LUMOs

Figure A3.10.23 Schematic diagram of molecular CO chemisorption on a metal surface. The model is based on a donor-acceptor scheme where the CO 5 a FIOMO donates charge to surface unoccupied states and the surface back-donates charge to the CO 2 71 LUMO [58].

The most important classes of functionalized [60]fullerene derivatives, e.g. methanofullerenes [341, pyrrolidinofullerenes [35], Diels-Alder adducts [34i] and aziridinofullerene [36], all give rise to a cancellation of the fivefold degeneration of their HOMO and tlireefold degeneration of their LUMO levels (figure Cl.2.5). This stems in a first order approximation from a perturbation of the fullerene s 7i-electron system in combination with a partial loss of the delocalization. 

One aspect that reflects the electronic configuration of fullerenes relates to the electrochemically induced reduction and oxidation processes in solution. In good agreement with the tlireefold degenerate LUMO, the redox chemistry of [60]fullerene, investigated primarily with cyclic voltammetry and Osteryoung square wave voltammetry, unravels six reversible, one-electron reduction steps with potentials that are equally separated from each other. The separation between any two successive reduction steps is -450 50 mV. The low reduction potential (only -0.44 V versus SCE) of the process, that corresponds to the generation of the rt-radical anion 131,109,110,111 and 1121, deserves special attention. 

This behaviour also stands for functionalized [60]fullerene derivatives, with, however, a few striking differences. The most obvious parameter is the negative shift of the reduction potentials, which typically amounts to -100 mV. Secondly, the separation of the corresponding reduction potentials is clearly different. Wlrile the first two reduction steps follow closely the trend noted for pristine [60]fullerene, the remaining four steps display an enlianced separation. This has, again, a good resemblance to the ITOMO-LUMO calculations, namely, a cancellation of the degeneration for functionalized [60]fullerenes [31, 116, 117]. 

The electrochemical features of the next higher fullerene, namely, [70]fullerene, resemble the prediction of a doubly degenerate LUMO and a LUMO + 1 which are separated by a small energy gap. Specifically, six reversible one-electron reduction steps are noticed with, however, a larger splitting between the fourth and fifth reduction waves. It is important to note that the first reduction potential is less negative than that of [60]fullerene [31]. 

A simple example would be in a study of a diatomic molecule that in a Hartree-Fock calculation has a bonded cr orbital as the highest occupied MO (HOMO) and a a lowest unoccupied MO (LUMO). A CASSCF calculation would then use the two a electrons and set up four CSFs with single and double excitations from the HOMO into the a orbital. This allows the bond dissociation to be described correctly, with different amounts of the neutral atoms, ion pair, and bonded pair controlled by the Cl coefficients, with the optimal shapes of the orbitals also being found. For more complicated systems... 

After this, Martinez and Ben-Nun applied the method to the photoexcitation of ethylene [88,247]. The lowest energy excitation is the HOMO-LUMO n n transition. These states are labeled A and Close in energy to... 

Knowledge of molecular orbitals, particularly of the HOMO Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital) and the LUMO Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital), imparts a better understanding of reactions Figure 2-125b). Different colors e.g., red and blue) are used to distinguish between the parts of the orbital that have opposite signs of the wavefunction. 

Figure 2-125. Different isovalue-based surfaces of phenylalanine a) isoelectronic density b) molecular orbitals (HOMO-LUMO) c) isopotential surface and d) isosurface of the electron cryo-microscopic volume of the ribosome of Escherichia coii.

In view of this, early quantum mechanical approximations still merit interest, as they can provide quantitative data that can be correlated with observations on chemical reactivity. One of the most successful methods for explaining the course of chemical reactions is frontier molecular orbital (FMO) theory [5]. The course of a chemical reaction is rationali2ed on the basis of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), the frontier orbitals. Both the energy and the orbital coefficients of the HOMO and LUMO of the reactants are taken into account. 

As an example, we shall discuss the Diels-Alder reaction of 2-methoxybuta-l,3-diene with acrylonitrile. Figure 3-7 gives the reaction equation, the correlation diagram of the HOMOs and LUMOs, and the orbital coefficients of the correlated HOMO and LUMO. 

FMO theory requires that a HOMO of one reactant has to be correlated with the LUMO of the other reactant. The decision between the two alternatives - i.e., from which reactant the HOMO should be taken - is made on the basis of which is the smaller energy difference in our case the HOMO of the electron rich diene, 3.1, has to be correlated with the LUMO of the electron-poor dienophile, 3.2. The smaller this HOMO-LUMO gap, the higher the reactivity will be. With the HOMO and LUMO fixed, the orbital coefficients of these two orbitals can explain the regios-electivity of the reaction, which strongly favors the formation of 3.3 over 3.4. 

Quantum chemical descriptors such as atomic charges, HOMO and LUMO energies, HOMO and LUMO orbital energy differences, atom-atom polarizabilities, super-delocalizabilities, molecular polarizabilities, dipole moments, and energies sucb as the beat of formation, ionization potential, electron affinity, and energy of protonation are applicable in QSAR/QSPR studies. A review is given by Karelson et al. [45]. 

If the mini her of electrons, N, is even, yon can haven dosed shell (as shown ) where the occupied orbitals each contain two electron s. For an odd n nrn her of electron s, at least on e orbital rn ust be singly occupied. In the example, three orbitals are occupied by-electron s and two orbitals arc nn occupied. Th e h ighest occupied nioleciilar orbital (HOMO is t[r), and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) is The example above is a singlet, a state oh total spin S=0. Exciting one electron from the HOMO to the LUMO orbital would give one ol the I ollowing excited states ... 

If yon add a single electron to the LUMO orbital above to create an anion, you obtain total spin S=l/2 (a donhlet). 

When you request an orbital, yon can use the cardinal number of the orbital (ordered by energy and starting with number=l) or an offset from either the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) or the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LL MO). Offset from the HOMO are negative and from the LUMO are positive. Often these frontier orbitals are the ones of most chemical interest. 

I he electron density distribution of individual molecular orbitals may also be determined and plotted. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) are often of particular interest as these are the orbitals most cimimonly involved in chemical reactions. As an illustration, the HOMO and LUMO for Jonnamide are displayed in Figures 2.12 and 2.13 (colour plate section) as surface pictures. 

Quantum mechanical descriptors (e.g. HOMO-LUMO energy gap) 3D structure See Section 2.7.4... 

These absorptions are ascribed to n-n transitions, that is, transitions of an electron from the highest occupied n molecular orbital (HOMO) to the lowest unoccupied n molecular orbital (LUMO). One can decide which orbitals are the HOMO and LUMO by filling electrons into the molecular energy level diagram from the bottom up, two electrons to each molecular orbital. The number of electrons is the number of sp carbon atoms contributing to the n system of a neuhal polyalkene, two for each double bond. In ethylene, there is only one occupied MO and one unoccupied MO. The occupied orbital in ethylene is p below the energy level represented by ot, and the unoccupied orbital is p above it. The separation between the only possibilities for the HOMO and LUMO is 2.00p. 

Using QMOBAS, TMOBAS, or Mathcad and the method from Computer Project 6-2, calculate the energy separation between the HOMO and LUMO in units of p for all compounds in Table 6-1 and enter the results in Table 6-2. Enter the observed energy of ultraviolet radiation absorbed for each compound in units of cm . The reciprocal wavelength is often used as a spectroscopic unit of energy. 

In this project, we shall predict the wavelength of the absorption maxima of the same four polyenes using the calculated difference (in units of eV), between the LUMO and HOMO of these four molecules (Fig. 8-6). Bear in mind that this is not an ab initio calculation of wavelengths of maximum absorption, because empirically fitted parameters, Yio exist within the program or are... 

Dimethyl-2-butene and 2,5-dimethylhexadiene have absorption peaks at 192 and 243 nm in the ultraviolet. Which peak corresponds to which compound What are the approximate HOMO-LUMO separations in electron volts ... 

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