Giant Polyoxometalates : Dynamic Structure and Reactivity. In this thesis different methods were used to study several systems in which giant polyoxometalates are involved. The validity of the theoretical methods applied and the results obtained were always contrasted with the experimental evidence provided by the groups of Prof. Achim Müller (Bielefeld) and Prof. Marcella Bonchio (Padova). In certain cases the theoretical results provided an explanation for experimental observations and in other cases they had allowed prediction as main objective.Chapter IV presents the results regarding encapsulated water molecules inside the giant polyoxometalate cavities. Chapter V presents the results of the studies about ion pairing on polyoxometalates. Chapters VI and VII presents the results of two different polyoxometalates and their catalytic activity. Finally Chapter VIII presents a theoretical study on the effect of counterions on the growth of giant uranium polyperoxometalates. / Polioxometal·lats Gegants: Estructura Dinàmica i Reactivitat.En la present tesi diferents mètodes han estat utilitzats per estudiar diversos sistemes on els polyoxometalats gegants juguen un paper fonamental. La validesa dels mètodes computacionals utilitzats i dels resultats obtinguts han estat sempre contrastats amb les evidencies experimentals facilitades pels grups del Prof. Achim Müller (Bielefeld) i Prof. Marcella Bonchio (Padova). En alguns casos els resultats computacionals han permès explicar les observacions experimentals i en d'altres han permet fer prediccions com a principal objectiu.En el capítol IV es presenten els resultats referents a l'estructura de l'aigua encapsulada en les cavitats presents a polioxometal·lats gegants. El capítol V presenta els resultats dels estudis sobre ion pairing en polioxometal·lats. Els capítols VI i VII presenten els resultats de dos sistemes diferents i la seva activitat com a catalitzadors. Finalment, el capítol VIII presenta un estudi teòric sobre l'efecte dels contraions en el creixement de poliperoxometal·lats gegants d'urani.

This thesis consists of two parts. In the first part, the properties of excess electrons in water clusters are studied via a hybrid quantum and classical mechanics method. The existence of the solvated electron in water was experimentally demonstrated long ago, and it is among the most interesting charged species. However, a satisfactory characterization of the water clusters has always been a challenge. In our simulation, we treat a region of the cluster nearest to the centroid of the excess electron distribution quantum mechanically, while the rest of the water molecules are treated classically. The binding energies of a localized excess electron are calculated in clusters with sizes ranging from 16 to 300. The density distributions of the excess electrons verify the existence of both surface localization mode and interior localization model. We studied the energetically favored localization modes depending on the sizes of the clusters and the transition point. In the second part, the energy spectra, spin configurations, and entanglement characteristics of a system of four electrons in lateral double quantum dots are investigated using exact diagonalization (EXD), as a function of interdot separation, applied magnetic field, and strength of interelectron repulsion. As a function of the magnetic field, the energy spectra exhibit a low-energy band consisting of a group of six states, with the number six being a consequence of the conservation of the total spin of the four electrons and the ensuing spin degeneracies. These six states appear to cross at a single value of the magnetic field, with the crossing point becoming sharper for larger interdot distances. As the strength of the Coulomb repulsion increases, the six states tend to become degenerate and a well defined energy gap separates them from the higher-in-energy excited states. The appearance of the low-energy band is a consequence of the formation of a Wigner supermolecule. Using the spin-resolved pair-correlation functions, one can map the EXD many-body wave functions onto the spin functions associated with the four localized electrons. The ability to determine associated spin functions enables investigations concerning entanglement properties of the system of four electrons.

Nous étudions la dynamique d’anions hydroxyde et fluorure micro-solvatés dans un agrégat d’eau après photo-excitation. Du fait du coût numérique important des calculs ab-initio et de la faible transférabilité des potentiels modèles de la littérature, nous avons développé un nouveau modèle transférable permettant de décrire l’interaction d’un soluté quelconque avec une molécule d’eau. Nous avons également effectué une étude des propriétés statiques de F^-(H2O)n=1−7 et OH−(H2O)n=1−7 qui sert de référence pour la paramétrisation du modèle et fournit une base à l’interprétation des calculs de dynamique. De cette étude, nous avons déduit le nombre de molécules d’eau nécessaires pour stabiliser le premier état excité de F− et OH−. Nous avons aussi déterminé l’impact de la base sur la description des états excités. Enfin, nous avons mis en évidence un motif géométrique favorable à la recombinaison géminée. L’étude de trajectoires sur le premier état singulet excité pour F^-(H2O)3,5 et OH^-(H2O)3,5 montre des différences de comportement entre le fluorure et l’hydroxyde. Pour F^−, l’électron est très diffus et se transfère en une centaine de femtosecondes à l’eau. Dans le cas de OH^−, à cause du dipôle du radical OH qui maintient l’électron, le transfert de charge ne s’effectue que lorsque le radical OH tourne vers l’agrégat d’eau. Cette différence de comportement entre OH^−et F^−offre une piste pour la compréhension du phénomène de recombinaison géminée rapide observé pour OH^−. Nous avons également étudié le spectre d’énergie de détachement vertical de l’électron pour des agrégats d’eau négativement chargés qui constituent l’un des produits finaux de la dynamique des anions photo-excités. Ces résultats ont été discutés et comparés à l’expérience. Nous avons ainsi pu faire correspondre des structures géométriques aux pics des spectres mesurés expérimentalement. Nous discutons aussi du rôle de l’énergie interne des agrégats sur l’allure des spectres via son impact sur l’évaporation de molécules d’eau. / We study the dynamics of micro-solvated hydroxide and fluoride anions in water clusters after photoexcitation. Because ab-initio calculations are numerically expensive and model potentials from literature lack of transferability, we developed a transferable model, which allows us to describe the interaction between any solute and a water molecule. We have studied the statics properties of F^−(H2O)n=1−7 and OH^−(H2O)n=1−7. The results from this study serve as a basis for the parametrization of the model and for the interpretation of dynamics simulation. From this study, we deduced the number of water molecules needed to stabilize an excited state for F^−and OH^−. We investogated the impact of the basis on the description of the excited states At last, we highlight a favorable motif for geminate recombination. Study of trajectories on the first excited singlet states of F^−(H2O)3,5 and OH^−(H2O)3,5 shows differences in the dynamics between OH^−and F^− For F^−, the excess electron is very diffuse and transferred quickly to the water For OH−, because of the OH dipole, the excess electron remains bound to the neutral . OH, until charge transfer takes place when OH rotate to the water cluster. This difference provides a way to understand the fast geminate recombination process observed for OH^−. We also studied vertical detachment spectra of the electron for negatively charged water clusters which are the final products of the anions dynamics on the first excited state. These results are compared to experience from literature. We associate isomers to the experimentally observed peaks. We discuss the effect of internal energy on the shape of the spectra through water molecules evaporation

X-ray lasers bring us into a new world in photon science by delivering extraordinarily intense beams of x-rays in very short bursts that can be more than ten billion times brighter than pulses from other x-ray sources. These lasers find applications in sciences ranging from astrophysics to structural biology, and could allow us to obtain images of single macromolecules when these are injected into the x-ray beam. A macromolecule injected into vacuum in a microdroplet will be affected by evaporation and by the dynamics of the carrier liquid before being hit by the x-ray pulse. Simulations of neutral and charged water droplets were performed to predict structural changes and changes of temperature due to evaporation. The results are discussed in the aspect of single molecule imaging. Further studies show ionization caused by the intense x-ray radiation. These simulations reveal the development of secondary electron cascades in water. Other studies show the development of these cascades in KI and CsI where experimental data exist. The results are in agreement with observation, and show the temporal, spatial and energetic evolution of secondary electron cascades in the sample. X-ray diffraction is sensitive to structural changes on the length scale of chemical bonds. Using a short infrared pump pulse to trigger structural changes, and a short x-ray pulse for probing it, these changes can be studied with a temporal resolution similar to the pulse lengths. Time resolved diffraction experiments were performed on a phase transition during resolidification of a non-thermally molten InSb crystal. The experiment reveals the dynamics of crystal regrowth. Computer simulations were performed on the infrared laser-induced melting of bulk ice, giving a comprehension of the dynamics and the wavelength dependence of melting. These studies form a basis for planning experiments with x-ray lasers.

Ce travail réalisé dans le cadre de l’initiative africaine de l’IUCr porte sur l’étude structurale par diffraction des rayons X de quelques architectures élaborées par association, via des interactions faibles, des anions {[M(C2O4)3]3-,M = Cr, Fe} et des cations complexes à base de la 2-picolylamine (amp) métaux de transition (Co2+, Cu2+ et Mn2+). L’architecture à base de l’ion Co2+ est bidimensionnelle et présente des feuillets ondulés constitués de chaines bimétalliques de chiralité différente où les deux ions complexes ([Cr(C2O4)3]3- et [Co(amp)3]3+ ) sont connectés par des liaisons hydrogène. Ces feuillets hébergent des molécules d’eau qui forment des clusters dodécamèriques aux caractéristiques nouvelles. Le composé déshydraté se réhydrate rapidement dans l’air ambiant et les deux états possèdent des couleurs différentes. Plusieurs cycles de déshydratation-réhydratation n’altèrent pas la qualité cristalline du composé. L’architecture à base des ions Cu2+ possède également des feuillets mais présente une ondulation plus forte que celle de l’architecture au cobalt. Ces couches sont constituées de chaines formées de cations dimériques [Cu2(amp)4Cl]3+ et d’anions {[M(C2O4)3]3-,M = Cr, Fe}. Les deux composés sont iso-structuraux et leur architecture présente des canaux monodimensionnels qui contiennent des molécules d’eau qui forment des clusters hexamèriques. Le composé subit des transitions de phase entre la basse température (100K) et la température de déshydratation (341K) avec une perte de la symétrie. Le composé se réhydrate plus difficilement que celui à base de l’ion cobalt(III). L’ion Mn2+ ne donne pas l’architecture escomptée mais un polymère de coordination nouveau / This work, realized under the IUCr initiative, framework involves the structural study via X-ray diffraction, of some heteromolecular architectures formed by the association through non-covalent bonds, between the tris (oxalato) chromate (III) and tris (oxalato) ferrate (III) anions {[M(C2O4)3]3-, M = Cr, Fe} and the cationic complex of the 2-picolylamine (amp) and transition metal (Co2 +, Cu2 + and Mn2 +). Co2 + ion builds two-dimensional corrugated layers made of bimetallic chiral chains where the two different complex ions ([Cr(C2O4)3]3- and [Co(amp)3]3 +) are connected by hydrogen bonds. These layers, connected by weak hydrogen interactions, host between them, water molecules which build dodecameric clusters having new characteristics. The dehydrated compound has different structure and color and is able to quickly reabsorb water molecules from surrounding to regenerate the initial compound despite that it has no pores. Several cycles of this process do not seriously affect the crystalline quality of this compound. The compound obtained with the Cu2 + ion also has a two-dimensional framework. Their layers are formed between the dimeric cation [Cu2 (amp) 4Cl]3 + and the anion {[M(C2O4)3]3-,M = Cr, Fe}. Both compounds are iso-structural; their frameworks are formed via π - - - π interactions and build 1D channels which contain water molecules forming hexameric clusters. The compound undergoes a phase transition between 100 K and the dehydration temperature (341K). During this dehydration, a loss of symmetry of the compound is recorded and rehydration process is more difficult than for cobalt(III)-framework. The use of Mn2+ ions does not give the expected architecture but a new coordination polymer