0000000000999775

AUTHOR

Laura Gagliardi

Study of the MAu6(M = Cr, Mo, W) molecular species: A transition from halogenlike to hydrogenlike chemical behavior for gold

Quantum chemical calculations suggest that a series of molecules with the general formula MAu6 are stable, where M is a a group 6 atom, Cr, Mo, W, respectively. These species have a structure analogous to the corresponding MH6 compounds, while they differ from the MX6, where X is a halogen. The further reaction MAu6 + 3Au2 → MAu12 is strongly exothermic.

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A theoretical study of the lowest electronic states of azobenzene: the role of torsion coordinate in the cis-trans photoisomerization

In the present paper we report the results of a multiconigurational computational study on potential- energy curves of azobenzene along the NN twisting to clarify the role of this coordinate in the decay of the S2(pp*) and S1(np*) states. We have found that there is a singlet state, S3 at the trans geometry, on the basis of the doubly excited coniguration n 2 p* 2 , that has a deep minimum at about 90 of twisting, where it is the lowest excited singlet state. The existence of this state provides an explanation for the short lifetime of S2(pp*) and for the wavelength-dependence of azobenzene photochem- istry. We have characterized the S1(np*) state by calcu- lating its vibrational frequencie…

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Helicate Extension as a Route to Molecular Wires

We describe the preparation of a helicate containing four closely spaced, linearly arrayed copper(I) ions. This product may be prepared either directly by mixing copper(I) with a set of precursor amine and aldehyde subcomponents, or indirectly through the dimerization of a dicopper(I) helicate upon addition of 1,2-phenylenediamine. A notable feature of this helicate is that its length is not limited by the lengths of its precursor subcomponents: each of the two ligands wrapped around the four copper(I) centers contains one diamine, two dialdehyde, and two monoamine residues. This work thus paves the way for the preparation of longer oligo- and polymeric structures. DFT calculations and elec…

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Exploring the Actinide-Actinide Bond: Theoretical Studies of the Chemical Bond in Ac2, Th2, Pa2, and U2

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Metal-polyhydride molecules are compact in a fullerene cage

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A Multiconfigurational Theoretical Study of the Octamethyldimetalates of Cr(II), Mo(II), and Re(III): Revisiting the Correlation Between M-M Bond Length and the delta-delta* Transition Energy

Four compounds containing metal-metal quadruple bonds, the [M 2(CH3)8]n- ions (M = Cr, Mo, W, Re and n = 4, 4, 4, 2, respectively), have been studied theoretically using multiconfigurational quantum-chemical methods. The molecular structure of the ground state of these compounds has been determined and the energy of the δ → δ* transition has been calculated and compared with previous experimental measurements. The high negative charges on the Cr, Mo, and W complexes lead to difficulties in the successful modeling of the ground-state structures, a problem that has been addressed by the explicit inclusion of four Li+ ions in these calculations. The ground-state geometries of the complexes and…

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arly Excited State Dynamics of 6-Styryl-Substituted Pyrylium Salts Exhibiting Dual Fluorescence

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The gas-phase chemiionization reaction between samarium and oxygen atoms: A theoretical study

The Sm + O chemiionization reaction has been investigated theoretically using a method that allows for correlation and relativistic effects. Potential energy curves have been calculated for several electronic states of SmO and SmO+. Comparison with available spectroscopic and thermodynamic values for these species is reported and a mechanism for the chemiionization reaction Sm + O is proposed. The importance of spin–orbit coupling in the excited states of SmO, in allowing this chemiionization reaction to take place, has been revealed by these calculations. This paper shows the metal-plus-oxidant chemiionization reaction.

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Quantum Chemical Calculations Predict the Diphenyl Diuranium Compound [PhUUPh] To Have a Stable1Ag Ground State

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On the nature of the metal-metal multiple bond

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The electronic spectrum of the UO2 molecule

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On the mechanism of the cis-trans photoisomerization in the lowest electronic states of Azobenzene

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OpenMolcas: From Source Code to Insight

In this article we describe the OpenMolcas environment and invite the computational chemistry community to collaborate. The open-source project already includes a large number of new developments realized during the transition from the commercial MOLCAS product to the open-source platform. The paper initially describes the technical details of the new software development platform. This is followed by brief presentations of many new methods, implementations, and features of the OpenMolcas program suite. These developments include novel wave function methods such as stochastic complete active space self-consistent field, density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) methods, and hybrid multico…

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Relativistic Electronic Structure Theory. Part 1. Fundamentals. By Peter Schwerdtfeger.

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A theoretical study of the gas-phase chemi-ionization reaction between uranium and oxygen atoms

The U+O chemi-ionization reaction has been investigated by quantum chemical methods. Potential-energy curves have been calculated for several electronic states of UO and UO+. Comparison with the available spectroscopic and thermodynamic values for these species is reported and a mechanism for the chemi-ionization reaction U+O -> UO++e(-) is proposed. The U+O and Sm+O chemi-ionization reactions are the first two metal-plus-oxidant chemi-ionization reactions to be studied theoretically in this way.

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The characterization of molecular alkaly metal azides

Matrix isolation infrared (IR) studies have been carried out on the vaporisation of the alkali-metal azides MN(3) (M = Na, K, Rb and Cs). The results show that under high vacuum conditions, molecular KN(3), RbN(3) and CsN(3) are present as stable high-temperature vapour species, together with variable amounts of nitrogen gas and the corresponding metal atoms. The characterisation of these molecular azides is supported by ab initio molecular orbital calculations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and for CsN(3) in particular, by the detection of the isotopomers CS((14)N(15)N(14)N) and Cs((15)N(14)N(14)N). The IR spectra are assigned to a "side-on" (C(2v)) structure by comparis…

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A very short uranium-uranium bond: The predicted metastable U22+

Quantum chemical calculations, based on multiconfigurational wave functions and including relativistic effects, show that the U(2)2+ system has a large number of low-lying electronic states with S of 0 to 2 and Lambda ranging from zero to ten. These states share a very small bond length of about 2.30 A, compared to 2.43 A in neutral U2. The Coulomb explosion to 2 U+ lowers the energy by only 1.6 eV and is separated by a broad barrier.

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Theoretical search for very short metal-actinide bonds: NUIr and isoelectronic systems.

, respectively. These analogues provide anexample ofthe isolobal principle, now without any outsideligands onthePt atom,asituation describedasits “autogenicisolobality”. These systems have multiple C Pt bonds. Theisolobal principle of Hoffmann refers to the similar chemicalbehaviorofansphybridandametalatomwithligands,-ML

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The electronic spectra of 2-(2′-hydroxybenzoyl)pyrrole and 2-(2′-methoxybenzoyl)pyrrole: a theoretical study

The gas-phase electronic spectra of 2-(2 0 -hydroxybenzoyl)pyrrole and 2-(2 0 -methoxybenzoyl)pyrrole have been determined using multiconfigurational perturbation theory (CASPT2). Solvatochromic spectral shifts for these molecules have been measured in cyclohexane and methanol and the electrostatic components of these shifts have been estimated using the vertical electrostatic model (VEM 4.2) developed for the configuration interaction with single excitations model implemented with the intermediate neglect of differential overlap Hamiltonian (CIS/INDO/ S2). Comparison between theory and experiment and an interpretation of the main spectral differences between the two substituted pyrroles an…

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How many hydrogens can be bound to a metal? Predicted MH12 species

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Relativistic Electronic Structure Theory. Part 1. Fundamentals. Herausgegeben von Peter Schwerdtfeger.

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Theoretical characterization of end-on and side-on peroxide coordination in ligated Cu2O2 models.

The relative energetics of mu-eta1:eta1 (trans end-on) and mu-eta2:eta2 (side-on) peroxo isomers of Cu2O2 fragments supported by 0, 2, 4, and 6 ammonia ligands have been computed with various density functional, coupled-cluster, and multiconfigurational protocols. There is substantial disagreement between the different levels for most cases, although completely renormalized coupled-cluster methods appear to offer the most reliable predictions. The significant biradical character of the end-on peroxo isomer proves problematic for the density functionals, while the demands on active space size and the need to account for interactions between different states in second-order perturbation theor…

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A Quantum Chemical Study of the Quintuple Bond between Two Chromium Centers in [PhCrCrPh]: trans-Bent versus Linear Geometry

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Prediction of new inorganic molecules with quantum chemical methods

Quantum chemistry can today be employed to invent new molecules and explore unknown molecular bonding. An overview of novel species containing metals bound to polynitrogen clusters is presented. The prediction of metal polyhydrides is discussed. Finally, some species containing gold that behaves as a halogen are described, together with recent advances in actinide chemistry and exploration of the nature of the actinide–actinide chemical bonding.

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A theoretical study of the lowest excited states of azobenzene: the role of torsional coordinate in the cis-trans photoisomerization

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Local properties of quantum chemical systems: the LoProp approach.

A new method is presented, which makes it possible to partition molecular properties like multipole moments and polarizabilities, into atomic and interatomic contributions. The method requires a subdivision of the atomic basis set into occupied and virtual basis functions for each atom in the molecular system. The localization procedure is organized into a series of orthogonalizations of the original basis set, which will have as a final result a localized orthonormal basis set. The new localization procedure is demonstrated to be stable with various basis sets, and to provide physically meaningful localized properties. Transferability of the methyl properties for the alkane series and of t…

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The Coordination of Uranyl in Water: A Combined Quantum Chemical and Molecular Simulation Study

The coordination environment of uranyl in water has been studied using a combined quantum mechanical and molecular dynamics approach. Multiconfigurational wave function calculations have been performed to generate pair potentials between uranyl and water. The quantum chemically determined energies have been used to fit parameters in a polarizable force field with an added charge transfer term. Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed for the uranyl ion and up to 400 water molecules. The results show a uranyl ion with five water molecules coordinated in the equatorial plane. The U-O(H(2)O) distance is 2.40 A, which is close to the experimental estimates. A second coordination shell…

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Computational studies of new metallic ions complexes of antioxidant dipeptides

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Study of the MAu6 molecular species (M=Cr, Mo, W): A transition from halogenlike to hydrogenlike chemical behavior for gold

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Quantum Chemical Calculations Show that the Uranium Molecule U2 Has a Quintuple Bond.

Covalent bonding is commonly described by Lewis's theory1, with an electron pair shared between two atoms constituting one full bond. Beginning with the valence bond description2 for the hydrogen molecule, quantum chemists have further explored the fundamental nature of the chemical bond for atoms throughout the periodic table, confirming that most molecules are indeed held together by one electron pair for each bond. But more complex binding may occur when large numbers of atomic orbitals can participate in bond formation. Such behaviour is common with transition metals. When involving heavy actinide elements, metal–metal bonds might prove particularly complicated. To date, evidence for ac…

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When Does Gold Behave as a Halogen? Predicted Uranium Tetraauride and Other MAu4 Tetrahedral Species, (M = Ti, Zr, Hf, Th)

Quantum chemical calculations suggest that a series of molecules with the general formula MAu4 are stable, where M = U, Th, and a group-4 atom. They correspond to Au in the formal valence state -1 and indicate that gold can act as a ligand similar to the halogen series. Of the MAu4 species studied, UAu4, the first predicted mixed gold uranium compound, has a short M-Au bond distance, 2.71 A, which would locate Au between Br and I from the bond length point of view in the U-tetrahalide series. Energetically, the U-Au bond is weaker than the corresponding U-Br and U-I bonds.

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Metal-Polyhydride Molecules Are Compact Inside a Fullerene Cage.

Quantum chemical calculations show that metal−hydride molecules are more compact when they are placed inside a fullerene cage than when they are isolated molecules. The metal−hydrogen bond distance in ZrH4 becomes 0.15 A shorter when it is placed inside a C60 cage. Metal−polyhydride molecules with a large number of H atoms such as ScH15 and ZrH16, which are not bound as isolated molecules, are predicted to be bound inside a fullerene cage. It is also shown that two TiH16 clusters are bound inside a bicapped (9,0) carbon nanotube. Possible ways to make metal−hydrides inside C60 and nanotubes are suggested.

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How useful are vibrational frequencies of isotopomeric O2 fragments for assessing local symmetry? Some simple systems and the vexing case of a galactose oxidase model

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Quantum chemical calculations show that the uranium molecule U2 has a quintuple bond

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Quantum Chemical Characterization of the Bonding of N-Heterocyclic Carbenes to Cp2MI Compounds [M = Ce(III), U(III)]

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An ab initio and DFT study of the fragmentation and isomerisation of MeP(O)(OMe)+

The fragmentation behaviour of the ion MeP(O)OMe+ has been investigated using quantum mechanical calculations at the B3LYP and MP2 levels to support experiments made with an Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer. Two mechanisms for the loss of CH2O are found, one involving a 1,3-H migration to phosphorus and the other a 1,2-methyl migration to give P(OMe)2+ followed by a 1,3-H migration. In each case an ion-dipole complex is formed that rapidly dissociates to yield CH2O. The relative importance of each route has been previously determined experimentally via isotopic labelling experiments, and the theoretical results are found to be consistent with these experimental results. The mechanisms suggested i…

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