Structure and nonlinear optical properties of copper phthalocyanine thin films

This paper describes a joint study of the structure and nonlinear optical properties of vacuum evaporated thin films of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc for brevity). Film thickness ranges from 50 to 500 nm. The anisotropic paramagnetic resonance of Cu⁺⁺ ions reveals that the Pc rings lie almost parallel to the substrate plane with however a large angular distribution (30° FWHM). Third harmonic optical generation measurements performed at 1.064 m and 1.907 m fundamental wavelengths give respectively an average value of the cubic susceptibility ⁽³⁾(-3,)=(4±0.4)·10^–12 e.s.u. and (2.1+-0.2) · 10^-12 These values, although significantly higher than for a common ionic crystal, are about one order of magnitude lower than in conjugated 1-D systems, which shows that the 2-D -electron delocalization is less profitable than the 1-D one. Besides third harmonic, we have also observed second harmonic generation. Its polarization dependence is characteristic of a quadratic susceptibility enhanced in one direction, almost perpendicular to the substrate, withd _eff comprised between 30 and 60 · 10^-9 e.s.u. The possible origins ofd _eff are discussed.     

Linear and nonlinear optical properties of azobenzene derivatives

The results of computations of spectroscopic parameters of lowest–lying electronic excited states of azobenezene derivatives are presented. The analysis of experimentally recorded spectra was supported by quantum chemical calculations using density functional theory. The theoretically determined resonant (two-photon absorption probabilities) and non-resonant (first-order hyperpolarisability) nonlinear optical properties are also discussed, with an eye towards the performance of recently proposed long-range corrected (LRC) schemes (LC–BLYP and CAM–B3LYP functionals). Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Reaction mechanism of the binuclear zinc enzyme glyoxalase II - A theoretical study

The glyoxalase system catalyzes the conversion of toxic methylglyoxal to nontoxic d-lactic acid using glutathione (GSH) as a coenzyme. Glyoxalase II (GlxII) is a binuclear Zn enzyme that catalyzes the second step of this conversion, namely the hydrolysis of S-d-lactoylglutathione, which is the product of the Glyoxalase I (GlxI) reaction. In this paper we use density functional theory method to investigate the reaction mechanism of GlxII. A model of the active site is constructed on the basis of the X-ray crystal structure of the native enzyme. Stationary points along the reaction pathway are optimized and the potential energy surface for the reaction is calculated. The calculations give strong support to the previously proposed mechanism. It is found that the bridging hydroxide is capable of performing nucleophilic attack at the substrate carbonyl to form a tetrahedral intermediate. This step is followed by a proton transfer from the bridging oxygen to Asp58 and finally C-S bond cleavage. The roles of the two zinc ions in the reaction mechanism are analyzed. Zn2 is found to stabilize the charge of tetrahedral intermediate thereby lowering the barrier for the nucleophilic attack, while Zn1 stabilizes the charge of the thiolate product, thereby facilitating the C-S bond cleavage. Finally, the energies involved in the product release and active-site regeneration are estimated and a new possible mechanism is suggested.     

Synthesis and investigation of spectral and electrochemical properties of alkyl-substituted planar binuclear phthalocyanine complexes sharing a common naphthalene ring

Hexa-tert-butyl and dodeca-n-butyl-substituted planar binuclear phthalocyanines sharing a common naphthalene ring with Mg as a central metal were synthesized with high yields and characterized by UV/Vis spectra, luminescence spectra, NMR, electrochemical, and spectroelectrochemical measurements. On the base of these complexes, the metal-free phthalocyanine ligands and the series of binuclear phthalocyanine complexes of rare earth elements (REE) were synthesized.All compounds obtained revealed an intensive near IR-absorption reaching 855 nm for trinuclear phthalocyanine. A crucial increase in NMR spectra resolution was achieved by the addition of ethylene glycol as a disaggregating agent. Spectroelectrochemical measurements during oxidation showed reversible changes of absorbance at 709 and 800 nm.     

A DFT study on the second-order nonlinear optical properties of the plenary mixed-metal polyoxometalate

The redox and second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of organic–inorganic hybrid polyoxoanions [LNbOEMe₃]^3 ? , [LNbOEPh₃]^3 ?  (L = α-{PW₁₁O₃₉}^7 ? , E = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb) are investigated by density functional theory method. The element substitution effects on the molecular nonlinear response have been analysed. The results show that the computed β₀ values depend on both E (E = Si < Ge < Sn < Pb) and the organic groups connected with E. For [LNbOEPh₃]^3 ?  (L = α-{PW₁₁O₃₉}^7 ? , E = Si, Ge, Sn, Pb), the analysis of major contributions to β₀ value suggests that the charge transfer from organic group to Keggin polyanion plays the key role in NLO response; the polyanion acts as a donor, whereas the organic group acts as an acceptor in [LNbOEPh₃]^3 ? . Our results show that this kind of organic–inorganic hybrid compound possesses larger molecular second-order polarisability and might be a potential NLO material.     

Synthesis, X-ray crystal structures and linear and nonlinear optical characterization of a series of nickel(II) and copper(II) salicylaldiminato complexes

A series of nickel(II) and copper(II) salicylaldiminato complexes containing side arms with either potentially coordinating (OH) or non-coordinating (Cl) functional groups have been prepared and characterized by X-ray crystallography. The Cu(II) complexes are square planar, but the Ni(II) complexes prefer octahedral coordination. Linear absorption spectra depend on the metal and on its coordination geometry, with the octahedral Ni(II) complexes being the most weakly absorbing at 532 nm and the square planar Cu(II) complexes being the most strongly absorbing at 532 nm. The third-order nonlinear optical properties of the complexes have been characterized using degenerate four-wave mixing (DFWM) and Z-scan. Two different Z-scan experimental configurations were used, one of which employs a Gaussian beam in a tightly focused geometry while the other employs a top-hat beam and a more relaxed focus. The observed third-order optical nonlinearity is primarily due to transient thermal (photo-acoustic) effects associated with linear absorption in the samples. The dependence of the third-order nonlinear optical properties on the linear absorption means that the nonlinear optical properties vary substantially between the complexes even though they all contain the same chromophore. The hyperpolarizability of one of the complexes, γ = 1.3 × 10⁻³⁰ esu, rivals the nonlinearities measured at 532 nm in expanded porphyrin and phthalocyanine complexes.     

Synthesis, electrochemistry and spectroscopic properties of ruthenium phthalocyanine and naphthalocyanine complexes with triphenylarsine ligands

The synthesis, electrochemistry and spectroscopic properties of [PcRu(AsPh₃)₂] (1) and [{(tBu)₄Nc}Ru(AsPh₃)₂] (2), where Pc = phthalocyanine and Nc = naphthalocyanine are reported. These complexes are the first examples of metal phthalocyanine and naphthalocyanine complexes with axially-coordinated arsine ligands. The AsPh₃ ligands readily dissociate in non-coordinating solvents with 2 showing more rapid dissociation. In cyclic voltammetry experiments, 1 displayed three macrocycle-centred redox processes; one reduction and two oxidation processes. One reduction and three oxidation processes were observed for 2. The reduction and first oxidation are assigned to macrocycle-centred processes. The UV-Vis spectra of both complexes recorded over time showed macrocycle-centred oxidation. The oxidation was hindered by removing dioxygen from the solvent or adding excess AsPh₃.     

DFT study of linear and nonlinear optical properties of donor-acceptor substituted stilbenes, azobenzenes and benzilideneanilines

A theoretical analysis of the linear and nonlinear optical properties of six push–pull π-conjugated molecules with stilbene, azobenzene and benzilideneaniline as a backbone is presented. The photophysical properties of the investigated systems were determined by using response functions combined with density functional theory (DFT). Several different exchange-correlation potentials were applied in order to determine parameters describing the one- and two-photon spectra of the studied molecules. In particular, the recently proposed Coulomb-attenuated model (CAM-B3LYP) was used to describe charge-transfer (CT) excited states. In order to compare theoretical predictions with available experimental data, calculations with inclusion of solvent effects were performed. The BLYP and the CAM-B3LYP functionals were found to yield values of two-photon absorption (TPA) probabilities closer to experimental values than the B3LYP functional or the HF wavefunction. Moreover, molecular static hyperpolarisabilities were determined using both DFT and second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation (MP2) theory. Likewise, the CAM-B3LYP functional was found to outperform other applied exchange-correlation potentials in determining first hyperpolarisability (β). Moreover, it was confirmed on a purely theoretical basis that the presence of a –C=C– bridge between the phenyl rings leads to a much larger nonlinear optical response in comparison with a –N=N– bridge.     

Dipeptide hydrolysis by the dinuclear zinc enzyme human renal dipeptidase: Mechanistic insights from DFT calculations

The reaction mechanism of the dinuclear zinc enzyme human renal dipeptidase is investigated using hybrid density functional theory. This enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of dipeptides and β-lactam antibiotics. Two different protonation states in which the important active site residue Asp288 is either neutral or ionized were considered. In both cases, the bridging hydroxide is shown to be capable of performing the nucleophilic attack on the substrate carbonyl carbon from its bridging position, resulting in the formation of a tetrahedral intermediate. This step is followed by protonation of the dipeptide nitrogen, coupled with C-N bond cleavage. The calculations establish that both cases have quite feasible energy barriers. When the Asp288 is neutral, the hydrolytic reaction occurs with a large exothermicity. However, the reaction becomes very close to thermoneutral with an ionized Asp288. The two zinc ions are shown to play different roles in the reaction. Zn1 binds the amino group of the substrate, and Zn2 interacts with the carboxylate group of the substrate, helping in orienting it for the nucleophilic attack. In addition, Zn2 stabilizes the oxyanion of the tetrahedral intermediate, thereby facilitating the nucleophilic attack.     

Synthesis, crystal structure, and second-order nonlinear optical properties of [N,N-bis(1H-pyrrol-2-ylmethylene)-1,2-benzenediaminato]nickel(II) Schiff base complexes

The synthesis, characterization, crystal structure, thermal stability, optical spectroscopic, electronic structure, and second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of a novel class of materials, based on planar [N₄]Ni(II) complexes, are reported. The single-crystal X-ray structure of the dichloro derivative indicates a planar structure of the molecule. The Ni(II) ion is tetracoordinated in a square planar environment, with the four nitrogen atoms as donors. The unsubstituted derivative exhibits efficiency 1.2 times that of urea in second-harmonic generation at 1.9 μm. INDO/SCI-SOS quantum-chemical calculations predict a sizeable molecular response and a significant octupolar contribution to optical nonlinearity.     

Potential transition-state analogs for glycosyltransferases. Design and DFT calculations of conformational behavior

The structure of a previously calculated transition state (TS) was used to design the [tetrahydro-2-(methylthio)furan-2-yl]methyl phosphate dianion (1) as a new scaffold for transition-state analogs of reactions catalyzed by the inverting glycosyltransferases. This scaffold contains relevant features of the donor and acceptor and represents a new type of potential inhibitors for these enzymes. Available conformational space of 1 was explored using DFT quantum chemical methods by means of two-dimensional potential-energy maps calculated as a function of Phi, Psi, and omega dihedral angles at the B3LYP/6-31+G* level. The calculated potential energy surfaces revealed the existence of several low-energy domains. Structures from these regions were refined at the 6-311++G** level and led to 14 conformers. The stability of conformers is influenced by their environment, and in aqueous solution two conformers dominate the equilibrium. A superposition of calculated conformers with the predicted TS structure revealed that the preferred conformers in solution nicely mimic structural features of the TS. These results imply that 1 has structural properties required to mimic the TS and therefore can be used as a scaffold for further development of TS-analog inhibitors for retaining glycosyltransferases.     

Structural properties of sH hydrate: a DFT study of anisotropy and equation of state

ABSTRACT

Structure-H (sH) hydrate is one of the canonical gas hydrates with significant potential applications and scarce characterised material properties despite the wide knowledge available on other gas hydrates. In this work we characterise some of the important physical properties of this hydrate at the atomistic level using Density Functional Theory. Two exchange-correlation functionals (revPBE and DRSLL) were used to simulate six sH hydrate systems encapsulating neohexane and different help gas molecules. The important role of dispersion forces is quantified. The density and isothermal bulk modulus of sH hydrate are higher when dispersion interactions are considered. The presence of those interactions imposes a direct relationship between the hydrate density and its bulk modulus, while their absence reveals the bulk modulus dependency on hydrogen bond density. Anisotropy is a distinguishing feature of this hydrate in distinction to nearly isotropic sI and sII hydrates. Structure-H hydrate experiences a compressional anisotropy in which the a-lattice and the c-lattice constants respond differently to applied pressure showing less compressibility along the c-axis. This compressional anisotropy was found dependant on the chemistry of help gas molecules. Taken together, these property characterisation results and analysis are a significant and novel contribution to the material physics of sH hydrates.     

Synthesis and high ranked NLT properties of new sulfonamide-substituted indium phthalocyanines

The synthesis and characterization of three new indium phthalocyanines bearing eight N-alkyl- or N-arylsulfonamide groups is described. The new compounds are {2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis[4-(4-methoxyphenylaminosulfonyl]phenoxy]phthalocyaninato}indium(III) chloride (7), {2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis[4-diethylaminosulfonyl)phenoxy]phthalocyaninato}indium(III) chloride (8) and {2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis[4-didodecylaminosulfonyl)phenoxy]phthalocyaninato}indium(III) chloride (9), and were obtained in 23-49% yields. The precursors of phthalocyanines 7-9 are sulfonamide-substituted phthalonitriles that can be prepared by reacting 4,5-bis(4-chlorosulfonylphenoxy)phthalonitrile (3) with amines. The nonlinear transmission (NLT) of complexes 7-9 was determined at 532 nm using ns pulses. All three phthalocyanines behave as reverse saturable absorbers with increasing efficiency of optical limiting in the order 7 < 8 < 9. A comparative analysis of the NLT results is attempted in terms of the structural differences in 7-9.     

Asymmetric binuclear titanocenes linked by alkyl benzyl ethers: Synthesis, characterization and use as catalysts for ethylene polymerization

A series of novel asymmetric binuclear titanocenes linked with alkyl benzyl ethers p-[(C₅H₅TiCl₂)C₅H₄CH₂]C₆H₄O(CH₂)_n[C₅H₄(TiCl₂C₅H₅)] (n = 2-5) (13-16) have been synthesized by treating p-(LiC₅H₄CH₂)C₆H₄O(CH₂)_n(C₅H₄Li) (n = 2-5) (9-12) with C₅H₅TiCl₃. The new complexes have been characterized by elemental analysis and NMR spectra. Their catalytic activity for ethylene polymerization was investigated in the presence of aluminoxane (MAO). The results show that 13-16 are efficient catalysts for producing polyethylene (PE) with a broad molecular weight distribution (MWD). Their catalytic activity is highly dependent on the length of the alkyl chain and the polymerization conditions. A longer alkyl chain increases the catalytic activity, whereas the molecular weight of the produced polyethylene decreases.     

5-Aryl-1-ferrocenylpenta-1,4-dien-3-ones: Synthesis, structures, electrochemistry and third-order nonlinear optical properties

A simple method of synthesis of 5-aryl-1-ferrocenylpenta-1,4-dien-3-ones 5a-e is described. It consists of the condensation of 3-ferrocenylmethylidenepentane-2,4-dione with arenecarboxaldehydes in the presence of an aqueous alkali. Electrochemical and optical properties of the obtained ferrocenyl-containing dienones were studied. It was found that a reversible electron transfer Fc/Fc⁺ takes place in all compounds. In addition, a particular redox behavior of the pyridine moiety Py⁻/Py was detected in the molecule trans-/trans-1-ferrocenyl-5-p-pyridylpenta-1,4-diene-3-one 5c. The cubic nonlinear behavior of the synthesized compounds was tested in solid state at the wavelength range of 1100-1800 nm (telecommunications window). The third-order nonlinear susceptibility χ⁽³⁾(−3ω, ω, ω, ω), measured for polymer films doped with 30 wt.% of aryl(ferrocenyl)penta-1,4-dien-3-ones, was in the range of 1 and 2 × 10⁻¹² esu. Compounds 5a, 5b, 5d and 5e showed, within the experimental error, very similar values for χ⁽³⁾, which means that the phenyl (compound 5a), the p-methoxyphenyl (p-anisyl) (compound 5b), the ferrocenyl (compound 5d), and the p-fluorophenyl (compound 5e) groups give similar behavior for the third-order nonlinearities independently of the electronic effects of these substituents. On the other hand, the nonlinearities were partially enhanced by three-photon resonance.     

Solution structure of molybdic acid from Raman spectroscopy and DFT analysis

Protonation of produces the well-characterized polymolybdates, but at concentrations below 10⁻³ M the dominant species is monomeric molybdic acid, H₂MoO₄. It is likely to be the species adsorbed on manganese oxide, a process thought to control levels in the ocean, because of the strong proton dependence of adsorption. The molecular structure of H₂MoO₄ is elusive, since it occurs only in dilute solutions. Using 244 nm laser excitation, near resonance with O → Mo charge-transfer electronic transitions of H₂MoO₄, we have detected a 919 cm⁻¹ Raman band assignable to ν_sMoO. Using DFT, we have computed geometries and vibrational modes for the various structures consistent with the H₂MoO₄ formula. We tested the computations on a series of Mo(VI) oxo complexes with known vibrational frequencies, at several levels of theory. Best agreement with experimental values, at reasonable computational cost, was obtained with the B3LYP functional, employing a LANL2DZ ECP basis set for Mo and the 6-311+G(2df,p) basis set for O and H. Among the possible H₂MoO₄ structures only those based on the MoO₃ unit, with one, two or three coordinated water molecules, gave a scaled frequency for ν_sMoO that was within two standard deviations of 919 cm⁻¹. Best agreement was obtained for MoO₃(H₂O)₃. The MoO₂ and MoO structures gave frequencies that were too high. The Mo(OH)₆ structure could be excluded, because its vibrational frequencies shift down strongly upon H/D exchange, whereas the 919 cm⁻¹H₂MoO₄ band shifts up 1 cm⁻¹ in D₂O.     

DFT: a dynamic study of the interaction of ethanol and methanol with platinum

The interaction between alcohol molecules and platinum (Pt) was studied using molecular dynamics (MD; Born-Oppenheimer method). Alcohol molecules like ethanol and methanol present a similar molecular structure, with a methyl group (CH₃) at one end and a fragment of hydroxyl (OH) at the other. This fact generates two orientations that are considered in the interaction with Pt. The MD calculation results for these two orientations indicate a preferential orientation due to energy interactions. A plausible reaction mechanism that takes into account the interaction between Pt and alcohol is presented. The charge transference obtained from the Pt–alcohol interaction was also analyzed. The energy for the two orientations was calculated by indicating the preferential orientation. The methyl and hydroxyl groups are involved in heterolytic breakage of hydrogen bonds, joined to a carbon atom in the former and to an oxygen atom in the latter; however, the methyl group reaction seems to be the most important.     

Electronic analysis of vanadium and iron complexes containing distorted aromatic rings

Aromatic rings can suffer severe distortions upon substituting transition metal centers with certain kinds of organometallic compounds. This property is very interesting because aromaticity can remain despite the deformation. Theoretical calculations at the density functional theory level were carried out on two such structures containing vanadium and iron centres [(C₅H₅-V-H)₂C₆H₆ and (CpFe)₂C₆(CH₃)₆] in order to analyze the nature of the bonds as well as the magnitude of the prevalent aromaticity and how this depends on the electronic characteristics around each metal atom. The analysis of aromaticity was carried out on the basis of known methods, such as HOMA and FLU, with consistent results. The results also show features that suggest a possible catalytic behavior of the species under study. Figure Molecules under study     

Investigation of intermolecular hydrogen bond interactions in crystalline l-Cysteine by DFT calculations of the oxygen-17, nitrogen-14, and hydrogen-2 EFG tensors and AIM analysis

A systematic computational study is carried out to investigate hydrogen bond (HB) interactions in the real crystalline structures of l-Cysteine at 30 and 298 K by density functional theory (DFT) calculations of electric field gradient (EFG) tensors at the sites of O-17, N-14, and H-2 nuclei. One-molecule (monomer) and nine-molecule (cluster) models of l-Cysteine are created by available crystal coordinates at both temperatures and the EFG tensors are calculated for both models to indicate the effect of HB interactions on the tensors. The calculated EFG tensors at the level of B3LYP and B3PW91 DFT methods and 6-311++G?? and cc-pVTZ basis sets are converted to those experimentally measurable nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) parameters i.e. quadrupole coupling constants (qcc) and asymmetry parameters (η_Q). The evaluated NQR parameters reveal that the EFG tensors of ¹⁷O, ¹⁴N, and ²H are influenced and show particular trends from monomer to the target molecule in the cluster due to the contribution of target molecule to classic N–H…O, and non-classic S–H…O and S–H…S types of HB interactions. On the other hand, atoms in molecules (AIM) analyses confirm the presence of HB interactions and rationalize the observed EFG trends. The results indicate different contribution of various nuclei to HB interactions in the cluster where O2 and N1 have major contributions. The EFG tensors as well as AIM analysis at the H6 site show that the N1-H6…O2 HB undergoes a significant change from 30 to 298 K where changes in other N–H…O interactions are almost negligible. There is a good agreement between the calculated ¹⁴N NQR parameters and reported experimental data.