Electronic structure, cationic, and excited states of nitrogen-containing spiroborates.

CONTEXT: This paper presents the results of the study of the electronic structure and cationic and excited states of three spiroborate complexes (2-acetylacetonato-1,3,2-benzodioxaborol, its NH- and NMe-derivatives) and three corresponding ligands (acetylacetone, 4-aminopent-3-en-2-one, and 4-methylaminopent-3-en-2-one). Materials based on spiroborates are used in medicine, for example, as a drug carrier. In industry, spiroborate anions are used in ionic liquids and as alternative high performance lubricants. Analysis of experimental and calculated data allowed determining the influence of functional groups on the parameters of the electronic structure and energy of electronic transitions. Compared to acetylacetone and its NH- and NMe-derivatives, the upper filled molecular orbitals of the corresponding spiroborates are stabilized at 0.4-1.7 eV, which is due to the positive charge of the ligand due to the acceptor properties of the dioxyphenylene fragment. Among the studied compounds, when replacing the oxygen atom in the α-position with the NH- or NMe-group, a bathochromic shift of intense bands in the absorption spectra is observed, since the energy intervals between the orbitals of the π3 and π4 ligand are reduced. In addition, in a number of spiroborates, the violation of C2v symmetry when replacing an oxygen atom leads to the appearance of a low-intensity maximum in the long-wave part of the absorption spectrum, due to the π2X → π4 transition. METHOD: Complexes were studied by photoelectron spectroscopy, absorption spectroscopy, and high-level ab initio quantum chemical computations, including the algebraic diagrammatic construction method for the polarization propagator of the second order (ADC(2)), the outer-valence Green's function (OVGF), the density functional theory (DFT), the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and the domain-based local pair natural orbital (EOM-DLPNO) methods. X-ray photoelectronic spectra of two spiroborates in the condensed state were measured using a two-chamber high-vacuum system MXPS XP (Omicron, Germany). UV-visible absorption spectra were recorded using a spectrophotometer 2550 (Shimadzu-UV, Japan). The geometry of all studied compounds was optimized by the DFT/B3LYP/Def2-SVP method. The energy of electron levels in the S0 state and the distribution of electron density at each MO were obtained by the DFT/CAMB3LYP/cc-pVDZ method. The energies of excited states were obtained by the TDDFT/CAMB3LYP/cc-pVDZ, ADC(2)/cc-pVDZ and EOM-DLPNO/cc-pVDZ methods. All DFT and TDDFT calculations were carried out in the GAMESS (US) software computing package. ADC(2) calculations of excited states were performed using the Orca 4.0.1 software package. EOM-DLPNO and OVGF calculations were carried out in the Gaussian 16 software package.

XPS and quantum chemical analysis of 4Me-BODIPY derivatives.

The results of a X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and steady-state absorption spectroscopy study of the electronic structure, and cationic and excited states of a series of 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-substituted BODIPYs (4Me,2R-BODIPYs) are presented. The experimental data were interpreted using high-level ab initio quantum chemical computations, including the algebraic diagrammatic construction method for the polarization propagator of the second order (ADC(2)), the outer-valence Green's function (OVGF) method, the density functional (DFT) approach, and the time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) approach. Substitution effects on the XPS and absorption spectra were determined for 2,6-positions of 4Me,2R-BODIPY pyrrole nuclei (R = H, Br, Bu, benzyl). A very satisfactory performance of the DFT Koopmans theorem analogue was demonstrated with respect to the energy intervals between the electronic levels of 4Me,2R-BODIPY above 13 eV (BHHLYP functional) and the values of the HOMO-LUMO energy gap (ωB97X functional).

Photoelectron spectra and electronic structure of boron diacetate formazanates.

The electronic structure and cationic states of two 1,5-diphenylformazanes and two boron diacetate (B(OAc)2) formazanates were modeled using the outer valence Green's function (OVGF) and density functional theory (DFT) methods. Comparison of data of the OVGF and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) methods made it possible to determine an effect of functional groups and complexing agents on energies of cationic states. Addition of NO2-group at the γ-position of the chelate cycle causes stabilization of levels the five upper occupied molecular orbitals (MO) and destabilization of the bonding orbital π3Ph + π3 level. The levels of MOs π3Ph-π3 and n- are stabilized due to influence of the complexing agent B(OAc)2, with a difference in the shift of 0.67 eV. The ionization energies (In) changes for the π-orbitals of benzene rings are within the error of the OVGF method. Under methylation of phenyl groups, the differences between the calculated In, corresponding to the π-orbitals of aromatic substituents, are in good agreement with the experimental In shifts at transition from benzene to toluene. According to the OVGF method, in all the studied complexes the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) is localized mainly on the chelate cycle and has a strong acceptor character, which should contribute the low-lying charge-transfer electronic excitations. Moreover, an application of the DFT analog of the Koopmans' theorem with the BHHLYP and B2PLYP functionals made it possible to determine qualitatively a sequence of cationic states and energy intervals between them in the spectral range up to 10 eV. The DFT/wB97x/cc-pVTZ method data on the energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and LUMO levels correlate with the OVGF/cc-pVTZ calculation results.

Halide Perovskite-Derived Compounds Rb2TeX6 (X = Cl, Br, and I): Electronic Structure of the Ground and First Excited States.

Herein, we report a study of the electronic structure of the ground and first excited states of Rb2TeCl6, Rb2TeBr6, and Rb2TeI6 halide-perovskite-derived crystals. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements and density functional theory and multiconfiguration self-consistent field (MCSCF) calculations, the experimental and theoretical XPS spectra of the valence region were obtained. In addition, the effects of the cations and halogen atoms on the electronic structure were determined, and the classification of the excited states in double point group representation was carried out. Furthermore, a possible reason for the luminescence quenching in an isostructural series of crystals containing the [TeI6]2- anions was determined.

Spectroscopic and quantum chemical study of difluoroboron ß-diketonate luminophores: Isomeric acetylnaphtholate chelates.

The electronic structure and optical properties of the isomeric difluoroboron ß-diketonates, 2,2-difluoro-4-methylnaphtho-[2,1-e]-1,3,2-dioxaborin (I) and 2,2-difluoro-4-methylnaphtho-[1,2-e]-1,3,2-dioxaborin (II), were studied by means of X-ray photoelectron, absorption and luminescence spectroscopies. The experimental results were interpreted using high-level ab initio quantum chemical computations, including the algebraic-diagrammatic construction method for the polarization propagator of the second and third orders (ADC(2) and ADC(3)), the outer-valence Green's function (OVGF) method, and the time-dependent density functional (TDDFT) approach. The X-ray photoelectron measurements were assigned in the entire energy range using the results of the Kohn-Sham orbital calculations which employed the B3LYP functional. Pronounced hypsochromic shift of crystal-state fluorescence was observed in I upon the lowering of temperature, which can be explained by the deterioration of the conditions for excimers formation. According to our results, remarkable feature of II, absent in I, is its phosphorescence at room temperature. Basing on our calculations, a decay mechanism for the S1 state was proposed, explaining the observed differences in the phosphorescence of I and II.

Correction: Ab initio calculation of energy levels of trivalent lanthanide ions.

Correction for 'Ab initio calculation of energy levels of trivalent lanthanide ions' by Alexandra Ya. Freidzon et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018, 20, 14564-14577.

Ab initio calculation of energy levels of trivalent lanthanide ions.

The energy levels of Ln3+ ions are known to be only slightly dependent on the ion environment. This allows one to predict the spectra of f-f transitions in Ln3+ complexes using group theory and simple semiempirical models: Russell-Saunders scheme for spin-orbit coupling, ligand-field theory for the splitting of the electronic levels, and Judd-Ofelt parameterization for reproducing the intensity of f-f transitions. Nevertheless, a fully ab initio computational scheme employing no empirical parameterization and suitable for any asymmetrical environment of Ln3+ would be instructive. Here we present such a scheme based on the multireference SA-CASSCF/XMCQPDT2/SO-CASSCF (state-averaged complete active space SCF, quasi-degenerate perturbation theory, and spin-orbit CASSCF) approach for trivalent lanthanide ions from Ce3+ (4f1) to Yb3+ (4f13). To achieve the most accurate results, we analyse the factors that influence the accuracy of the calculation: basis set size, state averaging scheme, effect of the low-spin states on the energy gap between the high-spin states (e.g., effect of triplets on the septet-quintet gaps in f6 or f8 configurations), and radial and angular correlations in the 4f shell. Our calculated energy levels agree well with the experimental values. We have shown that low-lying highest-spin and second-highest spin states are reproduced very well, while for higher-lying states the accuracy of the calculation decreases. The procedure was verified by calculating optical emission spectra of NaYF4:Eu,Tb; YAG:Eu,Tb; and Tb(acac)3bpm (bpm is 2,2'-bipyridine, acac is acetylacetonate, and YAG is yttrium aluminium garnet). For these compounds ligand-field induced electric-dipole transition intensities were calculated.

Boron difluoride dibenzoylmethane derivatives: Electronic structure and luminescence.

Electronic structure and optical properties of boron difluoride dibenzoylmethanate and four of its derivatives have been studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, absorption and luminescence spectroscopy and quantum chemistry (DFT, TDDFT). The relative quantum luminescence yields have been revealed to correlate with charge transfers of HOMO-LUMO transitions, energy barriers of aromatic substituents rotation and the lifetime of excited states in the investigated complexes. The bathochromic shift of intensive bands in the optical spectra has been observed to occur when the functional groups are introduced into p-positions of phenyl cycles due to destabilizing HOMO levels. Calculated energy intervals between electronic levels correlate well with XPS spectra structure of valence and core electrons.

Electronic Structure and Optical Properties of Boron Difluoride Dibenzoylmethane Derivatives.

Electronic structure and optical properties of boron difluoride dibenzoylmethanate BF2Dbm and its four derivatives were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, absorption and luminescence spectroscopy, and quantum chemistry (DFT and TDDFT). In a series of the studied compounds, the relationship of molecular design and optical properties has been revealed. At the transition from BF2Dbm to BF2Dbm(OCH3)2, the HOMO-LUMO energy gap decreases, resulting in a bathochromic shift of the optical spectra. Substitution of one methoxy group by the nitro group in BF2Dbm(OCH3)2 causes a decrease in the contribution of the chelate ring π-orbital in the LUMO, resulting in a lower value of charge transfer from the substituents to the chelate ring in the case of the first excited state, which determines the characteristics of the main absorption bands. The nitro group transition from the m- to p-position of the benzene ring causes a change in the nature of the main bands of the optical spectra due to the increase of the splitting value of the LUMO and LUMO+1 levels. The main band in the optical spectra of the complex containing the C10H7 group is associated with the charge transfer transitions.