Ab initio investigation on the structures and spectra of the firefly luciferin

The ground state (S0) geometry of the firefly luciferin (LH2) was optimized by both DFT B3LYP and CASSCF methods. The vertical excitation energies (Tv) of three low-lying states (S1, S2, and S3) were calculated by TD-DFT B3LYP//CASSCF method. The S1 geometry was optimized by CASSCF method. Its Tv and the transition energy (Te) were calculated by MS-CASPT2//CASSCF method. Both the TD-DFT and MS-CASPT2 calculated S1 state Tv values agree with the experimental one. The IPEA shift greatly affects the MS-CASPT2 calculated Tv values. Some important excited states of LH2 and oxyluciferin (oxyLH2) are charge-transfer states and have more than one dominant configuration, so for deeply researching the firefly bioluminescence, the multireference calculations are desired.     

Multireference Calculation of the Photodissociation of Benzyl Chloride

The photodissociation mechanism of benzyl chloride （BzCl） under 248 nm has been investigated by the complete active space SCF （CASSCF） method by calculating the geometries of the ground （S0） and lower excited states, the vertical （Tv） and adiabatic （T0） excitation energies of the lower states, and the dissociation reaction pathways on the potential energy surfaces （PES） of SI, TI and T2 states. The calculated results clearly elucidated the photodissociation mechanism of BzCl, and indicated that the photodissociation on the PES of T1 state is the most favorable.     

Exploring the Mechanism of a Chiral N-Alkyl Imine-Based Light-Driven Molecular Rotary Motor at MS-CASPT2//CASSCF and MS-CASPT2//(TD) DFT Levels

The working mechanism including the photoisomerization and thermal isomerization steps of a chiral N-alkyl imine-based motor synthesized by Lehn et al. are revealed by MS-CASPT2//CASSCF and MS-CASPT2//(TD-)DFT methods. For the photoisomerization process of the imine-based motor, it involves both the bright (π,π*) state and the dark (n,π*) state. In addition, the MECI has similar geometry and energy to the minimum of the S₁ state, which shows that the process is barrierless and keeps the unidirectionality of rotation well; the result confirms the imine-based motor is a good candidate for a light-driven molecular rotary motor. For the thermal isomerization process of the imine-based motor, there are two even isomerization paths: one with the mechanism of the in-plane N inversion, the energy barriers of which are 29.6 kcal mol⁻¹ at MS3-CASPT2//CAM-B3LYP level and 29.2 kcal mol⁻¹ at MS3-CASPT2//CASSCF level; the other with the mechanism of ring inversion of the cycloheptatriene moiety, with energy barriers of 28.1 kcal mol⁻¹ at MS3-CASPT2//CAM-B3LYP level and 18.1 kcal mol⁻¹ at MS3-CASPT2//CASSCF level. According to the structural feature of the stator moiety, the imine molecule can be used as a two-step or a four-step light-driven rotary motor.     

Theoretical Understanding on the Facilitated Photoisomerization of a Carbonyl Supported Borane System

Boron compound BOMes₂ containing an internal B−O bond undergoes highly efficient photoisomerization, followed by sequential structural transformations, resulting in a rare eight-membered B, O-heterocycle (S. Wang, et al. Org. Lett. 2019 , 21, 5285–5289). In this work, the detailed reaction mechanisms of such a unique carbonyl-supported tetracoordinate boron system in the first excited singlet (S₁) state and the ground (S₀) state were investigated by using the complete active space self-consistent field and its second-order perturbation (MS-CASPT2//CASSCF) method combined with time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). Moreover, an imine-substituted tetracoordinated organic boron system (BNMes₂) was selected for comparative study to explore the intrinsic reasons for the difference in reactivity between the two types of compounds. Steric factor was found to influence the photoisomerization activity of BNMes₂ and BOMes₂. These results rationalize the experimental observations and can provide helpful insights into understanding the excited-state dynamics of heteroatom-doped tetracoordinate organoboron compounds, which facilitates the rational design of boron-based materials with superior photoresponsive performances.     

TD-DFT Accuracy in Determining Excited-state Structures and Fluorescence Spectra of Firefly Emitter

We analyzed the excited-state structures and emission spectra of firefly emitter, the anionic keto form of firefly oxyluciferin(keto-1), determined by the time dependent-density functional theory(TD-DFT) approach. The analysis is based on a direct comparison with the highly correlated CASSCF(MS-CASPT2) ab initio approach. 49 DFT functionals were considered and applied to the study. Among the tested functionals, mPW3PBE, B3PW91 and B3P86 give the best performance for ground-state geometry, absorption spectrum, excited-state geometry and emission spectrum.     

The role of Ag(I) ions in the electronic spectroscopy of adenine–cytosine mispairs: A MS-CASPT2 theoretical study

Adenine–cytosine (AC) mispairs have been theoretically studied with MS-CASPT2//CASSCF methods in the presence and absence of Ag ions. The electronically excited states of the most stable AC mispair in the reverse-Wobble (RW) conformation have been compared with those of different Ag(I)–AC complexes, including (i) metalated RW conformations, and (ii) the most stable structures in gas phase which contain the Ag ion bridging A and C. The spectra of these complexes are characterized by charge-transfer (CT) and strong locally excited (LE) states. The metal-to-metal, metal-to-ligand, and Rydberg transitions are very weak in comparison to the nucleobase transitions. Attending to the LE and CT states, and except for the shifts induced by the presence of the Ag, the electronic spectrum of metalated AC mispairs resembles the one of the RW, showing two intense LE bands around 4.5 and 5.5 eV, corresponding to transitions within the adenine and cytosine π-system, respectively. Additionally TD-DFT results obtained with the B3LYP functional are compared with MS-CASPT2//CASSCF calculations. The results clearly evidence the weakness of TD-DFT to describe long range exchange interactions leading to strongly underestimated CT states.     

A MS-CASPT2 study of the low-lying electronic excited states of CH2BrCl

The low-lying singlet excited states of CH₂BrCl have been calculated using multiconfigurational CASSCF, second-order perturbation theory CASPT2 and its multistate extension MS-CASPT2. The CASSCF method shows spurious valence–Rydberg mixing and a wrong order of states. Inclusion of dynamical correlation by single root CASPT2 lowers dramatically the energy of the valences states but does not lead to a complete separation between valence and Rydberg states. This situation is improved by the MS-CASPT2 calculations, which gives two valence states for both A^′ and A″ symmetries below the lowest Rydberg state, corresponding to n(Br)→σ^*(C–Br) and n(Cl)→σ^*(C–Cl) transitions at 6.1 eV (203 nm) and 7.2 eV (173 nm), and being repulsive along C–Br and C–Cl coordinates.     

二(2-苯基-8-羟基喹啉)锌及其衍生物的电子光谱性质的含时密度泛函理论研究

采用从头算(ab initio)和密度泛函理论(DFT B3LYP)方法。对二(2-苯基-8-羟基喹啉)锌(Zn(qPh)₂)及其衍生物的基态结构进行优化，同时用ab initio HF单激发组态相互作用(CIS)法在6-31G基组上优化其最低激发单重态几何结构，用含时密度泛函理论(TD-DFT/B3LYP)及6-31G基组计算吸收和发射光谱。计算表明，该类物质电子在基态与激发态间的跃迁，主要是电子云分布由定域化向离域化的转变。吸收及发射光谱的计算值与实验值基本符合。该类化合物的电子亲和能较大，都是优良的电子传输材料，改变中心金属原子对配合物光谱性质影响不大。而羟基氧被硫原子取代后，化合物的吸收光谱产生明显红移。     

Potential energy surfaces of pseudoaromatic molecules: An MMVB and CASSCF study of pentalene

The S₀ and S₁ potential energy surfaces of pentalene were studied using MMVB—a hybrid force-field/parametrized valence bond (VB) method designed to simulate CASSCF calculations for ground and covalent excited states. The results were calibrated against full CASSCF calculations. Four distinct critical points were optimized: on S₀, a C_2h minimum (with alternating single and double bonds) and a D_2h transition structure; and on S₁, a D_2h minimum and an adjacent S₁/S₀ conical intersection. A VB exchange density matrix (which is independent of the choice of the spin-coupled basis) was used to rationalize the S₀ and S₁ surface topologies. Craig defined pseudoaromatic molecules to be those with nontotally symmetric electronic ground states. For pentalene, this is true for both CASSCF and MMVB calculations: the CASSCF S₀ transition structure is an open-shell B_1x singlet, and the VB ground state is dominated by a spin-coupling which transforms as B_1g. A C_2v minimum and a D_2h transition structure were located on the CASSCF S₂ potential energy surface. This state cannot be represented by MMVB because of the importance of ionic configurations. The characters of the S₁ S₂ states of pentalene are shown to be reverse of the S₁ and S₂ states of benzene. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Insights into the Photoinduced Isomerization Mechanisms of a N,C–Chelate Organoboron Compound: A Theoretical Study

As the first discovered organoboron compound with photochromic property, B(ppy)Mes₂ (ppy=2-phenylpyridine, Mes=mesityl) displays rich photochemistry that constitutes a solid foundation for wide applications in optoelectronic fields. In this work, we investigated the B(ppy)Mes₂ to borirane isomerization mechanisms in the three lowest electronic states (S₀, S₁, and T₁) based on the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and its second-order perturbation (CASPT2) methods combined with time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations. Our results show that the photoisomerization in the S₁ state is dominant, which is initiated by the cleavage of the B-C_ppy bond. After overcoming a barrier of 0.5 eV, the reaction pathway leads to a conical intersection between the S₁ and S₀ states (S₁/S₀)_x, from which the decay path may go back to the reactant B(ppy)Mes₂ via a closed-shell intermediate (Int1-S₀) or to the product borirane via a biradical intermediate (Int2-S₀). Although triplet states are probably involved in the photoinduced process, the possibility of the photoisomerization in T₁ state is very small owing to the weakly allowed S₁→T₁ intersystem crossing and the high energy barrier (0.77 eV). In addition, we found the photoisomerization is thermally reversible, which is consistent with the experimental observations.     

Excited-State Proton Transfer and Decay in Hydrogen-Bonded Oxazole System:MS-CASPT2//CASSCF Study

Herein we have employed high-level multi-reference CASSCF and MS-CASPT2 electronic structure methods to systematically study the photochemical mechanism of intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)-4-methyloxazole. At the CASSCF level, we have optimized minima, conical intersections, minimum-energy reaction paths relevant to the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), rotation, photoisomerization, and the excited-state deactivation pathways. The energies of all structures and paths are refined by the MS-CASPT2 method. On the basis of the present results, we found that the ESIPT process in a conformer with the OH…N hydrogen bond is essentially barrierless process; whereas, the ESIPT process is inhibited in the other conformer with the OH…O hydrogen bond. The central single-bond rotation of the S₁ enol species is energetically unfavorable due to a large barrier. In addition, the excited-state deactivation of the S₁ keto species, as a result of the ultrafast ESIPT, is very efficient because of the existence of two easily-approached keto S₁/S₀ conical intersections. In stark contrast to the S₁ keto species, the decay of the S₁ enol species is almostly blocked. The present theoretical study contributes valuable knowledge to the understanding of photochemistry of similar intramolecularly hydrogen-bonded molecular and biological systems.     

Structure of acetyl chloride molecule isotopomers CH<Subscript>3</Subscript>COCl and CD<Subscript>3</Subscript>COCl in the ground and lowest excited singlet and triplet electronic states: a quantum mechanical study

The structures of isotopomers of conformationally flexible acetyl chloride molecule, CH₃COCl and CD₃COCl, in the ground (S₀ and lowest excited singlet (S₁) and triplet (T₁) electronic states were calculated by the RHF, MP2, and CASSCF methods. The equilibrium geometric parameters and harmonic vibrational frequencies of the molecules in these electronic states were estimated. According to calculations, electronic excitation causes considerable conformational changes involving rotation of the CH₃ (CD₃) top and a substantial deviation of the CCOCl fragment from planarity. The results of calculations agree with experimental data. Two dimensional torsional inversion sections of the potential energy surface were calculated and analyzed. Vibrational problems for large amplitude vibrations (torsional vibration in the S₀ state and both torsional and inversion vibrations in the T₁ and S₁ states) were solved in one- and two-dimensional approximations.__________Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 62–70, January, 2005.     

硫代樟脑光化学反应的理论研究

运用量子化学方法优化了硫代樟脑的最低5个电子态(S₀, T₁, S₁, T₂和S₂)的结构, 并计算了它们的相对能量. 计算结果表明: S₁, T₁和T₂态的能量非常接近, 而S₂的能量远远高于T₂态, 这与之前对几种小的硫代羰基化合物的研究结论一致. 确定了硫代樟脑分子在T₁态发生β-插入反应和类Norrish II型反应的机理, 计算的势垒相对于S₀的振动零点分别为314.1和332.6 kJ/mol. 在400 nm波长的光的照射下, 分子被激发到S₁态, 此时分子没有足够的能量发生反应, 只能通过内转换回到基态. 当激发光波长在254 nm时, 硫代樟脑分子被激发到S₂态, 这时候体系有了足够的内部能量使反应发生. 实验上已经观察到此激发光波长下, 气态硫代樟脑可以发生β-插入反应和类Norrish II型反应.     

Molecular parameters of tetraatomic carbonyls X2CO and XYCO (X,Y = H,F, Cl) in the ground and lowest excited electronic states,part 1: A test of ab initio methods

Geometrical parameters of tetraatomic carbonyl molecules X₂CO and XYCO (X, Y = H, F, Cl) in the ground (S₀) and lowest excited singlet (S₁) and triplet (T₁) electronic states as well as values of barriers to inversion in S₁ and T₁ states and S₁ ← S₀ and T₁ ← S₀ adiabatic transition energies were systematically investigated by means of various quantum‐chemical techniques. The following methods were tested: HF, MP2, CIS, CISD, CCSD, EOM‐CCSD, CCSD(T), CR‐EOM‐CCSD(T), CASSCF, MR‐MP2, CASPT2, CASPT3, NEVPT2, MR‐CISD, and MR‐AQCC within cc‐pVTZ and cc‐pVQZ basis sets. The accuracy of quantum‐chemical methods was estimated in comparison with experimental data and rather accurate structures of excited electronic states were obtained. MP2 and CASPT2 methods appeared to be the most efficient and CCSD(T), CR‐EOM‐CCSD(T), and MR‐AQCC the most accurate. It was found that at equilibrium all the molecules under study are nonplanar in S₁ and T₁ electronic states with CO out‐of‐plane angle ranging from 34° (H₂CO, S₁) to 52° (F₂CO, T₁), and height of barrier to inversion varying from 300 (H₂CO, S₁) to 11,000 (F₂CO, T₁) cm^?1. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2009     

Excited-State Double Proton Transfer of 1, 8-Dihydroxy-2-Naphthaldehyde: a MS-CASPT2//CASSCF Study

Excited-state double proton transfer (ESDPT) is a controversial issue which has long been plagued with theoretical and experimental communities. Herein, we took 1, 8-dihydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde (DHNA) as a prototype and used combined complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and multi-state complete active-space second-order perturbation (MS-CASPT2) methods to investigate ESDPT and excited-state deactivation pathways of DHNA. Three different tautomer minima of S1-ENOL, S1-KETO-1, and S1-KETO-2 and two crucial conical intersections of S1S0-KETO-1 and S1S0-KETO-2 in and between the S₀ and S₁ states were obtained. S1-KETO-1 and S1-KETO-2 should take responsibility for experimentally observing dual-emission bands. In addition, two-dimensional potential energy surfaces (2D-PESs) and linear interpolated internal coordinate paths connecting relevant structures were calculated at the MS-CASPT2//CASSCF level and confirmed a stepwise ESDPT mechanism. Specifically, the first proton transfer from S1-ENOL to S1-KETO-1 is barrierless, whereas the second one from S1-KETO-1 to S1-KETO-2 demands a barrier of ca. 6.0 kcal/mol. The linear interpolated internal coordinate path connecting S1-KETO-1 (S1-KETO-2) and S1S0-KETO-1 (S1S0-KETO-2) is uphill with a barrier of ca. 12.0 kcal/mol, which will trap DHNA in the S₁ state while therefore enabling dual-emission bands. On the other hand, the S₁/S₀ conical intersections would also prompt the S₁ system to decay to the S₀ state, which could be to certain extent suppressed by locking the rotation of the C5$-$C8$-$C9$-$O10 dihedral angle. These mechanistic insights are not only helpful for understanding ESDPT but also useful for designing novel molecular materials with excellent photoluminescent performances.     

Quantum-chemical study of the geometric and electronic structure of the CoC2 molecule

DFT (B3LYP) calculations have been performed to study the CoC₂ molecule in its different geometric conformations and electronic states. The energies have been refined using ab initio multiconfigurational CASSCF/CASPT2 calculations. Both approaches are in a good semi-quantitative agreement between themselves and predict the symmetric triangular (C_2v) structure to be more stable than the linear (C_∞v) conformation. The ground state has been found to be a quartet, which can formally be regarded as an ionic Co²⁺–C₂²⁻ complex, resulting from a transfer of the two 4s electrons of the cobalt atom to the 3σ_g orbital of the C₂ ligand and distributing the remaining seven valence electrons over the split 3d orbitals.     

Theoretical investigation of anthracene-9,10-endoperoxide vertical singlet and triplet excitation spectra

The electronic absorption spectrum of anthracene-9,10-endoperoxide (APO) has been investigated by means of multiconfigurational multi-state second order perturbation theory on complete active space self-consistent field wavefunctions (MS-CASPT2/CASSCF) and two single reference methods: time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) and coupled cluster of second order (CC2). After testing several active spaces and basis sets, a CAS (14,12) active space together with an ANO-S basis set was found an appropriate choice to describe the vertical singlet and triplet electronic states of APO. Unfortunately, TD-DFT and CC2 methods cannot reproduce the MS-CASPT2 and experimental spectrum. Our MS-CASPT2//CASSCF(14,12)/ANO-S calculations predict a predominant pi*(OO)sigma*(OO) character for the lowest singlet excited state S(1) at 3.85 eV. Accordingly, the lowest singlet state of APO should be responsible for homolysis of the endoperoxide group. The next two absorbing excited states, experimentally proposed to be responsible for singlet oxygen production and therefore connected to the biological interest of APO, have been computed vertically at 4.34 and 4.59 eV and assigned to pi(CC)pi*(CC) and pi*(OO)pi*(CC) transitions, respectively. The vertical triplet electronic spectrum follows the singlet vertical spectrum ordering. The high density of triplet and singlet excited states of different nature within few eV points to the possibility of intersystem crossings between potential energy surfaces of different multiplicity.     

Theoretical electronic structure of the molecule ScBr

The potential energy curves have been investigated for the 23 lowest electronic states in the ^2s+1Λ^± representation of the molecule ScBr via CASSCF and MRCI (single and double excitations with Davidson correction) calculations. Seventeen electronic states have been studied theoretically for the first time. The harmonic frequency ω_e, the internuclear distance r_e, and the electronic energy with respect to the ground state T_e have been calculated. By using the canonical functions approach, the eigenvalues E_v, the rotational constant B_v, and the abscissas of the turning points (R_min, R_max) have been calculated for electronic states up to the vibrational level v = 32. The comparison of these values to the theoretical and experimental results available in the literature shows a good agreement. © 2007 Wiley Periodicalsm Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008     

Ab initio study of the structure and conformations of 2-fluoroethanal in the ground and lowest excited electronic states

The structure of the conformationally flexible 2-fluoroethanal molecule (CH₂FCHO, FE) in the ground (S₀) and lowest excited triplet (T₁) and singlet (S₁) electronic states was investigated by ab initio quantum-chemical methods. The FE molecule in the S₀ state was found to exist as two conformers, viz., as cis (the F—C—C—O angle is 0°) and trans (the F—C—C—O angle is 180°) conformers. On going both to the T₁ and S₁ states, the FE molecule undergoes substantial structural changes, in particular, the CH₂F top is rotated with respect to the core and the carbonyl CCHO fragment becomes nonplanar. The potential energy surfaces for the T₁ and S₁ states are qualitatively similar, viz., six minima in each of the excited states of FE correspond to three pairs of mirror-symmetrical conformers. Based on the potential energy surfaces calculated for the FE molecule in the T₁ and S₁ states, the one-dimensional problems on the torsion and inversion nuclear motions as well as the two-dimensional torsion-inversion problems were solved.