Fast Quantum Approach for Evaluating the Energy of Non-Covalent Interactions in Molecular Crystals: The Case Study of Intermolecular H-Bonds in Crystalline Peroxosolvates

Energy/enthalpy of intermolecular hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) in crystals have been calculated in many papers. Most of the theoretical works used non-periodic models. Their applicability for describing intermolecular H-bonds in solids is not obvious since the crystal environment can strongly change H-bond geometry and energy in comparison with non-periodic models. Periodic DFT computations provide a reasonable description of a number of relevant properties of molecular crystals. However, these methods are quite cumbersome and time-consuming compared to non-periodic calculations. Here, we present a fast quantum approach for estimating the energy/enthalpy of intermolecular H-bonds in crystals. It has been tested on a family of crystalline peroxosolvates in which the H∙∙∙O bond set fills evenly (i.e., without significant gaps) the range of H∙∙∙O distances from ~1.5 to ~2.1 Å typical for strong, moderate, and weak H-bonds. Four of these two-component crystals (peroxosolvates of macrocyclic ethers and creatine) were obtained and structurally characterized for the first time. A critical comparison of the approaches for estimating the energy of intermolecular H-bonds in organic crystals is carried out, and various sources of errors are clarified.

Proton conductivity as a function of the metal center in porphyrinylphosphonate-based MOFs

The rational design of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) is highly important for the development of new proton conductors. Porphyrinylphosphonate-based MOFs, providing the directed tuning of physical and chemical properties of materials through the modification of a macrocycle, are potentially high-conducting systems. In this work the synthesis and characterization of novel anionic Zn-containing MOF based on palladium(ii) meso-tetrakis(3-(phosphonatophenyl))porphyrinate, IPCE-2Pd, are reported. Moreover, the proton-conductive properties and structures of two anionic Zn-containing MOFs based on previously described nickel(ii) and novel palladium(ii) porphyrinylphosphonates, IPCE-2M (M = Ni(ii) or Pd(ii)), are compared in details. The high proton conductivity of 1.0 × 10-2 S cm-1 at 75 °C and 95% relative humidity (RH) is revealed for IPCE-2Ni, while IPCE-2Pd exhibits higher hydrolytic and thermal stability of the material (up to 420 °C) simultaneously maintaining a comparable value of conductivity (8.11 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 95 °C and 95% RH). The nature of the porphyrin metal center is responsible for the features of crystal structure of materials, obtained under identical reaction conditions. The structures of IPCE-2Pd and its dehydrated derivative IPCE-2Pd-HT are determined from the synchrotron powder diffraction data. The presence of phosphonic groups in compared materials IPCE-2M affords a high concentration of proton carriers that together with the sorption of water molecules leads to a high proton conductivity.

Crystalline Peroxosolvates: Nature of the Coformer, Hydrogen-Bonded Networks and Clusters, Intermolecular Interactions

Despite the technological importance of urea perhydrate (percarbamide) and sodium percarbonate, and the growing technological attention to solid forms of peroxide, fewer than 45 peroxosolvates were known by 2000. However, recent advances in X-ray diffractometers more than tripled the number of structurally characterized peroxosolvates over the last 20 years, and even more so, allowed energetic interpretation and gleaning deeper insight into peroxosolvate stability. To date, 134 crystalline peroxosolvates have been structurally resolved providing sufficient insight to justify a first review article on the subject. In the first chapter of the review, a comprehensive analysis of the structural databases is carried out revealing the nature of the co-former in crystalline peroxosolvates. In the majority of cases, the coformers can be classified into three groups: (1) salts of inorganic and carboxylic acids; (2) amino acids, peptides, and related zwitterions; and (3) molecular compounds with a lone electron pair on nitrogen and/or oxygen atoms. The second chapter of the review is devoted to H-bonding in peroxosolvates. The database search and energy statistics revealed the importance of intermolecular hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) which play a structure-directing role in the considered crystals. H2O2 always forms two H-bonds as a proton donor, the energy of which is higher than the energy of analogous H-bonds existing in isostructural crystalline hydrates. This phenomenon is due to the higher acidity of H2O2 compared to water and the conformational mobility of H2O2. The dihedral angle H-O-O-H varies from 20 to 180° in crystalline peroxosolvates. As a result, infinite H-bonded 1D chain clusters are formed, consisting of H2O2 molecules, H2O2 and water molecules, and H2O2 and halogen anions. H2O2 can form up to four H-bonds as a proton acceptor. The third chapter of the review is devoted to energetic computations and in particular density functional theory with periodic boundary conditions. The approaches are considered in detail, allowing one to obtain the H-bond energies in crystals. DFT computations provide deeper insight into the stability of peroxosolvates and explain why percarbamide and sodium percarbonate are stable to H2O2/H2O isomorphic transformations. The review ends with a description of the main modern trends in the synthesis of crystalline peroxosolvates, in particular, the production of peroxosolvates of high-energy compounds and mixed pharmaceutical forms with antiseptic and analgesic effects.

Metal phosphonates incorporating metalloligands: assembly, structures and properties

This feature article summarizes the current status of metal–metalloligand phosphonates including the synthetic strategies, crystal structures and properties. Future challenges in this field are discussed.

Interplay of π-stacking and inter-stacking interactions in two-component crystals of neutral closed-shell aromatic compounds: periodic DFT study

This paper bridges the gap between high-level ab initio computations of gas-phase models of 1 : 1 arene–arene complexes and calculations of the two-component (binary) organic crystals using atom–atom potentials. The studied crystals consist of electron-rich and electron-deficient compounds, which form infinite stacks (columns) of heterodimers. The sublimation enthalpy of crystals has been evaluated by DFT periodic calculations, while intermolecular interactions have been characterized by Bader analysis of the periodic electronic density. The consideration of aromatic compounds without a dipole moment makes it possible to reveal the contribution of quadrupole–quadrupole interactions to the π-stacking energy. These interactions are significant for heterodimers formed by arenes with more than 2 rings, with absolute values of the traceless quadrupole moment (Q_zz) larger than 10 D Å. The further aggregation of neighboring stacks is due to the C–H⋯F interactions in arene/perfluoroarene crystals. In crystals consisting of arene and an electron-deficient compound such as pyromellitic dianhydride, aggregation occurs due to the C–H⋯O interactions. The C–H⋯F and C–H⋯O inter-stacking interactions make the main contribution to the sublimation enthalpy, which exceeds 150 kJ mol⁻¹ for the two-component crystals formed by arenes with more than 2 rings.

The interplay of π-stacking and inter-stacking interactions in two-component organic crystals without conventional hydrogen bonds.

Coordination self-assembly through weak interactions in meso-dialkoxyphosphoryl-substituted zinc porphyrinates

The self-assembly of seven zinc 10-(dialkoxyphosphoryl)-5,15-diarylporphyrinates Zn5-Zn11 containing different substituents at the phosphonate and aryl groups was investigated. Single crystals of Zn5-Zn9 complexes were grown under the same conditions and analyzed by X-ray structural analysis. A supramolecular self-assembly is observed in all crystals through weak coordinative bonding of the phosphoryl group of one porphyrin molecule to the zinc(ii) ion of a second molecule. The geometry of the porphyrin macrocycle is similar in all of the studied crystals and the central zinc atom in each case adopts a distorted tetragonal pyramidal environment. However, the Zn5-Zn7 porphyrins display a 1D polymeric structure while the Zn8 and Zn9 complexes exist as discrete cyclotetramers in the crystals. This data demonstrates that the non-coordinating meso-aryl substituents of meso-(dialkoxyphosphoryl)porphyrins influence their crystalline organization. A self-assembly of the Zn5-Zn11 complexes is also observed in toluene and chloroform solutions over a large temperature range (223-323 K). According to NMR studies, the associates exhibit dynamic behavior. A well-defined supramolecular aggregate of complex Zn10 at 10-3 M in toluene and chloroform solutions was unambiguously characterized as a cyclotetramer [Zn10]4 by 1H NMR spectroscopy at 223 K. The structure of the Zn10 association in toluene and chloroform shows a concentration dependence. When a solution of Zn10 in toluene was diluted from 10-3 M to 10-5 M, the average number of molecules in the associated unit decreased to about two.

Electrochemical, Spectroelectrochemical, and Structural Studies of Mono- and Diphosphorylated Zinc Porphyrins and Their Self-Assemblies

Three series of porphyrins containing a Zn(II) central metal ion and zero, one, or two phosphoryl groups at the meso-positions of the macrocycle were characterized as to their electrochemical, spectroscopic, and structural properties in nonaqueous media. The investigated compounds are represented as 5,15-bis(4'-R-phenyl)porphyrinatozinc, 10-(diethoxyphosphoryl)-5,15-bis(4'-R-phenyl)porphyrinatozinc, and 5,15-bis(diethoxyphosphoryl)-10,20-bis(4'-R-phenyl)porphyrinatozinc, where R = OMe, Me, H, or CN. Linear-free energy relationships are observed between the measured redox potentials at room temperature and the electronic nature of the substituents at the 5 and 15 meso-phenyl groups of the macrocycle. The mono- and bis-phosphoryl derivatives with two p-cyanophenyl substituents provide electrochemical evidence for aggregation at low temperature, a greater degree of aggregation being observed in the case of 5,15-bis(diethoxyphosphoryl)-10,20-bis(4'-cyanophenyl)porphyrinatozinc(II). This compound was characterized in further detail by variable-temperature ¹H and ³¹P{¹H} NMR spectroscopy in solution combined with single crystal X-ray analysis in the solid state. The data obtained from these measurements indicate that this porphyrin has a dimeric structure in CDCl₃ at 223-323 K but forms a 2D polymeric network when it is crystallized from a CHCl₃/MeOH mixture.

Platinum(ii) and palladium(ii) complexes with electron-deficient meso-diethoxyphosphorylporphyrins: synthesis, structure and tuning of photophysical properties by varying peripheral substituents

The luminescence quenching by O₂ and photodegradation of Pt(ii) and Pd(ii) phosphorylporphyrins are reported.

Spectrally-resolved third-harmonic generation and the fundamental role of O-HCl hydrogen bonding in Oh, Td-cobalt(ii) tetraphenylmethane-based coordination polymers

The reaction of a phosphonate-diester tetraphenylmethane-based tecton, tetrakis[4-(diethoxyphosphoryl)phenyl]methane, (L) with cobalt(ii) chloride afforded a centrosymmetric coordination polymer (CP), [L·2Co(H₂O)₄²⁺·2CoCl₄^2-]_n, 2-Cl, possessing simultaneously octahedral (O_h) and tetrahedral (T_d) metal centers. This material served as a model compound for the demonstration of factors influencing the spectral dependence of one of the nonlinear optical (NLO) phenomena, the third-harmonic generation (THG). The spectrally-resolved THG (SR-THG) measurements in the range from 1125 to 1750 nm revealed that a maximum of THG response is obtained when the fundamental beam is around 1300 nm. The SR-THG study was combined with an analysis of the self-absorption effects of pumping and of third-harmonic radiation; based on these results, we put forward a hypothesis that the THG action spectrum is influenced more by the ability of the material to self-absorb the third harmonic rather than by the extent of self-absorption of the pumping radiation. Apart from investigations of NLO properties, we have explored coordination and particularly the supramolecular interactions that build up the 2-Cl CP. Despite the tetrahedral, spatial shape of the ligand L, CP 2-Cl has a two-dimensional net. The structure was found to be strongly supported by O-HCl hydrogen bonds, since each CoCl₄^2- complex anion is an acceptor of eight of such interactions within a distorted square grid layer of cobalt(ii) ions. While coordination and hydrogen-bonded nets are both featuring the sql topology when treated separately, the consideration of both of them as topological paths yields a trinodal 4,4,6-connected net, described by the point symbol (4²·8⁴)(4⁵·6)₂(4⁶·6⁶·8³)₂. SR-THG and structural studies of 2-Cl have been also supported by far- and mid-infrared spectroscopy, UV-Vis-NIR solid state absorption analysis, thermogravimetry and preliminary magnetic characterization.

Gallium(III) and Indium(III) Complexes with meso-Monophosphorylated Porphyrins: Synthesis and Structure. A First Example of Dimers Formed by the Self-Assembly of meso-Porphyrinylphosphonic Acid Monoester

The synthesis and structural characterization, both in solution by means of ¹H and ³¹P NMR and UV-vis spectroscopies and in the solid state by X-ray diffraction on single crystal, of a series of gallium(III) and indium(III) meso-mono(diethoxyphosphoryl)porphyrins bearing different peripheral substituents as well as the corresponding monoesters and phosphonic acids are reported. This work describes the first example of the X-ray structure of a self-assembled dimer formed via strong binding between the oxygen atom of the phosphonate substituent and the gallium(III) cations of adjacent porphyrin molecules [Ga-O = 1.9708(13) Å].