The matrix isolation infrared spectroscopic and quantum chemical calculation results indicate that vanadium oxides, VO2 and VO4, coordinate noble gas atoms in forming noble gas complexes. The results showed that VO2 coordinates two Ar or Xe atoms and that VO4 coordinates one Ar or Xe atom in solid noble gas matrixes. Hence, the VO2 and VO4 molecules trapped in solid noble gas matrixes should be regarded as the VO2(Ng)2 and VO4(Ng) (Ng = Ar or Xe) complexes. The total V-Ng binding energies were predicted to be 12.8, 18.2, 5.0, and 7.3 kcal/mol, respectively, for the VO2(Ar)2, VO2(Xe)2, VO4(Ar), and VO4(Xe) complexes at the CCSD(T)//B3LYP level of theory.

The reactions of group V metal dioxide molecules with dihydrogen have been studied by matrix isolation infrared spectroscopy. The ground state VO(2) molecule is able to cleave dihydrogen heterolytically and spontaneously in forming the HVO(OH) molecule in solid argon. In contrast, the reaction of VO(2) with dideuterium to form DVO(OD) proceeds only under UV-visible excitation via a weakly bound VO(2)(η(2)-D(2)) complex. Theoretical calculations predict that the dihydrogen cleavage process is thermodynamically exothermic with a small barrier. The niobium and tantalum dioxide molecules react with dihydrogen to give primarily the side-on bonded metal dioxide bis-dihydrogen complexes, NbO(2)(η(2)-H(2))(2) and TaO(2)(η(2)-H(2))(2), which are further transferred to the HNbO(OH) and HTaO(OH) molecules via photoisomerization in combination with H(2) elimination under UV-visible light excitation.

The resonance Raman spectra were obtained for both 2-thiopyridone (2TP) and its proton-transfer tautomer 2-mercaptopyridine (2MP) in water solution. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were carried out to help elucidate their ultraviolet electronic transitions and vibrational assignments of the resonance Raman spectra associated with their B-band absorptions. The nanosecond time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopic experiment was carried out to further confirm the assignment that the transient species was the ground state 2MP. The different short-time structural dynamics were examined for both 2TP and 2MP in terms of their resonance Raman intensity patterns. The transition barriers between 2TP and 2MP for S(0), T(1), and S(1) states are determined by using (U)B3LYP-TD and CASSCF level of theory computations, respectively. The excited state proton transfer (ESPT) reaction mechanism is proposed and briefly discussed.

The matrix isolation infrared spectroscopic and quantum chemical calculation results indicate that late transition metal monoxides CrO through NiO coordinate one noble gas atom in forming the NgMO complexes (Ng = Ar, Kr, Xe; M = Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) in solid noble gas matrixes. Hence, the late transition metal monoxides previously characterized in solid noble gas matrixes should be regarded as the NgMO complexes, which were predicted to be linear. The M-Ng bond distances decrease, while the M-Ng binding energies increase from NgCrO to NgNiO. In contrast, the early transition metal monoxides, ScO, TiO, and VO, are not able to form similar noble gas atom complexes.