The electronic structures and molecular properties of square-planar 6-electron ring molecules and ions E2N2 and E4 2+ (E = S, Se, Te) were studied using various ab initio methods and density functionals. All species were found to contain singlet diradical character in their electronic structures. Detailed analysis of the CAS wave function of S2N2 in terms of different valence bond structures gives largest weight for a Lewis-type singlet diradical VB structure in which the two unpaired electrons reside on nitrogen atoms, though the relative importance of the different VB structures is highly dependent on the level of theory. The diradical character in both E2N2 and E4 2+ was found to increase in the series S < Se < Te. The diradical nature of the chemical species is manifested in the prediction of molecular properties, in which the coupled cluster and multiconfigurational approaches, as well as the BPW91 functional show consistent performance. 77 Se NMR chemical shifts of chalcogen cations SxSe4-x 2+ (x = 0-3) were calculated with CAS, BPW91 and B3PW91 methods using the GIAO formalism. The hybrid functional B3PW91 shows inferior performance, but both CAS and BPW91 unquestionably confirm the experimental assignment and are able to predict the NMR chemical shifts of these computationally difficult cases with excellent accuracy.

A large variety of oxovanadium(V) complexes, mononuclear VO(2)(+) and VO(3+) in addition to the dinuclear VO(3+), of the structural type (VOL)(2), (VOHL)(2), VOLHQ, K(VO(2)HL), K(VO(2)H(2)L), or (salampr) (VO(2)L) {where L = Schiff base ligand possessing alkoxo group(s); HQ = 8-hydroxyquinoline; salampr = cation of reduced Schiff base derived from salicylaldehyde and 2-amino-2-methylpropan-1-ol}, bound to alkoxo, phenolate and imine groups have been synthesized in high yields and characterized by several spectral and analytical methods, including single crystal X-ray studies. While the mononuclear VO(2)(+) complexes have been synthesized at alkaline pH, the dinuclear VO(3+) complexes have been synthesized under neutral conditions using alkoxo rich Schiff base ligands. The X-ray structures indicate that the cis-dioxo complexes showed longer V-O(alkoxo) bond lengths compared to the monooxo counterparts. The plot of V-O(phen) bond distances of several VO(3+) complexes vs the lmct showed a near linear correlation with a negative slope. The cyclic voltammograms revealed a reversible V(V)/V(IV) couple with the reduction potentials increasing to more negative ones as the number of alkoxo groups bound to V increases from 1 to 2. Moreover, the cis-dioxo VO(2)(+) complexes are easier to reduce than their monooxo counterparts. The solution stability of these complexes was studied in the presence of added water (1:4, water:solvent), where no decomposition was observed, unlike other Schiff base complexes of V. The conversion of the dioxo complexes to their monooxo counterparts in the presence of catalytic amounts of acid is also demonstrated. The reactivity of alkoxo bound V(V) complexes is also reported. X-ray parameters are as follows. H(4)L(3): monoclinic space group, P2(1)/c; a = 10.480(3), b = 8.719(6), c = 12.954(8) Å; beta = 101.67(4) degrees; V = 1126(1) Å(3); Z = 4; R = 0.060, R(w) = 0.058. Complex 1: monoclinic space group, P2(1)/n; a = 12.988(1), b = 9.306(2), c = 19.730(3) Å; beta = 99.94(1) degrees; V = 2348.9(7) Å(3); Z = 4; R = 0.031, R(w) = 0.027. Complex 2: monoclinic space group, P2(1)/n; a = 12.282(3), b = 11.664(2), c = 12.971(4) Å; beta = 97.89(2) degrees; V = 1840.5(8) Å; Z = 4; R = 0.035, R(w) = 0.038. Complex 5: monoclinic space group, P2(1)/c; a = 17.274(2), b = 6.384(2), c = 16.122(2) Å; beta = 116.67(1) degrees; V = 1588.7(7) Å(3); Z = 4; R = 0.039, R(w) = 0.043. Complex 8: monoclinic space group, P2(1)/c; a = 11.991(1), b = 11.696(4), c = 12.564(3) Å; beta = 110.47(1) degrees; V = 1650.8(8) Å(3); Z = 2; R = 0.045, R(w) = 0.049.

The electronic structures and molecular properties of S2N2 as well as the currently unknown chalcogen nitrides Se2N2 and SeSN2 have been studied using various ab initio and density functional methods. All molecules share a qualitatively similar electronic structure and can be primarily described as 2π-electron aromatics having minor singlet diradical character of 68% that can be attributed solely to the nitrogen atoms. This