A contribution to the understanding of the structure of xenon hexafluoride

A Computational Study on Closed-Shell Molecular Hexafluorides MF6 (M=S, Se, Te, Po, Xe, Rn, Cr, Mo, W, U) - Molecular Structure, Anharmonic Frequency Calculations, and Prediction of the NdF6 Molecule

Quantum chemical methods were used to study the molecular structure and anharmonic IR spectra of the experimentally known closed-shell molecular hexafluorides MF₆ (M=S, Se, Te, Xe, Mo, W, U). First, the molecular structures and harmonic frequencies were investigated using Density Functional Theory (DFT) with all-electron basis sets and explicitly considering the influence of spin-orbit coupling. Second, anharmonic frequencies and IR intensities were calculated with the CCSD(T) coupled cluster method and compared, where available, with IR spectra recorded by us. These comparisons showed satisfactory results. The anharmonic IR spectra provide means for identifying experimentally too little studied or unknown MF₆ molecules with M=Cr, Po, Rn. To the best of our knowledge, we predict the NdF₆ molecule for the first time and show it to be a true local minimum on the potential energy surface. We used intrinsic bond orbital (IBO) analyses to characterize the bonding situation in comparison with the UF₆ molecule.

Predicting the structure and NMR coupling constant 1J(129Xe-19F) of XeF6 using quantum mechanics methods

The XeF₆ molecule exists as a monomer in the gas phase and as the (XeF₆)₄ tetramer in solution. Herein we used distinct quantum mechanics methods to study the conformational equilibrium for the XeF₆ monomer, which is represented mainly by O_h and C_3v symmetric geometries, and for the (XeF₆)₄ structure found in condensate phases. The NMR ¹J(¹²⁹Xe-¹⁹F) coupling constant is predicted using our own NMR-DKH basis set, designed for NMR properties. The C_3v conformer of XeF₆ was stable only with HF, CCSD, and hybrid DFT functionals with at least 28% exact HF exchange. Increasing the % of HF exchange improves the description of the geometry and the O_h→C_3v equilibrium. The BMK, BHandHLYP and LC-ωPBE functionals produce results in excellent agreement with experiments and high-level calculations for the XeF₆ molecule. When it comes to the ¹J(¹²⁹Xe-¹⁹F) coupling constant, the (XeF₆)₄ structure must be considered. For that compound, BHandHLYP leads to the best structure, and BMK leads to the best coupling constant; therefore, the generalized protocol BMK/NMR-DKH//BHandHLYP/def2-SVP is recommended to study the XeF₆ molecule in the gas phase and solution.

Matrix-Isolation and Quantum-Chemical Analysis of the C3v Conformer of XeF6, XeOF4, and Their Acetonitrile Adducts

A joint experimental-computational study of the molecular structure and vibrational spectra of the XeF₆ molecule is reported. The vibrational frequencies, intensities, and in particular the isotopic frequency shifts of the vibrational spectra for ¹²⁹XeF₆ and ¹³⁶XeF₆ isotopologues recorded in the neon matrix agree very well with those obtained from relativistic coupled-cluster calculations for XeF₆ in the C_3v structure, thereby strongly supporting the observation of the C_3v conformer of the XeF₆ molecule in the neon matrix. A C_3v transition state connecting the C_3v and O_h local minima is located computationally. The calculated barrier of 220 cm^-1 between the C_3v minima and the transition state corroborates the experimental observation of the C_3v conformer and the absence of the O_h conformer in solid noble gas matrices. For comparison matrix-isolation spectra have also been recorded and analyzed for the ¹²⁹XeOF₄ and the ¹³⁶XeOF₄ isotopologues. The matrix-isolation complexation shifts obtained for the XeF₆·NCCH₃ relative to those of free matrix isolated XeF₆ and CH₃CN are in good agreement with those reported for crystalline XeF₆·NCCH₃.

Chemical Bonding in Octahedral XeF6 and SF6

Quantum chemical density functional theory calculations have been carried out for octahedral XeF6 and SF6 at the BP86/TZ2P level with relativistic effects included by the ZORA approximation. The energy decomposition analysis of XeF6 and SF6 using neutral and charged fragments EF5 + F and EF5+ + F− as well as E + F6 and E6+ + F66− indicates that the dominant E–F orbital interactions take place between σ-orbitals which have t1u symmetry in the octahedral point group. The contribution of the a1g orbitals is negligible in the 16 valence electron compound XeF6. The a1g contribution becomes larger in the 14 valence electron species SF6 but it is less important than the t1u term. The bonding between the neutral species comes mainly from covalent (orbital) interactions but the quasiclassical electrostatic attraction significantly contributes to the attractive interactions. The bonding which comes from the ΔEorb term is compensated by the Pauli repulsion ΔEPauli. The sum of ΔEorb and ΔEPauli is repulsive for XeF6 and SF6, which would not be stable molecules without quasiclassical electrostatic attraction.

Raman study of molecular dynamics of inorganic fluoroxidizers in nonaqueous solutions: part 4. Xenon tetrafluoride and xenon hexafluoride in hydrogen fluoride

Raman spectra of XeF4 and XeF6 in the nonaqueous HF solutions at various concentrations and vibrational spectra of the [XeF5]+ cation in the solid state and in the HF solutions over a wide range of vibrational frequencies have been studied. The assignments of the observed vibrational bands of the [XeF5]+ cation and XeF6-HF system has been made. A number of associates or solvates being formed as a result of the donor-acceptor interaction between Lewis base and Lewis acid has been shown to exist alongside with ionized monomeric and polymeric modifications of XeF6 in the HF solution such as ([XeF5]+ F-)n (n = 1, 2, 4). The contours of the nu1(A1g) band of XeF4 with frequency 552 cm(-1) and bands of stretching modes of ([XeF5]+ F-)n (n = 1, 2, 4) with frequency in the range of 600-670 cm(-1) are analysed. The correlation functions of the vibrational and rotational relaxation as well as the corresponding characteristic time for these processes have been calculated. A conclusion has been driven at that it is vibrational dephasing that makes the major contribution to the formation of ([XeF5]+ F)4 and ([XeF5]+ F-)2 band contours, while in the case of [XeF5]+ F- and XeF4 the contributions of vibrational dephasing and rotational relaxation nearly coincide.