Periodic ab Initio Approach for the Cooperative Effect of CH/π Interaction in Crystals: Relative Energy of CH/π and Hydrogen-Bonding Interactions

Structural and dynamical studies of CH-πbonded CH4-C6H6dimer by ultrafast intermolecular Coulombic decay

The inner-valence ionization and fragmentation dynamics of CH₄-C₆H₆dimer induced by 200 eV electron impact is studied utilizing a multi-particle coincidence momentum spectroscopy. The three-dimensional momentum vectors and kinetic energy release (KER) of the CH₄⁺+C₆H₆⁺ion pairs are obtained by coincident momentum measurement. Our analysis on the absolute cross sections indicates that the intermediate dication CH₄⁺-C₆H₆⁺is preferentially produced by the removal of an inner-valence electron from CH₄or C₆H₆and subsequent relaxation of ultrafast intermolecular Coulombic decay followed by two-body Coulomb explosion. Combining withab initiomolecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations, the real-time fragmentation dynamics including translational, vibrational and rotational motions are presented as a function of propagation time. The revealed fragmentation dynamics are expected to have a potential implication for crystal structure imaging with various radiation sources.

Synthesis of Microporous Aluminosilicate by Direct Thermal Activation of Phenyl-Substituted Single-Source Aluminosilicate Molecular Precursors

The construction of aluminosilicates from versatile molecular precursors (MPs) represents a promising alternative strategy to conventional processes based on monomeric molecular or polymeric Al and Si sources. However, the use of MPs often suffers from drawbacks such as the decomposition of the core structures in the presence of solvents, acids, or bases. In this work, we demonstrate a simple thermal synthesis of porous aluminosilicates from single-source spiro-7-type MPs that consist of a tetrahedral Al atom and six Si atoms functionalized with 12 phenyl (Ph) groups, (C⁺)[Al{Ph₂Si(OSiPh₂O)₂}₂]^- (C⁺[AlSi₆]^-; C⁺ = pyridinium cation (PyH⁺), Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, or Cs⁺), without using a solvent or activator. Microporous aluminosilicates synthesized via the thermal treatment of C⁺[AlSi₆]^- under a 79% N₂ + 21% O₂ atmosphere exhibited extremely low carbon contents (0.10-1.28%), together with Si/Al ratios of 3.9-6.7 ± 0.2 and surface areas of 103.1-246.3 m²/g. The solid-state ²⁷Al and ²⁹Si MAS NMR spectra suggest that the obtained aluminosilicates with alkali cations retain a tetrahedral Al site derived from the spiro-7-type core structure. After a proton-exchange reaction, the aluminosilicates showed almost 1.5 times higher reactivity in the catalytic ring-opening of styrene oxide than the aluminosilicate before proton exchange due to the catalytically active OH site being predominantly bridged by tetrahedral Al and Si atoms. These results suggest that the present MP strategy is a promising method for the introduction of key structures into active inorganic materials.

Crystal Structures of Lignocellulosic Furfuryl Biobased Polydiacetylenes with Hydrogen-Bond Networks: Influencing the Direction of Solid-State Polymerization through Modification of the Spacer Length

We present the topochemical polymerization of two lignocellulosic biobased diacetylenes (DAs) that only differ by an alkyl spacer length of 1 methylene (n = 1) or 3 methylene units (n = 3) between the diyne and carbamate functionalities. Their crystalline molecular organizations have the distinctive feature of being suitable for polymerization in two potential directions, either parallel or skewed to the hydrogen-bonded (HB) network. However, single-crystal structures of the final polydiacetylenes (PDAs) demonstrate that the resulting orientation of the conjugated backbones is different for these two derivatives, which lead to HB supramolecular polymer networks (2D nanosheets) for n = 1 and to independent linear PDA chains with intramolecular HBs for n = 3. Thus, spacer length modification can be considered a new strategy to influence the molecular orientation of conjugated polymer chains, which is crucial for developing the next generation of materials with optimal mechanical and optoelectronic properties. Calculations were performed on model oligodiacetylenes to evaluate the cooperativity effect of HBs in the different crystalline supramolecular packing motifs and the energy profile related to the torsion of the conjugated backbone of a PDA chain (i.e., its ability to adopt planar or helical conformations).

Room-Temperature Phosphorescence and Low-Energy Induced Direct Triplet Excitation of Alq3 Engineered Crystals

Crystal engineering is a practical approach for tailoring material properties. This approach has been widely studied for modulating optical and electrical properties of semiconductors. However, the properties of organic molecular crystals are difficult to control following a similar engineering route. In this Letter, we demonstrate that engineered crystals of Alq₃ and Ir(ppy)₃ complexes, which are commonly used in organic light-emitting technologies, possess intriguing functional properties. Specifically, these structures not only process efficient low-energy induced triplet excitation directly from the ground state of Alq₃ but also can show strong emission at the Alq₃ triplet energy level at room temperatures. We associate these phenomena with local deformations of the host matrix around the guest molecules, which in turn lead to a stronger host-guest triplet-triplet coupling and spin-orbital mixing.

Can the solvent enhance the rate of chemical reactions through C-H/π interactions? insights from theory

The current computational study with density functional theory (DFT) shows that the rate of chemical reactions can be influenced through non-covalent C-H/π interactions between substrates and the solvent. It is shown that intramolecular carbon-carbon interaction and CO2 activation by a low valent silicon complex are both favourably affected by the explicit presence of the solvent toluene, due to C-H/π interactions between toluene and the silicon complex. Furthermore, ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations demonstrate that even if the C-H/π interacting solvent molecule is displaced from the complex, another would quickly take its place, thus maintaining the interaction. Hence, the current work shows how non-covalent interactions between solvent and substrate can enhance the rate of the reaction and expands our understanding of the role and influence of the solvent in effecting important chemical transformations.

Tuning for Visible Fluorescence and Near-Infrared Phosphorescence on a Unimolecular Mechanically Sensitive Platform via Adjustable CH-π Interaction

CH-π interaction-assisted alignment of organic conjugated systems has played an important role to regulate molecular electronic and photophysical properties, whereas harnessing such a smart noncovalent interaction into the tuning of unimolecular complex emissive bands covering a wide spectral region remains a challenging research topic. Since the tuning for visible and near-infrared emissive properties in a single π-functional platform relates to its multicolor luminescent behaviors and potential superior application in analysis, bioimaging, and sensing, herein, we report a proportional control of the singlet and triplet emissions that cover visible and near-infrared spectral regions, respectively, can be straightforwardly achieved by CH-π interaction-assisted self-assembly at the unimolecular level. Employing an octathionaphthalene-based single luminophore as a prototype, we find that a strength-adjustable CH-π interaction-assisted self-assembly can be established in mixed DMF/H₂O and in the film state. The hybridization of planar local excited and intramolecular charge transfer transitions occurs on the basis, allowing a competitive inhibition to the intersystem crossing process to generate a complex emission composed of visible fluorescence and near-infrared phosphorescence. Furthermore, reversible mechanochromic and mechanoluminescent conversions of the corresponding solid sample can both be observed to rely on a corresponding self-assembly alternation. These results can probably provide new visions for the development of future intelligent and multifunctional luminescent materials.

Identification of unusual C–Cl⋯π contacts in 2-(alkylamino)-3-chloro-1,4-naphthoquinones: effect of N-substituents on crystal packing, fluorescence, redox and anti-microbial properties

XRD study demonstrates the opening of unusual C–Cl⋯π synthon in 2-(alkylamino)-3-chloro-1,4-naphthoquinone. Notably, compound holding N-pyridylmethyl exhibits enhanced activity against S. aureus and proved to be more potent than ciprofloxacin.

C-H···π interactions and the nature of the donor carbon atom

The influence of multiple substituents (F, CH3, NO2, CN, Cl, OH and NH2) on the C-H···π interaction in benzene-ethylene complex was investigated using the estimated CCSD(T) method and complete basis set limit. The results were compared with our earlier reported complexes of benzene-acetylene and benzene-methane, thus completing the sp, sp(2) and sp(3) series of C-H donors. The stabilization energy values for multiple fluoro-substituted benzene-ethylene complexes are found to be very close to those of the multiple fluoro-substituted benzene-methane complexes. Expectedly, the stabilization energies for the multiple methyl-substituted benzene-ethylene complexes lie between those of the multiple methyl-substituted benzene-methane and benzene-acetylene complexes. Energy decomposition analysis using the DFT-SAPT method predicts the dispersion energy to be dominant, similar to the benzene-methane complexes. For the symmetrically disubstituted complexes (-OH, -Cl, -NH2, -CN and -NO2), additional C-H···X interaction was observed, possibly due to the angular orientation of the ethylene molecule. Multidimensional correlation analysis between the electrostatic, dispersion and exchange-repulsion with the C-H···π interaction distance (r), Hammett constant (σ) and the molar refractivity (MR) revealed strong correlation between dispersion energy and the C-H···π interaction distance (r) as well as molar refractivity (MR).

Ionic semiconductor: DC and AC conductivity of anilinium tetrathiafulvalene-2-carboxylate

A single crystal of anilinium tetrathiafulvalene-2-carboxylate exhibits a characteristic electrical conduction; it is a semiconductor with activation-type transport above 200 K; σ(rt) = 0.16 S cm(-1) with an activation energy of 0.11 eV. On the other hand, below 200 K, it does not obey the Arrhenius relation but is conductive even at 4 K with 2.1 × 10(-4) S cm(-1) at a frequency of 2 MHz. Its behavior exhibits strong frequency dependence and suggests a particular conduction coupled with dielectric relaxation, reflecting its ionic nature. The crystal structure of the salt shows that conducting molecules are assembled supramolecularly with multiple nonbonding interactions, such as the hydrogen bond, and the π/π and CH/π interactions. The hydrogen bond and CH/π interactions have a short bond length, which is similar to the charge-assisted-type interaction observed in organometallics.

Naphthyl groups in chiral recognition: structures of salts and esters of 2-methoxy-2-naphthylpropanoic acids

The crystal structures of salt 8, which was prepared from (R)-2-methoxy-2-(2-naphthyl)propanoic acid ((R)-MβNP acid, (R)-2) and (R)-1-phenylethylamine ((R)-PEA, (R)-6), and salt 9, which was prepared from (R)-2-methoxy-2-(1-naphthyl)propanoic acid ((R)-MαNP acid, (R)-1) and (R)-1-(p-tolyl)ethylamine ((R)-TEA, (R)-7), were determined by X-ray crystallography. The MβNP and MαNP anions formed ion-pairs with the PEA and TEA cations, respectively, through a methoxy-group-assisted salt bridge and aromatic CH⋅⋅⋅π interactions. The networks of salt bridges formed 2(1) columns in both salts. Finally, (S)-(2E,6E)-(1-(2) H(1) )farnesol ((S)-13) was prepared from the reaction of (2E,6E)-farnesal (11) with deuterated (R)-BINAL-H (i.e., (R)-BINAL-D). The enantiomeric excess of compound (S)-13 was determined by NMR analysis of (S)-MαNP ester 14. The solution-state structures of MαNP esters that were prepared from primary alcohols were also elucidated.

The CH/π hydrogen bond in chemistry. Conformation, supramolecules, optical resolution and interactions involving carbohydrates

The CH/π hydrogen bond is an attractive molecular force occurring between a soft acid and a soft base. Contribution from the dispersion energy is important in typical cases where aliphatic or aromatic CH groups are involved. Coulombic energy is of minor importance as compared to the other weak hydrogen bonds. The hydrogen bond nature of this force, however, has been confirmed by AIM analyses. The dual characteristic of the CH/π hydrogen bond is the basis for ubiquitous existence of this force in various fields of chemistry. A salient feature is that the CH/π hydrogen bond works cooperatively. Another significant point is that it works in nonpolar as well as polar, protic solvents such as water. The interaction energy depends on the nature of the molecular fragments, CH as well as π-groups: the stronger the proton donating ability of the CH group, the larger the stabilizing effect. This Perspective focuses on the consequence of this molecular force in the conformation of organic compounds and supramolecular chemistry. Implication of the CH/π hydrogen bond extends to the specificity of molecular recognition or selectivity in organic reactions, polymer science, surface phenomena and interactions involving proteins. Many problems, unsettled to date, will become clearer in the light of the CH/π paradigm.

Quantification of binding affinities of essential sugars with a tryptophan analogue and the ubiquitous role of C-H···π interactions

The role of noncovalent interactions in carbohydrate recognition by aromatic amino acids has long been reported. To develop a molecular understanding of noncovalent interactions in the recognition process, we have examined a series of binary complexes between 3-methylindole (3-MeIn) and sugars. In particular, the geometries and binding affinities of 3-MeIn with α/β-D-glucose, β-D-galactose, α-D-mannose and α/β-L-fucose are obtained using the MP2(full)/6-31G(d,p) and the M06/TZV2D//MP2/6-31G(d,p) level of theories. The conventional hydrogen bonding such as N-H···O and C-H···O as well as nonconventional O-H···π and C-H···π type of interactions is, in general, identified as responsible for the moderately strong interaction energies. Large variations in the position-orientations of 3-MeIn with respect to saccharide are noticed, within the same sugar family, as well as across different sugar series. Furthermore, complexes with large differences in their geometries are recognized as capable of exhibiting very similar interaction energies, underscoring the significance of exhaustive conformation sampling, as carried out in the present study. These observations are readily attributed to the differences in the efficiency of the type of interactions enlisted above. The highest and lowest interaction energies, upon inclusion of 50% BSSE correction, are found to be -16.02 and -6.22 kcal mol(-1), respectively, for α-D-glucose (1a) and α-L-fucose (5j). While more number of prominent conventional hydrogen bonding contacts remains as a characteristic feature of the strongly bound complexes, the lower end of the interaction energy spectrum is dominated by multiple C-H···π interactions. The complexes exhibiting as many as four C-H···π contacts are identified in the case of α/β-D-glucose, β-D-galactose, and α/β-L-fucose with an interaction energy hovering around -8 kcal mol(-1). The presence of effective C-H···π interactions is found to be dependent on the saccharide configuration as well as the area of the apolar patch constituted by the C-H groups. The study offers a comprehensive set of binary complexes, across different saccharides, which serves as an illustration of the significance and ubiquitous nature of C-H···π interactions in carbohydrate binding in saccharide-protein complexes.

Chiral discrimination in diastereomeric salts of chlorine-substituted mandelic acid and phenylethylamine

The crystal structures of diastereomeric salts of chloromandelic acid and phenylethylamine were determined and are presented herein. The structure comparison between less soluble salts and more soluble salts shows that weak interactions such as CH/pi interactions and van der Waals gain importance and contribute to chiral recognition when the hydrogen bonding patterns are very similar.

The role of CH/pi interaction in the stabilization of less-soluble diastereomeric salt crystals

Enantiopure 2-naphthylglycolic acid (NGA) and cis-1-aminobenz[f]indan-2-ol (ABI) were rationally designed as new resolving agents on the model of mandelic acid (MA) and cis-1-aminoindan-2-ol (AI), respectively. As expected, NGA and ABI showed superior chiral recognition ability to racemates, compared with MA and AI. In order to clarify any factors governing the chiral recognition abilities of NGA and ABI, the crystal structures of their less- and more-soluble diastereomeric salts were determined by X-ray crystallographic analyses and revealed that CH/pi interactions play an intrinsic role in chiral recognitions. A theoretical investigation was also performed with the periodic ab initio method by using the X-ray crystal structures of the less-soluble salt crystals with AI and ABI to find the unique properties of CH/pi interaction in the crystalline state, which largely contributed to the stabilization of the crystals.

Origin of the π-Facial Stereoselectivity in the Addition of Nucleophilic Reagents to Chiral Aliphatic Ketones as Evidenced by High-Level Ab Initio Molecular-Orbital Calculations

Ab initio molecular-orbital (MO) calculations were carried out, at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p)//MP2/6-31G(d) level, to investigate the conformational Gibbs energy of alkyl 1-cyclohexylethyl ketones, cyclo-C6H11CHCH3-CO-R (R = Me, Et, iPr, and tBu). In each case, one of the equatorial conformations was shown to be the most stable. Conformers with the axial CHCH3COR group were also shown to be present in an appreciable concentration. Short C-H...C=O and C-H...O=C distances were found in each stable conformation. The result was interpreted on the grounds of C-H...pi(C=O) and C-H...O hydrogen bonds, which stabilize the geometry of the molecule. The ratio of the diastereomeric secondary alcohols produced in the nucleophilic addition to cyclo-C6H11CHCH3-CO-R was estimated on the basis of the conformer distribution. The calculated result was consistent with the experimental data previously reported: the gradual increase in the product ratio (major/minor) along the series was followed by a drop at R = tBu. The energy of the diastereomeric transition states in the addition of LiH to cyclo-C6H11CHCH3-CO-R was also calculated for R = Me and tBu. The product ratio did not differ significantly in going from R = Me to tBu in the case of the aliphatic ketones. This is compatible with the above result calculated on the basis of the conformer distribution. Thus, the mechanism of the pi-facial selection can be explained in terms of the simple premise that the geometry of the transition state resembles the ground-state conformation of the substrates and that the nucleophilic reagent approaches from the less-hindered side of the carbonyl pi face.

Magnitude and Directionality of the Interaction Energy of the Aliphatic CH/π Interaction: Significant Difference from Hydrogen Bond

The CCSD(T) level interaction energies of CH/pi complexes at the basis set limit were estimated. The estimated interaction energies of the benzene complexes with CH(4), CH(3)CH(3), CH(2)CH(2), CHCH, CH(3)NH(2), CH(3)OH, CH(3)OCH(3), CH(3)F, CH(3)Cl, CH(3)ClNH(2), CH(3)ClOH, CH(2)Cl(2), CH(2)FCl, CH(2)F(2), CHCl(3), and CH(3)F(3) are -1.45, -1.82, -2.06, -2.83, -1.94, -1.98, -2.06, -2.31, -2.99, -3.57, -3.71, -4.54, -3.88, -3.22, -5.64, and -4.18 kcal/mol, respectively. Dispersion is the major source of attraction, even if substituents are attached to the carbon atom of the C-H bond. The dispersion interaction between benzene and chlorine atoms, which is not the CH/pi interaction, is the cause of the very large interaction energy of the CHCl(3) complex. Activated CH/pi interaction (acetylene and substituted methanes with two or three electron-withdrawing groups) is not very weak. The nature of the activated CH/pi interaction may be similar to the hydrogen bond. On the other hand, the nature of other typical (nonactivated) CH/pi interactions is completely different from that of the hydrogen bond. The typical CH/pi interaction is significantly weaker than the hydrogen bond. Dispersion interaction is mainly responsible for the attraction in the CH/pi interaction, whereas electrostatic interaction is the major source of attraction in the hydrogen bond. The orientation dependence of the interaction energy of the typical CH/pi interaction energy is very small, whereas the hydrogen bond has strong directionality. The weak directionality suggests that the hydrogen atom of the interacting C-H bond is not essential for the attraction and that the typical CH/pi interaction does not play critical roles in determining the molecular orientation in molecular assemblies.

Magnitude of the CH/π Interaction in the Gas Phase: Experimental and Theoretical Determination of the Accurate Interaction Energy in Benzene-methane

The accurate CH/pi interaction energy of the benzene-methane model system was experimentally and theoretically determined. In the experiment, mass analyzed threshold ionization spectroscopy was applied to the benzene-methane cluster in the gas phase, prepared in a supersonic molecular beam. The binding energy in the neutral ground state of the cluster, which is regarded as the CH/pi interaction energy for this model system, was evaluated from the dissociation threshold measurements of the cluster cation. The experimentally determined binding energy (D(0)) was 1.03-1.13 kcal/mol. The interaction energy of the model system was calculated by ab initio molecular orbital methods. The estimated CCSD(T) interaction energy at the basis set limit (D(e)) was -1.43 kcal/mol. The calculated binding energy (D(0)) after the vibrational zero-point energy correction (1.13 kcal/mol) agrees well with the experimental value. The effects of basis set and electron correlation correction procedure on the calculated CH/pi interaction energy were evaluated. Accuracy of the calculated interaction energies by DFT methods using BLYP, B3LYP, PW91 and PBE functionals was also discussed.