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ABSTRACT: Photoinduced electron transfer processes in dye−semiconductor systems are studied employing a recently proposed method based on a model Hamiltonian where the parameters are determined by first-principles electronic structure calculations. The systems investigated include the molecules pyridine and perylene, which are anchored via phosphonic or carboxylic acid groups to a titanium dioxide nanocluster. The dynamics of the electron injection process is analyzed in some detail. Furthermore, the applicability of different rate theories to characterize the electron transfer dynamics is discussed.
07/2008;
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ABSTRACT: The potential energy surfaces of the first excited triplet state of some ruthenium polypyridyl complexes were investigated by means of density functional theory. Focus was placed on the interaction between the geometrical changes accompanying the photoactivity of these complexes when used as antenna complexes in artificial photosynthesis and dye-sensitized solar cells and the accompanying changes in electronic structure. The loss process (3)MLCT --> (3)MC can be understood by means of ligand-field splitting, traced down to the coordination of the central ruthenium atom.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry A 05/2008; 112(19):4470-6. · 2.95 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A quantum chemical study has been undertaken to elucidate the cause of the recently observed S(H)2 reaction between the deuterated methyl radical (*CD3) and methylsilane (SiD3CH3) following the photolysis of CD3I. [Komaguchi, K.; Norberg, D.; Nakazawa, N.; Shiotani, M.; Persson, P.; Lunell, S. Chem. Phys. Lett. 2005, 410, 1-5.] It is found that the backside S(H)2 mechanism may proceed favorably for C-Si-C angles deviating with up to 40 degrees from linearity. The competitive hydrogen abstraction reaction is predicted to be active in the range of 90 degrees <or= C-Si-C <or= 135 degrees. For steeper attack angles, the frontside S(H)2 mechanism is activated. However, high barriers along the corresponding reaction paths probably make the frontside mechanism less important for the present S(H)2 reaction. A number of bound SiH3CH3/CH3I complexes have been located with the MP2 method. At the CCSD(T) level, a complex corresponding to the collinear arrangement where the methyl moiety of methyl iodide points toward the silicon, which is the most favorable conformation for the subsequent SH2 reaction with the backside mechanism, is found to be the most stable linear conformer. A complex with similar energy is found where the methyl moiety of methyl iodide points approximately toward an Si-H bond. However, because C-Si-C = 69.4 degrees in this complex, subsequent photolysis of methyl iodide would probably not lead to hydrogen abstraction with full efficiency. These findings could provide an explanation for the observed S(H)2 reaction.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry A 02/2008; 112(6):1330-8. · 2.95 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The UV photodissociation of bromo-3-fluorobenzene under collisionless conditions has been studied as a function of the excitation wavelength between 255 and 265 nm. The experiments were performed using ultrafast pump-probe laser spectroscopy. To aid in the interpretation of the results, it was necessary to extend the theoretical framework substantially compared to previous studies, to also include quantum dynamical simulations employing a two-dimensional nuclear Hamiltonian. The nonadiabatic potential energy surfaces (PES) were parameterized against high-level MS-CASTP2 quantum chemical calculations, using both the C-Br distance and the out-of-plane bending of the bromine as nuclear parameters. We show that the wavelength dependence of the photodissociation via the S0-->1pipi*-->1pisigma* channel, accessible with a approximately 260 nm pulse, is captured in this model. We thereby present the first correlation between experiments and theory within the quantitative regime.
The Journal of Chemical Physics 02/2008; 128(3):034307. · 3.33 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The adsorption of perylene derivatives on the rutile TiO2(110) surface was studied by quantum-chemical periodic calculations employing the hybrid HF-DFT functional B3LYP. The perylene molecule, which is a possible constituent of dyes in dye-sensitized solar cells, was functionalized by attachment of phosphonic acid or carboxylic acid groups to permit anchoring to the metal oxide surface. The anchor groups were bound to the molecule directly or via different spacer groups, namely -−CH2−, −CH2−CH2−, and −CHCH−. The effects of the anchor and spacer groups on the adsorption geometry and energy, on the electronic structure of the dye−TiO2 interface, and on the electron transfer rates were investigated. The phosphonic acid anchor group was found to bind the perylene derivatives much more strongly to the surface than the carboxylic acid anchor group. The spacer groups were capable of significantly altering electron transfer rates across the dye−metal oxide interface, where the unsaturated groups permitted injection times in the low femtosecond regime.
07/2007;
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ABSTRACT: Anisotropic electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra are reported for the radical anions of hexafluorocyclopropane (c-C(3)F(6)(-)), octafluorocyclobutane (c-C(4)F(8)(-)), and decafluorocyclopentane (c-C(5)F(10)(-)) generated via gamma-irradiation in plastically crystalline tetramethylsilane (TMS) and rigid 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF) matrices. By combining the analysis of these experimental ESR spectra involving anisotropic hyperfine (hf) couplings with a series of quantum chemical computations, the geometrical and electronic structure of these unusual perfluorocycloalkane radical anions have been characterized more fully than in previous studies that considered only the isotropic couplings. Unrestricted Hartree-Fock (UHF) computations with the 6-311+G(d,p) basis set predict planar ring structures for all three radical anions, the ground electronic states being (2)A(2)(") for c-C(3)F(6)(-) (D(3h) symmetry), (2)A(2u) for c-C(4)F(8)(-) (D(4h)), and (2)A(2)(") for c-C(5)F(10)(-) (D(5h)), in which the respective six, eight, and ten 19F-atoms are equivalent by symmetry. A successful test of the theoretical computation is indicated by the fact that the isotropic 19F hf couplings computed by the B3LYP method with the 6-311+G(2df,p) basis set for the optimized geometries are in almost perfect agreement with the experimental values: viz., 19.8 mT (exp) vs 19.78 mT (calc) for c-C(3)F(6)(-); 14.85 mT (exp) vs 14.84 mT (calc) for c-C(4)F(8)(-); 11.6 mT (exp) vs 11.65 mT (calc) for c-C(5)F(10)(-). Consequently, the same computation method has been applied to calculate the almost axially symmetric anisotropic 19F hf couplings for the magnetically equivalent 19F atoms: (-4.90 mT, -4.84 mT, 9.75 mT) for c-C(3)F(6), (-3.54 mT, -3.48 mT, 7.02 mT) for c-C(4)F(8)(-), and (-2.62 mT, -2.56 mT, 5.18 mT) for c-C(5)F(10)(-). ESR spectral simulations performed using the computed principal values of the hf couplings and the spatial orientations of the 19F nuclei as input parameters reveal an excellent fit to the experimental anisotropic ESR spectra of c-C(3)F(6)(-), c-C(4)F(8)(-), and c-C(5)F(10)(-), thereby providing a convincing proof of the highly symmetric D(nh) structures that are predicted for these negative ions. Furthermore, using the computed 19F principal values and their orientations, the effective 19F anisotropic hf couplings along the molecular symmetry axes were evaluated for c-C(3)F(6)(-) and c-C(4)F(8)(-) and successfully correlated with the positions of the characteristic outermost features in both the experimental and calculated anisotropic spectra. In addition, the electronic excitation energies and oscillator strengths for the c-C(3)F(6)(-) , c-C(4)F(8)(-), and c-C(5)F(10)(-) radical anions were computed for the first time using time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) methods.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry A 02/2007; 111(2):321-38. · 2.95 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Structural and electronic properties of TiO2 nanoparticles sensitized with a set of Ru(II)(tpy)2 based dyes have been investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations combined with time-dependent (TD) DFT calculations. The effects of carboxylic and phosphonic acid anchor groups, as well as a phenylene spacer group, on the optical properties of the dyes and the electronic interactions in the dye-sensitized TiO2 nanoparticles have been investigated. Inclusion of explicit counterions in the modeling shows that the description of the environment is important in order to obtain a realistic interfacial energy level alignment. A comparison of calculated electronic coupling strengths suggests that both the nature of the anchor group and the inclusion of the phenylene spacer group are capable of significantly influencing electron-transfer rates across the dye-metal oxide interface.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 11/2006; 110(41):20513-25. · 3.70 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The photochemistry of low lying excited states of six different fluorinated bromobenzenes has been investigated by means of femtosecond laser spectroscopy and high level ab initio CASSCF/CASPT2 quantum chemical calculations. The objective of the work was to investigate how and to what extent light substituents, position on the benzene ring and number, would influence the dissociation mechanism of bromobenzene. In general, the actual position of a fluorine atom affects the dissociation rate to a less extent than the number of fluorine atoms. A clear connection between a lowering of a repulsive pisigma relative to a bound pipi state and the number of fluorine substituents exists, and the previously suggested model of coupling between dissociation rate and relative location of bound and repulsive state still holds for these molecules. A more elaborate examination of the electronic structure of the excited states in bromobenzenes than previously reported is presented.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry A 07/2006; 110(22):7045-56. · 2.95 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Isotropic and anisotropic ESR spectra were observed for the radical anions of hexafluorocyclobutene (c-C(4)F(6)(-)), octafluorocyclopentene (c-C(5)F(8)(-)) and perfluoro-2-butene (CF(3)CF=CFCF(3)(-)) in gamma-irradiated plastically crystalline neopentane, tetramethylsilane (TMS) and TMS-d(12) matrices, or the rigid 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF) matrix. The isotropic spectra of c-C(4)F(6)(-) and c-C(5)F(8)(-) are characterized by three different sets of pairs of (19)F nuclei with the isotropic hyperfine (hf) splittings of 15.2 (2F), 6.5 (2F), 1.1 (2F) mT for c-C(4)F(6)(-) and 14.7 (2F), 7.4 (2F), 1.0 (2F) mT for c-C(5)F(8)(-). By comparison with the results of ab initio quantum chemical computations, the large triplet (19)F hf splittings of ca. 15 mT are assigned to the two fluorines attached to the C=C bond. The UHF, B3LYP and MP2 computations predict that the geometrical structures of the perfluoroalkenes are strongly distorted by one-electron reduction to form their radical anions; c-C(3)F(4)(-): C(2) symmetry ((2)A state) <-- C(2)(v) ((1)A(1)), c-C(4)F(6)(-): C(1) ((2)A) <-- C(2)(v) ((1)A(1)) and c-C(5)F(8)(-): C(1) ((2)A) <-- C(s) ((1)A'). The structural distortion arises from a mixing of the pi* and higher-lying sigma* orbitals at the C=C carbons similar to that previously found for CF(2)=CF(2)(-) with a C(2)(h) distortion. The isotropic (19)F hf splittings computed with the B3LYP method with 6-311+G(2df,p) basis set for the geometry optimized by the UHF and/or MP2 methods are within 6% error of the experimental values. The experimental anisotropic spectra of c-C(4)F(6)(-), c-C(5)F(8)(-) and CF(2)=CF(2)(-) were satisfactorily reproduced by the ESR spectral simulation method using the computed hf principal values and orientation of (19)F nuclei. In addition, the electronic excitation energies and oscillator strengths for the CF(2)=CF(2)(-), c-C(3)F(4)(-), c-C(4)F(6)(-) and c-C(5)F(8)(-) radical anions were computed for the first time by TD-DFT methods.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry A 06/2006; 110(19):6307-23. · 2.95 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Highly resolved ESR spectra of monomer, dimer and trimer radical cations of coronene (C24H12) were observed at room temperature for a solution of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propan-2-ol (HFP) containing thallium(III) trifluoroacetate as oxidant. The spectra consisting of multiple lines with isotropic 1H-hyperfine splitting (hfs) constants of 0.0766 mT (24H) and 0.013 mT (6H) were attributable to a mixture of the dimer with the trimer radical cations, (C24H12)2+ and (C24H12)3+. For (C24H12)2+, the 1H-hfs constant agreed well with the reported value, 0.077 mT. However, for (C24H12)3+, the values were significantly different from the reported ones, 0.117 mT (12H) and 0.020 mT (24H), by Ohya Nishiguchi et al. [H. Ohya-Nishiguchi, H. Ide, N. Hirota, Chem. Phys. Lett. 66 (1979) 581], but rather similar to those reported by Willigen et al. [H. van Willigen, E. De Boer, J.T. Cooper, W.F. Forbes, J. Chem . Phys. 49 (1968) 1190]. In conflict with Willigen's report, however, no ESR line broadening which has been ascribed to a low stationary concentration of (C24H12)3+ was detected. Based on ab initio MO calculations for benzene as a compact model of C24H12, the structure of (C24H12)3+ was investigated in terms of the observed 1H-hfs constants. A staggered sandwich C(2v) structure was suggested being at the "global" minimum for the benzene trimer cation. In the structure, the unpaired electron spin is predominantly localized to the central ring, which is qualitatively in agreement with the previous ESR results of (C24H12)3+ by Ohya-Nishiguchi et al. In addition, as a "local" minimum, the benzene trimer was indicated to have a slipped sandwich Cs structure, which is less stable by ca. 19 kJ mol(-1) than the "global" minimum. In this structure, the unpaired electron spin was nearly equally distributed on both the central and one of the two side C24H12 molecules. The observed 1H-hfs constants were possibly attributable to the (C24H12)3+ cation with the analogous slipped sandwich Cs structure.
Spectrochimica Acta Part A Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy 02/2006; 63(1):76-84. · 2.10 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Structural and electronic properties of bare and dye-sensitized TiO2 clusters and nanoparticles with sizes of ≤2 nm have been studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Starting from truncated bulk lattice structures, the degree of structural reorganization, including the formation of TiO surface species, of bare TiO2 anatase nanocrystals, is found to be sensitive to the quality of the computational method. The electronic structures of optimized 1–2 nm nanoparticles show well-developed band structures with essentially no electronic bandgap defect states. Significant bandgap broadening due to quantum size effects is observed as the size of the nanocrystals is reduced from 2 nm to 1 nm in diameter, but further bandgap widening is limited by increasingly severe competing surface defect sites as the particles become smaller than ∼1 nm in diameter. The applicability of the TiO2 nanocrystals in modeling the electronic structure and electronic coupling at dye-sensitized TiO2 nanocrystal interfaces has been investigated by attachment of pyridine to one of the nanoparticle models via phosphonic or carboxylic acid anchor groups. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006
International Journal of Quantum Chemistry 12/2005; 106(15):3214 - 3234. · 1.36 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Equilibrium geometries and vibrational frequencies of the ground and some excited states of p-chlorotoluene were calculated by the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) method. Multi-reference CASSCF second order perturbation theory (MSCASPT2) calculations were performed on the vertical excitation energies of six singlet and triplet excited states. The potential energy curves along the Cl-C6H4CH3 bond distance of a number of low-lying singlet and triplet excited states were calculated by the CASPT2 method based on CASSCF partially optimized geometries. The fluorescence and one component of the dual phosphorescence observed experimentally were clearly explained by the CASPT2 calculated transition energies. According to those CASPT2 potential energy curves, the photodissociation of p-chlorotoluene at 266 nm was attributed to the predissociation of the first triplet excited state after its intersystem crossing with the first singlet excited state. The internal rotation and substitution effects of methyl on the photodissociation were discussed in detail.
Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 12/2005; 7(23):3938-42. · 3.57 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Density functional theory was employed to investigate the adsorption site and hyperfine interactions of nitric oxide adsorbed in Na-LTA (previous name NaA) zeolite. Three different cluster models of increasing complexity were used to represent the zeolite network: (1) a six-membered ring terminated by hydrogen atoms with one sodium ion above the ring, (2) as model 1 with the addition of three sodium ions located at the centers of three imagined four-membered rings adjacent to the six-membered ring, and (3) as model 2 with the addition of the three four-membered rings adjacent to the six-membered ring. Calculations on the largest system (model 3) showed very good agreement with measured electronic Zeeman interaction couplings, 14N hyperfine coupling tensors, and 23Na hyperfine and nuclear quadruple coupling tensors of the S = 1/2 Na+...N-O adsorption complex when the position of the sodium ion was relaxed. The optimized geometry of the complex agreed nicely with that estimated experimentally, except for the Na-N distance, where the present results indicate that the distance deduced from previous ENDOR experiments may be underestimated by as much as 0.5 angstroms.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 05/2005; 109(16):7948-51. · 3.70 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Multireference complete active space self-consistent-field (CASSCF) and multireference CASSF second-order perturbation theory (MSCASPT2) calculations were performed on the ground state and a number of low-lying excited singlet and triplet states of chlorobenzene. The dual phosphorescence observed experimentally is clearly explained by the MSCASPT2 potential-energy curves. Experimental findings regarding the dissociation channels of chlorobenzene at 193, 248, and 266 nm are clarified from extensive theoretical information including all low-energy potential-energy curves.
The Journal of Chemical Physics 01/2005; 121(22):11000-6. · 3.33 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: In order to explain recent photofragmentation experiments of hydrogen peroxide, the vertical excitation energies, potential-energy curves and surfaces, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and transition moments for a number of low lying excited states were calculated. The accessibility of different photodissociation channels for different excitation wavelengths was discussed, on the basis of the calculated results.
Molecular Physics. 12/2004; 102(23-24):2575-2584.
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ABSTRACT: A vibrational coupling model to treat the solvation effects in chemical reaction rate calculations is proposed and applied to the intramolecular hydrogen transfer reaction CH3O· → ·CH2OH in the condensed phase. The effect of solvation is taken into account in two ways: (1) the solvent effect on the activation energy of the reaction is simulated by including 39 surrounding water molecules, represented by fractional charges at the assumed atomic positions, in the potential energy surface calculation; and (2) the vibrational couplings between the 10 nearest solvent molecules and the molecules constituting the reaction system are explicitly included in a vibrational frequency calculation. RRKM theory with Miller's tunneling correction included is employed to calculate the rate constants. The effect of solvation causes a significant change in the chemical reaction rate, mainly through a lowering of the activation energy. The vibrational coupling causes a slight increase of the rate constant in the tunneling region by perturbing the vibrational frequencies of the reactant and transition states, which appear in the rate-constant expression, but has little effect at higher temperatures.
International Journal of Quantum Chemistry 10/2004; 43(4):449 - 461. · 1.36 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Quantum chemical calculations have been performed on the ground state and several low-lying excited states of bromobenzene, ortho-, meta-, and para-dibromobenzene, and 1,3,5-tribromobenzene using high-level ab initio and hybrid density-functional methods. Experimental observations of ultrafast predissociation in these molecules are clarified from extensive theoretical information about all low-energy potential-energy curves together with symmetry arguments. The intriguing observation that o- and m-dibromobenzene have two ultrafast predissociation channels while bromobenzene, p-dibromobenzene, and 1,3,5-tribromobenzene only have one such channel is explained from the calculated potential-energy curves. These show that the lowering of point-group symmetry from C2v to Cs along the main photodissociation reaction coordinate, which only occurs in o- and m-dibromobenzene, opens up a new predissociation channel. Dynamical quantum simulations based on the calculated potential-energy curves are used to estimate the coupling strength at the intersystem crossing point in bromobenzene. © 2004 American Institute of Physics.
The Journal of Chemical Physics 04/2004; 120(14):6502-6509. · 3.33 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: A computational study has been undertaken to elucidate the mechanism of the bicyclopropylidene radical cation (BCP•+) rearrangement into the tetramethyleneethane radical cation (TME•+). A stepwise mechanism is found for the first ring opening, with an activation energy of 7.3 kcal mol−1, while the second ring opening proceeds with no activation energy. Each ring opening is combined with a striking pyramidalization of one carbon atom in the central bond. In a natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, the dominating reaction coordinate during the ring opening is found to be the olefinic carbon atom rehybridization, which also favors the continued bond breaking. Widely different ESR parameters are computed for the two sets of four protons in BCP•+, in excellent agreement with the observed spectrum, which are interpreted in the NBO analysis in terms of two hyperconjugative effects. Two minimum energy structures are located for TME•+, separated by a cusp on the internal rotation path of this cation, both of which show ESR parameters in good agreement with the observed spectrum for TME•+. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004
International Journal of Quantum Chemistry 03/2004; 98(5):473 - 483. · 1.36 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Excited state properties of fluorobenzene, chlorobenzene, bromobenzene, and iodobenzene have been investigated theoretically using multireference CASSCF and CASPT2 methods. Experimentally, chlorobenzene and bromobenzene are known to exhibit one fast dissociation channel, whereas iodobenzene exhibits two fast dissociation channels. The calculations indicate that the chlorobenzene, the bromobenzene, and the slower iodobenzene dissociation channels are due to intersystem crossings from a bound (π,π*) singlet excited state to a repulsive (n,σ*) triplet excited state. The faster iodobenzene dissociation channel is instead found to be caused by a direct dissociation of an antibonding (n,σ*) singlet excited state. The CASPT2 calculations predict that the onset of fluorobenzene photodissociation should occur around 196 nm, with a single time constant longer than 1 ns. CASSCF geometries and accurate MSCASPT2 calculated vertical excitation energies are presented for the ground state as well as the first excited singlet and triplet states of all the monohalobenzenes.
03/2004;
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ABSTRACT: An alternative skeletal rearrangement of the quadricyclane radical cation (Q*+) explains the side products formed in the one-electron oxidation to norbornadiene. First, the bicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2-ene-5-yl-7-ylium radical cation, with an activation energy of 14.9 kcal mol(-1), is formed. Second, this species can further rearrange to 1,3,5-cycloheptatriene through two plausible paths, that is, a multistep mechanism with two shallow intermediates and a stepwise path in which the bicyclo[3.2.0]hepta-2,6-diene radical cation is an intermediate. The multistep rearrangement has a rate-limiting step with an estimated activation energy of 16.5 kcal mol(-1), which is 2.8 kcal mol(-1) lower in energy than the stepwise mechanism. However, the lowest activation energy is found for the Q*+ cycloreversion to norbornadiene that has a transition structure, in close correspondence with earlier studies, and an activation energy of 10.1 kcal mol(-1), which agrees well with the experimental estimate of 9.3 kcal mol(-1). The computational estimates of activation energies were done using the CCSD(T)/6-311+G(d,p) method with geometries optimized on the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level, combined with B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) frequencies.
Chemistry 03/2004; 10(3):681-8. · 5.93 Impact Factor
