Reactivity and core-ionization energies in conjugated dienes. Carbon 1s photoelectron spectroscopy of 1,3-pentadiene

Deconvolution of the X-ray absorption spectrum of trans-1,3-butadiene with resonant Auger spectroscopy

High-resolution carbon K-edge X-ray photoelectron, X-ray absorption, non-resonant and resonant Auger spectra are presented of gas phase trans-1,3-butadiene alongside a detailed theoretical analysis utilising nuclear ensemble approaches and vibronic models to simulate the spectroscopic observables. The resonant Auger spectra recorded across the first pre-edge band reveal a complex evolution of different electronic states which remain relatively well-localised on the edge or central carbon sites. The results demonstrate the sensitivity of the resonant Auger observables to the weighted contributions from multiple electronic states. The gradually evolving spectral features can be accurately and feasibly simulated within nuclear ensemble methods and interpreted with the population analysis.

Computational Study of the Electron Spectra of Vapor-Phase Indole and Four Azaindoles

After geometry optimization, the electron spectra of indole and four azaindoles are calculated by density functional theory. Available experimental photoemission and excitation data for indole and 7-azaindole are used to compare with the theoretical values. The results for the other azaindoles are presented as predictions to help the interpretation of experimental spectra when they become available.

Synthesis of Copolymers by Living Carbanionic Alternating Copolymerization

The synthesis and characterization of copolymers from styrene and 1,3-pentadiene (two isomers) are reported. Styrene/1,3-pentadiene (1:1) copolymerization with carbanion initiator yield living, well-defined, alternating (r1 = 0.037, r2 = 0.056), and highly stereoregular copolymers with 90%-100% trans-1,4 units, designed Mn s and low ÐM s (1.07-1.17). The first-order kinetic resolution and NMR spectra demonstrate that the copolymers obtained possess strictly alternating structure containing both 1,4- and 4,1-enchaiments. Also a series of copolymers with varying degrees of alternation are synthesized from para-alkyl substituted styrene derivatives and 1,3-pentadiene. The degree of alternation is strongly dependent on the polarity of solvent, reaction temperature, type of trans-cis isomer of 1,3-pentadiene and para-substituted group in styrene. The macro zwitterion forms (SPC) through the distribution of electronic charges from the donor (1,3-pentadiene) to the acceptor (styrenes) are proposed to interpret the carbanion alternating copolymerization mechanism. Owing to the versatility of the carbanion-initiating reaction, the present alternating strategy based on 1,3-pentadiene (especially cis isomer) can serve as a powerful tool for precise control of polymer chain microstructure, architecture, and functionalities in one-pot polymerization.

Electronic Properties of Chlorine, Methyl, and Chloromethyl as Substituents to the Ethylene Group--Viewed from the Core of Carbon

"Substituent effects" is an important and useful concept in organic chemistry. Although there are many approaches to parametrizing the electronic and steric effects of substituents, the physical basis for the parameters is often unclear. The purpose of the present work is to explore the properties of chemical shifts in carbon 1s energies as a well-defined basis for characterizing substituents to an ethylene C═C moiety. To this end, high-resolution carbon 1s photoelectron spectra of six chloro-substituted ethenes and seven chloro-substituted propenes have been measured in the gas phase. Site-specific adiabatic ionization energies have been determined from the spectra using theoretical ab initio calculations to predict the vibrational structures. For two molecules, 3-chloropropene and 2,3-dichloropropene, the spectral analyses give quantitative results for the conformer populations. The observed shifts have been analyzed in terms of initial-state (potential) and relaxation effects, and charge relaxation has also been analyzed by means of natural resonance theory. On the basis of core-level spectroscopy and models, chlorine, methyl, and chloromethyl have been characterized in terms of their effect on the carbon to which they are attached (α site) as well as the neighboring sp(2) carbon (β site). The derived spectroscopic substituent parameters are characterized by both inductive (electronegativity) effects and the ability of each substituent to engage in electron delocalization via the π system. Moreover, the adopted approach is extended to include substituent-substituent interaction parameters.

Theoretical and experimental local reactivity parameters of 3-substituted coumarin derivatives

Local reactivity descriptors, such as atomic charges, atomic electrostatic potential and atomic Fukui indices were computed for a series of 3-substituted coumarin (2-oxo-2H-1-benzopyran) derivatives, using density functional theory (DFT) and Möller-Plesset methods (MP2). The variation of those properties as a function of the substituents was compared with the variation of the measured XPS binding energies. The atomic electrostatic potentials and XPS binding energies serves as indicators of the electrophilicity of a given center within a molecule, while the atomic Fukui indices describe its degree of electronic localization, known as atomic softness. The correlation between those theoretical and experimental properties allowed us to follow the effect of electron withdrawing substituents on the electrophilicity of a given atomic center. The Fukui indices provided additional information about the softening/hardening of the center of interest due to presence of different substituents to the coumarin system. On the basis of these analysis, the 1,2-addition would be favored for 3-acetyl, 3-phosphono, and 7-diethylamino substituents, while 3-carboxyl, 3-ethoxycarbonyl, and 3-nitro substituent would favor 1,4-addition. The substituted coumarins would preferably react with soft nucleophiles at position 2 and with hard nucleophiles at position 4.

Single and double core-hole ionization energies in molecules

The recently demonstrated ability to measure double-hole core-ionization energies in first-row elements has led to a renewed interest in the use of such energies to investigate the effects of initial-state charge distribution and final-state charge rearrangement on the energies of chemical processes that involve addition of charge to a molecule. With theoretical calculations for the molecules CH(4-n)X(n), X = F, Cl, and for C(CH(3))(4) as a basis, the relationships between one-hole and two-hole ionization energies, on one hand, and initial-state and final-state effects, on the other, are reviewed. It is shown that higher-order corrections to the traditionally used relationships are quantitatively significant but do not lead to qualitatively different conclusions. The role of the Wagner plot as a way to display the relationships among the various quantities of interest is discussed, and a generalized Wagner plot for displaying two-site double-hole ionization energies is presented. Some possible applications of measurements of double-hole ionization energies to the investigation of molecular conformation and molecular fragmentation are discussed.

Effects of molecular conformation on inner-shell ionization energies

Experimental evidence for an effect of molecular conformation on inner-shell ionization energies has been observed for the first time. Examples are seen in the carbon 1s spectra of butyronitrile, 1-fluoropropane, and propanal, and other similar molecules. At room temperature these exist in two different conformations, with different distances and, hence, different Coulombic interactions between the negatively charged electronegative group and the methyl carbon. The experimental results are in accord with theoretical predictions with respect to both ionization energies and populations of the different conformers.

Lineshapes in carbon 1s photoelectron spectra of methanol clusters

A general protocol for theoretical modeling of inner-shell photoelectron spectra of molecular clusters is presented and applied to C1s spectra of oligomers and medium-sized clusters of methanol. The protocol employs molecular dynamics for obtaining cluster geometries and a polarizable force field for computing site-specific chemical shifts in ionization energy and linewidth. Comparisons to spectra computed from first-principle theories are used to establish the accuracy of the proposed force field approach. The model is used to analyze the C1s photoelectron spectrum of medium-sized clusters in terms of surface and bulk contributions. By treating the surface-to-bulk ratio as an adjustable parameter, satisfactory fits are obtained to experimental C1s spectra of a beam of methanol clusters.