Raman under nitrogen. The high-resolution Raman spectroscopy of crystalline uranocene, thorocene, and ferrocene

The utility of recording Raman spectroscopy under liquid nitrogen, a technique we call Raman under nitrogen (RUN), is demonstrated for ferrocene, uranocene, and thorocene. Using RUN, low-temperature (liquid nitrogen cooled) Raman spectra for these compounds exhibit higher resolution than previous studies, and new vibrational features are reported. The first Raman spectra of crystalline uranocene at 77 K are reported using excitation from argon (5145 A) and krypton (6764 A) ion lasers. The spectra obtained showed bands corresponding to vibrational transitions at 212, 236, 259, 379, 753, 897, 1500, and 3042 cm(-1), assigned to ring-metal-ring stretching, ring-metal tilting, out-of-plane CCC bending, in-plane CCC bending, ring-breathing, C-H bending, CC stretching and CH stretching, respectively. The assigned vibrational bands are compared to those of uranocene in THF, (COT)2-, and thorocene. All vibrational frequencies of the ligands, except the 259 cm(-1) out-of-plane CCC bending mode, were found to increase upon coordination. A broad, polarizable band centered about approximately 460 cm(-1) was also observed. The 460 cm(-1) band is greatly enhanced relative to the vibrational Raman transitions with excitations from the krypton ion laser, which is indicative of an electronic resonance Raman process as has been shown previously. The electronic resonance Raman band is observed to split into three distinct bands at 450, 461, and 474 cm(-1) with 6764 A excitation. Relativistic density functional theory is used to provide theoretical interpretations of the measured spectra.     

Mechanism and kinetics of the reaction of OH radicals with glyoxal and methylglyoxal: a quantum chemistry + CVT/SCT approach.

A theoretical study of the mechanism and kinetics of the OH hydrogen abstraction from glyoxal and methylglyoxal is presented. Optimum geometries, frequencies, and gradients have been computed at the BHandHLYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory for all the stationary points, as well as for 12 additional points along the minimum energy path (MEP). Energies were obtained by single-point calculations at the above geometries using CCSD(T)/ 6-311++G(d,p) to produce the potential energy surface. The rate coefficients were calculated for the temperature range 200-500 K by using canonical variational theory (CVT) with small-curvature tunneling (SCT) corrections. Our analysis suggests a stepwise mechanism, which involves the formation of a reactant complex. The overall agreement between the calculated and experimental kinetic data is very good. This agreement supports the reliability of the Arrhenius parameters of the glyoxal + OH reaction that are proposed in this work for the first time. The Arrhenius expressions that best describe the studied reactions are k1 = (9.63 +/- 0.23) x l0(-13)exp[(517 +/- 7)/T] and k2 = (3.93 +/- 0.11) x 10(-13)exp[(1060 +/- 8)/T]cm3 molecule(-1)s(-1) for glyoxal and methylglyoxal, respectively.     

Determination of glyoxal,methylglyoxal, and diacetyl in red ginseng products using dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with GC–MS

A simple and rapid dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry was applied for the determination of glyoxal as quinoxaline, methylglyoxal as 2‐methylquinoxaline, and diacetyl as 2,3‐dimethylquinoxaline in red ginseng products. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated under optimum extraction conditions (extraction solvent: chloroform 100 μL, disperser solvent: methanol 200 μL, derivatizing agent concentration: 5 g/L, reaction time: 1 h, and no addition of salt). The limit of detection and limit of quantitation were 1.30 and 4.33 μg/L for glyoxal, 1.86 and 6.20 μg/L for methylglyoxal, and 1.45 and 4.82 μg/L for diacetyl. The intra‐ and interday relative standard deviations were <4.95 and 5.80%, respectively. The relative recoveries were 92.4–103.9% in red ginseng concentrate and 99.4–110.7% in juice samples. Red ginseng concentrates were found to contain 191–4274 μg/kg of glyoxal, 1336–4798 μg/kg of methylglyoxal, and 0–830 μg/kg of diacetyl, whereas for red ginseng juices, the respective concentrations were 72–865, 69–3613, and 6–344 μg/L.     

Gas phase infrared spectrum and ab initio calculations of phosphorus(III) thiocyanide, SPCN

An attempt has been made to record the gas phase infrared spectrum of phosphorus(III) thiocyanide, SPCN, for the first time. The molecule was generated by an on-line process using phosphorus(III) thiochloride, SPCl, as a precursor passed over heated silver cyanide at about 350 degrees C. The products were characterized by the infrared spectra of their vapors. The low resolution gas phase Fourier transform infrared spectrum shows three of six characterized fundamental modes of SPCN within the range of the spectrometer used at 2151, 743 and 622 cm(-1) These three bands were assigned to nu(1)(C[triple bond]N stretch), nu(2)(S=P stretch), and nu(3)(C--P stretch), respectively. Ab initio self-consistent-field (SCF) molecular orbital (MO) and M?ller-Plesset second-order perturbation theory (MP2) calculations were performed to determine the geometry, total energy and the vibrational frequencies of SPCN.     

HF and DFT studies of the structure and vibrational spectra of 8-hydroxyquinoline and its mercury(II) halide complexes

The geometry, frequency and intensity of the vibrational bands of 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HOQ) were obtained by HF and density functional theory (DFT) with BLYP and B3LYP functionals and 6-31G(d) as the basis set. The optimized bond lengths and bond angles are in good agreement with the X-ray data. The vibrational spectra of 8-HOQ which is calculated by the HF and DFT methods, reproduces the vibrational wavenumbers and intensities with an accuracy, which allows reliable vibrational assignments. Complexes of the type Hg(8-HOQ)X(2) [where X = Cl , Br] have been studied in the 4000-200 cm(-1) region, and assignment of all the observed bands were made. The analysis of the infrared spectra indicates that there are some structure-spectra correlations.     

Fluorescence excitation and single vibronic level emission spectroscopy of the A 1A"<--X 1A' system of CHCl

We report new fluorescence excitation and single vibronic level emission spectra of the A (1)A(")<-->X (1)A(') system of CHCl. A total of 21 cold bands involving the pure bending levels 2(0) (n) with n=1-7 and combination bands 2(0) (n)3(0) (1)(n=4-7), 2(0) (n)3(0) (2)(n=4-6), 1(0) (1)2(0) (n)(n=5-7), 1(0) (1)2(0) (n)3(0) (1)(n=4-6), and 1(0) (1)2(0) (n)3(0) (2)(n=4) were observed in the 450-750 nm region; around half of these are reported and/or rotationally analyzed here for the first time. Spectra were measured under jet-cooled conditions using a pulsed discharge source, and rotational analysis typically yielded band origins and rotational constants for both isotopomers (CH(35)Cl,CH(37)Cl). The derived A (1)A(") vibrational intervals are combined with results of Chang and Sears to determine the excited state barrier to linearity [V(b)=1920(50) cm(-1)]. The A (1)A(") state C-H stretching frequency is determined here for the first time, in excellent agreement with ab initio predictions. Following our observation of new bands in this system, we obtained the single vibronic level (SVL) emission spectra which probe the vibrational structure of the X (1)A(') state up to approximately 9000 cm(-1) above the vibrationless level. The total number of X (1)A(') levels observed is around three times than that previously reported, and we observe five new a (3)A(") state levels, including all three fundamentals. The results of a Dunham expansion fit of the ground state vibrational term energies, and comparisons with the previous experimental and recent high level ab initio studies, are reported. Our data confirm the previous assignment of the a (3)A(") origin, and our value for T(00)(a-X)=2172(2) cm(-1) is in excellent agreement with theory. By exploiting SVL spectra from excited state levels with K(a) (')=1, we determine the effective rotational constant (A-B) of the triplet origin, also in good agreement with theory. Our results shed new light on the vibrational structure of the X (1)A('), A (1)A("), and a (3)A(") states of CHCl, and, more generally, spin-orbit coupling in the monohalocarbenes.     

Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectra, vibrational assignment and density functional theory calculations of naphthazarin

FT Raman and FTIR spectra of Naphthazarin (5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) and its deuterated analogue are recorded. Comparison between the spectra obtained by two techniques, a series of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and the spectral behavior upon deuteration were used for the assignment of the vibrational spectra of this compound. The calculated vibrational frequencies by the B3LYP, B3PW91, G96LYP, G96P86, and MPWLYP density functionals are generally consistent with the observed spectra. Infrared and Raman vibrational transitions predicted by B3LYP/6-311++G** are reported for the titled compound and its deuterated analogous and the assignments are discussed. All experimental and theoretical results support a relatively weak hydrogen bond in naphthazarin (NZ), compared with that in the enol form of normal beta-diketones. The observed nuOH/nuOD and gammaOH/gammaOD appear at about 3060/2220 and 790/560 cm(-1), respectively, which are consistent with the calculated hydrogen bond geometry and proton chemical shift results. Two bands at about 350 and 290 cm(-1) are assigned to the O...O stretching modes belong to A1 and B2 species, respectively.     

Emission spectra and electronic energy levels of the rotational isomers of pyridinecarboxaldehyde vapors

Emission and excitation spectra of 2-, 3- and 4-pyridinecarboxaldehyde (2-, 3- and 4-PCA, respectively) vapors have been measured at different temperatures and compared to one another. The emission spectra of these vapors are shown to consist of the T(1)(n, pi) --> S(0) phosphorescence accompanied by the weak thermally activated S(1)(n, pi) --> S(0) delayed fluorescence. Two peaks originating from the two rotamers (syn and anti) have been identified in the fluorescence, phosphorescence and excitation spectra of 3-PCA vapor. Analyses of the temperature dependence and vibrational structure of the spectra of 3-PCA vapor provide the syn-anti energy difference of 190 +/- 30 cm(-1) in the T(1) (n, pi) state, 200 +/- 30 cm(-1) in the S(1)(n, pi) state, and 290 +/- 35 cm(-1) in the ground state. The ground-state energy difference is in agreement with the result of density functional theory (DFT) calculation for 3-PCA vapor. DFT calculation demonstrated also that the syn rotamer exists as a less stable isomer in the ground state for 2- and 3-PCA vapors.     

Infrared overtone spectroscopy and vibrational analysis of a Fermi resonance in nitric acid: Experiment and theory

High resolution infrared spectra of nitric acid have been recorded in the first OH overtone region under jet-cooled conditions using a sequential IR-UV excitation method. Vibrational bands observed at 6933.39(3), 6938.75(4), and 6951.985(3) cm(-1) (origins) with relative intensities of 0.42(1), 0.38(1), and 0.20(1) are attributed to strongly mixed states involved in a Fermi resonance. A vibrational deperturbation analysis suggests that the optically bright OH overtone stretch (2nu1) at 6939.2(1) cm(-1) is coupled directly to the nu1 + 2nu2 state at 6946.4(1) cm(-1) and indirectly to the 3nu2 + nu3 + nu7 state at 6938.5(1) cm(-1). Both the identity of the zero-order states and the indirect coupling scheme are deduced from complementary CCSD(T) calculations in conjunction with second-order vibrational perturbation theory. The deperturbation analysis also yields the experimental coupling between 2nu1 and nu1 + 2nu2 of -6.9(1) cm(-1), and that between the two dark states of +5.0(1) cm(-1). The calculated vibrational energies and couplings are in near quantitative agreement with experimentally derived values except for a predicted twofold stronger coupling of 2nu1 to nu1 + 2nu2. Weaker coupling of the strongly mixed states to a dense background of vibrational states via intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution is evident from the experimental linewidths of 0.08 and 0.25 cm(-1) for the higher energy and two overlapping lower energy bands, respectively. A comprehensive rotational analysis of the higher energy band yields spectroscopic parameters and the direction of the OH overtone transition dipole moment.     

Density functional theory study of vibronic structure of the first absorption Qx band in free-base porphin

Harmonic vibrational frequencies and vibronic intensities in the first S(0)-->S(1) (pipi( *)) absorption band of free-base porphin (H(2) P) are investigated by hybrid density functional theory (DFT) with the standard B3LYP functional. The S(0)-S(1) transition probability is calculated using time-dependent DFT with account of Franck-Condon (FC) and Herzberg-Teller (HT) contributions to the electric-dipole transition moments including displacements along all 108 vibrational modes. Two weak wide bands observed in the gas phase absorption spectra of the H(2) P molecule at 626 and 576 nm are interpreted as the 0-0 band of the X(1) A(g)-->1B(3u) transition and the 0-1 band with largest contributions from the nu(10)(a(g))=1610 cm(-1) and nu(19)(b(1g))=1600 cm(-1) modes, respectively, in agreement with previous tentative assignments. Both bands are induced by the HT mechanism, while the FC contributions are negligible. A number of fine structure bands, including combination of two vibrational quanta, are obtained and compared with available spectra from supersonic jet and Shpolskij matrices. Both absorption and fluorescence spectra are interpreted on ground of the linear coupling model and a good fulfillment of the mirror-symmetry rule.     

The gas-phase on-line production of vanadium oxytrihalides, VOX3 and their identification by infrared spectroscopy

A new route has been devised, leading to the production of VOX3 molecules where X=F, Br and I by an on-line process using vanadium oxytrichloride, VOCl3 as a starting compound passed over the following heated salts NaF, KBr and KI at 375, 700 and 550 degrees C, respectively. The products have been characterized by the IR spectra of their vapors. The low resolution gas phase on-line Fourier transform infrared spectra reported for the first time show strong bands with PQR type structure, centered at 1058, 1035, 1030 and 1025 cm(-1) assigned to the v1(a1), the O=V stretching fundamental mode of VOF3, VOCl3 VOBr3 and VOI3, respectively.     

The visible spectrum of zirconium dioxide, ZrO2

The electronic spectrum of a cold molecular beam of zirconium dioxide, ZrO(2), has been investigated using laser induced fluorescence (LIF) in the region from 17,000 cm(-1) to 18,800 cm(-1) and by mass-resolved resonance enhanced multi-photon ionization (REMPI) spectroscopy from 17,000 cm(-1)-21,000 cm(-1). The LIF and REMPI spectra are assigned to progressions in the A?(1)B(2)(ν(1), ν(2), ν(3)) ← X?(1)A(1)(0, 0, 0) transitions. Dispersed fluorescence from 13 bands was recorded and analyzed to produce harmonic vibrational parameters for the X?(1)A(1) state of ω(1) = 898(1) cm(-1), ω(2) = 287(2) cm(-1), and ω(3) = 808(3) cm(-1). The observed transition frequencies of 45 bands in the LIF and REMPI spectra produce origin and harmonic vibrational parameters for the A?(1)B(2) state of T(e) = 16,307(8) cm(-1), ω(1) = 819(3) cm(-1), ω(2) = 149(3) cm(-1), and ω(3) = 518(4) cm(-1). The spectra were modeled using a normal coordinate analysis and Franck-Condon factor predictions. The structures, harmonic vibrational frequencies, and the potential energies as a function of bending angle for the A?(1)B(2) and X?(1)A(1) states are predicted using time-dependent density functional theory, complete active space self-consistent field, and related first-principle calculations. A comparison with isovalent TiO(2) is made.     

Dispersed fluorescence spectroscopy of the GeCl2 A-X transition

The laser-induced fluorescence excitation spectrum of the GeCl(2) A-X transition at ultraviolet wavelengths (300-320 nm) was recorded in a direct current discharge supersonic free jet expansion. The excitation spectrum contains several sharp peaks and a congested diffuse structure. Dispersed fluorescence spectra following the excitation of these GeCl(2) ultraviolet bands were successfully acquired for the first time. The analysis of the dispersed fluorescence spectra reveals the detailed vibrational structure of the X (1)A(1) state. We have assigned the vibrational structures corresponding to different isotopomers (Ge(35)Cl(2), Ge(35)Cl(37)Cl, and Ge(37)Cl(2)). The vibrational fundamental frequencies were determined: 409 cm(-1) (symmetric stretch), 159 cm(-1) (bend), and 352 cm(-1) (antisymmetric stretch) for the X (1)A(1) state of GeCl(2). Vibrational parameters of the ground electronic state including vibrational frequencies, anharmonicity, and bend-stretch coupling constant were determined. Our dispersed fluorescence spectra also clarify the vibrational assignments of the hot bands and provide more experimental data for unraveling the nature of the congested diffuse structure at shorter wavelengths in the excitation spectrum.     

FT-IR, FT-Raman spectra and ab initio HF, DFT vibrational analysis of 2,3-difluoro phenol

The FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra of 2,3-difluoro phenol (2,3-DFP) has been recorded in the region 4000-400 and 4000-100 cm(-1), respectively. The optimized geometry, frequency and intensity of the vibrational bands of 2,3-DFP were obtained by the ab initio HF and density functional theory (DFT) levels of theory with complete relaxation in the potential energy surface using 6-311+G(d,p) basis set. The harmonic vibrational frequencies were calculated and the scaled values have been compared with experimental FT-IR and FT-Raman spectra. The observed and the calculated frequencies are found to be in good agreement. The experimental spectra also coincide satisfactorily with those of theoretically constructed bar type spectrograms.     

Electronic spectroscopy of the A1A" <--> X1A' system of CDBr

We report fluorescence excitation and single vibronic level emission spectra of jet-cooled CDBr in the 450-750 nm region. A total of 32 cold bands involving the pure bending levels 2(0)n with n=3-10 and combination bands 2(0)n3(0)1 (n=2-10), 2(0)n3(0)2 (n=2-9), 1(0)(1)2(0)n (n=7-10), and 1(0)(1)2(0)n3(0)(1) (n=6,8-9) in the A1A" <-- X1A' system of this carbene were observed; most of these are reported and/or rotationally analyzed here for the first time. Rotational analysis yielded band origins and effective (B) rotational constants for both bromine isotopomers (CD79Br and CD81Br). The derived A1A" vibrational intervals are combined with results of Yu et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 115, 5433 (2001)] to derive barriers to linearity for the 2n, 2n3(1), and 2n3(2) progressions. The A1A" state C-D stretching frequency (2350 cm(-1)) is determined for the first time, in excellent agreement with theory, as are the 79Br-81Br isotope splittings in the excited state. Our emission spectra probe the vibrational structure of the X1A' and a3A" states up to approximately 9000 cm(-1) above the vibrationless level of the X1A' state; the total number of levels observed is around twice that previously reported. Unlike CHBr, where even the lowest bending levels are perturbed by spin-orbit interaction with the triplet origin, the term energy of every level save one below 3000 cm(-1) in CDBr is reproduced by a Dunham expansion to within a standard deviation of 1 cm(-1), and a spin-orbit coupling matrix element of approximately 330 cm(-1) is derived from a deperturbation analysis of the triplet origin. The multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) calculations of Yu et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 115, 5433 (2001)] well reproduce triplet perturbations in the pure bending manifold, and globally, the vibrational frequencies of X1A', a3A", and A1A" are in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions.     

New electronic spectra of the HCCl and DCCl A-X vibronic bands

The dispersed fluorescence spectra following the excitation of several A<--X vibronic bands of HCCl and DCCl at visible wavelengths were successfully acquired in a discharge supersonic free jet expansion using an intensified charge-coupled device detector. The dispersed fluorescence spectra reveal more details of the X(1) A(') state vibrational structure in these molecules than previous reports. Dispersed fluorescence spectra of all four isotopomers (HC(35)Cl, HC(37)Cl, DC(35)Cl, and DC(37)Cl) were obtained. These dispersed fluorescence spectra exhibit the vibrational structures up to approximately 6000 cm(-1) above the zero-point level and determine the vibrational structures of HC(37)Cl and DC(37)Cl. Complete vibrational parameters including fundamental frequencies, anharmonicities, and coupling constants were determined for the HCCl/DCCl X(1) A(') state. Furthermore, perturbations from the background triplet state a(3) A(") and emission to triplet state levels were observed in the spectra. The singlet-triplet energy gap from the zero-point level could be determined to be 2167 cm(-1) (6.20+/-0.05 kcal/mol) in HCCl and to be 2187 cm(-1) (6.25+/-0.05 kcal/mol) in DCCl. Additionally, some of the A<--X excitation spectrum are reported for HCCl and DCCl.     

FTIR, FT-Raman spectra and ab initio DFT vibrational analysis of 2,4-dichloro-6-nitrophenol

The FTIR and FT-Raman spectra of 2,4-dichloro-6-nitrophenol (2,4-DC6NP) has been recorded in the region 4000-400 cm(-1) and 3500-100 cm(-1), respectively. The optimized geometry, frequency and intensity of the vibrational bands of (2,4-DC6NP) were obtained by the ab initio and DFT levels of theory with complete relaxation in the potential energy surface using 6-31G(d,p) and 6-311+G(d,p) basis sets. The harmonic vibrational frequencies were calculated and the scaled values have been compared with experimental FTIR and FT-Raman spectra. The observed and the calculated frequencies are found to be in good agreement. The experimental spectra also coincide satisfactorily with those of theoretically constructed bar type spectrograms.     

Molecular structure, vibrational and chemical shift assignments of 8-hydroxy-1-methylquinolinium iodide hydrate by density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio Hartree-Fock (HF) calculations

The molecular geometry, the normal mode frequencies and corresponding vibrational assignments, (1)H and (13)C NMR chemical shift values of 8-hydroxy-1-methylquinolinium iodide monohydrate [(C(10)H(10)NO)(+)I(-)H(2)O] in the ground state were performed by HF and B3LYP levels of theory using the LanL2DZ basis set. The optimized bond lengths and bond angles are in good agreement with the X-ray data. The vibrational spectra of the title compound which is calculated by HF and DFT methods, reproduces vibrational wave numbers and intensities with an accuracy which allows reliable vibrational assignments. The title compound [(C(10)H(10)NO)(+)I(-)H(2)O] have been studied theoretically in the 4, 000-200 cm(-1) region and the assignment of all the observed bands were made. The analysis of the infrared spectra indicates that there are some structure-spectra correlations. These methods are proposed as a tool to be applied in the structural characterization of 8-hydroxy-1-methylquinolinium iodide monohydrate [(C(10)H(10)NO)(+)I(-)H(2)O], and thus providing useful support in the interpretation of experimental NMR data.     

Structures and vibrational frequencies of 2-naphthoic acid and 6-bromo-2-naphthoic acid based on density functional theory calculations

The solid phase mid FTIR and FT Raman spectra of 2-naphthoic acid (NA) and 6-bromo-2-naphthoic acid (BNA) have been recorded in the regions 4000-400 cm(-1) and 3500-100 cm(-1), respectively. The fundamental vibrational frequencies and intensities of the vibrational bands were evaluated using density functional theory (DFT) using standard B3LYP method and 6-311+G** basis set combinations. The vibrational spectra were interpreted, with the aid of normal coordinate analysis based on a scaled quantum mechanical force field. The infrared and Raman spectra were also predicted from the calculated intensities. Comparison of simulated spectra with the experimental spectra provides important information about the ability of the computational method to describe the vibrational modes.     

IR and FTMW-IR spectroscopy and vibrational relaxation pathways in the CH stretch region of CH3OH and CH3OD

Infrared spectra of jet-cooled CH(3)OD and CH(3)OH in the CH stretch region are observed by coherence-converted population transfer Fourier transform microwave-infrared (CCPT-FTMW-IR) spectroscopy (E torsional species only) and by slit-jet single resonance spectroscopy (both A and E torsional species, CH(3)OH only). Twagirayezu et al. reported the analysis of ν(3) symmetric CH stretch region (2750-2900 cm(-1); Twagirayezu et al. J. Phys. Chem. A 2010, 114, 6818), and the present work addresses the more complicated higher frequency region (2900-3020 cm(-1)) containing the two asymmetric CH stretches (ν(2) and ν(9)). The additional complications include a higher density of coupled states, more extensive mixing, and evidence for Coriolis as well as anharmonic coupling. The overall observed spectra contain 17 interacting vibrational bands for CH(3)OD and 28 for CH(3)OH. The sign and magnitude of the torsional tunneling splittings are deduced for three CH stretch fundamentals (ν(3), ν(2), ν(9)) of both molecules and are compared to a model calculation and to ab initio theory. The number and distribution of observed vibrational bands indicate that the CH stretch bright states couple first to doorway states that are binary combinations of bending modes. In the parts of the spectrum where doorway states are present, the observed density of coupled states is comparable to the total density of vibrational states in the molecule, but where there are no doorway states, only the CH stretch fundamentals are observed. Above 2900 cm(-1), the available doorway states are CH bending states, but below, the doorway states also involve OH bending. A time-dependent interpretation of the present FTMW-IR spectra indicates a fast (～200 fs) initial decay of the bright state followed by a second, slower redistribution (about 1-3 ps). The qualitative agreement of the present data with the time-dependent experiments of Iwaki and Dlott provides further support for the similarity of the fastest vibrational relaxation processes in the liquid and gas phases.