Some answers to frequently asked questions about the distortive tendencies of π-electronic system

The non-covalent nature of the molecular structure of the benzene molecule

The benzene molecule is one of the most emblematic systems in chemistry, with its structural features being present in numerous different compounds. We have carried out an analysis of the influence of quantum mechanical interference on the geometric features of the benzene molecule, showing that many of the characteristics of its equilibrium geometry are a consequence of non-covalent contributions to the energy. This result implies that quasi-classical reasoning should be sufficient to predict the defining aspects of the benzene structure such as its planarity and equivalence of its bond lengths.

Aromaticity, closed-shell effects, and metallization of hydrogen

CONSPECTUS: Recent theoretical and experimental studies reveal that compressed molecular hydrogen at 200-350 GPa transforms to layered structures consisting of distorted graphene sheets. The discovery of chemical bonding motifs in these phases that are far from close-packed contrasts with the long-held view that hydrogen should form simple, symmetric, ambient alkali-metal-like structures at these pressures. Chemical bonding considerations indicate that the realization of such unexpected structures can be explained by consideration of simple low-dimensional model systems based on H6 rings and graphene-like monolayers. Both molecular quantum chemistry and solid-state physics approaches show that these model systems exhibit a special stability, associated with the completely filled set of bonding orbitals or valence bands. This closed-shell effect persists in the experimentally observed layered structures where it prevents the energy gap from closing, thus delaying the pressure-induced metallization. Metallization occurs upon further compression by destroying the closed shell electronic structure, which is mainly determined by the 1s electrons via lowering of the bonding bands stemming from the unoccupied atomic 2s and 2p orbitals. Because enhanced diamagnetic susceptibility is a fingerprint of aromaticity, magnetic measurements provide a potentially important tool for further characterization of compressed hydrogen. The results indicate that the properties of dense hydrogen are controlled by chemical bonding forces over a much broader range of conditions than previously considered.

The distortivity of pi-electrons in conjugated boron rings

DFT calculations indicate that pi-distortivity in boron rings as manifested via the Kekulé b(2u) stretching mode is greatly reduced compared to carbocyclic annulenes.

The Chemical Imagination at Work inVery Tight Places

Diamond-anvil-cell and shock-wave technologies now permit the study of matter under multimegabar pressure (that is, of several hundred GPa). The properties of matter in this pressure regime differ drastically from those known at 1 atm (about 10(5) Pa). Just how different chemistry is at high pressure and what role chemical intuition for bonding and structure can have in understanding matter at high pressure will be explored in this account. We will discuss in detail an overlapping hierarchy of responses to increased density: a) squeezing out van der Waals space (for molecular crystals); b) increasing coordination; c) decreasing the length of covalent bonds and the size of anions; and d) in an extreme regime, moving electrons off atoms and generating new modes of correlation. Examples of the startling chemistry and physics that emerge under such extreme conditions will alternate in this account with qualitative chemical ideas about the bonding involved.

On the σ,π-energy separation of the aromatic stabilization energy of cyclobutadiene

The separation of the aromatic stabilization energy (ASE) of cyclobutadiene (CBD) into a sigma- and a pi-component is reinvestigated. Eight different reactions are considered for this purpose. As expected, the total destabilization energies that result from these reactions depend only on the reference compound and not on the reaction itself. The heats of formation that can be obtained from the calculated reaction energies are in excellent agreement with the recently determined experimental value of 102.3 +/- 3.8 kcal mol(-1) (A. Fattahi, L. Liz, Z. Thian and S. R. Kass, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 2006, 45, 4984-4988). Evaluation of the angular strain in CBD from a newly considered reaction confirms earlier estimates and yields a strain energy of 34 +/- 3 kcal mol(-1). If referred to s-cis-butadiene this leads to an ASE of -37 +/- 4 kcal mol(-1) in close agreement with estimates provided by A. Fattahi, L. Liz, Z. Thian and S. R. Kass, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 2006, 45, 4984-4988; and by K. B. Wiberg, Chem. Rev., 2001, 101, 1317-1332. With s-trans-butadiene as reference we obtain -42 +/- 4 kcal mol(-1). This value is 8 to 10 kcal mol(-1) less destabilizing than recent estimates of A. A. Deniz, K. S. Peters and G. J. Snyder, Science, 1999, 286, 1119-1112; and Kovacević, D. Barić, Z. B. Maksić, T. Müller, J. Phys. Chem. A, 2004, 108, 9126-9133. Attempts to separate ASE(CBD) and E(strain)(CBD) into a sigma- and a pi-component do not lead to useful results. In contrast to ASE and E(strain) themselves, the sigma- and pi-components depend strongly on the applied reaction. A detailed analysis reveals that it is not possible to associate these components with only one of the molecules that participate in the reaction. The components depend on all of these molecules and therefore on the underlying reaction. Generally, components that result from a formal sigma,pi-energy separation of aromatic stabilization energies or strain energies cannot be considered as the sigma- and pi-components of these energies.

Pseudo-Jahn−Teller Effect as the Origin of the Exalted Frequency of the b2u Kekulé Mode in the 1B2u Excited State of Benzene

In this paper we show that a pseudo-Jahn-Teller (PJT) coupling between the (1)A1g ground state and the (1)B2u excited states along the Kekulé mode of b2u symmetry is responsible for the surprisingly low frequency of this mode in the ground state and its remarkable upward shift of 261 cm(-1) upon excitation to the first (1)B2u excited state.

Modern Valence-Bond-Like Representations of Selected D6h “Aromatic” Rings

Starting from CASSCF(6,6)/6-31G(d,p) wave functions, we consider different valence-bond (VB)-like interpretations of the pi electron systems for various (constrained) "benzene-like" D(6)(h)() rings, exploiting the invariance of the total wave function to arbitrary nonsingular transformations of the active orbitals. Quantities obtained rather directly from the various calculations provide a fairly consistent ordering of the degree of aromaticity: C(6)H(6) approximately B(6) > N(6) > Al(6) approximately Si(6)H(6) > P(6). Representations based on mutually orthogonal orbitals are found to be somewhat less satisfactory than those that have no such constraints on the overlaps between the active orbitals.

Electronic reorganization: Origin of sigma trans promotion effect

Binding of two ligands trans to each other by some transition metal complexes may be cooperative [Khoroshun et al., Mol Phys 2002, 100, 523]. Several interesting consequent effects include (i) inverse relationship between bond strength and binding affinity; (ii) smaller coordination barriers to formation of weaker bonds; (iii) enhancement of Lewis acidity with increased number of ligands. We describe a simple model, sigma trans promotion effect (TPE), which considers electronic reorganization between two Lewis structures, and predicts the above-mentioned effects. The applied result of present study is the unified perspective on several facts of heme chemistry. Particularly, we reiterate an important but often overlooked notion, developed previously within the spin pairing model [Drago and Corden, Acc Chem Res 1980, 13, 353], that, in hemoproteins, the proximal histidine and the distal ligand such as O2 or CO cooperate in promoting electronic reorganization. As a result, depopulation of dz2 orbital upon ligand binding contributes to the phenomenon of hemoglobin cooperativity. The presented density functional (B3LYP) calculations on realistic models, the processes of carbon monoxide binding by Fe(II) porphyrins and dinitrogen binding by triamido/triamidoamine Mo(III) complexes, particularly the evaluation of the coordination barriers due to spin-state change by location of the minima on seams of crossing, support the TPE model predictions. From a broader theoretical perspective, the present study would hopefully stimulate the development of much needed frameworks and tools for facile comparisons of wave functions and their properties between different geometries, species, and electronic states. Advancement of practical wave function comparisons may yield fresh qualitative perspectives on chemical reactivity, and promote better understanding of related concepts such as electronic reorganization.