0000000000021748
AUTHOR
Josef Michl
Evidence for an Intermediate in the Methylation of CB11H12−with Methyl Triflate: Comparison of Electrophilic Substitution in Cage Boranes and in Arenes
The trideuteriomethylation of BH vertices in CB11H12− and its derivatives with CD3OTf (OTf=triflate, trifluoromethanesulfonate) yields a mixture of BCD3 and BCHD2 substitution products, thus demonstrating the intermediacy of a species with a long enough lifetime for hydrogen scrambling between the boron vertex and the methyl substituent. No such scrambling is observed if CD3OTf is used to methylate toluene. According to density functional theory calculations, the intermediate in BH vertex methylation is a three-center bonded σ adduct of a methyl cation to the BH bond and the proton scrambling occurs via a transition structure containing a distorted square-pyramidal methane attached axially …
The Transoid, Ortho, and Gauche Conformers of Decamethyl-n-tetrasilane, n-Si4Me10: Electronic Transitions in the Multistate Complete Active Space Second-Order Perturbation Theory Description
Multistate complete active space second-order perturbation theory (MS-CASPT2) is used to improve earlier descriptions of the low-energy valence excited states of the transoid, ortho, and gauche conformers of decamethyl-n-tetrasilane, n-Si4Me10, using a generally contracted basis set of atomic natural orbitals (ANOs) at a ground-state geometry optimized in the second-order Moller−Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) approximation with Dunning's correlation consistent triple-ζ basis set (cc-pVTZ) on the silicon atoms and the 6-31G* and 6-31G basis sets on the carbon and hydrogen atoms, respectively. Relative energies, relative free energies, and mole fractions of the transoid, ortho, and gauche …
Optimal arrangements of 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran molecule pairs for fast singlet fission.
A simplified version of the frontier orbital model has been applied to pairs of C2, C2v, Cs, and C1 symmetry 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran rotamers to determine their best packing for fast singlet fission (SF). For each rotamer the square of the electronic matrix element for SF was calculated at 2.2 × 109 pair geometries and a few thousand most significant physically accessible local maxima were identified in the six-dimensional space of mutual arrangements. At these pair geometries, SF energy balance was evaluated, relative SF rate constants were approximated using Marcus theory, and the SF rate constant kSF was maximized by further optimization of the geometry of the molecular pair. The proce…
Calculation of the conformational dependence of valence and Rydberg states in n-tetrasilane
Abstract Previous CIS/6-31G ∗∗ and CASSCF/6-31G ∗ calculations of valence excited states of n -tetrasilane accounted qualitatively for the observed conformational dependence of condensed-phase UV absorption spectra. In an attempt to understand this result, we have performed CIS calculations with a larger basis set (MC-311G(2d) on Si, 6-311G on H, and 2s, 2p, and 2d diffuse orbitals at molecular center of mass). The first two excited states are of valence character at all dihedral angles if the molecule is isolated. When it is embedded in a rare gas cluster, the lowest four states are of valence character, and the results are nearly identical with those obtained without diffuse orbitals in t…
Measured and Calculated Oxidation Potentials of 1-X-12-Y-CB11Me10– Anions
Cyclic voltammetry of 31 icosahedral carborane anions 1-X-12-Y-CB(11)Me(10)(-) at a Pt electrode in liquid SO(2) revealed a completely reversible one-electron oxidation even at low scan rates, except for the anions with Y = I, which are oxidized irreversibly up to a scan rate of 5.0 V/s, and the anion with X = COOH and Y = H, whose oxidation is irreversible at scan rates below 1.0 V/s. Relative reversible oxidation potentials agree well with RI-B3LYP/TZVPP,COSMO and significantly less well with RI-BP86/TZVPP,COSMO or RI-HF/TZVPP,COSMO calculated adiabatic electron detachment energies. Correlations with HOMO energies of the anions are nearly as good, even though the oxidized forms are subjec…
Design of carborane molecular architectures via electronic structure computations
10 pags, 9 figs
Multiconfigurational second-order perturbation calculation of the electronic absorption spectrum of trisilane, Si3H8
The low-lying singlet excited states of trisilane have been computed using the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) method, second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2), and the extended multistate CASPT2 (MS-CASPT2) approach, and a generally contracted basis set of atomic natural orbitals (ANOs) including Rydberg functions. The ground state structure was obtained from an ab initio optimization at the second-order M⊘ller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) level using Dunning's correlation-consistent triple-zeta basis set (cc-pVTZ) and agrees well with experiment. The calculation of the electronic transitions included the lower valence excited states and two Rydberg series conver…
MS-CASPT2 analysis of the UV thermochromism of octamethyltrisilane
We interpret the reversal of the direction of the thermochromic shift of the first absorption band of peralkylated oligosilanes as the silicon chain is extended, based on multistate complete active space second-order perturbation theory (MS-CASPT2) calculations for octamethyltrisilane, Si3Me8. The observed shift is attributed to the effect of b1 distortions from ground state equilibrium geometry on vertical excited state energies and intensities. A generally contracted basis set of atomic natural orbitals (ANOs) at a ground state geometry optimized in the second-order Moller–Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) approximation with Dunning's correlation consistent triple-zeta basis set (cc-pVTZ)…
On the electronic structure of a dianion, a radical anion, and a neutral biradical (HB)11CCCC(BH)11 carborane dimer
Abstract The electronic structure of a neutral, a radical anion, and a dianion carborane dimer connected via an acetylenic bridge unit (HB) 11 C C C C(BH) 11 is analyzed by quantum chemical methods. Geometries, relative stabilities, and singlet–triplet gaps are determined in the neutral and dianion species for the lowest-lying singlet and triplet states and for the doublet ground state in the radical anion. As for the recently studied biradical compounds derived from o -carborane, m -carborane and p -carborane [J. Chem. Theory Comput. 4 (2008) 1338] via double hydrogen abstraction, the neutral dimeric compound displays a biradical ground-state structure in which both singlet and triplet sta…
Electronic Excitation in a Saturated Chain: An MS-CASPT2 Treatment of the Anti Conformer of n-Tetrasilane
The singlet−singlet electronic spectrum of the anti conformer of n-tetrasilane has been studied using multiconfigurational wave functions (CASSCF), second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2), and its multi-state extension (MS-CASPT2), in conjunction with large ANO-type basis sets including Rydberg functions. The calculations include the 4s, 4p, and 3d members of the Rydberg series converging on the first ionization. Mixing of valence and Rydberg states observed in the CASSCF wave functions is not fully rectified by single-reference CASPT2 theory, whereas the MS-CASPT2 method separates the valence and Rydberg states effectively. At the MS-CASPT2 level, six valence excited states have been fou…
Rotational spectra of gauche perfluoro-n-butane, C4F10; perfluoro-iso-butane, (CF3)3CF; and tris(trifluoromethyl)methane, (CF3)3CH
Abstract The microwave spectra of the gauche conformer of perfluoro- n -butane, n -C 4 F 10 , of perfluoro- iso -butane, (CF 3 ) 3 CF, and of tris(trifluoromethyl)methane, (CF 3 ) 3 CH, have been observed and assigned. The rotational and centrifugal distortion constants for gauche n -C 4 F 10 are: A = 1058.11750(7) MHz, B = 617.6832(1) MHz, C = 552.18794(1) MHz, Δ J = 0.0257(5) kHz, δ J = 0.0052(3) kHz. A C–C–C–C dihedral angle, ω , of ∼55° has been determined. These values agree well with those obtained from a coupled cluster (CCSD/cc-PVTZ) calculation. The rotational and centrifugal distortion constants for iso -C 4 F 10 and iso -C 4 HF 9 are: B o = 816.4519(4) MHz, D J = 0.023(2) …