Picosecond IR-UV pump-probe spectroscopic study on the vibrational energy flow in isolated molecules and clusters

Intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) and vibrational predissociation (VP) from the XH stretching vibrations, where X refers to O or C atom, of aromatic molecules and their hydrogen(H)-bonded clusters are investigated by picosecond time-resolved IR-UV pump probe spectroscopy in a supersonic beam. For bare molecules, we mainly focus on IVR of the OH stretch of phenol. We describe the IVR of the OH stretch by a two-step tier model and examine the effect of the anharmonic coupling strength and the density of states on IVR rate and mechanism by using isotope substitution. In the H-bonded clusters of phenol, we show that the relaxation of the OH stretching vibration can be described by a stepwise process and then discuss which process is sensitive to the H-bonding strength. We discuss the difference/similarity of IVR/VP between the "donor" and the "acceptor" sites in phenol-ethylene cluster by exciting the CH stretch vibrations. Finally, we study the vibrational energy transfer in the isolated molecules having the alkyl chain, namely phenylalcanol (PA). In this system, we measure the rate constant of the vibrational energy transfer between the OH stretch and the vibrations of benzene ring which are connected at the both ends of the alkyl chain. This energy transfer can be called "through-bond IVR". We investigate the three factors which are thought to control the energy transfer rate; (1) "OH <--> next CH(2)" coupling, (2) chain length and (3) conformation. We discuss the energy transfer mechanism in PAs by examining these factors.     

Picosecond IR-UV pump-probe spectroscopic study of the dynamics of the vibrational relaxation of jet-cooled phenol. I. Intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution of the OH and CH stretching vibrations of bare phenol

The intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) of the OH stretching vibration of jet-cooled phenol-h6 (C6H8OH) and phenol-d8 (C6D8OH) in the electronic ground state has been investigated by picosecond time-resolved IR-UV pump-probe spectroscopy. The OH stretching vibration of phenol was excited with a picosecond IR laser pulse, and the subsequent temporal evolutions of the initially excited level and the redistributed ones due to the IVR were observed by multiphoton ionization detection with a picosecond UV pulse. The IVR lifetime for the OH stretch vibration of phenol-h6 was determined to be 14 ps, while that of the OH stretch for phenol-d8 was found to be 80 ps. This remarkable change of the IVR rate constant upon the dueteration of the CH groups strongly suggests that the "doorway states" for the IVR from the OH level would be the vibrational states involving the CH stretching modes. We also investigated the IVR rate of the CH stretching vibration for phenol-h6. It was found that the IVR lifetime of the CH stretch is less than 5 ps. The fast IVR is described by the strong anharmonic resonance of the CH stretch with many other combinations or overtone bands.     

Picosecond IR-UV pump-probe study on the vibrational relaxation of phenol-ethylene hydrogen-bonded cluster: difference of relaxation route/rate between the donor and the acceptor site excitations

Picosecond time-resolved IR-UV pump-probe spectroscopy has been performed to study intracluster vibrational energy redistribution (ICVR) and vibrational predissociation (VP) for the OH and CH stretch vibrations of phenol-ethylene hydrogen-bonded cluster. The transient UV spectra after the picosecond IR pulse excitation of these modes were observed by 1+1 REMPI via S(1) with a picosecond UV pulse. We have focused on the difference of the energy flow routes and their rates between the donor (phenol) and the acceptor (ethylene) site. Though the transient UV spectra showed a similar broad feature for all the vibrations examined, the time profiles exhibited a remarkable site dependence, as well as substantial mode dependence. Especially, we found a large difference in the early stage of the IVR evolution and the rates, whereas the VP rates were very similar.     

Picosecond IR-UV pump-probe spectroscopic study on the intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution of NH2 and CH stretching vibrations of jet-cooled aniline

Intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) of the NH2 symmetric and asymmetric stretching vibrations of jet-cooled aniline has been investigated by picosecond time-resolved IR-UV pump-probe spectroscopy. A picosecond IR laser pulse excited the NH2 symmetric or asymmetric stretching vibration of aniline in the electronic ground state and the subsequent time evolutions of the excited level as well as redistributed levels were observed by a picosecond UV pulse. The IVR lifetimes for symmetric and asymmetric stretches were obtained to be 18 and 34 ps, respectively. In addition, we obtained the direct evidence that IVR proceeds via two-step bath states; that is, the NH2 stretch energy first flows into the doorway state and the energy is further dissipated into dense bath states. The rate constants of the second step were estimated to be comparable to or slower than those of the first step IVR. The relaxation behavior was compared with that of IVR of the OH stretching vibration of phenol [Y. Yamada, T. Ebata, M. Kayano, and M. Mikami J. Chem. Phys. 120, 7400 (2004)]. We found that the second step IVR process of aniline is much slower than that of phenol, suggesting a large difference of the "doorway state increasing the dense bath states" anharmonic coupling strength between the two molecules. We also observed IVR of the CH stretching vibrations, which showed much faster IVR behavior than that of the NH2 stretches. The fast relaxation is described by the interference effect, which is caused by the coherent excitation of the quasistationary states.     

Spectral signatures of four-coordinated sites in water clusters: infrared spectroscopy of phenol-(H2O)n (∼20 ≤ n ≤ ∼50)

We report infrared spectra of phenol-(H(2)O)(n) (～20 ≤ n ≤ ～50) in the OH stretching vibrational region. Phenol-(H(2)O)(n) forms essentially the same hydrogen bond (H-bond) network as that of the neat water cluster, (H(2)O)(n+1). The phenyl group enables us to apply the scheme of infrared-ultraviolet double resonance spectroscopy combined with mass spectrometry, achieving the moderate size selectivity (0 ≤ Δn ≤ ～6). The observed spectra show clear decrease of the free OH stretch band intensity relative to that of the H-bonded OH band with increasing cluster size n. This indicates increase of the relative weight of four-coordinated water sites, which have no free OH. Corresponding to the suppression of the free OH band, the absorption peak of the H-bonded OH stretch band rises at ～3350 cm(-1). This spectral change is interpreted in terms of a signature of four-coordinated water sites in the clusters.     

Quasiclassical trajectory simulations of OH(v) + NO2 --> HONO2* --> OH(v') + NO2: capture and vibrational deactivation rate constants

Quasiclassical trajectory calculations are used to investigate the dynamics of the OH(v) + NO(2) --> HONO(2) --> OH(v') + NO(2) recombination/dissociation reaction on an analytic potential energy surface (PES) that gives good agreement with the known structure and vibrational frequencies of nitric acid. The calculated recombination rate constants depend only weakly on temperature and on the initial vibrational energy level of OH(v). The magnitude of the recombination rate constant is sensitive to the potential function describing the newly formed bond and to the switching functions in the PES that attenuate inter-mode interactions at long range. The lifetime of the nascent excited HONO(2) depends strongly not only on its internal energy but also on the identity of the initial state, in disagreement with statistical theory. This disagreement is probably due to the effects of slow intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) from the initially excited OH stretching mode. The vibrational energy distribution of product OH(v') radicals is different from statistical distributions, a result consistent with the effects of slow IVR. Nonetheless, the trajectory results predict that vibrational deactivation of OH(v) via the HONO(2) transient complex is approximately 90% efficient, almost independent of initial OH(v) vibrational level, in qualitative agreement with recent experiments. Tests are also carried out using the HONO(2) PES, but assuming the weaker O-O bond strength found in HOONO (peroxynitrous acid). In this case, the predicted vibrational deactivation efficiencies are significantly lower and depend strongly on the initial vibrational state of OH(v), in disagreement with experiments. This disagreement suggests that the actual HOONO PES may contain more inter-mode coupling than found in the present model PES, which is based on HONO(2). For nitric acid, the measured vibrational deactivation rate constant is a useful proxy for the recombination rate, but IVR randomization of energy is not complete, suggesting that the efficacy of the proxy method must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.     

Theoretical study of the structures and vibrational spectra of the hydrogen-bonded systems of 4-cyanophenol with N-bases

The structural and vibrational features of the hydrogen bonded complexes of 1,5,7-triazabicyclo [4.4.0] dec-5-ene (TBD) with one and two 4-CNPhOH molecules have been studied extensively by ab initio SCF/6-31G(d,p) and BLYP calculations with various basis sets: 6-31G(d,p), 6-31+G(d,p) and 6-31++G(d,p). Full geometry optimization was made for the complexes studied. The nature of the hydrogen bonding and the influence of the hydrogen bonding on the structural and vibrational characteristics of the monomers have been investigated. The corrected values of the dissociation energy for the hydrogen-bonded complexes have been calculated in order to estimate their stability. The calculated values of the dissociation energy per phenol molecule indicate that the complex: TBD: 4-CNPhOH (1:1) is more stable than the complex: TBD: 4-CNPhOH (1:2). The changes in the structural and vibrational characteristics upon hydrogen bonding depend on the strength of the hydrogen bonds. In agreement with the experiment, the calculations show that the complexation between TBD and 4-CNPhOH leads to considerably changes in the vibrational characteristics of the stretching O-H vibration. The vibrational frequency of the O-H stretching vibration is shifted to lower wave numbers upon hydrogen bonding. The predicted frequency shifts Deltanu(O-H) for the complexes--TBD: 4-CNPhOH (1:1) and TBD: 4-CNPhOH (1:2) are in the range from -190 cm(-1) to -586 cm(-1). In the same time the IR intensity of the O-H stretching vibration increases dramatically in the hydrogen-bonded complexes.     

IR spectroscopy of hydrogen-bonded 2-fluoropyridine-methanol clusters

The electronic and infrared spectra of 2-fluoropyridine-methanol clusters were observed in a supersonic free jet. The structure of hydrogen-bonded clusters of 2-fluoropyridine with methanol was studied on the basis of the molecular orbital calculations. The IR spectra of 2-fluoropyridine-(CH3OH)n(n = 1-3) clusters were observed with a fluorescence-detected infrared depletion (FDIR) technique in the OH and CH stretching vibrational regions. The structures of the clusters are similar to those observed for 2-fluoropyridine-(H2O)n (n = 1-3) clusters. The existence of weak hydrogen bond interaction through aromatic hydrogen was observed in the IR spectra. The theoretical calculation also supports the result. The vibrational frequencies of CH bonds in CH3 group are affected by hydrogen bond formation although these bonds do not directly relate to the hydrogen bond interaction. The B3LYP/6-311 ++G(d,p) calculations reproduce well the vibrational frequency of the hydrogen-bonded OH stretching vibrations. However, the calculated frequency of CH stretching vibration could not reproduce the IR spectra because of anharmonic interaction with closely lying overtone or combination bands for nu3 and nu9 vibrations. The vibrational shift of nu2 vibration is reproduced well with molecular orbital calculations. The calculation also shows that the frequency shift of nu2 vibration is closely related to the CH bond length at the trans position against the OH bond in hydrogen-bonded methanol.     

Dissociative electron attachment to the hydrogen-bound OH in water dimer through the lowest anionic Feshbach resonance

The lowest energy Feshbach resonance state of the water dimer anion is computationally studied as the hydrogen-bonded OH moiety is stretched from its equilibrium position toward the hydrogen bond acceptor. The purpose is to treat a simple model system to gain insight into how hydrogen bonding may affect dissociative electron attachment to water in condensed phases. In the case of a water monomer anion, the analogous potential surface is known to be repulsive, leading directly to dissociation of H(-). In contrast, in the dimer anion, a barrier is found to dissociation of the hydrogen-bonded OH moiety such that the migrating hydrogen can be held near the Franck-Condon region in a quasibound vibrational state for a time long compared to the OH vibrational period. This behavior is found both for the case of an icelike dimer structure and for a substantial majority of liquidlike dimer structures. These findings raise the possibility that due to effects of hydrogen bonding, a molecule-centered anionic entity that is metastable both to electron detachment and to bond dissociation may live long enough to be considered as a species in the radiolysis of condensed water phases.     

Theoretical calculation of the OH vibrational overtone spectra of 1-n alkane diols (n = 2-4): origin of disappearing hydrogen-bonded OH peak

In this theoretical study, we simulated the vibrational overtone spectrum of ethylene glycol (EG), 1-3 propanediol (PD), and 1-4 butanediol (BD). Using the local mode model along with the potential energy curve and dipole moment function calculated by B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) and QCISD/6-311++G(3df,3pd), we obtained the theoretical peak position and integrated absorption coefficient. Furthermore, the vibrational spectra was simulated using a Voigt function using homogeneous and inhomogenous width obtained from quantum chemical calculation methods. Previously, Howard and Kjaergaard recorded the second and third overtone photoacoustic spectra of the three aforementioned alkane diols in the gas phase and observed that the intramolecular hydrogen bonded OH peak becomes difficult to observe as the intramolecular hydrogen bonding strength increased, that is, as the chain length was increased. In this paper we show that the disappearance of the hydrogen-bonded OH peak for the OH stretching overtone excitation for BD is partly due to the increase in homogeneous width due to the increase in the hydrogen bond strength and partly due to the decrease in the relative population of the intramolecular hydrogen-bonded conformers as the chain length is increased. This latter feature is a consequence of the unfavorable strained geometry needed to form the intramolecular hydrogen bond in longer alkane chains.     

Vibrational energy relaxation of benzene dimer and trimer in the CH stretching region studied by picosecond time-resolved IR-UV pump-probe spectroscopy

Vibrational energy relaxation (VER) of the Fermi polyads in the CH stretching vibration of the benzene dimer (Bz(2)) and trimer (Bz(3)) has been investigated by picosecond (ps) time-resolved IR-UV pump-probe spectroscopy in a supersonic beam. The vibrational bands in the 3000-3100 cm(-1) region were excited by a ps IR pulse and the time evolutions at the pumped and redistributed (bath) levels were probed by resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization with a ps UV pulse. For Bz(2), a site-selective excitation in the T-shaped structure was achieved by using the isotope-substituted heterodimer hd, where h = C(6)H(6) and d = C(6)D(6), and its result was compared with that of hh homodimer. In the hd heterodimer, the two isomers, h(stem)d(top) and h(top)d(stem), show remarkable site-dependence of the lifetime of intracluster vibrational energy redistribution (IVR); the lifetime of the Stem site [h(stem)d(top), 140-170 ps] is ~2.5 times shorter than that of the Top site [h(top)d(stem), 370-400 ps]. In the transient UV spectra, a broad electronic transition due to the bath modes emerges and gradually decays with a nanosecond time scale. The broad transition shows different time profile depending on UV frequency monitored. These time profiles are described by a three-step VER model involving IVR and vibrational predissociation: initial → bath1(intramolecular) → bath2(intermolecular) → fragments. This model also describes well the observed time profile of the Bz fragment. The hh homodimer shows the stepwise VER process with time constants similar to those of the hd dimer, suggesting that the excitation-exchange coupling of the vibrations between the two sites is very weak. Bz(3) also exhibited the stepwise VER process, though each step is faster than Bz(2).     

Hydrogen bond lifetimes and energetics for solute/solvent complexes studied with 2D-IR vibrational echo spectroscopy

Weak pi hydrogen-bonded solute/solvent complexes are studied with ultrafast two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) vibrational echo chemical exchange spectroscopy, temperature-dependent IR absorption spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations. Eight solute/solvent complexes composed of a number of phenol derivatives and various benzene derivatives are investigated. The complexes are formed between the phenol derivative (solute) in a mixed solvent of the benzene derivative and CCl4. The time dependence of the 2D-IR vibrational echo spectra of the phenol hydroxyl stretch is used to directly determine the dissociation and formation rates of the hydrogen-bonded complexes. The dissociation rates of the weak hydrogen bonds are found to be strongly correlated with their formation enthalpies. The correlation can be described with an equation similar to the Arrhenius equation. The results are discussed in terms of transition state theory.     

Structure and vibrational spectrum of the hydrogen-bonded system between 4-tert-butylphenol and N-bases: Ab initio and DFT studies

The structural and vibrational characteristics of the hydrogen-bonded system between 1,5,7-triazabicyclo [4.4.0] dec-5-ene (TBD) and 4-tert-butylphenol have been investigated employing ab initio and DFT calculations at different basis sets. The calculations show that the optimized structure of the studied system is cyclic. The corrected values of the dissociation energy for the hydrogen-bonded complex have been calculated in order to estimate its stability. The influence of the hydrogen bonding on the properties of the monomers (TBD and 4-tert-butylphenol) has been investigated. The hydrogen bonding between TBD and 4-tert-butylphenol leads to changes in the structural (bond lengths and angles) and vibrational (vibrational frequencies and infrared intensities) characteristics of the monomers. It was established that the TBD molecule is considerably deformed upon hydrogen bonding, while the deformation of the 4-t-BuPhOH is smaller. In agreement with the experiment, the calculations show that the stretching O-H vibration from 4-tert-butylphenol is shifted to lower frequency upon hydrogen bonding. The predicted frequency shift Deltanu(O-H) (-338cm(-1)) is in very good agreement with the experimentally observed (-351cm(-1)). In the same time the IR intensity of the nu(O-H) increases dramatically in the hydrogen-bonded system.     

OH-stretch vibrational relaxation of HOD in liquid to supercritical D2O

The population relaxation of the OH-stretching vibration of HOD diluted in D2O is studied by time-resolved infrared (IR) pump-probe spectroscopy for temperatures of up to 700 K in the density range 12 1 OH stretching transition with a 200 fs laser pulse centered at approximately 3500 cm(-1). Above 400 K these spectra show no indication of spectral diffusion after pump-probe delays of 0.3 ps. Over nearly the entire density range and for sufficiently high temperatures (T > 360 K), the vibrational relaxation rate constant, kr, is strictly proportional to the dielectric constant, epsilon, of water. Together with existing molecular dynamics simulations, this result suggests a simple linear dependence of kr on the number of hydrogen-bonded D2O molecules. It is shown that, for a given temperature, an isolated binary collision model is able to adequately describe the density dependence of vibrational energy relaxation even in hydrogen-bonded fluids. However, dynamic hydrogen bond breakage and formation is a source of spectral diffusion and affects the nature of the measured kr. For sufficiently high temperatures when spectral diffusion is much faster than energy transfer, the experimentally observed decays correspond to ensemble averaged population relaxation rates. In contrast, when spectral diffusion and vibrational relaxation occur on similar time scales, as is the case for ambient conditions, deviations from the linear kr(epsilon) relation occur because the long time decay of the v = 1 population is biased to slower relaxing HOD molecules that are only weakly connected to the hydrogen bond network.     

Quasi-classical trajectory simulations of intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution in HONO2 and DONO2

By use of an analytic potential energy surface developed in this work for nitric acid, the quasi-classical trajectory method was used to simulate intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR). A method was developed for monitoring the average vibrational energy in the OH (or OD) mode that uses the mean-square displacement of the bond length calculated during the trajectories. This method is effective for both rotating and nonrotating molecules. The calculated IVR time constant for HONO(2) decreases exponentially with increasing excitation energy, is almost independent of rotational temperature, and is in excellent agreement with the experimental determination (Bingemann, D.; Gorman, M. P.; King, A. M.; Crim, F. F. J. Chem.Phys. 1997, 107, 661). In DONO(2), the IVR time constants show more complicated behavior with increasing excitation energy, apparently due to 2:1 Fermi-resonance coupling with lower frequency modes. This effect should be measurable in experiments.     

Vibrational overtone initiated unimolecular dissociation of HOCH2OOH and HOCD2OOH: evidence for mode selective behavior

The vibrational overtone induced unimolecular dissociation of HMHP (HOCH(2)OOH) and HMHP-d(2) (HOCD(2)OOH) into OH and HOCH(2)O (HOCD(2)O) fragments is investigated in the region of the 4nu(OH) and 5nu(OH) bands. The unimolecular dissociation rates in the threshold region, corresponding to the 4nu(OH) band, exhibit measurable differences associated with excitation of the OH stretch of the alcohol versus the peroxide functional group, with the higher energy alcohol OH stretching state exhibiting a slower dissociation rate compared to the lower energy peroxide OH stretch in both HMHP and HMHP-d(2). Predictions using the Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus theory give rates that are in reasonably good agreement with the measured dissociation rate for the alcohol OH stretch but considerably differ from the measured rates for the peroxide OH stretch in both isotopomers. The present results are interpreted as suggesting that the extent of intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) is different for the two OH stretching states associated with the two functional groups in HMHP, with IVR being substantially less complete for the peroxide OH stretch. Analysis of the OH fragment product state distributions in conjunction with phase-space theory simulation gives a D(0) value of 38+/-0.7 kcal/mole for breaking the peroxide bond in HMHP.     

Hydrogen-bond disruption by vibrational excitations in water

An excitation of the OH-stretch nu(OH) of water has unique disruptive effects on the local hydrogen bonding. The disruption is not an immediate vibrational predissociation, which is frequently the case with hydrogen-bonded clusters, but instead is a delayed disruption caused by a burst of energy from a vibrationally excited water molecule. The disruptive effects are the result of a fragile hydrogen-bonding network subjected to a large amount of vibrational energy released in a short time by the relaxation of nu(OH) stretching and delta(H2O) bending excitations. The energy of a single nu(OH) vibration distributed over one, two, or three (classical) water molecules would be enough to raise the local temperature to 1100, 700, or 570 K, respectively. Our understanding of the properties of the metastable water state having this excess energy in nearby hydrogen bonds, termed H2O*, has emerged as a result of experiments where a femtosecond IR pulse is used to pump nu(OH), which is probed by either Raman or IR spectroscopy. These experiments show that the H2O* spectrum is blue-shifted and narrowed, and the spectrum looks very much like supercritical water at approximately 600 K, which is consistent with the temperature estimates above. The H2O* is created within approximately 400 fs after nu(OH) excitation, and it relaxes with an 0.8 ps lifetime by re-formation of the disrupted hydrogen-bond network. Vibrationally excited H2O* with one quantum of excitation in the stretching mode has the same 0.8 ps lifetime, suggesting it also relaxes by hydrogen-bond re-formation.     

Varying electronegativity of OH/O- groups depending on the nature and strength of H-bonding in phenol/phenolate involved in H-bond complexation

Application of the Domenicano et al. method of estimating group electronegativity from angular geometry of the ring in monosubstituted benzene derivatives allowed us to find how the electronegativity of OH/O(-) groups in H-bonded complexes of phenol and phenolate depends on the nature and strength of H-bond. For complexes in which the OH group is only proton donating in the H-bond, a linear dependence of the estimated electronegativity on O...O(N) interatomic distance was found for experimental (CSD base retrieved) data. The following rule is observed: the weaker the H-bond is, the more electronegative the OH group is. If apart from this kind of interaction the oxygen is proton accepting, then an increase of electronegativity is observed. Modeling (B3LYP/6-311+G) the variation of the strength of the H-bond by the fluoride anion approaching the OH leads to qualitatively the same picture as the scatter plots for experimental data.     

Ab initio and DFT studies of the vibrational spectra of hydrogen-bonded PhOH...(H2O)4 complexes

The vibrational characteristics (vibrational frequencies and infrared intensities) for the hydrogen-bonded complex of phenol with four water molecules PhOH...(H2O)4 (structure 4A) have been predicted using ab initio and DFT (B3LYP) calculations with 6-31G(d,p) basis set. The changes in the vibrational characteristics from free monomers to a complex have been calculated. The ab initio and B3LYP calculations show that the observed four intense bands at 3299, 3341, 3386 and 3430 cm(-1) can be assigned to the hydrogen-bonded OH stretching vibrations in the complex PhOH...(H2O)4 (4A). The complexation leads to very large red shifts of these vibrations and very strong increase in their IR intensity. The predicted red shifts for these vibrations with B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) calculations are in very good agreement with the experimentally observed. It was established that the phenolic OH stretching vibration is the most sensitive to the hydrogen bonding. The predicted red-shift with the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) calculations for the most stable ring structure 4A (-590 cm(-1)) is in better agreement with the experimentally observed than the red-shift, predicted with SCF/6-31G(d,p) calculations. The magnitude of the wavenumber shift is indicative of relatively strong OH...H hydrogen-bonded interaction. The complexation between phenol and four water molecules leads to strong increase of the IR intensity of the phenolic OH stretching vibration (up to 38 times).