A TD‐DFT study on the cyanide‐chemosensing mechanism of 8‐formyl‐7‐hydroxycoumarin

Proton transfer (PT) and excited‐state PT process are proposed to account for the fluorescent sensing mechanism of a cyanide chemosensor, 8‐formyl‐7‐hydroxycoumarin. The time‐dependent density functional theory method has been applied to investigate the ground and the first singlet excited electronic states of this chemosensor as well as its nucleophilic addition product with cyanide, with a view to monitoring their geometries and spectrophotometrical properties. The present theoretical study indicates that phenol proton of the chemosensor transfers to the formyl group along the intramolecular hydrogen bond in the first singlet excited state. Correspondingly, the nucleophilic addition product undergoes a PT process in the ground state, and shows a similar structure in the first singlet excited state. This could explain the observed strong fluorescence upon the addition of the cyanide anion in the relevant fluorescent sensing mechanism. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011     

Hydrogen-Bonding Interactions between Harmane and Pyridine in the Ground and Lowest Excited Singlet States

Abstract— A spectroscopic (UV-visible, Fourier transform IR, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence) study of hydrogen-bonding interactions between harmane (1-meth-yl-9H-pyrido/3,4- b /indole) and pyridine in the ground and lowest excited singlet state is reported. In low polar and weakly or nonhydrogen-bonding solvents, such as cy-clohexane, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, toluene and benzene, the analysis of the spectroscopic data indicates that harmane and pyridine form 1:1 stoichiometric hydrogen-bonded complexes in both the ground and singlet excited states. The formation constants of the complexes are greater in the excited than in the ground state. Hydrogen-bonding interaction in the excited state is essential for the quenching of the fluorescence of harmane by pyridine. The stabilities of the hydrogen-bonded complexes between harmane and pyridine diminish as the polarity and hydrogen-bonding ability of the solvent increase.     

Excited state dynamics of Michler's ketone: a laser flash photolysis study

Steady state absorption and fluorescence as well as the time resolved absorption studies in the pico and subpicosecond time domain have been performed to characterize the excited singlet and triplet states of Michler's ketone (MK). The nature of the lowest excited singlet (S₁) and triplet (T₁) states depends on the polarity of the solvent - in nonpolar solvents they have either pure nπ * character or mixed character of nπ * and ππ * states but in more polar solvents the states have CT character. Concentration dependence of the shapes of the fluorescence as well the excited singlet and triplet absorption spectra provide the evidence for the association of the MK molecules in the ground state.     

Intramolecular excited-state proton-transfer studies on flavones in different environments

The absorption and fluorescence spectra of some biologically active flavones have been studied as a function of the acidity (pH/H0) of the solution. Dissociation constants have been determined for the ground and first excited singlet states. The results are compared with those obtained from Forster-Weller calculations. The acidity constants obtained by fluorimetric titration method are in complete agreement (in most of the systems) with ground state data indicating a excited state deactivation prior to prototropic equilibration. Compared to umbelliferones, flavones are only weakly fluorescent in alkaline solution. This behaviour is explained by the small energy difference between the singlet excited state and triplet excited state giving rise to more efficient intersystem crossing. Most of the flavones studied here undergo adiabatic photodissociation in the singlet excited state indicating the formation of an exciplex or a phototautomer.     

Photophysical and Photochemical Studies of Pyridoxamine

The absorption and fluorescence emission of pyridoxamine were studied as function of pH and solvent properties. In the ground state, pyridoxamine exhibits different protonated forms in the range of pH 1.5–12. Fluorescence studies showed that the same species exist at the lowest singlet excited state but at different pH ranges. The phenol group is by ca. 8 units more acidic in the excited state than in the ground state. On the other hand, the pyridine N‐atom is slightly more basic in the lowest excited state than in the ground state. Excitation spectra and emission decays in the pH range of 8–10 indicate the protonation of the pyridine N‐atom by proton transfer from the amine group, in the ground and singlet excited states. Spectroscopic studies in different solvents showed that pyridoxamine in the ground or excited states exhibits intramolecular proton transfer from the pyridine N‐atom to the phenol group, which is more favorable in solvents of low hydrogen‐bonding capacity. The cationic form with the protonated phenolic group, which emits at shorter wavelength, is the dominant species in nonprotic solvents, but, in strong proton‐donor solvents, both forms exist. The fluorescence spectra of these species exhibit blue shift in protic solvents. These shifts are well‐correlated with the polarity and the H‐donor ability of the solvent.     

On the origin of the barriers and the structures of acetaldehyde in its ground and first singlet excited state

Summary Anab initio study of the ground and the first singlet excited states of acetaldehyde has been performed to analyze the molecular properties as a function of the methyl torsion and the aldehydic hydrogen wagging angles. The structural characteristics and the conformational behaviour in both electronic states have been determined. The important structural changes between the two states have been analyzed by a decomposition of the total energy into its components. It was found that the methyl torsion barriers arise mainly from attractive interactions. Evidence is presented which shows that these barriers arise from in-plane and out-of-plane hyperconjugative effects involving the oxygen atom. It is also shown that the pyramidalization experienced by the carbonyl carbon in the first singlet excited state has two sources, namely, a decrease in the electronic repulsion and an increase in the electron-nucleus attraction.     

Excited-state dipole moments from absorption/fluorescence solvatochromic ratios

The permanent dipole moments of excited molecules can be obtained from the ratio of the solvent shifts of absorption and fluorescence spectra. This ratio method eliminates the uncertain solute cavity radius parameter, as well as the solvent polarity function. In the case of the first excited singlet state of aniline the dipole moment is 5 D (versus 1.57 D in the ground state).     

FEMTOSECOND STUDIES OF HEMATOPORPHYRIN DERIVATIVE IN SOLUTION: EFFECT OF pH AND SOLVENT ON THE EXCITED STATE DYNAMICS

Abstract We report direct femtosecond measurements of the excited state dynamics of hematoporphyrin derivative (HpD) in solution. The dynamics are found to be very sensitive to the solvent and pH of aqueous solutions. The decay of the excited singlet states is much faster in acidic and pH 7 buffer aqueous solutions (<230 ps) than in basic aqueous solutions or organic solvents (> 10 ns). The dynamical results show strong correlation with static fluorescence measurements: weaker fluorescence in acidic and pH 7 buffer solutions corresponding to shorter-lived excited states. A new fast decay component with a time constant around 5 ps is identified both in acidic aqueous solutions and in organic solvents such as acetone and attributed to internal conversion from the second to the first excited singlet state of aggregates or certain oligomers in HpD, in accord with the observation that the fast decay component is larger at a higher concentration. Oxygen is found to have no effect on the dynamics on the time scale investigated, 1 ns, indicating that oxygen quenching of the singlet excited states is insignificant on this time scale. The sensitive solvent and pH dependence of the excited state dynamics has important clinical implications in the use of HpD as a photosensitizing agent.     

The isoindazole nucleus as a donor in fullerene-based dyads. Evidence for electron transfer

A series of isoindazole-C(60) dyads 4a-c based on pyrazolino[60]fullerene have been prepared by 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of the nitrile imines, generated in situ from hydrazones 3a-c, to C(60). Molecular orbital calculations for 4b revealed that the electron distribution of the HOMO is located on the isoindazole moiety, while the electron distribution of the LUMO is located on the C(60) moiety. Electrochemical properties of the new dyads 4a-c show a similar electron affinity with respect to C(60). Charge-transfer interactions in the ground state between the isoindazole ring and the fullerene cage are predicted by the molecular orbital calculations and confirmed by electrochemical studies in 4a,b. Steady-state fluorescence emission spectra of dyads 4a-c show that fluorescence intensities in polar benzonitrile solvent decrease with increasing electron-donating ability of the substituent attached on the isoindazole group. This was confirmed by the shortening of fluorescence lifetimes, from which intramolecular charge-separation rates and efficiencies via the excited singlet states of the fullerene moiety were evaluated. The yields of the triplet states in polar solvent decrease with the electron-donating ability, supporting the competitive formation of the charge-separated state with the intersystem crossing from the excited states. Thus, isoindazole[60]fullerene 4b can be considered a molecular switch with an AND logic gate.     

Excited state properties of 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin in the gas phase and in solution. A theoretical study

TDDFT/B3LYP and RI-CC2 calculations with different basis sets have been performed for vertical and adiabatic excitations and emission properties of the lowest singlet states for the neutral (enol and keto), protonated and deprotonated forms of 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin (7H4MC) in the gas phase and in solution. The effect of 7H4MC-solvent (water) interactions on the lowest excited and fluorescence states were computed using the Polarizable Continuum Method (PCM), 7H4MC-water clusters and a combination of both approaches. The calculations revealed that in aqueous solution the pi pi* energy is the lowest one for excitation and fluorescence transitions of all forms of 7H4MC studied. The calculated excitation and fluorescence energies in aqueous solution are in good agreement with experiment. It was found that, depending on the polarity of the medium, the solvent shifts vary, leading to a change in the character of the lowest excitation and fluorescence transition. The dipole-moment and electron-density changes of the excited states relative to the ground state correlate with the solvation effect on the singlet excited states and on transition energies, respectively. The calculations show that, in contrast to the ground state, the keto form has a lower energy in the pi pi* state as compared to enol, demonstrating from this point of view the energetic possibility of proton transfer from the enol to the keto form in the excited state.     

The effect of solvent polarity on the photophysical properties of 4-cyano-(4'-methylthio)diphenylacetylene: a prototypic donor-acceptor system

The photophysical properties of the target compound are extremely sensitive to changes in solvent polarity since the lowest-energy excited states possess considerable charge-transfer character. Excitation results in a greatly increased dipole moment, with the resultant excited singlet state retaining a lifetime of ca. 1 ns in all solvents. Radiative decay involves coupling between the lowest-energy excited singlet state and both the ground state and an upper excited singlet state. The level of coupling to the upper singlet decreases in non-polar solvents, presumably due to symmetry factors. The radiative rate constant decreases smoothly with increasing solvent polarity function as the molecule acquires an ever increasing dipolar character. Non-radiative decay includes both intersystem crossing and internal conversion, but the former process dominates in polar solvents. The excited singlet state lifetime is very weakly dependent upon temperature in the solid state. However, in polar solutions where the Stokes' shift decreases with decreasing temperature, there is clear evidence for an activated process. This is believed to involve coupling to the upper-lying singlet excited state.     

The geometry of hindered stilbenes in their ground and excited states

The torsional angles about the 1-α single bond and about the α-α double bond in hindered stilbene derivatives were calculated for the ground and for the excited states. The calculated ground state geometries form a basis for a π-electron-SCF-LCAO-CI-MO calculation of the singlet excitation energies which agree accurately with the experimental values. The calculated potential curves for torsion about the 1-α bonds provide a qualitative explanation for the significant red shift and increase in intensity of the first singlet absorption band observed in these compounds at low temperatures.     

Photochemistry of naphthalimide photoacid generators

The photophysical properties of a series of 1,8-naphthalimide photoacid generators were studied by steady state fluorescence and phosphorescence spectroscopy. Emission and excitation anisotropies, triplet quantum yields in polar and nonpolar solvent and photoacid generation were evaluated. The singlet excited state exhibits a low polarity and is strongly deactivated by an efficient intersystem crossing process. In protic solvent, a homolytic singlet cleavage of the N-O bond occurs and leads to the acid production. The existence of a triplet state close to the singlet state was clearly evidenced. The presence of close singlet excited states is supported by fluorescence anisotropy and picosecond laser spectroscopy experiments. Results of DFT calculations well confirm the experimental contentions and yield important information about the cleavage process involved in such compounds.     

Many-photon dynamics of photobleaching

A detailed dynamical theory of photobleaching by periodical sequences of laser pulses is presented. The theory is used for interpretation of recent experiments with pyrylium salts. Our simulations are based on first-principles simulations of photoabsorption cross-sections and on empirical rate constants. Two competitive channels of photobleaching, namely, photobleaching from the lowest excited singlet and triplet states and from higher excited states, are found to explain different intensity dependences of the photobleaching rates in different samples. The process includes two-photon excitation from the ground state to the first or second excited singlet states and one-photon excitation from the first singlet or triplet states to higher excited states. The fluorescence follows double-exponential dynamics with two characteristic times. The first and the shorter one is the equilibrium settling time between the ground and the lowest triplet states. The second characteristic time, the time of photobleaching, is responsible for the long-term dynamics. The effective rate of photobleaching from the first excited singlet and lowest triplet states depends differently on the irradiance in comparison with the photobleaching in higher states. The first channel is characterized by a quadratic intensity dependence in contrast to the second channel that shows a cubic dependence. The competition between these photobleaching channels is very sensitive to the rate constants as well as to the repetition rate, the pulse duration, and the peak intensity. The double-exponential decay of the fluorescence is explained by the spatial inhomogeneity of the light beam. The findings in this work are discussed in terms of the possibility of using many-photon-induced photobleaching for new three-dimensional read-write devices.     

CASSCF and CASPT2 studies on the structures, transition energies, and dipole moments of ground and excited states for azulene

The electronic structure of azulene molecule has been studied. We have obtained the optimized structures of ground and singlet excited states by using the complete active space self-consistent-field (CASSCF) method, and calculated vertical and 0-0 transition energies between the ground and excited states with second-order M?ller-Plesset perturbation theory (CASPT2). The CASPT2 calculations indicate that the bond-equalized C(2v) structure is more stable than the bond-alternating C(s) structure in the ground state. For a physical understanding of electronic structure change from C(2v) to C(s), we have performed the CASSCF calculations of Duschinsky matrix describing mixing of the b(2) vibrational mode between the ground (1A(1)) and the first excited (1B(2)) states based on the Kekule-crossing model. The CASPT2 0-0 transition energies are in fairly good agreement with experimental results within 0.1-0.3 eV. The CASSCF oscillator strengths between the ground and excited states are calculated and compared with experimental data. Furthermore, we have calculated the CASPT2 dipole moments of ground and excited states, which show good agreement with experimental values.     

Photophysical Properties of Benzoylgermane and para‐Substituted Derivatives: Substituent Effects on Electronic Transitions

In the present study, a selection of basic substitution patterns on benzoyl(trimethyl)germane was investigated using time‐dependent density‐functional theory (TDDFT) to explore the influence on the stability and on the relative order of the lowest excited electronic states. The theoretical results are in agreement with absorption and fluorescence measurements. We show that electron‐withdrawing groups decrease the energetic level of the lowest singlet and triplet state relative to the electron‐pushing systems resulting in red‐shifted radiative transitions (fluorescence). In the first triplet state electron‐withdrawing groups lead to an increased dissociation barrier and a close approach with the singlet ground state before the transition state in the triplet state is reached, favoring radiationless ground‐state recovery. The results are also in good agreement with empirical concepts of organic chemistry, therefore providing simple rules for synthetic strategies towards tuning the excited‐state properties of benzoylgermanes.     

Highly sensitive detection of discrete absorption and B-type delayed fluorescence of dibenzanthracene in PMMA

High resolution S0 --> Sn and T1 --> Tn electronic absorptions and B-type delayed fluorescence of 1,2,7,8-dibenzanthracene in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) were experimentally observed by flash and laser flash photolysis technique. Dibenzanthracene molecules were excited in a two-step process. In the first step, an excited singlet is created, which undergoes intersystem crossing to triplet state, then T-T absorption creates an excited triplet dibenzanthracene molecule, which returns to the first excited singlet level by intersystem crossing. The re-created first excited singlet of dibenzanthracene decays back to the ground state by emitting B-type of delayed fluorescence, which was observed at the same emission band of prompt (normal) fluorescence, and R-, E-, P-types of delayed fluorescences. For normal fluorescence, S1 state is decaying to S0 ground state. For E- and P-type of delayed fluorescences, T1 state is decaying to S0 via S1 state, and for B-type of delayed fluorescence, T2 state is decaying to S0 via S1 state.     

Photophysics of reduced silicon tetraphenylporphyrin

The contrasting photophysical properties of two silicon (IV) tetraphenylporphyrins, Si(TPP)(py)2 and Si(TPP)Cl2, have been investigated using static absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy and ultrafast transient absorption measurements. The parent Si(TPP)Cl2, in which the porphyrin macrocycle has its normal 2- oxidation state, has a fluorescence yield of 0.027, and a lifetime of 1.8 ns for the lowest excited singlet state. In marked contrast, the reduced, anti-aromatic complex Si(TPP)(py)2, with the macrocycle in the 4- oxidation state, has an extremely low fluorescence yield (< or =0.0004) and a 750-fold shorter excited-state lifetime (2.4 ps) in the same solvent (pyridine). The rapid deactivation of photoexcited Si(TPP)(py)2 to the ground state is likely associated with its ruffled structure and the presence of low-energy excited states in its electronic manifold.     

Excited singlet state kinetics on a subnanosecond time-scale

It is possible to study directly the absorption time-profiles of short-lived excited singlet states by sampling the transient excitation spectra for fluorescence from upper states. This approach has many advantages over direct absorption measurements, since the effects of triplet state absorption can be suppressed and the population time-profiles of excited singlet states can be studied in detail. The first direct measurements are reported of singlet state absorption time profiles in a number of aromatic aza- and carbonyl compounds.     

Theoretical calculation about the valence and Rydberg excited states of hydrogen cyanide

The singlet and triplet excited states of hydrogen cyanide have been computed by using the complete active space self-consistent field and completed active space second order perturbation methods with the atomic natural orbital (ANO-L) basis set. Through calculations of vertical excitation energies, we have probed the transitions from ground state to valence excited states, and further extensions to the Rydberg states are achieved by adding 1s1p1d Rydberg orbitals into the ANO-L basis set. Four singlet and nine triplet excited states have been optimized. The computed adiabatic energies and the vertical transition energies agree well with the available experimental data and the inconsistencies with the available theoretical reports are discussed in detail.