Five Hypotheses on the Origins of Temperature Dependence of 77Se NMR Shifts in Diselenides

Notable thermal shifts in diselenides have been documented in 77Se NMR for more than 50 years, but no satisfactory explanation has been found. Here, five hypotheses are considered as possible explanations for the large temperature dependence of the 77Se chemical shifts of diaryl and dialkyl diselenides compared to monoselenides and selenols. Density functional theory calculations are provided to bolster hypotheses and better understand the effects of barrier height and dipole energies. It is proposed that the temperature dependence of diselenide 77Se NMR chemical shifts is due to rotation around the Se-Se bond and sampling of twisted conformers at higher temperatures. The molecular twisting is solvent dependent; here, DMSO-d6 and toluene-d8 were evaluated. No correlation was established between para-substituents on diaryl diselenides and the magnitude of the change in the 77Se NMR shift (Δδ) with temperature.

Symmetric Mixed Sulfur-Selenium Fused Ring Systems as Potential Materials for Organic Field-Effect Transistors

A reliable synthetic protocol toward a series of fused chalcogenopheno[1]benzochalcogenophene (CBC) building blocks was developed based on a Fiesselmann reaction. The obtained CBC units were applied in McMurry and Stille coupling reactions toward symmetric regioisomeric ene-linked dimers. These π-conjugated compounds were characterized regarding their photophysical and electrochemical properties and proved to be materials with reduced HOMO-LUMO gaps compared to their sulfur-based analogues. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments revealed strong intermolecular selenium-selenium and selenium-carbon interactions depending on the position and number of incorporated selenium atoms. Good field-effect transistor performance with charge carrier mobilities up to 4×10^-3  cm²  V^-1  s^-1 and high on/off ratios could be observed.

MP2 calculation of (77) Se NMR chemical shifts taking into account relativistic corrections

The main factors affecting the accuracy and computational cost of the Second-order Möller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) calculation of (77) Se NMR chemical shifts (methods and basis sets, relativistic corrections, and solvent effects) are addressed with a special emphasis on relativistic effects. For the latter, paramagnetic contribution (390-466 ppm) dominates over diamagnetic term (192-198 ppm) resulting in a total shielding relativistic correction of about 230-260 ppm (some 15% of the total values of selenium absolute shielding constants). Diamagnetic term is practically constant, while paramagnetic contribution spans over 70-80 ppm. In the (77) Se NMR chemical shifts scale, relativistic corrections are about 20-30 ppm (some 5% of the total values of selenium chemical shifts). Solvent effects evaluated within the polarizable continuum solvation model are of the same order of magnitude as relativistic corrections (about 5%). For the practical calculations of (77) Se NMR chemical shifts of the medium-sized organoselenium compounds, the most efficient computational protocols employing relativistic Dyall's basis sets and taking into account relativistic and solvent corrections are suggested. The best result is characterized by a mean absolute error of 17 ppm for the span of (77) Se NMR chemical shifts reaching 2500 ppm resulting in a mean absolute percentage error of 0.7%.

A Computational and Experimental Study of the Structures and Raman and 77Se NMR Spectra of SeX3+ and SeX2 (X = Cl, Br, I): FT-Raman Spectrum of (SeI3)[AsF6]

The ability of MP2, B3PW91 and PBE0 methods to produce reliable predictions in structural and spectroscopic properties of small selenium-halogen molecules and cations has been demonstrated by using 6-311G(d) and cc-pVTZ basis sets. Optimized structures and vibrational frequencies agree closely with the experimental information, where available. Raman intensities are also well reproduced at all levels of theory. Calculated GIAO isotropic shielding tensors yield a reasonable linear correlation with the experimental chemical shift data at each level of theory. The largest deviations between calculated and experimental chemical shifts are found for selenium-iodine species. The agreement between observed and calculated chemical shifts for selenium-iodine species can be improved by inclusion of relativistic effects using the ZORA method. The best results are achieved by adding spin-orbit correction terms from ZORA calculations to nonrelativistic GIAO isotropic shielding tensors. The calculated isotropic shielding tensors can be utilized in the spectroscopic assignment of the 77Se chemical shifts of novel selenium-halogen molecules and cations. The experimental FT-Raman spectra of (SeI3)[AsF6] in the solid state and in SO2(l) solution are also reported.

Experimental and Theoretical Studies on the Nature of Weak Nonbonded Interactions between Divalent Selenium and Halogen Atoms

To investigate the nature of weak nonbonded selenium...halogen interactions (Se...X interactions; X = F, Cl, and Br), three types of model compounds [2-(CH(2)X)C(6)H(4)SeY (1-3), 3-(CH(2)X)-2-C(10)H(6)SeY (4-6), and 2-XC(6)H(4)CH(2)SeY (7-9); Y = CN, Cl, Br, SeAr, and Me] were synthesized, and their (77)Se NMR spectroscopic behaviors were analyzed in CDCl(3). The gradual upfield shifts of (77)Se NMR absorptions observed for series 1-3 and 4-6 suggested that the strength of Se...X interaction decreases in the order of Se...F > Se...Cl > Se...Br. The quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP/631H level using the polarizable continuum model (PCM) revealed that the most stable conformer for 1-3 is the one with an intramolecular short Se...X atomic contact in CHCl(3) (epsilon = 4.9) and also that the n(X) --> sigma(Se-Y) orbital interaction (E(Se...X)) can reasonably explain the order of strength for the Se...X interactions. On the other hand, the (77)Se NMR absorptions observed for series 7-9 did not shift significantly from the reference compounds (C(6)H(5)CH(2)SeY), indicating the absence of the Se...X interaction for 7-9 presumably due to attenuation of basicity for the halogen atom that is substituted directly to the aromatic ring. These observations suggested that the n(X) --> sigma(Se-Y) orbital interaction is a dominant factor for formation of weak Se...X interactions. Electron correlation was also suggested to be important for the stability.

First Isolation and Characterization of Sodium and Potassium Tellurocarboxylates: Structural Analysis of Te-Alkyl Telluroester

The first synthesis and characterization of sodium and potassium tellurocarboxylates were achieved by the reaction of acyl chlorides with the corresponding alkali metal tellurides. The salts are yellow to red solids or oils. The aliphatic derivatives are very sensitive toward oxygen and very thermally sensitive. However, the aromatic derivatives are relatively stable and can be stored for 1 week below -5 degrees C and under oxygen-free conditions. The most practical method for the synthesis of Te-alkyl telluroesters was established by the reaction of the sodium and potassium tellurocarboxylates with alkyl iodides at 0 degrees C. The first X-ray structural analysis of telluroesters (RCOTeR') was carried out for Te-methyl 4-chlorobenzenecarbotelluroate (4-ClC(6)H(4)COTeCH(3)), whose crystals are monoclinic (P2(1)/a) with a = 5.975(3) Å, b = 14.517(2) Å, c = 10.617(3) Å, beta = 92.74(3) degrees, V = 919.8(4) Å(3), and Z = 4. The molecule was nearly planar. The C=O and C-Te bond lengths are 1.204(3) and 2.153(3) Å, respectively, indicating C=O double and C-Te single bonds. The C-Te-C angle of the C(O)TeCH(3) moiety is close to a right angle (92.3 degrees ), much more narrow compared with those [C-E-C, E = O (>105 degrees ), S (>102 degrees ), Se (>95)] of common esters and thio- and selenoesters (ArC(O)ER', E = O, S, Se; R' = alkyl). The nu(C=O) bands and the (13)C=O and (125)Te NMR spectra of the sodium and potassium tellurocarboxylates are discussed in comparison with those of other alkali metal or oxygen, sulfur, and selenium isologues.