STRUCTURE AND PHOTOELECTRON-SPECTRUM OF TETRAMETHYLDIARSANE

A systematic theoretical investigation of tetramethyldiarsane is prese nted to help understand its structure and photoelectron spectrum. Full potential energy curve along the C-As-As-C torsion was calculated at the Hartree-Fock (HF) level, and complete geometry optimizations were performed at HF, second-order Many-Body Perturbation Theory (MBPT(2)), and Coupled-Cluster Singles and Doubles (CCSD) levels of theory. Two conformers, anti and gauche, have been found in accordance with the ex perimental observations. The calculated geometries are in good agreeme nt with the electron diffraction results. Ionization energies were com puted by the Equation-of-Motion Coupled-Cluster (EOM-CC) method. The c alculations predict a substantial lone-pair splitting for both conform ers which contradicts the original assignment of the photoelectron spe ctrum by Cowley et al, According to the new assignment, the first and third bands belong to the lone pairs of the anti rotamer, the second b and is attributed to the n(+) lone-pair combination in the gauche conf ormer, while the peak of the n(-) combination is merged with the inten se first band previously ascribed exclusively to the anti rotamer. The conformer ratios calculated from the present assignment of the photoe lectron spectrum are in good agreement with the quantum-chemical resul ts. Since our assignment contradicts the theoretical reasoning, which the original assignment was based on, a new explanation is presented. We find that the s-character of the lone-pair orbitals increases in th e order of nitrogen, phosphorus, arsenic, and antimony which explains not only the increasing pyramidalization of the Me2E moiety but also t he increasing splitting of the energy of the lone-pair MOs.