Search for: All records

Abstract The structure and reactivity of methylaluminoxane (MAO), a reagent of major interest for olefin polymerization, both industrially and academically, has been probed using ultrahigh magnetic field solid‐state NMR (28.2 T, 1200 MHz for¹H Larmor frequency). High resolution methods combined with density functional calculations allowed for the identification and quantification of five major aluminum sites, providing precise information on the structure of MAO at the molecular level. Based on reactivity studies with THF and [ZrCp₂Me₂], the main reactive centers are identified as bismethyl aluminum species stabilized via a bridging methyl group from a neighboring Al center, featuring both high chemical shift and quadrupolar coupling constants (162 ppm and 27.4 MHz, respectively). This approach demonstrates the ability to monitor the chemistry of MAO with unprecedented precision, enabling a state‐of‐the‐art understanding of its structure and reactivity. 

ABSTRACT Access to benzofuran‐2(3H)‐one derivatives from readily available substrates under mild conditions is crucial in the pharmaceutical and plastics industries. We identified (Z)‐3‐(2‐phenylhydrazineylidene)benzofuran‐2(3H)‐one (P) during the recrystallization of (E)‐2‐(2,2‐dichloro‐1‐(phenyldiazenyl)vinyl)phenol using a 96% ethanol solution. The mechanism of the unexpected substrate conversion leading toPis investigated using density functional calculations. The computations revealed that ethanol is required to initiate the reaction viaTS1E, which involves a concerted deprotonation of ethanol by the basic diaza group of the substrate and an ethoxy group attacking the electrophilic center (Cl₂C), with an energy barrier of 28.3 kcal/mol. The resulting intermediate (I1E) is calculated to be unstable and can yield a cyclic chloroacetal adduct with a lower energy barrier of 2.2 kcal/mol via the ring‐closure transition state (TS2E). In the absence of water, the next steps are impossible because water is required to cleave the ether bond, yieldingP. A small amount of water (4% of the recrystallization solvent) can promote further transformation ofI2Evia the transition statesTS3E(∆G^‡ = 11.1 kcal/mol) andTS4E(∆G^‡ = 10.5 kcal/mol). A comparison of the ethanol/water‐ and only water‐promoted free energy profiles shows that the presence of ethanol is crucial for lowering the energy barriers (by about 5 kcal/mol) for the initial two steps leading to the cyclic chloroacetal (I2E), whereas water is then required to initiate product formation. 

Abstract This computational study explores the copper (I) chloride catalyzed synthesis of (E)‐1‐(2,2‐dichloro‐1‐phenylvinyl)‐2‐phenyldiazene (2Cl‐VD) from readily available hydrazone derivative and carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄).2Cl‐VDhas been extensively utilized to synthesize variety of heterocyclic organic compounds in mild conditions. The present computational investigations primarily focus on understanding the role of copper (I) andN¹,N¹,N²,N²‐tetramethylethane‐1,2‐diamine (TMEDA) in this reaction, TMEDA often being considered a proton scavenger by experimentalists. Considering TMEDA as a ligand significantly alters the energy barrier. In fact, it is only 8.3 kcal/mol higher compared to the ligand‐free (LF) route for the removal of a chlorine atom to form the radical·CCl₃but the following steps are almost barrierless. This intermediate then participates in attacking the electrophilic carbon in the hydrazone. Crucially, the study reveals that the overall potential energy surface is thermodynamically favorable, and the theoretical turnover frequency (TOF) value is higher in the case of Cu(I)‐TMEDA complex catalyzed pathway. 

Abstract Contents 1. Introduction- Methods and software for electronic structure based simulations of chemistry and materials 2. Density Functional Theory: Formalism and Current Directions 3. Density functional methods - implementation, challenges, successes 4. Green’s function based many-body perturbation theory 5. Wave-function theory approaches – explicit approaches to electron correlation 6. Quantum Monte Carlo and stochastic electronic structure methods 7. Heavy element relativity, spin-orbit physics, and magnetism 8. Semiempirical methods 9. Simulating Nuclear Dynamics with Quantum Effects 10. Real-Time Propagation in Electronic Structure Theory 11. Spectroscopy 12. Tools for exploring potential energy surfaces 13. Managing complex computational workflows 14. Current and Future Computer Architectures 15. Electronic structure software engineering 16. Education and Training in Electronic Structure Theory: Navigating an Evolving Landscape 17. Electronic structure theory facing industry and realistic modeling of experiments 18. List of Acronyms 

The properties of chiral donor–acceptor systems displaying CPL sign inversion are investigated in solvents of different polarity. The solvent enables control of their deexcitation pathways favoring either locally excited or charge-transfer states.