Homolytic Bond Dissociation Enthalpies Research Articles

A Systematic Exploration of B-F Bond Dissociation Enthalpies of Fluoroborane-Type Molecules at the CCSD(T)/CBS Level.

Fluoroborane-type molecules (R1R2B-F) are of interest in synthetic chemistry, but to date, apart from a handful of small species (such as H2BF, HBF2, and BF3), little is known concerning the effect of substituents in governing the strength of the B-F bonds of such species toward homolytic dissociation in the gas phase. In this study, we have calculated the bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) of thirty unique B-F bonds at the CCSD(T)/CBS level using the high-level W1w thermochemical protocol. The B-F bonds in all species considered are very strong, ranging from 545.9 kJ mol-1 in (H2B)2B-F to 729.2 kJ mol-1 HBF2. Nevertheless, these BDEs still vary over a wide range of 183.3 kJ mol-1. The structural properties that affect the BDEs are examined in detail, and the homolytic BDEs are rationalized based on molecule stabilization enthalpies and radical stabilization enthalpies. Since polar B-F bonds may represent a challenging test case for density functional theory (DFT) methods, we proceed to examine the performance of a wide range of DFT methods across the rungs of Jacob's Ladder for their ability to compute B-F BDEs. We find that only a handful of DFT methods can reproduce the CCSD(T)/CBS BDEs with mean absolute deviations (MADs) below the threshold of chemical accuracy (i.e., with average deviations below 4.2 kJ mol-1). The only functionals capable of achieving this feat were (MADs given in parentheses): ωB97M-V (4.0), BMK (3.5), DSD-BLYP (3.8), and DSD-PBEB95 (1.8 kJ mol-1).

Solvent-free oxidation of toluene to benzaldehyde using electron-rich Au clusters confined in Silicalite-1

The selective oxidation of the primary CH bonds in hydrocarbons to corresponding high-valued oxygenates is highly desired but challenging to realize. The difficulty arises from the high homolytic bond dissociation enthalpy of the CH bond, the relatively high reactivity of oxygenated intermediates, and the diversity of resultant products. Herein, we reported the in situ confinement of Au clusters in Silicalite-1 for the selective solvent-free oxidation of toluene to benzaldehyde. The doping of an alkali metal (K or Na) resulted in the formation of electron-rich Au species, which readily facilitate the activation of oxygen, In turn, toluene is activated by the produced reactive oxygen species in a single step, as confirmed through density functional theory (DFT) calculations. At optimal alkali metal doping, the selectivity to benzaldehyde could reach > 90 %, with the toluene conversion being 19.8 %. Remarkably, the total turnover number (TTN) of Au@Silicalite-1–0.2 K was found to be 29,658, which is one or two orders of magnitudes higher than the previously reported values. These findings are expected to inspire the design of highly efficient catalysts for the activation of fundamental feedstock with CH bonds.

A quantum chemistry study on C–H homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies of five-membered and six-membered heterocyclic compounds

The C–H homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) of 27 heterocyclic compounds of small systems (less than 8 non-hydrogen atoms) were evaluated by the composite ab initio methods of G4 and CBS-Q. In addition, the C–H BDEs of an extended database including 60 heterocyclic compounds were assessed by 16 DFT functionals. The correlation between the theoretical and experimental values reveals that the BMK functional provided the lowest root mean square error (RMSE) of 10.2 kJ/mol, and the correlation coefficient (R2) was 0.955. The mean deviation (MD), mean absolute deviation (MAD) of BMK are 0.1 kJ/mol and 7.9 kJ/mol separately. Therefore, we utilized BMK to research C–H BDEs together with the substituent effects of five-membered and six-membered heterocyclic compounds including large systems. The nature of C–H BDE change pattern was analyzed by the natural bond orbital (NBO).

Prediction of organic homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies at near chemical accuracy with sub-second computational cost

Bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) of organic molecules play a fundamental role in determining chemical reactivity and selectivity. However, BDE computations at sufficiently high levels of quantum mechanical theory require substantial computing resources. In this paper, we develop a machine learning model capable of accurately predicting BDEs for organic molecules in a fraction of a second. We perform automated density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the M06-2X/def2-TZVP level of theory for 42,577 small organic molecules, resulting in 290,664 BDEs. A graph neural network trained on a subset of these results achieves a mean absolute error of 0.58 kcal mol−1 (vs DFT) for BDEs of unseen molecules. We further demonstrate the model on two applications: first, we rapidly and accurately predict major sites of hydrogen abstraction in the metabolism of drug-like molecules, and second, we determine the dominant molecular fragmentation pathways during soot formation.

DFT study on C-S bond dissociation enthalpies of thiol-derived peptide models

ABSTRACTNative chemical ligation (NCL) and its modified versions (ligation-desulfurization chemistry) have revolutionized the way that large peptides and proteins are obtained by chemical synthesis. Ligation-desulfurization chemistry can generate thiol-derived peptide models, which can generate proteins through reductive desulfurization. The C-S bond cleavages are involved in the process. It is important for us to comprehend the strength of the C-S bond estimated by the homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs). Therefore, 25 DFT methods were chosen to calculate the C-S BDEs of the 55 organic sulfides. It is reliable to predict C-S BDEs by M05-2X method with the corresponding root mean square error value of 6.2 kJ/mol. Then, the C-S BDEs of the thiol-derived peptide model and the structure-activity relationships were systematically researched by using this method. Besides, so as to comprehend the nature of the C-S BDE change mode, the analysis comprised of the natural bond orbit and the energies of frontier orbitals were studied.

The DFT study on Rh–C bond dissociation enthalpies of (iminoacyl)rhodium(III)hydride and (iminoacyl)rhodium(III)alkyl

Rhodium transition-metal-organic cooperative catalysis, which has been intensively studied by many chemists, represents a great success in C–H bond activation because of high efficiencies and selectivities. Typically, in the reaction mechanism of aldehyde and alkene catalyzed by Rh(I) complex and 2-amino-3-picoline, two kinds of metala-cyclic transition-metal complexes of (iminoacyl)rhodium(III)hydride and (iminoacyl)rhodium(III) alkyl are generally formed. The two complexes play an important role in the overall reaction, in which the Rh–C bond formations are involved. So it is meaningful to understand the strength of Rh–C bond, which can be measured by the homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs). To this end, we first calculated 16 relative Rh–C BDEs of Tp′Rh(CNneopentyl)RH (Tp′ = hydridotris-(3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)borate) by 19 density functional theory (DFT) methods. Furthermore, the 5 absolute Rh–C BDEs of Rh transition-metal complexes were also calculated. The results show that the B97D3 is the most accurate method to predict the relative and absolute Rh–C BDEs and the corresponding RMSE values are the smallest of 2.8 and 3.3 kcal/mol respectively. Therefore, the Rh–C BDEs of (iminoacyl)rhodium(III)hydride and (iminoacyl)rhodium(III)alkyl as well as the substituent effects were investigated by using the B97D3 method. The results indicated that the different substituents exhibit different effects on different types of Rh–C BDEs. In addition, the analysis including the natural bond orbital (NBO) as well as the energies of frontier orbitals were performed in order to further understand the essence of the Rh–C BDE change patterns.

Computational Study on N–N Homolytic Bond Dissociation Enthalpies of Hydrazine Derivatives

The hydrazine derivatives have been regarded as the important building blocks in organic chemistry for the synthesis of organic N-containing compounds. It is important to understand the structure-activity relationship of the thermodynamics of N-N bonds, in particular, their strength as measured by using the homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs). We calculated the N-N BDEs of 13 organonitrogen compounds by eight composite high-level ab initio methods including G3, G3B3, G4, G4MP2, CBS-QB3, ROCBS-QB3, CBS-Q, and CBS-APNO. Then 25 density functional theory (DFT) methods were selected for calculating the N-N BDEs of 58 organonitrogen compounds. The M05-2X method can provide the most accurate results with the smallest root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 8.9 kJ/mol. Subsequently, the N-N BDE predictions of different hydrazine derivatives including cycloalkylhydrazines, N-heterocyclic hydrazines, arylhydrazines, and hydrazides as well as the substituent effects were investigated in detail by using the M05-2X method. In addition, the analysis including the natural bond orbital (NBO) as well as the energies of frontier orbitals were performed in order to further understand the essence of the N-N BDE change patterns.

Computational study on C–B homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies of organoboron compounds

The theoretical study of three hybridized C–B BDEs with different substituents can provide corresponding guidance to experimental research studies.

A comparison of scytonemin and its carbon analogue in terms of antioxidant properties through free radical mechanisms and conformational analysis: a DFT investigation.

Scytonemin is a UV absorbing sheath pigment synthesized uniquely by cyanobacteria. Its biological features has attracted interest ecologically (in microbial mat systems), medically (for therapeutic activity) and astrobiologically (as a key biomarker). Recently, a carbon analogue of scytonemin, in which two nitrogen atoms are replaced by carbon atoms was synthesized to elucidate the origin of biological activity by comparison with scytonemin. In this work, their structural/conformational aspects and relative antioxidant capacity are compared making use of DFT calculations to provide insight about the similarities and differences between the two. The carbon analogue of scytonemin, isoelectronic with scytonemin, has the same structural skeleton and a similar potential energy surface but the hydrogens on the carbons that replace the nitrogens cause the phenolic rings to rotate out of the plane which is obseved for scytonemin. Thermochemically, the carbon analogue of scytonemin prefers the same radical scavenging mechanism scytonemin does, the HAT mechanism, and has a lower homolytic bond dissociation enthalpy for the OH group than that of scytonemin and other known antioxidants like ascorbic acid. The carbon analogue of scytonemin is suggested to be a novel synthetic antioxidant.

Comprehensive thermophysical and thermochemical studies of vanillyl alcohol

In this work, energetic and structural studies concerning vanillyl alcohol, based both on experimental and computational studies, were developed. The massic energy of combustion and the vapour pressures at different temperatures were measured by static bomb combustion calorimetry and Knudsen mass-loss effusion techniques, respectively. The computational studies were performed using the G3(MP2)//B3LYP method. The combination of experimental and computational data enabled the determination of the enthalpies, entropies and Gibbs energies of sublimation and formation of this compound both in the crystal and gas phase. The intramolecular hydrogen bond energy present in vanillyl alcohol was evaluated, together with the O–H homolytic bond dissociation enthalpy. The new data are very useful for process design and development in the biorefinery.

Enthalpy of Formation and O-H Bond Dissociation Enthalpy of Phenol: Inconsistency between Theory and Experiment.

Gas-phase O–H homolytic bond dissociation enthalpy in phenol, DH298°(C6H5O–H), is still disputed, despite a large number of experimental and computational studies. In estimating this value, the experimental enthalpy of formation of phenol, ΔfH298°(C6H5OH, g) = −96.4 ± 0.6 kJ/mol (Cox, J. D. Pure Appl. Chem. 1961, 2, 125−128), is often used assuming high accuracy of the experimental value. In the present work a substantially less negative value of ΔfH298°(C6H5OH, g) = −91.8 ± 2.5 kJ/mol was calculated combining G4 theory with an isodesmic reaction approach. A benchmark quality of this result was achieved by using a large number of reliable reference species in isodesmic reaction calculations. Among these are the most accurate ΔfH298° values currently available from the Active Thermochemical Tables (ATcT) for 36 species (neutral molecules, radicals, and ions), anisole with recently reassessed enthalpy of formation, and 13 substituted phenols. The internal consistency of the calculated ΔfH298°(C6H5OH, g) value with the experimental enthalpies of formation of more than 50 reference species suggests that the reported experimental enthalpy of formation of phenol is in error. Taking into account that the enthalpy of formation of phenol has not been investigated experimentally since 1961, the new measurements would be extremely valuable. Using the accurate enthalpies of formation of C6H5OH and C6H5O• calculated in the present work, we obtained DH298°(C6H5O–H) = 369.6 ± 4.0 kJ/mol. This value is in satisfactory agreement with that determined from the most precise experimental measurement.

Homolytic C-O cleavage in phosphates and sulfonates.

The C-O homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies(BDEs) were calculated by high-level ab initio including G4, G3B3, G3, CBS-QB3 and a series of density function theory (DFT) methods. It is found that the wB97 method gave the most reliable C-O BDEs and the root-mean-square deviation (RMSD) is 7.6 kJ/mol. Therefore, the C(sp(2))-O BDE predictions and the substituent effects of alkenyl phosphates/sulfonates and aryl phosphates/sulfonates were investigated in detail by using the wB97 method. Interestingly, there exist different substituent effects in α- and β-substituted alkenyl phosphates/sulfonates. Excellent linear relationships between the C-O BDEs of β-substituted alkenyl phosphates/sulfonates with substituent constant σp(+) were found. In addition, the NBO analysis further disclosed the essence of the substituent effects on C-O BDEs.

A theoretical study on bond dissociation enthalpies of coal based model compounds

The homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies (BDE) of various bonds (CH, CC, CO, and OH) for coal based model compounds that are representative of the functionalities present in coal were computed by using a double-hybrid method mPW2PLYP. The BDE for CH, CC, CO, OH cover a range from 111.4 to 81.2kcal/mol, 114.1 to 62.8kcal/mol, 107.6 to 52.6kcal/mol, and 111.2 to 86.6kcal/mol, respectively. The so-called “weak bond” in coal does not mean a specific bond type, but it is associated with the BDE and highly depends on the stabilization of the fragmented radicals. Our work suggests that the initiation steps of the coal pyrolysis are most probably the cleavage of CO and CC bond to form the phenoxy radical or benzyl radicals. With the increase of temperature, the loss of alkyl and hydrogen groups becomes feasible, whereas the phenyl-like radicals are the most difficult to form.

Gas-phase thermochemical properties of some tri-substituted phenols: A density functional theory study

The study of the energetics of phenolic compounds has a considerable practical interest since this family of compounds includes numerous synthetic and naturally occurring antioxidants. In this work, density functional theory (DFT) has been used to investigate gas-phase thermochemical properties of the following tri-substituted phenols: 2,4,6-trimethylphenol, 2,6-dimethyl-4-tert-butylphenol, 2,6-dimethyl-4-methoxyphenol, 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenol, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methoxyphenol, 2,4,6-trimethoxyphenol, 2,6-dimethoxy-4-methylphenol and 2,6-dimethoxy-4-tert-butylphenol. Molecular structures were computed with the B3LYP and the ωB97X-D functionals and the 6-31G(d) basis set. More accurate energies were obtained from single-point energy calculations with both functionals and the 6-311++G(2df,2pd) basis set. Standard enthalpies of formation of the phenolic molecules and phenoxyl radicals were derived using an appropriate homodesmotic reaction. The OH homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies, gas-phase acidities and adiabatic ionization enthalpies were also calculated. The general good agreement found between the calculated and the few existent experimental gas-phase thermochemical parameters gives confidence to the estimates concerning the phenolic compounds which were not yet experimentally studied.

Metal coordination, and metal-ligand redox non-innocence, modulates allosteric C-N bond homolysis in an N-benzyl tetrazine.

Remote coordination of a Ru(hfac)2 moiety to a chelating N-benzyl tetrazine lowers the C-N homolytic bond dissociation enthalpy by approximately 20 kJ mol(-1). The significant bond strength perturbation is believed to arise as a consequence of metal-ligand redox non-innocence.

The influence of the hydroxy and methoxy functional groups on the energetic and structural properties of naphthaldehyde as evaluated by both experimental and computational methods

This work addresses an energetic and structural study regarding hydroxy and methoxy naphthaldehyde derivatives, based both on experimental and computational research. The massic energy of combustion and vapor pressures at different temperatures were measured by static-bomb combustion calorimetry and Knudsen mass-loss effusion techniques, respectively. The computational studies were performed using the G3(MP2)//B3LYP method, an appropriate theoretical procedure for these kinds of compounds. The combination of experimental and computational data enabled the determination of the enthalpies, entropies, and Gibbs energies of sublimation and formation of these compounds both in the crystal and gas phase. Complementing the experimental studies, the intramolecular hydrogen bonding energetics of all three o-hydroxynaphthaldehydes and their corresponding tautomeric structures were evaluated. Additionally, the gas-phase Gibbs free energy and enthalpy of formation of the radical and anion as well as the O–H homolytic bond dissociation enthalpy and gas-phase acidity were studied.

Density functional theory study on bond dissociation enthalpies for lignin dimer model compounds

In order to enhance understanding of the mechanism of lignin pyrolysis, homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) in ten lignin dimer model compounds were calculated by using density functional theory methods at B3LYP/6-31G++(d,p) level and B3P86/6-31G++(d,p) level. The BDE values calculated at B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level are about 20 kJ/mol lower than that at B3P86/6-31G(d,p) level, but the variation trends of BDE values at two levels are the same and the B3P86 functional was found to yield accurate BDEs. The calculation results show that the order of the BDE values for the β-O-4 type of linkage is as follows: Cβ-O < Cα-Cβ < C4-O < C1-Cα, and the substituents (methoxyl, carbonyl, and hydroxyl) on both the aromatic and alkyl groups in model compounds 1 have an important effect on the BDEs. It is found that the BDEs of Caromatic(1,4,5)-C(or O) in lignin model compounds are higher, but the BDEs of Calkyl(α, β)-Calkyl(α, β)(or O) are lower. Therefore, the initial step in pyrolysis of lignin is the homolytic cleavage of the Calkyl(α, β)-Calkyl(α, β)(or O) bond. The possible formation pathways of major products in the pyrolysis process of model compounds have been analysed.

Quantum chemical and experimental study of 1,2,4-trihydroxy-para-menthane

The conformational analysis of the para-menthane (PM) and 1,2,4-trihydroxy-para-menthane (TPM) is performed using the quantum chemical density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio Møller-Plesset perturbation theory up to the second order (MP2). In TPM, three hydroxyl groups generate eight stereoisomers comparing to the four para-menthane stereoisomers. From the thermodynamics point of view, the most preferred conformations show the chair-shaped configuration of the cyclohexane ring. The obtained energy barriers for the isopropyl group rotation in the chair-shaped stereoisomers are between 35 and 45kJmol−1. The crystal structure as well as the solvated TPM stereoisomer isolated from the Tea tree oil, Melaleuca alternifolia (Maiden & Betche) Cheel, were investigated experimentally. Isolated stereoisomer corresponds to the most energetically preferred conformation and the calculated structural data agree very well with the results from the X-ray and nuclear magnetic resonance measurements. Finally, the influence of the conformation and the presence of the intramolecular hydrogen bonds on the homolytic OH bond dissociation enthalpies and proton affinities were also discussed with respect to the simple alcohols (methanol, iso-propanol, iso-pentanol, tert-butanol, cyclohexanol) and phenol.

Computational Study of Bond Dissociation Enthalpies for a Large Range of Native and Modified Lignins

Lignin is a major component of plant cell walls that is typically underutilized in selective conversion strategies for renewable fuels and chemicals. The mechanisms by which thermal and catalytic treatments deconstruct lignin remain elusive, which is where quantum mechanical calculations can offer fundamental insights. Here, we compute homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) for four prevalent linkages in 69 lignin model compounds, including β-O-4, α-O-4, β-5, and biphenyl bonds, with a large range of natural and oxidized substituents. These calculations include ab initio benchmark values extrapolated to the complete basis set limit and full conformational searches for each compound. The results quantify both the relative BDEs among common lignin bonds and the effect of native and oxidized substituents on the functional groups in lignin. These data yield insights into thermal lignin deconstruction for a large range of prevalent linkages and aid in the identification of targets for catalytic cleavage.

Effects of B vitamins on the radiation-induced transformations of hydroxyl-containing organic compounds

In this work, the interaction of B vitamins with α-hydroxyl-containing carbon-centered radicals formed upon the irradiation of deaerated aqueous solutions of ethanol, ethylene glycol, α-methylglycoside, maltose, and α-glycerophosphate at pH 7 was studied by means of continuous radiolysis. Within the framework of the density functional theory, the homolytic bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) of -C-H, -O-H, and -N-H bonds and H-atom addition enthalpies (HAEs) at the -C=O and -C=N groups of the test compounds were calculated. The set of the experimental and theoretically calculated data suggests that vitamin B2, nicotinamide and pyridoxal phosphate effectively oxidize α-hydroxyl-containing carbon-centered radicals, whereas vitamins B1 and B6 reduce these radicals to prevent their recombination and fragmentation reactions.