Electronic structure and spectroscopic properties of electronic states of ScC3 and ScC3−

A theoretical study of the TiC5 cluster

The geometric and electronic properties of the titanium carbide TiC(5) cluster in its neutral and anionic charge states have been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP level. The nonplanar six-membered ring-type or "butterflylike" structures are found to be the equilibrium geometric structures of TiC(5) and TiC(5) (-). Time-dependent DFT is used in the calculation of the excited states. The theoretical assignment at the B3LYP level for the features in the photoelectron spectrum is given. All results obtained are in good agreement with the available experimental data.

Structure and properties of the low-lying electronic states of CeC(2) and CeC(2)(+)

Theoretical studies on the electronic and thermodynamic properties of several electronic states of CeC(2) and CeC(2)(+) have been carried out employing state-of-the-art single- and multireference techniques. The ground and the low-lying electronic states of these two species have been found to possess C(2v) triangular structures. A (3)B(2) state has been found to be the ground state of CeC(2) while for CeC(2)(+) (2)A(2) is the ground state. The computed electron ionization energy is in excellent agreement with experiment. The experimentally observed thermodynamic properties (dissociation and atomization energies) of reactions involving CeC(2) dissociation are corrected using the computed gas-phase properties of the molecule and the partition functions. The bent triplet and singlet state of CeC(2) exhibit large dipole moments (7.0-10.5 D) and it is consistent with the ionic character (through dative charge transfer) of the cluster in ground and excited states.

Spectroscopic constants and potential energy curves of yttrium carbide (YC)

The potential energy curves of the low-lying electronic states of yttrium carbide (YC) and its cation are calculated at the complete active space self-consistent field and the multireference single and double excitation configuration interaction (MRSDCI) levels of theory. Fifteen low-lying electronic states of YC with different spin and spatial symmetries were identified. The X (4)Sigma- state prevails as the ground state of YC, and a low-lying excited A (4)Pi state is found to be 1661 cm(-1) higher at the MRSDCI level. The computations of the authors support the assignment of the observed spectra to a B (4)Delta(Omega=72)<--A (4)Pi(Omega=52) transition with a reinterpretation that the A (4)Pi state is appreciably populated under the experimental conditions as it is less than 2000 cm(-1) of the X (4)Sigma- ground state, and the previously suggested (4)Pi ground state is reassigned to the first low-lying excited state of YC. The potential energy curves of YC+ confirm a previous prediction by Seivers et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 105, 6322 (1996)] that the ground state of YC+ is formed through a second pathway at higher energies. The calculated ionization energy of YC is 6.00 eV, while the adiabatic electron affinity is 0.95 eV at the MRSDCI level. The computed ionization energy of YC and dissociation energy of YC+ confirm the revised experimental estimates provided by Seivers et al. although direct experimental measurements yielded results with greater errors due to uncertainty in collisional cross sections for YC+ formation.

Jahn-Teller distortion geometries and electronic structures of Ga3Ge, GaGe3, and their ions

Computational studies on the geometric, electronic, and spectroscopic properties of electronic states are presented for GaGe3, Ga3Ge, and their ions using the CASSCF and DFT(B3LYP)/CCSD(T)/QCISD(T) techniques. The optimized geometries of electronic states, vibrational frequencies, energy separations, Mulliken populations, ionization energies, electron affinities, binding energies are obtained. The anion photoelectron spectra of GaGe3- and Ga3Ge- are predicted. In addition, the results from the low-lying states of GaGe3 and Ga3Ge are compared with those of GaSi3 and Ga3Si. Results demonstrate that the equilibrium geometries of most electronic states of GaGe3, Ga3Ge, and their ions exhibit Jahn-Teller distortion. It is interesting to find that there is not charge transfer between Ga and Ge atoms upon an electron attachment to the ground states of GaGe3 and Ga3Ge, while the amount of charge transfer between Ga and Ge atoms significantly increases upon an electron ionization from the ground state of Ga3Ge.

Small ScCn Cyclic Clusters: A Density Functional Study of Their Structure and Stability

A theoretical study of the ScCn, ScCn+, and ScCn- (n = 1-10) cyclic clusters has been carried out employing the B3LYP density functional method. Predictions for several molecular properties that could help in their possible experimental characterization, such as equilibrium geometries, electronic structures, dipole moments, and vibrational frequencies, are reported. All ScCn cyclic clusters are predicted to have doublet ground states. For cationic clusters the ground state is alternate between singlets (n-even species) and triplets (n-odd members). In the case of anionic clusters the singlet-triplet separation is relatively small, with the singlets being favored in most cases. In general, even-odd parity effects are also observed for different properties, such as incremental binding energies, ionization energies, and electron affinities. For all neutral, cationic, and anionic clusters it is found that cyclic species are more stable than their open-chain counterparts. Therefore, cyclic structures are the most interesting possible targets for an experimental search of scandium-doped carbon clusters.

Small Carbon Clusters Doped with Early Transition Metals: A Theoretical Study of ScCn, ScCn+, and ScCn- (n = 1−8) Open-Chain Clusters

A theoretical study of the ScCn, ScCn+, and ScCn- (n = 1-8) open-chain clusters has been carried out. Predictions for their electronic energies, rotational constants, dipole moments and vibrational frequencies have been made using the B3LYP method with different basis set including effective core potentials, ECPs. For the ScCn open-chain clusters the lowest-lying states correspond to quartet states for n-odd members, whereas for n-even species the ground state is found to be a doublet. In the cationic and anionic species, the electronic ground state is found to be a singlet for even n and a triplet for odd n. An even-odd parity effect (n-even clusters being more stable than n-odd ones) is observed in neutral and charged clusters. Ionization energies and electron affinities also exhibit a clear parity alternation trend, with n-even clusters having higher values than n-odd ones.