Structure refinement of black phosphorus under high pressure

Akahama, Yuichi*; Miyakawa, Masashi*; Taniguchi, Takashi*; Sano, Asami; Machida, Shinichi*; Hattori, Takanori

Journal of Chemical Physics, 153(1), p.014704_1 - 014704_5, 2020/07

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0012870

The structure refinement of black phosphorus was performed at pressures of up to 3.2 GPa at room temperature by powder neutron diffraction techniques. The bond lengths and bond angles between the phosphorus atoms at pressures were precisely determined and confirmed to be consistent with those of the previous single crystal X-ray analysis [Brown and Randqvist, Acta Cryst. 19, 684 (1965)]. Although lattice parameters exhibited an anisotropic compressibility, the covalent P1-P2 and P1-P3 bond lengths were almost independent of pressure and only the P3-P1-P2 bond angle was reduced significantly. On the basis of our results, the significant discrepancy in the bond length reported by Cartz et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 71, 1718 (1979)] has been solved. Our structural data will contribute to the elucidation of the Dirac semimetal state of black phosphorus under high pressure.

Terahertz and mid-infrared spectroscopy of matrix-isolated clusters and matrix-sublimation ice of DO

Yamakawa, Koichiro; Nasu, Hirokazu*; Suzuki, Natsumi*; Shimizu, Genki*; Arakawa, Ichiro*

Journal of Chemical Physics, 152(17), p.174310_1 - 174310_13, 2020/05

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0005766

We have established an apparatus for terahertz and mid-infrared spectroscopy in an ultrahigh vacuum and have measured absorption spectra of DO clusters trapped in solid Ar. To assign terahertz absorption peaks due to the DO dimer, trimer, and tetramer, the dependence of the spectrum on the annealing temperature and DO dilution was analyzed. The assignment was also examined by ab initio calculations with use of the ONIOM method, where flexibility of surrounding Ar atoms was systematically incorporated. We identified all of the intermolecular fundamentals of the dimer and those with significant intensities of the trimer and tetramer, whose structural symmetries were revealed to be broken down. After isolating the DO clusters in solid Ar, we sublimated only Ar atoms to leave behind matrix-sublimation ice, which was found to be amorphous- or crystal-like depending on the formation conditions: the dilution and sublimation-temperature. Since the crystallinity got higher with raising the dilution and sublimation-temperature, the diffusion of the DO monomer on the surface of sublimating solid Ar was found to be crucial to the crystallization of the sublimation ice.

Quantum chemical calculations for the norbadione A complexes with Cs, K, and Na in gas and aqueous phases

Suno, Hiroya; Machida, Masahiko

Chemical Physics Letters, 730, p.26 - 31, 2019/09

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cplett.2019.05.012

We perform quantum chemical calculations for the Cs, K, and Na complexes of norbadione A (NBA), a pigment molecule in mushrooms known to accumulate Cs. A numerical two-step approach, by Ota , is employed to examine its alkali-metal-cation complexation selectivity in aqueous solutions. Applying it to the neutral, di- and tetra-deprotonated NBAs, we confirm that the complexation selectivity on Cs emerges only in high pHs, in which the di-protonated NBA dominates, in agreement with experimental results. This is the first demonstration of the approach for a biological molecule whose selectivity is known to be anomalous.

Mechanism of phase transfer of uranyl ions; A Vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy study on solvent extraction in nuclear reprocessing

Kusaka, Ryoji; Watanabe, Masayuki

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 20(47), p.29588 - 29590, 2018/12

https://doi.org/10.1039/C8CP04558E

Mechanistic understanding of solvent extraction of uranyl ions (UO) by tributyl phosphate (TBP) will help improve the technology for the treatment and disposal of spent nuclear fuels. So far, it has been believed that uranyl ions in the aqueous phase are adsorbed to a TBP-enriched organic/aqueous interface, form complexes with TBP at the interface, and are extracted into the organic phase. Here we show that uranyl-TBP complex formation does not take place at the interface using vibrational sum frequency generation (VSFG) spectroscopy and propose an alternative extraction mechanism that uranyl nitrate, UO(NO), passes through the interface and forms the uranyl-TBP complex, UO(NO)(TBP), in the organic phase.

Thermal behavior, structure, dynamic properties of aqueous glycine solutions confined in mesoporous silica MCM-41 investigated by X-ray diffraction and quasi-elastic neutron scattering

Yoshida, Koji*; Inoue, Takuya*; Torigoe, Motokatsu*; Yamada, Takeshi*; Shibata, Kaoru; Yamaguchi, Toshio*

Journal of Chemical Physics, 149(12), p.124502_1 - 124502_10, 2018/09

https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5039892

Differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, and quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) measurements of aqueous glycine solutions confined in mesoporous silica (MCM-41) were performed at different glycine concentrations, pH, and loading ratio (= mass of glycine solution / mass of dry MCM-41) in the temperature range from 305 to 180 K to discuss the confinement effect on the thermal behavior, the structure, and the dynamic properties of the solutions.

Pressure-induced stacking disorder in boehmite

Ishii, Yusuke*; Komatsu, Kazuki*; Nakano, Satoshi*; Machida, Shinichi*; Hattori, Takanori; Sano, Asami; Kagi, Hiroyuki*

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 20(24), p.16650 - 16656, 2018/06

https://doi.org/10.1039/C8CP02565G

The structure of an aluminum layered hydroxide, boehmite (-AlOOH), as a function of pressure was studied by using synchrotron X-ray and neutron diffraction. Peak broadening and subsequent splitting, which are only found for hkl (h 0) peaks in the X-ray diffraction patterns above 25 GPa, are explained by stacking disorder accompanied with a continuously increasing displacement of the AlO octahedral layer along a-axis. This finding could be the first experimental result for the pressure-induced stacking disorder driven by the continuous layer displacement. The magnitude of the layer displacement was estimated from the X-ray scattering profile calculation based on the stacking disordered structure model. Hydrogen bond geometries of boehmite, obtained by structure refinements on the observed neutron diffraction patterns for deuterated sample up to 10 GPa, show linearly approaching O-D covalent and DO hydrogen bond distances and they could merge below 26 GPa. The pressure-induced stacking disorder would make the electrostatic potential of hydrogen bonds asymmetric, yielding less chance for the proton-tunnelling.

X-ray absorption near edge structure and first-principles spectral investigations of cationic disorder in MgAlO induced by swift heavy ions

Yoshioka, Satoru*; Tsuruta, Konosuke*; Yamamoto, Tomokazu*; Yasuda, Kazuhiro*; Matsumura, Sho*; Ishikawa, Norito; Kobayashi, Eiichi*

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 20(7), p.4962 - 4969, 2018/02

https://doi.org/10.1039/C7CP07591J

Cationic disorder in the MgAlO spinel induced by swift heavy ions was investigated using the X-ray absorption near edge structure. With changes in the irradiation fluences of 200 MeV Xe ions, the Mg K-edge and Al K-edge spectra were synchronously changed. The calculated spectra based on density function theory indicate that the change in the experimental spectra was due to cationic disorder between Mg in tetrahedral sites and Al in octahedral sites. These results suggest a high inversion degree to an extent that the completely random configuration is achieved in MgAlO induced by the high density electronic excitation under swift heavy ion irradiation.

The Structure of a lanthanide complex at an extractant/water interface studied using heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation

Kusaka, Ryoji; Watanabe, Masayuki

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 20(4), p.2809 - 2813, 2018/01

https://doi.org/10.1039/C7CP06758E

Solvent extraction plays an integral part in the separation and purification of metals. Because extractants generally used as complexing agents for metal extractions, such as di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP) for lanthanide extractions, are amphiphilic, they come to the organic/water interface, and the interface plays a crucial role as the site of the formation of metal complexes and subsequent transfer reaction to an organic phase. Despite the importance of the interface for solvent extractions, however, molecular-level structure of the interface is unclear because of experimental difficulty. Here we studied structure of a trivalent europium (Eu) complex with HDEHP formed at HDEHP monolayer/water interface by heterodyne-detected vibrational sum frequency generation (HD-VSFG) spectroscopy. The study on the HDEHP/water interface enables us to investigate the structure of the interfacial Eu complex by excluding the migration of Eu into an organic phase after the complex formation at the interface. The interface-selective vibrational Im spectra observed by HD-VSFG of HDEHP/Eu(NO) aqueous solution interface in the 2800-3500 cm region indicate that Eu at the HDEHP/water interface is bonded by HDEHP from the air side and by water molecules from the water side. To the best of our knowledge, such metal complex structures have not been identified in the organic or water solutions.

Quantum optimal control of the isotope-selective rovibrational excitation of diatomic molecules

Kurosaki, Yuzuru*; Yokoyama, Keiichi

Chemical Physics, 493, p.183 - 193, 2017/08

AA2017-0230.pdf:8.02MB

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemphys.2017.07.003

Electric field of laser pulses which gives maximum selectivity in the isotope-selective rovibrational excitation of lithium chloride molecules is calculated. Applying the optimal control theory, we calculate optimal electric field to produce mixture of LiCl-35 (=0, =0) and LiCl-37 (=1, =1) from molecular ensemble of LiCl-35 (=0, =0) and LiCl-37 (=0, =0). As a result, it is found that electric field which permit rotational excitations only gives high yield in the selective excitation compared to the electric field which permit both rotational and vibrational excitations.

The Effect of dynamical fluctuations of hydration structures on the absorption spectra of oxyluciferin anions in an aqueous solution

Hiyama, Miyabi*; Shiga, Motoyuki; Koga, Nobuaki*; Sugino, Osamu*; Akiyama, Hidefumi*; Noguchi, Yoshifumi*

Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 19(15), p.10028 - 10035, 2017/04

https://doi.org/10.1039/C7CP01067B

In this study, the effect of hydration on the absorption spectra of oxyluciferin anion isomers in an aqueous solution is investigated for elucidating the influence of characteristic hydration structures. Using a canonical ensemble of hydration structures obtained from first-principles molecular dynamics simulations, the instantaneous absorption spectra of keto-, enol-, and enolate-type aqueous oxyluciferin anions at room temperature are computed from a collection of QM/MM calculations using an explicit solvent. It is demonstrated that the calculations reproduce experimental results concerning spectral shifts and broadening, for which traditional methods based on quantum chemistry and the Franck-Condon approximation fail because of the molecular vibrations of oxyluciferin anions and dynamical fluctuations of their hydration structures.