Solvent effects on ion-pair equilibria

Spectrophotometric Determination of Formation Constants of Iron(III) Complexes with Several Ligands

Dye-sensitized solar cells transform solar light into electricity. One commonly used dye is a ruthenium complex. However, the use of ruthenium has been shown to have several disadvantages. In this study, via singular spectrum analysis using HypSpec software, we determined the formation constants and calculated individual electronic spectra of species of iron(III) with several ligands (1,2-diaminoethane, 1,3-diaminopropane, 1,4-diaminobutane, 2,2′-bipyridyl, 5,5-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridyl, 4,4′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridyl, 1,10-phenanthroline, and 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) in methanol solution. We present a spectral comparison of the complexes reported here to the ruthenium complex: tris-(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II).

Equilibrium Studies of Iron (III) Complexes with Either Pyrazine, Quinoxaline, or Phenazine and Their Catecholase Activity in Methanol

Currently, catalysts with oxidative activity are required to create valuable chemical, agrochemical, and pharmaceutical products. The catechol oxidase activity is a model reaction that can reveal new oxidative catalysts. The use of complexes as catalysts using iron (III) and structurally simple ligands such as pyrazine (pz), quinoxaline (qx), and phenazine (fz) has not been fully explored. To characterize the composition of the solution and identify the abundant species which were used to catalyze the catechol oxidation, the distribution diagrams of these species were obtained by an equilibrium study using a modified Job method in the HypSpec software. This allows to obtain also the UV-vis spectra calculated and the formation constants for the mononuclear and binuclear complexes with Fe³⁺ including: [Fe(pz)]³⁺, [Fe₂(pz)]⁶⁺, [Fe(qx)]³⁺, [Fe₂(qx)]⁶⁺, [Fe(fz)]³⁺, and [Fe₂(fz)]⁶⁺. The formation constants obtained were log β₁₁₀ = 3.2 ± 0.1, log β₂₁₀ = 6.9 ± 0.1, log β₁₁₀ = 4.4 ± 0.1, log β₂₁₀ = 8.3 ± 0.1, log β₁₁₀ = 6.4 ± 0.2, and log β₂₁₀ = 9.9 ± 0.2, respectively. The determination of the catechol oxidase activity for these complexes did not follow a traditional Michaelis–Menten behavior.

Solution Equilibria Formation of Manganese(II) Complexes with Ethylenediamine, 1,3-Propanediamine and 1,4-ButanediaMine in Methanol

Manganese is an abundant element that plays critical roles and is at the reaction center of several enzymes. In order to promote an understanding of the behavior of manganese(II) ion with several aliphatic ligands, in this work, the stability and spectral behavior of the complexes with manganese(II) and ethylenediamine, 1,3-propanediamine or 1,4-butanediamine were explored. A spectrophotometric study of its speciation in methanol was performed at 293 K. The formation constants obtained for these systems were: manganese(II)-ethylenediamine log β110 = 3.98 and log β120 = 7.51; for the manganese(II)-1,3-propanediamine log β110 = 5.08 and log β120 = 8.66; and for manganese(II)-1,4-butanediamine log β110 = 4.36 and log β120 = 8.46. These results were obtained by fitting the experimental spectrophotometric data using the HypSpec software. The complexes reported in this study show a spectral pattern that could be related to a chelate effect in which the molar absorbance is not directly related to the increase in the carbon chain of the ligands.

Stability of Manganese(II)-Pyrazine, -Quinoxaline or -Phenazine Complexes and Their Potential as Carbonate Sequestration Agents

Carbonate sequestration technology is a complement of CO₂ sequestration technology, which might assure its long-term viability. In this work, in order to explore the interactions between Mn²⁺ ion with several ligands and carbonate ion, we reported a spectrophotometric equilibrium study of complexes of Mn²⁺ with pyrazine, quinoxaline or phenazine and its carbonate species at 298 K. For the complexes of manganese(II)–pyrazine, manganese(II)–quinoxaline and manganese(II)–phenazine, the formation constants obtained were log β₁₁₀ = 4.6 ± 0.1, log β₁₁₀ = 5.9 ± 0.1 and log β₁₁₀ = 6.0 ± 0.1, respectively. The formation constants for the carbonated species manganese(II)–carbonate, manganese(II)–pyrazine–carbonate, manganese(II)–quinoxaline–carbonate and manganese(II)–phenazine–carbonate complexes were log β₁₁₀ = 5.1 ± 0.1, log β₁₁₀ = 9.8 ± 0.1, log β₁₁₀ = 11.7 ± 0.1 and log β₁₁₀ = 12.7 ± 0.1, respectively. Finally, the individual calculated electronic spectra and its distribution diagram of these species are also reported. The use of N-donor ligand with π-electron-attracting activity in a manganese(II) complex might increase its interaction with carbonate ions.

On the effect of ion pairing of Keggin type polyanions with quaternary ammonium cations on redox potentials in organic solvents

The electrochemical properties of polyoxometalates in organic solvents show an interrelation between redox potentials, solvents and ion pairing.

Self-Consistent Reaction Field Model for Aqueous and Nonaqueous Solutions Based on Accurate Polarized Partial Charges

A new universal continuum solvation model (where "universal" denotes applicable to all solvents), called SM8, is presented. It is an implicit solvation model, also called a continuum solvation model, and it improves on earlier SMx universal solvation models by including free energies of solvation of ions in nonaqueous media in the parametrization. SM8 is applicable to any charged or uncharged solute composed of H, C, N, O, F, Si, P, S, Cl, and/or Br in any solvent or liquid medium for which a few key descriptors are known, in particular dielectric constant, refractive index, bulk surface tension, and acidity and basicity parameters. It does not require the user to assign molecular-mechanics types to an atom or group; all parameters are unique and continuous functions of geometry. It may be used with any level of electronic structure theory as long as accurate partial charges can be computed for that level of theory; we recommend using it with self-consistently polarized Charge Model 4 or other self-consistently polarized class IV charges, in which case analytic gradients are available. The model separates the observable solvation free energy into two components:  the long-range bulk electrostatic contribution arising from a self-consistent reaction field treatment using the generalized Born approximation for electrostatics is augmented by the non-bulk-electrostatic contribution arising from short-range interactions between the solute and solvent molecules in the first solvation shell. The cavities for the bulk electrostatics calculation are defined by superpositions of nuclear-centered spheres whose sizes are determined by intrinsic atomic Coulomb radii. The radii used for aqueous solution are the same as parametrized previously for the SM6 aqueous solvation model, and the radii for nonaqueous solution are parametrized by a training set of 220 bare ions and 21 clustered ions in acetonitrile, methanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide. The non-bulk-electrostatic terms are proportional to the solvent-accessible surface areas of the atoms of the solute and have been parametrized using solvation free energies for a training set of 2346 solvation free energies for 318 neutral solutes in 90 nonaqueous solvents and water and 143 transfer free energies for 93 neutral solutes between water and 15 organic solvents. The model is tested with three density functionals and with four basis sets:  6-31+G(d,p), 6-31+G(d), 6-31G(d), and MIDI!6D. The SM8 model achieves mean unsigned errors of 0.5-0.8 kcal/mol in the solvation free energies of tested neutrals and mean unsigned errors of 2.2-7.0 kcal/mol for ions. The model outperforms the earlier SM5.43R and SM7 universal solvation models as well as the default Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM) implemented in Gaussian 98/03, the Conductor-like PCM as implemented in GAMESS, Jaguar's continuum model based on numerical solution of the Poisson equation, and the GCOSMO model implemented in NWChem.

On the origin of ionicity in ionic liquids. Ion pairing versus charge transfer

In this paper we show by using static DFT calculations and classical molecular dynamics simulations that the charge transfer between ionic liquid ions plays a major role in the observed discrepancies between the overall mobility of the ions and the observed conductivities of the corresponding ionic liquids, while it also directly suppresses the association of oppositely charged ions, thus the ion pairing. Accordingly, in electrochemical applications of these materials it is important to consider this reduction of the total charges on the ions, which can greatly affect the performance of the given process or device in which the ionic liquid is used. By slightly shifting from the salt-like to a molecular liquid-like system via the decreased charges, the charge transfer also fluidizes the ionic liquid. We believe that this vital information on the molecular level structure of ionic liquids offers a better understanding of these materials, and allows us to improve the a priori design of ionic liquids for any given purpose.

Pentacyano(pyridine)chromate(III): Synthesis, Characterization, and Photochemistry

The Cr(CN)(5)(py)(2)(-) anion (py = pyridine) has been prepared by acid-promoted methanolysis of Cr(CN)(6)(3)(-) followed by reaction with pyridine, isolated as the potassium salt, and characterized by absorption spectra (lambda(max): 403 and 256 nm in H(2)O; 411 nm in Me(2)SO) and phosphorescence, observed in Me(2)SO (lambda(max), 774 nm; tau = 56 &mgr;s at 20 degrees C) but not in H(2)O. In acid aqueous solution the complex decomposes stepwise to Cr(H(2)O)(5)(py)(3+); by contrast, the thermal reaction in Me(2)SO leads to Cr(CN)(5)(Me(2)SO)(2)(-) with first-order kinetics (k(25) = 9.8 x 10(-)(7) s(-)(1), DeltaH() = 138 +/- 8 kJ mol(-)(1)). Ligand-field (LF) band irradiation results in substitution of py and CN(-). The quantum yields, measured by ligand analysis, spectrophotometry, and HPLC, are as follows: Phi(py) = 0.08, Phi(CN) = 0.01 in H(2)O (pH 7.2, phosphate buffer) and Phi(py) = 0.04, Phi(CN) = 0.002 in Me(2)SO. The preference for py release obeys the prediction of the Vanquickenborne-Ceulemans, additive angular overlap model (AOM). A notable feature of this complex is that both types of ligands are pi acceptors, and the pi effect of py on bond labilization is evidenced by comparison with the photolysis of Cr(CN)(5)(NH(3))(2)(-). Irradiation of the intense UV absorption due to overlap of charge-transfer (CT) and pi --> pi, py localized transitions causes the increase of both quantum yields, suggesting the involvement of higher-energy states besides the LF ones. Co(sep)(3+) (sep = 1,3,6,8,10,13,16,19-octaazabicyclo[6.6.6]eicosane = sepulchrate) quenches the phosphorescence (k(q) = 1.6 x 10(9) M(-)(1) s(-)(1)) but has no effect on the photoreaction efficiencies: the photochemistry is thus inferred to originate entirely from the lowest quartet excited state(s) in competition with intersystem crossing. The marked solvent effects on the absorption spectrum, on the emission behavior, on the thermal reactivity, on the photolysis quantum yields, and, in particular, on the Phi(py)/Phi(CN) ratio, are discussed in terms of the proneness of the cyanide ligand to either protonation or hydrogen bonding and of solvent orientation toward anionic complexes.

Enantiomeric separation of basic drugs using N-benzyloxycarbonylglyclyl-L-proline as counter ion in methanol

Direct separation of enantiomeric amines using mainly N-benzyloxycarbonylglycyl-L-proline (L-ZGP) but also N-benzyloxycarbonylglyclglcyl-L-proline (L-ZGGP) as the chiral counter ion in methanol is described. The solid phase was Hypercarb porous graphitic carbon. Several amines of pharmacological interest (e.g., alprenolol, sotalol, terbutaline, promethazine and trimipramine) were separated with high enantioselectivity (alpha = 1.16-1.98) using L-ZGP and L-ZGGP as chiral selectors. In accordance with ion-pair chromatography, the retention of the enantiomeric amines was found to increase with increasing concentration of the anionic form of L-ZGP. Addition of a base (sodium hydroxide or an alkylamine) in excess of L-ZGP gave rise to a decrease in retention and enantioselectivity. The enantioselective retention was also affected by adding 2-propanol or acetonitrile to the mobile phase.

Studies of Synthetic Polymers by Nonradiative Energy Transfer

Nonradiative energy transfer between fluorescent labels attached to polymers has been used to characterize polymer miscibility, the interpenetration of chain molecules in solution, micelle formation in graft copolymers, the unfolding of collapsed chain molecules in polymer melts, and the transfer of energy absorbed by a large number of donor labels to a small number of acceptors by an "antenna effect." The change in the emission spectrum after ionomer solutions with different fluorescent counterions were mixed provided rate constants for counterion interchange. The fluorescence behavior of dispersions of donor-labeled polymers stabilized by a graft copolymer with acceptor fluorophores in the solution phase led to inferences about the morphology of the dispersed particles.