Closed-shell Interactions Research Articles

Strain-Driven Phase Transitions in Delafossite Cu1-xAxAlO2: A Key to Enhanced Photo(electro)catalytic Performance.

This study investigates the impact of intrinsic strain and phase transitions on the thermodynamic stability and electronic properties of Cu1-xAxAlO2 solid solutions, which are key to their photocatalytic performance. It is demonstrated that Cu1-xAxAlO2 with A = Ag, Au, Pt can form continuous isostructural solid solutions due to relatively small compressive strain, while a substantial increase strain restricts Cu1-xPdxAlO2 to forming only limited solutions. For A = Li, Na, the formation of heterostructural solid solutions is facilitated by structural motif alterations, accommodating significant differences in ionic radii and A-O bond characteristics. Specifically, Cu1-xLixAlO2 exhibits a phase transition at x ≈ 0.333, whereas Cu1-xNaxAlO2 undergoes three distinct phase transitions. Electronic structure analysis indicates that in Cu1-xAxAlO2 (A = Ag, Au), d10-d10 closed-shell interactions dominate, enabling tunable band gaps with varying solubility. Nevertheless, increased intrinsic strain in metal sublattices, as seen in A = Pd and Pt, shifts antibonding states to the Fermi level, inducing a semiconductor-to-metal transition. Experimental evidence confirms that Ag+ ions modulate the band gaps and carrier dynamics in Cu1-xAgxAlO2, with Cu0.75Ag0.25AlO2 exhibiting heightened photoelectrochemical activity and a 38.5-fold enhancement in H2 production rate over CuAlO2. Additionally, the coordination environment changes between alkali metals and O, induced by phase transitions, effectively tune the band edge positions and carrier dynamics of Cu1-xAxAlO2 (A = Li, Na) heterostructural solid solutions. Therefore, 3R-Cu0.97Li0.03AlO2 with asymmetric nonlinear dumbbell O-Cu-O demonstrates the highest photocatalytic H2 production activity, 72.9 times greater than CuAlO2. In contrast, α-Cu1-xAxAlO2 with a smaller CuO6 octahedral splitting energy exhibits increased band gaps, resulting in diminished photocatalytic activity. This research underscores that strain-driven phase transition provides an additional control factor and new mechanism for regulating the photo(electro)catalytic activity of Cu1-xAxAlO2 solid solutions.

Evaluation of charge-assisted hydrogen bonds and weak intermolecular interaction in trimethoprim 2-aminobenzoate: A combined crystallographic and theoretical approach

A comprehensive investigation of the weak non-covalent interactions within the crystal structure of trimethoprim 2-aminobenzoate (2,6-diamino-5-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzyl)pyrimidin-1-ium 2-aminobenzoate) is presented. The protonation of trimethoprim and the deprotonation of 2-aminobenzoate were confirmed by NMR spectroscopy and a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study. Qualitative Hirshfeld surface analysis identified intermolecular H···H, O···H, and C···H contacts as the three primary interactions within the title salt. Fourteen molecular pairs (M1AA−M14AB) were extracted from the crystal packing of the title salt using the PIXEL method. These molecular dimers were further characterized using the QTAIM and DFT approaches. Seven intermolecular pairs (M1AA−M7BB) formed between like-charged species (i.e. +1···+1 or -1···-1) resulted in destabilization, with total energies (Etot) ranging from 67.2 to 200.1 kJ mol-1. Conversely, molecular pairs formed between oppositely charged species (i.e. +1···-1) exhibited stabilizing behavior, with interaction energies ranging from -133.7 to -449.7 kJ mol-1. Topological analysis of charge density revealed that two N–H···O hydrogen bonds between cation and anion displayed an intermediate character between shared and closed-shell interactions. Additionally, comparison with previously reported similar TMP salts (CSD ref. code: CESRUN, HURMOW and PARWUB) demonstrated 3D-isostructural packing features in the crystal structure of the title salt.

Lewis Acid-Base Pairs: The Bonding Rule of Closed-Shell M···M' Interactions (M = HgII/PdII; M' = AgI/AuI).

Metallophilic interactions are the widespread interactions in multimetal clusters to orientate closed-shell metal self-assembly form linear, facet, or block clusters. The closed-shell metal cation does not have empty valence orbitals, but is able to attract each other. It is still a conundrum to understand the resource in balancing the strong Coulomb repulsion between two cations. Most traditional descriptions attribute the counterintuitive attractions to London dispersion, Pauli repulsions, and ambiguous orbital interactions. However, neither the dispersion nor the unsourced donor-acceptor interaction can be applied to explain the saturability and directionality in multimetal clusters, where the M···M' structure is the basic molecular unit. Here, we clarify the origination of the covalency in closed-shell metallophilic interactions based on the study of heterobimetallic compounds composed of d10-d8 species (AgI/AuI-PdII) and d10-d10 species (AgI/AuI-HgII) obtained from experiments. The inner d electrons not only participate in the metallophilic interactions but also show different Lewis acidity and basicity in the formation of M···M' structures. The present work not only provides us a novel covalent perspective to visualize the closed-shell M···M' interactions but also unveils the truth of metallophilic interactions.

Unveiling the Intermolecular Interactions between Drug 5-Fluorouracil and Watson-Crick/Hoogsteen Base Pairs: A Computational Analysis.

The adsorption of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) on Watson-Crick (WC) base pairs and Hoogsteen (HT) base pairs has been studied using the dispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT). The adsorption, binding energy, and thermochemistry for the drug 5FU on the WC and HT base pairs were determined. The most stable geometries were near planar geometry, and 5FU has a higher preference for WC than HT base pairs. The adsorption energies of 5FU on nucleobase pairs are consistently higher than pristine nucleobase pairs, indicating that nucleobase pair cleavage is less likely during the adsorption of the 5FU drug. The enthalpy change for the formation of 5FU-DNA base pairs is higher than that for the formation of 5FU-nucleobases and is enthalpy-driven. The E gap of AT base pairs is higher, suggesting that their chemical reactivity toward further reaction would be less than that of GC base pairs. The electron density difference (EDD) analysis shows a significant decrease in electron density in aromatic regions on the purine bases (adenine/guanine) compared to the pyrimidine bases. The MESP diagram of the stable 5FU-nucleobase pair complexes shows a directional interaction, with the positive regions in a molecule interacting with the negative region of other molecules. The atoms in molecule analysis show that the ρ(r) values of C=O···H-N are higher than those of N···H/N-H···O. The N···H intermolecular bonds between the base pair/drug and nucleobases are weak, closed shell interactions and are electrostatic in nature. The noncovalent interaction analysis shows that several new spikes are engendered along with an increase in their strength, which indicates that the H-bonding interactions are stronger and play a dominant role in stabilizing the complexes. Energy decomposition analysis shows that the drug-nucleobase pair complex has a marginal increase in the electrostatic contributions compared to nucleobase pair complexes.

Stability trend analysis of light lanthanide complexes with a fluorophenyl-dipicolinamide: A quantum chemical study

Extracting lanthanides (Ln) from actinides (An) is a crucial step in reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, and the interaction between ligands and Ln inevitably deserves careful study. In this study, we employ density functional theory (DFT) calculations to analyze the stability trend of trivalent light lanthanides (Ln (III), from La(III) to Eu(III)) complexes with N,N'‑diethyl-N,N'-di(para)fluorophenyl-2,6-dipicolinamide (FDPA), which has emerged as a promising ligand in Ln-An separation. The bond length, nature of bonding and electronic energy density properties of Ln-N and Ln-O bonds have been investigated. The quantum theory of atoms in molecules calculation shows that Ln(III)-FDPA complexes are stable, via closed-shell interactions. The Gibbs free energy changes (∆G) of La(III), Pr(III), Pm(III), Sm(III), and Eu(III) complexes with FDPA are approximately -0.07 Kcal/mol. In contrast, the ∆G values of Ce(III) and Nd(III) complexes with FDPA are 1.534 and 0.781 Kcal/mol, respectively. These findings indicate that La(III), Pr(III), Pm(III), Sm(III), and Eu(III) can be excellently extracted by FDPA from acidic solvents, whereas Ce(III) and Nd(III) do not. Our study contributes to a better understanding of the mechanism of lanthanide complexes and provides guidance for the design of ligands that can effectively discriminate lanthanides in nuclear waste reprocessing.

The nature of metallophilic interactions in closed-shell d8-d8 metal complexes.

We have quantum chemically analyzed the closed-shell d8-d8 metallophilic interaction in dimers of square planar [M(CO)2X2] complexes (M = Ni, Pd, Pt; X = Cl, Br, I) using dispersion-corrected density functional theory at ZORA-BLYP-D3(BJ)/TZ2P level of theory. Our purpose is to reveal the nature of the [X2(CO)2M]⋯[M(CO)2X2] bonding mechanism by analyzing trends upon variations in M and X. Our analyses reveal that the formation of the [M(CO)2X2]2 dimers is favored by an increasingly stabilizing electrostatic interaction when the M increases in size and by more stabilizing dispersion interactions promoted by the larger X. In addition, there is an overlooked covalent component stemming from metal-metal and ligand-ligand donor-acceptor interactions. Thus, at variance with the currently accepted picture, the d8-d8 metallophilicity is attractive, and the formation of [M(CO)2X2]2 dimers is not a purely dispersion-driven phenomenon.

Insights into the structural investigation of metal-complexes with 1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropanetetraacetic acid: Inputs from X-ray and computational studies

A new 1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropanetetraacetate copper complex (1) [{Cu(Hpdta)}{Cu(H2O)6}] has been synthesized and structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction and compared with a similar cobalt complex (2) of H4Hpdta (H4Hpdta = 1,3-diamino-2-hydroxypropanetetraacetic acid) retrieved from CSD (CSD ref code: TELBAN) with a detailed analysis of intermolecular interactions. X-ray crystallography reveals that both complexes are stabilized through C−H⋯O and O−H⋯O interactions generating different supramolecular networks. Detailed analysis of Hirshfeld surfaces and 2D fingerprint plot has been carried out for the title complexes to quantify the intermolecular interactions. Further, the noncovalent interactions are characterized through the Bader’s theory of ‘Atoms in Molecules’ (AIM) and noncovalent interaction (NCI) plot index. At the bond critical point (BCP), the electron density (ρBCP) and the Laplacian of electron density (∇2(ρBCP)) differ significantly for strong and weak noncovalent interactions. The dissociation energies are evaluated for validating the intermolecular interactions required to stabilize the complexes. The analysis of topological parameters extracted from AIM calculation characterized the interactions as closed-shell interactions.

The Theoretical Investigation by QTAIM Approach to Chemical Bonding of a Di-Rhenium Bis(Triphenylphosphine) Carbonyl Cluster Containing Sulfuric and Hydrido Bridge: [Re2(CO)6(μ-S)(μ-H)(PPh3)2

Scientists used the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) to calculate and interpret various electron density parameters for a di-rhenium bis(triphenylphosphine) carbonyl cluster containing sulfuric and hydrido bridge: [Re2(CO)6(μ-S)(μ-H)(PPh3)2]. They analyzed the bond critical points and compared them with data from previous organometallic system studies. The researchers were able to compare the topological processes of different atom-atom interactions based on these results.
 The calculations showed that there were no bond critical points or identical bond paths between Re-Re in the core of the cluster. The electron density distribution was affected by the position of bridging hydride and sulfur atoms coordinated to Re-Re, which significantly affected the bonds between these transition metal atoms. However, the calculations did confirm the presence of a 6c–8e bonding interaction delocalized over HRe2SP2 in the cluster.
 The scientists found that the Re-H and Re-S bonds in this cluster exhibited typical closed-shell interactions, with small values for ρ(b) and Laplacian ∇2ρ(b) above zero and small positive values for total energy density H(b). Similarly, the bond interactions between phosphine metal atoms and the C atoms of the phenyl ring ligands showed properties similar to open-shell interactions in the QTAIM classification.

Theoretical aspects of the adsorption of normal and modified base pairs of DNA on graphene models toward DNA sequencing

A theoretical understanding of the adsorption of DNA base pairs (GC, AT, CAF-T and CAF-C) on the graphene models (Gr, SiGr and SiGr-COOH) is investigated. Among the complexes, SiGr-COOH_AT is found to have the highest adsorption energies of −202.83 kcal/mol. The strong adsorption between DNA base pairs and the SiGr-COOH model leads to concomitant charge transfer responsible for the stability of the corresponding models and is verified with NBO analysis. AIM analysis discloses the high orbital overlap that signifies the strong interaction. Closed-shell interactions are observed through the positive values of total electron density, and it is also observed that Si-O(N) interaction has both covalent and electrostatic characteristics. This is the first theoretical attempt to investigate the adsorption of DNA base pairs on SiGr-COOH, which is more favourable than other models and may call for further experimental studies, which is crucial in developing new bio-sensors. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

The azeotropy eliminating mechanism of ethyl acetate-acetonitrile system via ionic liquid entrainer: A combination of FTIR and DFT study

Ionic liquids (ILs) are good candidates for azeotropy separation. Knowledge of the microstructure properties of azeotrope − IL mixtures is important because they could reveal the molecular intrinsic cause of the elimination of azeotropy and represent the basis for the practical process. In this work, the microstructures of ethyl acetate-acetonitrile azeotrope mixtures and a representative IL, 1‑butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([BMIM][Tf2N], which could eliminate the azeotropy of the ethyl acetate-acetonitrile system, were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with the assistance of quantum chemical calculations and excess spectra. The C≡N stretching vibrational region of acetonitrile was closely examined. The interaction complexes of ethyl acetate-acetonitrile and ion cluster/ion pair/ion − acetonitrile were identified. Weak strength hydrogen-bonds with electrostatically dominant and closed-shell interaction properties were found in these complexes. The interactions between [BMIM][Tf2N] and acetonitrile were stronger than those between ethyl acetate and acetonitrile, which caused the addition of IL to easily destroy the ethyl acetate-acetonitrile interaction complex. The interactions between [BMIM][Tf2N] and acetonitrile were stronger than those between [BMIM][Tf2N] and ethyl acetate, which would influence the relative volatility of ethyl acetate and acetonitrile in the azeotrope system. When x(IL) was larger than 0.027, all the interaction complexes between acetonitrile and ethyl acetate were completely broken apart, and the azeotrope was eliminated.

Charge-Shift Bonding Propensity in Halogen-Bonded BXY (B Is a Small Lewis Base H2O or NH3; X and Y Are Halogen Atoms) Complexes: An NBO/NRT/AIM Investigation.

Charge-shift (CS) bonding is a new bonding paradigm in the field of chemical bonds. Our recent study has revealed that certain Cu/Ag/Au-bonds display both CS bonding and ω-bonding characters. In this investigation, we extend our study to halogen bonding. Our focus is on scrutinizing the CS bonding in halogen-bonded BXY (B is a small Lewis base H2O or NH3; X and Y are halogen atoms) complexes by using natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, natural resonance theory (NRT), and atoms in molecules (AIM) methods. The primary objective is to establish a connection between halogen bonding (B-X) in BXY and CS bonding in free XY (di-halogens). The calculations indicate that the studied BXY can be classified into two types. One type with a weak halogen bond shows closed-shell interaction. The other type with a stronger B-X interaction exhibits both CS bonding and ω-bonding characters (as seen in NH3ClF, NH3BrF, and NH3IF). Another interesting finding is a novel propensity that the CS bonding in free XY tends to carry over the halogen bonding in BXY, and the same propensity is found in Cu/Ag/Au ω-bonded species. The present study may offer an approach to probe CS bonding in many more 3c/4e ω-bonded molecules.

Quantitative investigations of intermolecular interactions in 2-amino-3-nitropyridine polymorphs: Inputs from quantum mechanical calculations

Two polymorphic forms (Form–I and Form–II) of 2-amino-3-nitropyridine are structurally characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and compared with another polymorphic form (Form–III, retrieved from CSD) with a detailed analysis of the Hirshfeld surfaces and fingerprint plots facilitating a comparison of intermolecular interactions. X-ray crystallography exposes that the polymorphs generate completely different network structures through hydrogen bonding interactions. Polymorphic Form–I exhibit a layer assembly through the cooperative face-to-face π⋯π and lone pair⋯π interactions, whereas Form–II, and Form–III displays hydrogen bonds only. A detailed investigation of Hirshfeld surface analysis reveals much more detailed scrutiny of intermolecular interactions experienced by the polymorphic forms of 2-amino-3-nitropyridine. The quantitative analysis of the interaction energies involving various noncovalent interactions was computed and compared to get a deeper insight into the role of such interactions in stabilizing the polymorphs. The interaction energies of non-covalent interactions are calculated through theoretical DFT calculations as well as the PIXEL method. The PIXEL method provides us precise interaction energy calculation with an energy decomposition scheme. Higher electrostatic interaction shows higher interaction energy while the lower interaction energy corresponds to the higher dispersive interaction. The lattice energies of the polymorphs are also obtained via the PIXEL method. The nature and strength of these interactions have been studied using Bader's quantum theory of atoms in molecules. The topological analysis unequivocally establishes the presence of (3, −1) bond critical point, suggesting that the intermolecular interactions are closed-shell interactions. The NCI (Non-covalent Interaction) plots are further employed to identify and characterize the non-covalent interactions of the polymorphs.

Topological description of the non-covalent interactions present within 2-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole analogues: An “Atoms in Molecules” investigation

“Atoms in Molecules” formalism has been exploited to highlight the non-covalent interactions present within the molecular frameworks of a series of compounds structurally analogous to 2-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole and to critically assess the energetics of the interaction lines towards the conformational preference as well as the global stabilization of the said structures. Moreover, for a comprehensive scrutiny of the regulatory role of the aromatic stabilization of the rings present within the frameworks in governing the preferred conformation as well as to study its modulations in the presence of the non-covalent communications; Nucleus independent chemical shift (NICS) descriptor has also been employed. The hydrogen bonds associated with the Closed conformations of the concerned structures are distinguished by closed shell synergy with a credible degree of covalency and the corresponding energetics is found to have no discernible dependence on the substitutions in the aromatic nuclei. On the other hand, the Open conformations are found to have either an H····H or an N····H interaction lines; topologically identified as closed-shell interaction. For the systems with an N12 substitution (vide Scheme 1), the difference between the energies of the Closed and the Open conformations is found to significantly decrease which has been attributed to the enhanced stability of the N12 and the Hd atoms in the Open conformations, corroborated by a marginal increase in the aromaticity of the allied Open conformations as compared to the Closed conformations.

High-symmetry core-shell B12@Ca20C12: A nanocluster-based hydrogen storage material

Since the discovery of C60 fullerene, scientists devoted themselves to searching novel clusters. Among them, the high-symmetry clusters, especially clusters with Ih symmetry, has drawn increasing attention due to their special properties and stabilities. Here, a stable core-shell B12@Ca20C12 with Ih symmetry, which is featured as an icosahedral Ih-B12 centered on the dodecahedron Ca20C12, has been identified using first principles calculations. Its stability has been further confirmed by vibrational frequency analysis with the highest frequency of 834.9 cm−1 and the lowest frequency of 93.7 cm−1. Besides, molecular dynamics simulations indicate that its core-shell structure cannot be destroyed at 325 K under NVT ensembles with Nosé-Hoover chain thermostat. As for the electronic structure, 64 multi-center two-electron bonds were observed throughout the entire core-shell B12@Ca20C12 to keep the cluster maintain its core-shell configuration. More importantly, the core-shell B12@Ca20C12 can storage about 77 H2 molecules by closed-shell interactions with an average adsorption energy of −0.16 eV/H2, resulting in the gravimetric hydrogen density of 12.6 wt%. Based on these results we infer that core-shell B12@Ca20C12 is a potential high-capacity hydrogen storage material and might promote positive experimental efforts in designing excellent hydrogen storage materials.

Tetrel-Bond Interactions Involving Metallylenes TH2 (T = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb): Dual Binding Behavior.

The dual binding behavior of the metallylenes TH2 (T = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) with some selected Lewis acids (T'H3F, T' = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) and bases (N2, HCN, CO, and C6H6) has been investigated by using the high-level quantum chemical method. Two types (type-A and type-B) of tetrel-bonded complexes can be formed for TH2 due to their ambiphilic character. TH2 act as Lewis bases in type-A complexes, and they act as Lewis acids in type-B ones. CO exhibits two binding modes in the type-B complexes, one of which is TH2···CO and the other is TH2···OC. The TH2···OC complexes possess a weaker binding strength than the other type-B complexes. The TH2···OC complexes are referred to as the type-B2 complexes, and the other type-B complexes are referred to as the type-B1 complexes. The type-A complexes exhibit a relatively weak binding strength with Eint (interaction energy) values ranging from -7.11 to -15.55 kJ/mol, and the type-B complexes have a broad range of Eint values ranging from -9.45 to -98.44 kJ/mol. The Eint values of the type-A and type-B1 complexes go in the order SiH2 > GeH2 > SnH2 > PbH2. The AIM (atoms in molecules) analysis suggests that the tetrel bonds in type-A complexes are purely closed-shell interactions, and those in most type-B1 complexes have a partially covalent character. The EDA (Energy decomposition analysis) results indicate that the contribution values of the three energy terms go in the order electrostatic > dispersion > induction for the type-A and type-B2 complexes, and this order is electrostatic > induction > dispersion for the type-B1 complexes.

Understanding the mechanism for initial deposition under the coupling effect of sodium and calcium during boiler operation: The first-principles study and thermodynamic analysis

During the boiler operation, ash deposition can result in a decrease in boiler efficiency and an enhanced release of pollutants. To relieve these issues, the formation mechanism for initial deposition triggered by the coupling effect of sodium and calcium was investigated by the first-principles study in this paper. The results indicated that the binding of sodium and calcium deposited on Fe3O4(001) surface is non-covalent interaction. Furthermore, |V|/G values of different particles on the surface are less than 2 and closed to 1. So the reactions of sodium and calcium deposited on the Fe3O4(001) are mainly closed-shell interactions accompanied by partial covalent interaction by Atom-in-Molecule theory. Additionally, the position and form of weak interaction also be further clarified by the independent gradient model. The thermodynamic calculation results showed that Gibbs free energy change is more affected to the change of the temperature under the existence of sodium and calcium. The reaction equilibrium constants is larger than 1, indicating that sodium and calcium are easily combined with Fe3O4(001). Moreover, calcium is more likely to promote a positive reaction than sodium.

Synthesis, Molecular, and Supramolecular Structures of Two Azide-Bridged Cd(II) and Cu(II) Coordination Polymers

Two 1D coordination polymers were synthesized by reaction of two ligands, 2-amino-4-picoline (2A4Pic) and quinoline-6-carboxylic acid (Qu-6-COOH) with two metal (II) nitrate (M = Cd and Cu) in the presence of azide as a linker. The synthesized metal complexes [Cd(2A4Pic)2(N3)2]n; (1) and [Cu(Qu-6-COO)(N3)(H2O)]n; (2) were isolated in single crystals and their X-ray structures revealed a 1D polymeric structure. Due to symmetry considerations, the asymmetric formula is half a [Cd(2A4Pic)2(N3)2] unit for 1 and one [Cu(Qu-6-COO)(N3)(H2O)] unit for 2. In complex 1, the Cd(II) is hexa-coordinated with two 2A4Pic molecules and four μ(1,1) azide units. Hence, the CdN6 coordination environment has a slightly distorted octahedral geometry. In 2, the Cu(II) is hexa-coordinated with three different ligands (Qu-6-COO¯, H2O and μ(1,1) N3¯) where all are connectors between the crystallographically related Cu(II) sites. Additionally, complex 2 distorted CuN2O4 octahedral geometry. In both complexes, the polymer arrays are connected by N…H hydrogen bonds and π–π stacking interactions. Based on Hirshfeld analysis, the percentages of N…H contacts are 43.1 and 27.4% for 1 and 2, respectively, while %C...C are 5.6 and 9.3%, respectively. Analysis of Cu-N, Cu-O, and Cd-N bonds using DFT calculations showed predominantly closed-shell coordination interactions with little covalent characters. Additionally, the negatively charged ligand groups were found to compensate the positive charge of the central metal ion to a larger extent than the electrically neutral ligands.

Weak Interactions between Epinephrine and Thymine

Abstract: The weak interactions between epinephrine and thymine were investigated by combining the 6-311+G(d,p) basis set with the M06-2X method based on density functional theory. Results suggest that epinephrine and thymine form 22 steady geometries through weak interactions, which primarily contain hydrogen bonds and π–π stacking. Hydrogen bonding is the main character. In addition, the interaction energies range from −20.98 kJ•mol−1 to −63.14 kJ•mol−1 with the basis set superposition error correction, which are in line with the energy range of the hydrogen bond. Geometrical parameters, frequency analysis, natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, atoms-in-molecules (AIM) analysis, and reduced density gradient (RDG) analysis were also used to analyze and verify hydrogen bond formation. Most of the hydrogen bonds in optimized structures of the epinephrine–thymine complex are closed-shell interaction and electrostatic dominant, whereas N•••H–N, which exist in geometries 3, 4, 5, and 14, are interacting between the closed-shell and shared-shell. N-H…N is almost linear, which is more conducive to the study of the role of hydrogen bonds in the system.

High-resolution structural study on pyridin-3-yl ebselen and its N-methylated tosylate and iodide derivatives.

The crystal structure of the pyridine-substituted benzisoselenazolinone 2-(pyridin-3-yl)-2,3-dihydro-1,2-benzoselenazol-3-one (C12H8N2OSe, 2), related to the antioxidant ebselen [systematic name: 2-phenyl-1,2-benzoselenazol-3(2H)-one, 1], is characterized by strong intermolecular N...Se(-N) chalcogen bonding, where the N...Se distance of 2.3831 (6) Å is well within the sum of the van der Waals radii for N and Se (3.34 Å). This strong interaction results in significant lengthening of the internal N-Se distance, consistent with significant population of the Se-N σ* antibonding orbital. Much weaker intermolecular O...Se chalcogen bonding occurs between the amide-like O atom in 2 and the less polarized C-Se bond in this structure. Charge density analysis of 2 using multipole refinement of high-resolution data allowed the electrostatic surface potential for 2 to be mapped, and clearly reveals the σ-hole at the extension of the Se-N bond as an area of positive electrostatic potential. Topological analysis of the electron-density distribution in 2 was carried out within the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) framework and revealed bond paths and (3,-1) bond critical points (BCPs) for the N...Se-N moiety consistent with a closed-shell interaction; however, the potential energy term is suggestive of electron sharing. Analysis of the electron localization function (ELF) for the strong N...Se and the weak O...Se chalcogen-bonding interactions in the structure of 2 suggest significant electron sharing in the former interaction, and a largely electrostatic interaction in the latter. Conversion of 2 to its N-methylated derivatives by reaction with methyl iodide [1-methyl-3-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1,2-benzoselenazol-2-yl)pyridin-1-ium iodide, C13H11N2OSe+·I-] and methyl tosylate [1-methyl-3-(3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1,2-benzoselenazol-2-yl)pyridin-1-ium toluenesulfonate trihydrate, C13H11N2OSe+·C7H7O3S-·3H2O] removes the possibility of N...Se chalcogen bonding and instead structures are obtained where the iodide and tosylate counter-ions fulfill the role of chalcogen-bond acceptors, with a strong I-...Se interaction in the iodide salt and a weaker p-Tol-SO3-...Se interaction in the tosylate salt.

A theoretical study of M-M' polar-covalent bonding in heterobimetallic multinuclear organometallic complexes of monovalent group 11 metal centres.

Complexes with closed-shell (d10-d10) interactions have been studied for their interesting luminescence properties in organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices. The present computational study aims at understanding the chemical bonding/interactions in a series of molecules with unusually short metal-metal bond distances between monovalent coinage-metal (d10-d10) centres. The investigated molecules include pentanuclear complexes with M or M' = Cu(I), Ag(I), or Au(I) and Mes = 2,4,6-Me3C6H2. In such complexes, the M-M' distances are up to 50-100 pm shorter than typical metallophilic bonds in homometallic analogues. Characterization and analysis of the chemical bond strength was performed using ab initio methods, density functional theory methods including a semi-empirical treatment of dispersion interactions (DFT-D3) and semi-empirical calculations at the extended Hückel theory (EHT) level. Population analysis suggests that hybridization occurs by mixing the (n + 1)s and (n + 1)p orbitals of M with the (nd) orbitals of M'. The orbital mixing plays a pivotal role in the polydentated polar-covalency/dative M-M' bonds that distinguish this bonding from the weaker metallophilic interactions.