Influence of Higher Excited Singlet States on Ultrafast Exciton Motion in Pigment-Protein Complexes

Abstract— Numerical simulations of the ultrafast exciton motion in photosynthetic antenna complexes are used to reproduce measured data of optical pump-probe experiments. Emphasis is put on a chlorophyll aL/chlorophyll b dimer of the light-harvesting complex of the photosystem II of higher plants (LHC-II). To account for intramolecular excited-state absorption the standard exciton theory is extended to the inclusion of a second higher excited singlet state per chlorophyll molecule. The density matrix theory is applied to describe the dissipative dynamics of excitons. Different mechanisms for energy relaxation and dephasing including pure dephasing processes are discussed. As a result, a further refinement of earlier calculations on the one-color pump-probe spectra at the LHC-II can be presented. In particular, the presence of non-Markovian effects with respect to the exciton-vibrational interaction in the LHC-II, discovered previously in the two-color pump-probe spectrum, is demonstrated here for the one-color pump-probe case.     

Ultrafast Decay of the Excited Singlet States of Thioxanthone by Internal Conversion and Intersystem Crossing

The experimental ultrafast photophysics of thioxanthone in several aprotic organic solvents at room temperature is presented, measured using femtosecond transient absorption together with high‐level ab initio CASPT2 calculations of the singlet‐ and triplet‐state manifolds in the gas phase, including computed state minima and conical intersections, transition energies, oscillator strengths, and spin–orbit coupling terms. The initially populated singlet ππ* state is shown to decay through internal conversion and intersystem crossing processes via intermediate nπ* singlet and triplet states, respectively. Two easily accessible conical intersections explain the favorable internal conversion rates and low fluorescence quantum yields in nonpolar media. The presence of a singlet–triplet crossing near the singlet ππ* minimum and the large spin–orbit coupling terms also rationalize the high intersystem crossing rates. A phenomenological kinetic scheme is proposed that accounts for the decrease in internal conversion and intersystem crossing (i.e. the very large experimental crescendo of the fluorescence quantum yield) with the increase of solvent polarity.     

Inclusion Complexes of Styryl Dyes with Cucurbiturils: Ultrafast Relaxation of Electronically Excited States

High Energy Chemistry - Published data on the ultrafast (in the picosecond range) relaxation of electronically excited inclusion complexes between macrocyclic cavitands consisting of n glycoluril...     

Metastable States of small-molecule solutions

Metastable states such as gels and glasses that are commonly seen in nanoparticle suspensions have found application in a wide range of products including toothpaste, hand cream, paints, and car tires. The equilibrium and metastable state behavior of nanoparticle suspensions are often described by simple fluid models where particles are treated as having hard cores and interacting with short-range attractions. Here we explore similar models to describe the presence of metastable states of small-molecule solutions. We have recently shown that the equilibrium solubilities of small hydrogen-bonding molecules and nanoparticles fall onto a corresponding-states solubility curve suggesting that with similar average strengths of attraction these molecules have similar solubilities. This observation implies that metastable states in small-molecule solutions may be found under conditions similar to those where metastable states are observed in nanoparticle and colloidal suspensions. Here we seek confirmation of this concept by exploring the existence of metastable states in solutions of small molecules.     

Deactivation of Excited States

Nature abhors an electronically excited state and strives to convert this energy to other forms. This article is concerned with the various pathways involved in the degradation of electronic excitation to ordinary “thermal” forms, but will primarily discuss the quenching of excited states by other molecules. The authors include as examples only those phototransformations and interactions encountered in solution.     

LiBe+分子基态及其低电子激发态

采用Davidson校正的多参考组态相互作用方法(MRCI+Q)和多参考平均二次耦合团簇方法(MRAQCC)结合基组ROOS-ANO-TZP得到了LiBe+分子基态(x1∑+)以及六个低电子激发态(a3Σ+,b3∏,A1∑+,B1∏,c3∑+,C1∑+)的势能曲线(PECs).计算结果表明:X1∑+,a3∑+,b3∏和...     

Excited Molecular States and Bonds in the Structures of Vanadium Oxides

Russian Journal of General Chemistry -     

B2分子的单激发态与强束缚多激发态

双原子分子电子态的实验信息主要来源于基态或低激发态的单光子吸收光谱。激发态与基态相比,通常呈现出弱的成键特征,即平衡核间距增大,振动频率降低。但关于双原子分子多激发态性质的研究较少。近年来,随着多光子技术,特别是共振放大多光子电离(Resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization)光谱学的发展,运用精确的理论计算研究其多激发态的性质有十分重要意义。     

Firefly Chemiluminescence and Bioluminescence: Efficient Generation of Excited States

Firefly luciferase catalyzes a light‐emitting reaction in which an excited‐state product is formed. Both experimental and theoretical methodologies are used to study this system, and the reactions catalyzed by luciferase are relatively well characterized. However, the mechanism by which an excited‐state product is formed is still unknown. This Minireview deals with the current understanding of firefly bioluminescence and chemiluminescence. Thermal decomposition of simple 1,2‐dioxetanes is also discussed, due to their role in formation of the excited‐state bioluminophore.     

OClO里德堡态激发能的准确预测及其阴离子低能激发态的从头算研究

采用全活化空间自洽场方法(CASSCF)研究了OClO阴离子7个低能电子态及其自由基的基态.为了进一步考虑动态电子相关效应,采用二级多组态微扰理论(CASPT2)获得更加可靠的能量值.此外,在ANO-L基组的基础上,在OClO自由基的电荷中心增加了为研究里德堡态所建立的1s1p1d的波函数,并应用多组态二级微扰理论(MS-CASPT2)方法获得了里德堡态的准确电子激发能.     

Singlet Excited States and the Light-Harvesting Function of Carotenoids in Bacterial Photosynthesis

Abstract— The recent results of stationary-state and time-resolved absorption, fluorescence and Raman spectroscopies of some typical carotenoids are summarized. Theoretical analyses of carotenoid singlet states and of carotenoid-to-bacteriochlorophyll singlet-energy transfer are also included. On the bases of the energies, the lifetimes and other properties of singlet excited states of the carotenoids in solution and bound to the light-harvesting complexes, the energetics and the dynamics of the light-harvesting function in purple photosynthetic bacteria are discussed with emphasis on the 2A_g and B_u⁺ states.     

Modeling of Charge Transfer Excited States of Titanocene Dicarboranyl

Modern quantum-chemical methods have been used to model and assign the bands of the electronic spectrum in the near UV–visible region of a structurally intricate metal complex with organometallic σ and π bonds. The properties of the frontier and nearest molecular orbitals and the nature of the electronic transitions with ligand-to-metal charge transfer have been estimated.     

Ultrafast Excited State Dynamics of t~rans-4-Aminoazobenzene Studied by Femtosecond Transient Absorption Spectroscopy

The ultrafast excited state dynamics of trans-4-aminoazobenzene （trans-4-AAB） in ethanol was investigated by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. After being excited to the S2 state by 400 nm, trans-4-AAB decays from the S2 state to the hot S1 state by internal conversion with time constant of -70 fs. The photoisomerization through inversion mechanism on the S1 potential energy surface and the internal conversion from the S1 state to the hot So state are observed, respectively. The average timescale of these two decay pathways is -0.7 ps. And the vibrational cooling of the hot So state of cis- and trans-4- AAB occur with time constants of -4 and N13 ps, respectively. Furthermore, the ultrafast intersystem crossing process are also observed. The timescale of intersystem crossing from the S2 state to the T4 state is about 480 ps while from the S1 state to the T2 state is -180 ps.     

Photodriven Electron and Energy Transfer from Copper Phenanthroline Excited States

Electron and energy transfer from copper 1,10-phenanthroline excited states is observed at room temperature in organic solvents. The copper phenanthroline excited states are metal-to-ligand charge-transfer in nature and have lifetimes of approximately 70-250 ns in dichloromethane solution if methyl or phenyl substituents are placed in the 2- and 9-positions of the phenanthroline ligand. The unsubstituted cuprous compound Cu(phen)(2)(PF(6)) is nonemissive under these conditions, and the excited state lifetime is <20 ns. The rate and efficiency of energy transfer to anthracene or electron transfer to viologens is reported. The cage escape efficiency of [Cu(dpp)(2)(2+), MV(+)(*)], where dpp is 2,9-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline, is close to unity within experimental error. Back electron transfer to ground state products occurs at the diffusion limit, 2 x 10(10) M(-)(1) s(-)(1).     

H_3~+体系基态和电子激发态的价键方法研究

本文应用价键理论的键表酉群方法,讨论H_3~+体系的基态及其几个低激发态,研究了该体系处于激发态时价键结构的变化,得到H_3~+体系的基态为等边三角形,第一激发态为直线型,第二、三激发态为等腰三角形,且基本简并.     

Geometry of Transition Metal Complexes with Bipyridine in the Excited States

A technique for estimating the changes in the geometrical structural parameters of complex compounds during charge-transfer electron excitations is proposed. The method combines the experimental Raman resonance data, the wave packet dynamics procedure, and quantum-chemical calculations of the geometry and vibrational spectra of relatively small fragments of the complex ion. The technique is used to determine the changes in the geometrical structure of 2, -bipyridine during metal–ligand charge transfer excitations in Ru(II) complexes.     

Importance of Metastable States in Electrocatalytic Processes at Metal Surfaces in Aqueous Media

Solid metals and their surfaces can trap or store energy; it appears, therefore, that, for any solid metal in aqueous media, there are two limiting types of surface electrochemistry, one relating to the equilibrated (low-energy) metal atoms, and the other, to the metastable (high-energy) metal atoms. With real metal surfaces, the low-energy state is usually dominant, but the metastable state behavior is often vital with regard to low coverage surface active site behavior. The most significant effects of surface metastability are that it lowers the oxidation potential of the atoms in this state to values within the double layer region and forms the basis of facile interfacial redox couples which often function as mediators in electrocatalytic processes. This rather novel approach was explored with regard to the electrocatalytic behavior of copper in base; the applicability of the approach to the three Group 11 metals (Cu, Ag, and Au) was illustrated, and its relevance to the use of platinum in fuel cell electrocatalysis was outlined.