Aurophilicity-Mediated Construction of Emissive Porous Molecular Crystals as Versatile Hosts for Liquid and Solid Guests.

The first examples of porous molecular crystals that are assembled through Au⋅⋅⋅Au interactions of gold complex 1 are here reported along with their exchange properties with respect to their guest components. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses indicate that the crystal structure of 1/CH2 Cl2 ⋅pentane is based on cyclic hexamers of 1, which are formed through six Au⋅⋅⋅Au interactions. The packing of these cyclic hexamers affords a porous architecture, in which the one-dimensional channel segment contains CH2 Cl2 and pentane as guests. These guests can be exchanged through operationally simple methods under retention of the host framework of 1, which furnished 1/guest complexes with 26 different guests. A single-crystal XRD analysis of 1/eicosane, which contains the long linear alkane eicosane (n-C20 H42 ), successfully provided its accurately modeled structure within the porous material. These host-guest complexes show chromic luminescence with both blue- and redshifted emissions. Moreover, this porous organometallic material can exhibit luminescent mechanochromism through release of guests.

Theoretical study of one-electron-oxidized salen complexes of group 7 (Mn(iii), Tc(iii), and Re(iii)) and group 10 metals (Ni(ii), Pd(ii), and Pt(ii)) with the 3D-RISM-GMC-QDPT method: localized vs. delocalized ground and excited states in solution.

One-electron oxidized salen complexes of Mn(iii) and Ni(ii) were recently reported to be unique mixed-valence compounds. Their electronic structures are sensitive to the salen ligand and solvation. We systematically investigated a series of one-electron oxidized salen complexes of group 7 metals (Mn(iii), Tc(iii), and Re(iii)) and their group 10 analogues (Ni(ii), Pd(ii), and Pt(ii)) using the general multi-configuration reference quasi-degenerate perturbation theory (GMC-QDPT) which was combined with the three-dimensional reference interaction site model self-consistent field theory (3D-RISM-SCF) to incorporate the solvation effect. The calculated absorption spectra and electronic structures agree with the experimental observation. The one-electron oxidized salen complexes of group 10 metals with a symmetrical salen ligand have a delocalized electronic structure belonging to class III (Robin-Day classification) in weakly polar solvents. The tendency for taking a delocalized electronic structure increases in the order Pd(ii) < Ni(ii) < Pt(ii). When the salen ligand is asymmetrical, the one-electron oxidized complexes have a localized electronic structure belonging to class II. The group 7 analogues of Mn(iii) and Tc(iii) have a localized electronic structure belonging to class II even in weakly polar solvents and even with a symmetrical salen ligand. However, the one-electron oxidized Re(iii) complex has no mixed-valence nature because one-electron oxidation occurs on the Re center. Theoretical study shows that the solvation effect plays a crucial role in determining the mixed-valence character, class II or III, and thereby its incorporation in the calculation is indispensable for correctly describing geometries, electronic structures, and the inter-valence absorption spectra of these complexes. The d orbital energy is one of the most important factors for determining the localization/delocalization electronic structures in these complexes. Detailed discussion of these factors is presented.

3D-RISM-MP2 Approach to Hydration Structure of Pt(II) and Pd(II) Complexes: Unusual H-Ahead Mode vs Usual O-Ahead One.

Solvation of transition metal complexes with water has been one of the fundamental topics in physical and coordination chemistry. In particular, Pt(II) complexes have recently attracted considerable interest for their relation to anticancer activity in cisplatin and its analogues, yet the interaction of the water molecule and the metal center has been obscured. The challenge from a theoretical perspective remains that both the microscopic solvation effect and the dynamical electron correlation (DEC) effect have to be treated simultaneously in a reasonable manner. In this work we derive the analytical gradient for the three-dimensional reference interaction site model Møller-Plesset second order (3D-RISM-MP2) free energy. On the basis of the three-regions 3D-RISM self-consistent field (SCF) method recently proposed by us, we apply a new layer of the Z-vector method to the CP-RISM equation as well as point-charge approximation to the derivatives with respect to the density matrix elements in the RISM-CPHF equation to remarkably reduce the computational cost. This method is applied to study the interaction of H2O with the d(8) square planar transition metal complexes in aqueous solution, trans-[Pt(II)Cl2(NH3)(glycine)] (1a), [Pt(II)(NH3)4](2+) (1b), [Pt(II)(CN)4](2-) (1c), and their Pd(II) analogues 2a, 2b, and 2c, respectively, to elucidate whether the usual H2O interaction through O atom (O-ahead mode) or unusual one through H atom (H-ahead mode) is stable in these complexes. We find that the interaction energy of the coordinating water and the transition metal complex changes little when switching from gas to aqueous phase, but the solvation free energy differs remarkably between the two interaction modes, thereby affecting the relative stability of the H-ahead and O-ahead modes. Particularly, in contrast to the expectation that the O-ahead mode is preferred due to the presence of positive charges in 1b, the H-ahead mode is also found to be more stable. The O-ahead mode is found to be more stable than the H-ahead one only in 2b. The energy decomposition analysis (EDA) at the 3D-RISM-MP2 level revealed that the O-ahead mode is stabilized by the electrostatic (ES) interaction, whereas the H-ahead one is mainly stabilized by the DEC effect. The ES interaction is also responsible for the difference between the Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes; because the electrostatic potential is more negative along the z-axis in the Pt(II) complex than in the Pd(II) one, the O-ahead mode prefers the Pd(II) complexes, whereas the H-ahead becomes predominant in the Pt(II) complexes.

Like-charge attraction of molecular cations in water: subtle balance between interionic interactions and ionic solvation effect.

Despite strong electrostatic repulsion, like-charged ions in aqueous solution can effectively attract each other via ion-water interactions. In this paper we investigate such an effective interaction of like-charged ions in water by using the 3D-RISM-SCF method (i.e., electronic structure theory combined with three-dimensional integral equation theory for molecular solvents). Free energy profiles are calculated at the CCSD(T) level for a series of molecular ions including guanidinium (Gdm(+)), alkyl-substituted ammonium, and aromatic amine cations. Polarizable continuum model (PCM) and mean-field QM/MM free energy calculations are also performed for comparison. The results show that the stability of like-charged ion pairs in aqueous solution is determined by a very subtle balance between interionic interactions (including dispersion and π-stacking interactions) and ionic solvation/hydrophobic effects and that the Gdm(+) ion has a rather favorable character for like-charge association among all the cations studied. Furthermore, we investigate the like-charge pairing in Arg-Ala-Arg and Lys-Ala-Lys tripeptides in water and show that the Arg-Arg pair has a contact free-energy minimum of about -6 kcal/mol. This result indicates that arginine pairing observed on protein surfaces and interfaces is stabilized considerably by solvation effects.

Theoretical Study of One-Electron Oxidized Mn(III)- and Ni(II)-Salen Complexes: Localized vs Delocalized Ground and Excited States in Solution.

One-electron oxidized Mn(III)- and Ni(II)-salen complexes exhibit unique mixed-valence electronic structures and charge transfer (CT) absorption spectra. We theoretically investigated them to elucidate the reason why the Mn(III)-salen complex takes a localized electronic structure (class II mixed valence compound by Robin-Day classification) and the Ni(II)-analogue has a delocalized one (class III) in solution, where solvation effect was taken into consideration either by the three-dimensional reference interaction site model self-consistent field (3D-RISM-SCF) method or by the mean-field (MF) QM/MM-MD simulation. The geometries of these complexes were optimized by the 3D-RISM-SCF-U-DFT/M06. The vertical excitation energy and the oscillator strength of the first excited state were evaluated by the general multiconfiguration reference quasi-degenerate perturbation theory (GMC-QDPT), including the solvation effect based on either 3D-RISM-SCF- or MF-QM/MM-MD-optimized solvent distribution. The computational results well agree with the experimentally observed absorption spectra and the experimentally proposed electronic structures. The one-electron oxidized Mn(III)-salen complex with a symmetrical salen ligand belongs to the class II, as experimentally reported, in which the excitation from the phenolate anion to the phenoxyl radical moiety occurs. In contrast, the one-electron oxidized Ni(II)-salen complex belongs to the class III, in which the excitation occurs from the doubly occupied delocalized π1 orbital of the salen radical to the singly occupied delocalized π2 orbital; the π1 is a bonding combination of the HOMOs of two phenolate moieties and the π2 is an antibonding combination. Solvation effect is indispensable for correctly describing the mixed-valence character, the geometrical distortion, and the intervalence CT absorption spectra of these complexes. The number of d electrons and the d orbital energy level play crucial roles to provide the localization/delocalization character of these complexes.

A 3D-RISM-SCF method with dual solvent boxes for a highly polarized system: application to 1,6-anhydrosugar formation reaction of phenyl α- and ß-D-glucosides under basic conditions.

One of the difficulties in application of the usual reference interaction site model self-consistent field (RISM-SCF) method to a highly polarized and bulky system arises from the approximate evaluation of electrostatic potential (ESP) with pure point charges. To improve this ESP evaluation, the ESP near a solute is directly calculated with a solute electronic wavefunction, that distant from a solute is approximately calculated with solute point charges, and they are connected with a switching function. To evaluate the fine solvation structure near the solute by incorporating the long-range solute-solvent Coulombic interaction with low computational cost, we introduced the dual solvent box protocol; one small box with the fine spacing is employed for the first and the second solvation shells and the other large box with the normal spacing is employed for long-range solute-solvent interaction. The levoglucosan formation from phenyl α- and ß-d-glucosides under basic conditions is successfully inspected by this 3D-RISM-SCF method at the MP2 and SCS-MP2 levels, though the 1D-RISM-SCF could not be applied to this reaction due to the presence of highly polarized and bulky species. This 3D-RISM-SCF calculation reproduces the experimentally reported higher reactivity of the ß-anomer. The 3D-RISM-SCF-calculated activation free energy for the ß-anomer is closer to the experimental value than the PCM-calculated one. Interestingly, the solvation effect increases the difference in reactivity between these two anomers. The reason is successfully elucidated with 3D-RISM-SCF-calculated microscopic solvation structure and decomposition analysis of solute-solvent interaction.

Evaluation procedure of electrostatic potential in 3D-RISM-SCF method and its application to hydrolyses of cis- and transplatin complexes.

In the three-dimensional reference interaction site model self-consistent field (3D-RISM-SCF) method, a switching function was introduced to evaluate the electrostatic potential (ESP) around the solute to smoothly connect the ESP directly calculated with the solute electronic wave function and that approximately calculated with solute point charges. Hydrolyses of cis- and transplatins, cis- and trans-PtCl(2)(NH(3))(2), were investigated with this method. Solute geometries were optimized at the DFT level with the M06-2X functional, and free energy changes were calculated at the CCSD(T) level. In the first hydrolysis, the calculated activation free energy is 20.8 kcal/mol for cisplatin and 20.3 kcal/mol for transplatin, which agrees with the experimental and recently reported theoretical results. A Cl anion, which is formed by the first hydrolysis, somehow favorably exists in the first solvation shell as a counteranion. The second hydrolysis occurs with a similar activation free energy (20.9 kcal/mol) for cisplatin but a somewhat larger energy (23.2 kcal/mol) for transplatin to afford cis- and trans-diaqua complexes. The Cl counteranion in the first solvation shell little influences the activation free energy but somewhat decreases the endothermicity in both cis- and transplatins. The present 3D-RISM-SCF method clearly displays the microscopic solvation structure and its changes in the hydrolysis, which are discussed in detail.

Solution reaction space Hamiltonian based on an electrostatic potential representation of solvent dynamics.

Quantum chemical solvation models usually rely on the equilibrium solvation condition and is thus not immediately applicable to the study of nonequilibrium solvation dynamics, particularly those associated with chemical reactions. Here we address this problem by considering an effective Hamiltonian for solution-phase reactions based on an electrostatic potential (ESP) representation of solvent dynamics. In this approach a general ESP field of solvent is employed as collective solvent coordinate, and an effective Hamiltonian is constructed by treating both solute geometry and solvent ESP as dynamical variables. A harmonic bath is then attached onto the ESP variables in order to account for the stochastic nature of solvent dynamics. As an illustration we apply the above method to the proton transfer of a substituted phenol-amine complex in a polar solvent. The effective Hamiltonian is constructed by means of the reference interaction site model self-consistent field method (i.e., a type of quantum chemical solvation model), and a mixed quantum/classical simulation is performed in the space of solute geometry and solvent ESP. The results suggest that important dynamical features of proton transfer in solution can be captured by the present approach, including spontaneous fluctuations of solvent ESP that drives the proton from reactant to product potential wells.

Proton transfer in phenol-amine complexes: phenol electronic effects on free energy profile in solution.

Free energy profiles for the proton transfer reactions in hydrogen-bonded complex of phenol with trimethylamine in methyl chloride solvent are studied with the reference interaction site model self-consistent field method. The reactions in both the electronic ground and excited states are considered. The second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation (MP) theory or the second-order multireference MP theory is used to evaluate the effect of the dynamical electron correlation on the free energy profiles. The free energy surface in the ground state shows a discrepancy with the experimental results for the related hydrogen-bonded complexes. To resolve this discrepancy, the effects of chloro-substitutions in phenol are examined, and its importance in stabilizing the ionic form is discussed. The temperature effect is also studied. In contrast to the ground state, the ππ* excited state of phenol-trimethylamine complex exhibits the proton transfer reaction with a low barrier. The reaction is almost thermoneutral. This is attributed to the reduction of proton affinity of phenol by the ππ* electronic excitation. We further examine the possibility of the electron-proton-coupled transfer in the ππ* state through the surface crossing with the charge transfer type πσ* state.