Cluster Models and ab Initio Calculations of ¹⁹F NMR Isotropic Chemical Shifts for Inorganic Fluorides

Abstract

(19)F NMR isotropic chemical shift (delta(iso)) calculations are performed in crystallized compounds using the GIAO method with the B3LYP hybrid functional at DFT level. Clusters centered on the studied fluorine atoms mimic the crystalline structures. The 6-311+G(d) basis set is chosen for the central fluorine atom, and the LanL2DZ basis set for the others. The metal atoms are described by the 3-21G(2d) basis set or, when not available, by the CRENBL basis set with the corresponding ECP, and augmented with 2d polarization functions when existing. First, for high-symmetry systems (MF, MF(2), and MF(3) compounds), a systematization of the cluster building up from coordination spheres is proposed, generalized to fluoroperovskites and fluoroaluminates KAlF(4) and RbAlF(4). When applied to rather low symmetry systems such as barium fluorometalates BaMgF(4), BaZnF(4), and Ba(2)ZnF(6), the definition of the coordination spheres is far from easy. Then, for structures built up from a MF(6) octahedron network, we may define different "starting clusters": [FM(2)F(8)] for the shared fluorine atoms, [FMF(4)] for the unshared ones, and [FBa(4)](7+) for the "free" ones. Analogous "starting clusters" are then tested on compounds from the NaF-AlF(3), BaF(2)-AlF(3), and CaF(2)-AlF(3) binary systems and for alpha-BaCaAlF(7) that are also built up from a MF(6) octahedron network. For each of these corresponding fluorine sites, delta(iso) values are calculated with the "starting clusters" and several larger clusters and compared to the experimental delta(iso) values. For the barium-containing clusters, the RMS deviation is equal to 51 ppm. It is suggested that this result may be related to the poor quality of the barium basis sets for which no polarization functions are available for the moment. In total, chemical shifts were calculated for 122 fluorine sites, in a various range of compounds. For the clusters without barium, the ab initio method leads to a RMS equal to 22 ppm, which is a quite nice result keeping in mind that the (19)F chemical shift range is larger than 200 ppm.

Computational 19F NMR. 1. General features

“…Some early computational work (aimed at benchmarking and validation) included F 2 as test molecule, which proved to be challenging [26][27][28]. Interest in modeling 19 F shifts has steadily continued, and several papers have appeared in the last decade aimed at general structural issues, solution chemistry and physical organic chemistry, [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46] solid-state issues (especially the prediction of chemical shift tensors), [47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64] J-couplings [65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72]…”

Origin of NMR shielding in fluorides

“…12,15 It has already been noticed that the chemical shifts in the series correlate to some extent with electronegativities and polarizabilities 16 or ionic radii 17,18 of the metal atoms. NMR shielding for those compounds has also been calculated before by others 12,19,20 and by us, 21 but the reason for this strong variation has not been discussed and is not yet understood. Similar trends were observed for series other than alkali fluorides, e.g., alkali earth fluorides 12 or alkali earth oxides.…”

Density functional investigation of intermolecular effects on 13C NMR chemical-shielding tensors modeled with molecular clusters

“…32,33 Cluster methods were employed more recently in a study of 19 F magnetic shielding in inorganic fluorides. 34,35 Our laboratory has examined the use of clusters for calculating 199 Hg and 207 Pb shifts in a large variety of materials. 13,36,37 Orendt et al have calculated 13 C chemical shielding for an acetate adduct of cadmium.…”