Excited state dynamics with the direct trajectory surface hopping method: azobenzene and its derivatives as a case study

We review the recent studies of the photoisomerization dynamics of azobenzene and its derivatives by surface hopping simulations based on semiempirical potential energy surfaces. We examine the ability of semiclassical methods to predict the excited state dynamics and to reproduce transient spectroscopic signals that constitute the most direct experimental evidence in this field. We show that the available simulation methods yield a deep insight into the mechanism of photochemical reactions and excited state decay, and a fairly good quantitative agreement with experimental findings. Probably the most important technical improvements we can envisage concern the surface hopping algorithm and the usage of ab initio data in the simulation of transient spectra. Concerning azobenzene, our results show that the isomerization mechanism is torsion of the N=N double bond, both by n → π* and by π → π* excitation. The influence of the solvent and the findings of some recent femtochemistry experiments deserve further work to be fully interpreted.     

Fluorescence of ammonia-d3 from its first excited singlet state

Structured emission spectra have been observed from ND₃ excited at 2139 Å and 2144 Å. The emission is short-lived (τ_{$\text{1}\text{2}$} < 10^?10 s) and has been assigned to the ND₃($\text{A}$) → ND₃($\text{X}$) fluorescence transition.     

On the ground state and first excited state geometries of syn-sesquinorbornene

Extende Hückel calculations on the title compound ($\text{1}$) predict hinge-like bending of the double bond corresponding to interplanar angles of 167° for the ground state and 210° for the first excited state. The predictions are discussed in terms of hyperconjugative interactions.     

On the first excited state of137Ba

The first excited state of¹³⁷Ba has been excited by the inelastic scattering of accelerator-produced neutrons. The energy of this state at 283.5 keV is not in agreement with the generally accepted value of 279.2 keV, but is in accord with other recent measurements. No evidence for a doublet of states near this energy is found.     

Incomplete vibrational relaxation of pyrene in its first excited singlet state in the vapour phase

The non-exponential fluorescence decay of pyrene is assigned to incomplete vibrational relaxation in the first excited singlet state. The increasing rate of this fluorescence decay with increasing vibrational energy is mainly attributed to an increase of the intersystem-crossing rate and to a smaller extent to a temperature dependence of the radiative rate constant.     

Nonadiabatic molecular dynamics study of the cis-trans photoisomerization of azobenzene excited to the S1 state

Ab initio nonadiabatic dynamics simulations of cis-to-trans isomerization of azobenzene upon S(1) (n-π*) excitation are carried out employing the fewest-switches surface hopping method. Azobenzene photoisomerization occurs purely as a rotational motion of the central CNNC moiety. Two nonequivalent rotational pathways corresponding to clockwise or counterclockwise rotation are available. The course of the rotational motion is strongly dependent on the initial conditions. The internal conversion occurs via an S(0)/S(1) crossing seam located near the midpoint of both of these rotational pathways. Based on statistical analysis, it is shown that the occurrence of one or other pathway can be completely controlled by selecting adequate initial conditions.     

第一激发态HOOO裂解反应的理论研究

利用量子化学方法对第一激发态HOOO的裂解反应进行了理论研究.所有驻点(反应物、产物和过渡态)的几何结构优化和振动分析都是在CASSCF/6-31 G(d,p)理论水平下进行的.反应路径上的选择点及驻点都在CASPT2/6-31 G(d,p)//CASSCF(19,13)/6-31 G(d,p)和MRCI/6-31 G(d,p)//CASSCF(19,13)/6-31 G(d,p)理论水平下进行单点能量校正.CASSCF,CASPT2和MRCI水平的理论计算结果显示,第一激发态HOOO的裂解反应包含一个对称性变化的过程.它首先通过了一个Cs对称性的过渡态,然后逐渐变化为线性结构,最终生成产物O2(3Σg-)和OH(2Π).     

Ab initio study on the decomposition of first excited state HOOO radicals

The HOOO radical plays a crucial role in atmospheric processes involving the OH radical and O(2) molecule. We present an ab initio molecular orbital theory study on the decomposition reaction of the first excited state HOOO((2)A') with respect to OH and O(2). The geometries and harmonic vibrational frequencies of all stationary points are calculated at the CASSCF and MRCI levels of theory in conjunction with the 6-31+G(d,p) basis set. The potential energy profile of the decomposition reaction is studied at the CASSCF/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory, in which the complete valence orbitals and electrons are included in the active space. The energies of the potential energy profile are further refined at the CASPT2 and MRCI levels of the theory. Additionally, we have determined the interesting reaction process: the HOOO((2)A') radical with C(s) symmetry does not dissociate to OH((2)Pi) and O(2)((3)Sigma(-)(g)) directly as this is forbidden by orbital symmetry, but dissociates to OH((2)Pi) and O(2)((3)Sigma(-)(g)) via the change in symmetry from C(s) to C(infinity v) symmetry with a low barrier.     

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.     

Ab initio-based double many-body expansion potential energy surface for the first excited triplet state of the ammonia molecule

A global single-sheeted double many-body expansion potential energy surface is reported for the first excited triplet state of NH(3). It employs an approximate cluster expansion of the molecular potential that utilizes previously reported functions of the same family for the triatomic fragments. Four-body energy terms have been calibrated from extensive accurate ab initio data so as to reproduce the main features of the title system. A new switching function formalism has been reported to approximate the true multisheeted nature of NH(3)((3)A(2) (')) potential energy surface, thus allowing the correct behavior at the NH(2)((2)A(")) + H((2)S) and NH(2)((4)A(")) + H((2)S) dissociation limits. The resulting fully six-dimensional potential energy function reproduces the correct symmetry under the permutation of identical atoms, and predicts the correct behavior at all dissociation channels while providing a realistic representation at all interatomic separations. The major attributes of the NH(3) double many-body expansion potential energy surface have also been characterized, and found to be in good agreement, both with the calculated ones from the raw ab initio energies and the theoretical results available in the literature.     

Ab initio study of the ground and first excited state of LiAr

The intermolecular potentials for the X ²σ and A²Π states of Li… Ar were studied by a variety of multiconfiguration, single-configuration, and perturbation methods (CASPT 2). The A ²Π excited state was calculated to have a well depth of 811 cm^?1 at an internuclear separation of 2.59 Å, in excellent agreement with the 810 cm^?1 derived from experimental data. A smaller well of 77 cm^?1 was found for the X ²σ ground state at an intermolecular separation of 4.8 Å. These results are in better agreement with experimental results than were the previously reported pseudopotential calculations. The comparison of CI calculation with the CAPST 2 results shows that the latter is able to give good results for interacting metal–rare gas systems. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Vibronic coupling of pyrene in the first ππ* excited state

The two-photon fluorescence excitation spectrum of pyrene in n-hexane and n-heptane matrices has been measured at 10 K in the region of the first electronic transition (26800–30200 cm^?1). The spectrum consists of a rich number of sharp bands, being in general better resolved in n-hexane than in n-heptane matrix. Shpol'skii multiplets have been observed for the most intense bands. A strong two-photon band dominates the spectrum = 1495 cm^?1 from the 0—0 line and was assigned to B_1u × b_1u = A_g symmetry. Other weaker vibronic origins occur in the spectrum which were correlated to vibrational modes of b_1u, b_2u, b_3u and a_u symmetry. Intense vibronic bands are observed close to the origin of the second electronic transition and were interpreted as combination bands of B_1u × b_1u × b_3g symmetry. A two-photon vibronic theory to account for their intensity is proposed where the electronic moment is linearly expanded in powers of the nuclear displacements.     

Electronic effects on photochemistry: the diverse reaction dynamics of highly excited stilbenes and azobenzene

Ultrafast time-resolved mass spectrometry and structural dynamics experiments on trans-stilbene, cis-stilbene, and azobenzene, with excitation to high-lying electronic states, reveal a rich diversity of photochemical reaction dynamics. All processes are found to be quite unlike the well-known photochemistry on lower electronic surfaces. While in trans-stilbene, excitation at 6 eV induces a phenyl twisting motion, in cis-stilbene it leads to an ultrafast ring-closing to form 4a,4b-dihydrophenanthrene. Azobenzene dissociates on an ultrafast time scale, rather than isomerizing as it does on a lower surface. The photochemical dynamics of the sample molecules proceed along steep potential energy surfaces and conical intersections. Because of that, the dynamics are much faster than vibrational relaxation, the randomizing effects from vibrational energy scrambling are avoided, and excitation-energy specific reaction dynamics results.     

Dynamics on the electronically excited state surface of the bioluminescent firefly luciferase-oxyluciferin system

Dynamics of the firefly luciferase-oxyluciferin complex in its electronic ground and excited states are studied using various theoretical approaches. By mimicking the physiological conditions with realistic models of the chromophore oxyluciferin, the enzyme luciferase, and solvating water molecules and by performing real time simulations with a molecular dynamics technique on the model surfaces, we reveal that the local chromophore-surrounding interaction patterns differ rather severely in the two states. Because of the presence of protein, the solvation dynamics of water around the chromophore is also peculiar and shows widely different time scales on the two terminal oxygen atoms. In addition, simulations of the emission with the quantum-mechanics/molecular-mechanics approach show a close relationship between the emission color variation and the environmental dynamics, mostly through electrostatic effects from the chromophore-surrounding interaction. We also discuss the importance of considering the time scales of the luminescence and the dynamics of the interaction.     

Time-dependent density functional theory excited state nonadiabatic dynamics combined with quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical approach: photodynamics of indole in water

We present a combination of time-dependent density functional theory with the quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical approach which can be applied to study nonadiabatic dynamical processes in molecular systems interacting with the environment. Our method is illustrated on the example of ultrafast excited state dynamics of indole in water. We compare the mechanisms of nonradiative relaxation and the electronic state lifetimes for isolated indole, indole in a sphere of classical water, and indole + 3H(2)O embedded in a classical water sphere. In the case of isolated indole, the initial excitation to the S(2) electronic state is followed by an ultrafast internal conversion to the S(1) state with a time constant of 17 fs. The S(1) state is long living (>30 ps) and deactivates to the ground state along the N-H stretching coordinate. This deactivation mechanism remains unchanged for indole in a classical water sphere. However, the lifetimes of the S(2) and S(1) electronic states are extended. The inclusion of three explicit water molecules opens a new relaxation channel which involves the electron transfer to the solvent, leading eventually to the formation of a solvated electron. The relaxation to the ground state takes place on a time scale of 60 fs and contributes to the lowering of the fluorescence quantum yield. Our simulations demonstrate the importance of including explicit water molecules in the theoretical treatment of solvated systems.     

Statistical and nonstatistical nonadiabatic photodissociation from the first excited state of the hydroxymethyl radical

Photodissociation of hydroxymethyl (H(2)COD) from the first excited state, a Rydberg 3s state, can produce either H+HCOD or H(2)CO+D. These processes involve a seam of conical intersections. An analysis of the seam is reported based on a pointwise determination of the three gradient vectors that characterize a conical intersection: the energy difference gradient and the coupling gradient, which span the branching space, and the gradient of the average energy. These data are used to understand why H, but not D is produced at energies near threshold, the difference in the recoil anisotropy for H and D dissociation, and whether H or D will be produced impulsively or after formation of an intermediate complex.     

Preliminary results on the density matrix structure of the first beryllium1S excited state

The 1- and 2-matrix analyses of a trial configuration interaction wave function, constructed over an orthonormal basis set, for the first beryllium¹ S excited state are presented. The results are compared with those of the ground state (also reported) to clarify the changes undergone by the natural orbitals and geminals. The changes in the nature of the electron correlation effect are also examined.

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Zusammenfassung Die Analyse der Dichtematrizen 1. und 2. Ordnung eines CI-Ansatzes mit orthonormierter Einteilchen-Basis wird für den ersten angeregten¹ S Zustand des Berylliums dargestellt. Die Resultate werden mit denen des ebenfalls angegebenen Grundzustands verglichen, um die Veränderungen, die sich für die natürlichen Orbitale und Geminale ergeben, zu verfolgen. Die Änderungen bezüglich der Korrelation werden gleichfalls untersucht.

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Résumé On présente pour le premier état exité de beryllium¹ S l'analyse de matrices de densité de 1. et 2. ordre pour une évaluation IC sur une base orthonormée. Les résultats sont comparés avec celui de l'état fondamental (aussi donné) en vue de montrer les changements des orbitaux naturels et des geminaux. Les changements des la nature de la correlation électronique sont aussi examinés.

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Supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant GP-7910 and the U.S. Air Force under AFOSR Grants 68-1544 and 69-1655.     

Theoretical study on the singlet excited state of pterin and its deactivation pathway

The excited-state properties and related photophysical processes of the acidic and basic forms of pterin have been investigated by the density functional theory and ab initio methodologies. The solvent effects on the low-lying states have been estimated by the polarized continuum model and combined QM/MM calculations. Calculations reveal that the observed two strong absorptions arise from the strong pi --> pi* transitions to 1(pipi*L(a)) and 1(pipi*L(b)) in the acidic and basic forms of pterin. The first 1(pipi*L(a)) excited state is exclusively responsible for the experimental emission band. The vertical 1(n(N)pi*) state with a small oscillator strength, slightly higher in energy than the 1(pipi*L(a)) state, is less accessible by the direct electronic transition. The 1(n(N)pi*) state may be involved in the photophysical process of the excited pterin via the 1(pipi*L(a)/n(N)pi*) conical intersection. The radiationless decay of the excited PT to the ground state experiences a barrier of 13.8 kcal/mol for the acidic form to reach the (S(1)/S(0)) conical intersection. Such internal conversion can be enhanced with the increase in excitation energy, which will reduce the fluorescence intensity as observed experimentally.