A new pathway for the rapid decay of electronically excited adenine

Combined density functional and multireference configuration interaction methods have been used to calculate the electronic spectrum of 9H-adenine, the most stable tautomer of 6-aminopurine. In addition, constrained minimum energy paths on excited potential energy hypersurfaces have been determined along several relaxation coordinates. The minimum of the first (1)[n-->pi*] state has been located at an energy of 4.54 eV for a nuclear arrangement in which the amino group is pyramidal whereas the ring system remains planar. Close by, another minimum on the S(1) potential energy hypersurface has been detected in which the C(2) center is deflected out of the molecular plane and the electronic character of S(1) corresponds to a nearly equal mixture of (1)[pi-->pi*] and (1)[n-->pi*] configurations. The adiabatic excitation energy of this minimum amounts to 4.47 eV. Vertical and adiabatic excitation energies of the lowest n-->pi* and pi-->pi* transitions as well as transition moments and their directions are in very good agreement with experimental data and lend confidence to the present quantum chemical treatment. On the S(1) potential energy hypersurface, an energetically favorable path from the singlet n-->pi* minimum toward a conical intersection with the electronic ground state has been identified. Close to the conical intersection, the six-membered ring of adenine is strongly puckered and the electronic structure of the S(1) state corresponds to a pi-->pi* excitation. The energetic accessibility of this relaxation path at about 0.1 eV above the singlet n-->pi* minimum is presumably responsible for the ultrafast decay of 9H-adenine after photoexcitation and explains why sharp vibronic peaks can only be observed in a rather narrow wavelength range above the origin. The detected mechanism should be equally applicable to adenosine and 9-methyladenine because it involves primarily geometry changes in the six-membered ring whereas the nuclear arrangement of the five-membered ring (including the N(9) center) is largely preserved.     

Are azobenzenophanes rotation-restricted?

We simulated the photoisomerization dynamics of an azobenzenophane with a semiclassical surface hopping approach and a semiempirical reparametrized quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics Hamiltonian. Only one of the two azobenzene chromophores in the molecule is taken into account quantum mechanically: the other one is treated by molecular mechanics. Both n-->pi* and pi-->pi* excitations are considered. Our results show that the photoisomerization reaction mainly involves the rotation around the N=N double bond. The excited state relaxation features are in qualitative agreement with experimental time-resolved fluorescence results.     

The photoisomerization mechanism of azobenzene: a semiclassical simulation of nonadiabatic dynamics

We have simulated the photoisomerization dynamics of azobenzene, taking into account internal conversion and geometrical relaxation processes, by means of a semiclassical surface hopping approach. Both n-->pi* and pi-->pi* excitations and both cis-->trans and trans-->cis conversions have been considered. We show that in all cases the torsion around the N==N double bond is the preferred mechanism. The quantum yields measured are correctly reproduced and the observed differences are explained as a result of the competition between the inertia of the torsional motion and the premature deactivation of the excited state. Recent time-resolved spectroscopic experiments are interpreted in the light of the simulated dynamics.     

Ab initio studies on the photophysics of guanine tautomers: out-of-plane deformation and NH dissociation pathways to conical intersections

The radiationless decay mechanisms of the S1 excited states of the 7H-keto-amino, 7H-enol-amino, and 7H-keto-imino tautomers of guanine have been investigated with the CASPT2//CASSCF method. Out-of-plane deformation of the six-membered ring or the imino group as well as dissociation of NH bonds have been considered as photochemical pathways leading to conical intersections with the electronic ground state. It has been found that all three tautomers can reach S0-S1 conical intersections by out-of-plane deformation. However, only in the 7H-keto-amino tautomer the reaction path leading to the conical intersection is barrierless. This tautomer also has the lowest energy barrier for hydrogen detachment via the (1)pi sigma* state, whose potential energy surface intersects that of the (1)pi pi* state as well as that of the ground state. The other tautomers of guanine exhibit substantial energy barriers on their S1 potential energy surfaces with respect to both reaction mechanisms. These findings suggest that the 7H-keto-amino tautomer exhibits the shortest excited-state lifetime of the three tautomers due to particularly fast nonradiative deactivation processes through S0-S1 conical intersections. The computational results explain the remarkable observation that the energetically most stable 7H-keto-amino tautomer is missing in the resonant two-photon ionization spectrum of guanine in a supersonic jet. The results also explain that the energetically less stable 7H-enol-amino and 7H-keto-imino tautomers have longer excited-state lifetimes and are thus detectable by resonant two-photon ionization.     

Theoretical characterization of photoisomerization channels of dimethylpyridines on the singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces

Photoexcitations and photoisomerizations due to low-lying n pi* and pi pi* excited states of dimethylpyridines are investigated by density functional theory, CASSCF, CASPT2 and MRCI methodologies. Mechanistic details for the formation of Dewar dimethylpyridines and the interconversions of dimethylpyridines are rationalized through the characterization of minima and transition states on the singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces of relevant intermediates. Our present theoretical schemes suggest that Mobius dimethylpyridine intermediate 14 and azabenzvalene intermediate 10 can serve as possible precursors to Dewar dimethylpyridines and singlet phototransposition products, respectively. The calculations suggest that an S1(pi pi*)/S0 conical intersection in dimethylpyridines 2 is involved in the formation of 14. An azabenzvalene 10 might be formed through S2(pi pi*)/S1(n pi*) interaction followed by an S1/S0 decay in dimethylpyridine 6. Calculated barriers of isomerizations from 14 to Dewar dimethylpyridine 7 and from 10 to 4 are 8.4 and 28.5 kcal mol(-1) at the B3LYP/6-311 G** level, respectively. In the suggested triplet multistage transposition mechanism, an out-of-plane distorted geometry 19 due to vibrational relaxation of the T1(3B1) excited state of 3,5-dimethylpyridine 6 is a precursor of the interconversion of 6 to 2.4-dimethylpyridine 4. The formation of a triplet azaprefulvene 21 with a barrier of 20.7 kcal mol(-1) is a key step during the triplet migration process leading to another out-of-plane distorted structure 27. Subsequent rearomatization of 27 completes the interconversion of 6 with 4. Present calculations provide some insight into the photochemistry of dimethylpyridines at 254 nm.     

Ab initio study on deactivation pathways of excited 9H-guanine

The complete active space with second-order perturbation theory/complete active space self-consistent-field method was used to explore the nonradiative decay mechanism for excited 9H-guanine. On the 1pipi* (1L(a)) surface we determined a conical intersection (CI), labeled (S0pipi*)(CI), between the 1pipi* (1L(a)) excited state and the ground state, and a minimum, labeled (pipi*)min. For the 1pipi* (1L(a)) state, its probable deactivation path is to undergo a spontaneous relaxation to (pipi*)min first and then decay to the ground state through (S0pipi*)(CI), during which a small activation energy is required. On the 1n(N)pi* surface a CI between the 1n(N)pi* and 1pipi* (1L(a)) states was located, which suggests that the 1n(N)pi* excited state could transform to the 1pipi* (1L(a)) excited state first and then follow the deactivation path of the 1pipi* (1L(a)) state. This CI was also possibly involved in the nonradiative decay path of the second lowest 1pipi* (1L(b)) state. On the 1n(O)pi* surface a minimum was determined. The deactivation of the 1n(O)pi* state to the ground state was estimated to be energetically unfavorable. On the 1pisigma* surface, the dissociation of the N-H bond of the six-membered ring is difficult to occur due to a significant barrier.     

Effects of the exciting wavelength and viscosity on the photobehavior of 9- and 9,10-bromoanthracenes

The widely investigated photobehaviors of 9-bromo and 9,10-di-bromoanthracenes have been revisited here to clarify the competition among different relaxation paths of their lowest two electronic excited states. The results obtained show that these two molecules exhibit a parallel photobehavior, which depends on the excited electronic and vibronic transition, the medium viscosity, and the temperature. The first electronic state of either of these does not exhibit photochemistry in fluid solution or rigid matrices (80 K). The fluorescence emission occurs with a very low quantum yield (approximately 10(-2)) at room temperature but with a very high quantum yield (0.9 to approximately 1) at 80 K. When exciting in the second electronic transition, the fluorescence intensity is lower than when exciting in S1 at both room temperature and low temperature due to competition with the observed photocleavage of the C-Br bond. The reaction yield decreases as the temperature decreases and depends on the viscosity of the solvent; the higher the viscosity, the lower the observed yield of photochemistry. Temperature and viscosity effects are a consequence of the fact that the radicals produced by C-Br bond breakage cannot escape from the solvent cage and, moreover, quickly recombine within the cage giving the appearance that no photochemistry occurred. The presence of photochemistry in S(2) and its absence in S(1) is principally due to the fact that S(2) has a pi,sigma* character in the C-Br bond, whereas the S(1) state has its origin from a pi,pi* delocalized configuration.     

Dynamics of photoinduced processes in adenine and thymine base pairs

The excited-state dynamics of adenine and thymine dimers and the adenine-thymine base pair were investigated by femtosecond pump-probe ionization spectroscopy with excitation wavelengths of 250-272 nm. The base pairs showed a characteristic ultrafast decay of the initially excited pi pi* state to an n pi* state (lifetime tau(pi pi*) approximately 100 fs) followed by a slower decay of the latter with tau(n pi*) approximately 0.9 ps for (adenine)2, tau(n pi*) = 6-9 ps for (thymine)2, and tau(n pi*) approximately 2.4 ps for the adenine-thymine base pair. In the adenine dimer, a competing decay of the pi pi* state via the pi sigma* state greatly suppressed the n pi* state signals. Similarities of the excited-state decay parameters in the isolated bases and the base pairs suggest an intramonomer relaxation mechanism in the base pairs.     

Effects of proximity on the relaxation dynamics of flindersine and 6(5H)-phenanthridinone

The role played by the carbonyl group in the antenna system of a naturally occurring photochromic chromene, flindersine (FL), has been experimentally investigated and compared with that of a carbonyl group present in a structurally related unreactive heterocyclic compound, 6(5H)-phenanthridinone (PH). Through stationary and time-resolved absorption and emission techniques, the excited-state relaxation dynamics after UV irradiation were determined for FL and PH. The presence of a carbonyl group in both compounds entails the existence of two close-lying, strongly coupled electronic excited states, having n,pi* and pi,pi* character, respectively. Their coupling can be modulated by a careful choice of the solvent proticity and temperature. Moreover, in the case of strong coupling between the n,pi* and pi,pi* states, we have proved that the relaxation dynamics can involve transitions in which the upper of the coupled states acts as an intermediate for radiationless decay, bypassing the lowest emissive state, whereby the fluorescence quantum yield becomes a function of the excitation wavelength.     

The guanine tautomer puzzle: quantum chemical investigation of ground and excited states

Combined density functional and multireference configuration interaction methods have been employed to explore the ground and low-lying electronically excited states of the most important tautomeric and rotameric forms of guanine with the purpose of resolving the conflicting assignments of IR-UV bands found in the literature. The calculations predict sharp 1(pi-->pi*) origin transitions for the RN1 rotamer of the 7H-amino-hydroxy species and the RN7 rotamer of the 9H-amino-hydroxy species. The other 9H-amino-hydroxy rotamer, RN1, undergoes ultrafast nonradiative decay and is thus missing in the UV spectra. Because of its very small Franck-Condon factor and the presence of a conical intersection close by, it appears questionable, whether the 1(pi-->pi*) origin transition of 9H-amino-oxo-guanine can be observed experimentally. Vibrational overlap is more favorable for the 1(pi-->pi*) origin transition of the 7H- amino-oxo form, but also this tautomer is predicted to undergo ultrafast nonradiative decay of the 1(pi-->pi*) population. The good agreement of calculated IR frequencies of the amino-oxo species with recent IR spectra in He droplets and their mismatch with peaks observed in IR-UV spectra indicate that none of the bands stem from 7H- or 9H-amino-oxo guanine. Instead, our results suggest that these bands originate from 7H-imino-oxo guanine tautomers. In the excited-state dynamics of the biologically relevant 9H-amino-oxo tautomer, a diffuse charge transfer state is predicted to play a significant role.     

Ab initio n-electron valence state perturbation theory study of the adiabatic transitions in carbonyl molecules: formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone

The application of the recently developed second-order n-electron valence state perturbation theory (NEVPT2) to small carbonyl molecules (formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone) is presented. The adiabatic transition energies are computed for the singlet and triplet n-->pi(*), pi-->pi(*), and sigma-->pi(*) states performing a full geometry optimization of the relevant states at the single state CASSCF level and taking into account the zero point energy correction in the harmonic approximation. The agreement with the known experimental values and with previously published high level calculations confirms that NEVPT2 is an efficient tool to be used for the interpretation of molecular electronic spectra. Moreover, different insight into the nature of the excited states has been obtained. Some of the transitions presented here have never been theoretically computed previously [(3)(pi-->pi(*)) and (3)(sigma-->pi(*)) adiabatic transitions in acetaldehyde and acetone] or have been studied only using moderate level (single reference based) ab initio methods (all adiabatic transitions in acetaldehyde). In the present work a consistent disagreement between NEVPT2 and experiment has been found for the (3)(pi-->pi(*)) adiabatic transition in all molecules: this result is attributed to the low intensity of the transition to the first vibrational levels of the excited state. The n-->pi(*) singlet and triplet vertical transition energies are also reported for all the molecules.     

Influence of environment on the electronic structure of Cob(III)alamins: time-resolved absorption studies of the S(1) state spectrum and dynamics

Transient absorption spectroscopy has been used to elucidate the nature of the S1 intermediate state populated following excitation of cob(III)alamin (Cbl(III)) compounds. This state is sensitive both to axial ligation and to solvent polarity. The excited-state lifetime as a function of temperature and solvent environment is used to separate the dynamic and electrostatic influence of the solvent. Two distinct types of excited states are identified, both assigned to pi3d configurations. The spectra of both types of excited states are characterized by a red absorption band (ca. 600 nm) assigned to Co 3d --> 3d or Co 3d --> corrin pi* transitions and by visible absorption bands similar to the corrin pi-->pi* transitions observed for ground state Cbl(III) compounds. The excited state observed following excitation of nonalkyl Cbl(III) compounds has an excited-state spectrum characteristic of Cbl(III) molecules with a weakened bond to the axial ligand (Type I). A similar excited-state spectrum is observed for adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl) in water and ethylene glycol. The excited-state spectrum of methyl, ethyl, and n-propylcobalamin is characteristic of a Cbl(III) species with a sigma-donating alkyl anion ligand (Type II). This Type II excited-state spectrum is also observed for AdoCbl bound to glutamate mutase. The results are discussed in the context of theoretical calculations of Cbl(III) species reported in the literature and highlight the need for additional calculations exploring the influence of the alkyl ligand on the electronic structure of cobalamins.     

Nonradiative decay mechanisms of the biologically relevant tautomer of guanine

We present the excited-state potential energy profiles of the biologically relevant 9H-keto-amino tautomer of guanine with respect to the radiationless decay via the out-of-plane deformation of the six-membered ring as well as the dissociation of NH bonds. The CASPT2//CASSCF method is employed for the reaction-path calculations. The reaction path for the out-of-plane deformation in the (1)pi pi* state leads in a barrierless way to a conical intersection with the electronic ground state. For the NH dissociation via the (1)pi sigma* state, the 9H-keto-amino tautomer is shown to have lower energy barriers than the 7H tautomers which we have studied recently. These two radiationless decay mechanisms explain the unexpected missing of the biologically relevant form in the resonant two-photon ionization spectrum of guanine in a supersonic jet. It is suggested that these ultrafast deactivation processes provide the biologically relevant tautomer of guanine with a high degree of photostability.     

Solvent effects on the n-->pi* electronic transition in formaldehyde: a combined coupled cluster/molecular dynamics study

We present a study of the blueshift of the n-->pi* electronic transition in formaldehyde in aqueous solution using a combined coupled cluster/molecular mechanics model including mutual polarization effects in the Hamiltonian. In addition, we report ground and excited state dipole moments. Configurations are generated from molecular dynamics simulations with two different force fields, one with and one without an explicit polarization contribution. A statistical analysis using 1200 configurations is presented. Effects of explicit polarization contributions are found to be significant. It is found that the main difference in the effects on the excitation energies arises from the fact that the two force fields result in different liquid structures, and thus a different set of configurations is generated for the coupled cluster/molecular mechanics calculations.     

Time-dependent quantum wave-packet description of the 1pi sigma* photochemistry of phenol

The photoinduced hydrogen elimination reaction in phenol via the conical intersections of the dissociative 1pi sigma* state with the 1pi pi* state and the electronic ground state has been investigated by time-dependent quantum wave-packet calculations. A model including three intersecting electronic potential-energy surfaces (S0, 1pi sigma*, and 1pi pi*) and two nuclear degrees of freedom (OH stretching and OH torsion) has been constructed on the basis of accurate ab initio multireference electronic-structure data. The electronic population transfer processes at the conical intersections, the branching ratio between the two dissociation channels, and their dependence on the initial vibrational levels have been investigated by photoexciting phenol from different vibrational levels of its ground electronic state. The nonadiabatic transitions between the excited states and the ground state occur on a time scale of a few tens of femtoseconds if the 1pi pi*-1pi sigma* conical intersection is directly accessible, which requires the excitation of at least one quantum of the OH stretching mode in the 1pi pi* state. It is shown that the node structure, which is imposed on the nuclear wave packet by the initial preparation as well as by the transition through the first conical intersection (1pi pi*-1pi sigma*), has a profound effect on the nonadiabatic dynamics at the second conical intersection (1pi sigma*-S0). These findings suggest that laser control of the photodissociation of phenol via IR mode-specific excitation of vibrational levels in the electronic ground state should be possible.     

A three-state model for the photophysics of guanine

The nonadiabatic photochemistry of the guanine molecule (2-amino-6-oxopurine) and some of its tautomers has been studied by means of the high-level theoretical ab initio quantum chemistry methods CASSCF and CASPT2. Accurate computations, based by the first time on minimum energy reaction paths, states minima, transition states, reaction barriers, and conical intersections on the potential energy hypersurfaces of the molecules lead to interpret the photochemistry of guanine and derivatives within a three-state model. As in the other purine DNA nucleobase, adenine, the ultrafast subpicosecond fluorescence decay measured in guanine is attributed to the barrierless character of the path leading from the initially populated 1(pi pi* L(a)) spectroscopic state of the molecule toward the low-lying methanamine-like conical intersection (gs/pi pi* L(a))CI. On the contrary, other tautomers are shown to have a reaction energy barrier along the main relaxation profile. A second, slower decay is attributed to a path involving switches toward two other states, 1(pi pi* L(b)) and, in particular, 1(n(O) pi*), ultimately leading to conical intersections with the ground state. A common framework for the ultrafast relaxation of the natural nucleobases is obtained in which the predominant role of a pi pi*-type state is confirmed.     

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.     

Synchrotron radiation circular dichroism spectroscopy of ribose and deoxyribose sugars, adenosine, AMP and dAMP nucleotides.

Synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD) spectra of ribose and deoxyribose sugars, adenosine, AMP and dAMP nucleotides and cyclic derivatives were measured in the vacuum ultraviolet region (down to 168 nm for sugars and 175 nm for adenine derivatives) and at different pH values (3, 6-7, 9-10) and temperatures (between 5 and 45 degrees C). The information content in the VUV region is important since the CD bands strongly depend on the chemical structure of the sugar, the presence and orientation of a phosphate group and the protonation state of adenine. On the other hand, single or double deprotonation of the phosphoric acid group has no influence on the spectra. We assign the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) CD bands of the nucleoside and nucleotides to be due mainly to n-->pi* transitions in the adenine nucleobase based on a comparison with the absorption spectra. The CD bands of the sugars are due to n(O -->sigma*) transitions and are much smaller than the CD signal from the nucleotides in the VUV region. Bands are assigned to both pyranose and open-chain forms.     

On the performance of quantum chemical methods to predict solvatochromic effects: the case of acrolein in aqueous solution

The performance of the Hartree-Fock method and the three density functionals B3LYP, PBE0, and CAM-B3LYP is compared to results based on the coupled cluster singles and doubles model in predictions of the solvatochromic effects on the vertical n-->pi* and pi-->pi* electronic excitation energies of acrolein. All electronic structure methods employed the same solvent model, which is based on the combined quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics approach together with a dynamical averaging scheme. In addition to the predicted solvatochromic effects, we have also performed spectroscopic UV measurements of acrolein in vapor phase and aqueous solution. The gas-to-aqueous solution shift of the n-->pi* excitation energy is well reproduced by using all density functional methods considered. However, the B3LYP and PBE0 functionals completely fail to describe the pi-->pi* electronic transition in solution, whereas the recent CAM-B3LYP functional performs well also in this case. The pi-->pi* excitation energy of acrolein in water solution is found to be very dependent on intermolecular induction and nonelectrostatic interactions. The computed excitation energies of acrolein in vacuum and solution compare well to experimental data.