DFT studies of imino and thiocarbonyl ligands with the pentaaqua Mg²⁺ cation: affinity and associated parameters

The affinity of the pentaaqua Mg(2+) cation for a set of para-substituted imino [HN = CHC₆H₄(R)] and thiocarbonyl [S = CHC₆H₄(R)] ligands (R = H, F, Cl, Br, OH, OCH₃, CH₃, CN, NH₂ and NO₂) was analyzed with DFT (B3LYP/6-31+G(d)) and semi-empirical (PM6-DH2) methods. The interaction enthalpy was calculated to quantify the affinity of the Mg(2+) cation for the ligands. Additionally, geometric and electronic parameters were correlated with the intensity of the metal-ligand interaction. The imino ligands have stronger interaction with the pentaaqua Mg(2+) cation than the thiocarbonyl derivatives. The electronic nature of the substituent is the main parameter that determines the interaction enthalpy. Ligands with electron donor substituents have more exothermic interaction enthalpies than those with electron withdrawing groups. The HSBA analysis showed that the interaction between the Mg(2+) cation and hard bases (imino ligands) is stronger than with soft bases (thiocarbonyl derivatives). The EDA analysis showed that the electrostatic, covalent and repulsion components of the interaction are the most affected by the substituent, whereas the dispersion and exchange components are almost constant.