Transition State Enthalpy Research Articles

HPLC, fluorescence spectroscopy, UV spectroscopy and DFT calculations on the mechanism of scavenging •OH radicals by Hypericin

In this article, the scavenging ability of hypericin on hydroxyl radicals was evaluated by UV spectra, HPLC and fluorescence spectra. The reaction mechanism of the scavenging of free radicals by hypericin was also investigated. The Gaussian calculations obtained for the spatial structure and electrostatic potential of hypericin revealed that the active site for the reaction of hypericin with hydroxyl radicals is on the phenolic hydroxyl group of hypericin. The dissociation energy, spin density and frontline orbitals of the dehydrogenated hypericin radicals yielded that hypericin 7-OH and 7′ -OH are most likely to react with hydroxyl radicals. the transition state structure, enthalpy change and Gibbs free energy change and energy change of the reaction between hypericin and hydroxyl radicals,and the results of the above calculations indicate that hypericin 7-OH and 7′ -OH have the highest activity, can be directly involved in the scavenging process of radicals, followed by 5-OH and 5′ -OH, and finally 4-OH (4′ - OH).In-depth study of the antioxidant mechanism of hypericin molecules can help to design and synthesize new antioxidants in a more rational way.

Synergic Heterodinuclear Catalysts for the Ring-Opening Copolymerization (ROCOP) of Epoxides, Carbon Dioxide, and Anhydrides.

ConspectusThe development of sustainable plastic materials is an essential target of chemistry in the 21st century. Key objectives toward this goal include utilizing sustainable monomers and the development of polymers that can be chemically recycled/degraded. Polycarbonates synthesized from the ring-opening copolymerization (ROCOP) of epoxides and CO2, and polyesters synthesized from the ROCOP of epoxides and anhydrides, meet these criteria. Despite this, designing efficient catalysts for these processes remains challenging. Typical issues include the requirement for high catalyst loading; low catalytic activities in comparison with other commercialized polymerizations; and the requirement of costly, toxic cocatalysts. The development of efficient catalysts for both types of ROCOP is highly desirable. This Account details our work on the development of catalysts for these two related polymerizations and, in particular, focuses on dinuclear complexes, which are typically applied without any cocatalyst. We have developed mechanistic hypotheses in tandem with our catalysts, and throughout the Account, we describe the kinetic, computational, and structure–activity studies that underpin the performance of these catalysts. Our initial research on homodinuclear M(II)M(II) complexes for cyclohexene oxide (CHO)/CO2 ROCOP provided data to support a chain shuttling catalytic mechanism, which implied different roles for the two metals in the catalysis. This mechanistic hypothesis inspired the development of mixed-metal, heterodinuclear catalysts. The first of this class of catalysts was a heterodinuclear Zn(II)Mg(II) complex, which showed higher rates than either of the homodinuclear [Zn(II)Zn(II) and Mg(II)Mg(II)] analogues for CHO/CO2 ROCOP. Expanding on this finding, we subsequently developed a Co(II)Mg(II) complex that showed field leading rates for CHO/CO2 ROCOP and allowed for unique insight into the role of the two metals in this complex, where it was established that the Mg(II) center reduced transition state entropy and the Co(II) center reduced transition state enthalpy. Following these discoveries, we subsequently developed a range of heterodinuclear M(III)M(I) catalysts that were capable of catalyzing a broad range of copolymerizations, including the ring-opening copolymerization of CHO/CO2, propylene oxide (PO)/CO2, and CHO/phthalic anhydride (PA). Catalysts featuring Co(III)K(I) and Al(III)K(I) were found to be exceptionally effective for PO/CO2 and CHO/PA ROCOP, respectively. Such M(III)M(I) complexes operate through a dinuclear metalate mechanism, where the M(III) binds and activates monomers while the M(I) species binds the polymer change in close proximity to allow for insertion into the activated monomer. Our research illustrates how careful catalyst design can yield highly efficient systems and how the development of mechanistic understanding aids this process. Avenues of future research are also discussed, including the applicability of these heterodinuclear catalysts in the synthesis of sustainable materials.

Product specific thermal degradation kinetics of bisphenol F epoxy in inert and oxidative atmospheres using evolved gas analysis–mass spectrometry

Knowledge of the degradation kinetics for polymer materials is important for understanding thermal stability. Here, evolved gas analysis–mass spectrometry and pyrolysis gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry were evaluated for the potential to deliver additional insight into thermal degradation kinetics of diglycidal ether of bisphenol F (DGEBF) epoxy thermoset under inert and oxidative atmospheres. Degradation products of selected precursor ions were evaluated for their uniqueness to the specific precursor using extracted ion thermographs. Unique mass peaks, solely attributed to a single reaction pathway of a specific product, were determined from extracted ion thermographs and used to determine both activation energy (Ea) and pre-exponential factors for the specific primary reaction pathways. These primary reaction pathways for DGEBF epoxy degradation were then evaluated in the context of transition state theory (TST) and related transition state enthalpies (ΔH‡) and entropies (ΔS‡) of activation to further elucidate the degradation process. It was determined under pyrolysis conditions, as suggested by the Ea, the formation of bisphenol F monomer was the rate-limiting step toward the formation of xanthene and phenol. In contrast, under thermo-oxidative conditions, reactions involving oxygen containing species were identified as the rate-limiting step for all observed products based on the large negative ΔS‡ calculated from TST. This work demonstrates a powerful combination of technique and theory that can provide new insight into the degradation of polymer materials.

Validation of Enthalpy-Entropy Compensation Mechanism in Partial Amide Bond Rotation.

The concept of enthalpy–entropy compensation (EEC) is one of the highly debated areas of thermodynamics. The conformational change due to restricted double-bond rotation shows a classic two-site chemical exchange phenomenon and has been extensively studied. Fifty-four analogs of N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) as a model system were synthesized to study the thermodynamics of the partial amide bond character using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Line-shape analysis as a function of temperature is used to estimate the chemical exchange. Eyring analysis was then used to convert the chemical exchange rates to determine the transition state enthalpy and entropy of the molecules. The experimental design follows selective variations that perturb one aspect of the molecular system and its influence on the observed thermodynamic effect. The results of the study demonstrate that amide bond resonance in analogs of DEET follows an EEC mechanism. Simple modifications made to DEET’s structural motif alter both the enthalpy and entropy of the system and were limited overall to a temperature compensation factor, Tβ = 292.20 K, 95% CI [290.66, 293.73]. We suggest EEC as a model to describe the kinetic compensation seen in chemical exchange phenomena in analogs of DEET.

Understanding metal synergy in heterodinuclear catalysts for the copolymerization of CO2 and epoxides.

Carbon dioxide and epoxide copolymerization is an industrially relevant means to valorize waste and improve sustainability in polymer manufacturing. Given the value of the polymer products-polycarbonates or polyether carbonates-it could provide an economic stimulus to capture and storage technologies. The process efficiency depends upon the catalyst, and previously Zn(II)Mg(II) heterodinuclear catalysts showed good performances at low carbon dioxide pressures, attributed to synergic interactions between the metals. Now, a Mg(II)Co(II) catalyst is reported that exhibits significantly better activity (turnover frequency > 12,000 h-1) and high selectivity (>99% CO2 utilization and polycarbonate selectivity) for carbon dioxide and cyclohexene oxide copolymerization. Detailed kinetic investigations show a second-order rate law, independent of CO2 pressure from 1-40 bar, to produce polyols. Kinetic data also reveal that synergy arises from differentiated roles for the metals in the mechanism: epoxide coordination occurs at Mg(II), with reduced transition state entropy, while the Co(II) centre accelerates carbonate attack by lowering the transition state enthalpy. This rare insight into intermetallic synergy rationalizes the outstanding catalytic performance and provides a new feature to exploit in other homogeneous catalyses.

Effects of methylating agent and Brønsted acidity on methylation activity of olefins in CHA-structured zeolites: A periodic DFT study

Chemical conversion of methane into light olefins involving intermediate CH3X (X = OH, SH, Cl, and Br) provides an alternative to syngas-based technologies. In this contribution, periodic density functional theory calculations with van der Waals correlation have been performed to achieve a full picture of how the CH3X methylating agents would affect the catalytic activity of olefin methylation in H-SAPO-34 and other metal-substituted CHA-structured zeotypes. The methylation enthalpy barriers depend strongly on the protonation ability of the methylating agent and how readily the CX bond can be broken. Gibbs free energy calculations indicate that the reactivity of different methylating agents decreases in the trend CH3OH > CH3Br ∼ CH3Cl > CH3SH. The linear transition state enthalpy scaling relations expressed in terms of adsorption enthalpy of ammonia hold very well for the coupling of propene and tetramethylethene to all the methylating agents. The olefin methylation by CH3Cl and CH3Br is much less sensitive to acid strength than that by CH3OH and CH3SH. The charge transfer between the organic species and the zeolite framework, and hence the nature of ion-pair interaction, play a key role in determining the sensitivity of the olefin methylation to acid strength.

Combination of MD Simulations with Two-State Kinetic Rate Modeling Elucidates the Chain Melting Transition of Phospholipid Bilayers for Different Hydration Levels.

The phase behavior of membrane lipids plays an important role in the formation of functional domains in biological membranes and crucially affects molecular transport through lipid layers, for instance, in the skin. We investigate the thermotropic chain melting transition from the ordered Lβ phase to the disordered Lα phase in membranes composed of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) by atomistic molecular dynamics simulations in which the membranes are subject to variable heating rates. We find that the transition is initiated by a localized nucleus and followed by the propagation of the phase boundary. A two-state kinetic rate model allows characterizing the transition state in terms of thermodynamic quantities such as transition state enthalpy and entropy. The extrapolated equilibrium melting temperature increases with reduced membrane hydration and thus in tendency reproduces the experimentally observed dependence on dehydrating osmotic stress.

Magneto-structural transformations via a solid-state nudged elastic band method: Application to iron under pressure.

We extend the solid-state nudged elastic band method to handle a non-conserved order parameter, in particular, magnetization, that couples to volume and leads to many observed effects in magnetic systems. We apply this formalism to the well-studied magneto-volume collapse during the pressure-induced transformation in iron-from ferromagnetic body-centered cubic (bcc) austenite to hexagonal close-packed (hcp) martensite. We find a bcc-hcp equilibrium coexistence pressure of 8.4 GPa, with the transition-state enthalpy of 156 meV/Fe at this pressure. A discontinuity in magnetization and coherent stress occurs at the transition state, which has a form of a cusp on the potential-energy surface (yet all the atomic and cell degrees of freedom are continuous); the calculated pressure jump of 25 GPa is related to the observed 25 GPa spread in measured coexistence pressures arising from martensitic and coherency stresses in samples. Our results agree with experiments, but necessarily differ from those arising from drag and restricted parametrization methods having improperly constrained or uncontrolled degrees of freedom.

Transition-state scaling relations in zeolite catalysis: influence of framework topology and acid-site reactivity

Transition-state enthalpies in olefin–methanol reactions scale linearly with ammonia adsorption enthalpy as descriptor of acid site reactivity in zeolite catalysis. The slopes of these scaling relations vary with dispersion interaction with the framework.

Transition-State Enthalpy and Entropy Effects on Reactivity and Selectivity in Hydrogenolysis ofn-Alkanes

Statistical mechanics and transition state (TS) theory describe rates and selectivities of C-C bond cleavage in C2-C10 n-alkanes on metal catalysts and provide a general description for the hydrogenolysis of hydrocarbons. Mechanistic interpretation shows the dominant role of entropy, over enthalpy, in determining the location and rate of C-C bond cleavage. Ir, Rh, and Pt clusters cleave C-C bonds at rates proportional to coverages of intermediates derived by removing 3-4 H-atoms from n-alkanes. Rate constants for C-C cleavage reflect large activation enthalpies (ΔH(‡), 217-257 kJ mol(-1)) that are independent of chain length and C-C bond location in C4+ n-alkanes. C-C bonds cleave because of large, positive activation entropies (ΔS(‡), 164-259 J mol(-1) K(-1)) provided by H2 that forms with TS. Kinetic and independent spectroscopic evidence for the composition and structure of these TS give accurate estimates of ΔS(‡) for cleavage at each C-C bond. Large differences between rate constants for ethane and n-decane (~10(8)) reflect an increase in the entropy of gaseous alkanes retained at the TS. The location of C-C bond cleavage depends solely on the rotational entropies of alkyl chains attached to the cleaved C-C bond, which depend on their chain length. Such entropy considerations account for the ubiquitous, but previously unexplained, preference for cleaving nonterminal C-C bonds in n-alkanes. This mechanistic analysis and thermodynamic treatment illustrates the continued utility of such approaches even for hydrogenolysis reactions, with complexity seemingly beyond the reach of classical treatments, and applies to catalytic clusters beyond those reported here (0.6-2.7 nm; Ir, Rh, Pt).

The effect of cholesterol on the intrinsic rate of lipid flip–flop as measured by sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy

Cholesterol is a major constituent of biological membranes in mammalian cells. Experiments have shown that cholesterol influences the physical properties of the plasma membrane, such as lateral diffusion and phase equilibrium. In addition to controlling the 2-dimensional phase behaviour and mobility of lipids in membranes, cholesterol has also been implicated in the transbilayer diffusion of lipids across the bilayer. Sum-frequency vibrational spectroscopy (SFVS) is used to measure the intrinsic rate of lipid flip-flop for 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DSPC) in the presence of cholesterol using planar supported lipid bilayer (PSLB) model membranes. Asymmetric PSLBs were prepared using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method by placing a perdeuterated lipid analogue in one leaflet of the PSLB. SFVS was used to directly measure the asymmetric distribution of DSPC within the membrane by measuring the decay in the CH3 vs intensity at 2875 cm(-1) with time and as a function of temperature. A complete kinetic analysis of DSPC flip-flop and the effect of cholesterol on the DSPC dynamics are presented. An analysis of the kinetic data in the framework of Eyring theory provides important insight into the transition state enthalpy (deltaH(double dagger)), entropy (deltaS(double dagger)) and free energy (deltaG(double dagger)) for this important biological process. In addition, the transmembrane migration of cholesterol molecules was also explored by SFVS. These combined studies are aimed at providing new insight in to the transbilayer migration of phospholipids and cholesterol in biological membranes and the effects cholesterol plays in membrane dynamics.

The Roles of Entropy and Enthalpy in Stabilizing Ion-Pairs at Transition States in Zeolite Acid Catalysis

Acidic zeolites are indispensable catalysts in the petrochemical industry because they select reactants and their chemical pathways based on size and shape. Voids of molecular dimensions confine reactive intermediates and transition states that mediate chemical reactions, stabilizing them by van der Waals interactions. This behavior is reminiscent of the solvation effects prevalent within enzyme pockets and has analogous consequences for catalytic specificity. Voids provide the "right fit" for certain transition states, reflected in their lower free energies, thus extending the catalytic diversity of zeolites well beyond simple size discrimination. This catalytic diversity is even more remarkable because acid strength is essentially unaffected by confinement among known crystalline aluminosilicates. In this Account, we discuss factors that determine the "right fit" for a specific chemical reaction, exploring predictive criteria that extend the prevailing discourse based on size and shape. We link the structures of reactants, transition states, and confining voids to chemical reactivity and selectivity. Confinement mediates enthalpy-entropy compromises that determine the Gibbs free energies of transition states and relevant reactants; these activation free energies determine turnover rates via transition state theory. At low temperatures (400-500 K), dimethyl ether carbonylation occurs with high specificity within small eight-membered ring (8-MR) voids in FER and MOR zeolite structures, but at undetectable rates within larger voids (MFI, BEA, FAU, and SiO(2)-Al(2)O(3)). More effective van der Waals stabilization within 8-MR voids leads to lower ion-pair enthalpies but also lower entropies; taken together, carbonylation activation free energies are lower within 8-MR voids. The "right fit" is a "tight fit" at low temperatures, a consequence of how temperature appears in the defining equation for Gibbs free energy. In contrast, entropy effects dominate in high-temperature alkane activation (700-800 K), for which the "right fit" becomes a "loose fit". Alkane activation turnovers are still faster on 8-MR MOR protons because these transition states are confined only partially within shallow 8-MR pockets; they retain higher entropies than ion-pairs fully confined within 12-MR channels at the expense of enthalpic stability. Selectivities for n-alkane dehydrogenation (relative to cracking) and isoalkane cracking (relative to dehydrogenation) are higher on 8-MR than 12-MR sites because partial confinement preferentially stabilizes looser ion-pair structures; these structures occur later along reaction coordinates and are higher in energy, consistent with Marcus theory for charge-transfer reactions. Enthalpy differences between cracking and dehydrogenation ion-pairs for a given reactant are independent of zeolite structure (FAU, FER, MFI, or MOR) and predominantly reflect the different gas-phase proton affinities of alkane C-C and C-H bonds, as expected from Born-Haber thermochemical cycles. These thermochemical relations, together with statistical mechanics-based treatments, predict that rotational entropy differences between intact reactants and ion-pair transition states cause intrinsic cracking rates to increase with n-alkane size. Through these illustrative examples, we highlight the effects of reactant and catalyst structures on ion-pair transition state enthalpies and entropies. Our discussion underscores the role of temperature in mediating enthalpic and entropic contributions to free energies and, in turn, to rates and selectivities in zeolite acid catalysis.

Kinetics study of the substitution reaction of fac-[Fe II(CN) 2(CO) 3I] − with PPh 3

Substitution reaction of fac-[Fe II(CN) 2(CO) 3I] − with triphenylphosphine (PPh 3) produced mono phosphine substituted complex cis- cis-[Fe II(CN) 2(CO) 2(PPh 3)I] −. Crystal structure of the product showed that carbonyl positioned trans- to iodide was replaced by PPh 3. The substitution reaction was monitored by quantitative infrared spectroscopic method, and the rate law for the substitution reaction was determined to be rate = k[[Fe II(CN) 2(CO) 2(PPh 3)I] −][PPh 3]. Transition state enthalpy and entropy changes were obtained from Eyring equation k = ( k BT / h)exp(−Δ H ≠/ RT + Δ S ≠/ R) with Δ H ≠ = 119(4) kJ mol −1 and Δ S ≠ = 102(10) J mol −1 K −1. Positive transition state entropy change suggests that the substitution reaction went through a dissociative pathway.

NMR Spectroscopic Evidence for the Intermediacy of XeF3− in XeF2/F− Exchange, Attempted Syntheses and Thermochemistry of XeF3− Salts, and Theoretical Studies of the XeF3− Anion

The existence of the trifluoroxenate(II) anion, XeF(3)(-), had been postulated in a prior NMR study of the exchange between fluoride ion and XeF(2) in CH(3)CN solution. The enthalpy of activation for this exchange, ΔH(⧧), has now been determined by use of single selective inversion (19)F NMR spectroscopy to be 74.1 ± 5.0 kJ mol(-1) (0.18 M) and 56.9 ± 6.7 kJ mol(-1) (0.36 M) for equimolar amounts of [N(CH(3))(4)][F] and XeF(2) in CH(3)CN solvent. Although the XeF(3)(-) anion has been observed in the gas phase, attempts to prepare the Cs(+) and N(CH(3))(4)(+) salts of XeF(3)(-) have been unsuccessful, and are attributed to the low fluoride ion affinity of XeF(2) and fluoride ion solvation in CH(3)CN solution. The XeF(3)(-) anion would represent the first example of an AX(3)E(3) valence shell electron pair repulsion (VSEPR) arrangement of electron lone pair and bond pair domains. Fluorine-19 exchange between XeF(2) and the F(-) anion has also been probed computationally using coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) and density functional theory (DFT; PBE1PBE) methods. The energy-minimized geometry of the ground state shows that the F(-) anion is only weakly coordinated to XeF(2) (F(2)Xe---F(-); a distorted Y-shape possessing C(s) symmetry), while the XeF(3)(-) anion exists as a first-order transition state in the fluoride ion exchange mechanism, and is planar and Y-shaped (C(2v) symmetry). The molecular geometry and bonding of the XeF(3)(-) anion has been described and rationalized in terms of electron localization function (ELF) calculations, as well as the VSEPR model of molecular geometry. Quantum-chemical calculations, using the CCSD method and a continuum solvent model for CH(3)CN, accurately reproduced the transition-state enthalpy observed by (19)F NMR spectroscopy, and showed a negative but negligible enthalpy for the formation of the F(2)Xe---F(-) adduct in this medium.

The role played by the enthalpy of reactions in the disproportionation of free radicals

A semiempirical model of radical disproportionation was suggested. The reaction was modeled by an intersection of two potential curves describing stretching vibrations of interacting bonds. One of these curves was a parabola (stretching vibration of the attacked bond), and the other, a Morse curve (stretching vibration of the arising bond). Equations describing an increase in the interatomic distance in the reaction center of the transition state of such reactions as a function of the enthalpy of the reaction were obtained. A comparison of the calculation results and experimental data was performed to derive equations that described the rate constant for disproportionation as a function of bond elongation in the transition state and reaction enthalpy. A simple method for calculating interatomic distances in the reaction center of the reactions was suggested. Rate constants for several unstudied radical disproportionation reactions were calculated. The problem of the competition of disproportionation at various reaction centers was considered.

Investigation of Thermal Denaturation of Barley Nonspecific Lipid Transfer Protein 1 (ns-LTP1b) by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Differential Scanning Calorimetry

The process of thermal denaturation of a covalently modified form of barley grain nonspecific lipid transfer protein 1b (ns-LTP1b) was investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and differential scanning calorimetry up to 115 degrees C. The denaturation was found to be irreversible and highly cooperative. A method of numerical quantitative analysis allowing us to fit the NMR data to a transition state model without further simplification was developed. On the basis of the obtained values of transition state enthalpy and entropy, the rate of denaturation was calculated as a simple measure of protein stability at various temperatures. The effect of disulfide bond reduction on thermal denaturation of ns-LTP1b was studied and discussed in the context of quality control of barley products during storage and processing.

Theoretical investigation of a proposed [HIS 175-ASP 235-TRP 191] proton transfer system in cytochrome c peroxidase

Peroxidases are oxidative metabolizing heme proteins, whereas myoglobin (Mb) with the same heme active site, a protoporphyrin IX with a proximal histidine and a water as axial ligands, belongs to the “globin” heme protein family that functions as reversible oxygen transfer agents. Thus, differences in function of these two heme proteins seems to be modulated by the amino acids surrounding the heme unit, specifically the presence of key polar residues on both the proximal and distal side in CCP that are absent in Mb. In the study presented here, we have investigated the plausibility of a key postulated transformation of the proximal imidazole ligand (His 175) to an imidazolate by proton transfer to a nearby aspartate (Asp 235) absent in Mb. The proton relay system studied included not only models for the His 175 and Asp 235 residues but also for a nearby Trp 191 residue that could also interact with Asp 235 through hydrogen bonding and polarization. Two semiempirical quantum mechanical methods, AM 1 and MNDO/H, with improved capabilities of describing H-bonded systems, were used to calculate the enthalpies of the three tautomeric forms of the proton relay system corresponding to the proton on the His, Asp, and Trp, respectively. These calculations were made for several models of the effect of the iron. Relative tautomeric enthalpies were calculated both with H-atom only optimization, keeping the heavy atoms fixed in their X-ray positions, and additional optimization that allowed the model Asp residue to relax. Transition-state enthalpies for the proton transfer from His to Asp were also calculated. The results of these studies suggest that the crucial postulated proton transfer from His to Asp is energetically favored, but only in the presence of the interaction of the iron with the imidazole ligand. Another stable form of the cluster, with competing proton transfer from the Trp to the Asp, was found only when the Asp position was allowed to optimize. Although no attempt was made in these studies to emulate the protein environment, the results obtained strongly support the hypothesis that an imidazolate could be the predominant species of the peroxidase heme unit.

Density functional theory calculations of novel Rh(I) diphosphinite catalysts

Novel Rh(I) diphosphinite catalysts [Rh(( R, R)-3,4-(bis( O-diphenylphosphino)-1,2,5,6-tetra- O-methyl- chiro-inositol)]+ ([Rh-CANDYPHOS]+) and [Rh(( R, R)-3,4-(bis( O-diphenylphosphino)-1,2,5,6-tetra- O-ethyl- chiro-inositol)]+ ([Rh-EtCP]+) have been prepared utilizing naturally-occurring resources. Potential energy surfaces for the catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of the prochiral enamides methyl-( Z)-α-acetamido cinnamate, methyl-( Z)-α-acetamido cinnamic acid and dimethyl itaconate have been surveyed using density function theory (DFT) methods. Key transition states were identified from previous [Rh(( R, R)-DUPHOS)]+ studies for the two diastereoisomeric manifolds [1,2]. Transition state energies were found starting from models based on (1) the X-ray structure of the active complex (CANDYPHOS)( η 4-( Z, Z)-cyclo-octa-1,5-diene)-rhodium(I) tetrafluoroborate CHCl 3 solvate [3] and (2) models in which the complex (without substrate) started with C2 molecular symmetry. The difficulties encountered in calculations of the transition state energies of large cations are outlined and limitations noted. Transition state enthalpy values are compared with the observed experimental free energy differences results and previous studies [1,2]. The predictive aspects of the calculations appear to be limited with the starting models playing an important part in the absolute value of the final energies.

Infrared multiphoton dissociation of vinyltrifluorosilane

Infrared multiphoton absorption and dissociation of vinyltrifluorosilane molecules under the action of pulsed TEA CO2-laser were experimentally studied. The composition of the end dissociation products has been analyzed. Using quantum chemical calculations, we have identified the dissociation pathways that lead to the observed end products. Transition state geometries, enthalpies and activation energies for the dissociation pathways have been calculated. The dissociation channel ratio was determined under used experimental conditions. The silicon isotope selective infrared multiphoton dissociation has been performed at different wavelengths of the CO2-laser radiation.

Temperature-dependent studies of NO recombination to heme and heme proteins.

The rebinding kinetics of NO to the heme iron of myoglobin (Mb) is investigated as a function of temperature. Below 200 K, the transition-state enthalpy barrier associated with the fastest (approximately 10 ps) recombination phase is found to be zero and a slower geminate phase (approximately 200 ps) reveals a small enthalpic barrier (approximately 3 +/- 1 kJ/mol). Both of the kinetic rates slow slightly in the myoglobin (Mb) samples above 200 K, suggesting that a small amount of protein relaxation takes place above the solvent glass transition. When the temperature dependence of the NO recombination in Mb is studied under conditions where the distal pocket is mutated (e.g., V68W), the rebinding kinetics lack the slow phase. This is consistent with a mechanism where the slower (approximately 200 ps) kinetic phase involves transitions of the NO ligand into the distal heme pocket from a more distant site (e.g., in or near the Xe4 cavity). Comparison of the temperature-dependent NO rebinding kinetics of native Mb with that of the bare heme (PPIX) in glycerol reveals that the fast (enthalpically barrierless) NO rebinding process observed below 200 K is independent of the presence or absence of the proximal histidine ligand. In contrast, the slowing of the kinetic rates above 200 K in MbNO disappears in the absence of the protein. Generally, the data indicate that, in contrast to CO, the NO ligand binds to the heme iron through a "harpoon" mechanism where the heme iron out-of-plane conformation presents a negligible enthalpic barrier to NO rebinding. These observations strongly support a previous analysis (Srajer et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1988, 110, 6656-6670) that primarily attributes the low-temperature stretched exponential rebinding of MbCO to a quenched distribution of heme geometries. A simple model, consistent with this prior analysis, is presented that explains a variety of MbNO rebinding experiments, including the dependence of the kinetic amplitudes on the pump photon energy.