Showing papers by "Paul von Ragué Schleyer published in 2008"

Infrared spectroscopy of gas phase C3H5+: The allyl and 2-propenyl cations

Abstract: C3H5+ cations are probed with infrared photodissociation spectroscopy in the 800-3500 cm(-1) region using the method of rare gas tagging. The ions and their complexes with Ar or N2 are produced in a pulsed electric discharge supersonic expansion cluster source. Two structural isomers are characterized, namely, the allyl (CH2CHCH2+) and 2-propenyl (CH3CCH2+) cations. The infrared spectrum of the allyl cation confirms previous theoretical and condensed phase studies of the C(2nu) charge delocalized, resonance-stabilized structure. The 2-propenyl cation spectrum is consistent with a C(s) symmetry structure having a nearly linear CCC backbone and a hyperconjugatively stabilizing methyl group.

Density functional theory studies of inorganic metallocene multidecker V(n)(P(6))(n+1) (n=1-4) sandwich clusters.

Abstract: Motivated by the synthesis of the first entirely inorganic metallocene sandwich ion [eta(5)-Ti-(P(5))(2)](2-) [E. Urnezius et al. Science 295, 832 (2002)], we have designed a new inorganic metallocene sandwich [eta(6)-V-(P(6))(2)] and multidecker sandwich clusters up to V(4)(P(6))(5) by employing an all electron gradient-corrected density functional theory. The binding energies of the V(n)(P(6))(n+1) complexes increase rapidly from half sandwich to the smallest full sandwich and become gradually afterwards. The highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gap and the vertical ionization energy decrease with increasing cluster size. The V(n)(P(6))(n+1) clusters are nonferromagnetic and prefer the lowest available spin states. The smallest sandwich cluster, V(P(6))(2), has the high stability and might serve as a building block for one-dimensional inorganic polymers with high stabilities.