Does the 4f Electron Configuration Affect Molecular Geometries? A Joint Computational, Vibrational Spectroscopic, and Electron Diffraction Study of Dysprosium Tribromide

Is near-"spectroscopic accuracy" possible for heavy atoms and coupled cluster theory? An investigation of the first ionization potentials of the atoms Ga-Kr

Recent developments in ab initio coupled cluster (CC) theory and correlation consistent basis sets have ushered in an era of unprecedented accuracy when studying the spectroscopy and thermodynamics of molecules containing main group elements. These same developments have recently seen application to heavier inorganic or transition metal-containing species. The present work benchmarks conventional single reference coupled cluster theory (up to full configuration interaction for valence electron correlation and coupled cluster with up to full pentuple excitations (CCSDTQP) for core-valence correlation) and explicitly correlated coupled cluster methods [CC with single, double, and perturbative triple substitutions (CCSD(T)-F12)] for the atomic ionization potentials of the six 4p elements (Ga-Kr), a property with experimental error bars no greater than a few cm(-1). When second-order spin orbit coupling effects are included, a composite methodology based on CCSD(T) calculations yielded a mean signed error of just -0.039 kcal mol(-1) and a mean unsigned error of 0.043 kcal mol(-1). Inclusion of post-CCSD(T) correlation corrections reduced both of these values to -0.008 kcal mol(-1) and 0.025 kcal mol(-1), respectively, with the latter corresponding to an average error of just 9 cm(-1). The maximum signed error in the latter scheme was just -0.043 kcal mol(-1) (15 cm(-1)).

Molecular structure and vibrational spectra of mixed MDyX4 (M = Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs; X = F, Cl, Br, I) vapor complexes: a computational and matrix-isolation infrared spectroscopic study

The structures, energetic, and vibrational properties of MDyX(4) (M = Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs; X = F, Cl, Br, I) mixed alkali halide/dysprosium halide complexes have been investigated by a joint computational and experimental, matrix-isolation Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic (MI-IR), study. According to our DFT computations for the complexes with heavier halides and alkali metals the ground-state structure is the tridentate isomer; while at high temperatures the bidentate structural isomer dominates. The survey of various dissociation processes revealed the preference of the dissociation to neutral MX and DyX(3) fragments over ionic and radical dissociation products. Cationic complexes are considerably less stable at 1000 K than the neutral complexes, and they prefer to dissociate to M(+) + DyX(4)(•) fragments. The vapor species of selected mixtures of NaBr and CsBr with DyBr(3) and of CsI with DyI(3) in the temperature range 900-1000 K have been isolated in krypton and xenon matrices and investigated by infrared spectroscopy. Besides the characteristic vibrational frequencies of the monomeric and dimeric alkali halide species and of the dysprosium trihalide molecules, certain signals indicated the formation of MDyX(4) (M = Na, Cs; X = Br, I) mixed complexes. Comparison with the computed vibrational and thermodynamic characteristics of the relevant species lead to the conclusion that these complexes appear in the vapor predominantly as the C(2v)-symmetry bidentate isomer. This is the first time that this structure was identified in an experimental vibrational spectroscopic study. The signals appearing upon performing a thermal anneal cycle were tentatively assigned to the double complex M(2)DyX(5) (M = Na, Cs; X = Br, I). A structure in which one alkali atom is bound to dysprosium by three and the other by two bridges is proposed for these double complexes.

Are the ground states of the later actinocenes multiconfigurational? All-electron spin-orbit coupled CASPT2 calculations on An(eta(8)-C8H8)2 (An = Th, U, Pu, Cm)

Spin-orbit free and spin-orbit coupled CASPT2 wave functions and energies are presented for the ground and low-lying excited states of four actinide element sandwich molecules; thorocene (ThCOT(2)), uranocene (UCOT(2)), plutonocene (PuCOT(2)), and curocene (CmCOT(2)). Spin-orbit coupling is found to make little difference to the equilibrium geometry of uranocene and plutonocene but has a significant effect on the energy spectrum of all the systems considered here other than thorocene. In all cases, however, the spin-orbit free ground states make the dominant contribution to their spin-orbit coupled counterparts. Following work presented in J. Phys. Chem. A 2009, 113, 2896, the variation in the multiconfigurational character of the ground-state wave functions as the 5f series is crossed is quantified via the occupation of the a(u)/b(1u) (e(2u)) metal-ring bonding and antibonding natural orbitals. The ground state of plutonocene is found to be nondegenerate with |M(J)| = 0, in agreement with its temperature-independent paramagnetism.