title: A method to calculate the one-electron reduction potentials for nitroaromatic compounds based on gas-phase quantum mechanics.
abstract: Nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) are widespread environmental contaminants, and the one-electron reduction potential (E oH) is an important parameter used in modeling their environmental fate. We have identified a method that is both accurate and efficient to predict E oH values for NACs, using gas-phase quantum mechanics (QM) calculations combined with empirical correlations. First, the adiabatic electron affinity (EA) at 0 K is calculated using the B98/MG3S method, and the predictions are scaled by a factor of 0.802 to account for systematic errors in the density functional calculations. Second, the E oH values are predicted from a linear correlation between E oH and EA. Using this method, E oH values were predicted with a mean absolute deviation from measured values of 0.021 V for the 14 NACs used to obtain the correlation and 0.029 V for six additional NACs. This represents a substantial improvement in accuracy over predictions by other QM methods, which are affected by large errors in solvation or aqueous-phase calculations for some compounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Center for Molecular and Engineering Thermodynamics, University of Delaware, 150 Academy Street, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA.
authors.forename: Kathy L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Stanley I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Sandler
authors.forename: Pei C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Chiu
mesh_terms: D004583:Electrons; D005740:Gases / Q000737:chemistry; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic / Q000737:chemistry*; D009574:Nitro Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011789:Quantum Theory; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D005740:Gases; D006841:Hydrocarbons, Aromatic; D009574:Nitro Compounds