Computational and experimental study of the structure, binding preferences, and spectroscopy of nickel(II) and vanadyl porphyrins in petroleum

Ordered assembly of non-planar vanadyl-tetraphenylporphyrins on ultra-thin iron oxide

Stabilizing ordered assemblies of molecules represents the first step towards the construction of molecular devices featuring hybrid (organic-inorganic) interfaces where molecules can be easily functionalized in view of specific applications. Molecular layers of planar metal-tetraphenylporphyrins (MTPP) grown on an ultrathin iron oxide [namely Fe(001)-p(1 × 1)O] show indeed a high degree of structural order. The generality of such a picture is tested by exploiting non-planar porphyrins, such as vanadyl-TPP (VOTPP). These molecules feature a VO²⁺ ion in their center, with the O atom protruding out of the plane of the porphyrin ring. In this work, by employing diffraction, photoemission and X-ray absorption, we prove that non-planar VOTPP can nevertheless form a square and ordered superstructure, where porphyrin molecules lie flat with respect to the underlying substrate. Ab initio density functional theory simulations are used to elucidate the VO bond orientation with respect to the iron substrate.

Computational Investigation of the Metal and Ligand Substitution Effects on the Structure and Electronic States of the Phosphoranimide Tetramer Complexes of Cu(I), Ni(I), Co(I), and Fe(I)

The structurally unique saddle-shaped paramagnetic tetrametallic clusters of Co(I) and Ni(I) with phosphoranimide ligands have been synthesized and proposed as catalyst precursors. The analogous Cu(I) nanocluster is planar and diamagnetic. These notable variations in geometry and ground electronic states indicate that the effect of metal and ligand substituents on the structure and electronic properties of these complexes requires investigation. We present a computational study of a series of these novel homoleptic complexes containing Co(I), Ni(I), and Cu(I) as well as Fe(I) coordinated to phosphoranimides with electron-donating and withdrawing substituents, conducted at the relativistic density functional theory level using ZORA-PBE/TZP. The optimized structures of the saddle-shaped Co(I) and Ni(I) and planar Cu(I) tetramers with linear N-M-N coordination are validated with respect to X-ray diffraction determinations. The ground-state analysis indicates that Cu(I) complexes are diamagnetic, whereas Ni(I) and Co(I) complexes are in high-spin states, in agreement with magnetic susceptibility measurements. The computational results show that Fe(I) complexes are saddle shaped and high spin. The Co(I) complex is stabilized by a metal macrocycle distortion from square to diamond, as elucidated from its Walsh diagram. The effects of metals and ligand substituents on the ground electronic state, metal center coordination environment, and energy of the complexes are investigated. The bulky tertiary butyl substituent causes the largest saddle-shape distortion of the tetramer marcocycle, which partially offsets its electron-donating effect. Macrocycle distortions with N-M-N site angles ranging from obtuse to alternating obtuse reflex are correlated with the increasing number of unpaired electrons. The phenyl-substituted complexes are expected to have the highest reactivity toward electrophiles. Understanding the interplay between structural and electronic parameters is intended to guide the development of synthetic cooperative systems for multielectron redox reactions, models of biological systems, and molecular magnets.

Fractionation and Characterization of Petroleum Asphaltene: Focus on Metalopetroleomics

Asphaltenes, as the heaviest and most polar fraction of petroleum, have been characterized by various analytical techniques. A variety of fractionation methods have been carried out to separate asphaltenes into multiple subfractions for further investigation, and some of them have important reference significance. The goal of the current review article is to offer insight into the multitudinous analytical techniques and fractionation methods of asphaltene analysis, following an introduction with regard to the morphologies of metals and heteroatoms in asphaltenes, as well their functions on asphaltene aggregation. Learned lessons and suggestions on possible future work conclude the present review article.

Non-Covalent π-Stacking Interactions between Asphaltene and Porphyrin in Bitumen

In recent years, the dominant organizing role of non-covalent π-stacking interactions in the association of asphaltenes and porphyrins was criticized and replaced with cooperative forces that are mostly covalent in nature. Here, we show the significant contribution of non-covalent forces in stabilizing the π-stacking of asphaltenes and porphyrins. To understand the binding chemistry of metalloporphyrin-asphaltene, the interaction of nickel octaethylporphyrin with a series of model fragments for asphaltene was studied in two different pathways: axial coordination and π-stacking. Nickel octaethylporphyrin was specifically studied because a main fraction of vanadium and nickel metals in petroleum residues are chelated with porphyrins, and the refining processes in petroleum industries are affected by the significant detrimental impact of these metal compounds. The results of the extended transition state-natural orbital of chemical valence (ETS-NOCV) technique provide strong evidence that the bonding interaction in the π-stacking configuration is much preferred to the axial coordination. Energy decomposition analysis verifies the significant contribution of non-covalent forces in stabilizing the π-stacking of asphaltene-porphyrin, showing that there are other forces driving the formation of asphaltene-porphyrin stacks. Indeed, a non-negligible portion of these stabilizing forces is contributed by strong orbital mixing interactions through charge transfer between active centers; this contribution is mostly overlooked in π-stacking interactions. This matter includes the π-stacking interactions of asphaltene-asphaltene. Isosurfaces of deformation density (Δρ) provide better insights into the π-stacking preference. NOCV deformation densities are delocalized over the entire complex in the π-stacking conformer, leading to the multi-centric charge transfer zone; Δρ isosurfaces of axial coordination are mostly localized on the limited centers involved in chemical bonding.

Synthesis and Computational and Experimental Investigations of a para-Nicotinic Acid-Bridged Dirhenium(I) Dimer Complex

The Re(I) dimer complex, [fac(CO)₃(phen)Re1-N(py)COORe2(phen)fac(CO)₃]⁺ (py = pyridine; phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), contains two different Re(I) centers 9.3 Å apart, one with a nitrogen donor and the other with an acetate donor from the bridging isonicotinate ligand. The complexes were characterized by ¹H NMR, UV-vis, fluorescence, and IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The absorption and emission properties of the dimer dominated by charge transfer transitions are analyzed with respect to those of the monomers, [fac(CO)₃(phen)Re-N(pyCOOCH₃)]⁺ and [fac(CO)₃(phen)ReOOCCH₃]. Spectral comparison of these three complexes results in the unexpected finding that the dimer emission (575 nm) occurs near that of the nicotinate-containing monomer (580 nm) rather than near the lower energy-emitting state (650 nm) of the acetate-containing monomer. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidate this unusual emission behavior. The geometries of the dimer and two monomers are optimized in the singlet ground and lowest-energy triplet excited states (LLTS's) to interpret absorption and emission behaviors, respectively. The singlet excited states calculated using time-dependent DFT correlate well with the absorption spectra in the lowest-energy and other major electronic transitions. The energy gaps and low-lying singlet excited states of the dimer are close to those of the acetate-containing monomer. The lowest-energy Franck-Condon triplet excited state of the dimer arising from electronic transitions localized on the acetate moiety is unstable. The next higher Franck-Condon triplet excited state arises from long-range charge transfer transition, and its energy is close to that of the nicotinate-containing monomer. Optimization of the dimer LLTS yields a stable state based on a long-range charge transfer transition involving occupied orbitals partially localized on the bridging nicotinate moiety. The LLTS energies of the dimer and nicotinate-containing monomer are in very good agreement as are the emission energies of these complexes. The correlated spectroscopic and computational results corroborate to the understanding of charge transfer states and transitions toward the development of photosensitive compounds for photoelectrochemical solar energy conversion cells.

Novel oxazine and oxazone dyes: aggregation behavior and physicochemical properties

Novel compounds exhibited good properties in comparison with the corresponding starting reagent and satisfy the conditions of a potential drug.

HOMO-LUMO energy gap control in platinum(II) biphenyl complexes containing 2,2'-bipyridine ligands

A series of platinum(ii) biphenyl 2,2'-bipyridine complexes containing electron-donating and electron-withdrawing moieties on the 4 and 4' positions of the bipyridine ligand exhibit emission from excited states in the 600 nm region of the spectrum upon excitation in the metal-to-ligand charge transfer transition located near 450 nm. These complexes are distorted from planarity based on both single crystal structure determinations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations of isolated molecules in acetonitrile. The DFT also reveals the geometry of the lowest-lying triplet state (LLTS) of each complex that is important for emission behavior. The LLTS are assigned based on the electron spin density distributions and correlated with the singlet excited states to understand the mechanism of electronic excitation and relaxation. Time-dependent DFT calculations are performed to compute the singlet excited state energies of these complexes so as to help interpret their UV-Vis absorption spectra. Computational and experimental results, including absorption and emission energy maxima, electrochemical reduction potentials, LLTS, singlet excited states, and LUMO and HOMO energies, exhibit linear correlations with the Hammett constants for para-substituents σp. These correlations are employed to screen complexes that have not yet been synthesized. The correlation analysis indicates that the electronic structure and the HOMO-LUMO energy gap in Pt(ii) complexes can be effectively controlled using electron-donating and electron-withdrawing moieties covalently bonded to the ligands. The information presented in this paper provides a better understanding of the fundamental electronic and thermodynamic behavior of these complexes and could be used to design systems with specific applications.

New vanadium compounds in Venezuela heavy crude oil detected by positive-ion electrospray ionization fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Metalloporphyrins are ubiquitous in nature, particularly iron porphyrins (hemes) and magnesium dihydroporphyrins or chlorophylls. Oxovanadium (IV) complexes of alkyl porphyrins are widely distributed in petroleum, oil shales and maturing sedimentary bitumen. Here we identify new vanadium compounds in Venezuela Orinoco heavy crude oil detected by Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS). These compounds likely have the main structure of porphyrin, with the addition of more aromatic rings, thiophene and amino functional groups, corresponding to molecular series of C(n)H(2n-40)N(4)V(1)O(1) (36 ≤ n ≤ 58),C(n)H(2n-42)N(4)V(1)O(1) (37 ≤ n ≤ 57),C(n)H(2n-44)N(4)V(1)O(1) (38 ≤ n ≤ 59),C(n)H(2n-46)N(4)V(1)O(1) (43 ≤ n ≤ 54),C(n)H(2n-48)N(4)V(1)O(1) (45 ≤ n ≤ 55),C(n)H(2n-38)N(4)V(1)S(1)O(1) (36 ≤ n ≤ 41),C(n)H(2n-40)N(4)V(1)S(1)O(1) (35 ≤ n ≤ 51),C(n)H(2n-42)N(4)V(1)S(1)O(1) (36 ≤ n ≤ 54),C(n)H(2n-44)N(4)V(1)S(1)O(1) (41 ≤ n ≤ 55),C(n)H(2n-46)N(4)V(1)S(1)O(1) (39 ≤ n ≤ 55),C(n)H(2n-27)N(5)V(1)O(1) (29 ≤ n ≤ 40),C(n)H(2n-29)N(5)V(1)O(1) (34 ≤ n ≤ 42),C(n)H(2n-33)N(5)V(1)O(1) (31 ≤ n ≤ 38),C(n)H(2n-35)N(5)V(1)O(1) (32 ≤ n ≤ 41),C(n)H(2n-27)N(5)V(1)O(2) (32 ≤ n ≤ 41) and C(n)H(2n-29)N(5)V(1)O(2) (33 ≤ n ≤ 42). These findings are significant for the understanding of the existing form of vanadium species in nature, and are helpful for enhancing the amount of information on palaeoenvironments and improving the level of applied basic theory for the processing technologies of heavy oils.

Koopmans’ multiconfigurational self-consistent field (MCSCF) Fukui functions and MCSCF perturbation theory

Prediction of chemical reactivity has become one of the highest priority tasks of computational chemistry since the development of the methods of modeling electronic structure. Despite the general simplicity of the physical concept of reactivity and the rapid development of modern density functional theory (DFT) methods, this task remains state-of-the-art for systems with wavefunctions that have a multiconfigurational character. In such cases, for the accurate description of reactivity one needs to use multiconfigurational approaches that are much heavier computationally then ordinary single-determinant DFT methods. Moreover, the complexity of the calculation of reactivity is increased by the necessity to calculate ionic and transition states. These computational challenges can be addressed by employing the concepts of Koopmans’ theorem and its extension to a multiconfigurational case. We present a simplified methodology for the calculation of Fukui functions, based on Koopmans’ approximation for multiconfigurational Green’s functions developed in our previous works. Also, an extension of this methodology based on perturbation theory has been developed to improve accuracy.

Density functional theory investigation of the effect of axial coordination and annelation on the absorption spectroscopy of nickel(II) and vanadyl porphyrins relevant to bitumen and crude oils

The vanadium and nickel components in heavy oils and bitumen are important impurities in catalytic processing and form aggregates with other asphaltene components. Metalloporphyrins are commonly analyzed using the characteristic Soret band in the UV–vis absorption spectrum. However, the Soret band of metalloporphyrins in petroleum is broadened and weaker than expected based on the concentration of Ni and V in heavy oils and the extinction coefficients of isolated porphyrins. We hypothesize that the low intensity and broadening of the Soret band could be due to axial coordination of the metal center or fusion (annelation) of aromatic rings on the porphyrin π-system. This hypothesis is examined using the density functional theory for geometry optimization and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) for calculation of excited states of nickel(II) and vanadyl porphyrins with axially coordinated ligands and annelated polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Predictions of the excited electronic states performed using the tandem of TD-DFT and conductor-like polarizable continuum model of solvation support this hypothesis and provide insight into the extent of Soret band broadening and intensity decrease due to coordination and annelation. These computational results, validated with respect to visible absorption spectra, are important for understanding asphaltene aggregation and spectroscopic characterization and suggest methods for removal of transition metals from heavy oil.

Chemical fingerprinting of naphthenic acids and oil sands process waters-A review of analytical methods for environmental samples

This article provides a review of the routine methods currently utilized for total naphthenic acid analyses. There is a growing need to develop chemical methods that can selectively distinguish compounds found within industrially derived oil sands process affected waters (OSPW) from those derived from the natural weathering of oil sands deposits. Attention is thus given to the characterization of other OSPW components such as oil sands polar organic compounds, PAHs, and heavy metals along with characterization of chemical additives such as polyacrylamide polymers and trace levels of boron species. Environmental samples discussed cover the following matrices: OSPW containments, on-lease interceptor well systems, on- and off-lease groundwater, and river and lake surface waters. There are diverse ranges of methods available for analyses of total naphthenic acids. However, there is a need for inter-laboratory studies to compare their accuracy and precision for routine analyses. Recent advances in high- and medium-resolution mass spectrometry, concomitant with comprehensive mass spectrometry techniques following multi-dimensional chromatography or ion-mobility separations, have allowed for the speciation of monocarboxylic naphthenic acids along with a wide range of other species including humics. The distributions of oil sands polar organic compounds, particularly the sulphur containing species (i.e., OxS and OxS2) may allow for distinguishing sources of OSPW. The ratios of oxygen- (i.e., Ox) and nitrogen-containing species (i.e., NOx, and N2Ox) are useful for differentiating organic components derived from OSPW from natural components found within receiving waters. Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy also provides a powerful screening technique capable of quickly detecting the presence of aromatic organic acids contained within oil sands naphthenic acid mixtures. Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy provides diagnostic profiles for OSPW and potentially impacted groundwater that can be compared against reference groundwater and surface water samples. Novel applications of X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) are emerging for speciation of sulphur-containing species (both organic and inorganic components) as well as industrially derived boron-containing species. There is strong potential for an environmental forensics application of XANES for chemical fingerprinting of weathered sulphur-containing species and industrial additives in OSPW.

Revealing substituent effects on the electronic structure and planarity of Ni-porphyrins

Using density functional theory, we have studied the effects on structural and electronic consequences (including HOMO-LUMO energy gaps, vertical ionization potentials (IP_v), and vertical electron affinities (EA_v)) of the following two factors: (a) meso- and β-substituents acting as inductive donors (CH₃), inductive acceptors that are electron-donating through resonance (Br), inductive electron acceptors (CF₃), and resonance enabled acceptors (NO₂); and (b) complete replacement of pyrrole nitrogens with P-atoms. The principal results of the study are: (1) For the bare Ni-porphyrin, the solvents were found not to affect the HOMO-LUMO gaps but to change the IP_v and EA_v noticeably. (2) In the series CH₃ → Br → CF₃ → NO₂ the HOMO-LUMO energy gaps, IP_v, and EA_v increase for both meso- and β-substituents. The ruffling distortion of the porphyrin core is retained, and becomes stronger for the two acceptor groups. In general, effects of meso-substituents on the ruffling distortion of the porphyrin core is more pronounced. (3) Most significantly, complete replacement of pyrrole nitrogens in the NiP with phosphorus atoms produces the species, NiP(P)₄, with the structural and electronic features drastically different from the original NiP. This implies that NiP(P)₄ can possess interesting and unusual novel properties, including aromaticity and reactivity, leading to its various beneficial potential applications. Furthermore, NiP(P)₄ high stability both in the gas phase and different solvents was shown, implying the feasibility of its synthesis.