Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Theoretical Study on Monosolvated Cyanate Analogue Clusters ECX-·Sol (ECX- = NCSe-, AsCSe-, and AsCS-; Sol = H2O, CH3CN).

Six monosolvated cyanate analogue clusters ECX-·Sol (ECX- = NCSe-, AsCSe-, and AsCS-; Sol = H2O and CH3CN) were investigated using negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy (NIPES). NIPES experiments show that these clusters possess similar spectra overall compared to their respective isolated ECX- anions but shift to higher electron binding energy with CH3CN solvent, stabilizing the excess electrons slightly more than H2O. For the ECX-·H2O series, vertical detachment energies and their increments relative to the bare species are measured to be 3.700/0.370, 3.085/0.415, and 3.085/0.430 eV for NCSe-, AsCSe- and AsCS-, respectively, while the corresponding values in the ECX-·CH3CN series are 3.835/0.505, 3.145/0.475, and 3.135/0.480 eV. Ab initio electronic structure calculations indicate that the excess charges were located at the terminal N and Se atoms in NCSe- and migrated to the central C atom in AsCSe- and AsCS-. For NCSe-, the solvation is driven by the interactions with the two negatively charged terminal ends, while for AsCSe- and AsCS-, the solvation revolves around the interactions with the central C atom, where all the excess negative charge is concentrated. Two nearly degenerate isomers for NCSe-·H2O are identified, one forming a single strong N···H-O hydrogen bond (HB) and the other featuring a bidentate HB with two hydroxyl H atoms pointing to N and Se ends. In contrast, the negative central C atom in AsCSe-/AsCS- allows the formation of a bifurcated HB with H2O. Similar effects are observed for the acetonitrile case, in which the three H atoms of the methyl group interact with the two negatively charged terminal ends in NCSe-, while preferring to bind to the central negative carbon atom in AsCSe-/AsCS-. The different binding motifs derived in this work may suggest different solvation properties in NCSe- versus AsCSe-/AsCS- with the former anion leading to asymmetric solvation at the N end of the solute, while the latter species creates more "isotropic" solvation around the central C equatorial plane.