Outer Valence Green Function Research Articles

Is the regulation of the electronic properties of organic molecules by polynuclear superhalogens more effective than that by mononuclear superhalogens? A high-level ab initio case study.

The regulation of the electronic properties of organic molecules induced by polynuclear superhalogens is theoretically explored here for sixteen composite structures. It is clearly indicated by the higher vertical electron detachment energy (VDE) that polynuclear superhalogens are more effective in regulating the electronic properties than mononuclear structures. However, this enhanced regulation is not only determined by superhalogens themselves but also related to the distribution of the extra electron of the final composites. The composites, in which the extra electron is mainly aggregated into the superhalogen moiety, will possess higher VDE values, as reported in the case of C1', 7.12 eV at the CCSD(T) level. This is probably due to the fact that, compared with organic molecules, superhalogens possess stronger attraction towards the extra electron and thus should lead to lower energies of the extra electrons and to higher VDE values eventually. Compared with CCSD(T), the Outer Valence Green's Function (OVGF) method fails completely for composite structures containing Cl atoms, while MP2 results are generally consistent in terms of the relative order of VDEs. Actually if the extra electron distribution of the systems could be approximated by the HOMO, the results at the OVGF level will be consistent with the CCSD(T) results. Conversely, the difference in VDEs between OVGF and CCSD(T) is significantly large. Besides superhalogen properties, the structures, relative stabilities and thermodynamic stabilities with respect to various fragmentation channels were also investigated for all the composite structures.

Dissociative photoionization and threshold photoelectron spectra of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon fragments: an imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence (iPEPICO) study of four substituted benzene radical cations.

Four molecules were investigated by imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence (iPEPICO) spectroscopy: 1-propynylbenzene, indene, ethynylbenzene, and benzocyclobutene. Their threshold photoelectron spectrum was obtained and electronic transitions were assigned by OVGF (outer valence Green's function) calculations. Vibrational progressions observed in the electronic ground and excited states were simulated by calculating Franck-Condon factors based on the neutral as well as the cation ground and excited state geometries. iPEPICO was used to obtain ion dissociation data in threshold photoionization as a function of photon energy, which were modeled with RRKM theory to extract kinetic parameters for the reactions C9H8(+•) (1-propynylbezene) → C9H7(+) + H (R1); C9H8(+•) (indene) → C9H7(+) + H (R2); C8H8(+•) (benzocyclobutene) → C8H7(+) + H (R3); C8H8(+•) (benzocyclobutene) → C6H6(+) + C2H2 (R4); C8H6(+•) (1-ethynylbenzene, aka phenylacetylene) → C6H4(+) + C2H2 (R5). These results were compared to G3 level calculations. In addition, the enthalpy of formation of the indenyl radical was estimated to be ΔfH°0K = 249 ± 50 kJ mol(-1) based on a previously measured IE and a cation ΔfH°0K = 976 kJ mol(-1), determined herein.

Electronic properties of FC(O)SCH2CH3. a combined helium(I) photoelectron spectroscopy and synchrotron radiation study.

The valence electronic properties of S-ethyl flouromethanethioate (S-ethyl fluoromethsanethioate), FC(O)SCH2CH3, were investigated by means of He(I) photoelectron spectroscopy in conjunction with the analysis of the photofragmentation products determined by PEPICO (phtoelectron-photoion-coincidence) by using synchrotron radiation in the 11.1-21.6 eV photon energy range. The first band observed at 10.28 eV in the HeI photoelectron spectrum can be assigned with confidence to the ionization process from the HOMO [nπ(S) orbital], which is described as a lone pair formally localized on the sulfur atom, in agreement with quantum chemical calculations using the outer valence Green function method [OVGF/6-311++G (d,p)]. One of the most important fragmentation channels also observed in the valence region corresponds to the decarbonylation process yielding the [M-CO](·+) ion, which is clearly observed at m/z = 80. Moreover, S 2p and S 2s absorption edges have been examined by measuring the total ion yield spectra in the 160-240 eV region using variable synchrotron radiation. The dynamic of ionic fragmentation following the Auger electronic decay has been evaluated with the help of the PEPIPICO (photoion-photoion-photoelectron-coincidence spectra) technique.

Vertical ionization energies of free radicals and electron detachment energies of their anions: a comparison of direct and indirect methods versus experiment.

The performance of several direct and indirect computational strategies for the calculation of the first ionization energies (IEs) of free radicals and adiabatic detachment energies of their anions has been tested using experimental data as references. The outer valence Green's function and the partial third-order approximations, which are based on electron propagator theory, have been identified as the most accurate. They were in turn used to estimate the IEs of a large set of free radicals for which these data have not been previously reported. The calculated data also have been used to assess the possible oxidation of nucleosides by these radicals, as well as the potential, antioxidant-protection effects of phenol, catechol, ascorbic acid, and Trolox in their neutral and deprotonated forms, via electron transfer.

Experimental and theoretical investigation on the outer valence electronic structure of cyclopropylamine by (e, 2e) electron momentum spectroscopy.

The binding energy spectra and electron momentum distributions for the outer-valence molecular orbitals of gaseous cyclopropylamine (CPA) have been measured by (e, 2e) electron momentum spectrometer employing noncoplanar asymmetric geometry at the impact energy of 2500 eV. The experimental results are interpreted on the basis of the quantitative calculations of the ionization energies and the relevant molecular orbitals at benchmark theoretical levels using the outer-valence Green's function method, the symmetry-adapted cluster configuration interaction method, and the density functional theory with B3LYP hybrid functional. The total energies of the trans and gauche conformers of CPA are also calculated by the second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory with large basis sets and the derived enthalpy differences (2.02-2.12 kcal/mol) are consistent with the previous experimental data (2.19 kcal/mol). The theoretical binding energy spectra and electron momentum distributions, in which the relative abundances of trans and gauche are taken into account, are generally in accordance with the experimental results except for the ionization band from the trans 8a' and gauche 11a orbitals. The discrepancy is explained qualitatively in view of the picture of molecular geometry change at the instant of ionization.

Electron propagator calculations on the ground and excited states of C60(-).

Electron propagator calculations in two approximations—the third-order algebraic, diagrammatic construction and the outer valence Green’s function (OVGF)—have been performed on the vertical electron affinities of C60 and the vertical electron detachment energies of several states of C60(–) with a variety of basis sets. These calculations predict bound (2)T1u and (2)T1g anions, but fail to produce (2)T2u or (2)Hg anionic states that are more stable than ground-state C60. The electron affinity for the (2)Ag state is close to zero, but no definitive result on its sign has been obtained. This state may be a resonance or marginally bound anion. The OVGF prediction for the vertical electron detachment energy of (2)T1u C60(–), 2.63 eV, is in excellent agreement with recent anion photoelectron spectra.

Computational tests of quantum chemical models for excited and ionized states of molecules with phosphorus and sulfur atoms.

Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) and electron propagator theory (EPT) are used to calculate the electronic transition energies and ionization energies, respectively, of species containing phosphorus or sulfur. The accuracy of TD-DFT and EPT, in conjunction with various basis sets, is assessed with data from gas-phase spectroscopy. TD-DFT is tested using 11 prominent exchange-correlation functionals on a set of 37 vertical and 19 adiabatic transitions. For vertical transitions, TD-CAM-B3LYP calculations performed with the MG3S basis set are lowest in overall error, having a mean absolute deviation from experiment of 0.22 eV, or 0.23 eV over valence transitions and 0.21 eV over Rydberg transitions. Using a larger basis set, aug-pc3, improves accuracy over the valence transitions via hybrid functionals, but improved accuracy over the Rydberg transitions is only obtained via the BMK functional. For adiabatic transitions, all hybrid functionals paired with the MG3S basis set perform well, and B98 is best, with a mean absolute deviation from experiment of 0.09 eV. The testing of EPT used the Outer Valence Green's Function (OVGF) approximation and the Partial Third Order (P3) approximation on 37 vertical first ionization energies. It is found that OVGF outperforms P3 when basis sets of at least triple-ζ quality in the polarization functions are used. The largest basis set used in this study, aug-pc3, obtained the best mean absolute error from both methods -0.08 eV for OVGF and 0.18 eV for P3. The OVGF/6-31+G(2df,p) level of theory is particularly cost-effective, yielding a mean absolute error of 0.11 eV.

Photoelectron and Auger-electron spectra of Cl3SiSi(CH3)3 obtained by using monochromatized synchrotron radiation

A variety of photoelectron and Auger-electron spectra of 1,1,1-trimethyltrichlorodisilane vapor (Cl3SiSi(CH3)3) were measured by using monochromatized synchrotron radiation and a hemispherical electron energy analyzer. The measured spectra were interpreted with the aid of some calculations by means of the outer valence Green's function (OVGF) method or the density-functional-theory (DFT) method. Since Cl3SiSi(CH3)3 consists of SiCl3 and Si(CH3)3 moieties, the experimental core-electron binding-energies were compared with those of tetrachlorosilane and tetramethylsilane (SiCl4 and Si(CH3)4, respectively). This comparison showed that electronic properties of Cl3SiSi(CH3)3 hold a close correlation with those of SiCl4 and Si(CH3)4. Si:L23VV, Cl:L23VV and C:KVV Auger-electron spectra of Cl3SiSi(CH3)3 also showed profiles close to those expected from the spectra of SiCl4 and Si(CH3)4. The results obtained here were discussed in conjunction with electronic relaxation leading to site-specific fragmentation.

Are polynuclear superhalogens without halogen atoms probable? A high-level ab initio case study on triple-bridged binuclear anions with cyanide ligands

The first theoretical exploration of superhalogen properties of polynuclear structures based on pseudohalogen ligand is reported here via a case study on eight triply-bridged [Mg2(CN)5](-) clusters. From our high-level ab initio results, all these clusters are superhalogens due to their high vertical electron detachment energies (VDE), of which the largest value is 8.67 eV at coupled-cluster single double triple (CCSD(T)) level. Although outer valence Green's function results are consistent with CCSD(T) in most cases, it overestimates the VDEs of three anions dramatically by more than 1 eV. Therefore, the combined usage of several theoretical methods is important for the accuracy of purely theoretical prediction of superhalogen properties of new structures. Spatial distribution of the extra electron of high-VDE anions here indicates two features: remarkable aggregation on bridging CN units and non-negligible distribution on every CN unit. These two features lower the potential and kinetic energies of the extra electron respectively and thus lead to high VDE. Besides superhalogen properties, the structures, relative stabilities and thermodynamic stabilities with respect to detachment of CN(-1) were also investigated for these anions. The collection of these results indicates that polynuclear structures based on pseudohalogen ligand are promising candidates for new superhalogens with enhanced properties.

Dimers of Perhaloacetyl Cyanides: CClF2C(O)OC(CN)2CClF2 and CF3C(O)OC(CN) 2CF3. Preparation, Properties, and Spectroscopy

The vapor of the new compound 1,1-dicyano-2-chloro-2,2-difluoroethyl chlorodifluoroacetate, CClF2C(O)OC(CN)2CClF2 and of the known 1,1-dicyano-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl trifluoroacetate, CF3C(O)OC(CN)2CF3, were investigated using vibrational spectroscopy tools. The existence of rotational isomerism was confirmed for CClF2C(O)OC(CN)2CClF2 when the matrix isolated compound was examined in combination with the computational results applying quantum chemical models. From the four conformers gauche-syn-gauche, gauche-syn-anti, syn-syn-anti, syn-syn-gauche (the used nomenclature is with respect to the ϕ(ClC-C(O)), ϕ((O)C-OC), and ϕ(OC-CCl) torsion angles, respectively) predicted for CClF2C(O)OC(CN)2CClF2 the first two forms can be evidenced using Ar-matrix IR spectroscopy, with the first one being the most abundant at room temperature. On the other side, the results obtained for CF3C(O)OC(CN)2CF3 reveals the existence of only one syn-syn-anti form. CClF2C(O)OC(CN)2CClF2 melts at -40 °C and its vapor pressure was fitted by the equation ln p = -4732.6 (1/T) + 10.75 (p [Atm], T [K]) in the range -20 to 20 °C. Its extrapolated boiling point is 167 °C. The first ionization potentials occur for CClF2C(O)OC(CN)2CClF2 and CF3C(O)OC(CN)2CF3 at 12.13 and 12.43 eV, respectively, and were attributed to the ejection of electrons formally located at the carbonylic oxygen lone-pair electrons (nO). The proposed interpretation of the photoelectron spectrum is consistent with related molecules reported previously, and also with the prediction of Outer Valence Green's Functions (OVGF).

Electronic Properties of Fluorosulfonyl Isocyanate, FSO2NCO: A Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Synchrotron Photoionization Study

The electronic properties of fluorosulfonyl isocyanate, FSO2NCO, were investigated by means of photoelectron spectroscopy and synchrotron based techniques. The first ionization potential occurs at 12.3 eV and was attributed to the ejection of electrons formally located at the π NCO molecular orbital (MO), with a contribution from nonbonding orbitals at the oxygen atoms of the SO2 group. The proposed interpretation of the photoelectron spectrum is consistent with related molecules reported previously and also with the prediction of OVGF (outer valence green function) and P3 (partial third order) calculations. The energy of the inner- and core-shell electrons was determined using X-ray absorption, measuring the total ion yield spectra, and the resonances before each ionization threshold were interpreted in terms of transitions to vacant molecular orbitals. The ionic fragmentation mechanisms in the valence energy region were studied using time-of-flight mass spectrometry as a function of the energy of the incident radiation. At 13 eV the M(+) was the only ion detected in the photoion-photoelectron-coincidence spectrum, while the FSO2(+) fragment, formed through the breaking of the S-N single bond, appears as the most intense fragment for energies higher than 15 eV. The photoion-photoion-photoelectron-coincidence spectra, taken at the inner- and core-levels energy regions, revealed several different fragmentation pathways, being the most important ones secondary decay after deferred charge separation mechanisms leading to the formation of the O(+)/S(+) and C(+)/O(+) pairs.

Amino acids form strongly bound anions when substituted with superhalogen ligands

The properties of AA-Y(-) anions (where AA = cysteine, aspartic acid, lysine; Y = BF3, PF5) were investigated at the ab initio Outer Valence Green's Function (OVGF)∕6-311++G(3df,3pd)∕∕MP2∕6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. It is shown that introducing a superhalogen-like substituent to an amino acid (i.e., Cys, Asp, and Lys) results in obtaining molecules that bind an excess electron relatively strongly. The electronic stabilities of such resulting daughter anions are predicted to be substantial (5.3-6.9 eV).

Valence one-electron and shake-up ionization bands of fluorene, carbazole and dibenzofuran

A comprehensive study of the He (I) ultra-violet photoelectron spectra of fluorene, carbazole and dibenzofuran is presented with the aid of one-particle Green’s Function calculations employing the outer-valence Green’s Function (OVGF) approach and the third-order algebraic diagrammatic construction [ADC(3)] scheme, along with Dunning’s correlation consistent basis sets of double and triple zeta quality (cc-pVDZ, cc-pVTZ). Extrapolations of the ADC(3) results for the outermost one-electron π-ionization energies to the cc-pVTZ basis set enable theoretical insights into He (I) measurements within ∼0.15eV accuracy, up to the σ-ionization onset. The lower ionization energy of carbazole is the combined result of mesomeric and electronic relaxation effects. OVGF/cc-pVDZ or OVGF/cc-pVTZ pole strengths smaller than 0.85 systematically corroborate a breakdown of the orbital picture of ionization at the ADC(3) level. Comparison is made with calculations of the lowest doublet–doublet excitation energies of the radical cation of fluorene, by means of time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT).

Valence and diffuse-bound anions of noble-gas complexes with uracil

Valence-bound (VB) and diffuse-bound (DB) anions of noble-gas (Ar, Kr, and Xe) complexes with uracil have been studied with ab initio methods. MP2 optimizations revealed minima corresponding to anions of both kinds in each case. Coupled-cluster singles and doubles with perturbative triples, CCSD(T), and electron propagator single-point calculations were performed in order to assess vertical and adiabatic electron detachment energies of these complexes. Ab initio electron propagator calculations employed the outer valence Green's function and partial third-order approximations, and the algebraic diagrammatic construction in third order. Basis set effects have been systematically examined. DB anions of all three complexes were adiabatically bound, with calculated adiabatic electron attachment energies below 0.06 eV. Corresponding vertical electron detachment energies were below 0.1 eV. As to VB anions, only the Xe complex had a positive adiabatic electron detachment energy, of 0.01 eV, with a corresponding vertical electron detachment energy of 0.6 eV. These computational findings are consistent with the interpretation of results previously obtained experimentally by Hendricks et al.

Electron propagator theory: an approach to prediction and interpretation in quantum chemistry

AbstractElectron propagator theory provides a practical means of calculating electron binding energies, Dyson orbitals, and ground‐state properties from first principles. This approach to ab initio electronic structure theory also facilitates the interpretation of its quantitative predictions in terms of concepts that closely resemble those of one‐electron theories. An explanation of the physical meaning of the electron propagator's poles and residues is followed by a discussion of its couplings to more complicated propagators. These relationships are exploited in superoperator theory and lead to a compact form of the electron propagator that is derived by matrix partitioning. Expressions for reference‐state properties, relationships to the extended Koopmans's theorem technique for evaluating electron binding energies, and connections between Dyson orbitals and transition probabilities follow from this discussion. The inverse form of the Dyson equation for the electron propagator leads to a strategy for obtaining electron binding energies and Dyson orbitals that generalizes the Hartree–Fock equations through the introduction of the self‐energy operator. All relaxation and correlation effects reside in this operator, which has an energy‐dependent, nonlocal form that is systematically improvable. Perturbative arguments produce several, convenient (e.g. partial third order, outer valence Green's function, and second‐order, transition‐operator) approximations for the evaluation of valence ionization energies, electron affinities, and core ionization energies. Renormalized approaches based on Hartree–Fock or approximate Brueckner orbitals are employed when correlation effects become qualitatively important. Reference‐state total energies based on contour integrals in the complex plane and gradients of electron binding energies enable exploration of final‐state potential energy surfaces. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.This article is categorized under: Electronic Structure Theory > Ab Initio Electronic Structure Methods

Multi-state vibronic interactions in the 1,2,3-trifluorobenzene radical cation

The multi-state and multi-mode vibronic interactions between the five lowest electronic states of the title compound are investigated theoretically by an ab initio quantum dynamical approach. The well-established linear vibronic coupling scheme is adopted, augmented by quadratic coupling terms for the totally symmetric modes. The pertinent system parameters are obtained from outer valence Greens function and equation-of-motion coupled-cluster ab initio calculations. Large-scale quantum dynamical simulations are performed employing a powerful wavepacket propagation scheme. The band shapes and line structures (as far as available) of the experimental photoelectron spectra are well reproduced. Time-dependent electronic populations reveal ultrafast internal conversion processes and allow for important insight into the fluorescence properties of the radical cation. The relation to other fluoro derivatives of the benzene radical cation is discussed.

Valence structures of aromatic bioactive compounds: a combined theoretical and experimental study

Valence electronic structures of three recently isolated aryl bioactive compounds, namely 2-phenylethanol (2PE), p-hydroxyphenylethanol (HPE) and 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde (HBA), are studied using a combined theoretical and experimental method. Density functional theory-based calculations indicate that the side chains cause electron charge redistribution and therefore influence the aromaticity of the benzene derivatives. The simulated IR spectra further reveal features induced by the side chains. Solvent effects on the IR spectra are simulated using the polarizable continuum model, which exhibits enhancement of the O-H stretch vibrations with significant red-shift of 464 cm(-1) in 2PE. A significant spectral peak splitting of 94 cm(-1) between O(4)-H and O(8)-H of HPE is revealed in an aqueous environment. Experimental measurements for valence binding energy spectra for 2PE, HPE and HBA are presented and analyzed using outer-valence Green function calculations. The experimental (predicted) first ionization energies are measured as 9.19 (8.79), 8.47 (8.27) and 8.97 (8.82) eV for 2PE, HPE and HBA, respectively. The frontier orbitals (highest occupied molecular orbitals, HOMOs, and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals, LUMOs) have similar atomic orbital characters although the HOMO-LUMO energy gaps are quite different.

Electronic structure and photoionization dissociation studies of chlorocarbonyl trifluoromethanesulfonate, CF3SO3C(O)Cl

Chlorocarbonyl trifluoromethanesulfonate, CF3SO3C(O)Cl, was prepared by heterogeneous reaction of gaseous ClC(O)SCl with CF3SO3Ag. The electronic structure and photoionization dissociation were investigated by HeI photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and photoionization mass spectroscopy (PIMS). The assignments of the bands in the PES were reasonably supported by previous studies on analogous molecules, as well as the outer-valence Green’s function (OVGF) calculations. The experimental first vertical ionization potential of CF3SO3C(O)Cl was determined to be 12.36eV, which was assigned to the ionization mainly from the oxygen lone pair orbital. It shows three peaks: ClCO+ (63, 65), CF3+ (69) and CF3SO2+ (133) in the spectrum of PIMS, with the dominant features being the ClCO+ and CF3+ peaks. According to the calculated bond dissociation energies, the dissociation process was also discussed.

Vibrational effects on the electron momentum distributions of valence orbitals of formamide

The ionization energy spectra and electron momentum distributions of formamide were investigated using the high-resolution electron momentum spectrometer in combination with high level calculations. The observed ionization energy spectra and electron momentum distributions were interpreted using symmetry adapted cluster-configuration interaction theory, outer valence Green function, and DFT-B3LYP methods. The ordering of 10a(') and 2a(") orbitals of formamide was assigned unambiguously by comparing the experimental electron momentum distributions with the corresponding theoretical results, i.e., 10a(') has a lower binding energy. In addition, it was found that the low-frequency wagging vibration of the amino group at room temperature has noticeable effects on the electron momentum distributions. The equilibrium-nuclear-positions-approximation, which was widely used in electron momentum spectroscopy, is not accurate for formamide molecule. The calculations based on the thermal average can evidently improve the agreement with the experimental momentum distributions.

Structure and electronic properties of a benzene-water solution

Electronic properties of benzene in water were investigated by a sequential quantum mechanical/molecular dynamics approach. Emphasis was placed on the analysis of the structure, polarization effects, and ionization spectrum. By adopting a polarizable model for both benzene and water the structure of the benzene-water solution is in good agreement with data from first principles molecular dynamics. Further, strong evidence that water molecules acquire enhanced orientational order near the benzene molecule is found. Upon hydration, the quadrupole moment of benzene is not significantly changed in comparison with the gas-phase value. We are also reporting results for the dynamic polarizability of benzene in water. Our results indicate that the low energy behaviour of the dynamic polarizability of gas-phase and hydrated benzene is quite similar. Outer valence Green's function calculations for benzene in liquid water show a splitting of the gas-phase energy levels associated with the 1e(1g)(π), 2e(2g), and 2e(1u) orbitals upon hydration. Lifting of the orbitals degeneracy and redshift of the outer valence bands is related to symmetry breaking of the benzene structure in solution and polarization effects from the surrounding water molecules.