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At least 919 records · Page 51

Bond dissociation energies of low-valent lanthanide hydroxides: lower limits from ion–molecule reactions and comparisons with fluorides

Despite that bond dissociation energies (BDEs) are among the most fundamental and relevant chemical properties they remain poorly characterized for most elementary lanthanide hydroxides and halides. Lanthanide ions Ln + = Eu + , Tm + and Yb + are here shown to react with H 2 O to yield hydroxides LnOH + . Additionally, under low-energy conditions such reactions must be exothermic, which implies a lower limit of 499 kJ mol -1 for the Ln + –OH BDEs. This limit is significantly higher than previously reported for YbOH + and is unexpectedly similar to the BDE for Yb + –F. To explain this apparent anomaly, it is considered feasible that the inefficient hydrolysis reactions observed here in a quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer may actually be endothermic. More definitive and broad-based evaluations and comparisons require additional and more reliable BDEs and ionization energies for key lanthanide molecules, and/or energies for ligand-exchange reactions like LnF + OH ↔ LnOH + F. The hydroxide results motivated an assessment of currently available lanthanide monohalide BDEs. Among several intriguing relationships is the distinctively higher BDE for neutral LuF versus cationic LuF + , though quantifying this comparison awaits a more accurate value for the anomalously high ionization energy of LuF.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Machine learning dielectric screening for the simulation of excited state properties of molecules and materials

Accurate and efficient calculations of absorption spectra of molecules and materials are essential for the understanding and rational design of broad classes of systems. Solving the Bethe–Salpeter equation (BSE) for electron–hole pairs usually yields accurate predictions of absorption spectra, but it is computationally expensive, especially if thermal averages of spectra computed for multiple configurations are required. We present a method based on machine learning to evaluate a key quantity entering the definition of absorption spectra: the dielectric screening. We show that our approach yields a model for the screening that is transferable between multiple configurations sampled during first principles molecular dynamics simulations; hence it leads to a substantial improvement in the efficiency of calculations of finite temperature spectra. We obtained computational gains of one to two orders of magnitude for systems with 50 to 500 atoms, including liquids, solids, nanostructures, and solid/liquid interfaces. Importantly, the models of dielectric screening derived here may be used not only in the solution of the BSE but also in developing functionals for time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations of homogeneous and heterogeneous systems. Overall, our work provides a strategy to combine machine learning with electronic structure calculations to accelerate first principles simulations of excited-state properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Three individually addressable spin qubits in a single molecule

Here, an asymmetric bis-phenol-β-diketone (H 4 L) has been designed as a ligand programmed to promote the assembly of a molecular arrangement composed of three magnetically exchanged [NiCu] pairs, each exhibiting an S = 1/2 spin. The latter are shown by EPR and magnetometry to be good qubit realizations and non-equivalent within the molecule in the solid state, as required for conditional quantum gates.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Selective photo-excitation of molecules enabled by stimulated Raman pre-excitation

Double resonance excitation, where the energies of vibrational and electronic molecular transitions are combined in a single, sequential excitation process, was introduced in the 1970s but has only been recently applied to microscopy due to the immense progress in Raman spectroscopy. The value of the technique is in combining the chemical selectivity of IR or Raman excitation with the much larger cross-sections of electronic transitions. Recently, it has been shown to be particularly suited for the detection and identification of chromophores at low concentrations and in the presence of spectral crosstalk. However, despite its low quantum yield per pulse sequence, we believe the technique has potential for selective photochemical transformations. There are some cases (e.g., the selective excitation of optogenetic switches) where the low yield may be overcome by repeated excitations to build up biochemically relevant concentrations. Here we show that double resonance excitation using general, non-resonant Raman pre-excitation is a viable candidate for selectively promoting molecules to chemically active energy levels. Further, the use of non-resonant Raman pre-excitation is less constraining than resonant Raman (used in previous double resonance microscopy works) since the choice of Raman pump-Stokes frequencies may be rather freely chosen.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Locking water molecules via ternary O–H⋯O intramolecular hydrogen bonds in perhydroxylated closo -dodecaborate

A multitude of applications related to perhydroxylated closo-dodecaborate B 12 (OH) 12 2− in the condensed phase are inseparable from the fundamental mechanisms underlying the high water orientation selectivity based on the base B 12 (OH) 12 2− . Herein, we directly compare the structural evolution of water clusters, ranging from monomer to hexamer, oriented by functional groups in the bases B 12 H 12 2− , B 12 H 11 OH 2− and B 12 (OH) 12 2− using multiple theoretical methods. A significant revelation is made regarding B 12 (OH) 12 2− : each additional water molecule is locked into the intramolecular hydrogen bond B–O–H ternary ring in an embedded form. This new pattern of water cluster growth suggests that B–(H–O)⋯H–O interactions prevail over the competition from water–hydrogen bonds (O⋯H–O), distinguishing it from the behavior observed in B 12 H 12 2− and B 12 H 11 OH 2− bases, in which competition arises from a mixed competing model involving dihydrogen bonds (B–H⋯H–O), conventional hydrogen bonds (B–(H–O)⋯H–O) and water hydrogen bonds (O⋯H–O). Through aqueous solvation and ab initio molecular dynamics analysis, we further demonstrate the largest water clusters in the first hydrated shell with exceptional thermodynamic stability around B 12 (OH) 12 2− . These findings provide a solid scientific foundation for the design of boron cluster chemistry incorporating hydroxyl-group-modified borate salts with potential implications for various applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗