title: A computer-aided quantum chemical study of the N(15)(-) cluster.
abstract: Ab initio (RHF, MP2) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) methods have been used to examine six isomers of the N15m cluster with the 6-31+G* basis set. Different from the known odd-numbered anionic N7m, N9m, and N11m clusters, in which the open-chain structures are the most stable species, the most stable N15m isomer is structure 1 (C1), which may be considered as a complex between the fragments cyclic N5m (D5h) and staggered N10 (D2d). The decomposition pathways of structure 2 (CS), containing two aromatic N5 rings connected by a N5 chain, and the open-chain structure 3 (C2v) were studied at the B3LYP/6-31+G* level of theory. Relative energies were refined at the level of B3LYP/6-311+G(3df,2p)//B3LYP/6-31+G*+ZPE (B3LYP/6-31+G*). The barriers for N2 and N5m (D5h) fission reactions for structure 2 are predicted to be 18.2 and 14.2 kcal x mol(-1), respectively. The corresponding N2+N3m fission barrier for structure 3 is predicted to be 11.2 kcal x mol(-1). Supplementary material is available for this article if you access the article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00894-003-0118-0. A link in the frame on the left on that page takes you directly to the supplementary material. Figure Structure 1 of the N15m cluster, showing bond distances in A and bond angles in degrees
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, 100081, Beijing, PR China.
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Qianshu
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wenguo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Shaowen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000838:Anions / Q000737:chemistry; D003500:Cyclization; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D008432:Mathematical Computing; D008958:Models, Molecular; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D000838:Anions; D009584:Nitrogen