Excited-state hydrogen bonding dynamics of methyl isocyanide in methanol solvent: A DFT/TDDFT study

The time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method was performed to investigate the hydrogenbonding dynamics of methyl cyanide (MeNC) as hydrogen bond acceptor in hydrogen donating methanol (MeOH) solvent. The ground-state geometry optimizations and electronic transition energies and corresponding oscillation strengths of the low-lying electronically excited states for the isolated MeNC and MeOH monomers, the hydrogen-bonded MeNC-MeOH dimer and MeNC-2MeOH trimer are calculated by the DFT and TDDFT methods, respectively. An intermolecular hydrogen bond N≡C…H-O is formed between MeNC and methanol molecule. According to Zhao’s rule on the excited-state hydrogen bonding dynamics, we find the intermolecular hydrogen bonds N≡C…H-O are strengthened in electronically excited states of the hydrogen-bonded MeNC-MeOH dimer and MeNC-2MeOH trimer, with the excitation energy of a related excited state being lowered and electronic spectral redshifts being induced. Furthermore, the hydrogen bond strengthening in the electronically excited state plays an important role on the photophysics and photochemistry of MeNC in solutions     

Time‐dependent density functional theory study on the excited‐state hydrogen bonding strengthening of photoexcited 4‐amino‐1,8‐naphthalimide in hydrogen‐donating solvents

The time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method was performed to investigate the excited‐state hydrogen bonding dynamics of 4‐amino‐1,8‐naphthalimide (4ANI) as hydrogen bond acceptor in hydrogen donating methanol (MeOH) solvent. The ground‐state geometry optimizations, electronic transition energies and corresponding oscillation strengths of the low‐lying electronically excited states for the isolated 4ANi and hydrogen‐bonded 4ANi‐(MeOH)_1,4 complexes were calculated by the DFT and TDDFT methods, respectively. We demonstrated that the intermolecular hydrogen bond C═O···H–O and N–H···O–H in the hydrogen‐bonded 4ANi‐(MeOH)_1,4 is strengthened in the electronically excited state, because the electronic excitation energies of the hydrogen‐bonded complex are correspondingly decreased compared with that of the isolated 4ANi. The calculated results are consistent with the mechanism of the hydrogen bond strengthening in the electronically excited state, while contrast with mechanism of hydrogen bond cleavage. Furthermore, we believe that the transient hydrogen bond strengthening behavior in electronically excited state of fluorescent dye in hydrogen‐donating solvents exists in many other systems in solution. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Excited-state hydrogen bonding effect on dynamic fluorescence of coumarin 102 chromophore in solution: A time-resolved fluorescence and theoretical study

The steady-state absorption and emission as well as the time-resolved fluorescence spectra of coumarin 102 (C102) in both aprotic and alcoholic solvents have been used to study the effect of excited-state hydrogen bond on the dynamic fluorescence of C102 chromophore in various solutions. The dual fluorescence of C102 in alcohols, which is dependent on the hydrogen-bonded donation ability of the solvent, has been assigned to the distribution of free C102 and a hydrogen-bonded complex. Furthermore, a shift of the fluorescence spectra induced by excited-state hydrogen bond has been demonstrated to take place within hundreds of picoseconds by the performance of the time-resolved fluorescence spectra with the time-correlated single-photon-counting (TCSPC) technique. Moreover, the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) has been used to calculate the hydrogen-bonded equilibrium constant pK_HB in different electronic states. It has been demonstrated for the first time that the hydrogen bond strengthening in electronic excited states could decrease the free energy of the hydrogen-bonded complex due to its stronger binding energy. Therefore, the hydrogen-bonded equilibrium will become markedly in favor of the hydrogen-bonded forms in electronic excited states by comparison with the case in the ground state.     

Stability of the (H2O)2 dimer in the ground and lowest-lying excited electronic states

A theoretical study of the (H₂O)₂ dimer has been carried out in which the lowest S₁ and T₁ excited electronic states of the dimer complex, the influence of hydrogen bond formation on the shift in the maximum of the absorption band, and the stability of the dimer complex in the ground and excited states have been examined. It was found that there is only a single global maximum for the system — a nonplanar dimer complex formed by a linear hydrogen bond. Cyclic and bifurcated structures are transition states which do not form stable configurations when electronically excited. For the structure having a minimum in the ground electronic state, two nondissociating S₁ and T₁ states were found with bond energies of 2.0 and 4.4 kcal/mole, respectively. Formation of hydrogen bonds leads to a shift in the absorption maximum to the blue region with respect to the monomer. The hydrogen bond was found to weaken in the excited electronic states of the dimer.V. D. Kuznetsov Siberian Physicotechnical Scientific-Research Institute at the State University, Tomsk, Russia. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 11–15, March, 1993.     

Specific effects of a polar solvent in optical absorption spectra of 5,12-tetracenequinone

We have measured the optical absorption spectra of 5,12-tetracenequinone (5,12-naphthacenequinone) in polar protic (methanol) and nonpolar (n-hexane) solvents. It has been shown that shifts of some bands in the polar solvent compared to the nonpolar one are caused by the formation of high hydrogen bonds between methanol molecules and the molecules under study. The occurrence of hydrogen bonds leads to changes in the energy gaps between occupied and unoccupied molecular orbitals of 5,12-tetracenequinone and, as a consequence, to corresponding changes in energies of electronic transitions. Based on analysis of the absorption spectra in different solvents in combination with the data of calculations of electronic spectra and taking into account changes in the orbital pattern under the action of the solvent, we have determined exact electronic configurations of electronically excited singlet states of 5,12-tetracenequinone.     

Excited‐state hydrogen bonding dynamics of pyruvic acid and geminal‐diol, 2,2‐dihydroxypropanoic acid in aqueous solution: a DFT/TDDFT study

In this work, we present the optimized ground state geometrical structures, electronic excitation energies and corresponding oscillation strengths of the low‐lying electronically excited states for the isolated Tce‐CH3COCOOH and Tce‐CH3C(OH)2COOH as well as their corresponding hydrogen‐bonded dimers Tce‐CH3COCOOH‐H2O and Tce‐CH3C(OH)2COOH‐H2O through time‐dependent density functional theory method. It is found that the intermolecular hydrogen bonds C=O···H‐O are strengthened in the electronically excited states of the hydrogen‐bonded dimers Tce‐CH3COCOOH‐H2O and Tce‐CH3C(OH)2COOH‐H2O, in that the excitation energies of the related excited states for the hydrogen‐bonded dimers are decreased compared with those of the corresponding monomers. The calculated results are consistent with the rules that are first demonstrated by Zhao on the excited‐state hydrogen bonding dynamics. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrogen bonding and excited state properties of the photoexcited hydrogen‐bonded (E)‐S‐(2‐aminopropyl) 3‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)prop‐2‐enethioate complexes

The time‐dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method has been performed to investigate the excited state and hydrogen bonding dynamics of a series of photoinduced hydrogen‐bonded complexes formed by (E)‐S‐(2‐aminopropyl) 3‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)prop‐2‐enethioate with water molecules in vacuum. The ground state geometric optimizations and electronic transition energies as well as corresponding oscillator strengths of the low‐lying electronic excited states of the (E)‐S‐(2‐aminopropyl) 3‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)prop‐2‐enethioate monomer and its hydrogen‐bonded complexes O₁‐H₂O, O₂‐H₂O, and O₁O₂‐(H₂O)₂ were calculated by the density functional theory and TDDFT methods, respectively. It is found that in the excited states S₁ and S₂, the intermolecular hydrogen bond formed with carbonyl oxygen is strengthened and induces an excitation energy redshift, whereas the hydrogen bond formed with phenolate oxygen is weakened and results in an excitation energy blueshift. This can be confirmed based on the excited state geometric optimizations by the TDDFT method. Furthermore, the frontier molecular orbital analysis reveals that the states with the maximum oscillator strength are mainly contributed by the orbital transition from the highest occupied molecular orbital to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital. These states are of locally excited character, and they correspond to single‐bond isomerization while the double bond remains unchanged in vacuum.     

电子激发和溶剂效应对芴酮-甲醇分子间氢键增强现象的理论研究 (cited: 1)

理论研究了电子激发和溶剂效应导致的芴酮-甲醇复合体系中分子间氢键增强现象．通过基态和激发态性质的计算,不仅展示了分子间氢键键长的变化以及变化在振动光谱中的影响,而且揭示了导致氢键变化的内在物理机制：溶质分子的电子激发及溶剂化效应引起的电子重新分布,增大了溶质和溶剂分子的偶极矩,导致了它们之间的相互作用的增大,并最终加强了分子间氢键的强度．还分别对处于液相及气相中的复合体的基态和激发态的几何结构、红外谱、复合体及构成分子的偶极矩进行了理论计算,结果阐明了电子激发与溶剂化效应对氢键变化的贡献,同时还发现只有进一步引入溶剂化效应,复合体的基态、激发态的性质才能与实验达到精确一致．所有激发态均采用所开发的基于含时密度泛函理论解析计算一阶、二阶激发态能量导数的方法．     

Analysis of electronic-vibrational spectra of uracil,thymine, and cytosine

A theoretical analysis of absorption spectra of uracil, thymine, and cytosine—nucleic acid bases— is carried out. Structural dynamic models of these molecules in their electronically excited states are constructed. On the basis of the calculated vibrational structure of the electronic spectra, different tautomeric forms of these molecules are determined. The possibility of modeling the influence of hydrogen bonds on the electronic-vibrational spectra is shown.     

A theoretical study on the ESPT mechanism for a novel Bis‐HPBT fluorophore

In this work, based on the density functional theory and time‐dependent density functional theory methods, the properties of the 2 intramolecular hydrogen bonds (O1‐H2···N3 and O4‐H5···N6) of a new photochemical sensor 4‐(3‐(benzo[d]thiazol‐2‐yl)‐5‐tert‐butyl‐4‐hydroxybenzyl)‐2‐(benzo[d]thiazol‐2‐yl)‐6‐tert‐butyl phenol (Bis‐HPBT) have been investigated in detail. The calculated dominating bond lengths and bond angles about these 2 hydrogen bonds (O1‐H2···N3 and O4‐H5···N6) demonstrate that the intramolecular hydrogen bonds should be strengthened in the S₁ state. In addition, the variations of hydrogen bonds of Bis‐HPBT have been also testified based on infrared vibrational spectra. Our theoretical results reproduced absorption and emission spectra of the experiment, which verifies that the theoretical level we used is reasonable and effective in this work. Further, hydrogen bonding strengthening manifests the tendency of excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process. Frontier molecular orbitals depict the nature of electronically excited state and support the ESIPT reaction. According to the calculated results of potential energy curves along stepwise and synergetic O1‐H2 and O4‐H5 coordinates, the potential energy barrier of approximately 1.399 kcal/mol is discovered in the S₁ state, which supports the single ESIPT process along with 1 hydrogen bond of Bis‐HPBT. In other words, the proton transfer reaction can be facilitated based on the electronic excitation effectively. In turn, through the process of radiative transition, the proton‐transfer Bis‐HPBT‐SPT form regresses to the ground state with the fluorescence of 539 nm.     

The effect of complexation on the spectral and luminescent properties and photolysis of methyl[(4-aminophenyl)sulfonyl]carbamate

The spectral and luminescent properties and the photolysis of 1: 3 hydrogen bonded complexes of methyl[(4-aminophenyl)sulfonyl]carbamate (asulam) with water are studied with the aid of methods of quantum chemistry using the theory of intramolecular photophysical processes. It is shown that the formation of hydrogen bonds does not have a large effect on the spectral and luminescent properties of asulam. The breaking of the C-S and N-S bonds occurs according to the predissociation mechanism in electronically excited states localized on the bonds to be broken. In singlet photodissociative states, the N-S bond is more likely to break than the C-S bond, with the bond breaking being independent of the excitation energy. The formation of hydrogen bonded complexes increases the rate of population of photodissociative states, and, therefore, one can assume that the photoreaction efficiency increases.     

TDDFT study on the excited‐state hydrogen bonding of N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐1,8‐naphthalimide and N‐(3‐hydroxyethyl)‐1,8‐naphthalimide in methanol solution

The time‐dependent density functional theory method was performed to investigate the excited‐state hydrogen‐bonding dynamics of N‐(2‐hydroxyethyl)‐1,8‐naphthalimide (2a) and N‐(3‐hydroxyethyl)‐1,8‐naphthalimide (3a) in methanol (meoh) solution. The ground and excited‐state geometry optimizations, electronic excitation energies, and corresponding oscillation strengths of the low‐lying electronically excited states for the complexes 2a + 2meoh and 3a + 2meoh as well as their monomers 2a and 3a were calculated by density functional theory and time‐dependent density functional theory methods, respectively. We demonstrated that the three intermolecular hydrogen bonds of 2a + 2meoh and 3a + 2meoh are strengthened after excitation to the S₁ state, and thus induce electronic spectral redshift. Moreover, the electronic excitation energies of the hydrogen‐bonded complexes in S₁ state are correspondingly decreased compared with those of their corresponding monomer 2a and 3a. In addition, the intramolecular charge transfer of the S₁ state for complexes 2a + 2meoh and 3a + 2meoh were theoretically investigated by analysis of molecular orbital. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The nature of the long-wave bands in the emission spectra of aromatic o-hydroxycarboxylic acids and their derivatives

The reasons for the simultaneous presence of two emission bands, blue and red, in the fluorescence spectra of certain aromatic o-hydroxycarboxylic acids and their derivatives have been examined. It was shown that the unusual luminescence properties of these compounds were determined by the large differences in energy of the intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the normal and excited electronic states. The long-wave luminescence bands in similar cases are the result of optical transitions in the high frequency sublevels of the ground electronic state (sometimes in the dissociaton region of the hydrogen bond).     

激发态下甘氨酸与水分子间氢键性质研究

在生物体中氨基酸通常以水作为溶剂,是形成细胞的重要成分.在该环境下,分子间氢键的产生会对氨基酸分子与水分子的结构和性质产生影响.为了研究其在基态和激发态下的性质,本文利用密度泛函理论(DFT)和含时密度泛函理论(TD-DFT)对甘氨酸分子和H₂O分子在基态和激发态下的分子间氢键的静电势、键长、自然键轨道(NBO)电荷、分子中的原子理论(AIM)分析、Wiberg键级b、红外(IR)光谱、空穴-电子轨道和基态与激发态之间的电子转移进行了理论研究.结果表明：分子间氢键的形成会导致分子结构的改变和红外光谱振动频率的移动.在激发态下,分子间氢键有不同程度的增强或减弱.该计算结果为氢键的形成和激发态下分子间氢键的研究提供理论依据.     

3发色团激发态分子内质子转移机理的研究

采用密度泛函(DFT)和含时密度泛函理论(TDDFT)方法对一种新合成的发色团(3)在非质子性溶剂DMSO中的激发态分子内质子转移机制进行了理论研究.基于3发色团的基态和激发态优化结构, 计算得到了该发色团中与氢键相关的键长和键角的大小, 以及与氢键相连接的 O-H键红外振动光谱, 发现分子内氢键在激发态下有增强的趋势. 理论计算得到的吸收谱和荧光谱的峰值与实验测得的结果吻合得很好, 证明了所采用的理论方法的正确性与合理性. 最终, 通过对该发色团的分子内电荷转移与电荷分布的分析, 证实了激发态分子内质子转移发生的可能性, 并说明了其转移过程的发生机制.     

3发色团激发态分子内质子转移机理的研究

采用密度泛函(DFT)和含时密度泛函理论(TDDFT)方法对一种新合成的发色团(3)在非质子性溶剂DMSO中的激发态分子内质子转移机制进行了理论研究.基于3发色团的基态和激发态优化结构,计算得到了该发色团中与氢键相关的键长和键角的大小,以及与氢键相连接的O-H键红外振动光谱,发现分子内氢键在激发态下有增强的趋势.理论计算得到的吸收谱和荧光谱的峰值与实验测得的结果吻合得很好,证明了所采用的理论方法的正确性与合理性.最终,通过对该发色团的分子内电荷转移与电荷分布的分析,证实了激发态分子内质子转移发生的可能性,并说明了其转移过程的发生机制.     

Calculation and interpretation of vibronic absorption and fluorescence spectra of the first electronic nπ* transitions of pyridine and pyrimidine

We have calculated vibronic spectra of the first electronic nπ* transitions of pyridine and pyrimidine in the isolated state using the DFT method in the Franck-Condon approximation. Vibrational spectra for the ground and excited states have been calculated in the anharmonic approximation, which allowed us to refine the assignment of normal vibrations of pyridine and pyrimidine. We have done a complete interpretation of the vibrational structure of the absorption and fluorescence spectra of pyridine and pyrimidine. It has been shown that Fermi resonances between fundamental and combination vibrations and overtones 12 and 16b + 4, 6a and 2 × 16b affect the formation of the vibrational structure of electronic spectra of pyrimidine. Good agreement between calculated and experimental spectra confirms the correctness of the models of the two molecules in their ground and excited states, which makes it possible to use the models in further investigations of various properties of these molecules in electronically excited states, e.g., tautomerism of pyrimidine bases of nucleic acids.     

Elaborating the excited state behavior of 2‐(4′‐N,N‐dimethylaminophenyl)‐imidazo[4,5‐c]pyridine coupling with methanol solvent

We present a theoretical investigation about the excited state dynamical mechanism of 2‐(4′‐N,N‐dimethylaminophenyl)‐imidazo[4,5‐c]pyridine (DMAPIP‐c). Within the framework of density functional theory and time‐dependent density functional theory methods, we reasonably repeat the experimental electronic spectra, which further confirm the theoretical level used in this work is feasible. Given the best complex model, 3 methanol (MeOH) solvent molecules should be connected with DMAPIP‐c forming DMAPIP‐c‐MeOH complex in both ground state and excited state. Exploring the changes about bond lengths and bond angles involved in hydrogen bond wires, we find the O7‐H8···N9 one should be largely strengthened in the S₁ state, which plays an important role in facilitating the excited state intermolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process. In addition, the analyses about infrared vibrational spectra also confirm this conclusion. The redistribution about charges distinguished via frontier molecular orbitals based on the photoexcitation, we do find tendency of ESIPT reaction due to the most charges located around N9 atom in the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital. Based on constructing the potential energy curves of both S₀ and S₁ states, we not only confirm that the ESIPT process should firstly occur along with hydrogen bond wire O7‐H8···N9, but also find a low potential energy barrier 8.898 kcal/mol supports the ESIPT reaction in the S₁ state forming DMAPIP‐c‐MeOH‐PT configuration. Subsequently, DMAPIP‐c‐MeOH‐PT could twist its dimethylamino moiety with a lower barrier 3.475 kcal/mol forming DMAPIP‐c‐MeOH‐PT‐TICT structure. Our work not only successfully explains previous experimental work but also paves the way for the further applications about DMAPIP‐c sensor in future.     

Excited‐state hydrogen bond strengthening of coumarin 153 in ethanol solvent: a TDDFT study

So far, coumarin dyes have been extensively studied with various means to understand their photophysical behaviors and photochemical properties. Here, our performing time‐dependent density functional theory calculation is aimed at exploring the excited‐state hydrogen bonding dynamics of coumarin 153 (C153) in protic ethanol (EtOH) solvent. The calculated results suggest that the excited‐state hydrogen bond C?O?H?O between C?O group and O?H group in the C153‐EtOH complex is strengthened, and the S₀ → S₁ transition of the complex corresponds to the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) hopping to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO). The excited‐state hydrogen bond strengthening has been further confirmed by its larger binding energy in the S₁ state than in the S₀ state. In addition, because of the formation of the hydrogen bond C?O?H?O, a red shift of about 7 nm occurs in the electronic spectra of the C153‐EtOH complex, which is in good accordance with the experiment result. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.