scholarly journals New Insights into the Crystallographic Disorder in the Polymorphic Forms of Aspirin from Low-frequency Vibrational Analysis

Author(s):  
Qi Li ◽  
Andrew D. Bond ◽  
Timothy M. Korter ◽  
J. Axel Zeitler

Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is applied to two polymorphs of acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), and the experimental spectra are compared to lattice dynamical calculations using high accuracy density functional theory (DFT). The calculations confirm that forms I and II have very close energetic and thermodynamic properties, and also that they show similar spectral features in the far-infrared region, reflecting the high degree of similarity in their crystal structures. Unique vibrational modes are identified for each polymorph which allow them to be distinguished using THz-TDS measurements. The observation of spectral features attributable to both polymorphic forms in a single sample, however, provides further evidence to support the hypothesis that crystalline aspirin typically comprises intergrown domains of forms I and II. Differences observed in the baseline of the measured THz-TDS spectra indicate a greater degree of structural disorder in samples of form II. Calculated Gibbs free energy curves show a turning point at 75 K, inferring that form II is expected to be more stable than form I above this temperature, as a result of its greater vibrational entropy. The calculations do not account for any differences in configurational entropy that may arise from expected structural defects. Further computational work on these structures, such as ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD), would be very useful to further explore this perspective.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Fischer

<p>The silicoaluminophosphate zeotype ECR-40, which has the MEI topology, contains linkages of AlO<sub>4</sub> tetrahedra via a common oxygen atom, thereby violating the famous “Löwenstein’s rule”. Due to the proven existence of Al-O-Al linkages in this material, it constitutes an ideal model system to study the acidity and mobility of protons associated with such unusual linkages. In addition, their properties can be directly compared to those of protons associated with more common Si-O-Al linkages, which are also present in ECR-40. In this work, static density functional theory (DFT) calculations including a dispersion correction were employed to study the preferred proton sites as well as the Brønsted acidity of the framework protons, followed by DFT-based ab-initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) to investigate the proton mobility in guest-free and hydrated ECR-40. Initially, two different proton arrangements were compared, one containing both H[O6] protons associated with Al-O-Al linkages and H[O10] protons at Si-O-Al linkages, the other one containing only H[O10] protons. The former model was found to be thermodynamically favoured, as a removal of protons from the Al-O-Al linkages causes a local accumulation of negative charge. Calculations of the deprotonation energy showed a moderately higher Brønsted acidity of the H[O10] protons, at variance with previous empirical explanations, which attributed the exceptional performance of ECR-40 as acid catalyst to the presence of Al‑O‑Al linkages. The AIMD simulations (<i>T</i> = 298 K) delivered no appreciable proton mobility for guest-free ECR-40 and for low levels of hydration (one H<sub>2</sub>O per framework proton). Under saturation conditions, framework deprotonation occurred, leading to the formation of protonated water clusters in the pores. Pronounced differences between the two types of framework protons were observed: While the H[O10] protons were always removed from the Si-O-Al linkages, the Al-O-Al linkages remained mostly protonated, but deprotonation did occur to a minor extent. The observation of a degree of framework deprotonation of Al-O-Al linkages differs from the findings reported in a recent computational study of hydrated aluminosilicate zeolites with such linkages (Heard et al., <i>Chem. Sci.</i> <b>2019</b>, <i>10</i>, 5705), pointing to an influence of the overall framework composition. Further inspection of the AIMD results showed that a coordination of water molecules to framework Al atoms occurred in many cases, especially in the vicinity of the Al-O-Al linkages, sometimes resulting in a pronounced modification of the linkages through additional bridging oxygen atoms. Given the changes in the local structure, it can be expected that such modified linkages are especially prone to break upon dehydration. Thus, in addition to elucidating the deprotonation behaviour of protons associated with different types of linkages, the calculations also provide insights into possible reasons for the instability of Al-O-Al linkages, clarifying why Löwenstein’s rule is mostly obeyed in materials that are formed via a hydrothermal route.</p>


Author(s):  
Maximilian Theiß ◽  
Merten Grupe ◽  
Tilman Lamparter ◽  
Maria Andrea Mroginski ◽  
Rolf Diller

AbstractDeactivation processes of photoexcited (λex = 580 nm) phycocyanobilin (PCB) in methanol were investigated by means of UV/Vis and mid-IR femtosecond (fs) transient absorption (TA) as well as static fluorescence spectroscopy, supported by density-functional-theory calculations of three relevant ground state conformers, PCBA, PCBB and PCBC, their relative electronic state energies and normal mode vibrational analysis. UV/Vis fs-TA reveals time constants of 2.0, 18 and 67 ps, describing decay of PCBB*, of PCBA* and thermal re-equilibration of PCBA, PCBB and PCBC, respectively, in line with the model by Dietzek et al. (Chem Phys Lett 515:163, 2011) and predecessors. Significant substantiation and extension of this model is achieved first via mid-IR fs-TA, i.e. identification of molecular structures and their dynamics, with time constants of 2.6, 21 and 40 ps, respectively. Second, transient IR continuum absorption (CA) is observed in the region above 1755 cm−1 (CA1) and between 1550 and 1450 cm−1 (CA2), indicative for the IR absorption of highly polarizable protons in hydrogen bonding networks (X–H…Y). This allows to characterize chromophore protonation/deprotonation processes, associated with the electronic and structural dynamics, on a molecular level. The PCB photocycle is suggested to be closed via a long living (> 1 ns), PCBC-like (i.e. deprotonated), fluorescent species.


Author(s):  
Alberto Rodríguez-Fernández ◽  
Laurent Bonnet ◽  
Pascal Larrégaray ◽  
Ricardo Díez Muiño

The dissociation process of hydrogen molecules on W(110) was studied using density functional theory and classical molecular dynamics.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 1404
Author(s):  
Yunfei Yang ◽  
Changhao Wang ◽  
Junhao Sun ◽  
Shilei Li ◽  
Wei Liu ◽  
...  

In this study, the structural, elastic, and thermodynamic properties of DO19 and L12 structured Co3X (X = W, Mo or both W and Mo) and μ structured Co7X6 were investigated using the density functional theory implemented in the pseudo-potential plane wave. The obtained lattice constants were observed to be in good agreement with the available experimental data. With respect to the calculated mechanical properties and Poisson’s ratio, the DO19-Co3X, L12-Co3X, and μ-Co7X6 compounds were noted to be mechanically stable and possessed an optimal ductile behavior; however, L12-Co3X exhibited higher strength and brittleness than DO19-Co3X. Moreover, the quasi-harmonic Debye–Grüneisen approach was confirmed to be valid in describing the temperature-dependent thermodynamic properties of the Co3X and Co7X6 compounds, including heat capacity, vibrational entropy, and Gibbs free energy. Based on the calculated Gibbs free energy of DO19-Co3X and L12-Co7X6, the phase transformation temperatures for DO19-Co3X to L12-Co7X6 were determined and obtained values were noted to match well with the experiment results.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Paquet ◽  
Herna L. Viktor

Ab initio molecular dynamics is an irreplaceable technique for the realistic simulation of complex molecular systems and processes from first principles. This paper proposes a comprehensive and self-contained review of ab initio molecular dynamics from a computational perspective and from first principles. Quantum mechanics is presented from a molecular dynamics perspective. Various approximations and formulations are proposed, including the Ehrenfest, Born–Oppenheimer, and Hartree–Fock molecular dynamics. Subsequently, the Kohn–Sham formulation of molecular dynamics is introduced as well as the afferent concept of density functional. As a result, Car–Parrinello molecular dynamics is discussed, together with its extension to isothermal and isobaric processes. Car–Parrinello molecular dynamics is then reformulated in terms of path integrals. Finally, some implementation issues are analysed, namely, the pseudopotential, the orbital functional basis, and hybrid molecular dynamics.


2017 ◽  
Vol 608 ◽  
pp. A50 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Bertin ◽  
M. Doronin ◽  
X. Michaut ◽  
L. Philippe ◽  
A. Markovits ◽  
...  

Context. Almost 20% of the ~200 different species detected in the interstellar and circumstellar media present a carbon atom linked to nitrogen by a triple bond. Of these 37 molecules, 30 are nitrile R-CN compounds, the remaining 7 belonging to the isonitrile R-NC family. How these species behave in their interactions with the grain surfaces is still an open question. Aims. In a previous work, we have investigated whether the difference between nitrile and isonitrile functional groups may induce differences in the adsorption energies of the related isomers at the surfaces of interstellar grains of various nature and morphologies. This study is a follow up of this work, where we focus on the adsorption on carbonaceous aromatic surfaces. Methods. The question is addressed by means of a concerted experimental and theoretical approach of the adsorption energies of CH3CN and CH3NC on the surface of graphite (with and without surface defects). The experimental determination of the molecule and surface interaction energies is carried out using temperature-programmed desorption in an ultra-high vacuum between 70 and 160 K. Theoretically, the question is addressed using first-principle periodic density functional theory to represent the organised solid support. Results. The adsorption energy of each compound is found to be very sensitive to the structural defects of the aromatic carbonaceous surface: these defects, expected to be present in a large numbers and great diversity on a realistic surface, significantly increase the average adsorption energies to more than 50% as compared to adsorption on perfect graphene planes. The most stable isomer (CH3CN) interacts more efficiently with the carbonaceous solid support than the higher energy isomer (CH3NC), however.


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