The Challenging World of Simple Inorganic Rings: Revisiting Roesky's Ketone and Roesky's Sulfoxide.

The surprising differences between the experimental solid-state and calculated gas-phase structures of 5-oxo-1,3,2,4-dithiadiazole (Roesky's ketone, 1) and 1-oxo-1,2,4,3,5-trithiadiazole (Roesky's sulfoxide, 2), identified and studied in a series of papers published between 2004 and 2010 but then never satisfactorily explained, have been revisited, making use of the more advanced computational possibilities currently available. The previous calculations' considerable overestimations of the C-S and S-S bond lengths in 1 and 2, respectively, have been partly explained based on the results of periodic calculations and the application of Valence Bond (VB) Theory. In the case of 1, the crystal environment appears to stabilize a structure with a highly polarized C=O bond, which features a C-S bond with considerable double-bond character - an effect which does not exist for the isolated molecule - explaining the much shorter bond in the solid state. For 2, a similar conclusion can be drawn for the S-S distance. For both compounds, though, packing effects are not the sole source of the differences: the inability of Density Functional Theory (DFT) to properly deal with the electronic structures of these apparently simple main-group systems remains a contributing factor.

Self-Induced and Progressive Photo-Oxidation of Organophosphonic Acid Grafted Titanium Dioxide.

While synthesis-properties-performance correlations are being studied for organophosphonic acid grafted TiO2 , their stability and the impact of the exposure conditions on possible changes in the interfacial surface chemistry remain unexplored. Here, the impact of different ageing conditions on the evolution of the surface properties of propyl- and 3-aminopropylphosphonic acid grafted mesoporous TiO2 over a period of 2 years is reported, using solid-state 31 P and 13 C NMR, ToF-SIMS and EPR as main techniques. In humid conditions under ambient light exposure, PA grafted TiO2 surfaces initiate and facilitate photo-induced oxidative reactions, resulting in the formation of phosphate species and degradation of the grafted organic group with a loss of carbon content ranging from 40 to 60 wt %. By revealing its mechanism, solutions were provided to prevent degradation. This work provides valuable insights for the broad community in choosing optimal exposure/storage conditions that extend the lifetime and improve the materials' performance, positively impacting sustainability.

Amino-Alkylphosphonate-Grafted TiO2: How the Alkyl Chain Length Impacts the Surface Properties and the Adsorption Efficiency for Pd.

Amino-alkylphosphonic acid-grafted TiO2 materials are of increasing interest in a variety of applications such as metal sorption, heterogeneous catalysis, CO2 capture, and enzyme immobilization. To date, systematic insights into the synthesis-properties-performance correlation are missing for such materials, albeit giving important know-how towards their applicability and limitations. In this work, the impact of the chain length and modification conditions (concentration and temperature) of amino-alkylphosphonic acid-grafted TiO2 on the surface properties and adsorption performance of palladium is studied. Via grafting with aminomethyl-, 3-aminopropyl-, and 6-aminohexylphosphonic acid, combined with the spectroscopic techniques (DRIFT, 31P NMR, XPS) and zeta potential measurements, differences in surface properties between the C1, C3, and C6 chains are revealed. The modification degree decreases with increasing chain length under the same synthesis conditions, indicative of folded grafted groups that sterically shield an increasing area of binding sites with increasing chain length. Next, all techniques confirm the different surface interactions of a C1 chain compared to a C3 or C6 chain. This is in line with palladium adsorption experiments, where only for a C1 chain, the adsorption efficiency is affected by the precursor concentration used for modification. The absence of a straightforward correlation between the number of free NH2 groups and the adsorption capacity for the different chain lengths indicates that other chain-length-specific surface interactions are controlling the adsorption performance. The increasing pH stability in the order of C1 < C3 < C6 can possibly be associated to a higher fraction of inaccessible hydrophilic sites due to the presence of folded structures. Lastly, the comparison of adsorption performance and pH stability with 3-aminopropyl(triethoxysilane)-grafted TiO2 reveals the applicability of both grafting methods depending on the envisaged pH during sorption.

Selective Pd recovery from acidic leachates by 3-mercaptopropylphosphonic acid grafted TiO2: does surface coverage correlate to performance?

Modification of metal oxides with organophosphonic acids (PAs) provides the ability to control and tailor the surface properties. The metal oxide phosphonic acid bond (M-O-P) is known to be stable under harsh conditions, making PAs a promising candidate for the recovery of metals from complex acidic leachates. The thiol functional group is an excellent regenerable scavenging group for these applications. However, the research on organophosphonic acid grafting with thiol groups is very limited. In this study, four different metal sorbent materials were designed with different thiol surface coverages. An aqueous-based grafting of 3-mercaptopropylphosphonic acid (3MPPA) on mesoporous TiO2 was employed. Surface grafted thiol groups could be obtained in the range from 0.9 to 1.9 groups per nm2. The different obtained surface properties were studied and correlated to the Pd adsorption performance. High Pd/S adsorption efficiencies were achieved, indicating the presence of readily available sorption sites. A large difference in their selectivity towards Pd removal from a spend automotive catalyst leachate was observed due to the co-adsorption of Fe on the titania support. The highest surface coverage showed the highest selectivity (K d: 530 mL g-1) and adsorption capacity (Q max: 0.32 mmol g-1) towards Pd, while strongly reducing the co-adsorption of Fe on remaining TiO2 sites.

Quantum chemical mass spectrometry: Ab initio study of b2 -ion formation mechanisms for the singly protonated Gln-His-Ser tripeptide.

RATIONALE: Both amide bond protonation triggering peptide fragmentations and the controversial b2 -ion structures have been subjects of intense research. The involvement of histidine (H), with its imidazole side chain that induces specific dissociation patterns involving inter-side-chain (ISC) interactions, in b2 -ion formation was investigated, focusing on the QHS model tripeptide. METHODS: To identify the effect of histidine on fragmentations issued from ISC interactions, QHS was selected for a comprehensive analysis of the pathways leading to the three possible b2 -ion structures, using quantum chemical calculations performed at the DFT/B3LYP/6-311+G* level of theory. Electrospray ionization ion trap mass spectrometry allowed the recording of MS2 and MS3 tandem mass spectra, whereas the Quantum Chemical Mass Spectrometry for Materials Science (QCMS2 ) method was used to predict fragmentation patterns. RESULTS: Whereas it is very difficult to differentiate among protonated oxazolone, diketopiperazine, or lactam b2 -ions using MS2 and MS3 mass spectra, the calculations indicated that the QH b2 -ion (detected at m/z 266) is probably a mixture of the lactam and oxazolone structures formed after amide nitrogen protonation, making the formation of diketopiperazine less likely as it requires an additional step for its formation. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to glycine-histidine-containing b2 -ions, known to be issued from the backbone-imidazole cyclization, we found that interactions between the side chains were not obvious to perceive, neither from a thermodynamics nor from a fragmentation perspective, emphasizing the importance of the whole sequence on the dissociation behavior usually demonstrated from simple glycine-containing tripeptides.

An Overview of Self-Consistent Field Calculations Within Finite Basis Sets.

A uniform derivation of the self-consistent field equations in a finite basis set is presented. Both restricted and unrestricted Hartree-Fock (HF) theory as well as various density functional approximations are considered. The unitary invariance of the HF and density functional models is discussed, paving the way for the use of localized molecular orbitals. The self-consistent field equations are derived in a non-orthogonal basis set, and their solution is discussed also in the presence of linear dependencies in the basis. It is argued why iterative diagonalization of the Kohn-Sham-Fock matrix leads to the minimization of the total energy. Alternative methods for the solution of the self-consistent field equations via direct minimization as well as stability analysis are briefly discussed. Explicit expressions are given for the contributions to the Kohn-Sham-Fock matrix up to meta-GGA functionals. Range-separated hybrids and non-local correlation functionals are summarily reviewed.

QCMS2 as a new method for providing insight into peptide fragmentation: The influence of the side-chain and inter-side-chain interactions.

The identification of peptides and proteins from tandem mass spectra is a difficult task and multiple tools have been developed to aid this identification. We present a new method called quantum chemical mass spectrometry for materials science (QCMS2 ), which is based on quantum chemical calculations of bond orders, reaction, and transition-state energies at the DFT/B3LYP/6-311+G* level of theory. The method was used to describe the fragmentation pathways of five X-His-Ser tripeptides with X = Asn, Asp, Glu, Ser, and Trp, thereby focusing on the influence of the side chain and inter-side-chain interactions on the fragmentation. The main features in the mass spectra of the five tripeptides were correctly reproduced, and a number of fragments were assigned to fragmentations involving the side chain and the influence of inter-side-chain interactions. Product ion spectra were recorded to evaluate the capabilities and limitations of QCMS2 and a number of conventional tools.

Quantum Chemical Mass Spectrometry: Verification and Extension of the Mobile Proton Model for Histidine.

The quantum chemical mass spectrometry for materials science (QCMS2) method is used to verify the proposed mechanism for proton transfer - the Mobile Proton Model (MPM) - by histidine for ten XHS tripeptides, based on quantum chemical calculations at the DFT/B3LYP/6-311+G* level of theory. The fragmentations of the different intermediate structures in the MPM mechanism are studied within the QCMS2 framework, and the energetics of the proposed mechanism itself and those of the fragmentations of the intermediate structures are compared, leading to the computational confirmation of the MPM. In addition, the calculations suggest that the mechanism should be extended from considering only the formation of five-membered ring intermediates to include larger-ring intermediates. Graphical Abstract ᅟ.

Quantum chemical mass spectrometry: ab initio prediction of electron ionization mass spectra and identification of new fragmentation pathways.

The electron ionization mass spectra of four organic compounds are predicted based on the results of quantum chemical calculations at the DFT/B3LYP/6-311 + G* level of theory. This prediction is performed 'ab initio', i.e. without any prior knowledge of the thermodynamics or kinetics of the reactions under consideration. Using a set of rules determining which routes will be followed, the fragmentation of the molecules' bonds and the complete resulting fragmentation pathways are studied. The most likely fragmentation pathways are identified based on calculated reaction energies ΔE when bond cleavage is considered and on activation energies ΔE‡ when rearrangements are taken into account; the final intensities of the peaks in the spectrum are estimated from these values. The main features observed in the experimental mass spectra are correctly predicted, as well as a number of minor peaks. In addition, the results of the calculations allow us to propose fragmentation pathways new to empirical mass spectrometry, which have been experimentally verified using tandem mass spectrometry measurements. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

2-hydroxyterpenylic acid: an oxygenated marker compound for α-pinene secondary organic aerosol in ambient fine aerosol.

An oxygenated MW 188 compound is commonly observed in substantial abundance in atmospheric aerosol samples and was proposed in previous studies as an α-pinene-related marker compound that is associated with aging processes. Owing to difficulties in producing this compound in sufficient amounts in laboratory studies and the occurrence of isobaric isomers, a complete assignment for individual MW 188 compounds could not be achieved in these studies. Results from a comprehensive mass spectrometric analysis are presented here to corroborate the proposed structure of the most abundant MW 188 compound as a 2-hydroxyterpenylic acid diastereoisomer with 2R,3R configuration. The application of collision-induced dissociation with liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-ion trap mass spectrometry in both negative and positive ion modes, as well as chemical derivatization to methyl ester derivatives and analysis by the latter technique and gas chromatography/electron ionization mass spectrometry, enabled a comprehensive characterization of MW 188 isomers, including a detailed study of the fragmentation behavior using both mass spectrometric techniques. Furthermore, a MW 188 positional isomer, 4-hydroxyterpenylic acid, was tentatively identified, which also is of atmospheric relevance as it could be detected in ambient fine aerosol. Quantum chemical calculations were performed to support the diastereoisomeric assignment of the 2-hydroxyterpenylic acid isomers. Results from a time-resolved α-pinene photooxidation experiment show that the 2-hydroxyterpenylic acid 2R,3R diastereoisomer has a time profile distinctly different from that of 3-methyl-1,2,3-butanetricarboxylic acid, a marker for oxygenated (aged) secondary organic aerosol. This study presents a comprehensive chemical data set for a more complete structural characterization of hydroxyterpenylic acids in ambient fine aerosol, which sets the foundation to better understand the atmospheric fate of α-pinene in future studies.

Experimental and computational study on the structure and properties of Herz cations and radicals: 1,2,3-benzodithiazolium, 1,2,3-benzodithiazolyl, and their Se congeners.

Salts of 1,2,3-benzodithiazolium (1), 2,1,3-benzothiaselenazolium (3), and 1,2,3-benzodiselenazolium (4) (Herz cations), namely, [1][BF4], [1][SbCl6], [3][BF4], [3][GaCl4], [3][SbCl6], and [4][GaCl4], were prepared from the corresponding chlorides and NaBF4, GaCl3, or SbCl5. It was found that [1][SbCl6] and [3][SbCl6] spontaneously transform in MeCN solution to [1]3[SbCl6]2[Cl] and [3]3[SbCl6]2[Cl], respectively. [1][BF4], [1]3[SbCl6]2[Cl], [3][BF4], [3]3[SbCl6]2[Cl], and [4][GaCl4] were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). In solution, these [BF4](-) and [GaCl4](-) salts as well as [1][GaCl4], [2][GaCl4], [3][GaCl4], [3][Cl], and [4][Cl] were characterized by multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The corresponding Herz radicals 1(•)-4(•) were obtained in toluene and DCM solutions by the reduction of the appropriate salts with Ph3Sb and characterized by EPR. Cations 1-4 and radicals 1(•)-4(•) were investigated computationally at the density functional theory (DFT) and second-order Møller-Plesset (MP2) levels of theory. The B1B95/cc-pVTZ method was found to satisfactorily reproduce the experimental geometries of 1-4; an increase in the basis set size to cc-pVQZ results in only minor changes. For both 1-4 and 1(•)-4(•), the Hirshfeld charges and bond orders, as well as the Hirshfeld spin densities for the radicals, were calculated using the B1B95/cc-pVQZ method. It was found for both the cations and the radicals that replacing S atoms with Se atoms leads to considerable changes in the atomic charges, bond lengths, and bond orders only at the involved and the neighboring sites. According to the calculations, 60% of the positive charge in the cations and 80% of the spin density in the radicals is localized on the heterocycles, with the spin density distributions being very similar for all radicals 1(•)-4(•). For the cations 1-4, the NICS values (B3LYP/cc-pVTZ for B1B95/cc-pVTZ geometries) lie in the narrow range from -5.5 ppm to -6.6 ppm for the carbocycles, and from -14.4 ppm to -15.5 ppm for heterocycles, clearly indicating the aromaticity of the cations. Calculations on radical dimers [1(•)]2-[4(•)]2 revealed, with only one exception, positive dimerization energies, i.e., the dimers are inherently unstable in the gas phase.

(E,E)-N-(2,3,4,5,6-Penta-fluoro-benzyl-idene)-N-(3,4,5-trimeth-oxy-benzyl-idene)benzene-1,4-diamine.

The title compound, C(23)H(17)F(5)N(2)O(3), forms a layered centrosymmetric crystal structure in which C-H⋯F inter-actions are responsible for the formation of planar ribbons along [110], meth-oxy-meth-oxy (C-H⋯O) inter-actions for the formation of layers parallel to [[Formula: see text]13], and OCH(3)⋯π and C-F⋯π inter-actions for the stacking of these layers.

(E)-4-[2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)ethenyl]nitrobenzene and its 'bridge-flipped' analogues.

The solid-state structures of three push-pull acceptor-π-donor (A-π-D) systems differing only in the nature of the π-spacer have been determined. (E)-1-Nitro-4-[2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)ethenyl]benzene, C(17)H(17)NO(5), (I), and its 'bridge-flipped' imine analogues, (E)-3,4,5-trimethoxy-N-(4-nitrobenzylidene)aniline, C(16)H(16)N(2)O(5), (II), and (E)-4-nitro-N-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzylidene)aniline, C(16)H(16)N(2)O(5), (III), display different kinds of supramolecular networks, viz. corrugated planes, a herringbone pattern and a layered structure, respectively, all with zero overall dipole moments. Only (III) crystallizes in a noncentrosymmetric space group (P2(1)2(1)2(1)) and is, therefore, a potential material for second-harmonic generation (SHG).

The solid-state organization of 'self-doped' PPV oligomers.

Using a combination of multi-frequency EPR and NMR spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations at the level of Density Functional Theory (DFT), the organization of self-doped PPV oligomers in their solid state is investigated. The analysis of the different spectra shows that the electrochemical procedure used to self-dope these materials produces positive radicals (polarons) in an almost quantitative way, but still magnetically isolated polarons are observed. The difference between chemical and electrochemical oxidation of the oligomers is studied in detail. Furthermore, ageing of the electrochemically oxidized oligomers may be accompanied by a stacking of the oligomers.

4,4'-Bis[2-(3,5-dimeth-oxy-phen-yl)ethen-yl]biphen-yl.

The title compound, C(32)H(30)O(4), crystallizes with three different conformers of the same mol-ecule in the asymmetric unit, which explains the unusually large unit cell volume. The supra-molecular structure is based on inter-actions involving the meth-oxy groups [C⋯O contacts between 3.090 (2) and 3.204 (2) Å, and C-H⋯O contacts between (normalized) 2.40 and 2.71 Å], π-π stacking of the electron-rich meth-oxy-substituted rings [centroid-centroid distances of 3.6454 (9)-3.738 (1) Å] and C-H⋯π contacts (normalized, 2.62-2.97Å).

Conformational polymorphism of (E,E)-N,N'-bis(4-nitrobenzylidene)benzene-1,4-diamine.

Two polymorphs of (E,E)-N,N'-bis(4-nitrobenzylidene)benzene-1,4-diamine, C(20)H(14)N(4)O(4), (I), have been identified. In each case, the molecule lies across a crystallographic inversion centre. The supramolecular structure of the first polymorph, (I-1), features stacking based on π-π interactions assisted by weak hydrogen bonds involving the nitro groups. The second polymorph, (I-2), displays a perpendicular arrangement of molecules linked via the nitro groups, combined with weak C-H···O hydrogen bonds. Both crystal structures are compared with that of the carbon analogue (E,E)-1,4-bis[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethenyl]benzene, (II).

Dynamic disorder in the crystal structure of an organic semiconductor: an unusual phase transition involving the heat capacity.

(E,E)-1-[2-(4-Nitrophenyl)ethenyl]-4-[2-(2,4-dimethoxyphenyl)ethenyl]benzene was characterised by X-ray diffraction and shown to be dynamically disordered at room temperature. The structure was re-determined over a range of temperatures to infer the thermodynamic parameters related to this disorder. A phase transition of third order according to the Ehrenfest classification scheme was discovered. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first experimentally observed phase transition of formal third order. It can be explained by the involvement of long-range lattice vibrations.

Pulse EPR and ENDOR study of 1,2,3-benzodithiazolyl, 2,1,3-benzothiaselenazolyl and 1,2,3-benzodiselenazolyl radicals.

1,2,3-Benzodithiazolyl, 2,1,3-benzothiaselenazolyl and 1,2,3-benzodiselenazolyl radicals were generated by the reduction of the corresponding cations and investigated by pulse EPR and ENDOR in frozen CHCl(3) solutions at 30 and 80 K. These methods, in combination with density functional theory calculations, were used to study the magnetic parameters of the radicals, namely the principal values of the nitrogen and proton hyperfine interactions and g-tensors. The spin density distribution was shown to be nearly the same for all investigated radicals and, therefore, replacement of sulfur by selenium leads to a limited perturbation of the radicals' electronic structure. A high anisotropy of the g-tensors was found for the selenium-containing radicals.

Combining the chemistries of silylene and sulfur-nitrogen compounds--SiS2N2 and related systems.

A new class of inorganic systems is introduced in which a silylene fragment is combined with a sulfur-nitrogen fragment. The properties of the resulting "sulfur-nitrogen silylenes" have been studied using quantum chemical calculations, focussing on isodesmic reaction energies, dimerization, electro- and nucleophilicity, and the singlet-triplet energy gap-a number of as yet unsuccessful attempts to prepare the compounds is also reported. These new systems are found to be stable silylenes in which the sulfur-nitrogen fragment stabilizes both the singlet and the triplet states through extensive electron delocalization.

Synthesis and structures of substituted triphenyl(phenylimino)phosphoranes.

Three substituted triphenyl(phenylimino)phosphoranes, namely (4-cyanophenylimino)triphenylphosphorane, C(25)H(19)N(2)P, (I), (4-nitrophenylimino)triphenylphosphorane, C(24)H(19)N(2)O(2)P, (II), and (3-nitrophenylimino)triphenylphosphorane, C(24)H(19)N(2)O(2)P, (III), were synthesized as precursors for the preparation of substituted diphenylcarbodiimides. All three compounds display a supramolecular arrangement in which the substituted benzene rings are organized in an antiparallel fashion. The nitro group on the ring participates in C-H...O and O...pi interactions, forming intermolecular dimers. Compound (III) shows disorder which involves the rotation of one of the phenyl rings of the triphenylphosphine group.