Stereochemistry of Simple Molecules inside Nanotubes and Fullerenes: Unusual Behavior of Usual Systems

Deciphering the Reactive Pathways of Competitive Reactions inside Carbon Nanotubes

Nanoscale control of chemical reactivity, manipulation of reaction pathways, and ultimately driving the outcome of chemical reactions are quickly becoming reality. A variety of tools are concurring to establish such capability. The confinement of guest molecules inside nanoreactors, such as the hollow nanostructures of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), is a straightforward and highly fascinating approach. It mechanically hinders some molecular movements but also decreases the free energy of translation of the system with respect to that of a macroscopic solution. Here, we examined, at the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) level, the effect of confinement inside CNTs on nucleophilic substitution (S_N2) and elimination (syn-E2 and anti-E2) using as a model system the reaction between ethyl chloride and chloride. Our results show that the three reaction mechanisms are kinetically and thermodynamically affected by the CNT host. The size of the nanoreactor, i.e., the CNT diameter, represents the key factor to control the energy profiles of the reactions. A careful analysis of the interactions between the CNTs and the reactive system allowed us to identify the driving force of the catalytic process. The electrostatic term controls the reaction kinetics in the S_N2 and syn/anti-E2 reactions. The van der Waals interactions play an important role in the stabilization of the product of the elimination process.

Covalently Bonded Fullerene Nano-Aggregates (C60)n: Digitalizing Their Energy–Topology–Symmetry

Fullerene dimers and oligomers are attractive molecular objects with an intermediate position between the molecules and nanostructures. Due to the size, computationally assessing their structures and molecular properties is challenging, as it currently requires high-cost quantum chemical techniques. In this work, we have jointly studied energies, topological (Wiener indices and roundness), and information theoretic (information entropy) descriptors, and have obtained regularities in triad ‘energy–topology–symmetry’. We have found that the topological indices are convenient to indicating the most and least reactive atoms of the fullerene dimer structures, whereas information entropy is more suitable to evaluate odd–even effects on the symmetry of (C60)n. Quantum chemically assessed stabilities of selected C120 structures, as well as linear and zigzag (C60)n, are discussed.

Snapshots of the Fragmentation for C70@Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube: Tight-Binding Molecular Dynamics Simulations

In previously reported experimental studies, a yield of double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) at C₇₀@Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is higher than C₆₀@SWCNTs due to the higher sensitivity to photolysis of the former. From the perspective of pyrolysis dynamics, we would like to understand whether C₇₀@SWCNT is more sensitive to thermal decomposition than C₆₀@SWCNT, and the starting point of DWCNT formation, which can be obtained through the decomposition fragmentation of the nanopeapods, which appears in the early stages. We have studied the fragmentation of C₇₀@SWCNT nanopeapods, using molecular dynamics simulations together with the empirical tight-binding total energy calculation method. We got the snapshots of the fragmentation structure of carbon nano-peapods (CNPs) composed of SWCNT and C₇₀ fullerene molecules and the geometric spatial positioning structure of C₇₀ within the SWCNT as a function of dynamics time (for 2 picoseconds) at the temperatures of 4000 K, 5000 K, and 6000 K. In conclusion, the scenario in which C₇₀@SWCNT transforms to a DWCNT would be followed by the fragmentation of C₇₀, after C₇₀, and the SWCNT have been chemically bonding in the early stages. The relative stability of fullerenes in CNPs could be reversed, compared to the ranking of the relative stability of the encapsulated molecules themselves.

Structural and Conformational Aspects in the Chemistry of Heterocycles

Heterocyclic compounds represent more than half of all known organic compounds, so the growing interest in this field of chemistry is not surprising [...]

Molecular Structure Modulated Trap Distribution and Carrier Migration in Fluorinated Epoxy Resin

Surface charge accumulation on epoxy insulators is one of the most serious problems threatening the operation safety of the direct current gas-insulated transmission line (GIL), and can be efficiently inhibited by the surface modification technology. This paper investigated the mechanisms of fluorination modulated surface charge behaviors of epoxy resin through quantum chemical calculation (QCC) analysis of the molecular structure. The results show that after fluorination, the surface charge dissipation process of the epoxy sample is accelerated by the introduced shallow trap sites, which is further clarified by the carrier mobility model. The electron distribution probability of the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO) under positive charging and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO) under negative charging shows distinctive patterns. It is illustrated that electrons are likely to aggregate locally around benzenes for the positively charged molecular structure, while electrons tend to distribute all along the epoxy chain under negatively charging. The calculated results verify that fluorination can modulate surface charge behaviors of epoxy resin through redesigning its molecular structure, trap distribution and charging patterns.

Skeletal Rearrangements of the C240 Fullerene: Efficient Topological Descriptors for Monitoring Stone–Wales Transformations

Stone–Wales rearrangements of the fullerene surface are an uncharted field in theoretical chemistry. Here, we study them on the example of the giant icosahedral fullerene C240 to demonstrate the complex chemical mechanisms emerging on its carbon skeleton. The Stone–Wales transformations of C240 can produce the defected isomers containing heptagons, extra pentagons and other unordinary rings. Their formations have been described in terms of (i) quantum-chemically calculated energetic, molecular, and geometric parameters; and (ii) topological indices. We have found the correlations between the quantities from the two sets that point out the role of long-range topological defects in governing the formation and the chemical reactivity of fullerene molecules.