The bromide-bromomethyl radical dimer complex: Anion photoelectron spectroscopy and CCSD(T) calculations

Hydrogen Bonding versus Halogen Bonding: Spectroscopic Investigation of Gas-Phase Complexes Involving Bromide and Chloromethanes

Hydrogen bonding and halogen bonding are important non-covalent interactions that are known to occur in large molecular systems, such as in proteins and crystal structures. Although these interactions are important on a large scale, studying hydrogen and halogen bonding in small, gas-phase chemical species allows for the binding strengths to be determined and compared at a fundamental level. In this study, anion photoelectron spectra are presented for the gas-phase complexes involving bromide and the four chloromethanes, CH₃ Cl, CH₂ Cl₂ , CHCl₃ , and CCl₄ . The stabilisation energy and electron binding energy associated with each complex are determined experimentally, and the spectra are rationalised by high-level CCSD(T) calculations to determine the non-covalent interactions binding the complexes. These calculations involve nucleophilic bromide and electrophilic bromine interactions with chloromethanes, where the binding motifs, dissociation energies and vertical detachment energies are compared in terms of hydrogen bonding and halogen bonding.

Spectroscopic Study of the Br- +CH3 I→I- +CH3 Br SN 2 Reaction

Mass spectrometry and anion photoelectron spectroscopy have been used to study the gas-phase <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mi>S</mml:mi> <mml:mi>N</mml:mi></mml:msub> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:mrow> <mml:annotation>${{{\rm S}}_{{\rm N}}2}$</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> reaction involving <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:semantics> <mml:msup><mml:mrow><mml:mi>B</mml:mi> <mml:mi>r</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:msup> <mml:annotation>${{{\rm B}{\rm r}}^{-}}$</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> and <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi>C</mml:mi> <mml:mi>H</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn></mml:msub> <mml:mi>I</mml:mi></mml:mrow> <mml:annotation>${{{\rm C}{\rm H}}_{3}{\rm I}}$</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> . The anion photoelectron spectra associated with the reaction intermediates of this <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mi>S</mml:mi> <mml:mi>N</mml:mi></mml:msub> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:mrow> <mml:annotation>${{{\rm S}}_{{\rm N}}2}$</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> reaction are presented. High-level CCSD(T) calculations have been utilised to investigate the reaction intermediates that may form as a result of the <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:semantics> <mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mi>S</mml:mi> <mml:mi>N</mml:mi></mml:msub> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:mrow> <mml:annotation>${{{\rm S}}_{{\rm N}}2}$</mml:annotation> </mml:semantics> </mml:math> reaction along various different reaction pathways, including back-side attack and front-side attack. In addition, simulated vertical detachment energies of each reaction intermediate have been calculated to rationalise the photoelectron spectra.

Photoelectron Spectroscopy and High-Level Ab Initio Calculations of the Iodide-Methylperoxy Radical Complex

Anion photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to investigate the structure and dynamics of CH₃OOI^- van der Waals complexes. Peaks within the photoelectron spectrum are attributed to photodetachment to the perturbed ²P_3/2 state of I···CH₃OO (3.46 eV) and the two ²P states of bare iodine. A broad feature at 1.7-2.4 eV is attributed to detachment to the excited singlet states from two O₂^-···CH₃I complexes. This represents the first anion photoelectron spectroscopy of a halide-bound methylperoxy radical species. Complex structures have been optimized using MP2/aug-cc-pVQZ with single-point energies at W1w theory for ground-state complexes and NEVPT2 for photodetachment to excited O₂. Interactions are dominated by electrostatics, with the anion species interacting with the methyl pocket of the solvating molecule, suggesting conversion via an S_N2 mechanism, and excess energy leading to complex dissociation within the timescale of mass spectrometry. The calculated W1w Gibbs energies suggest that while an electron transfer (ET) pathway to conversion is available, it is comparatively unfavored.

Towards an Understanding of Halide Interactions with the Carbonyl-Containing Molecule CH3 CHO

The anion photoelectron spectra of Cl^- ⋅⋅⋅CD₃ CDO, Cl^- ⋅⋅⋅(CD₃ CDO)₂ , Br^- ⋅⋅⋅CH₃ CHO, and I^- ⋅⋅⋅CH₃ CHO are presented with electron stabilisation energies of 0.55, 0.93, 0.48, and 0.40 eV, respectively. Optimised geometries of the singly solvated species featured the halide appended to the CH₃ CHO molecule in-line with the electropositive portion of the C=O bond and having binding energies between 45 and 52 kJ mol^-1 . The doubly solvated Cl^- ⋅⋅⋅(CH₃ CHO)₂ species features asymmetric solvation upon the addition of a second CH₃ CHO molecule. Theoretical detachment energies were found to be in excellent agreement with experiment, with comparisons drawn between other halide complexes with simple carbonyl molecules.

Spectroscopic Investigation of Chalcogen Bonding: Halide-Carbon Disulfide Complexes

A combined experimental and theoretical approach has been used to study intermolecular chalcogen bonding. Specifically, the chalcogen bonding occurring between halide anions and CS₂ molecules has been investigated using both anion photoelectron spectroscopy and high-level CCSD(T) calculations. The relative strength of the chalcogen bond has been determined computationally using the complex dissociation energies as well as experimentally using the electron stabilisation energies. The anion complexes featured dissociation energies on the order of 47 kJ/mol to 37 kJ/mol, decreasing with increasing halide size. Additionally, the corresponding neutral complexes have been examined computationally, and show three loosely-bound structural motifs and a molecular radical.