Cyclo[18]carbon : Insight into Electronic Structure, Aromaticity and Surface Coupling

Cyclo[18]carbon (C18) is studied computationally at density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio levels to obtain insights into its electronic structure, aromaticity, and adsorption properties on the NaCl surface. DFT functionals with a small amount of Hartree-Fock exchange as well as XMC-QDPT2 calculations fail to determine the experimentally observed polyyne molecular structure revealing a cumulene-type geometry. Exchange-correlation functionals with a large amount of Hartree-Fock ex-change as well as ab initio CASSCF calculations yield the polyyne structure is a ground state while the cumulene structure corresponds to the transition state between the two inverted polyyne structures through the Kekule distortion. The polyyne and the cumulene structures are found to be doubly Hückel aromatic. The calculated adsorption energy of cyclo[18]carbon on the NaCl surface is small (37 meV/C) and almost the same for both structures implying that the surface does not stabilize a particular geometry.Peer reviewe

When are Antiaromatic Molecules Paramagnetic?

Magnetizabilities and magnetically induced current densities have been calculated and analyzed for a series of antiaromatic cyclo[4k]carbons (k = 2-11), iso[n]phlorins (n = 4-8), expanded porphyrinoids, and meso-meso, beta-beta,beta-beta triple-linked porphyrin and isophlorin arrays. The cyclo[4k]carbons with k = 2-6 are predicted to be closed-shell paramagnetic molecules due to the very strong paratropic ring current combined with its large radius. Larger cyclo[4k]carbons with k = 6-11 are diamagnetic because they sustain a paratropic ring current whose strength is weaker than -20 nA T-1, which seems to be the lower threshold value for closed-shell paramagnetism. This holds not only for cyclo[4k]carbons but also for other organic molecules like expanded porphyrinoids and oligomers of porphyrinoids. The present study shows that meso-meso, beta-beta, beta-beta triple-linked linear porphyrin and isophlorin arrays have a domainlike distribution of alternating diatropic and paratropic ring currents. The strength of their local paratropic ring currents is weaker than -20 nA T-1 in each domain. Therefore, linear porphyrin and isophlorin arrays become more diamagnetic with increasing length of the ribbon. For the same reason, square-shaped meso-meso, beta-beta, beta-beta triple-linked free-base porphyrin and isophlorin tetramers as well as the Zn(II) complex of the porphyrin tetramer are diamagnetic. We show that closed-shell molecules with large positive magnetizabilities can be designed by following the principle that a strong paratropic current ring combined with a large ring-current radius leads to closed-shell paramagnetism.Peer reviewe

Spontaneous Decomposition of Fluorinated Phosphorene and Its Stable Structure

Текст статьи не публикуется в открытом доступе в соответствии с политикой журнала.Single- and few-layer black phosphorus possesses interesting properties suitable for various optoelectronic applications where graphene cannot be applied due to its vanishing band gap. As phosphorene tends to degrade in environments, various approaches including fluorination have been explored to passivate its surface. Several structures of fluorinated phosphorene have thus recently been reported to demonstrate this approach. On the basis of a combination of first-principles electronic structure calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics, we reconsider the structure of fluorinated phosphorene marking previously reported configurations as thermodynamically unstable with a tendency to decompose spontaneously. We reveal the mechanism of fluorination and propose novel thermodynamically and energetically stable structures containing double fluorine units with enhanced antioxidative stability caused by the fluorination-induced negative electrostatic potential on the surface of phosphorene. The partially fluorinated structure demonstrates almost the same band gap compared to bare phosphorene, making it possible to utilize them in nano-optoelectronic applications

Cyclo [18] carbon: Insight into Electronic Structure, Aromaticity, and Surface Coupling

Cyclo[18]carbon (C18) is studied computationally at the density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio levels to obtain insight into its electronic structure, aromaticity, and adsorption properties on a NaCl surface. DFT functionals with a small amount of Hartree–Fock exchange fail to determine the experimentally observed polyyne molecular structure, revealing a cumulene-type geometry. Exchange-correlation functionals with a large amount of Hartree–Fock exchange as well as ab initio CASSCF calculations yield the polyyne structure as the ground state and the cumulene structure as a transition state between the two inverted polyyne structures through a Kekule distortion. The polyyne and the cumulene structures are found to be doubly Hückel aromatic. The calculated adsorption energy of cyclo[18]carbon on the NaCl surface is small (37 meV/C) and almost the same for both structures, implying that the surface does not stabilize a particular geometry

Cyclo[18]carbon Formation from C(18)Br(6) and C18(CO)(6) Precursors

Although cyclo[18]carbon has been isolated experimentally from two precursors, C18Br6 and C-18(CO)(6), no reaction mechanisms have yet been explored. Herein, we provide insight into the mechanism behind debromination and decarbon-ylation. Both neutral precursors demonstrate high activation barriers of similar to 2.3 eV, while the application of an electric field can lower the barriers by 0.1-0.2 eV. The barrier energy of the anion-radicals is found to be significantly lower for C18Br6 compared to C-18(CO)(6), confirming a considerably higher yield of cylco[18] carbon when the C18Br6 precursor is used. Elongation of the C-Br bond in the anion-radical confirms its predissociation condition. Natural bonding orbital analysis shows that the stability of C-Br and C-CO bonds in the anion-radicals is lower compared to their neutral species, indicating a possible higher yield. The applied analysis provides crucial details regarding the reaction yield of cyclo[18]carbon and can serve as a general scheme for tuning reaction conditions for other organic precursors.Funding Agencies|Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation [FSRZ-2020-0008]; Swedish Research Council [2020-04600, 2018-05973]; Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing at the National Supercomputer Centre of Linkoeping University [SNIC 2021-3-22, SNIC 2022-5-103]</p

Nucleotide Interaction with Chitosan Layer Deposited on Fumed Silica Surface: Practice and Theory towards Establishing the Mechanism at the Molecular Level

The growing interest in gene therapy is coupled to the strong need for the development of safe and efficient gene transfection vectors. A composite based on chitosan and fumed silica has been found to be a prospective gene delivery carrier. This study presents an investigation of the nature of the bonds between a series of mono-, di- and triphosphate nucleotides with a chitosan layer deposited on a fumed silica surface. It was observed that the adsorption of most of the studied nucleotides is determined by the formation of one surface complex. Experimentally measured surface complex formation constants (logK) of the nucleotides were found to be in range 2.69–4.02 which is higher than that for the orthophosphate (2.39). Theoretically calculated nucleotide complexation energies for chitosan deposited on the surface range from 11.5 to 23.0 kcal·mol–1 in agreement with experimental data. The adsorption of nucleotides was interpreted using their calculated speciation in aqueous solution. Based on the structures of all optimized complexes determined from quantum-chemical PM6 calculations, electrostatic interactions between the surface-located NH3+ groups and –PO3H––/–PO32- fragments of the nucleotides was identified to play the decisive role in the adsorption mechanism. The saccharide fragment of monophosphates also plays an important role in the binding of the nucleotides to chitosan through the creation of hydrogen bonds; in the case of di- and triphosphates the role of the saccharide fragment decreases significantly

Charge inversion under plasma-nanodroplet reaction conditions excludes Fischer esterification for unsaturated fatty acids: a chemical approach for type II isobaric overlap

The fusion of nonthermal plasma with charged nanodroplets enables selective esterification of saturated fatty acids, which is utilized to overcome challenges associated with type II isobaric overlap in direct infusion mass spectrometry.</jats:p

BCN-Encapsulated Nano-nickel Synergistically Promotes Ambient Electrochemical Dinitrogen Reduction

Текст статьи не публикуется в открытом доступе в соответствии с политикой журнала.The electricity provided by solar or wind power can drive nitrogen in the atmosphere, combining with ubiquitous water to form ammonia, and distributed production methods can alleviate the irreversible damage to the environment caused by the energy-intensive Haber–Bosch process. Here, we have designed a novel Ni-doped BCN heterojunction (S/M-BOPs-1) as a catalyst for the electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR). The ammonia yield rate and Faraday efficiency in NRR driven by S/M-BOPs-1 reach up to 16.72 μg–1 h–1 cm–2 and 13.06%, respectively. Moreover, S/M-BOPs-1 still maintains high NRR activity and excellent stability after recycling for eight times and long-time operation of 12 h. Using density functional theory calculations, we reveal a possible NRR path for N2 to NH3 on Ni, BCN, and the S/M-BOPs-1 composite surfaces. The interaction between the BCN matrix and Ni nanoparticles promotes a synergetic effect for the electrochemical NRR efficiency due to the partial electron transfer from the Ni particles to BCN that inhibits hydrogen evolution reaction and decreases the rate-determining step on Ni surfaces toward NRR by ∼1.5 times. Therefore, efficient NRR performance can be achieved by tuning the electronic properties of non-noble metals via the formation of a heterointerface

Quadrupolar Dyes Based on Highly Polarized Coumarins

The fluorescence and other photophysical parameters of highly polarized, quadrupolar bis-coumarins possessing an electron-rich pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole bridging unit are highly dependent on the linking position between both chromophores. Delocalization of the LUMO on the entire pi-system results in intense emission and strong two-photon absorption

Molecular phosphorescence in polymer matrix with reversible sensitivity

Ultralong organic phosphorescence strongly depends on the formation of aggregation, while it is difficult to obtain in dilute environments on account of excessive internal and external molecular motions. Herein, ultralong single-molecule phosphorescence (USMP) at room temperature was achieved in the monomer state by coassembling biphenyl and naphthalene derivatives at low density with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), where PVA provides a confined environment to stabilize the triplet state. Various factors that affect the USMP were studied, including aggregation, conformation, temperature, and moisture. In these systems, the formation of aggregates through intermolecular stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions in the film or crystal phases completely suppresses the USMP. However, the fluorescence is enhanced when coassembling these compounds at high concentration with PVA and becomes stronger in their powder state, indicating that the intersystem crossing process is blocked by the aggregation. Theoretical calculations suggest that the aggregation depresses spin−orbit coupling between the excited singlet and triplet states and enhances the nonradiative quenching process. Moreover, a relatively twisted conformation is more conducive to the occurrence of intersystem crossing than planar conformation. The USMP shows delicate and reversible sensitivity to the changes of temperature and moisture, rendering them with the applicability as smart organic optoelectronic materials.Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)National Research Foundation (NRF)Accepted versionThis research is supported by the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) AME IRG grant (No. A1883c0005), and the Singapore National Research Foundation Investigatorship (No. NRF-NRFI2018-03)