Influence of Multiple Conformations and Paths on Rate Constants and Product Branching Ratios. Thermal Decomposition of 1-Propanol Radicals.

The potential energy surface involved in the thermal decomposition of 1-propanol radicals was investigated in detail using automated codes (tsscds2018 and Q2DTor). From the predicted elementary reactions, a relevant reaction network was constructed to study the decomposition at temperatures in the range 1000-2000 K. Specifically, this relevant network comprises 18 conformational reaction channels (CRCs), which in general exhibit a large wealth of conformers of reactants and transition states.

Theoretical design of molecular grippers for anion recognition based on subporphyrazines and subphthalocyanines.

Subphthalocyanines (SubPcs) are 14 π-electron aromatic macrocycles containing three 1,3-diiminoisoindol units N-fused around a central boron atom. Their particular concave π-extended structure makes them potentially useful in fields related to optoelectronics and molecular electronics. Also, their structure makes them potential receptors of complementary convex-shaped molecules.

A computational study of the protonation of simple amines in water clusters.

The microsolvation study of a group of amines with a variable number of water molecules was performed by conducting a theoretical analysis of the properties of the clusters formed by the amines with up to seven molecules of water. We describe the microsolvation of several amines focusing on the dissociation of a water molecule that transfers a proton to the amine and forms a hydroxide ion. Ab initio calculations were performed on these clusters employing the DFT/B3LYP and MP2 methods with the 6-311++G(2d,p) basis set.

Ultrafast ring-opening/closing and deactivation channels for a model spiropyran-merocyanine system.

The photochemistry of a model merocyanine-spiropyran system was analyzed theoretically at the MS-CASPT2//SA-CASSCF(14,12) level. Several excited singlet states were studied in both the closed spiropyran and open merocyanine forms, and the paths to the different S(1)/S(0) conical intersections found were analyzed. After absorption of UV light from the spiropyran form, there are two possible ultrafast routes to efficient conversion to the ground state; one involves the rupture of the C(spiro)-O bond leading to the open form and the other involves the lengthening of the C(spiro)-N bond with no photoreaction.

Anion-π aromatic neutral tweezers complexes: are they stable in polar solvents?

The impact of the solvent environment on the stabilization of the complexes formed by fluorine (T-F) and cyanide (T-CN) substituted tweezers with halide anions has been investigated theoretically. The study was carried out using computational methodologies based on density functional theory (DFT) and symmetry adapted perturbation theory (SAPT). Interaction energies were obtained at the M05-2X/6-31+G* level.

Enhancing the interactions between neutral molecular tweezers and anions.

Several structural modifications to the original molecular tweezers of the Klärner's group were made with the aim of improving its binding capacity towards anions. The proposed modifications raise the molecular electrostatic potential inside the cavity and provide more conformational flexibility. The complexes of these new molecules with the halide anions Cl(-), Br(-), I(-) were optimized at the MPW1B95/6-31+G* level of theory.

Hydrogen transfer vs proton transfer in 7-hydroxy-quinoline.(NH3)3: a CASSCF/CASPT2 study.

Multiconfigurational CASSCF and CASPT2 calculations were performed to investigate the enol --> keto tautomerization in the lowest singlet excited state of the 7-hydroxyquinoline.(NH3)3 cluster. Two different reaction mechanisms were explored.

Towards the design of neutral molecular tweezers for anion recognition.

Molecular tweezers are simple molecular receptors that can be characterized by the presence of two flat pincers separated by a more or less rigid tether. They have the ability to form complexes with a substrate molecule by gripping the substrate between the tips of the tweezers in a similar manner to that of mechanical tweezers. Klärner et al.

Chemical behavior of the biradicaloid (HO...ONO) singlet states of peroxynitrous acid. The oxidation of hydrocarbons, sulfides, and selenides.

Various high levels of theory have been applied to the characterization of two higher lying biradicaloid metastable singlet states of peroxynitrous acid. A singlet minimum (cis-2) was located that had an elongated O-O distance (2.17 A) and was only 12.

Theoretical analysis of peroxynitrous acid: characterization of its elusive biradicaloid (HO...ONO) singlet states.

Various high levels of theory (DFT, QCISD, BD(TQ), and CASSCF) have been applied to the characterization of two higher-lying biradicaloid singlet states of peroxynitrous acid. A singlet minimum (cis-2) was located that had an elongated O-O distance of 2.17 A and was only 14.