Four-Component Relativistic Density Functional Calculations of EPR Parameters for Model Complexes of Tungstoenzymes.

For a closer validation of four-component relativistic DFT methods within the matrix Dirac-Kohn-Sham (mDKS) framework with global hybrid functionals for EPR parameter calculations to be applied in the modeling of tungsten enzymes, we refine a previously suggested protocol for computations on 5d systems. This is done for a series of larger, unsymmetrical W(V) complexes thought to closely resemble enzyme active sites in this oxidation state. Particular focus is placed on complexes with thiolate and dithiolene ligands, along with an evaluation of the influence of different amounts of exact-exchange incorporated in hybrid PBE0-xHF functionals, an implicit solvent model, and structural changes on the computed EPR parameters. Compared to previous work, a slightly modified protocol with different optimal exact-exchange admixtures for electronic g- and hyperfine A-tensors is found to provide the best agreement with experimental EPR data. It will provide the basis for our subsequent tungsten enzyme modeling efforts.

Four-Component Relativistic Density Functional Theory Calculations of EPR g- and Hyperfine-Coupling Tensors Using Hybrid Functionals: Validation on Transition-Metal Complexes with Large Tensor Anisotropies and Higher-Order Spin-Orbit Effects.

The four-component matrix Dirac-Kohn-Sham (mDKS) implementation of EPR g- and hyperfine A-tensor calculations within a restricted kinetic balance framework in the ReSpect code has been extended to hybrid functionals. The methodology is validated for an extended set of small 4d(1) and 5d(1) [MEXn](q) systems, and for a series of larger Ir(II) and Pt(III) d(7) complexes (S = 1/2) with particularly large g-tensor anisotropies. Different density functionals (PBE, BP86, B3LYP-xHF, PBE0-xHF) with variable exact-exchange admixture x (ranging from 0% to 50%) have been evaluated, and the influence of structure and basis set has been examined. Notably, hybrid functionals with an exact-exchange admixture of about 40% provide the best agreement with experiment and clearly outperform the generalized-gradient approximation (GGA) functionals, in particular for the hyperfine couplings. Comparison with computations at the one-component second-order perturbational level within the Douglas-Kroll-Hess framework (1c-DKH), and a scaling of the speed of light at the four-component mDKS level, provide insight into the importance of higher-order relativistic effects for both properties. In the more extreme cases of some iridium(II) and platinum(III) complexes, the widely used leading-order perturbational treatment of SO effects in EPR calculations fails to reproduce not only the magnitude but also the sign of certain g-shift components (with the contribution of higher-order SO effects amounting to several hundreds of ppt in 5d complexes). The four-component hybrid mDKS calculations perform very well, giving overall good agreement with the experimental data.

Melting of "non-magic" argon clusters and extrapolation to the bulk limit.

The melting of argon clusters ArN is investigated by applying a parallel-tempering Monte Carlo algorithm for all cluster sizes in the range from 55 to 309 atoms. Extrapolation to the bulk gives a melting temperature of 85.9 K in good agreement with the previous value of 88.9 K using only Mackay icosahedral clusters for the extrapolation [E. Pahl, F. Calvo, L. Koci, and P. Schwerdtfeger, "Accurate melting temperatures for neon and argon from ab initio Monte Carlo simulations," Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 47, 8207 (2008)]. Our results for argon demonstrate that for the extrapolation to the bulk one does not have to restrict to magic number cluster sizes in order to obtain good estimates for the bulk melting temperature. However, the extrapolation to the bulk remains a problem, especially for the systematic selection of suitable cluster sizes.

Pressure dependent stability and structure of carbon dioxide--a density functional study including long-range corrections.

First-principles density functional theory (DFT) is used to study the solid-state modifications of carbon dioxide up to pressures of 60 GPa. All known molecular CO2 structures are investigated in this pressure range, as well as three non-molecular modifications. To account for long-range van der Waals interactions, the dispersion corrected DFT method developed by Grimme and co-workers (DFT-D3) is applied. We find that the DFT-D3 method substantially improves the results compared to the uncorrected DFT methods for the molecular carbon dioxide crystals. Enthalpies at 0 K and cohesive energies support only one possibility of the available experimental solutions for the structure of phase IV: the R3c modification, proposed by Datchi and co-workers [Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 185701 (2009)]. Furthermore, comparing bulk moduli with experimental values, we cannot reproduce the quite large--rather typical for covalent crystal structures--experimental values for the molecular phases II and III.

Halogenated benzene cation radicals.

The halogenated benzenes C(6)HF(5), 2,4,6-C(6)H(3)F(3), 2,3,5,6-C(6)H(2)F(4), C(6)F(6), C(6)Cl(6), C(6)Br(6), and C(6)I(6) were converted into their corresponding cation radicals by using various strong oxidants. The cation-radical salts were isolated and characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The thermal stability of the cation radicals increased with decreasing hydrogen content. As expected, the cation radicals [C(6)HF(5)](+) and 2,3,5,6-[C(6)H(2)F(4)](+) had structures with the same geometry as C(6)HF(5) and 2,3,5,6-[C(6)H(2)F(4)]. In contrast, the cation radicals [C(6)F(6)](+), [C(6)Cl(6)](+), and possibly also [C(6)Br(6)](+) exhibited Jahn-Teller-distorted geometries in the crystalline state. In the case of C(6)F(6)(+)Sb(2)F(11)(-), two low-symmetry geometries were observed in the same crystal. Interestingly, the structures of the cation radicals 2,4,6-[C(6)H(3)F(3)](+) and C(6)I(6)(+) did not exhibit Jahn-Teller distortions. DFT calculations showed that the explanation for the lack of distortion of these cations from the D(3h) or D(6h) symmetry of the neutral benzene precursor was different for 2,4,6-[C(6)H(3)F(3)](+) than for [C(6)I(6)](+).