Are the intramolecular O-H···F and O-H···Cl hydrogen bonds maintained in solution? A theoretical study

PET recycling under mild conditions via substituent-modulated intramolecular hydrolysis

Catalytic depolymerization represents a promising approach for the closed-loop recycling of plastic wastes. Here, we report a knowledge-driven catalyst development for poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) recycling, which not only achieves more than 23-fold enhancement in specific activity but also reduces the alkali concentration by an order of magnitude compared with the conventional hydrolysis. Substituted binuclear zinc catalysts are developed to regulate biomimetic intramolecular PET hydrolysis. Hammett studies and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the substituents modify the charge densities of the active centers, and an optimal substituent should slightly increase the electron richness of the zinc sites to facilitate the formation of a six-membered ring intermediate. The understanding of the structure-activity relationship leads to an advanced catalyst with a specific activity of 778 ± 40 g_PET h^-1 g_catal^-1 in 0.1 M NaOH, far outcompeting the conventional hydrolysis using caustic bases (<33.3 g_PET h^-1 g_catal^-1 in 1-5 M NaOH). This work opens new avenues for environmentally benign PET recycling.

Replacement of Oxygen by Sulfur in Small Organic Molecules. 3. Theoretical Studies on the Tautomeric Equilibria of the 2OH and 4OH-Substituted Oxazole and Thiazole and the 3OH and 4OH-Substituted Isoxazole and Isothiazole in the Isolated State and in Solution

This follow-up paper completes the author’s investigations to explore the in-solution structural preferences and relative free energies of all OH-substituted oxazole, thiazole, isoxazole, and isothiazole systems. The polarizable continuum dielectric solvent method calculations in the integral-equation formalism (IEF-PCM) were performed at the DFT/B97D/aug-cc-pv(q+(d))z level for the stable neutral tautomers with geometries optimized in dichloromethane and aqueous solution. With the exception of the predictions for the predominant tautomers of the 3OH isoxazole and isothiazole, the results of the IEF-PCM calculations for identifying the most stable tautomer of the given species in the two selected solvents agreed with those from experimental investigations. The calculations predict that the hydroxy proton, with the exception for the 4OH isoxazole and 4OH isothiazole, moves preferentially to the ring nitrogen or to a ring carbon atom in parallel with the development of a C=O group. The remaining, low-fraction OH tautomers will not be observable in the equilibrium compositions. Relative solvation free energies obtained by the free energy perturbation method implemented in Monte Carlo simulations are in moderate accord with the IEF-PCM results, but consideration of the ΔG_solv/MC values in calculating ΔG^s_tot maintains the tautomeric preferences. It was revealed from the Monte Carlo solution structure analyses that the S atom is not a hydrogen-bond acceptor in any OH-substituted thiazole or isothiazole, and the OH-substituted isoxazole and oxazole ring oxygens may act as a weak hydrogen-bond acceptor at most. The molecules form 1.0−3.4 solute−water hydrogen bonds in generally unexplored numbers at some specific solute sites. Nonetheless, hydrogen-bond formation is favorable with the NH, C=O and OH groups.

Effect of Polar Environments on the Aluminum Oxide Shell Surrounding Aluminum Particles: Simulations of Surface Hydroxyl Bonding and Charge

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to understand molecular variations on an alumina surface due to exposure to a polar environment. The analysis has strong implications for the reactivity of aluminum (Al) particles passivated by an alumina shell. Recent studies have shown a link between the carrier fluid used for Al powder intermixing and the reactivity of Al with fluorine containing reactive mixtures. Specifically, flame speeds show a threefold increase when polar liquids are used to intermix aluminum and fluoropolymer powder mixtures. It was hypothesized that the alumina lattice structure could be transformed due to hydrogen bonding forces exerted by the environment that induce modified bond distances and charges and influence reactivity. In this study, the alumina surface was analyzed using DFT calculations and model clusters as isolated systems embedded in polar environments (acetone and water). The conductor-like screening model (COSMO) was used to mimic environmental effects on the alumina surface. Five defect models for specific active -OH sites were investigated in terms of structures and vibrational -OH stretching frequencies. The observed changes of the surface OH sites invoked by the polar environment were compared to the bare surface. The calculations revealed a strong connection between the impact of carrier fluid polarity on the hydrogen bonding forces between the surface OH sites and surrounding species. Changes were observed in the OH characteristic properties such as OH distances (increase), atomic charges (increase), and OH stretching frequencies (decrease); these consequently improve OH surface reactivity. The difference between medium (acetone) and strong (water) polar environments was minimal in the COSMO approximation.

Theoretical in-Solution Conformational/Tautomeric Analyses for Chain Systems with Conjugated Double Bonds Involving Nitrogen(s)

Conformational/tautomeric transformations for X=CH–CH=Y structures (X = CH₂, O, NH and Y = NH) have been studied in the gas phase, in dichloromethane and in aqueous solutions. The paper is a continuation of a former study where s-cis/s-trans conformational equilibria were predicted for analogues. The s-trans conformation is preferred for the present molecules in the gas phase on the basis of its lowest internal free energy as calculated at the B97D/aug-cc-pvqz and CCSD(T)_CBS (coupled-cluster singles and doubles with non-iterative triples extrapolated to the complete basis set) levels. Transition state barriers are of 29–36 kJ/mol for rotations about the central C–C bonds. In solution, an s-trans form is still favored on the basis of its considerably lower internal free energy compared with the s-cis forms as calculated by IEF-PCM (integral-equation formalism of the polarizable continuum dielectric solvent model) at the theoretical levels indicated. A tetrahydrate model in the supermolecule/continuum approach helped explore the 2solute-solvent hydrogen bond pattern. The calculated transition state barrier for rotation about the C–C bond decreased to 27 kJ/mol for the tetrahydrate. Considering explicit solvent models, relative solvation free energies were calculated by means of the free energy perturbation method through Monte Carlo simulations. These calculated values differ remarkably from those by the PCM approach in aqueous solution, nonetheless the same prevalent conformation was predicted by the two methods. Aqueous solution structure-characteristics were determined by Monte Carlo. Equilibration of conformers/tautomers through water-assisted double proton-relay is discussed. This mechanism is not viable, however, in non-protic solvents where the calculated potential of mean force curve does not predict remarkable solute dimerization and subsequent favorable orientation.

The applicability of the dimeric heterosynthon concept to molecules with equivalent binding sites. A DFT study of crystalline urea–H2O2

The limited applicability of the dimeric heterosynthon concept to a two-component urea–H₂O₂crystal is reported.

Energy decomposition analysis of gauche preference in 2-haloethanol, 2-haloethylamine (halogen = F, Cl), their protonated forms and anti preference in 1-chloro-2-fluoroethane

Small, electronegative elements contribute more electrostatic and orbital stabilization to the anti → gauche isomerization, and greater steric repulsion. The first and the latter actually oppose our traditional view of conformational equilibria.

Competing intramolecular vs. intermolecular hydrogen bonds in solution

A hydrogen bond for a local-minimum-energy structure can be identified according to the definition of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC recommendation 2011) or by finding a special bond critical point on the density map of the structure in the framework of the atoms-in-molecules theory. Nonetheless, a given structural conformation may be simply favored by electrostatic interactions. The present review surveys the in-solution competition of the conformations with intramolecular vs. intermolecular hydrogen bonds for different types of small organic molecules. In their most stable gas-phase structure, an intramolecular hydrogen bond is possible. In a protic solution, the intramolecular hydrogen bond may disrupt in favor of two solute-solvent intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The balance of the increased internal energy and the stabilizing effect of the solute-solvent interactions regulates the new conformer composition in the liquid phase. The review additionally considers the solvent effects on the stability of simple dimeric systems as revealed from molecular dynamics simulations or on the basis of the calculated potential of mean force curves. Finally, studies of the solvent effects on the type of the intermolecular hydrogen bond (neutral or ionic) in acid-base complexes have been surveyed.

Phosphorylated silica nanotubes: preparation and characterization

Recently, the strategy of doping inorganic particles into polymer membranes to modify them has been studied intensively. However, these inorganic particles have a disadvantage without being in good compatibility with the polymers. To enhance the compatibility between inorganic particles and polymers, phosphorylated silica nanotubes (PSNTs) with specific high ratios of length to diameter are prepared. Silica nanotubes (SNTs) are prepared through the hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate in a mixture of aqueous ammonia and dl-tartaric acid, then PSNTs are obtained by silylation and phosphorylation modifications. The optimum synthesis conditions of PSNTs are explored; in addition, the as-prepared PSNTs are characterized by Fourier transform infrared, transmission electron microscope, BET, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis and thermogravimetric analysis. The results indicate that the ratio of length to diameter of the PSNTs is approximately 20, the thickness of the tube wall is 20 nm, the specific surface area of the PSNTs is 460.2 m(2) g(-1), the inner diameter of the PSNTs is 76 nm, many mesopores are distributed in the tube walls of the PSNTs, and the PSNTs have numerous hydroxyl active sites along their length direction. Therefore, PSNTs are desirable as suitable fillers of polymer membranes.

Is there a simple way to reliable simulations of infrared spectra of organic compounds?

To assess the ability of the quantum-chemical computations to reproduce the experimental relative intensities in the infrared (IR) spectra of both the gas- and condensed-phase systems, the hybrid DFT functional B3LYP has been applied to simulation of IR spectra for species containing from three to twelve first- or second-row atoms, both in the gas phase and in CCl4 solutions. The results demonstrate that B3LYP, combined with the highly compact double-ζ basis set 6-31+G* and "scaled quantum mechanics" techniques, offers excellent quantitative performance in the calculations of relative IR intensities and frequencies (ν ≤ 2200 cm(-1)) for the bands of vibrations of medium-size isolated molecules, whereas it produces unsatisfactory results for the solutions of the same species. Neither larger basis sets nor implicit treatment of the media effects improve the agreement of the simulated spectra with the condensed-phase experiment. At the same time, some preliminary results suggest that explicit modeling of media effects could offer better quality of the IR spectral simulations for the condensed-phase systems.