Dihydrogen bonding: structures, energetics, and dynamics

Infrared-optical double-resonance measurements on O-H...H-Ge dihydrogen-bonded phenol-triethylgermanium hydride complex in the gas phase

Spectroscopic investigation of a dihydrogen-bonded complex between phenol and triethylgermanium hydride is reported here. Laser-induced fluorescence excitation, fluorescence-detected infrared, and IR-UV hole-burning spectroscopic studies were carried out in supersonic jet to investigate the complex formation between phenol and triethylgermanium hydride. The lowering of the O-H stretching frequency of the phenol moiety in the complex with triethylgermanium hydride clearly establishes the role of phenol as hydrogen bond donor. The experimental results together with the ab-initio calculations unambiguously confirm formation of an O-H...H-Ge dihydrogen-bonded complex between phenol and triethylgermanium hydride.

Spectroscopic properties of a strongly anharmonic Mannich base N-oxide

Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations in vacuum and in the solid state are performed on a strongly anharmonic system, namely, 2-(N-diethylamino-N-oxymethyl)-4,6-dichlorophenol, to investigate its molecular and spectroscopic properties. The investigated compound contains two slightly different molecules in the crystal cell with very short intramolecular hydrogen bonds (of 2.400 and 2.423 A), as determined previously by neutron diffraction. The vibrational properties of the compound are studied on the basis of standard approaches, that is, Fourier transformation of the autocorrelation functions of the atomic velocities and dipole moments. Then, the trajectory obtained from ab initio molecular dynamics is sampled and the obtained snapshots are used to solve the vibrational Schrödinger equations and to calculate the O--H stretching envelope as a superposition of the 0-->1 transition. Using an envelope method, the a posteriori quantum effects are included in the O--H stretching. In addition, NMR spectra are calculated also using the obtained snapshots. One- and two-dimensional potentials of mean force (1D and 2D pmf) are derived to explain the details of the proton dynamics. The computational results are supported by NMR experimental data. In addition, the calculated results are compared with previously published X-ray, neutron diffraction, and spectroscopic descriptions. A detailed analysis of the bridged proton's dynamics is thus obtained. The application of 1D and 2D pmf in a system with a strong bridged-proton delocalization is also demonstrated.

Synthesis of heterobimetallic Ru-Mn complexes and the coupling reactions of epoxides with carbon dioxide catalyzed by these complexes

The heterobimetallic complexes [(eta5-C5H5)Ru(CO)(mu-dppm)Mn(CO)4] and [(eta5-C5Me5)Ru(mu-dppm)(mu-CO)2Mn(CO)3] (dppm = bis-diphenylphosphinomethane) have been prepared by reacting the hydridic complexes [(eta5-C5H5)Ru(dppm)H] and [(eta5-C5Me5)Ru(dppm)H], respectively, with the protonic [HMn(CO)5] complex. The bimetallic complexes can also be synthesized through metathetical reactions between [(eta5-C5R5)Ru(dppm)Cl] (R = H or Me) and Li+[Mn(CO)5]-. Although the complexes fail to catalyze the hydrogenation of CO2 to formic acid, they catalyze the coupling reactions of epoxides with carbon dioxide to yield cyclic carbonates. Two possible reaction pathways for the coupling reactions have been proposed. Both routes begin with heterolytic cleavage of the RuMn bond and coordination of an epoxide molecule to the Lewis acidic ruthenium center. In Route I, the Lewis basic manganese center activates the CO2 by forming the metallocarboxylate anion which then ring-opens the epoxide; subsequent ring-closure gives the cyclic carbonate. In Route II, the nucleophilic manganese center ring-opens the ruthenium-attached epoxide to afford an alkoxide intermediate; CO2 insertion into the RuO bond followed by ring-closure yields the product. Density functional calculations at the B3LYP level of theory were carried out to understand the structural and energetic aspects of the two possible reaction pathways. The results of the calculations indicate that Route II is favored over Route I.

Novel infrared spectra for intermolecular dihydrogen bonding of the phenol-borane-trimethylamine complex in electronically excited state

The intermolecular dihydrogen bonding in the electronically excited states of the dihydrogen-bonded phenol-BTMA complex in gas phase was theoretically investigated using the time-dependent density functional theory method for the first time. It was theoretically demonstrated that the S(1) state of the dihydrogen-bonded phenol-BTMA complex is a locally excited state, in which only the phenol moiety is electronically excited. The infrared spectra of the dihydrogen-bonded phenol-BTMA complex in ground state and the S(1) state were calculated at both the O-H and B-H stretching vibrational regions. A novel infrared spectrum of the dihydrogen-bonded phenol-BTMA complex in the electronically excited state was found. The stretching vibrational absorption bands of the dihydrogen-bonded O-H and B-H groups are very strong in the ground state, while they are disappeared in the S(1) state. At the same time, a new strong absorption band appears at the C[Double Bond]O stretching region. From the calculated bond lengths, it was found that both the O-H and B-H bonds in the dihydrogen bond O-H...H-B are significantly lengthened in the S(1) state of the dihydrogen-bonded phenol-BTMA complex. However, the C-O bond in the phenol moiety is markedly shortened in the excited state, and then has the characteristics of C[Double Bond]O group. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the intermolecular dihydrogen bonds in the electronically excited state of the dihydrogen-bonded phenol-BTMA complex are strengthened, since calculated H...H distance is drastically shortened in the S(1) state.

Carbon Dioxide Hydrogenation Catalyzed by a Ruthenium Dihydride: A DFT and High-Pressure Spectroscopic Investigation

Reaction pathways during CO(2) hydrogenation catalyzed by the Ru dihydride complex [Ru(dmpe)(2)H(2)] (dmpe=Me(2)PCH(2)CH(2)PMe(2)) have been studied by DFT calculations and by IR and NMR spectroscopy up to 120 bar in toluene at 300 K. CO(2) and formic acid readily inserted into or reacted with the complex to form formates. Two formate complexes, cis-[Ru(dmpe)(2)(OCHO)(2)] and trans-[Ru(dmpe)(2)H(OCHO)], were formed at low CO(2) pressure (<5 bar). The latter occurred exclusively when formic acid reacted with the complex. A RuHHOCHO dihydrogen-bonded complex of the trans form was identified at H(2) partial pressure higher than about 50 bar. The trans form of the complex is suggested to play a pivotal role in the reaction pathway. Potential-energy profiles along possible reaction paths have been investigated by static DFT calculations, and lower activation-energy profiles via the trans route were confirmed. The H(2) insertion has been identified as the rate-limiting step of the overall reaction. The high energy of the transition state for H(2) insertion is attributed to the elongated Ru--O bond. The H(2) insertion and the subsequent formation of formic acid proceed via Ru(eta(2)-H(2))-like complexes, in which apparently formate ion and Ru(+) or Ru(eta(2)-H(2))(+) interact. The bond properties of involved Ru complexes were characterized by natural bond orbital analysis, and the highly ionic characters of various complexes and transition states are shown. The stability of the formate ion near the Ru center likely plays a decisive role for catalytic activity. Removal of formic acid from the dihydrogen-bonded complex (RuHHOCHO) seems to be crucial for catalytic efficiency, since formic acid can easily react with the complex to regenerate the original formate complex. Important aspects for the design of highly active catalytic systems are discussed.

Protonation Processes and Electronic Spectra of Histidine and Related Ions

A full structural assignment of the neutral, protonated, and deprotonated histidine conformers in the gas phase is presented. A total of 3024 unique trial structures were generated by all combinations of internal single-bond rotamers of these species and optimized at the B3LYP/6-311G* level and further optimized at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level. A set of unique conformers is found, and their relative energies, free energies, dipole moments, rotational constants, electron affinities, ionization energies, and harmonic frequencies are determined. The population ratio of histidine and its tautomer is 1:0.16 at 298 K. Massive conformational changes are observed due to protonation and deprotonation, and the intramolecular H-bonds are characterized with the atoms in molecules theory. The calculated proton dissociation energy, gas-phase acidity, proton affinity, and gas-phase basicity are in excellent agreement with the experiments. The deprotonation and protonation of gaseous histidine both occur on the imidazole ring, explaining the versatile biofunctions of histidine in large biomolecules. The UV spectra of neutral and singly and doubly protonated histidine are investigated with the TDDFT/B3LYP/6-311+G(2df,p) calculations. The S0-S1, S0-S2, and S0-S3 excitations of histidine are mixed pipi*/npi* transitions at 5.37, 5.44, and 5.69 eV, respectively. The three excitation energies for histidine tautomer are 4.85, 5.47, and 5.52 eV, respectively. The three excitations for protonated histidine are mainly npi* transitions at 5.45, 5.67, and 5.82 eV, respectively. The S0-S1 excitation of protonated histidine produces ImH-CbetaH2-CalphaH(COOH)-NH2+, while the S0-S2 and S0-S3 transitions produce ImH-CbetaH2-CalphaH(NH2)-(COOH)+. These data may help to understand the mechanisms of the UV fragmentation of biomolecules.

Electron density topological properties are useful to assess the difference between hydrogen and dihydrogen complexes

B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) and MP2/6-31++G(d,p) calculations for a series of hydrogen- and dihydrogen-bonded systems have been carried out in order to analyze the topology of the electron density and the energy densities at the respective energy-optimized bond critical points. Even though there are no significant differences when these properties are represented as a function of the dimerization energy, they can be separated into two well-defined sets if those properties are correlated with intermolecular distances. When analyzing the dependence of various properties with equilibrium bond lengths, the specific trends of dihydrogen bond systems consist of (a) lower electron density at the bond critical point, and (b) lower concentration/depletion of that density which can be translated in a different behavior for the Laplacian components. Furthermore, the sets of molecules form two different plots which allow for a valuable classification between hydrogen- and dihydrogen-bonded systems.

Reliable Predictions of the Thermochemistry of Boron−Nitrogen Hydrogen Storage Compounds: BxNxHy, x = 2, 3

Thermochemical data calculated using ab initio molecular orbital theory are reported for 16 BxNxHy compounds with x = 2, 3 and y > or = 2x. Accurate gas-phase heats of formation were obtained using coupled cluster with single and double excitations and perturbative triples (CCSD(T)) valence electron calculations extrapolated to the complete basis set (CBS) limit with additional corrections including core/valence, scalar relativistic, and spin-orbit corrections to predict the atomization energies and scaled harmonic frequencies to correct for zero point and thermal energies and estimate entropies. Computationally cheaper calculations were also performed using the G3MP2 and G3B3 variants of the Gaussian 03 method, as well as density functional theory (DFT) using the B3LYP functional. The G3MP2 heats of formation are too positive by up to approximately 6 kcal/mol as compared with CCSD(T)/CBS values. The more expensive G3B3 method predicts heats of formation that are too negative as compared with the CCSD(T)/CBS values by up to 3-4 kcal/mol. DFT using the B3LYP functional and 6-311+G** basis set predict isodesmic reaction energies to within a few kcal/mol compared with the CCSD(T)/CBS method so isodesmic reactions involving BN compounds and the analogous hydrocarbons can be used to estimate heats of formation. Heats of formation of c-B3N3H12 and c-B3N3H6 are -95.5 and -115.5 kcal/mol at 298 K, respectively, using our best calculated CCSD(T)/CBS approach. The experimental value for c-B3N3H6 appears to be approximately 7 kcal/mol too negative. Enthalpies, entropies, and free energies are calculated for many dehydrocoupling and dehydrogenation reactions that convert BNH6 to alicyclic and cyclic oligomers and H2(g). Generally, the reactions are highly exothermic and exergonic as well because of the release of 1 or more equivalents of H2(g). For c-B3N3H12 and c-B3N3H6, available experimental data for sublimation and vaporization lead to estimates of their condensed phase 298 K heats of formation: DeltaHf degrees [c-B3N3H12(s)] = -124 kcal/mol and DeltaHf degrees [c-B3N3H6(l)] = -123 kcal/mol. The reaction thermochemistries for the dehydrocoupling of BNH6(s) to c-B3N3H12(s) and the dehydrogenation of c-B3N3H12(s) to c-B3N3H6(l) are much less exothermic compared with the gas-phase reactions due to intermolecular forces which decrease in the order BNH6 > cyclo-B3N3H12 > cyclo-B3N3H6. The condensed phase reaction free energies are less negative compared with the gas-phase reactions but are still too favorable for BNH6 to be regenerated from either c-B3N3H12 or c-B3N3H6 by just an overpressure of H2.

Unusual halogen-bonded complex FBrδ+⋯Brδ+F and hydrogen-bonded complex FBrδ+⋯Hδ+F formed by interactions between two positively charged atoms of different polar molecules

Using ab initio calculations, the authors' predicted for the first time that the halogen-bonded complex FBrdelta+...delta+BrF and hydrogen-bonded complex FBrdelta+...delta+HF formed by the interactions between two positively charged atoms of different polar molecules can be stable in gas phase. It shows that halogen bond or hydrogen bond not only exists between oppositely charged atoms but also between like-charged atoms. That the attraction arising from the special halogen bond or hydrogen bond can exceed the electrostatic repulsion between two contact positively charged atoms stabilizes the complex. Of course, from the point of view of physics they can consider the interactions in FBrdelta+...delta+BrF and FBrdelta+...delta+HF as mainly the sum of the long range molecular interactions, namely, electrostatic, induction, and dispersion with some short-range repulsion. They found that the intermolecular electron correlation contribution representing dispersion interaction plays a crucial role in the stabilities of seemingly repulsive complexes FBrdelta+...delta+BrF and FBrdelta+...delta+HF.

Self-Assembly of Halogenated Cobaltacarborane Compounds: Boron-Assisted CH⋅⋅⋅XB Hydrogen Bonds?

Full structural characterisation and complete synthetic procedures for three monohalogenated cobaltacarborane compounds closo-[3-Co(eta5-C5H5)-8-X-1,2-C2B9H10] (X=Cl (1), Br (2), I (3)) and the dibromo derivative closo-[3-Co(eta5-C5H5)-8,9-Br2-1,2-C2B9H9] (4) are reported. The supramolecular structures of 1, 3, and 4 reveal the existence of intermolecular C--HX--B interactions. The role of these interactions has been investigated through a CSD search and subsequent analysis of the reported crystalline compounds. The results show that halogens become reasonably good hydrogen-bond acceptors when bonded to boron and, in this respect, are comparable in strength to metal-bound halogens.

Proton-transfer and H2-elimination reactions of main-group hydrides EH4- (E = B, Al, Ga) with alcohols

The reaction of the isostructural anions of group 13 hydrides EH4- (E = B, Al, Ga) with proton donors of different strength (CH3OH, CF3CH2OH, and CF3OH) was studied with different theoretical methods [DFT/B3LYP and second-order Møller-Plesset (MP2) using the 6-311++G(d,p) basis set]. The results show the general mechanism of the reaction: the dihydrogen-bonded (DHB) adduct (EH...HO) formation leads through the activation barrier to the next concerted step of H2 elimination and alkoxo product formation. The structures, interaction energies (calculated by different approaches including the energy decomposition analysis), vibrational E-H modes, and electron-density distributions were analyzed for all of the DHB adducts. The transition state (TS) is the dihydrogen complex stabilized by a hydrogen bond with the anion [EH3(eta2-H2)...OR-]. The single exception is the reaction of BH4- with CF3OH exhibiting two TSs separated by a shallow minimum of the BH3(eta2-H2)...OR- intermediate. The structures and energies of all of the species were calculated, leading to the establishment of the potential energy profiles for the reaction. A comparison is made with the mechanism of the proton-transfer reaction to transition-metal hydrides. The solvent influence on the stability of all of the species along the reaction pathway was accounted for by means of polarizable conductor calculation model calculations in tetrahydrofuran (THF). Although in THF the DHB intermediates, the TSs, and the products are destabilized with respect to the separated reactants, the energy barriers for the proton transfer are only slightly affected by the solvent. The dependence of the energies of the DHB complexes, TSs, and products as well as the energy barriers for the H2 release on the central atom and the proton donor strength is also discussed.

Molecular Mechanism for H2 Release from BH3NH3, Including the Catalytic Role of the Lewis Acid BH3

Electronic structure calculations using various methods, up to the coupled-cluster CCSD(T) level, in conjunction with the aug-cc-pVnZ basis sets with n = D, T, and Q, extrapolated to the complete basis set limit, show that the borane molecule (BH3) can act as an efficient bifunctional acid-base catalyst in the H2 elimination reactions of XHnYHn systems (X, Y = C, B, N). Such a catalyst is needed as the generation of H2 from isoelectronic ethane and borane amine compounds proceeds with an energy barrier much higher than that of the X-Y bond energy. The asymptotic energy barrier for H2 release is reduced from 36.4 kcal/mol in BH3NH3 to 6.0 kcal/mol with the presence of BH3 relative to the molecular asymptote. The NH3 molecule can also participate in a similar catalytic process but induces a smaller reduction of the energy barrier. The kinetics of these processes was analyzed by both transition-state and RRKM theory. The catalytic effect of BH3 has also been probed by an analysis of the electronic densities of the transition structures using the atom-in-molecule (AIM) and electron localization function (ELF) approaches.

Ammonia–borane: the hydrogen source par excellence?

Ammonia-borane, H3NBH3, is an intriguing molecule for chemical hydrogen storage applications. With both protic N-H and hydridic B-H bonds, three H atoms per main group element, and a low molecular weight, H3NBH3 has the potential to meet the stringent gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen storage capacity targets needed for transportation applications. Furthermore, devising an energy-efficient chemical process to regenerate H3NBH3 from dehydrogenated BNHx material is an important step towards realization of a sustainable transportation fuel. In this perspective we discuss current progress in catalysis research to control the rate and extent of hydrogen release and preliminary efforts at regeneration of H3NBH3.

Conformational Preferences of Methacrolein in Diels−Alder and 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Reactions

A B3LYP/6-31G* study has been carried out for the reactions of methacrolein with cyclopentadiene, parent nitrone, 1-pyrroline-1-oxide, and (Z)-C,N-diphenylnitrone, in which the coordination of a Lewis acid (borane) and the solvent polarity (dichloromethane) have been taken into account. Calculated activation parameters, regioselectivities (for 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions), and endo/exo stereoselectivities show good agreement with available experimental data. Gas-phase calculations show a varied behavior of the s-cis/s-trans TS stability for noncatalyzed reactions (from the systematic s-cis preference for the cyclopentadiene reaction to the systematic s-trans predilection encountered in the diphenylnitrone cycloaddition). BH3 coordination leads to a preferential stabilization of s-trans TSs in the reactions of cyclopentadiene (exo approach) and diphenylnitrone but a larger stabilization of s-cis structures in the processes involving the parent nitrone or 1-pyrroline-1-oxide. Additionally, a rather systematic preferential stabilization of s-trans structures is induced by solvent polarity in most reactions. As a consequence, an s-trans preference is predicted in solution for both thermal and catalyzed types of reactions in most approaches. Such a conclusion is consistent with some experimental results suggesting a preference for a particular conformation of the methacrolein-Lewis acid complexes.

H∕D isotope effect on the dihydrogen bond of NH4+⋯BeH2 by ab initio path integral molecular dynamics simulation

In order to investigate the HD isotope effect on a dihydrogen bonded cation system, we have studied NH+4...BeH2 and its isotopomers by ab initio path integral molecular dynamics. It is found that the dihydrogen bond can be exchanged by NH+(4) rotation. The deuterated isotopomer (ND+(4)...BeD(2); DD) can exchange the dihydrogen bond more easily than other isotopomers such as (NH+4...BeH2; HH). This unusual isotope effect is ascribed to the "quantum localization" which occurs when the effective energy barrier for the rotational mode becomes higher by the zero point energy of other modes. We also found that the binding energy of dihydrogen bonds for DD species is the smallest among the isotopomers.

Gaseous Arginine Conformers and Their Unique Intramolecular Interactions

Extensive ab initio calculations were employed to characterize stable conformers of gaseous arginine, both the canonical and zwitterionic tautomers. Step-by-step geometry optimizations of possible single-bond rotamers at the B3LYP/6-31G(d), B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p), and MP2/6-31++G(d,p) levels yield numerous structures that are more stable than any known ones. The final electronic energies of the conformers were determined at the CCSD/6-31++G(d,p) level. The lowest energies of the canonical and zwitterionic structures are lower than the existing values by 2.0 and 2.3 kcal/mol, respectively. The relative energies, rotational constants, dipole moments, and harmonic frequencies of the stable conformers remain for future experimental verification. The conformational distributions at various temperatures, estimated according to thermodynamic principles, consist almost exclusively of the newly found structures. One striking feature is the occurrence of blue-shifting hydrogen bonds in all six of the most stable conformers. A unique feature of important conformations is the coexistence of dihydrogen and blue- and red-shifting hydrogen bonds. In addition to the hydrogen bonds, the stereoelectronic effects were also found to be important stabilization factors. The calculated and measured proton affinities agree within the theoretical and experimental uncertainties, affirming the high quality of our conformational search. The theoretical gas-phase basicity of 245.9 kcal/mol is also in good agreement with the experimental value of 240.6 kcal/mol. The extensive searches establish firmly that gaseous arginine exists primarily in the canonical and not the zwitterionic form.