A Quantum Chemical Study of N14 Cluster

Ab initio molecular orbital theory and density functional theory have been employed to study N14 cluster with low spin at the HF/6-31G*, B3LYP/6-31G*, B3PW91/6-31G*, BP86/6-31G*, and BHLYP/6-31G* levels of theory. Twelve isomers were studied, including one previously investigated cage molecule. The most stable isomer of N14 is a C2h-symmetric molecule that contains two separated five-membered nitrogen rings connected by a —N=N—N=N— bridge. The second, third, and fifth most stable isomers each have one five-membered nitrogen ring. The theoretical results suggest that the five-membered nitrogen ring gives rise to a particularly stable structural unit, and the more side chains that the five-membered nitrogen ring links with, the less stable the structure will become.