Experimental Nuclear Quadrupole Coupling Constants Research Articles

Partial Proton Transfer in the Gas Phase: A Spectroscopic and Computational Analysis of the Trifluoroacetic Acid - Trimethylamine Complex.

The 1:1 complex formed from trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) and trimethylamine (TMA) has been observed in the gas phase by rotational spectroscopy and further investigated by DFT and MP2 methods. Spectra of both the parent form and the -OD isotopologue have been obtained. The complex is structurally similar to a hydrogen bonded system, with the O-H bond directed toward the nitrogen of the TMA. However, both the spectroscopic and computational results indicate that it is intermediate between a hydrogen bonded complex and a proton-transferred ion pair. Two metrics are used to assess the degree of proton transfer from the acid to the base. The first is based on experimental 14N nuclear quadrupole coupling constants. Specifically, the component of the 14N nuclear quadrupole coupling tensor along the c-inertial axis of the complex, χcc, is 31% of the way between that of free TMA (no proton transfer) and that of TMAH+ (complete proton transfer). A second metric, adapted from that of Kurnig and Scheiner [Int. J. Quantum Chem. Quantum Biol. Symp. 1987, 14, 47-56], is based on calculated O-H and H-N distances and corroborates this description. These results indicate that the degree of proton transfer in TFA-TMA is very similar to that in the TMA complex of HNO3, which has been previously studied and for which the proton affinity of the conjugate anion (NO3-) is almost identical to that of CF3COO-. While the solid salt, TMAH+·CF3COO-, is an ionic plastic above 307 K and exhibits free rotation of the ions, no such motion is observed in the cold 1:1 gas phase adduct.

Millimeter-Wave and High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of 2-Furonitrile─A Highly Polar Substituted Furan

The rotational spectrum of 2-furonitrile (2-cyanofuran) has been obtained from 140 to 750 GHz, capturing its most intense rotational transitions at ambient temperature. 2-Furonitrile is one of two isomeric cyano-substituted furan derivatives, both of which possess a substantial dipole moment due to the cyano group. The large dipole of 2-furonitrile allowed over 10 000 rotational transitions of its ground vibrational state to be observed and least-squares fit to partial octic, A- and S-reduced Hamiltonians with low statistical uncertainty (σfit = 40 kHz). The high-resolution infrared spectrum, obtained at the Canadian Light Source, allowed for accurate and precise determination of the band origins of its three lowest-energy fundamental modes (ν24, ν17, and ν23). Similar to other cyanoarenes, the first two fundamental modes (ν24, A″, and ν17, A', for 2-furonitrile) form an a- and b-axis Coriolis-coupled dyad. More than 7000 transitions from each of these fundamental states were fit to an octic A-reduced Hamiltonian (σfit = 48 kHz), and the combined spectroscopic analysis determines fundamental energies of 160.1645522 (26) cm-1 and 171.9436561 (25) cm-1 for ν24 and ν17, respectively. The least-squares fitting of this Coriolis-coupled dyad required 11 coupling terms, Ga, GaJ, GaK, GaJJ, GaKK, Fbc, FbcJ, FbcK, Gb, GbJ, and FacK. Using both the rotational and high-resolution infrared spectra, a preliminary least-squares fit was obtained for ν23, providing its band origin of 456.7912716 (57) cm-1. The transition frequencies and spectroscopic constants provided in this work, when combined with theoretical or experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants, will provide the foundation for future radioastronomical searches for 2-furonitrile across the frequency range of currently available radiotelescopes.

The 130–500 GHz rotational spectroscopy of cyanopyrazine (C4H3N2-CN)

The rotational spectrum of cyanopyrazine (2-pyrazinecarbonitrile, p-C4H3N2-CN) has been obtained from 130 to 500 GHz. Rotational transitions of cyanopyrazine have been measured, assigned, and least-squares fit for the first time. Over 7000 transitions of the ground vibrational state have been least-squares fit to partial octic, A- and S-reduced Hamiltonians with low statistical uncertainty (σfit = 34 kHz). Similar to other cyanoarenes, the first two fundamental modes are the out-of-plane (ν27, A′′) and in-plane (ν19, A′) nitrile bending modes, which form an a- and b-axis Coriolis-coupled dyad. Greater than 5800 transitions from each of these vibrational modes were fit to a partial octic, A-reduced Hamiltonian (σfit = 38 kHz), and the analysis reveals the precise energy separation, ΔE27,19, between the coupled vibrational states, as well as values for eight a- and b-type Coriolis-coupling coefficients, Ga, GaJ, GaK, GaJJ, FbcK, Gb, GbJ, and Fac. Cyanopyrazine is a strongly polar derivative of pyrazine, thus cyanopyrazine can serve as a potential tracer molecule for its nonpolar parent compound in extraterrestrial environments. The transition frequencies and spectroscopic constants provided in this work, combined with theoretical or experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants, provide the foundation for future radioastronomical searches for cyanopyrazine.

Elucidating the multiple structures of pipecolic acid by rotational spectroscopy.

The complex conformational space of the non-proteinogenic cyclic amino acid pipecolic acid has been explored in the gas phase for the first time. Solid pipecolic acid samples were vaporized by laser ablation and expanded in a supersonic jet where the rotational spectral signatures owing to nine different conformers were observed by Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. All species were identified by comparison of the experimental rotational and nuclear quadrupole coupling constants with those predicted theoretically. Observation of type-III conformers, leading to a difference when compared against the conformational behavior of the analog amino acid proline, has been interpreted by an increment in steric hindrance when increasing the number of carbons present in the ring.

Accurate determination of the nuclear quadrupole moment of xenon from the molecular method

This study provides a new determination of the nuclear electric quadrupole moment (NQM) for 131Xe, which is achieved by the molecular method. Dirac-Coulomb Coupled Cluster calculations with a Gaunt correction (DC+G-CC) of electric field gradients (EFGs) and experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of six molecular systems (XeH+, XeCuF, XeCuCl, XeAgF, XeAgCl and XeAuF) were considered. The best NQM obtained by our DC+G-CCSD-T EFGs was −114.6(1.1) mbarn, which is recommended as the new reference value for this nuclide given the high level electron structure calculations done here.

New density functional parameterizations to accurate calculations of electric field gradient variations among compounds.

This research provides a performance investigation of density functional theory and also proposes new functional parameterizations to deal with electric field gradient (EFG) calculations at nuclear positions. The entire procedure is conducted within the four-component formalism. First, we noticed that traditional hybrid and long-range corrected functionals are more efficient in the description of EFG variations for a set of elements (indium, antimony, iodine, lutetium, and hafnium) among linear molecules. Thus, we selected the PBE0, B3LYP, and CAM-B3LYP functionals and promoted a reoptimization of their parameters for a better description of these EFG changes. The PBE0q variant developed here showed an overall promising performance in a validation test conducted with potassium, iodine, copper, and gold. In general, the correlation coefficients found in linear regressions between experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants and calculated EFGs are improved while the systematic EFG errors also decrease as a result of this reparameterization.

Nuclear electric quadrupole moment of potassium from the molecular method

The current standard nuclear quadrupole moments (NQMs) of the $^{39}\mathrm{K}$, $^{40}\mathrm{K}$, and $^{41}\mathrm{K}$ isotopes have recently been contested by Singh and co-workers on the basis of their atomic computational data [Singh et al., Phys. Rev. A 86, 032509 (2012)]. Thus we performed relativistic calculations of electric field gradients at the potassium nuclei in three diatomic molecules (KF, KCl, and KBr) and combined these values with accurate experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants to provide an independent assessment of these NQMs. Our most accurate results, obtained by treating electron correlation with coupled cluster theory, employing a four-component Hamiltonian that includes the Gaunt two-electron correction, and with an incremented relativistic basis set of quadruple-\ensuremath{\zeta} quality, yield $Q(^{39}\mathrm{K})\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}60.3(6)$, $Q(^{40}\mathrm{K})=--75.0(8)$, and $Q(^{41}\mathrm{K})=73.4(7)\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mb}$. These values are in better agreement with the results obtained by Singh et al. and indicate that the standard NQMs should be revised.

Reappraisal of Nuclear Quadrupole Moments of Atomic Halogens via Relativistic Coupled Cluster Linear Response Theory for the Ionization Process

The coupled cluster based linear response theory (CCLRT) with four-component relativistic spinors is employed to compute the electric field gradients (EFG) of (35)Cl, (79)Br, and (127)I nuclei. The EFGs resulting from these calculations are combined with experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants (NQCC) to determine the nuclear quadrupole moments (NQM), Q of the halide nuclei. Our estimated NQMs [(35)Cl = -81.12 mb, (79)Br = 307.98 mb, and (127)I = -688.22 mb] agree well with the new atomic values [(35)Cl = -81.1(1.2), (79)Br = 302(5), and (127)I = -680(10) mb] obtained via Fock space multireference coupled cluster method with the Dirac-Coulomb-Breit Hamiltonian. Although our estimated Q((79)Br) value deviates from the accepted reference value of 313(3) mb, it agrees well with the recently recommended value, Q((79)Br) = 308.7(20) mb. Good agreement with current reference data indicates the accuracy of the proposed value for these halogen nuclei and lends credence to the results obtained via CCLRT approach. The electron affinities yielded by this method with no extra cost are also in good agreement with experimental values, which bolster our belief that the NQMs values for halogen nuclei derived here are reliable.

Nuclear electric quadrupole moment of bismuth from the molecular method

Electric-field gradients at bismuth nuclei in BiN and BiP molecules were determined from relativistic Dirac-Coulomb calculations by means of the coupled cluster approach with single and double substitutions with perturbative triple excitation corrections CCSD(T) and CCSD-T approaches. These theoretical values were combined with accurate experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants in order to obtain the nuclear electric quadrupole moment (NQM) of the ${}^{209}$Bi nucleus. Our best results indicate an NQM of \ensuremath{-}420(8) mb, which considerably deviates from the previously accepted standard value given by the atomic method \ensuremath{-}516(15) mb.

Electric field gradients of transition metal complexes: Basis set uncontraction and scalar relativistic effects

The basis set dependence of density functional theory computed electric field gradients (EFG) in 3d transition metal compounds is assessed. Uncontraction of basis sets at the metal atom is crucial for a correct description of its EFG. Original and revised TPSS functionals and their hybrid variants perform best for our test set of experimental gas phase-determined nuclear quadrupole coupling constants. Recent range-separated hybrid functionals that perform well for the difficult case of CuCl, do not perform well for our larger test set. Relativistic effects for the latter, evaluated using the Douglas-Kroll-Hess and zero-order regular approximations, are found to be small.

Synthesis, High-Resolution Millimeter-Wave Spectroscopy, and Ab Initio Calculations of Ethylmercury Hydride

The millimeter-wave rotational spectrum of an organomercury compound, ethylmercury hydride, has been recorded and assigned for the first time. The spectroscopic study is complemented by quantum chemical calculations taking into account relativistic effects on the mercury atom. The very good agreement between theoretical and experimental molecular parameters validates the chosen ab initio method, in particular its capability to predict accurate quartic centrifugal distortion constants related to this type of compound. Estimations of the nuclear quadrupole coupling constants have less predictive power than those of the structural parameters, but are good enough to satisfy the spectroscopic needs. In addition, the orientation of the axis of the H-Hg-C bonds deduced from the experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants compares well with the corresponding ab initio value. From the good agreement between experimental and theoretical results, together with the observation of the six most abundant isotopes of mercury, ethylmercury hydride is unambiguously identified as the product of the chemical reaction described here, and its calculated equilibrium geometry is confirmed.

The Singular Gas-Phase Structure of 1-Aminocyclopropanecarboxylic Acid (Ac3c)

The natural nonproteinogenic α-amino acid 1-aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid (Ac(3)c) has been vaporized by laser ablation and studied in the gas phase by molecular-beam Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. Comparison of the experimental rotational and (14)N nuclear quadrupole coupling constants with the values predicted ab initio for these parameters has allowed the unambiguous identification of three Ac(3)c conformers differing in the hydrogen bonding pattern. Two of them resemble those characterized before for the coded aliphatic α-amino acids. Remarkably, a third conformer predicted to be energetically accessible for all of these amino acids but never observed (the so-called "missing conformer") has been found for Ac(3)c, close in energy to the global minimum. This is the first time that such a conformer, stabilized by an N-H···O(H) hydrogen bond, is detected in the rotational spectrum of a gaseous α-amino acid with a nonpolar side chain. The conjugative interaction established between the cyclopropane ring and the adjacent carbonyl group seems to be responsible for the unique conformational properties exhibited by Ac(3)c.

The nuclear quadrupole moment of69Ga and115In

Electric field gradients at the nuclei of gallim and indium are determined by finite field calculations of the atomic energies as functions of the nuclear quadrupole moments. The four-component Dirac–Coulomb–Gaunt Hamiltonian serves as framework, and all electrons are correlated by Fock-space coupled cluster with single and double excitations or by single reference coupled cluster with approximate triples. Large, converged basis sets (e.g., 28s24p20d13f5g4h for In) and virtual spaces are used. Together with experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants, known with high precision, the calculated electric field gradients yield the nuclear quadrupole moments. For69Ga, we get Q = 174(3) mb, in agreement with the earlier 171(2) mb obtained from molecular calculations. The115In moment is Q = 772(5) mb, considerably lower than the previously accepted 810 mb, and in good agreement with the recent molecular value of 770(8) mb.

Nuclear hyperfine coupling constants of nitryl bromide from rotational spectroscopy

Rotational constants B and C, centrifugal distortion constants Δ J and Δ JK , and nuclear hyperfine coupling constants are determined for four isotopomers of nitryl bromide from their rotational spectra. Experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants are interpreted to provide information about the N–Br bond and are compared with those from electronic structure calculations.

Nuclear quadrupole moment of Au197 from high-accuracy atomic calculations

The electric field gradient (EFG) at the gold nucleus is calculated using a finite field approach, to make the extraction of the nuclear quadrupole moment Q from experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants possible. The four-component Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian serves as the framework, 51 of the 79 electrons are correlated by the relativistic Fock-space coupled cluster method with single and double excitations, and the contribution of the Gaunt term, the main part of the Breit interaction, is evaluated. Large basis sets (up to 26s22p18d12f8g5h uncontracted Gaussians) are employed. Energy splittings of the 2D5/2 and 2D3/2 levels, rather than level shifts, are used to extract the EFG constants, as the former remain linear with Q up to 10(-5) a.u., whereas the latter display significant nonlinearity even at Q=10(-8) a.u. Larger Q values lead to larger energy changes and better precision. Excellent agreement (0.1%) is obtained between Q values derived from 2D5/2 and 2D3/2 data. Systematic errors connected with neglecting triple and higher excitations, truncating the basis and orbital active space, and approximating the Gaunt contribution are evaluated. The final value of Q(197Au) is 521(7) mb. It is lower than the muonic 547(16) mb and agrees within error bounds with the recent value of 510(15) mb obtained from molecular calculations.

Rotational Spectra of the Xe−(H2O)2van der Waals Trimer: Xenon as a Probe of Electronic Structure and Dynamics

Rotational spectra of three isotopomers of the Xe-(H2O)2 van der Waals trimer were recorded using a pulsed-nozzle, Fourier transform microwave spectrometer. Nine [nine, four] a-type and twelve [eleven, seven] b-type transitions were measured for the 132Xe-(H2O)2 [129Xe-(H2O)2, 131Xe-(H2O)2] isotopomer. The determined rotational and centrifugal distortion constants were used to extract information about the structure and vibrational motions of the complex. The nuclear quadrupole hyperfine structures due to the 131Xe (nuclear spin quantum number I=3/2) nucleus were also detected. The large value of the off-diagonal nuclear quadrupole coupling constant chiab in particular provides detailed insight into the electronic environment of the xenon atom and the orientations of the water molecules within the complex. An effective structure that best reproduces the experimental 131Xe nuclear quadrupole coupling constants is rationalized by ab initio calculations. An overall goal of this line of work is to determine how the successive solvation of a xenon atom with water molecules affects the xenon electron distribution and its intermolecular interactions. The results may provide molecular level interpretations of 129Xe NMR data from, for example, imaging experiments.

High-accuracy calculation of nuclear quadrupole moments of atomic halogens

Electric field gradients at the nuclei of halogen atoms are calculated using a finite field approach. The four-component Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian serves as the framework, all electrons are correlated by the relativistic Fock-space coupled cluster method with single and double excitations, and the Gaunt term, the main part of the Breit interaction, is included. Large basis sets (e.g., 28s24p21d9f4g2h Gaussian-type functions for I) are used. Combined with experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants, accurate estimates of the nuclear quadrupole moments are obtained. The calculated values are Q(35Cl)=-81.1(1.2) mb, Q(79Br)=302(5) mb, and Q(127I)=-680(10) mb. Currently accepted reference values [Pyykko, Mol. Phys. 99, 1617 (2001)] are -81.65(80), 313(3), and -710(10) mb, respectively. Our values are lower for the heavier halogens, corroborating the recent work of van Stralen and Visscher [Mol. Phys. 101, 2115 (2003)], who obtained Q(127I)=-696(12) mb in a series of molecular calculations.

Calculations of nuclear quadrupole coupling in noble gas–noble metal fluorides: Interplay of relativistic and electron correlation effects

The nuclear quadrupole coupling constants (NQCCs) of noble gas and noble metal nuclei in the recently found noble gas-noble metal fluorides (NgMF, where Ng=Ar,Kr,Xe and M=Cu,Ag,Au) are obtained theoretically by high-level ab initio calculations, where both relativistic and electron correlation effects are included, and compared to experimental results. Fully relativistic four-component Dirac-Hartree-Fock (DHF) calculations are carried out at the basis set limit for electric field gradient that couples with the electric quadrupole moment of the nucleus, and uncorrelated relativistic effects are extracted by comparing DHF results to nonrelativistic (NR) HF calculations. Electron correlation effects are investigated both at fully relativistic second-order Moller-Plesset (DMP2) and at NR MP2 levels of theory, as well as at the NR coupled-cluster singles and doubles with perturbational triples [CCSD(T)] level. The validity of the approximation where relativistic effects, on the one hand, and nonrelativistically obtained correlation effects, on the other hand, are evaluated separately and assumed to be additive, is investigated by comparison with the DMP2 results. Inclusion of relativistic effects is shown to be necessary for obtaining the correct NQCC trends as the nucleus of interest and/or its neighbors become heavier. Electron correlation treatment is needed for approaching quantitative agreement with the experimental NQCCs. The assumption of additive electron correlation and relativistic effects, corresponding to the NR correlation treatment added on top of relativistic DHF data, gives qualitatively correct noble gas NQCCs. For noble metal NQCCs, correlation treatment at the relativistic level of theory is mandatory for reaching agreement with experimental results. Current work also confirms the experimental trends of NQCCs, which have been taken as an indication of nearly covalent interaction between noble gas and noble metal in the heaviest present systems, especially in XeAuF.

The nuclear electric quadrupole moment of antimony from the molecular method

Relativistic Dirac-Coulomb (DC) Hartree-Fock calculations are employed to obtain the analytic electric field gradient (EFG) on the antimony nucleus in the SbN, SbP, SbF, and SbCl molecules. The electronic correlation contribution to the EFGs is included with the DC-CCSD(T) and DC-CCSD-T approaches, also in the four-component framework, using a finite-difference method. The total EFG results, along with the experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants from microwave spectroscopy, allow to derive the nuclear quadrupole moments of (121)Sb and (123)Sb, respectively, as -543(11) and -692(14) mb.

The Shape of β-Alanine

The combination of Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy in a pulsed supersonic jet with laser ablation has made beta-alanine amenable to a structural study in the gas phase. Two new conformers of beta-alanine have been identified together with the two previously observed by McGlone and Godfrey [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1995, 117, 1043]. The comparison between the experimental rotational and 14N nuclear quadrupole coupling constants and those calculated ab initio provide a definitive test for molecular structures and confirm unambiguously the identification of all conformers. For the two most abundant conformers, an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the amino group and carbonyl oxygen (N-H...O=C) is established, and the COOH adopts a cis-COOH configuration. The next conformer in order of abundance presents an O-H...N intramolecular hydrogen bond with a trans configuration for the COOH group. The high sensitivity of the experiment has allowed us to detect for the first time a conformer uniquely stabilized by an n-pi* hyperconjugative interaction between the nucleophile N: of the amino group and the pi* orbital at the carbonyl group. Partial conformational relaxation has been observed in the supersonic expansion.