THE INFLUENCE OF THE NITRO GROUP ON THE DISSOCIATIONS OF SOME AROMATIC ACIDS AND BASES IN THEIR LOWEST EXCITED TRIPLET STATES*

Abstract— –Estimation of lowest excited triplet and singlet state dissociation constants of some nitro-aromatic acids and bases, from shifts in their phosphorescence and absorption spectra, respectively, indicate that intramolecular charge transfer to the nitro group is much more important in the lowest excited singlet state than in the ground or lowest excited triplet states. As a result, the effect of a nitro group on the acidity of the lowest excited singlet state of an acid or base is more exaggerated than that on the ground or lowest excited triplet state of the same compound. Furthermore, the basicity of the nitro group is greatly enhanced in the lowest excited singlet state. On this basis the increased rate of photoreduction of nitrobenzene in acidic solutions is found to be thermodynamically unfeasible in the lowest excited triplet state. Although the reaction is thermodynamically feasible in the lowest excited singlet state, the short lifetime of that state may make the reaction kinetically unfeasible. Rate-Hammett acidity profiles are therefore inadequate to alone establish the mechanism of photoreduction of nitrobenzene.     

LOWEST EXCITED TRIPLET-STATE DISSOCIATION CONSTANTS OF PURINES IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION. SUBSTITUENT EFFECTS*

Abstract— Lowest triplet-state dissociation constants of purine and eight of its derivatives have been determined from the shifts of the 0–0 bands of phosphorescence occurring upon protonation and deprotonation (dissociation), in rigid aqueous solutions at 77°K. Triplet-state dissociation constants (p K _aτ) are found to be significantly different from the corresponding ground–state p K _a-values, differences ranging from 0.6 to 3.8 p K units. In the equilibria between neutral and anion species, purines are more acidic in the triplet state, due to derealization of the negative charge of the triplet-state anion. In the equilibria between cation and neutral species, the basicity of purine, amino, methyl, and benzyl-amino derivatives is increased in the triplet state compared to the ground state. The anomalously low basicity of the halogeno- and methylmercapto-derivatives in their triplet state is attributed to the increased interactions of dir orbitals of halogens and sulfur atoms with π orbitals in the triplet state. In general, substituent effects on the p K _a of purines appear to be parallel in the ground and excited triplet states.     

Etude theorique de la premiere protonation de la proflavine

A comparison between theory and experiment (the last performed by J. H. Lhoste) gives consitent results pertaining to the difference in acid-base behaviour of proflavin in the ground state and in the excited singlet and triplet states. In particular, several facts emerge. An extraordinary inequality between the different pK′s of acid-base equilibria are indicated: p_triplet^K < p_fondamental^K < p_singulet^K A change occured by protonation in the electronic configuration of the lowest triplet state of that molecule and the variation of solvation energy during the absorption ground state-first excited singlet state plays an important part.     

Photophysical Properties of Rufloxacin in Neutral Aqueous Solution

The photophysical properties of rufloxacin, 9-fluoro-2_r3-dihydro-10-(4-methyl-l-pyrazinyl)-7-oxo-7-H-pyri-do[l,2,3-de]-l,4-benzothiazin-6-carboxylic acid, a fluoroquinolone antibacterial drug exhibiting photosensitizing action toward biological substrates, were studied in aqueous solutions at neutral pH. The lowest excited electronic states of the zwitterion were characterized by both experimental techniques and theoretical methods. Steady-state and time-resolved emission, triplet-state absorption and singlet oxygen production were investigated. The results indicate that the lowest excited singlet is a fluorescent, relatively long-lived state (φ_r= 0.075, T_r? 4.5 ns) with an efficient intersystem crossing to the triplet manifold (φ_isc? 0-⁷)- The lowest triplet is a long-lived state (T_T? 10 μs at 295 K in 0.01 M phosphate buffer), with properties that make it a good candidate for being the precursor of the photodecarboxylation of the drug. It is quenched by oxygen at a rate of 1.7 times 10⁹M^-1 s-¹ and singlet oxygen is formed with a quantum yield of 0.32 in air-saturated solutions.     

EXCITED STATES OF SIX-MEMBERED N-HETEROCYCLES. FLUORESCENCE, PHOSPHORESCENCE AND ACID—BASE EQUILIBRIA OF ELECTRONICALLY EXCITED PHENAZINE

Abstract— An account of a systematic study of the acid-base equilibria of phenazine in the two lowest excited (π,π) states is presented. Pure electronic levels of the free base and of both its protonated forms have been located by spectroscopic methods. Fluorescence, phosphorescence and corresponding absorption spectra have been measured. The O-O energies of the free base, of the singly-protonated species and of the doubly protonated form in the lowest triplet state (³L_α(π, π)) are: 15, 475 cm^-1, 14, 175 cm^-1 and about 9300cm^-1, respectively. This last value has been estimated from the experimentally determined S-T splitting in the other two forms. Corresponding energies of the lowest singlet state (^IL_α(π,π)) are: 23,500 cm^-1, 21,250cm^-1 and 17,300 cm^-1. The fluorescence of the free base has been found in polar as well as in non-polar solvents and has been checked by the fluorescence excitation spectrum. Fluorescence quantum yields for the free base have been measured: 8.6 times 10^-4 and 3.0 × 10^-5 in ethanol and hexane solutions, respectively. Emission in ethanol has been ascribed to (π,π), that in hexane —to (π, π). fluorescence. The changes of pK_α's under excitation, calculated from the Forster's cycle, are equal: δpK_a¹=+2.8±0.3; δpK_a¹¹?+10±1.5 in the lowest (π, π) triplet state and δpK_a¹=+4.8±0.5; δpK_a¹¹=+8.4 ± 0.5 in the lowest (π,π) singlet state. The δpK_a¹¹ in the triplet state is at least as high as that in the ¹L_a(π, π) state. P P P calculations of the electronic levels and of the molecular diagrams have been performed. The energies obtained exceed experimental values by not more than 0.5 eV. An increase of the net charge on nitrogen δp under excitation has been found to be +50, +70 and +19 per cent in the ¹L_a, ¹L_b and ³L_a states, respectively. A good correlation has been found between δpK_a¹ and δp in both excited states, which have been studied experimentally.     

Ab initio calculations on urea

Multiconfiguration wave functions constructed from contracted Gaussian-lobe functions have been found for the ground and valence-excited states of urea. ICSCF molecular orbitals of the excited states were used as the parent configurations for the CI calculations except for the ¹A₁(π → π*) state. The ¹A₁(π → π*) state used as its parent configuration an orthogonal linear combination of natural orbitals obtained from the second root of a three-configuration SCF calculation. The lowest excited states are predicted to be the n π → π* and π → π* triplet states. The lowest singlet state is predicted to be the n π → π* state with an energy in good agreement with the one known UV band at 7.2 eV. The π → π* singlet state is predicted to be about 1.9 eV higher, contrary to several previous assignments which assumed the lowest band was a π → π* amide resonance band. The predicted ionization energy of 9.0 eV makes this and higher states autoionizing.     

Ground and lowest excited triplet state dissociation constants of the 5-, 6- and 7-mononitro-8-quinolinols. Spectroscopic evidence for intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the lowest triplet state of 7-nitro-8-quinolinol

Abstract— The dissociation constants of 5-nitro-8-quinoIinol, 6-nitro-8-quinolinol and 7-nitro-8-quinolinol have been determined for the ground states of the molecules by potentio-metric titration, and for the lowest triplet states from the shifts of the O—O bands of phosphorescence occurring upon dissociation. The ground-state dissociation constants of the phenolic groups are found to be typical of ortho, meta, and para nitro phenols. The phosphorescences of all prototropic species derived from the 6-isomer appear to be anomalous and their origin is unknown. The anomalously low acidity of the neutral species of the 7-isomer in its triplet state, relative to that of the neutral species of the 5-isomer in its triplet state, is attributed to intramolecular hydrogen bonding in the lowest triplet sfate of the 7-isorner, between the phenolic proton and the 7-nitro group. The magnitudes of the two triplet-state disSociation constants of both the 5 and 7 isomers suggest that the predominant uncharged species in fluid solutions containing the triplet-state molecules are the excited zwitterions.     

DETERMINATION OF THE ACRYLAMIDE QUENCHING CONSTANT FOR PROTEIN AND MODEL INDOLE TRIPLETS

Abstract— The decay of the indole triplet of single tryptophan-containing proteins and model compounds can be readily measured at room temperature in aqueous solution by monitoring the triplet-triplet absorption or phosphorescence emission following a 265 nm exciting laser pulse. The quenching action of acrylamide on the triplet excited state of indole side chains was studied in an analogous fashion to that previously done at the singlet level (Eftink and Ghiron, 1977). The acrylamide triplet quenching constant (^tk_q) ranged from a high of 7.8 times 10⁸M^-1 s^-1 for the exterior indole of corticotropin (ACTH) to a low of 2 times 10⁵ Af^-1 s^-1 for the interior indole of ribonuclease T, (RNase T,). The ratio (7) of these values with their respective acrylamide singlet quenching constants (^tk_q),(γ=^tk_q⁸K_q) ranged from a high of 0.22 for ACTH to a low of 0.001 for RNase T₁,. Acrylamide is also an inefficient quencher of model indoles in various solvents (i.e. it has a γ less than 1). The magnitude of γ varied from a high of 0.3 in H₂0 to a low of 0.02 in acetonitrile, but did not correlate with viscosity, dielectric constant or polarity. The lower efficiency observed for internal indole groups can not be explained by that class of models which predict the presence of static quenching at the triplet level, since none was observed. The present results confirm the observation of Calhoun et al. of a large discrepancy between acrylamide's singlet and triplet quenching constants for buried indole side chains, but suggest that it may be largely explained by the fact that acrylamide is an inefficient quencher of the indole triplet state (1983). The magnitude of this inefficiency is probably determined by specific microenvironmental factors. Thus, unlike ⁸K_q, the environmentally sensitive ^lk_H cannot be easily used to characterize the dynamics of proteins.     

The acid—base equilibria of dimethylphenols in the ground and the first excited singlet states

Measurements of the acidity constants in the ground (pK_a(S₀)) and the lowest excited singlet (pK_a(S₁)) states for 2,3-, 2,4-, 2,5-, 2,6-, 3,4- and 3,5-dimethylphenols in aqueous solution have been carried out spectrophotometrically at 25°C. The pK_a values in S₀ have been derived from the absorption spectra and the pK_a values in S₁ were estimated by means of the Forster cycle. It is found that the hydroxy group is more acidic in the first excited singlet than in the ground state.     

Photodissociation of Dibromobenzenes at 266 nm by the Velocity Imaging Technique

A velocity imaging technique combined with (2+1) resonance‐enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) is used to detect the primary Br(²P_3/2) fragment in the photodissociation of o‐, m‐, and p‐dibromobenzene at 266 nm. The obtained translational energy distributions suggest that the Br fragments are produced via two dissociation channels. For o‐ and m‐dibromobenzene, the slow channel that yields an anisotropy parameter close to zero is proposed to stem from excitation of the lowest excited singlet (π,π*) state followed by predissociation along a repulsive triplet (n,σ*) state localized on the C? Br bond. The fast channel that gives rise to an anisotropy parameter of 0.53–0.73 is attributed to a bound triplet state with smaller dissociation barrier. For p‐dibromobenzene, the dissociation rates are reversed, because the barrier for the bound triplet state becomes higher than the singlet–triplet crossing energy. The fractions of translational energy release are determined to be 6–8 and 29–40 % for the slow and fast channels, respectively; the quantum yields are 0.2 and 0.8, and are insensitive to the position of the substituent. The Br fragmentation from bromobenzene and bromofluorobenzenes at the same photolyzing wavelength is also compared to understand the effect of the number of halogen atoms on the phenyl ring.     

C-Br Bond Dissociation Mechanisms of 2-Bromothiophene and 3-Bromothiophene at 267 nm

C-Br bond dissociation mechanisms of 2-bromothiophene and 3-bromothiophene at 267 nm were investigated using ion velocity imaging technique. Translational energy distributions and angular distributions of the photoproducts, Br(²P_3/2) and Br^*(²P_½), were obtained and the possible dissociation channels were analyzed. For these two bromothiophenes, the Br fragments were produced via three channels: (i) the fast predissociation following the intersystem crossing from the excited singlet state to repulsive triplet state; (ii) the hot dissociation on highly vibrational ground state following the internal conversion of the excited singlet state; and (iii) the dissociation following the multiphoton ionization of the parent molecules. Similar channels are involved for photoproduct Br^* of the 2-bromothiophene dissociation at 267 nm; whereas for the photoproduct Br^* of 3-bromothiophene, the dissociation channel via internal conversion from the excited singlet state to highly vibrational ground state became dominating and the fast predissociation channel via the excited triplet state almost disappeared. Informations about the relative contribution, energy disposal, and the anisotropy of each channel were quantitatively given. It was found that with the position of Br atom in thienyl being far from S atom, the relative ratios of products from channels (i) and (ii) decreased obviously and the anisotropies corresponding to each channel became weaker.     

The Low‐Lying Excited States of 2,2′‐Bithiophene: A Theoretical Analysis

The low‐energy regions of the singlet→singlet, singlet→triplet, and triplet→triplet electronic spectra of 2,2′‐bithiophene are studied using multiconfigurational second‐order perturbation theory (CASPT2) and extended atomic natural orbitals (ANO) basis sets. The computed vertical, adiabatic, and emission transition energies are in agreement with the available experimental data. The two lowest singlet excited states, 1¹B_u and 2¹B_u, are computed to be degenerate, a novel feature of the system to be borne in mind during the rationalization of its photophysics. As regards the observed high triplet quantum yield of the molecule, it is concluded that the triplet states 2³A_g and 2³B_u, separated about 0.4 eV from the two lowest singlet excited states, can be populated by intersystem crossing from nonplanar singlet states.     

Spectroscopic Properties of 4‐Pyridoxic Acid as a Function of pH and Solvent

The photophysical properties and acid/base equilibria of 4‐pyridoxic acid (=3‐hydroxy‐5‐(hydroxymethyl)‐2‐methylpyridine‐4‐carboxylic acid), the final product of the catabolism of vitamin B₆, have been studied in aqueous solutions. The ground state of 4‐pyridoxic acid exhibits the different protonated forms A – D in the range of H₀=?6 to pH 11.5. HMQC‐ and HMBC‐NMR Studies allowed the pH‐dependent assignment of the different C‐atoms, and the evaluation of the deprotonation sequence. The 3‐OH group in the ground state has a ‘pK_a’ of H₀=?0.64, which is much lower than that found for other vitamin B₆ related compounds. The pK_a value of the 4‐COOH group is 5.4. Fluorescence studies showed that the same species exist at the lowest excited singlet state, but in different pH ranges. The 3‐OH group is four pH units more acidic in the lowest excited singlet state than in the ground state. Excitation spectra and emission decays in the pH range of 8 to 11.5 indicate that the pyridine N‐atom is more basic in the excited singlet state than in the ground state. The emission spectra are red‐shifted in protic solvents, in agreement with an intramolecular H‐bond between the ionized 3‐OH group and the nonionized 4‐COOH group.     

Modulation of Excited‐State Proton Transfer of 2‐(2′‐Hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole in a Macrocyclic Cucurbit[7]uril Host Cavity: Dual Emission Behavior and pKa Shift

The effect of the macrocyclic host, cucurbit[7]uril (CB7), on the photophysical properties of the 2‐(2′‐hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole (HPBI) dye have been investigated in aqueous solution by using ground‐state absorption and steady‐state and time‐resolved fluorescence measurements. All three prototropic forms of the dye (cationic, neutral, and anionic) form inclusion complexes with CB7, with the largest binding constant found for the cationic form (K≈2.4×10⁶ M ^?1). At pH≈4, the appearance of a blue emission band upon excitation of the HPBI cation in the presence of CB7 indicates that encapsulation into the CB7 cavity retards the deprotonation process of the excited cation, and hence reduces its subsequent conversion to the keto form. Excitation of the neutral form (pH≈8.5), however, leads to an increase in the keto form fluorescence, indicating an enhanced excited‐state intramolecular proton‐transfer process for the encapsulated dye. In both the ground and excited states, the two pK_a values of the HPBI dye show upward shifts in the presence of CB7. The prototropic equilibrium of the CB7‐complexed dye is represented by a six‐state model, and the pH‐dependent changes in the binding constants have been analyzed accordingly. It has been observed that the calculated pK_a values using this six‐state model match well with the values obtained experimentally. The changes in the pK_a values in the presence of CB7 have been corroborated with the modulation of the proton‐transfer process of the dye within the host cavity.     

THE EFFECT OF MERCURIC IONS ON THE EXCITED STATES OF DNA-INTERCALATED ETHIDIUM BROMIDE

The first excited triplet state of DNA-intercalated ethidium bromide is produced with a quantum yield of 0.010.002 on irradiation at 532 nm. A difference extinction coefficient of 1.50.210³ m² mol^?1 is measured for the triplet state at 380 nm. Mercuric ions quench the first excited singlet state of DNA-intercalated ethidium bromide via induced spin orbit coupling to give an increased yield of ethidium triplet states. The same mercuric ion that quenches the singlet state then quenches the triplet state, via the same mechanism, with a rate constant of ca 3.510³ s^?1. An upper limit for the rate of detachment of Hg²⁺ from its binding site in DNA may be fixed at ca 10³ s^?1.     

Singlet and Triplet Excited States and Intersystem Crossing in Free‐Base Porphyrin: TDDFT and DFT/MRCI Study

Extensive time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) and DFT/multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) calculations are performed on the singlet and triplet excited states of free-base porphyrin, with emphasis on intersystem crossing processes. The equilibrium geometries, as well as the vertical and adiabatic excitation energies of the lowest singlet and triplet excited states are determined. Single and double proton-transfer reactions in the first excited singlet state are explored. Harmonic vibrational frequencies are calculated at the equilibrium geometries of the ground state and of the lowest singlet and triplet excited states. Furthermore, spin–orbit coupling matrix elements of the lowest singlet and triplet states and their numerical derivatives with respect to nuclear displacements are computed. It is shown that opening of an unprotonated pyrrole ring as well as excited-state single and double proton transfer inside the porphyrin cavity lead to crossings of the potential energy curves of the lowest singlet and triplet excited states. It is also found that displacements along out-of-plane normal modes of the first excited singlet state cause a significant increase of the 2|H_so|S₁>, 1|H_so|S₁>, and 1|H_so|S₀> spin–orbit coupling matrix elements. These phenomena lead to efficient radiationless deactivation of the lowest excited states of free-base porphyrin via intercombination conversion. In particular, the S₁→T₁ population transfer is found to proceed at a rate of ≈10⁷ s⁻¹ in the isolated molecule.     

STEREOELECTRONIC PROPERTIES OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC AND RELATED SYSTEMS—VI. AB INITIO CONFIGURATION INTERACTION CALCULATIONS ON THE GROUND AND LOWER EXCITED SINGLET AND TRIPLET STATES OF ETHYL BACTERIOCHLOROPHYLLIDE-a AND ETHYL BACTERIOPHEOPHORBIDE-a‡

Abstract— Ab initio quantum mechanical calculations on ethyl bacteriochlorophyllide-a (Et-BChl-a) and ethyl bacteriopheophorbide-a (Et-BPheo-a) are presented, including self-consistent-field (SCF) molecular orbital studies on the ground states using the molecular fragment procedure, and configuration interaction (CI) calculations on the low-lying singlet and triplet states and absorption spectra. A characterization and comparison of many of the higher-lying molecular orbitals obtained from the SCF studies is presented. The estimated first ionization potentials are 5.66 and 5.97 eV for Et-BChl-a and Et-BPheo-a, respectively. Excited state calculations show that the visible spectrum of both molecules consists of an intense, y-polarized S₁← S₀ transition and a weakly-allowed, x-polarized S₂← S₀ transition. Both S₁ and S₂ states are ¹(π, π*) in character, and are described by a four-orbital model. Transitions to the remaining calculated states, S₃-S₁₂, appear in the Soret region of the spectrum of both molecules. However, only transitions to S₉(‘x’), S₁₀(‘x’) and S₁₁(‘y’) of Et-BChl-a, and S₇(‘x’) and S₁₀(‘y’) of Et-BPheo-a are of high intensity. The composition of the high intensity Soret states is ¹(π, π*) and strongly “four-orbital” in nature. The lowest triplet state, T₁, is predicted to lie 9752 cm^-1 and 7880 cm^-1 above S₀ for Et-BPheo-a and Et-BChl-a, respectively. In each molecule T₂ and S₁ are nearly degenerate, suggesting a favorable pathway for intersystem crossing. Calculated T_n← T₁ transitions indicate that the y-polarized T₁₂← T₁ transition in Et-BChl-a corresponds to the observed intense 24,400 cm^-1 absorption in the triplet-triplet spectrum of BChl-a. A similar type spectrum is also predicted for BPheo-a.     

THE ROLE OF A PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTION ON THE DEACTIVATION OF EXCITED 4,5',8-TRIMETHYLPSORALEN IN ETHANOL

The transient absorption of an intermediate R which is formed from an excited state higher than the lowest triplet state was observed in an ethanol solution of 4,5′,8-trimethylpsoralen (TMP). The temperature effects on the fluorescence yield φ_F for TMP and on the initial absorbance D_R of R were studied and it was found that D_R increases with increasing temperature whereas φ_F decreases. These results indicate that a photochemical reaction plays an important role on the deactivation of TMP in the excited singlet state     

Triplet Energy of 2, 2-Dimethylisoindene from Electron-Energy-Loss Spectroscopy and Photoinduced Triplet Energy Transfer

The excited electronic states of 2, 2-dimethylisoindene ( 1 ) have been studied by electron-energy-loss spectroscopy. Its vertical gas-phase triplet (1³B₂), and singlet (1¹B₂) excitation energies are 1.61 and 3.19 eV, respectively. The excited states are thus lowered by 0.49 eV and 1.21 eV, respectively, when compared to the corresponding states of (all-E)-octatetraene, which serves as a reference compound. These shifts are partially reproduced by ZINDO calculations. The spectra give no evidence for a 2¹A_g state below the 1¹B₂ state, but this lack of observation does not exclude its existence. The lowest triplet state T₁( 1 ) was further characterized by flash photolysis. T₁( 1 ) was observed as a transient intermediate, λ ≤ 350 nm, with a lifetime of 8 m?s in degassed hexane. The adiabatic excitation energy of T₁( 1 ) was bracketed to the range of 1.1 ± 0.1 eV by energy-transfer experiments. Relationships between the energies of the lowest excited singlet and triplet states of 1 and the lowest excited doublet state of its radical cation ${1}^{+\kern0pt {.}}$ – essentially a non-Koopmans' state – are discussed.     

Kinetic Evidence for Methanol Trimer Assisted Proton Transfer: Transient Absorption Study on Excited Triplet State of 4-Hydroxy-4′-nitrobiphenyl

Hydroxyaromatic compounds have a wide range of applications in catalytic synthesis and biological processes due to their enhanced acidity upon photo-excitation. Most hydroxyaromatic compounds with a medium excited state acidity are unable to deprotonate in non-aqueous solvents such as alcohol due to their short-lived excited singlet states. The nitro group in 4-hydroxy-4'-nitrobiphenyl (NO₂-Bp-OH) increases the spin-orbit coupling between excited singlet states and the triplet state, resulting in ultrafast intersystem crossing and the formation of the long-lived lowest excited triplet state (T₁) with a high yield. Using transient absorption spectroscopy and kinetic analysis, we discover that, despite its moderate acidity, the T₁ state of NO₂-Bp-OH (³NO₂-Bp-OH) is able to transfer proton to methanol. Following the formation of the hydrogen-boned complex between ³NO₂-Bp-OH and three methanol molecules in a consecutive process, proton transfer occurs very fast. This finding suggests that the long lifetime of the photoacid excited state allows for the formation of alcohol oligomer with sufficient basicity to induce photoacid deprotonation.