External Electric Field Control of Exciton Motion in Porphyrin-Based Metal Organic Frameworks.

Porphyrins are excellent light-harvesting complexes. Presently they are unsuitable for photovoltaic applications, as their excellent light absorbance is compensated to a large extent by their poor transport properties, where most excitons are lost by recombination. Arranging porphyrins in regular, strongly bound, lattices of surface-anchored metal-organic frameworks (PP-SURMOFs) may facilitate charge carrier dissociation, but does not significantly enhance the conductive properties. In most cases, photogenerated excitons traverse undirected, Brownian motion through a hopping process, resulting in a substantial diffusion length to reach electrodes, leading to significant exciton loss through recombination. Here, we propose to guide exciton diffusion indirectly by an external electric field. We show that electric fields, even as strong as 1 V nm-1, do not affect the HOMO-LUMO gap of the porphyrins. However, fields of 0.1 V nm-1 and even less demonstrate a notable Stark effect, with slight band gap reductions, for some PP-SURMOFs. When applied as an electric field gradient, for instance, via the substrate, it creates a unidirectional hopping pathway for the excitons. Consequently, we expect a significant reduction of exciton diffusion length leading to increased utilization of photogenerated excitons as they reach the electrodes. This strategy holds promise for integrating photoactive molecules in photovoltaic and photocatalytic applications.

Ultrastrong Electron-Phonon Coupling in Uranium-Organic Frameworks Leading to Inverse Luminescence Temperature Dependence.

Electron-phonon interactions, crucial in condensed matter, are rarely seen in Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs). Detecting these interactions typically involves analyzing luminescence in lanthanide- or actinide-based compounds. Prior studies on Ln- and Ac-based MOFs at high temperatures revealed additional peaks, but these were too faint for thorough analysis. In our research, we fabricated a high-quality, crystalline uranium-based MOF (KIT-U-1) thin film using a layer-by-layer method. Under UV light, this film showed two distinct "hot bands," indicating a strong electron-phonon interaction. At 77 K, these bands were absent, but at 300 K, a new emission band appeared with half the intensity of the main luminescence. Surprisingly, a second hot band emerged above 320 K, deviating from previous findings in rare-earth compounds. We conducted a detailed ab-initio analysis employing time-dependent density functional theory to understand this unusual behaviour and to identify the lattice vibration responsible for the strong electron-phonon coupling. The KIT-U-1 film's hot-band emission was then utilized to create a highly sensitive, single-compound optical thermometer. This underscores the potential of high-quality MOF thin films in exploiting the unique luminescence of lanthanides and actinides for advanced applications.

Identification of a Two-Coordinate Iron(I)-Oxalate Complex.

Exotic oxidation states of the first-row transition metals have recently attracted much interest. In order to investigate the oxidation states of a series of iron-oxalate complexes, an aqueous solution of iron(III) nitrate and oxalic acid was studied by infrared free liquid matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization as well as ionspray mass spectrometry. Here, we show that iron is not only detected in its common oxidation states +II and +III, but also in its unusual oxidation state +I, detectable in both positive-ion and in negative-ion modes, respectively. Vibrational spectra of the gas phase anionic iron oxalate complexes [FeIII (C2 O4 )2 ]- , [FeII (C2 O4 )CO2 ]- , and [FeI (C2 O4 )]- were measured by means of infrared photodissociation spectroscopy and their structures were assigned by comparison to anharmonic vibrational spectra based on second-order perturbation theory.

Oriented Growth of In-Oxo Chain Based Metal-Porphyrin Framework Thin Film for High-Sensitive Photodetector.

The potential of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for applications in optoelectronics results from a unique combination of interesting photophysical properties and straightforward tunability of organic and inorganic units. Here, it is demonstrated that using MOF approach chromophores can be assembled into well-ordered 1D arrays using metal-oxo strands as lead structure, and the resulting porphyrinic rows exhibit unique photophysical properties and allow the realization of highly sensitive photodetectors. A porphyrinic MOF thin film, In-TCPP surface-coordinated MOF thin films with [021] orientation is fabricated using a layer-by-layer method, from In(NO3)3 and TCPP (5,10,15,20-(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin). Detailed experimental and theoretical analysis reveals that the assembly yields a structure where In-oxo strands running parallel to the substrate fix the chromophoric linkers to yield 1D arrays of porphyrins. The frontier orbitals of this highly anisotropic arrangement are localized in these columnar arrangements of porphyrins and result in high photoactivity, which is exploited to fabricate a photodetector with record (as compared to other organic materials) responsivity in visible regime of 7.28 × 1014 Jones and short rise/fall times (0.07/0.04 s). This oriented MOF thin film-based high-sensitive photodetector provides a new avenue to use inorganic, stable lead structures to assemble organic semiconductors into regular arrays, thus creating a huge potential for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices.

Strong Binding of Noble Gases to [B12X11]-: A Theoretical Study.

We systematically explore the stability and properties of [B12X11NG]- adducts resulting from the binding of noble gas atoms to anionic [B12X11]- clusters in the gas phase of mass spectrometers. [B12X11]- can be obtained by stripping one X- off the icosahedral closo-dodecaborate dianion [B12X12]2-. We study the binding of the noble gas atoms He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe to [B12X11]- with substituents X = F, Cl, Br, I, and CN. While He cannot be captured by these clusters and Ne only binds at low temperatures, the complexes with the heavier noble gas atoms Ar, Kr, and Xe show appreciable complexation energies and exceed 1 eV at room temperature in the case of [B12(CN)11Xe]-. The predicted B-NG equilibrium distance in the complexes with Ar, Kr, and Xe is only 0.10-0.25 Å longer than the sum of the covalent radii of the two corresponding atoms, and a significant charge transfer from the noble gas atom to the icosahedral B12 cage is observed.

Chirality Remote Control in Nanoporous Materials by Circularly Polarized Light.

The ability to dynamically control chirality remains a grand challenge in chemistry. Although many molecules possess chiral isomers, lacking their isolation, for instance during photoisomerization, results in racemic mixtures with suppressed enantiospecific chiral properties. Here, we present a nanoporous solid in which chirality and enantioselective enrichment is induced by circularly polarized light (CPL). The material is based on photoswitchable fluorinated azobenzenes attached to the scaffold of a crystalline metal-organic framework (MOF). The azobenzene undergoes trans-to-cis-photoisomerization upon irradiation with green light and reverts back to trans upon violet light. While each moiety in cis conformation is chiral, we show the trans isomer also possesses a nonplanar, chiral conformation. During photoisomerization with unpolarized light, no enantiomeric enrichment is observed and both isomers, R- and S-cis as well as R- and S-trans, respectively, are formed in identical quantities. In contrast, CPL causes chiral photoresolution, resulting in an optically active material. Right-CPL selectively excites R-cis and R-trans enantiomers, producing a MOF with enriched S-enantiomers, and vice versa. The induction of optical activity is reversible and only depends on the light-handedness. As shown by first-principle DFT calculations, while both, trans and cis, are stabilized in nonplanar, chiral conformations in the MOF, the trans isomer adopts a planar, achiral form in solution, as verified experimentally. This shows that the chiral photoresolution is enabled by the linker reticulation in the MOF. Our study demonstrates the induction of chirality and optical activity in solid materials by CPL and opens new opportunities for chiral resolution and information storage with CPL.

Dissolving uptake-hindering surface defects in metal-organic frameworks.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have unique properties which make them perfectly suited for various adsorption and separation applications; however, their uses and efficiencies are often hindered by their limited stability. When most MOFs are exposed to water or humid air, the MOF structure, in particular at the surface, is destroyed, creating surface defects. These surface defects are surface barriers which tremendously hinder the uptake and release of guest molecules and, thus, massively decrease the performance in any application of MOFs. Here, the destruction by exposure to water vapor is investigated by using well-defined MOF films of type HKUST-1 as a model system for uptake experiments with different-sized probe molecules as well as for spectroscopic investigations, complemented by density functional theory calculations of the defect structure. In addition to the characterization of the surface defects, it is found that the pristine MOF structure can be regenerated. We show that the surface defects can be dissolved by exposure to the synthesis solvent, here ethanol, enabling fast uptake and release of guest molecules. These findings show that the storage of MOF materials in a synthesis solvent results in healing of surface defects and enables ideal performance of MOF materials.

Cavitation energies can outperform dispersion interactions.

The accurate dissection of binding energies into their microscopic components is challenging, especially in solution. Here we study the binding of noble gases (He-Xe) with the macrocyclic receptor cucurbit[5]uril in water by displacement of methane and ethane as 1H NMR probes. We dissect the hydration free energies of the noble gases into an attractive dispersive component and a repulsive one for formation of a cavity in water. This allows us to identify the contributions to host-guest binding and to conclude that the binding process is driven by differential cavitation energies rather than dispersion interactions. The free energy required to create a cavity to accept the noble gas inside the cucurbit[5]uril is much lower than that to create a similarly sized cavity in bulk water. The recovery of the latter cavitation energy drives the overall process, which has implications for the refinement of gas-storage materials and the understanding of biological receptors.

Linear Chains of Magnetic Ions Stacked with Variable Distance: Ferromagnetic Ordering with a Curie Temperature above 20†K.

We have studied the magnetic properties of the SURMOF-2 series of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Contrary to bulk MOF-2 crystals, where Cu(2+) ions form paddlewheels and are antiferromagnetically coupled, in this case the Cu(2+) ions are connected via carboxylate groups in a zipper-like fashion. This unusual coupling of the spin 1/2 ions within the resulting one-dimensional chains is found to stabilize a low-temperature, ferromagnetic (FM) phase. In contrast to other ordered 1D systems, no strong magnetic fields are needed to induce the ferromagnetism. The magnetic coupling constants describing the interaction between the individual metal ions have been determined in SQUID experiments. They are fully consistent with the results of ab initio DFT electronic structure calculations. The theoretical results allow the unusual magnetic behavior of this exotic, yet easy-to-fabricate, material to be described in a detailed fashion.

Chiral Dodecanuclear Palladium(II) Thio Cluster: Synthesis, Structure, and Formation Mechanism Explored by ESI-MS and DFT Calculations.

The chiral dodecanuclear palladium(II) thio cluster LaPd12(C3H5NO2S)3(C3H6NO2S)21 (1) was prepared by reacting l-cysteine (l-Cys) with PdCl2 and La2O3 in aqueous solution under carefully controlled conditions. Compound 1 was structurally characterized by single-crystal XRD, TGA, IR, UV-vis, (13)C NMR, and CD spectroscopy. Insight into the dimerization process of 1 was obtained by ESI-MS and DFT calculations.

Platinum-Containing Polyoxometalates: syn- and anti-[Pt(II)2(α-PW11O39)2](10-) and Formation of the Metal-Metal-Bonded di-Pt(III) Derivatives.

The first examples of dimeric, di-Pt(II) -containing heteropolytungstates are reported. The two isomeric di-platinum(II)-containing 22-tungsto-2-phosphates [anti-Pt(II)2(α-PW11O39)2](10-) (1 a) and [syn-Pt(II)2(α-PW11O39)2](10-) (2 a) were synthesized in aqueous pH 3.5 medium using one-pot procedures. Polyanions 1 a and 2 a contain a core comprising two face-on PtO4 units, with a Pt⋅⋅⋅Pt distance of 2.9-3 Å. Both polyanions were investigated by single-crystal XRD, IR, TGA, UV/Vis, (31) P NMR, ESI-MS, CID-MS/MS, electrochemistry, and DFT. On the basis of DFT and electrochemistry, we demonstrated that the {Pt2(II)} moiety in 1 a and 2 a can undergo fully reversible two-electron oxidation to {Pt2(III)}, accompanied by formation of a single Pt-Pt bond. Hence we have discovered the novel subclass of Pt(III)-containing heteropolytungstates.

The polyoxo-22-palladate(ii), [Na2PdO12(As(V)O4)15(As(V)O3OH)](25-) .

The polyoxo-22-palladate [Na2PdO12(As(V)O4)15(As(V)O3OH)](25-) (1), which represents a novel polyoxo-noble-metalate structural type, was synthesized by reaction of Pd(2+) and AsO4(3-) ions in aqueous solution. Polyanion 1 comprises two {NaPd11} units linked by two arsenate bridges, and hence represents the first example of a defect, monolacunary {Pd11} polyoxopalladate nanocube with arsenate capping groups. The title polyanion was characterized in the solid state as well as by theoretical calculations.

A kinetic study on the reduction of CO2 by frustrated Lewis pairs: from understanding to rational design.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is known as one of the major reasons for global warming. On the other hand, CO2 is considered as an abundant carbon source. Therefore, transformation of CO2 into target chemicals nowadays is of great interest. Recently, a concept of so-called "frustrated Lewis pairs" (FLPs) has been proposed. Such FLPs show unusual reactivity, such as hydrogen activation and the reduction of CO2. In this study, by means of density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio calculations, we conduct a kinetic survey on the reduction of CO2 by a series of FLPs. We investigate the relationship between the electronic structures and kinetic properties. The kinetic properties include: (1) reaction energy barriers, (2) the structural properties of the associated transition states (TSs), and (3) the natural charge population in these TSs. Our results indicate that there is a systematic relationship between the electronic structures and the kinetic properties, and, as a rule of thumb, similar activation barriers for both individual reactions are needed for best performance. The derived relationship can be used not only to rationalize the published experimental results, but also to assist the future design of more efficient Lewis acid-base pairs as metal-free catalysts for the reduction of CO2.

Are intramolecular frustrated Lewis pairs also intramolecular catalysts? A theoretical study on H2 activation.

We investigate computationally a series of intramolecular frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs), with the general formula Mes2PCHRCH2B(C6F5)2, that are known from the literature to either activate molecular hydrogen (FLPs with R = H (1) or Me (4)), or remain inert (FLPs with R = Ph (2) or SiMe3 (3)). The prototypical system Mes2PCH2CH2B(C6F5)2 (1) has been described in the literature (Grimme et al., Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 2010; Rokob et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2013) as an intramolecular reactant that triggers the reaction with H2 in a bimolecular concerted fashion. In the current study, we show that the concept of intramolecular H2 activation by linked FLPs is not able to explain the inertness of the derivative compounds 2 and 3 towards H2. To cope with this, we propose an alternative intermolecular mechanism for the investigated reaction, assuming stacking of two open-chain FLP conformers, and formation of a dimeric reactant with two Lewis acid­base domains, that can split up to two hydrogen molecules. Using quantum-chemical methods, we compute the reaction profiles describing these alternative mechanisms, and compare the derived predictions with earlier reported experimental results. We show that only the concept of intermolecular H2 activation could explain both the activity of the FLPs having small substituents in the bridging molecular region, and the inertness of the FLPs with a bulkier substitution, in a consistent way. Importantly, the intermolecular H2 activation driven by intramolecular FLPs indicates the key role of steric factors and noncovalent interactions for the design of metal-free systems that can efficiently split H2, and possibly serve as metal-free hydrogenation catalysts.

The mixed gold-palladium polyoxo-noble-metalate [NaAu(III)4Pd(II)8O8(AsO4)8](11-).

The first fully inorganic, discrete gold-palladium-oxo complex [NaAu(III) 4 Pd(II) 8 O8 (AsO4 )8 ](11-) has been synthesized in aqueous medium. The combination of single-crystal XRD, elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, and DFT calculations allowed establishing the structure and composition of the novel polyanion, and UV/Vis studies suggest that it is stable in neutral aqueous media.

Extension of the Universal Force Field to Metal-Organic Frameworks.

The Universal Force Field (UFF) (Rappé et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1992) provides a general approach to molecular mechanics for molecules and materials composed of elements throughout the periodic table. Though the method is tunable by the specification of bond orders and the introduction of effective charges, the presently available list of atom types is insufficient to treat various systems containing transition metals, including metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). As MOFs are composite materials built of a combination of individually stable building blocks, a plethora of MOF structures are possible, and the prediction of their structure with a low-cost method is important. We have extended the UFF parameter set to include transition metal elements Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Fe, Mn, Cr, V, Ti, Sc, and Al, as they occur in MOFs, and have proposed additional O parameters that provide reliable structures of the metal oxide clusters of the connectors. We have benchmarked the performance of the MOF extension to UFF (UFF4MOF) with respect to experimentally available data and to DFT calculations. The parameters are available in various well-spread programs, including GULP, deMonNano, and ADF, and all information is provided to include them in other molecular mechanics codes.

On the mechanism of hydrogen activation by frustrated Lewis pairs.

We report herein a comprehensive theoretical study of the thermodynamics and kinetics of molecular hydrogen activation by frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs). A series of intermolecularly combined boranes (Lewis acids) and phosphines (Lewis bases), with experimentally established different reactivities towards H2, have been subjected to DFT and (SCS-)MP2 calculations, and analyzed in terms of their structural properties, the energetics of association of the FLPs, and the kinetics of their interactions with H2 and hydrogenation to the ion-pair products. The analysis included the following steps: 1) assessment of the ability/inability of the Lewis species to preorganize into FLPs with an optimum arrangement of the acid and base sites for preconditioning the reaction with H2 , 2) comprehension of the different thermodynamics of hydrogenation of the selected FLPs by comparing the Gibbs energies of the overall reactions, and 3) estimation of the mechanism of the activation of H2 by identifying the reaction steps and the associated kinetic barriers. The results of our studies correlate well with experimental findings and have clarified the reasons for the observed different reactivities of the investigated systems, ranging from reversible or nonreversible activation to no reaction with H2. The derived predictions could assist the future design of Lewis acid-base systems with desired properties and applicability as metal-free hydrogenation catalysts.

Chemical speciation of metal complexes from chemical shift calculations: the interaction of 2-amino-N-hydroxypropanamide with V(V) in aqueous solution.

The chemical speciation of 2-amino-N-hydroxypropanamide (ß-alaninohydroxamic acid, HL) and vanadium (V) in aqueous solution has been investigated through calculations of the thermodynamic properties and the (51)V nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts of the species formed at equilibrium. The results have been compared directly with the experimental (51)V NMR data. The (51)V NMR chemical shifts have been calculated by using a density functional theory (DFT) approach accounting for relativistic corrections and solvent effects. All tautomers of the 1:1 and 1:2 VO2(+)/ß-ala complexes with different degrees of protonation have been calculated and thermodynamic and structural properties are presented for the most stable species. The system is better modeled as tautomeric equilibria, and species lying down in the range of 10 kcal·mol(-1) cannot be neglected at the BP/TZ2P/COSMO approach. In fact, the metal complex speciation in aqueous solution should not be investigated based solely on the thermodynamic analysis, but together with spectroscopic calculations such as NMR.

On the gas-phase dimerization of negatively charged closo-dodecaborates: a theoretical study.

We have studied the intriguing gas-phase dimerization of the B12In(-) (n = 9, 8) anions to B24I2n(2-) dianions by means of density functional theory calculations. The dimerization of B12I9(-) to B24I18(2-) has been detected experimentally in a previous study (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2011, 13, 5712) utilizing electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry (ESI-IT-MS), whereas the formation of B24I16(2-) from B12I8(-) is modeled here prior to experiment. Calculations are carried out to determine the molecular and electronic structures, the bonding situation and the stability of the dimers relative to the respective monomers. The dimerization process is found to be thermodynamically favorable, and the stability of the lowest-energy structures is substantiated by molecular dynamics simulations. The calculations imply that the experimentally observed B24I18(2-) and the hypothetical B24I16(2-) species are formed through dimerization of the respective B12In(-) (n = 9, 8) monomers, rather than through loss of two I radicals from B24I2n+2(2-) dimers. Electronic properties such as natural charges, vertical detachment energies (VDEs), frontier molecular orbitals (FMOs), and HOMO-LUMO gaps are computed and analyzed in detail for all monomers and dimers. The analysis shows that the most stable B24I2n(2-) dimers are formed through two 2c-2e B-B and two 3c-2e B-I-B bridges between the parent B12In(-) (n = 9, 8) monomers. These new bridging bonds engage the deiodinated (bare) faces of the two B12 icosahedra, as well as one (per monomer) of the nearest boron neighbors and its iodine substituent.

From an icosahedron to a plane: flattening dodecaiodo-dodecaborate by successive stripping of iodine.

It has been shown by electrospray ionization-ion-trap mass spectrometry that B(12)I(12)(2-) converts to an intact B(12) cluster as a result of successive stripping of single iodine radicals or ions. Herein, the structure and stability of all intermediate B(12)I(n)(-) species (n=11 to 1) determined by means of first-principles calculations are reported. The initial predominant loss of an iodine radical occurs most probably via the triplet state of B(12)I(12)(2-), and the reaction path for loss of an iodide ion from the singlet state crosses that from the triplet state. Experimentally, the boron clusters resulting from B(12)I(12)(2-) through loss of either iodide or iodine occur at the same excitation energy in the ion trap. It is shown that the icosahedral B(12) unit commonly observed in dodecaborate compounds is destabilized while losing iodine. The boron framework opens to nonicosahedral structures with five to seven iodine atoms left. The temperature of the ions has a considerable influence on the relative stability near the opening of the clusters. The most stable structures with five to seven iodine atoms are neither planar nor icosahedral.