Sigma/pi versus pi/pi conjugation: DFT studies on oligocyclopropenones and related systems

DFT studies on oligocyclopropenones and related systems 5(n)-9(n) are reported. A strong sigma/pi interaction between the pi system and the sigma framework of the three-membered rings is observed in almost all cases, leading to a perpendicular arrangement of the pi systems in the most favored conformation. Also the shape of cyclic congeners is strongly influenced by sigma/pi interactions.     

Alkyl chains length dependent fluorescence emission and reversible mechanofluorochromism of AIEE-based quinoline derivatives

Five quinoline derivatives containing different alkyl chains (QLACn, n?=?2, 4, 6, 8, 12) were synthesized to investigate the effect of alkyl chains on their photophysical properties. The fluorescent properties of the QLACn were affected by the alkyl chains, which indicated obvious blue-shifting trend and fluorescence emission are alkyl chains length-dependent by grinding-induced spectral shifts (Δλ_MFC). Longer alkyl-length revealed larger Δλ_MFC. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements indicated that the transformation between microcrystalline and amorphous states upon external stimuli should be responsible for the observed reversible MFC behavior.     

A fluorogenic probe for the copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne ligation reaction: modulation of the fluorescence emission via 3(n,pi)-1(pi,pi) inversion

Chemoselective ligation reactions represent a powerful approach for labeling of proteins or small molecules in a biological environment. We report here a fluorogenic probe that is activated by click chemistry, a highly versatile bio-orthogonal and chemoselective ligation reaction which is based on the azide moiety as the functional group. The electron-donating properties of the triazole ring that is formed in the course of the coupling reaction was effectively utilized to modulate the fluorescence output of an electronically coupled coumarin fluorophore. Under physiological conditions the probe is essentially nonfluorescent and undergoes a bright emission enhancement upon ligation with an azide. Time-resolved emission spectroscopy and semiempirical quantum-mechanical calculations suggest that the fluorescence switching is due to an inversion of the energy ordering of the emissive 1(pi,pi*) and nonemissive 3(n,pi*) excited states. The rapid kinetics of the ligation reaction render the probe attractive for a wide range of applications in biology, analytical chemistry, or material science.     

Dibenzoborole-containing pi-electron systems: remarkable fluorescence change based on the "on/off" control of the p(pi)-pi* conjugation

A series of dibenzoborole derivatives with various groups such as (N,N-diphenylamino)phenyl, thienyl, and bithienyl groups at the 3,7-positions have been synthesized and their photophysical properties studied. These new pi-electron systems show significant solvatochromism in the fluorescence spectra. Thus, about 100-140 nm blue shifts in the emission maxima and 20-30-fold increments in the quantum yields are observed upon changing the solvent from THF to DMF. Similar fluorescence changes are observed upon the addition of n-Bu4NF to their THF solutions, demonstrating their sensing abilities toward a fluoride ion. These fluorescence changes result from the "on/off" control of the ppi-pi* conjugation in their LUMO by the coordination of donor solvents or fluoride ion to the boron atom in the dibenzoborole skeleton.     

Effect of the continuity of the pi conjugation on the conductance of ruthenium-octene-ruthenium molecular junctions

The conductance of a family of ruthenium-octene-ruthenium molecular junctions with different pi conjugation are investigated using a fully self-consistent ab initio approach which combines the nonequilibrium Green's function formalism with density functional theory. Our calculations demonstrate that the continuity of the pi conjugation in the contact region as well as along the molecular backbone affects the junction conductance significantly, showing the advantage of using the ruthenium-carbon double bond as the linkage of conjugated organic molecules.     

Impact of extended pi conjugation on methyl rotor-induced IVR in aromatic molecules

Laser-induced fluorescence excitation and resolved fluorescence spectra following excitations of the single vibronic levels (SVL) of p-vinyltoluene (p-VT) and p-vinylfluorobenzene (p-VFB) have been measured in a seeded supersonic free-jet expansion. A complete vibronic assignment of the fluorescence spectrum measured following excitation of the 0(0)0-band of p-VT has been presented. Normal vibrational modes in the S0 and S1 states of the molecule have been calculated by CASSCF method, and the correlation between the two set of modes is made by expressing the excited-state normal modes in terms of those of the ground state. The calculations predict that in the excited state methyl and vinyl torsional motions of p-VT are extensively mixed with many of the out-of-plane modes of the aromatic ring. Our resolved fluorescence spectral data measured following SVL excitations essentially agree with such predictions. In the excited state, the molecule exhibits a dramatically low threshold for the rotor-induced IVR in a supersonic jet expansion. Several mechanisms have been discussed to explain the phenomenon.     

Synthesis of hyperbranched polymers with precise conjugation length

A set of AB₂ type monodisperse conjugated oligomers carrying two bromo functional groups and one boronic ester functional group were prepared by iterative deprotection and Sonogashira cross‐coupling reactions. Suzuki polycondensation of these AB₂ type monodisperse oligomers afforded hyperbranched polymers. The hyperbranched conjugated polymers we prepared possess not only precisely controlled conjugation length like monodisperse conjugated oligomers but also the structural feature of hyperbranched polymers. Optical property investigation demonstrated that the maximum absorption and emission wavelength red‐shifted along with the increasing of the conjugation length between the two branching points and the hyperbranched structure could effectively reduce the aggregation of the conjugated polymer chains. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 1084–1092, 2007     

Control of the conjugation length and solubility in electroluminescent polymers

A new type of cyclolinear polymer, poly(phenylene vinylene‐alt‐cyclotriphosphazene), was synthesized through Heck‐type coupling reactions to produce π‐conjugated macromolecules with excellent solubility and precise electronic control of the band‐gap energy. This synthesis method is capable of producing well‐defined alternating polymers. The method is highly adaptable and can be readily used for other chromophore systems. The resulting polymers were also capable of accommodating a wide variety of substituents on the cyclophosphazene rings with minimal effect on the electronic properties. The band gap and electron affinities of the polymer were varied through the manipulation of the π‐conjugated unit located between the insulating phosphazene rings. Each chromophore matched the intended conjugation length consistently throughout the macromolecules. The polymers were good film formers because of the chosen substituents on the phosphazene rings. The absorbance of the polymers indicated minimal spectral shift from the monomer absorbance. This suggested an effective insulation of each chromophore unit from its neighbors by the phosphazene rings. Solution photoluminescence efficiencies were found to be up to 44.1%. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 69–76, 2006     

The different photoisomerization efficiency of azobenzene in the lowest n pi* and pi pi* singlets: the role of a phantom state

Azobenzene E<==>Z photoisomerization, following excitation to the bright S(pi pi*) state, is investigated by means of ab initio CASSCF optimizations and perturbative CASPT2 corrections. Specifically, by elucidating the S(pi pi*) deactivation paths, we explain the mechanism responsible for azobenzene photoisomerization, the lower isomerization quantum yields observed for the S(pi pi*) excitation than for the S1(n pi*) excitation in the isolated molecule, and the recovery of the Kasha rule observed in sterically hindered azobenzenes. We find that a doubly excited state is a photoreaction intermediate that plays a very important role in the decay of the bright S(pi pi*). We show that this doubly excited state, which is immediately populated by molecules excited to S(pi pi*), drives the photoisomerization along the torsion path and also induces a fast internal conversion to the S1(n pi*) at a variety of geometries, thus shaping (all the most important features of) the S(pi pi*) decay pathway and photoreactivity. We reach this conclusion by determining the critical structures, the minimum energy paths originating on the bright S(pi pi*) state and on other relevant excited states including S1(n pi*), and by characterizing the conical intersection seams that are important in deciding the photochemical outcome. The model is consistent with the most recent time-resolved spectroscopic and photochemical data.     

M2 delta-to-oxalate pi* conjugation in oxalate-bridged complexes containing M-M quadruple bonds

The electronic structures of oxalate-bridged, quadruply-bonded dimolybdenum and ditungsten compounds have been investigated by a variety of computational methods employing density function theory (gradient corrected and time-dependent) which reveal the consequences of strong mixing of M2 delta and oxalate pi orbitals within extended chains and cyclic structures.     

Metal-enhanced fluorescence exciplex emission

In this letter, we report the first observation of metal-enhanced exciplex fluorescence, observed from anthracene in the presence of diethylaniline. Anthracene in the presence of diethylaniline in close proximity to Silver Island Films (SIFs) shows enhanced monomer and exciplex emission as compared to a non-silvered control sample containing no silver nanoparticles. Our findings suggest two complementary methods for the enhancement: (i) surface plasmons can radiate coupled monomer and exciplex fluorescence efficiently, and (ii) enhanced absorption (enhanced electric near-field) further facilitates enhanced emission. Our exciplex studies help us to further understand the complex photophysics of the metal-enhanced fluorescence technology.     

Two-dimensional electronic conjugation: cooperative folding and fluorescence switching

Conformational switching of tris(N-salicylideneamine)-derived C3-symmetric molecules could be driven by organizing and disrupting mutually reinforcing hydrogen bonding networks. The emission properties associated with these shape-adaptive constructs respond reversibly to external signal input. Notably, significant enhancement in fluorescence efficiency was achieved through structural rigidification of the [pi,pi]/[n,pi]-conjugated molecular core.     

On the conjugation length for oligo(ethynylnaphthalene)-based molecular rods

The synthesis is described for a small series of oligomers built from (2, 3, 4 or 6) ethynyl-naphthalene repeat units and end-capped with solubilising 1,2,3-tris-dodecyloxy-benzene groups. These compounds absorb in the near-UV region and exhibit strong fluorescence in both fluid solution and a glassy matrix at 77 K. The spectral profiles are fully consistent with a structurally heterogeneous ground state becoming more planar upon excitation and with the low-temperature glass further stabilising the co-planar orientation. The absorption and fluorescence maxima move towards lower energy with increasing number of repeat units and there is a corresponding increase in the Huang-Rhys factor for the radiative process. The non-radiative rate constants also depend on molecular length and are well explained in terms of the energy-gap law. In contrast, very weak phosphorescence is observed at 77 K for which the peak maximum and lifetime remain insensitive to the number of naphthalene units. The triplet lifetimes recorded at ambient temperature are also independent of the molecular length but the triplet-triplet absorption spectra change throughout the series. These results are discussed in terms of the degree of electronic coupling between adjacent repeat units for each of the relevant excited states. During these studies it was noted that the rate of intersystem crossing to the triplet manifold is but weakly affected by heavy-atom perturbers. A non-fluorescent complex is formed between iodoethane and the molecular rod but the corresponding bimolecular process occurs at well below the diffusion-controlled limit. This behaviour is considered in terms of spin-orbit coupling between the excited states and takes account of the differing conjugation lengths.     

Decisive role of π conjugation in the central bond length shortening of butadiene

The influence of π conjugation and hyperconjugation in the shortening of the central C-C bond in butadiene with respect to a C_sp³-C_sp³ bond in alkanes is theoretically investigated by a direct analysis. As expected from simple π models it is demonstrated that the origin of this shortening is mainly due to π conjugation in the planar s-trans conformation while hyperconjugation largely compensates the lack of π conjugation in the perpendicular form and leads to a similar shortening of the central bond, These results contradict one of the conclusions of a recent ab initio study.     

Tuning from pi,pi to charge-transfer excited states in styryl-substituted terthiophenes: an ultrafast and steady-state emission study

The steady-state and transient emission properties of unsubstituted terthiophene and a series of 3'-[E-2-(4-R-phenyl)ethenyl]-2,2':5',2' '-terthiophenes (where R = H, MeO, NH(2), CN, NMe(2), NO(2)) have been examined. The R = NO(2) compound is nonemissive at room temperature in all solvents but cyclohexane. All of the other compounds show measurable steady-state emission in a variety of solvents. The behavior of these spectra may be split into two groups. The first group, those substituted compounds with R = CN, NH(2) and NMe(2), show solvatochromic behavior, where their Lippert-Mataga plots suggest changes in dipole upon photoexcitation ranging from 12.5 to 16.0 D. For the second group, where R = H and MeO (and unsubstituted terthiophene as well), the Lippert-Mataga plots indicate dipole moment changes ranging from 0 to 7.9 D. The difference in behavior between the two groups of emissive compounds can be attributed to a charge-transfer character of the emitting state in the first group. This conclusion is supported by density functional theory calculations, which show that the frontier MOs in the group one compounds are spatially separated whereas those of group two have frontier MOs that are delocalized over both the styryl and terthiophene moieties. Picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy reveals that unsubstituted terthiophene has the shortest emission lifetime of 140 ps in acetonitrile. For the styryl substituted terthiophenes, the lifetimes are much longer and range from 320 to 670 ps for R = CN and NMe(2) respectively, a result that can be explained in terms of a smaller rate of intersystem crossing in these compounds.     

Frequency-domain fluorescence spectroscopy, a new method for the resolution of complex fluorescence emission

The fluorescence emission from complex chemical and biological samples can be resolved by measuring the frequency-response of the emission, which is now possible from 1 to 2000 MHz. The frequency-response allows determination of the components in a mixture, construction of time-resolved emission spectra, and measurement of the dynamic and hydrodynamic properties of biological macromolecules. The instrumentation is relatively simple, and data acquisition times can be short. At present, this method may be superior to direct measurements of time-resolved fluorescence emission.     

Quenching of tryptophan (1)(pi,pi*) fluorescence induced by intramolecular hydrogen abstraction via an aborted decarboxylation mechanism

CASSCF computations show that the hydrogen-transfer-induced fluorescence quenching of the (1)(pi,pi*) excited state of zwitterionic tryptophan occurs in three steps: (1) formation of an intramolecular excited-state complex, (2) hydrogen transfer from the amino acid side chain to the indole chromophore, and (3) radiationless decay through a conical intersection, where the reaction path bifurcates to a photodecarboxylation and a phototautomerization route. We present a general model for fluorescence quenching by hydrogen donors, where the radiationless decay occurs at a conical intersection (real state crossing). At the intersection, the reaction responsible for the quenching is aborted, because the reaction path bifurcates and can proceed forward to the products or backward to the reactants. The position of the intersection along the quenching coordinate depends on the nature of the states and, in turn, affects the formation of photoproducts during the quenching. For a (1)(n,pi*) model system reported earlier (Sinicropi, A.; Pogni, R.; Basosi, R.; Robb, M. A.; Gramlich, G.; Nau, W. M.; Olivucci, M. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2001, 40, 4185-4189), the ground and the excited state of the chromophore are hydrogen acceptors, and the excited-state hydrogen transfer is nonadiabatic and leads directly to the intersection point. There, the hydrogen transfer is aborted, and the reaction can return to the reactant pair or proceed further to the hydrogen-transfer products. In the tryptophan case, the ground state is not a hydrogen acceptor, and the excited-state hydrogen transfer is an adiabatic, sequential proton and electron transfer. The decay to the ground state occurs along a second reaction coordinate associated with decarboxylation of the amino acid side chain and the corresponding aborted conical intersection. The results show that, for (1)(pi,pi*) states, the hydrogen transfer alone is not sufficient to induce the quenching, and explain why fluorescence quenching induced by hydrogen donors is less general for (1)(pi,pi*) than for (1)(n,pi*) states.     

How the nature of an observation affects single-trajectory entropies

Projection of a Markov process with constant rates of transition to a small number of observable aggregated states can result in complex kinetics with memory. Here, we define the entropy production along a single sequence of aggregated states and show that it obeys detailed and integral fluctuation theorems. More importantly, we prove that projection shifts the distribution of entropy production over the ensemble of paths for a nonequilibrium process toward one characteristic of a system at equilibrium. This statement represents an analog of the second law of thermodynamics for path-dependent entropies and thus a new form of constraint of irreversible systems. Numeric examples are presented to illustrate these ideas.