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Saha R, Skjelstad BB, Pan S. In Silico Design and Characterization of a New Molecular Electride: Li@Calix[3]Pyrrole. Chemistry 2024; 30:e202400448. [PMID: 38622984 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202400448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Electrides, in which anionic electrons are localized independently of the atoms in the compound, have shown promise, especially as catalysts and optoelectronic materials. Here, we present a new computationally designed molecular electride, Li@calix[3]pyrrole (Li@C3P). Electron density and electron localization function analyses unequivocally confirm the existence of localized electride electron density, outside the system, independent of any specific atoms. Non-covalent interaction plots further validate the character of the isolated localized electron, suggesting that the system can be accurately represented by Li+@calix[3]pyrrole ⋅ e-, denoting its distinct charge separation. The remarkable non-linear optical properties of Li@C3P, including average polarizability,α ‾ ${\bar{\alpha }}$ =412.4 au, first hyperpolarizability, β=4.46×104 au, and second hyperpolarizability,γ ∥ ${{\gamma }_{\parallel }}$ =18.40×106 au, are unparalleled in the previously reported and similar Li@C4P molecular electride. Furthermore, energy decomposition analysis in combination with natural orbital for chemical valence theory sheds light on the mechanism of electron density transfer from Li to the C3P cage, yielding the charge-separated Li@C3P complex. In addition to the electron transfer, a key factor to its electride nature is the electronic structure of the CnP cage, which has its lowest unoccupied molecular orbital located in the void adjacent to the N-H groups at the back of the bowl-shaped CnP cage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranajit Saha
- Department of Chemistry, Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University, Cooch Behar, West Bengal, 736101, India
| | - Bastian Bjerkem Skjelstad
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-0810, Japan
- Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TA, United Kingdom
| | - Sudip Pan
- Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Jilin University, Changchun, 130023, China
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Dong H, Feng Y, Bu Y. Electron Presolvation in Tetrahydrofuran-Incorporated Supramolecular Sodium Entities. J Phys Chem A 2023; 127:1402-1412. [PMID: 36748233 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c06944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Alkali metal atoms can repopulate their valence electrons toward solvation due to impact from solvents or microsurroundings and provide the remaining alkali metal cations for coordinating with a variety of specific solvents, forming various electron-expanded complexes or solvated ionic pairs with special interactions. Such special solute-solvent interactions not only affect their electronic structures but also enable the formation of entirely new species. Taking Na(THF)n (n = 1-6, THF = tetrahydrofuran) and Na2@THF complexes as typical representatives, density functional theory calculations are carried out to explore the solvation of a sodium atom and its dimer in THF and characterize their complexes as solvent-incorporated supramolecular entities and particularly valence electron presolvation due to their interaction with solvent THF. Electron presolvation is caused by the Pauli repulsion between THF containing a coordinating O atom with a lone pair of electrons and the alkali metal Na or Na2 containing valence electrons, and THF coordination to them forces their valence electrons to redistribute, which can be easily realized in such solvents. Compared with strongly bound valance electrons of alkali metal atoms, THF coordination enables Na or Na2 electrons to exhibit much more active states (i.e., the presolvated states) featuring small vertical detachment energies of electrons and distorted diffuse distributions in the frames of the generally structured metal cation complexes, acting as the electron-expanded chemical entities. Furthermore, the degree of electron diffusion and the polarity of the Na-Na bond are proportional to the coordination number (n) and the coordination number difference (Δn) between two Na centers in Na2@THF. The unique properties of such entities are also discussed. This work offers a theoretical support to the supramolecular entities formed by alkali-metal atoms or their dimers with ligands containing O or N and uncovers the unique electron presolvation phenomena and also enriches our understanding of the novel metal atom complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Dong
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan250100, P. R. China
| | - Yiwei Feng
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan250100, P. R. China
| | - Yuxiang Bu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan250100, P. R. China
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Saha R, Das P, Chattaraj PK. Molecular Electrides: An In Silico Perspective. Chemphyschem 2022; 23:e202200329. [PMID: 35894262 DOI: 10.1002/cphc.202200329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Electrides are defined as the ionic compounds where the electron(s) serves as an anion. These electron(s) is (are) not bound to any atoms, bonds, or molecules rather than they are localized into the space, crystal voids, or interlayer between two molecular slabs. There are three major categories of electrides, known as organic electriades, inorganic electrides, and molecular electrides. The computational techniques have proven as a great tool to provide emphasis on the electride materials. In this review, we have focused on the computational methodologies and criteria that help to characterize molecular electrides. A detailed account of the computational methods and basis sets applicable for molecular electrides have been discussed along with their limitation(s) in this field. The main criterion for the identification of the electrides has also been discussed thoroughly with proper examples. The molecular electrides presented here have been justified with all the required criteria that support and proved their electride characteristics. We have also presented a few systems which have similar properties but are not considered as molecular electrides. Moreover, the applicability of the electrides in catalytic processes has also been presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranajit Saha
- Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, Institute for Chemical Reaction Design & Discovery (ICReDD), JAPAN
| | - Prasenjit Das
- Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Chemistry, INDIA
| | - Pratim Kumar Chattaraj
- Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur 721302, 721302, Kharagpur, INDIA
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Novoa T, Contreras-García J, Fuentealba P, Cárdenas C. The Pauli principle and the confinement of electron pairs in a double well: Aspects of electronic bonding under pressure. J Chem Phys 2019; 150:204304. [PMID: 31153164 DOI: 10.1063/1.5089963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
It has become recently clear that chemical bonding under pressure is still lacking guiding principles for understanding the way electrons reorganize when their volume is constrained. As an example, it has recently been shown that simple metals can become insulators (aka electrides) when submitted to high enough pressures. This has lead to the general believe that "a fundamental yet empirically useful understanding of how pressure alters the chemistry of the elements is lacking" [R. J. Hemley, High Pressure Res. 30, 581 (2010)]. In this paper, we are interested in studying the role that the Pauli principle plays on the localization/delocalization of confined noninteracting electrons. To this end, we have considered the simple case of a 1-dimensional (1-D) double well as a confining potential, and the Electron Localization Function (ELF) has been used to characterize the degree localization/delocalization of the systems of noninteracting electrons. Then, we have systematically studied the topology of the ELF as a function of the double well parameters (barrier eight and wells distance) and of the number of electrons. We have found that the evolution of the ELF distributions has a good correspondence with the evolution of chemical bonding of atomic solids under pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trinidad Novoa
- Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile
| | - Julia Contreras-García
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC, Laboratoire de Chimie Théorique and CNRS UMR CNRS, Paris 7616, France
| | - Patricio Fuentealba
- Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carlos Cárdenas
- Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen G. Dale
- Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, 6274 Coburg Road, P.O. Box 15000, B3H 4R2 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Erin R. Johnson
- Department of Chemistry, Dalhousie University, 6274 Coburg Road, P.O. Box 15000, B3H 4R2 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Mehmood A, Jones SI, Tao P, Janesko BG. An Orbital-Overlap Complement to Ligand and Binding Site Electrostatic Potential Maps. J Chem Inf Model 2018; 58:1836-1846. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.8b00370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Arshad Mehmood
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Christian University, 2800 South University Drive, Fort Worth, Texas 76129, United States
| | - Stephanie I. Jones
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Christian University, 2800 South University Drive, Fort Worth, Texas 76129, United States
| | - Peng Tao
- Department of Chemistry, Southern Methodist University, P.O. Box 750314, Dallas, Texas 75275, United States
| | - Benjamin G. Janesko
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Christian University, 2800 South University Drive, Fort Worth, Texas 76129, United States
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El Bakouri O, Postils V, Garcia-Borràs M, Duran M, Luis JM, Calvello S, Soncini A, Matito E, Feixas F, Solà M. Metal Cluster Electrides: A New Type of Molecular Electride with Delocalised Polyattractor Character. Chemistry 2018; 24:9853-9859. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201800878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2018] [Revised: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ouissam El Bakouri
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi (IQCC) and Departament de Química; Universitat de Girona; C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69 17003 Girona Catalonia Spain
| | - Verònica Postils
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi (IQCC) and Departament de Química; Universitat de Girona; C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69 17003 Girona Catalonia Spain
| | - Marc Garcia-Borràs
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi (IQCC) and Departament de Química; Universitat de Girona; C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69 17003 Girona Catalonia Spain
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; University of California; Los Angeles CA 90095 USA
| | - Miquel Duran
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi (IQCC) and Departament de Química; Universitat de Girona; C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69 17003 Girona Catalonia Spain
| | - Josep M. Luis
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi (IQCC) and Departament de Química; Universitat de Girona; C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69 17003 Girona Catalonia Spain
| | - Simone Calvello
- School of Chemistry; University of Melbourne; VIC 3010 Australia
| | | | - Eduard Matito
- Kimika Fakultatea; Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea (UPV/EHU) and Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC); P.K. 1072 20080 Donostia Euskadi Spain
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science; 48011 Bilbao Euskadi Spain
| | - Ferran Feixas
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi (IQCC) and Departament de Química; Universitat de Girona; C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69 17003 Girona Catalonia Spain
| | - Miquel Solà
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi (IQCC) and Departament de Química; Universitat de Girona; C/ Maria Aurèlia Capmany 69 17003 Girona Catalonia Spain
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Tsuji Y, Dasari PLVK, Elatresh SF, Hoffmann R, Ashcroft NW. Structural Diversity and Electron Confinement in Li4N: Potential for 0-D, 2-D, and 3-D Electrides. J Am Chem Soc 2016; 138:14108-14120. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b09067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Tsuji
- Education
Center for Global Leaders in Molecular Systems for Devices, Kyushu University, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | | | - S. F. Elatresh
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Roald Hoffmann
- Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - N. W. Ashcroft
- Laboratory
of Atomic and Solid State Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin G. Janesko
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Texas Christian University, 2800 S. University Dr., Fort Worth, Texas 76129, USA
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Janesko BG. Topological analysis of the electron delocalization range. J Comput Chem 2016; 37:1993-2005. [DOI: 10.1002/jcc.24421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Revised: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 05/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin G. Janesko
- Department of Chemistry & BiochemistryTexas Christian University2800 S. University DrFort Worth Texas76129
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Janesko BG, Wiberg KB, Scalmani G, Frisch MJ. Electron Delocalization Range in Atoms and on Molecular Surfaces. J Chem Theory Comput 2016; 12:3185-94. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.6b00343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Giovanni Scalmani
- Gaussian, Inc., 340
Quinnipiac St., Bldg. 40, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
| | - Michael J. Frisch
- Gaussian, Inc., 340
Quinnipiac St., Bldg. 40, Wallingford, Connecticut 06492, United States
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13
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Dale SG, Johnson ER. The explicit examination of the magnetic states of electrides. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2016; 18:27326-27335. [DOI: 10.1039/c6cp05345a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Electrides are a unique class of ionic solids in which the anions are stoichiometrically replaced by electrons localised within the crystal voids. We present the first all electron magnetic state calculations for electrides and show the magnetic properties of these materials come from the localised electrons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen G. Dale
- Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- School of Natural Sciences
- University of California
- Merced
- USA
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