Molecular dynamics simulation of organic-inorganic nanocomposites: Layering behavior and interlayer structure of organoclays

Isothermal-isobaric (NPT) molecular dynamics simulation has been performed to investigate the layering behavior and structure of nanoconfined quaternary alkylammoniums in organoclays. This work is focused on systems consisting of two clay layers and a number of alkylammoniums, and involves the use of modified Dreiding force field. The simulated basal spacings of organoclays agree satisfactorily with the experimental results in the literature. The atomic density profiles in the direction normal to the clay surface indicate that the alkyl chains within the interlayer space of montmorillonite exhibit an obvious layering behavior. The headgroups of long alkyl chains are distributed within two layers close to the clay surface, whereas the distributions of methyl and methylene groups are strongly dependent on the alkyl chain length and clay layer charge. Monolayer, bilayer, and pseudo-trilayer structures are found in organoclays modified with single long alkyl chains, which are identical to the structural models based on the measured basal spacings. A pseudo-quadrilayer structure, for the first time to our knowledge, is also identified in organoclays with double long alkyl chains. In the mixture structure of paraffin-type and multilayer, alkyl chains do not lie flat within a single layer but interlace, and also jump to the next layer in pseudo-trilayer as well as next nearest layer in pseudo-quadrilayer.

Reactions of fac-[PtMe2(OMe)(H2O)3]+ with halide ions: effect of halide trans effect on methoxide hydrolysis

A solution of fac-[PtMe2(OMe)(H2O)(3)](+) (1) in aqueous perchloric acid underwent very slow hydrolysis of the Pt-OMe bond, over many, weeks. When chloride was added to a solution of 1, two interconverting isomers of [PtMe2(OMe)Cl(H2O)(2)] (with chloride trans to methyl) were formed, and with excess chloride, [PtMe2(OMe)Cl-2(H2O)](-) (both chloride ligands trans to methyl). This solution was stable at ambient temperature, but on heating, methanol was formed and [PtMe2Cl2(H2O)(2)] (both chloride ligands cis to methyl) was produced in the solution. It is proposed that this reaction proceeds via an intermediate complex with chloride bound trans to methoxide. Concentration gave solid [{PtMe2Cl2}n], whose identity was confirmed by conversion to [PtMe(2)Cl(2)py(2)] (pyridine, py, trans to methyl). With bromide and iodide, methoxide hydrolysis occurred at ambient temperature, more slowly with bromide than with iodide, to form solid [{PtMe2X2}(n)] without significant concentrations of [PtMe2X2(H2O)(2)] formed as an intermediate. The greater tendency for Pt-OMe bond to hydrolyse trans to halide compared with 1 was ascribed to the higher trans effect of the halide ligand compared with that of water. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.