Performance of the DLPNO-CCSD and Recent DFT Methods in the Calculation of Isotropic and Dipolar Contributions to 14N Hyperfine Coupling Constants of Nitroxide Radicals

In the present study, the performance of a set of density functionals: BP86, PBE, OLYP, BEEF, PBEpow, TPSS, SCAN, PBEGXPBE, M06L, MN15L, B3LYP, PBE0, mPW1PW, B97, BHandHLYP, mPW1PW, HSE06, B98, TPSS0, PBE1KCIS, SCAN0, M06, M06-2X, MN15, CAM-B3LYP, ωB97x, B2PLYP, and the B3LYP/N07D and PBE/N07D schemes in the calculation of the 14N anisotropic hyperfine coupling (HFC) constants of a set of 23 nitroxide radicals is evaluated. The results are compared with those obtained with the DLPNO-CCSD method and experimental HFC values. Harmonic contribution to the 14N HFC vibrational correction was calculated at the revPBE0/def2-TZVPP level and included in the evaluation. With the vibrational correction, the DLPNO-CCSD method yielded HFC values in good agreement with the experiment (MAD = 0.3 G for the dipole-dipole contribution and MAD = 0.8 G for the contact coupling contribution). The best DFT results are obtained using the M06 functional with mean absolute deviation (MAD) = 0.2 G for the dipole-dipole contribution and MAD = 0.7 G for the contact coupling contribution. In general, vibrational correction significantly improved most DFT functionals' performance but did not change its overall ranking.

Structure, vibrational spectroscopy, and photochemistry of 5-phenoxy-1-phenyltetrazole in argon and nitrogen cryomatrices

The molecular structure, infrared spectra, and photochemistry of 5-phenoxy-1-phenyltetrazole (5PPT) isolated in argon and N2 cryogenic matrices were investigated by infrared spectroscopy and theoretical calculations (DFT(B3LYP)/6-311++G(d,p)). Calculations yield two dissimilar minima on the potential energy surface of the molecule, both being eightfold degenerate by symmetry and belonging to the C1 symmetry point group. Extensive analysis of the potential energy landscape of the molecule was performed. Upon consideration of the zero-point vibrational correction to the energy, the calculations predict that the higher energy minimum shall relax barrierlessly to the lower energy form, leading to conclude that the compound exists in a single conformer in the gas phase. Accordingly, a single conformer was observed and fully characterized spectroscopically upon isolation of the monomer of the compound in argon and nitrogen cryomatrices. UV-laser irradiation (λ = 250 nm) of matrix-isolated 5PPT leads to photocleavage of the tetrazole ring, with release of N2 and formation of the corresponding carbodiimide.

NMR in single crystals of Ca(OH)2

Single crystals of Ca(OH)2 were studied at 25 °C and −170 °C by the NMR method. The method of moments which included the vibrational correction was used to analyze the results with a view to comparing the position of the proton in the single cell obtained by this method, with that obtained by other methods. The agreement with neutron diffraction data is close.