 to -355 cm(-1). It is also demonstrated that although high-order electron correlation effects are important for the individual vibrational frequencies, they are relatively unimportant for the net ZPE contributions to the binding energies of water clusters.

Infrared Photodissociation Spectroscopy of Electrosprayed Ions in a Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometer

Previous gas-phase methods for infrared photodissociation spectroscopy (IRPD) require sample volatility. Our method instead uses electrospray ionization to introduce even large nonvolatile molecules into a Fourier transform mass spectrometer, where extended (>15 s) ion storage makes possible high sensitivity spectral measurements with an OPO laser over a range of 3050-3800 cm(-1). The spectra of 22 gaseous proton-bound amino acid complexes are generally correlated with the H-stretching frequencies established for O-H and N-H functional groups in solution. For theoretical structure predictions of the Gly2H+ and N-acylated Asp2H+ dimers, IRPD spectra clearly differentiate between the predicted lowest energy conformers. In contrast to solution, in the gas phase the glycine zwitterion is approximately 20 kcal/mol less stable than the neutral; however, glycine is clearly zwitterionic in the gaseous GlyLysH+ dimer. The level of theory is inadequate for the larger Lys2H+ dimer, as all low energy predicted structures have free carboxyl O-H groups, in contrast to the IR spectrum. IRPD appears to be a promising new technique for providing unique information on a broad range of biomolecular and other gaseous ions, especially on noncovalent bonding involving O-H and N-H groups.

Anharmonic, Temperature, and Matrix Effects on the Molecular Structure and Vibrational Frequencies of Lanthanide Trihalides LnX3 (Ln = La, Lu; X = F, Cl)

MP2 and CCSD(T) ab initio calculations have been carried out to elucidate geometrical structure and vibrational frequencies of representative lanthanide trihalides LnX(3) (Ln = La, Lu; X = F, Cl) explicitly including temperature, anharmonic, inert-gas matrix, and spin-orbit effects. The results have been compared with gas-phase electron diffraction, gas-phase IR measurements, and IR spectra of molecules trapped in inert-gas matrices. On the Born-Oppenheimer surface LaCl(3), LuF(3), and LuCl(3) adopt trigonal planar (D(3)(h)()) geometry while LaF(3) assumes a slightly pyramidal (C(3)(v)()) structure. Because of normal-mode anharmonicities, the resulting thermal average bond angles are considerably lower than the equilibrium ones, while vibrationally averaged bond lengths are predicted to be longer. The inert-gas matrix effects, modeled by the coordination of two inert-gas molecules LnX(3).IG(2) (IG = Ne, Ar, Xe, and N(2)), are substantial and strongly depend on the polarizability of coordinating particles. Coordinating inert-gas units always favor the tendency of LnX(3) molecules to adopt planar structure and induce noticeable frequency shifts.

Influence of Substituents on the Anharmonicity of νs(OH) Vibration in Phenol Derivatives Explored by Experimental and Theoretical Approach

Very good reproducibility of the first five vibrational transitions of phenol in the gas phase by the MP2/ 6-31G potential for O-H bond stretching was found. The vibrational levels were calculated by a program for variational solving of the time-independent Schrödinger equation in one dimension. Relative intensities of particular transitions were determined on the basis of the function of the dipole moment. The substituent effects on the nu(s)(OH) transitions and on the intensity of these transitions, as well as on the structure of eleven phenols, was analyzed as a function of the pK(a) values.

Argon Predissociation Spectroscopy of the OH-·H2O and Cl-·H2O Complexes in the 1000−1900 cm-1 Region: Intramolecular Bending Transitions and the Search for the Shared-Proton Fundamental in the Hydroxide Monohydrate

We present argon predissociation vibrational spectra of the OH(-).H(2)O and Cl(-).H(2)O complexes in the 1000-1900 cm(-1) energy range, far below the OH stretching region reported in previous studies. This extension allows us to explore the fundamental transitions of the intramolecular bending vibrations associated with the water molecule, as well as that of the shared proton inferred from previous assignments of overtones in the higher energy region. Although the water bending fundamental in the Cl(-).H(2)O spectrum is in very good agreement with expectations, the OH(-).H(2)O spectrum is quite different than anticipated, being dominated by a strong feature at 1090 cm(-1). New full-dimensionality calculations of the OH(-).H(2)O vibrational level structure using diffusion Monte Carlo and the VSCF/CI methods indicate this band arises from excitation of the shared proton.

Efficient calculation of potential energy surfaces for the generation of vibrational wave functions

An automatic procedure for the generation of potential energy surfaces based on high level ab initio calculations is described. It allows us to determine the vibrational wave functions for molecules of up to ten atoms. Speedups in computer time of about four orders of magnitude in comparison to standard implementations were achieved. Effects due to introduced approximations--within the computation of the potential--on fundamental modes obtained from vibrational self-consistent field and vibrational configuration interaction calculations are discussed. Benchmark calculations are provided for formaldehyde and 1,2,5-oxadiazole (furazan).

Formation of novel rare-gas molecules in low-temperature matrices

Progress in the study of a new class of chemically bound compounds of noble-gas atoms is reviewed. The focus is on rare-gas molecules of the form HNgY, where Ng is a noble-gas atom and Y is an electronegative group, prepared by photolysis of HY in the rare-gas matrix. Other related types of new molecules of noble-gas atoms are discussed as well. Topics discussed in this review include: (a) The nature of bonding and the energetic stability of the compounds. (b) The vibrational spectroscopy of the molecules, and its role in identification of the species. (c) The mechanism and dynamics of photochemical formation of HNgY in the matrix, and the pathways for thermal and infrared (IR)-induced decomposition. Specifically, attention is given to the issue of "direct" formation following photolysis of HY versus "delayed" formation involving H atom diffusion. (d) Molecules of the lighter rare gases Ar, Ne, and He, focusing on the experimentally prepared HArF and on theoretical predictions suggesting the existence of other molecules. (e) The most-recently discovered photochemically induced insertion compounds of Ng into hydrocarbons, such as HXeCCH. (f) Clusters of HNgY with other molecules. The possible existence of neat aggregates and crystals of HNgY. The reviewed state-of-the-art suggests this field is at an early stage of development with major open questions bearing on the surprising properties of the molecules and on the formation mechanisms. These are part of the challenge for the future.