Theoretical Vertical Detachment Energies Research Articles

ThH5 : An Actinide-Containing Superhalogen Molecule.

Thorium and its compounds have been widely investigated as important nuclear materials. Previous research focused on the potential use of thorium hydrides, such as ThH2 , ThH4 , and Th4 H15 , as nuclear fuels. Here, we report studies of the anion, ThH5- , by anion photoelectron spectroscopy and computations. The resulting experimental and theoretical vertical detachment energies (VDE) for ThH5- are 4.09 eV and 4.11 eV, respectively. These values and the agreement between theory and experiment facilitated the characterization of the structure of the ThH5- anion and showed its neutral counterpart, ThH5 to be a superhalogen. ThH5- , which exhibits a C4v structure with five Th-H single bonds, possesses the largest known H/M ratio among the actinide elements, M. The adaptive natural density partitioning (AdNDP) method was used to further analyze the chemical bonding of ThH5- and to confirm the existence of five Th-H single bonds in the ThH5- molecular anion.

Studies of Arabinose- and Mannose-Related Anionic Species and Comparison to Ribose and Fructose.

Gas phase, isolated monosaccharides arabinose- and mannose-related anionic species generated through the matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) method are investigated via negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The vertical detachment energies (VDEs) of the observed anionic species are experimentally determined: the corresponding structures are assigned based on good agreement between experimental and theoretical VDEs. Arabinose- parent anion is found to exist as open chain structures in the gas phase, while mannose- parent anionic species are not observed. Both monosaccharides undergo dissociation through loss of H and loss of H2O. (saccharide-H)- anions evidence coexisting positional and conformational isomers. (saccharide-H2O)- species have only two positional isomers, each with conformational differences. The present results for arabinose and mannose are further compared to those previously reported for ribose and fructose. This comparison is based on the anions observed and identified through the same PES/DFT techniques for the four saccharides (arabinose, mannose, ribose, and fructose). The issue of natural selection of ribose as the sugar backbone constituent of RNA is thereby explored from the point of view of anionic electronic structure and stability of the four species. Saccharide phosphates are also discussed in the present work with regard to addressing the unique natural selection of ribose for the backbone support of RNA and DNA.

Theoretical investigations on the d-p hybridized aromaticity, photoelectron spectroscopy and neutral salts of the LaX2− (X=Al, Ga, In) clusters

We present an extensive density functional theory (DFT) calculations on the geometrical and electronic structures of the triatomic LaX2− (X=Al, Ga, In) clusters. Various trail structures and spin states have been attempted to determine the lowest-energy geometries of these La-doped metal clusters. The ground states of all three clusters are calculated to possess the trigonal structures with the singlet multiplicities. The calculations on molecular orbitals (MOs) and nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) values have been performed to examine the aromatic characteristics of the LaX2− (X=Al, Ga, In) clusters. The present calculations disclose that all these metal clusters are doubly aromatic, namely d-p hybridized σ and π aromaticity resulting from the effective overlap between the 5d atomic orbital of the La atom and the p orbitals of the IIIA group elements. Theoretical vertical detachment energies (VDEs) were also calculated to simulate the photoelectron spectra (PES) of the clusters. In addition, by adding the alkali cations (Li+ and Na+) into the LaX2− (X=Al, Ga, In) clusters, the geometries and electronic structures of the corresponding neutral salts have also been investigated to gain more insights in the potential of using these aromatic anions as building blocks.

Structures and Electronic Properties of (KI)n(-/0) (n = 1-4) and K(KI)n(-/0) (n = 1-3) Clusters: Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Isomer-Depletion, and ab Initio Calculations.

The (KI)n(-) (n = 1-4) and K(KI)n(-) (n = 1-3) clusters were studied by negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. Comparison between the theoretical vertical detachment energies and the experimental values revealed that multiple isomers may coexist in the experiments. The existence of two isomers for K(KI)(-) and K(KI)2(-) were confirmed directly by isomer-depletion experiments, in which the low adiabatic detachment energy isomers were depleted by a 1064 nm laser beam before the anions were photodetached by a 532 nm laser beam. Our results show that the most stable structures of the K(KI)(-), (KI)2(-), and K(KI)2(-) anions are chain structures, while those of their neutral counterparts are planar. Three-dimensional structures start to appear at n = 3 for (KI)n(-/0) and K(KI)n(-/0). In the K(KI)n(-) cluster anions, the excess electron is localized on the extra K atom and forms an electron pair with the existing s electron of the K atom; the resulting negatively charged K prefers to interact with the other positively charged K atoms rather than with the I atoms. Both the anionic and neutral (KI)4 clusters have cuboid structures, which may be regarded as the smallest structural motif of KI crystal.

Microsolvation Pattern of the Hydrated Radical Anion of Uracil: U-(H2O)n(n= 3−5)

The microsolvation patterns of the uracil radical anion in water clusters U-(H2O)n with n ranging from 3 to 5 were investigated by the density functional theory approach. The electron detachment energies (VDE) of the stable anionic complexes with different numbers of hydration water are predicted. The linear dependence of the VDE value of the most stable anionic complexes with respect to the hydration number suggests the importance of the clustered waters in the microsolvation of the radical anion of the nucleobases. The formation of the water clusters is found to be necessary in the most stable conformers of the tri-, tetra-, and pentahydrated radical anion of uracil. The microsolvation pattern with three or more well-separated hydration water molecules in the first hydration layer is less stable than the arrangement with the waters in tight clusters. The charge transfer between the anionic uracil and the hydration water is high. Good agreement between the experimental and the theoretical vertical detachment energy yield in this study further demonstrates the practicability of the B3LYP/DZP++ approach in the study of radical anions of the DNA subunits.

Photoelectron Spectroscopy of Free Polyoxoanions Mo6O192- and W6O192- in the Gas Phase

Two doubly charged polyoxoanions, Mo6O192- and W6O192-, were observed in the gas phase using electrospray ionization. Their electronic structures were investigated using photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional calculations with relativistic effective core potentials. Each dianion was found to be highly stable despite the presence of strong intramolecular Coulomb repulsion, estimated to be about 2 eV for each system. The valence detachment features were all shown to originate from electronic excitations involving oxygen lone-pair type orbitals. Their observed energies were in excellent agreement with the theoretical vertical detachment energies calculated using time-dependent density functional theory. Despite being multiply charged, polyoxometalate oxide clusters can be studied in the gas phase, providing the opportunity for detailed benchmark theoretical studies on the electronic structures of these important transition-metal oxide systems.