Computational prediction of the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of surfactants using the non-Bornian solvation model.

The non-Bornian solvation model was used to predict the Gibbs energy change for the adsorption-desorption processes of ionic (14 anionic and 9 cationic) surfactants and 19 non-ionic surfactants at the interface between oil (O) (=nitrobenzene) and water (W). Except for 10 non-ionic surfactants (polyoxyethylenes) having semi-hydrophobic -OC2H4- groups, both ionic and non-ionic surfactants showed a clear energy minimum in their adsorption-desorption processes, providing reliable values of Gibbs energies, and , for the two adsorption processes from their respective bulk phases to the interface (I). It was then found that the critical micelle concentration (CMC) for surfactants (especially for the ionic ones) is linearly related to the two independent variables, i.e., and .

Reactivity and Product Selectivity of Fluoroalkyl Carbonates in Substitution Reactions with Primary Alcohols and Amines.

The present study reports a systematic investigation of the substitution reactions of a series of symmetric and unsymmetric fluoroalkyl carbonates with primary alcohols or amines. The reactivity of the haloalkyl carbonate depends mainly on the electrophilicity and steric crowdedness of the carbonyl group and the leaving ability of the haloalkyl alcohols. Diethyl carbonate as a reference substrate showed no reaction with the alcohol or amine. However, bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) carbonate [(F3-EtO)2CO] having electron-withdrawing trifluoroethyl groups enabled substitution reactions, with relatively higher reactivities to those for diphenyl carbonate [(PhO)2CO]. Furthermore, (F6-iPrO)2CO, bearing two sets of hexafluoroisopropyl groups, showed dramatic acceleration of the reactions, in which the observed reactivities were similar to those for bis(perfluorophenyl) carbonate [(F5-PhO)2CO]. The electrophilicity of the carbonyl group and the leaving ability of the alcohols in the series of haloalkyl carbonates were found to be correlated with the wavenumbers of their carbonyl groups in IR spectra and pKa for the eliminated alcohols, respectively. Since the eliminated fluoroalkyl alcohols exhibit weak affinity with the organic products and have lower boiling points owing to a characteristic property of the fluoroalkyl group, they could be readily removed from the product by simple evaporation below 100 °C with or without reduced pressure.

Stereoisomer-dependent conversion of dinaphthothienothiophene precursor films.

Soluble precursor materials of organic semiconductors are employed for fabricating solution-processable thin film devices. While the so-called precursor approach has already been tried for various organic electronic devices such as transistors and solar cells, understanding of the conversion process in the film lags far behind. Here, we report that molecular aggregation of the precursor compound significantly influences the thermal conversion reaction in the film. For this study, two stereoisomers of a dinaphthothienothiophene (DNTT) precursor that are the endo- and exo-DNTT-phenylmaleimide monoadducts are focused on. The structural change during the thermal conversion process has been investigated by a combination of infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The results show that the endo-isomer is readily converted to DNTT in the film by heating, whereas the exo-isomer exhibits no reaction at all. This reaction suppression is found to be due to the self-aggregation property of the exo-isomer accompanying the intermolecular C-H[Formula: see text]O interactions. This finding shows a new direction of controlling the on-surface reaction, as well as the importance of analyzing the film structure at the initial stage of the reaction.

DFT Study of α-Keggin-type Iso-polyoxotungstate Anions [HnW12O40](8-n)- (n =1-4): Can [H4W12O40]4- Exist?

The Keggin-type iso-polyoxotungstate (iso-POT) anions [HnW12O40](8-n)- 's, in which their central vacancies are occupied by protons, are attractive materials. It is of importance to reveal if the vacancies can be fully occupied by four protons. For further understanding the speciation of these iso-POT anions, relative stabilities and proton transfer reactions between H1[Hn-1W12O40](8-n)- and [HnW12O40](8-n)- were examined in detail by using the first-principles calculations (the nudged elastic band method, the synchronous transit-guided quasi-Newton method, the intrinsic reaction coordinate method, and frequency analysis calculations). Thermochemistry analysis of the proton transfer was also performed. [HnW12O40](8-n)- was energetically more stable than H1[Hn-1W12O40](8-n)-. This held for n = 4. According to the results of thermochemistry analysis, the rate constant and the Wigner correction were respectively 3.1 × 101 s-1 and 2.2 at T = 298.15 K for the proton transfer from H1[H3W12O40]4- to [H4W12O40]4-, indicating that [H4W12O40]4- can exist when H1[H3W12O40]4- is formed by protonating [H3W12O40]5-.

Spin-Crossover-Triggered Linkage Isomerization by the Pedal-like Motion of the Azobenzene Ligand in a Neutral Heteroleptic Iron(III) Complex.

The temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility of [FeIII(azp)(qsal-Me)]·0.5CH3OH [Hqsal-Me = 5-methyl-N-(8-quinoyl)salicylaldimine, H2azp = 2,2'-azobisphenol] demonstrated that the spin-crossover (SCO) transition behavior changed from an abrupt transition to consecutive gradual conversions, and moreover, the initial abrupt transition was recovered, keeping the complex at room temperature. The variable-temperature crystal structures revealed that an SCO-triggered linkage isomerization of the azobenzene ligand from one orientation to two disordered orientations and the relaxation from the disordered orientations to the original orientation occurred. The high-spin to low-spin relaxation kinetics and theoretical calculation indicate that the pedal-like motion of the azobenzene ligand can be on in the high-spin state whereas off in the low-spin state.

A Theoretical Approach to the Fluorophilicity of Ions via the Gibbs Energy of Ion Transfer at the Fluorous Solvent/Water Interface.

The non-Bornian solvation model has been applied to a theoretical consideration of the Gibbs free energy for the transfer of fluorinated anions, non-fluorinated cations, and non-fluorinated anions at the 2H,3H-decafluoropentane (DFP)/water (W) and 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE)/W interfaces. According to our previous experimental results, the fluorinated anions are more stable in DFP than DCE, while the non-fluorinated cations and anions are less stable in DFP. To understand this characteristic feature of DFP, energy decomposition analyses have been performed for the hypothetical transfer of ions at the DFP/DCE interface. In conclusion, the characteristics of DFP as a fluorous solvent should be explained in terms of the higher repulsive interaction of the solvent molecule with ions, particularly with non-fluorinated ions.

Photo-on-Demand Base-Catalyzed Phosgenation Reactions with Chloroform: Synthesis of Arylcarbonate and Halocarbonate Esters.

Carbonate esters are utilized as solvents and reagents for C1 building blocks in organic synthesis. This study reports a novel photo-on-demand in situ synthesis of carbonate esters with CHCl3 solutions containing a mixture of an aromatic or haloalkyl alcohol having relatively high acidity, and an organic base. We found that the acid-base interaction of the alcohol and base in the CHCl3 solution plays a key role in enabling the photochemical reaction. This reaction allows practical syntheses of diphenyl carbonate derivatives, haloalkyl carbonates, and polycarbonates, which are important chemicals and materials in industry.

Photo-on-Demand Synthesis of Vilsmeier Reagents with Chloroform and Their Applications to One-Pot Organic Syntheses.

The Vilsmeier reagent (VR), first reported a century ago, is a versatile reagent in a variety of organic reactions. It is used extensively in formylation reactions. However, the synthesis of VR generally requires highly toxic and corrosive reagents such as POCl3, SOCl2, or COCl2. In this study, we found that VR is readily obtained from a CHCl3 solution containing N,N-dimethylformamide or N,N-dimethylacetamide upon photo-irradiation under O2 bubbling. The corresponding Vilsmeier reagents were obtained in high yields with the generation of gaseous HCl and CO2 as byproducts to allow their isolations as crystalline solid products amenable to analysis by X-ray crystallography. With the advantage of using CHCl3, which bifunctionally serves as a reactant and a solvent, this photo-on-demand VR synthesis is available for one-pot syntheses of aldehydes, acid chlorides, formates, ketones, esters, and amides.

Computational Prediction of Adsorption Equilibrium for Nonionic Surfactants at the Oil/Water Interface.

The non-Bornian solvation model has been applied for predicting the adsorption equilibrium for nonionic surfactants at the oil (O)/water (W) interface. In the non-Bornian model, the small contribution from the long-range electrostatic interaction is ignored, and the solvation or resolvation energy is formulated based on the short-range solute molecule (or ion)-solvent interactions-cavity formation, Coulomb, polarization, charge transfer, etc. These interaction energies are given by zero, first, and second-order functions of the local electric field (Ei) on the molecular surface, which can be estimated by density functional theory calculation. In the present study, we considered an adsorption process as "partial" transfer of a molecule across the O/W interface. Using a non-Bornian, semi-empirical equation for the Gibbs energy of transfer of nonionic molecules, the adsorption states of alkyl alcohols (1-dodecanol, 1-octanol, and 1-hexanol) at the 1,2-dichloroethane/W interface were successfully predicted. The orientation angle (θ), the rotation angle (ω), and the penetration depth into the O phase (d) of the alcohols in the adsorption state could be estimated. Furthermore, the energies for the adsorption from O and W (ΔGad°,O→I and ΔGad°,W→I) could be estimated theoretically. The values of ΔGad°,O→I for the alcohols studied were in good agreement with those determined experimentally by the drop-weight method.

Alternative Face-on Thin Film Structure of Pentacene.

Pentacene attracts a great deal of attention as a basic material used in organic thin-film transistors for many years. Pentacene is known to form a highly ordered structure in a thin film, in which the molecular long axis aligns perpendicularly to the substrate surface, i.e., end-on orientation. On the other hand, the face-on oriented thin film, where the molecular plane is parallel to the substrate, has never been found on an inert substrate represented by SiO2. As a result, the face-on orientation has long been believed to be generated only on specific substrates such as a metal single crystal. In the present study, the face-on orientation grown on a SiO2 surface has first been identified by means of visible and infrared p-polarized multiple-angle incidence resolution spectrometry (pMAIRS) together with two-dimensional grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (2D-GIXD). The combination of the multiple techniques readily reveals that the face-on phase is definitely realized as the dominant component. The face-on film is obtained when the film growth is kinetically restricted to be prevented from transforming into the thermodynamically stable structure, i.e., the end-on orientation. This concept is useful for controlling the molecular orientation in general organic semiconductor thin films.

Prediction of the Standard Gibbs Energy of Ion Transfer across the 1,2-Dichloroethane/Water Interface.

The standard Gibbs energy of ion transfer at the 1,2-dichloroethane/water interface (ΔGtr°,W→O) was determined for 26 organic cations and 24 anions by means of ion-transfer voltammetry with a micro oil/water interface. Based on the data sets, a theoretical analysis was performed with the non-Bornian solvation model, in which the solvation energy of an organic ion is evaluated from local electric fields on the surface of the ion. The semi-empirical equations thus obtained are available for relatively accurate prediction of ΔGtr°,W→O for organic ions. The mean absolute error was 1.9 or 3.1 kJ mol-1 for cations or anions, respectively, corresponding to the error of ∼20 or ∼30 mV in the standard ion-transfer potential. In this paper, energy decomposition has been performed to discuss different contributions to ΔGtr°,W→O from the "hydrated" (strongly charged) and positively and negatively charged "non-hydrated" (moderately charged) surfaces as well as from the hydrophobic interaction (cavity formation energy).

An Acid-Responsive Single Trichromatic Luminescent Dye That Provides Pure White-Light Emission.

A novel acid-responsive single trichromatic luminescent dye capable of emitting pure white light (WL) is reported. A newly designed p-phenylene-bridged bipyrrole bearing N-alkylimino groups (1 a) specifically provides WL emission upon mixing with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) in a CH2Cl2 solution. The emission originates from the trichromatic luminescent behavior of 1 a upon protonation of the imino groups. The blue-light-emitting 1 a exhibits dramatic color changes in fluorescence to orange and green upon mono- and diprotonation, respectively, providing a wide emission band in the range of λ=400-800 nm that provide WL when the compound is in a dynamic equilibrium between the three states. The sample also exhibits low self-absorption of the emitted light and a high fluorescence quantum yield upon excitation with UV light.

Can Electron-Rich Oxygen (O2-) Withdraw Electrons from Metal Centers? A DFT Study on Oxoanion-Caged Polyoxometalates.

The answer to the question "Can electron-rich oxygen (O2-) withdraw electrons from metal centers?" is seemingly simple, but how the electron population on the M atom behaves when the O-M distance changes is a matter of controversy. A case study has been conducted for Keggin-type polyoxometalate (POM) complexes, and the first-principles electronic structure calculations were carried out not only for real POM species but also for "hypothetical" ones whose heteroatom was replaced with a point charge. From the results of natural population analysis, it was proven that even an electron-rich O2-, owing to its larger electronegativity as a neutral atom, withdraws electrons when electron redistribution occurs by the change of the bond length. In the case where O2- coexists with a cation having a large positive charge (e.g., P5+(O2-)4 = [PO4]3-), the gross electron population (GEP) on the M atom seemingly increases as the O atom comes closer, but this increment in GEP is not due to the role of the O atom but due to a Coulombic effect of the positive charge located on the cation. Furthermore, it was suggested that not GEP but net electron population (NEP) should be responsible for the redox properties.

Comprehensive Understanding of Structure-Controlling Factors of a Zinc Tetraphenylporphyrin Thin Film Using pMAIRS and GIXD Techniques.

The performance of an organic electronic device is significantly influenced by the anisotropic molecular structure in the film, which has long been difficult to predict especially for a solution process. In the present study, a zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) thin film prepared by a solution process was chosen to comprehensively explore the molecular-arrangement mechanism as a function of representative film-preparation parameters: solvent, film-preparation technique, and thermal annealing. The anisotropic structure was first analyzed by using a combination of infrared p-polarized multiple-angle incidence resolution spectrometry (pMAIRS) and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD), which readily revealed the molecular orientation and crystal structure, respectively. As a result, the real dominant factor was found to be the evaporation time of the solvent that determines the initial two different molecular arrangements, types-I and -II, while the thermal annealing was found to play an additional role of improving the molecular order. The correlation between the molecular orientation and the crystal structure was also revealed through the individual orientation analysis of the porphyrin and phenyl rings.

Prediction of the Standard Gibbs Energy of Transfer of Organic Ions Across the Interface between Two Immiscible Liquids.

The non-Bornian solvation model was applied for evaluation of the standard Gibbs energy (ΔGtr°,W→O) of transfer of organic ions from water (W) to organic solvent (O = nitrobenzene). The solvation energy of an ion in either W or O is basically formulated as the energy required for the formation of a nanosized ion­solvent interface around the ion; however, many organic ions with strongly charged groups (e.g., -SO3-, -CO2-, -NH3+) are preferentially hydrated in O. Here we divided the surface of an ion into "hydrated" and "non-hydrated" surfaces and then carried out regression analyses with experimental values of ΔGtr°,W→O. In the analyses, the local electric field on the surface of an organic ion was evaluated through density functional theory calculation. Good regression results were then obtained with the mean absolute error of 1.9 and 2.4 kJ mol-1 for 34 anions and 63 cations, respectively. These errors correspond to the error of ∼20 mV in the standard ion-transfer potential (ΔOWϕ°), being only two times larger than the typical experimental error (∼10 mV) in the voltammetric measurement. This non-Bornian model is promising for theoretical prediction of ΔGtr°,W→O (or ΔOWϕ°) for organic ions and possibly of the biomembrane permeability for ionic drugs.

Coextraction of water into nitrobenzene with organic ions.

Various organic anions (sulfonates (RSO3(-)), carboxylates (RCO2(-)), and phenolates (RO(-))) and ammonium cations (RNH3(+), R2NH2(+), and R3NH(+)) were distributed in the nitrobenzene (NB)-water system by using Crystal Violet and dipicrylaminate, respectively. The number of water molecules (n) being coextracted into NB with an ion was then determined by the Karl Fischer method. The n values determined and those reported previously showed the variation from 0.51 to 3.4, depending on not only the charged groups but also the noncharged R-groups. In this study, we focused our attention to the strong electric field on the charged group and its facilitation effect for binding water molecules in NB. The local electric field (Ei) on the surface of an organic ion was evaluated by using Gaussian09 program with a subprogram developed in our recent study. It was found that the n values showed a clear dependence on the average value of Ei on oxygen or hydrogen atoms, respectively, of an anionic or cationic group.

How can multielectron transfer be realized? A case study with keggin-type polyoxometalates in acetonitrile.

Theoretical consideration and computational simulation have been performed on the voltammetric properties of Keggin polyoxometalates (POMs), and the conversion from successive one-electron transfer in unacidified media to four-electron transfer (through two-electron transfer) in acidified media has been discussed. Perfect simulation of the cyclic voltammograms of POMs could be achieved using the standard formal potentials and the protonation constants, systematically evaluated by the equations, in which "simple (intrinsic)" and "synergistic (extrinsic)" electron-withdrawing effects of the µ4-oxygen were taken into consideration. In the proposed model, the formal potential of the one-electron redox waves for the ith reduction step is presented by Ei°(z0, s) = Ei** + 0.51(z0 ­ i + 1) + 1.067s (i = 1, 2, 3, 4; E1** = E2** = 0.577 V; E3** = E4** = 0.377 V), where z0 is the initial ionic charge of a Keggin POM and s is the mean bond valence of the µ4-O­W bonds in the POM. The values of Ei**s are related to the energy levels of the two lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMOs) of a hypothetical Keggin POM with null charge and null bond valence. Then it was revealed that the LUMOs have small on-site repulsion, which may be an important factor that makes multielectron transfer feasible. These findings would give a big clue in developing novel redox materials exhibiting multielectron transfers.

Effect of the central oxoanion size on the voltammetric properties of Keggin-type [XW(12)O(40)](n-) (n = 2-6) complexes.

An alpha-Keggin-type [ZnW(12)O(40)](6-) complex was prepared and structurally characterized. Unlike [XW(12)O(40)](n-) (n = 3-5) complexes that undergo one- and two-electron reductions in neutral and acidic media, respectively, [ZnW(12)O(40)](6-) showed a four-electron redox wave in acidified CH(3)CN. The present study demonstrated that the voltammetric properties of the Keggin anions were governed by the bond valence of the mu(4)-O-W bond as well as the ionic charge, and the four-electron behavior was ascribed to the increase of the bond valence (the decrease of the mu(4)-O-W distance), owing to the greater X-mu(4)-O distances. For the Keggin anions with identical ionic charge, the first one-electron redox wave was situated at more positive potentials with an increase of the bond valence. It turned out that the electron density on the W atom was decreased with an increase of the bond valence, because the positive shift of the one-electron wave parallels the downfield shift of the (183)W NMR chemical shift value.

A route to a Keggin-type alpha-[(X(III)O4)Mo12O35(OH)]4- anion through an Anderson-type [X(III)(OH)6Mo6O18]3- anion: X = Ga.

From an aqueous Mo(VI)-Ga(III)-HCl system, a colourless complex was isolated as a K(+) salt, which consists of a hexaprotonated Anderson-type [Ga(OH)(6)Mo(6)O(18)](3-) anion. A yellow complex became kinetically stable by the presence of CH(3)CN at concentrations of 30-40% (v/v). The X-ray structural analysis revealed that the yellow (NPr(n)(4))(4)[(GaO(4))Mo(12)O(35)(OH)] crystal contains an alpha-Keggin structure and the oxygen atom at an edge-shared contact is protonated. The formation conditions of the Keggin complex were elucidated in relation to those of the Anderson complex by a combined (71)Ga NMR and voltammetric study. Evidence was obtained of a spontaneous conversion of [Ga(OH)(6)Mo(6)O(18)](3-) to [(GaO(4))Mo(12)O(35)(OH)](4-) in the Mo(VI)-Ga(III) system.

An approach to the synthesis of polyoxometalate encapsulating different kinds of oxoanions as heteroions: bisphosphitopyrophosphatotriacontamolybdate [(HPO3)2(P2O7)Mo30O90]8-.

A yellow [(HPO(3))(2)(P(2)O(7))Mo(30)O(90)](8-) anion was prepared as a tetrapropylammonium (Pr(4)N(+)) salt from a 50 mM Mo(VI)-2 mM P(2)O(7)(4-)-4 mM HPO(3)(2-)-0.95 M HCl-60% (v/v) CH(3)CN system at ambient temperature. The (Pr(4)N)(8)[(HPO(3))(2)(P(2)O(7))Mo(30)O(90)] salt crystallized in the orthorhombic space group P(nma) (No. 62), with a = 30.827(2) A, b = 22.8060(15) A, c = 30.928(2) A, V = 21743(3) A(3), and Z = 4. The structure contained a (P(2)O(7))Mo(12)O(42) fragment derived from the removal of each corner-shared Mo(3)O(13) unit in a polar position from a [(P(2)O(7))Mo(18)O(54)](4-) structure, and each side of the (P(2)O(7))Mo(12)O(42) fragment was capped by a B-type (HPO(3))Mo(9)O(24) unit. The [(HPO(3))(2)(P(2)O(7))Mo(30)O(90)](8-) anion was characterized by voltammetry and IR, UV-vis, and (31)P NMR spectroscopy. Unlike the Keggin and Dawson anions and the parent [(P(2)O(7))Mo(18)O(54)](4-) anion, the [(HPO(3))(2)(P(2)O(7))Mo(30)O(90)](8-) anion exhibited two-electron redox waves in CH(3)CN with and without acid.