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Feldman VI. Astrochemically Relevant Radicals and Radical-Molecule Complexes: A New Insight from Matrix Isolation. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14510. [PMID: 37833965 PMCID: PMC10572415 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The reactive open-shell species play a very important role in the radiation-induced molecular evolution occurring in the cold areas of space and presumably leading to the formation of biologically relevant molecules. This review presents an insight into the mechanism of such processes coming from matrix isolation studies with a main focus on the experimental and theoretical studies performed in the author's laboratory during the past decade. The radicals and radical cations produced from astrochemically relevant molecules were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Small organic radicals containing C, O, and N atoms are considered in view of their possible role in the formation of complex organic molecules (COMs) in space, and a comparison with earlier results is given. In addition, the radical-molecule complexes generated from isolated intermolecular complexes in matrices are discussed in connection with their model significance as the building blocks for COMs formed under the conditions of extremely restricted molecular mobility at cryogenic temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir I Feldman
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
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Volosatova AD, Tyurin DA, Feldman VI. The Radiation Chemistry of NH 3···CO Complex in Cryogenic Media as Studied by Matrix Isolation. J Phys Chem A 2022; 126:3893-3902. [PMID: 35696324 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c01774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The NH3···CO complex can be considered an important building block for cold synthetic astrochemistry leading to the formation of complex organic molecules, including key prebiotic species. In this work, we have studied the radiation-induced transformations of this complex in Ar, Kr, and Xe matrices using FTIR spectroscopy. On the basis of comparison with the quantum chemical calculations at the CCSD(T)/L2a_3 level of theory, it was found that the initial complex had the configuration with hydrogen bonding through the carbon atom of CO. Irradiation of the matrix isolated complex with X-rays at 6 K leads to the formation of a number of synthetic products, namely, HNCO (in all matrices), formamide NH2CHO, NH2CO, and HNCO-H2 (in argon and krypton). The matrix effect on the product distribution was explained by the involvement of different excited states of the complex in their formation. It was suggested that formamide results from the singlet excited states while other species mainly originate from triplet excited states. The latter states are efficiently populated through ion-electron recombination (in all matrices) and through intersystem crossing (particularly, in xenon). High yield of the recombination triplet states is a feature of the processes induced by high-energy radiation (in contrast to direct photolysis). NCO, CN, and NO were found as minor secondary products at high adsorbed doses. The astrochemical implications of the obtained results are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniil A Tyurin
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Vladimir I Feldman
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
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Hockey EK, Vlahos K, Howard T, Palko J, Dodson LG. Weakly Bound Complex Formation between HCN and CH 3Cl: A Matrix-Isolation and Computational Study. J Phys Chem A 2022; 126:3110-3123. [PMID: 35583384 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.2c00716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The matrix-isolated infrared spectrum of a hydrogen cyanide-methyl chloride complex was investigated in a solid argon matrix. HCN and CH3Cl were co-condensed onto a substrate held at 10 K with an excess of argon gas, and the infrared spectrum was measured using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Quantum chemical geometry optimization, harmonic frequency, and natural bonding orbital calculations indicate stabilized hydrogen- and halogen-bonded structures. The two resulting weakly bound complexes are both composed of one CH3Cl molecule bound to a (HCN)3 subunit, where the three HCN molecules are bound head-to-tail in a ring formation. Our study suggests that─in the presence of CH3Cl─the formation of (HCN)3 is promoted through complexation. Since HCN aggregates are an important precursor to prebiotic monomers (amino acids and nucleobases) and other life-bearing polymers, this study has astrophysical implications toward the search for life in space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily K Hockey
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Korina Vlahos
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Thomas Howard
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Jessica Palko
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Leah G Dodson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
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Zasimov PV, Tyurin DA, Ryazantsev SV, Feldman VI. Formation and Evolution of H 2C 3O +• Radical Cations: A Computational and Matrix Isolation Study. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:8115-8128. [PMID: 35487219 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c00295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The family of isomeric H2C3O+• radical cations is of great interest for physical organic chemistry and chemistry occurring in extraterrestrial media. In this work, we have experimentally examined a unique synthetic route to the generation of H2C3O+• from the C2H2···CO intermolecular complex and also considered the relative stability and monomolecular transformations of the H2C3O+• isomers through high-level ab initio calculations. The structures, energetics, harmonic frequencies, hyperfine coupling constants, and isomerization pathways for several of the most important H2C3O+• isomers were calculated at the UCCSD(T) level of theory. The complementary FTIR and EPR studies in argon matrices at 5 K have demonstrated that the ionized C2H2···CO complex transforms into the E-HCCHCO+• isomer, and this latter species is supposed to be the key intermediate in further chemical transformations, providing a remarkable piece of evidence for kinetic control in low-temperature chemistry. Photolysis of this species at λ = 410-465 nm results in its transformation to the thermodynamically most stable H2CCCO+• isomer. Possible implications of the results and potentiality of the proposed synthetic strategy to the preparation of highly reactive organic radical cations are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel V Zasimov
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Daniil A Tyurin
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey V Ryazantsev
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia.,Center for Energy Science and Technology, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, 121205 Moscow, Russia
| | - Vladimir I Feldman
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
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Wang L, Li X, Jiang X, Zeng X, Zhou M. Spectroscopic Identification of the Heterocumulenic Isocyanatoborane Radical HBNCO. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:2619-2624. [PMID: 35294206 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.2c00208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The highly elusive isocyanatoborane radical HBNCO has been generated by the reaction of laser-ablated boron atoms with HNCO and also by the light-induced chemical transformation of the hydrogen-bonded molecule-radical complex BNH···CO in solid neon matrix. IR spectroscopic and theoretical studies indicate that the HBNCO radical possesses a quasilinear B═N═C═O heterocumulenic structure with the unpaired electron mainly located at the boron atom. This is in sharp contrast to the bonding properties of the isoelectronic analogues HCCCO and NCCO, in which the unpaired electron is located at the terminal CO moiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysts and Innovative Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Xiaolong Li
- Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysts and Innovative Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Xin Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysts and Innovative Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Xiaoqing Zeng
- Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysts and Innovative Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
| | - Mingfei Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysts and Innovative Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
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Volosatova AD, Lukianova MA, Zasimov PV, Feldman VI. Direct evidence for a radiation-induced synthesis of acetonitrile and isoacetonitrile from a 1 : 1 CH 4HCN complex at cryogenic temperatures: is it a missing link between inorganic and prebiotic astrochemistry? Phys Chem Chem Phys 2021; 23:18449-18460. [PMID: 34612385 DOI: 10.1039/d1cp01598b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Nitriles are important constituents of extraterrestrial media. Nitriles are supposed to play a crucial role in prebiotic chemistry occurring in the interstellar medium. In this work, we have investigated the low-temperature radiation-induced transformations of a 1 : 1 CH4HCN complex as a plausible precursor of the simplest nitriles using the matrix isolation approach with FTIR spectroscopic detection. The parent complexes isolated in a noble gas (Ng) matrix were obtained by deposition of the CH4/HCN/Ng gaseous mixture and characterized by comparison of experimental complexation-induced shifts of the HCN fundamentals with the results of the ab initio calculations. It was found that the X-ray irradiation of low-temperature matrices containing the isolated 1 : 1 CH4HCN complex resulted in the formation of acetonitrile (CH3CN) and isoacetonitrile (CH3NC) and it appears to be the first experimental evidence for the formation of C2 nitriles (acetonitrile and isoacetonitrile) from such a "building block". Additionally, a 1 : 1 CH4HNC complex was tentatively assigned to the irradiated Ar and Kr matrices. It is demonstrated that the matrix has a strong effect on the CH3CN/CH3NC yield ratio, which dramatically increases in the row Ar < Kr < Xe. Also, the efficiency of the radiation-induced formation of the CH4HNC complex was shown to decrease from Ar to Kr. It is believed that the proposed pathway for acetonitrile formation may be a significant step in the radiation-induced evolution leading to complex organic molecules and biomolecules under astrochemical conditions. Furthermore, the obtained results provide a prominent example of the impact of very weak intermolecular interactions on the radiation-induced transformations in cold media.
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Feldman VI, Ryazantsev SV, Kameneva SV. Matrix isolation in laboratory astrochemistry: state-of-the-art, implications and perspective. RUSSIAN CHEMICAL REVIEWS 2021. [DOI: 10.1070/rcr4995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Abstract
The detection of ethanolamine (NH2CH2CH2OH) in a molecular cloud in the interstellar medium confirms that a precursor of phospholipids is efficiently formed by interstellar chemistry. Hence, ethanolamine could have been transferred from the proto-Solar nebula to planetesimals and minor bodies of the Solar System and thereafter to our planet. The prebiotic availability of ethanolamine on early Earth could have triggered the formation of efficient and permeable amphiphilic molecules such as phospholipids, thus playing a relevant role in the evolution of the first cellular membranes needed for the emergence of life. Cell membranes are a key element of life because they keep the genetic material and metabolic machinery together. All present cell membranes are made of phospholipids, yet the nature of the first membranes and the origin of phospholipids are still under debate. We report here the presence of ethanolamine in space, NH2CH2CH2OH, which forms the hydrophilic head of the simplest and second-most-abundant phospholipid in membranes. The molecular column density of ethanolamine in interstellar space is N = (1.51± 0.07)× 1013 cm−2, implying a molecular abundance with respect to H2 of (0.9−1.4) × 10−10. Previous studies reported its presence in meteoritic material, but they suggested that it is synthesized in the meteorite itself by decomposition of amino acids. However, we find that the proportion of the molecule with respect to water in the interstellar medium is similar to the one found in the meteorite (10−6). These results indicate that ethanolamine forms efficiently in space and, if delivered onto early Earth, could have contributed to the assembling and early evolution of primitive membranes.
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A matrix isolation and Ab initio study on C2H6…HCN complex: An unusual example of hydrogen bonding. J Mol Struct 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2021.129910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Sosulin IS, Tyurin DA, Feldman VI. A hydrogen-bonded CHF⋯HF complex: IR spectra and unusual photochemistry. J Chem Phys 2021; 154:104310. [PMID: 33722008 DOI: 10.1063/5.0041159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
A hydrogen-bonded CHF⋯HF complex was characterized by FTIR matrix isolation spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. Three possible structures of this complex were found at the coupled-cluster with single, double, and perturbative triple excitations [CCSD(T)/L3a_3] level of theory. The comparison between the experiment and theory reveals that the most stable structure with the binding energy of 6.48 kcal/mol is formed upon x-ray irradiation of isolated CH2F2 molecules in noble gas matrices (Ne, Ar, Xe). This species appears to be the first known intermolecular complex of monofluorocarbene, and its identification was unambiguously proved by IR absorptions corresponding to HF deformation (libration), CF stretching, H-C-F bending, and CH and HF stretching modes. It is worth noting that the corresponding spectral features in an argon matrix were previously tentatively ascribed to CH2F2 +· and HF⋯CHF-· [L. Andrews and F. T. Prochaska, J. Chem. Phys. 70, 4714 (1979)], but the calculations performed in the present study definitely support the re-assignment. The observed CHF⋯HF complex can be converted to the parent CH2F2 under the action of light with λ < 525 nm. The plausible mechanism of this conversion using the conical intersection concept is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilya S Sosulin
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Daniil A Tyurin
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Vladimir I Feldman
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
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Lukianova MA, Volosatova AD, Drabkin VD, Sosulin IS, Kameneva SV, Feldman VI. Radiation-induced transformations of HCN⋯C2H2, HCN⋯C2H4 and HCN⋯C2H6 complexes in noble gas matrices: Synthesis of C3HxN molecules in cryogenic media. Radiat Phys Chem Oxf Engl 1993 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2020.109232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Sosulin IS, Tyurin DA, Feldman VI. A hydrogen-bonded CH2F2⋯CO complex: ab initio and matrix isolation study. J Mol Struct 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molstruc.2020.128784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Ryazantsev SV, Zasimov PV, Feldman VI. Radiation-induced synthesis of formic acid in the H2O–CO system: A matrix isolation study. Chem Phys Lett 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cplett.2020.137540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Murga MS, Wiebe DS, Vasyunin AI, Varakin VN, Stolyarov AV. Experimental and theoretical studies of photoinduced reactions in the solid phase of the interstellar medium. RUSSIAN CHEMICAL REVIEWS 2020. [DOI: 10.1070/rcr4912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Sosulin IS, Tyurin DA, Feldman VI. Radiation-Induced Transformation of CHF3···CO to the CF3···CO Complex: Matrix Isolation and Ab Initio Study. J Phys Chem A 2020; 124:1954-1958. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.9b09240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ilya S. Sosulin
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Daniil A. Tyurin
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Vladimir I. Feldman
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
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Volosatova AD, Kameneva SV, Feldman VI. Formation and interconversion of CCN and CNC radicals resulting from the radiation-induced decomposition of acetonitrile in solid noble gas matrices. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:13014-13021. [PMID: 31166329 DOI: 10.1039/c8cp07896c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Acetonitrile and the species resulting from its dehydrogenation play an important role in the radiation-induced evolution of organic matter in the space environment. In this work, we report on FTIR spectroscopic studies of the degradation of isolated CH3CN and CD3CN molecules induced by prolonged X-ray irradiation in solid noble gas matrices at 5 K. The principal products observed at high conversion degree of the parent acetonitrile molecules (70-90%) are CCN and CNC radicals, which result from prompt or two-step dehydrogenation of the corresponding precursors, H2CN and CH2NC radicals, respectively. CHCN and CHNC were also found as products of dehydrogenation at high absorbed doses, whereas the fragmentation products (CH3, CN, HCN, and HNC) were detected only in minor amounts over the whole dose range studied. CCN and CNC are produced in nearly equal amounts at high absorbed doses. Selective isomerization of CCN to CNC was observed under the illumination with visible light (460-470 nm), while subsequent action of the UV light (254 nm) induced reverse transformation leading to a photostationary state with the relative population of CNC/CCN being ca. 0.7. The astrochemical implications of the obtained results are discussed in connection with the recent discovery of CCN in extraterrestrial objects.
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Sosulin IS, Shiryaeva ES, Tyurin DA, Feldman VI. Matrix Isolation and Ab Initio Study on the CHF3···CO Complex. J Phys Chem A 2018; 122:4042-4047. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.8b01485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ilya S. Sosulin
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | | | - Daniil A. Tyurin
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Vladimir I. Feldman
- Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russia
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