First observation of ultrafast intramolecular proton transfer rate between electronic ground states in solution

Despite the importance of ultrafast (time scale exceeding 10(-11) s) intramolecular proton transfer (PT) events between electronic ground states in solution, experimental determination of the rates of such reactions has not yet been accomplished because of the limitations of the utilized methods. The objective of this study was to evaluate the PT rates of intramolecular O···H···O hydrogen-bonded systems in solution through the (1)H spin-lattice relaxation times of the hydroxyl protons, induced by the (1)H-(17)O dipolar interactions (T(1dd)(OH)), taking into account the contribution of the OH reorientational motion to T(1dd)(OH). Solutions of the benzoic acid dimer (BA dimer), 1-benzoyl-6-hydroxy-6-phenylfulvene (Fulvene), and dibenzoylmethane (DBM) were chosen as test systems. For Fulvene in CCl(4), the PT time, τ(PT), was deduced to be 7 × 10(-11) s. In the case of the BA dimer in CCl(4), the τ(PT) value was considerably greater than the OH reorientational correlation time, τ(R(OH)) = 4.3 × 10(-11) s. In contrast, the experimental results for DBM in CCl(4) indicated that the proton is located about midway between the two oxygen atoms, that is, the PT potential energy surface is a single well or a double well with a PT barrier near or below the zero-point energy.     

S2 fluorescence and ultrafast relaxation dynamics of the S2 and S1 states of a ketocyanine dye

Dynamics of the excited singlet (both the S2 and S1) states of a ketocyanine dye, namely, 2,5-bis[(2,3-dihydroindolyl)-propylene]-cyclopentanone (KCD), have been investigated in different kinds of media using steady-state absorption and emission as well as femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopic techniques. Steady-state fluorescence measurements, following photoexcitation of KCD to its second excited singlet state, reveal dual fluorescence (emission from both the S2 and S1 states) behavior. Although the intensity of the S2 --> S0 fluorescence is weaker than that of the S1 --> S0 fluorescence in solutions at room temperature (298 K), the former becomes as much as or more intense than the latter in rigid matrixes at 77 K. The lifetime of the S2 state is short and varies between 0.2 and 0.6 ps in different solvents. After its creation, the S2 state undergoes two simultaneous processes, namely, S2 --> S0 fluorescence and S2 --> S1 internal conversion. Time-resolved measurements reveal the presence of an ultrafast component in the decay dynamics of the S1 state. A good correlation between the lifetime of this component and the longitudinal relaxation times (tauL) of the solvents suggests that this component arises due to solvation in polar solvents. More significant evolution of the spectroscopic properties of the S1 state in alcoholic solvents in the ultrafast time domain has been explained by the occurrence of the repositioning of the hydrogen bonds around the carbonyl group in the excited state of KCD. In 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, a strongly hydrogen bond donating solvent, it has even been possible to establish the existence of two distinct forms of the S1 state, namely, the non-hydrogen-bonded (or free) molecule and the hydrogen-bonded complex.     

Experimental evidence for ultrafast electronic relaxation in molecules, mediated by diffuse states

The existence of a mediating state for the ultrafast electronic relaxation in ethylenic-like molecules has been shown by femtosecond electron imaging techniques. This state is of Rydberg character, and its high efficiency is due to its ability to link the electron distributions of the initial and final electronic states.     

Femtosecond electronic relaxation of excited metalloporphyrins in the gas phase

A systematic study of the ultrafast decay of metalloporphyrins containing various transition metals with partially filled 3d shells and zinc (3d filled) is reported here after excitation in the second excited state of the system (Soret band). Both time-of-flight mass spectrometry and velocity map imaging have been used for detection. A general biexponential decay with a short time constant tau1 approximately 100 fs is observed for the transition metal porphyrins, followed by a tau2 approximately 1 ps time decay. This evolution is interpreted as a porphyrin-to-metal charge transfer, tau1, followed by a back transfer, tau2, which leads to an excited state (d,d*) localized on the metal. These conclusions stem from the different behaviors of zinc and the transition metal porphyrins. A porphyrin-to-metal charge transfer model is chosen to describe the relaxation mechanism, based upon the fact that transition metalloporphyrins can accept electrons on the metal site, in contrast to zinc porphyrins.     

Competing S(N)2 and E2 reaction pathways for hexachlorocyclohexane degradation in the gas phase, solution and enzymes

Quantum chemistry calculations have been used alongside experimental kinetic analysis to investigate the competition between S(N)2 and E2 mechanisms for the dechlorination of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers, revealing that enzyme specificity reflects the intrinsic reactivity of the various isomers.     

The observation of the electronic spectrum of Fe2Cl6 in the gas phase

The vibrationally-resolved electronic spectrum of dimeric iron(III) chloride, Fe2Cl6, produced in a free-jet expansion, has been recorded in the ultraviolet region.     

Size-dependent ultrafast electronic energy relaxation and enhanced fluorescence of copper nanoparticles

The energy relaxation of the electrons in the conduction band of 12 and 30 nm diameter copper nanoparticles in colloidal solution was investigated using femtosecond time-resolved transient spectroscopy. Experimental results show that the hot electron energy relaxation is faster in 12 nm copper nanoparticles (0.37 ps) than that in 30 nm copper nanoparticles (0.51 ps), which is explained by the size-dependent electron-surface phonon coupling. Additional mechanisms involving trapping or energy transfer processes to the denser surface states (imperfection) in the smaller nanoparticles are needed to explain the relaxation rate in the 12 nm nanoparticles. The observed fluorescence quantum yield from these nanoparticles is found to be enhanced by roughly 5 orders of magnitude for the 30 nm nanoparticles and 4 orders of magnitude for the 12 nm nanoparticles (relative to bulk copper metal). The increase in the fluorescence quantum yield is attributed to the electromagnetic enhancement of the radiative recombination of the electrons in the s-p conduction band below the Fermi level with the holes in the d bands due to the strong surface plasmon oscillation in these nanoparticles.     

Electronic spectroscopy and ultrafast energy relaxation pathways in the lowest Rydberg States of trimethylamine

Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization photoelectron spectroscopy has been applied to study the electronic spectroscopy and relaxation pathways among the 3p and 3s Rydberg states of trimethylamine. The experiments used femtosecond and picosecond duration laser pulses at wavelengths of 416, 266, and 208 nm and employed two-photon and three-photon ionization schemes. The binding energy of the 3s Rydberg state was found to be 3.087 +/- 0.005 eV. The degenerate 3p x, y states have binding energies of 2.251 +/- 0.005 eV, and 3p z is at 2.204 +/- 0.005 eV. Using picosecond and femtosecond time-resolved experiments we spectrally and temporally resolved an intricate sequence of energy relaxation pathways leading from the 3p states to the 3s state. With excitation at 5.96 eV, trimethylamine is found to decay from the 3p z state to 3p x, y in 539 fs. The decay to 3s from all the 3p states takes place with a 2.9 ps time constant. On these time scales, trimethylamine does not fragment at the given internal energies, which range from 0.42 to 1.54 eV depending on the excitation wavelength and electronic state.     

Experimental investigation of electronic states of LiCs dissociating to Li(2(2)S) and Cs(5(2)D) atoms

Polarization labeling spectroscopy technique was used to measure excitation spectra of LiCs molecule in the spectral range of 16,000-18,500 cm(-1). Four band systems were observed and assigned to transitions from the ground X(1)Σ(+) state to excited states (4)Ω = 0(+), (5)Ω = 0(+), (5)Ω = 1, and (6)Ω = 1 (in Hund's case (c) notation proper here), the latter three states being fine structure components of the states d(3)Π and e(3)Σ(+), nominally of triplet symmetry. The observed states are characterized spectroscopically and the experimental results are compared with predictions of theoretical calculations, showing accuracy of the theoretical electronic term values better than 100 cm(-1) and of the ω(e) and R(e) constants within 5%.     

Conformational relaxation in the excited electronic states of benzil and naphthyl

A time-resolved study of the emission from benzil and naphthyl in semi-solid glasses (e.g. alcoholic glass near the melting point) using a pulsed N₂-laser as an excitation source is reported. The emission from the relaxed excited triplet shows a growth followed by a decay. This growth provides a convincing proof of geometrical relaxation occurring in the excited states of benzil and naphthyl.     

Computational investigation of the vibrational and electronic states of S2N2

The structures and vibrational frequencies of the ground and excited states of S(2)N(2) have been calculated using density functional (DF) methods. Time-dependent DF theory (TDDFT) has been used to calculate the excitation energies of the lowest 20 singlet-singlet transitions using a variety of methods. All computational methods predict a small highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) gap. There is some disagreement in the ordering of the b(2g) and b(3g) pi orbitals. This is reflected in the ordering of the B(2u) and B(3u) states from the TDDFT calculations. The excitation energies and oscillator strengths strongly suggest it is the transitions to these states that are responsible for the experimental electronic spectrum. The calculated geometries and vibrational frequencies for these two states show that both have C(2v) equilibrium structures. Modelling of the vibrational progressions and band shapes suggest that the ordering of the states is B(2u)相似文献   

The electronic relaxation of biacetyl in the vapor phase

The emissions of biacetyl after pulsed dye-laser excitation were studied at pressures down to 0.05 mtorr. At all energies the time-resolved fluorescence was composed of a nanosecond and a microsecond component. At “zero” pressure the long lived phosphorescence was absent while the “hot” phosphorescence has the same time characteristics as the slow fluorescence. By increasing the pressure the slow fluorescence was quenched while the milisecond phosphorescence was induced. We determined the low-pressure emission characteristics and the pressure effects as a function of excitation energy.From our data we obtained the parameters describing the intermediate type singlet-triplet coupling, the radiative and non-radiative relaxation rates from the singlet and triplet levels and the cross sections for the slow fluorescence quenching, all as a function of energy. Strong evidence is obtained for the participation of rotational states in the intra-molecular relaxation. The important difference between the situation where the singlet levels are isolated (low energy) and where the singlet level widths overlap (at higher energies) is demonstrated. In the former situation very large fluorescence quenching cross sectios were found. It is further shown that for high energies at least two effective collisions are needed to obtain a thermalized triplet; the mean energy removed per effective collision is 2200 cm^?1.     

The electronic relaxation of benzophenone in the vapor phase

The time-resolved luminescence of benzophenone was studied for two excitation wavelengths as a function of pressure. In isolated molecule conditions a single microsecond emission was observed. At increasing pressure the lifetime of this emission becomes shorter, while simultaneously a millisecond emission shows up, its intensity increasing with pressure. The microsecond emission was identified as a combination of hot phosphorescence and diluted fluorescence of the singlet—triplet scrambled molecular eigenstates, the millisecond emission as the normal thermalized phophorescence. From the analysis that is possible after this identification it appears that both radiative and nonradiative rates increase with excitation energy. The rate of formation of thermalized triplet levels is about 20% of the molecular collision rate.     

The electronic relaxation of methylglyoxal in the vapor phase

The time-resolved fluorescence of methylglyoxal was studied as a function of excitation energy and pressure. In all circumstances a dual fluorescence was observed. From these measurements was obtained the parameters describing the singlet-triplet coupling, the disspative leak rates from singlet and triplet states and the fluorescence quenching constants. Also, the pressure induction of the thermalized phosphorescence was studied.As found previously in biacetyl, the excited manifold should be divided into a black note region and an overlap region, the former being more extensive in methylglyoxal. The decal characteristics of methylglyoxal are intermediate between those of glyoxal and biacetyl. The differences in behavior between the three molecules can be readily understood on the basis of the differences in their level densities, due to the different number of atoms in these molecules.     

Competition between ultrafast relaxation and photoionization in excited prefluorescent states of tryptophan and indole

The quantum yield of photoionization of TrpH and IndH from the nonrelaxed prefluorescent state S* increases with the temperature decrease. This effect is attributed to the competition between temperature independent ionization and ultrafast thermal relaxation S* --> S1. The rate constant of the relaxation does not depend on the solvent and on the presence of the amino acid side chain: the temperature dependences of photoionization quantum yield, obtained for TrpH and IndH in different solvents, practically coincide. The activation energy for the relaxation rate constant Er approximately 4.5 kJ/mol probably corresponds to intramolecular process or to the formation of the vibronically excited transient complex between photoexcited molecule and solvent molecules.     

Charge redistribution on electronic excitation. Dipole moments of cis- and trans-3-aminophenol in their S(0) and S(1) electronic states

Rotationally resolved electronic spectroscopy in the gas phase, in the absence and presence of an applied electric field, has been used to distinguish the two conformers of 3-aminophenol (3AP) on the basis of differences in their electric dipole moments. cis-3AP has micro = 2.3 D, and trans-3AP has micro = 0.7 D, in their ground electronic states. The two observed values are approximately equal to those expected on the basis of bond dipole additivity rules. However, these rules fail to predict the large change in both the magnitude and the orientation of micro when the two conformers of 3AP absorb light. cis-3AP has micro = 3.3 D, and trans-3AP has micro = 1.7 D, in their excited S(1) electronic states; the angles of orientation of micro with respect to the a inertial axis change by 13 degrees and 38 degrees, respectively. This effect is attributed to (1)L(b)/(1)L(a) state mixing in the S(1) state.     

Internal rotation potential functions of an acryloyl fluoride molecule in the ground (S 0) and excited (S 1) electronic states

Journal of Structural Chemistry - Structural parameters of trans- and cis-isomers of an acryloyl fluoride molecule in the ground (S 0) and excited (S 1) electronic states are determined. The...     

Conformational relaxation dynamics in the excited electronic states of benzil in solution

Relaxation dynamics in the excited singlet (S₁) state of benzil have been studied in solution using pico and subpicosecond transient absorption spectroscopic techniques. The triple exponential decay dynamics of the S₁ state indicates that the process of conformational change from the cis-skewed to the trans-planar form takes place via the formation of a meta-stable intermediate conformer resulting the involvement of two consequent barrier crossing processes. The barrier crossing dynamics is governed by both the polarity of the solvent, which alters the barrier heights by ‘static' interactions, as well as the viscosity of the solvent via ‘dynamical' interactions.     

Structure and properties of the low-lying electronic states of CeC(2) and CeC(2)(+)

Theoretical studies on the electronic and thermodynamic properties of several electronic states of CeC(2) and CeC(2)(+) have been carried out employing state-of-the-art single- and multireference techniques. The ground and the low-lying electronic states of these two species have been found to possess C(2v) triangular structures. A (3)B(2) state has been found to be the ground state of CeC(2) while for CeC(2)(+) (2)A(2) is the ground state. The computed electron ionization energy is in excellent agreement with experiment. The experimentally observed thermodynamic properties (dissociation and atomization energies) of reactions involving CeC(2) dissociation are corrected using the computed gas-phase properties of the molecule and the partition functions. The bent triplet and singlet state of CeC(2) exhibit large dipole moments (7.0-10.5 D) and it is consistent with the ionic character (through dative charge transfer) of the cluster in ground and excited states.     

On the single relaxation time approximation (SRTA) in the kinetic theory of gas phase NMR

The use of single-relaxation-time approximations (SRTA) in describing nuclear magnetic relaxation (NMR) is discussed and the proper identification of the relaxation parameters with collision cross sections is addressed. Two different SRTA curves giving the variation of the longitudinal relaxation time T₁ with number density n are evaluated using the extract numerical close-coupled results of Shafer and Gordon for molecular hydrogen infinitely dilute in helium and both SRTA curves are compared with that obtained from the full matrix inversion procedure.