0000000000019744
AUTHOR
Paolo Sgarbossa
New light on an old debate: does the RCN–PtCl2 bond include any back-donation? RCN←PtCl2 backbonding vs. the IR νCN blue-shift dichotomy in organonitriles–platinum(ii) complexes. A thorough density functional theory – energy decomposition analysis study
For a series of organonitrile [RCN (R = Me, CF3, Ph, CH3Ph, CF3Ph)] ligands, the nature of the N–Pt bond in the related cis-/trans-(RCN)2PtCl2 complexes has been computationally investigated by Density Functional Theory. A fragment based bond analysis has been performed in the canonical Kohn–Sham molecular orbitals framework, and it has been ultimately assessed that this bond is characterized both by N→Pt σ and by N←Pt π contributions. Voronoi Deformation Density charges further confirms the occurrence of N←Pt π interactions. Moreover, the Energy Decomposition Analysis-Natural Orbital for Chemical Valence (EDA-NOCV) method shows that the strength of the N←Pt π interaction is not negligible …
Recent Developments in Understanding Biochar’s Physical–Chemistry
Biochar is a porous material obtained by biomass thermal degradation in oxygen-starved conditions. It is nowadays applied in many fields. For instance, it is used to synthesize new materials for environmental remediation, catalysis, animal feeding, adsorbent for smells, etc. In the last decades, biochar has been applied also to soils due to its beneficial effects on soil structure, pH, soil organic carbon content, and stability, and, therefore, soil fertility. In addition, this carbonaceous material shows high chemical stability. Once applied to soil it maintains its nature for centuries. Consequently, it can be considered a sink to store atmospheric carbon dioxide in soils, thereby mitigat…
Pt(II) nitrile complexes: New insights on old complexes from a combined experimental and theoretical study
Abstract The spectroscopic characterization of cis - and trans -[PtCl 2 (NCR) 2 ] (R = CH 3 , Ph, CH 2 Ph) was reported in solid state and solution phase. Moreover, the X-ray structures of cis -[PtCl 2 (NCCH 3 ) 2 ], cis - and trans -[PtCl 2 (NCPh) 2 ] were redetermined at low temperature. FT-IR and NMR showed a blue-shift and a slight shielding of the νCN and δ ( 13 C CN ) values, respectively, in a counterintuitive way with respect to the well known improved reactivity towards nucleophiles of nitriles ligands coordinated to platinum(II), when compared to their free forms. These spectroscopic behaviors were also confirmed by theoretical experiments at DFT level. Moreover, DFT approach show…
Cyclo- and Polyphosphazenes for Biomedical Applications
Cyclic and polyphosphazenes are extremely interesting and versatile substrates characterized by the presence of -P=N- repeating units. The chlorine atoms on the P atoms in the starting materials can be easily substituted with a variety of organic substituents, thus giving rise to a huge number of new materials for industrial applications. Their properties can be designed considering the number of repetitive units and the nature of the substituent groups, opening up to a number of peculiar properties, including the ability to give rise to supramolecular arrangements. We focused our attention on the extensive scientific literature concerning their biomedical applications: as antimicrobial age…
A DFT mechanistic study of the synthesis of trans-Z,Z-[PtIICl(NH3){HN = C(NH2)Me}2]Cl from addition of NH3 to trans-[PtIICl2(N CMe)2]
Abstract The reaction mechanism between trans-[PtIICl2(N CMe)2] and ammonia to give trans-Z,Z-[PtIICl(NH3){HN = C(NH2)Me}2]Cl has been studied at DFT level. Results showed that, in dichloromethane solution at 263.15 K, the chloride substitution by the ammonia on platinum is a process kinetically more favoured than the ammonia nucleophilic addition to the nitrile of about three orders of magnitude, and hence the nucleophilic addition reaction occurs after. Finally, both nucleophilic addition steps are geometrically driven to give products in the E configuration even if the final products were experimentally observed in the Z configuration. For trans-Z,Z-[PtIICl(NH3)(N CMe)2, the isomerizatio…