Complete basis set CBS-QB3, hybrid-density functional theory (B3LYP/Def2-TZVPP) based methods and NBO interpretation were used to investigate the impacts of the stereoelectronic effects and electrostatic and steric interactions on the conformational properties of halocarbonyl isocyanates (halo = F (1), Cl (2), and Br (3)), halothiocarbonyl isocyanates (halo = F (4), Cl (5), and Br (6)), and haloselenocarbonyl isocyanates(halo = F (7), Cl (8), and Br (9)). Both methods showed that the Z-conformations of compounds 1, 4, and 7 are more stable than their corresponding E conformations, but the stability of the E conformations, when compared with the corresponding Z conformations, increases from compound 1 to compound 3, compound 4 to compound 6, and also from compound 7 to compound 9. The NBO analysis showed that the generalized anomeric effect (GAE) is in favor of the Z conformations of compounds 1, 4, and 7. The GAE values calculated (i.e., GAEE–GAEZ) increase from compound 1 to compound 3, compound 4 to compound 6, and also from compound 7 to compound 9. On the other hand, there are none of the same trends between the calculated total dipole moment and the Gibbs free energy difference values between the E and Z conformations (i.e., ΔμE–Z and ΔGE–Z) of compounds 1–3, 4–6, and 7–9. Accordingly, the GAE succeeds in accounting for the increase of the E conformation stability from compound 1 to compound 3, compound 4 to compound 6, and also from compound 7 to compound 9. Therefore, the GAE associated with the electron delocalization, not the total dipole moment changes (i.e., ΔμE–Z), is a reasonable indicator of the total energy difference in compounds 1–3, 4–6, and 7–9. There is a direct correlation between the calculated GAE and Δ[r2–6(E) – r2–6(Z)] parameters. Importantly, there are interesting through-space electron delocalizations (LP2X6→π*C4–O5) that justify the increase of the E conformation stability from compound 1 to compound 3, compound 4 to compound 6, and also from compound 7 to compound 9, when compared with their corresponding Z conformations. The correlations between the GAE, bond orders, total steric exchange energies (TSEE), ΔGZ–E, ΔμE–Z, structural parameters, and conformational behaviors of compounds 1–9 were investigated.
Density Functional Theory and Complete Basis Set Ab Initio Computational Study of Five-, Six-, Seven- and Eight-hydrogen Coordinated Carbon Cations
