Ab initio studies of π-water tetramer complexes: Evolution of optimal structures, binding energies, and vibrational spectra of π-(H2O)n (n=1–4) complexes

De novo design approach based on nanorecognition toward development of functional molecules/materials and nanosensors/nanodevices

For the design of functional molecules and nanodevices, it is very useful to utilize nanorecognition (which is governed mainly by interaction forces such as hydrogen bonding, ionic interaction, π-H/π-π interactions, and metallic interactions) and nanodynamics (involving capture, transport, and release of electrons, photons, or protons). The manifestation of these interaction forces has led us to the design and realization of diverse ionophores/receptors, organic nanotubes, nanowires, molecular mechanical devices, molecular switches, enzyme mimetics, protein folding/unfolding, etc. In this review, we begin with a brief discussion of the interaction forces, followed by some of our representative applications. We discuss ionophores with chemo-sensing capability for biologically important cations and anions and explain how the understanding of hydrogen bonding and π-interactions has led to the design of self-assembled nanotubes from calix[4]hydroquinone (CHQ). The binding study of neutral and cationic transition metals with the redox system of hydroquinone (HQ) and quinone (Q) predicts what kind of nanostructures would form. Finally, we look into the conformational changes between stacked and edge-to-face conformers in π-benzoquinone-benzene complexes controlled by alternating electrochemical potential. The resulting flapping motion illustrates a promising pathway toward the design of mobile nanomechanical devices.

Characteristics of Antiaromatic Ring π Multi-Hydrogen Bonds in (H2O)n−C4H4 (n = 1, 2) Complexes

By counterpoise-corrected optimization method, the six antiaromatic ring pi multi-hydrogen bond structures with diversiform shapes for (H2O)n-C4H4 (n = 1,2) have been obtained at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level. At the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVDZ level, the interaction energy obtained mainly depends on the numbers of H2O and fold numbers of the pi multi-hydrogen bond. The interaction energy order is -2.342 (1a with pi mono-hydrogen) < -2.777 (1b with pi bi-hydrogen) << -4.683 (2a with pi bi-hydrogen) < -4.734 (2b with pi tri-hydrogen) < -4.782 (2c with pi tri-hydrogen) < -5.009 kcal/mol (2d with pi tetra-hydrogen bond). Strangely, why is the interaction energy of the pi bi-hydrogen bond in 1b close to that of the pi mono-hydrogen bond in 1a (their difference is only 15.7%)? The reason is that a pi-type H-bond (as an accompanying interaction) between two lone pairs of the O-atom and a near pair of H-atoms of C4H4 exists shoulder by shoulder in structures 1a, 2a, 2b, and 2c and contributes to the interaction energy. Another accompanying interaction, a repulsive interaction between the pi H-bond (using the H-atom(s) of H2O) and the near pair of H-atoms of C4H4, is also found. For the structures and interaction energies, the pi-type H-bond produces four effects: bending the strong pi H-bond, attracting the pair of H-atoms of C4H4 so that they deviate from the C4 ring plane, showing the interaction energy contribution, and bringing the larger electron correlation contribution. The repulsive interaction also produces four effects: pushing the pair of H-atoms of C4H4 so that they deviate from its ring plane, elongating the distance of the pi H-bond, promoting the formation of pi-type H-bond, and slightly influencing the interaction energy. In the present paper, one C=C bond with two H2O (over and below the ring plane) forms a pi H-bond link in two ways: a strong-weak pi H-bond link and a strong-strong pi H-bond link. The stability contribution of the former is more favorable than the latter. One H2O forms a pi H-bond with C4H4 in two ways. One strong pi H-bond part (over or below the ring plane) always is accompanied by another H-bond part. The accompanying part is either a weak pi H-bond or pi-type H-bond.

Characterization of Weak NH−π Intermolecular Interactions of Ammonia with Various Substituted π-Systems

Among the several weak intermolecular interactions pervading chemistry and biology, the NH-pi interaction is one of the most widely known. Nevertheless its weak nature makes it one of the most poorly understood and characterized interactions. The present study details the results obtained on gas-phase complexes of ammonia with various substituted pi systems using both laser vibrational spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. The spectroscopic measurements carried out by applying one-color resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI) and IR-vibrational predissociation spectroscopy in the region of the NH stretches yield the first experimental NH stretching shifts of ammonia upon its interaction with various kinds of pi-systems. The experiments were complemented by ab initio calculations and energy decompositions, carried out at the second-order Møller-Plesset (MP2) level of theory. The observed complexes show characteristic vibrational spectra which are very similar to the calculated ones, thereby allowing an in-depth analysis of the interaction forces and energies. The interaction energy of the conformers responsible for the observed vibrational spectra has the maximum contribution from dispersion energies. This implies that polarizabilities of the pi-electron systems play a very important role in governing the nature and geometry of the NH-pi interaction. The larger polarizability of ammonia as compared to water and the tendency to maximize the dispersion energy implies that the characteristics of the NH-pi interactions are markedly different from that of the corresponding OH-pi interactions.

Theoretical characterization of structures and energies of benzene–(H2S)n and (H2S)n (n=1–4) clusters

An ab initio study was performed in clusters up to four H(2)S molecules and benzene using calculations at MP26-31+G(*) and MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ levels. Differences between both sets of calculations show the importance of using large basis sets to describe the intermolecular interactions in this system. The obtained binding energies reflect that benzene has not the same behavior in H(2)S as in water, pointing to a higher solubility of this molecule in H(2)S than in water. The Bz-cluster binding energy was fitted to an asymptotic representation with a maximum value of the energy of -8.00 kcal/mol that converges in a cluster with 12 H(2)S molecules. The obtained intermolecular distance in the Bz-H(2)S dimer is similar to the experimental value; however, the difference is much larger for the angles defining the orientation. The influence of benzene produces a distortion of the (H(2)S)(n) clusters, so the intermolecular distances change with regard to the (H(2)S)(n) isolated clusters. Frequency shifts are larger in clusters with benzene than without it. In the smallest clusters the shift associated to the stretching of the S-H bonded to benzene is the largest one, but for the cluster with three H(2)S molecules this stretching is combined with the other S-H stretching of the molecule so the resulting shift is not the largest one.

Characteristic of structures and π-hydrogen bond of dimers C2H4−nFn-HF (n=0,1,2)

By the counterpoise-correlated potential energy surface method (interaction energy optimization), five structures of the C(2)H(4-n)F(n)-HF (n = 0,1,2) dimers with all real frequencies have been obtained at MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level. The influence of F substituent effect on the structure and pi-hydrogen bond of dimer has been discussed. For C(2)H(4-n)F(n)-HF (n = 1,2), the pi-hydrogen bonds are elongated comparing with that for C(2)H(4)-HF. For C(2)H(3)F-HF, g-C(2)H(2)F(2)-HF, cis-C(2)H(2)F(2)-HF, the pi-hydrogen bonds are further deformed. These changes (elongate, shift, and deformation) of pi-hydrogen bond mainly come from deformation of pi-electron cloud of C=C bond. The pi-electron cloud is pushed towards the one C atom, the pi H-bond shift also to the C direction. Since the two lobes of pi-electron cloud have deviated slightly from the molecular vertical plane passing through C=C bond, the pi-hydrogen bond is sloped. Intermolecular interaction energies of the dimers are calculated to be -3.9 for C(2)H(4)-HF, -2.8 for C(2)H(3)F-HF, -2.1 for g-C(2)H(2)F(2)-HF, -1.6 for cis-C(2)H(2)F(2)-HF, -1.3 kcal/mol for trans-C(2)H(2)F(2)-HF, at CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVDZ level.

Picosecond IR–UV pump–probe spectroscopic study of the dynamics of the vibrational relaxation of jet-cooled phenol. II. Intracluster vibrational energy redistribution of the OH stretching vibration of hydrogen-bonded clusters

A picosecond time-resolved IR-UV pump-probe spectroscopic study has been carried out for investigating the intracluster vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) and subsequent dissociation of hydrogen-bonded clusters of phenol (C6H5OH) and partially deuterated phenol (C6D5OH, phenol-d5) with various solvent molecules. The H-bonded OH stretching vibration was pumped by a picosecond IR pulse, and the transient S1-S0 UV spectra from the pumped level as well as the redistributed levels were observed with a picosecond UV laser. Two types of hydrogen-bonded clusters were investigated with respect to the effect of the H-bonding strength on the energy flow process: the first is of a strong "sigma-type H-bond" such as phenol-(dimethyl ether)(n=1) and phenol dimer, and the second is phenol-(ethylene)(n=1) having a weak "pi-type H-bond." It was found that the population of the IR-pumped OH level exhibits a single-exponential decay, whose rate increases with the H-bond strength. On the other hand, the transient UV spectrum due to the redistributed levels showed a different time evolutions at different monitoring UV frequency. From an analysis of the time profiles of the transient UV spectra, the following three-step scheme has been proposed for describing the energy flow starting from the IVR of the initially excited H-bonded OH stretching level to the dissociation of the H bond. (1) The intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution takes place within the phenolic site, preparing a hot phenol. (2) The energy flows from the hot phenol to the intermolecular vibrational modes of the cluster. (3) Finally, the hydrogen bond dissociates. Among the three steps, the rate constant of the first step was strongly dependent on the H-bond strength, while the rate constants of the other two steps were almost independent of the H-bond strength. For the dissociation of the hydrogen bond, the observed rate constants were compared with those calculated by the Rice, Ramsperger, Kassel, and Marcus model. The result suggests that dissociation of the hydrogen bond takes place much faster than complete energy randomization within the clusters.

An ab initio theoretical prediction: An antiaromatic ring π-dihydrogen bond accompanied by two secondary interactions in a “wheel with a pair of pedals” shaped complex FH⋯C4H4⋯HF

By the counterpoise-correlated potential energy surface method (interaction energy optimization), the structure of the pi H-bond complex FH cdots, three dots, centered FH . . . C4H4 . . . HF has been obtained at the second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ) level. Intermolecular interaction energy of the complex is calculated to be -7.8 kcal/mol at the coupled-cluster theory with single, double substitutions and perturbatively linked triple excitations CCSD (T)/aug-cc-pVDZ level. The optimized structure is a "wheel with a pair of pedals" shaped (1mid R:1) structure in which both HF molecules almost lie on either vertical line passing through the middle-point of the C[Double Bond]C bond on either side of the horizontal plane of the C4 ring for cyclobutadiene. In the structure, an antiaromatic ring pi-dihydrogen bond is found, in which the proton acceptor is antiaromatic 4 electron and 4 center pi bond and the donors are both acidic H atoms of HF molecules. In accompanying with the pi-dihydrogen bond, two secondary interactions are exposed. The first is a repulsive interaction between an H atom of HF and a near pair of H atoms of C4H4 ring. The second is the double pi-type H bond between two lone pairs on a F atom and a far pair of H atoms.

Comparative Studies of H+(C6H6)(H2O)1,2 and H+(C5H5N)(H2O)1,2 by DFT Calculations and IR Spectroscopy

Protonated benzene–water and pyridine–water complexes have been investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and infrared (IR) spectroscopy. The calculations performed at the B3LYP/6–31+G* level predict that there exist several stable isomers for H+(C6H6)(H2O)1,2 with two distinct ion cores, C6H7+ and H3O+. In contrast, only the C5H5NH+-centred form can be found for H+(C5H5N)(H2O)1,2, arising from the higher proton affinity of pyridine compared to that of benzene and water. Vibrational predissociation spectroscopic measurements of H+(C6H6)(H2O)2 and H+(C5H5N)(H2O)2 support the predictions.

An ab initio study of microsolvation of LiF in water: structures and properties of LiF-Wn, n = 1-9 complexes

Geometries of clusters of water molecules (W(n)) and those of the LiF-W(n) (n = 1-9) complexes were optimized using the B3LYP/6-31+G** method. Geometries of the complexes up to n = 7 were also optimized using the MP2/6-31+G** approach. Only one structure of each of W(n), n = 1-5 was considered to generate the complexes with LiF while two structures, one of a cage type and the other of a prism type, were considered for n = 6-9. The LiF-W(2) complex is found to be most stable among the various complexes. The LiF-W(6) complex, where W(6) is of a cage type, is predicted to be substantially less stable than that where W(6) is of a prism type. Certain existing ambiguities regarding the most stable structures of the LiF-W(n) (n = 1-3) complexes have been resolved. The LiF molecule seems to divide the W(n) clusters in the LiF-W(n) (n = 3-6) complexes into different fragments where at least one W(2)-like fragment is present. In LiF-W(6) (cage), there is one W(2)-like fragment while in LiF-W(6) (prism), there are three W(2)-like fragments. The LiF bond length is substantially increased in going from the gas phase to the different complexes, this increase being most prominent in LiF-W(6), where W(6) is of the cage or prism type. The LiF molecule, however, does not acquire the ionic structure Li(+)F(-) in any of the complexes studied here. An appreciable amount of electronic charge is transferred from LiF to the water molecules involved in the different complexes. In this process, the Li atom gains electronic charge in some cases, while the F atom considered separately, as well as the Li and F atoms taken together, lose the same in most cases.