Ab initio and DFT computations were carried out on four distinct hydrogen-bonded arrangements of water clusters (H(2)O)(n), n = 2-20, represented as W1D, W2D, W2DH, and W3D. The variation in the strength of hydrogen bond as a function of the chain length is studied. In all the four cases, there is a substantial cooperative interaction, albeit in different degrees. The effect of basis set superposition error (BSSE) on the complexation energy of water clusters has been analyzed. Atoms in molecules (AIM) analysis performed to evaluate the nature of the hydrogen bonding shows a high correlation between hydrogen bond strength and the trends in complexation energy. Solvated water clusters exhibit lower complexation energies compared to corresponding gas-phase geometries on PCM (polarized continuum model) optimization. The feasibility of stripping an electron or addition of an electron increases dramatically as the cluster size increases. Although W3D caged structures are stable for neutral clusters, the helical W2DH arrangement appeared to be an optimal choice for its ionized counterparts.

Insights into the formation of hydrogen bonded clusters are of outstanding importance and quantum chemical calculations play a pivotal role in achieving this understanding. Structure and energetic comparison of linear, circular and standard forms of (acetamide)(n) clusters (n = 1-15) at the B3LYP/D95** level of theory including empirical dispersion correction reveals significant cooperativity of hydrogen bonding and size dependent structural preference. A substantial amount of impact of BSSE is observed in these calculations as the cluster size increases irrespective of the kind of arrangement. The interaction energy per monomer increases from dimer to 15mer by 90% in the case of the circular arrangement, by 76% in the case of the linear arrangement and by 34% in the case of the standard arrangement respectively. The cooperativity in hydrogen bonding is also manifested by a regular decrease in average OH and C-N bond distances, while average C=O and N-H bond lengths increase with increasing cluster size. Atoms-In-Molecules (AIM) analysis is used to characterize the nature of hydrogen bonding between the acetamide molecules in the cluster on the basis of electron density (ρ) values obtained at the bond critical point. An analysis of N-H bond stretching frequencies as a function of the cluster size shows a marked red shift as the cluster size increases from 1 to 15.

No abstract

Application of quantum chemical calculations is vital in understanding hydrogen bonding observed in formamide clusters, a prototype model for motifs found in protein secondary structure. DFT calculations have been performed on four arrangements of formamide clusters [HCONH 2 ] n , (n = 1 − 10) linear, circular, helical and stacked forms. These studies reveal the maximum cooperativity in the stacked arrangement followed by the circular, helical and linear arrangements and is based on interaction energy per monomer. In all these arrangements as we increase cluster size, an increasing trend in cooperativity of hydrogen bonding is observed. Atoms-in-molecule analysis establishes the nature of bonding between the formamide monomers on the basis of electron density values obtained at the bond critical point (BCP).

No abstract