Physicochemical and solvatochromic analysis of an imidazole derivative as NLO material

Bioactive imidazole derivative, 2-(2,4-difluorophenyl)-1-phenyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline, has been synthesized and characterized by IR, UV-vis, NMR and elemental (CHN) analysis. The electric dipole moment (μ) and the hyperpolarizability (β) have been studied both experimentally and theoretically, which reveals that the synthesized imidazole derivative possesses non-linear optical (NLO) behavior. This chromophore possess more appropriate ratio of off-diagonal versus diagonal β tensorial component (r=β(xyy)/β(xxx)=-0.19) which reflects the in plane nonlinearity anisotropy. Since they have largest μβ(0) value, the reported imidazole can be used as potential NLO material. Within this context, reasonable conclusions concerning the steric hindrance in the chromospheres, push-pull character, hyperpolarizability of the imidazole and their application as NLO materials will be drawn. The solvent effect on the absorption and fluorescence bands was analyzed by a multi-component linear regression in which several solvent parameters were analyzed simultaneously.     

Ab initio SCRF study of solvent effect on the nonlinear polarizabilities of different intramolecular charge-transfer molecules

The macroscopic solvent effect on static nonlinear polarizabilities of a number of intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) molecules have been studied by using the self-consistent-reaction field (SCRF) model in the framework of ab initio time-dependent-HF (TDHF) method using 3-21G basis set. The two-state model of static β and <γ> have been used to obtain their functional dependence on the ground-state hardness parameter, dipole moment and solvation energy. The methyl substituted 4-quinopyran and other zwitterionic molecules are found to exhibit strong diminution of both quadratic and cubic polarizabilities at higher solvent reaction field due to negative solvatochromic effect. However, molecules showing positive solvatochromism lead to strong enhancement of the NLO response on increase in solvent polarity. The evolution pattern of the solvent modulated static β and <γ> of 4-quinopyran (4QP) obtained for varying inter-ring torsion angle differ strikingly from that shown by p-amino p'-nitro biphenyl (ANB).     

Two-photon absorption and first nonlinear optical properties of ionic octupolar molecules: structure-function relationships and solvent effects

We present a quantum-chemical analysis of the two-photon absorption properties and first hyperpolarizabilities of a series of ionic octupolar molecules and a comparison of their characteristics with corresponding neutral molecules. The molecular geometries are obtained via BL3YP/6-31G (d,p) level optimization including the SCRF/PCM approach, while the dynamic NLO and two-photon absorption properties are calculated with the ZINDO/CV method including solvent effects. The effects of donor or acceptor substitution and elongation of the conjugation path length are established to demonstrate the engineering guidelines for enhancing two-photon absorption cross section and molecular optical nonlinearities. It is found that the chain length dependence of the two-photon absorption and the first nonlinearity follow the same trend, displaying a saturation limit at n = 5. The solvent induced effect on the two-photon absorption and NLO properties are studied using the ZINDO/CV/SCRF method. It has been observed that two-photon absorption and the first nonlinearity peaks at epsilon approximately = 20 and then decreases slightly, approaching saturation. We also compare our theoretical findings with the experimental results wherever available in the literature.     

Reaction mechanism of deamidation of asparaginyl residues in peptides: effect of solvent molecules

Deamidation of proteins occurs spontaneously under physiological conditions. Asparaginyl (Asn) residues may deamidate into aspartyl (Asp) residues, causing a change in both the charge and the conformation of peptides. It has been previously proposed by Capasso et al. that deamidation of relatively unrestrained Asn residues proceeds through a succinimide intermediate. This mechanism has been modeled by Konuklar et al. and the rate determining step for the deamidation process in neutral media has been shown to be the cyclization step leading to the succinimide intermediate. In the present study, possible water-assisted mechanisms, for both concerted and stepwise succinimide formation, were computationally explored using the B3LYP method with 6-31+G* basis set. Single point solvent calculations were carried out in water, by means of integral equation formalism-polarizable continuum model (IEF-PCM) at the B3LYP/6-31++G* level of theory. A novel route leading to the succinimide intermediate via tautomerization of the Asn side chain amide functionality has been proposed. The energetics of these pathways have been subject to a comparative study to identify the most probable mechanism for the deamidation of peptides in solution.     

Electron transfer reactions of V(IV) with Cl(I), Br(I) and I(I). A kinetic study

A kinetic study on the oxidation of V(IV) by chloramine-T (CAT) at pH 6.85 by N-bromo succinimide (NBS) in aqueous acetic acid–perchloric acid media and by N-iodo succinimide (NIS) in aqueous perchloric acid medium has been carried out. In all the systems studied the order with respect to the oxidant is unity. NBS and CAT oxidation reactions exhibited Michaelis–Menten type kinetics, and the NIS study indicated unit dependence on [substrate]. Independence on acidity has been observed in the case of CAT and NBS reactions, but NIS reactions exhibited inverse unit dependence on [acid]. Novel solvent influences have been noticed in the case of CAT reactions, but with NIS and NBS reactions retardation in the rate has been observed with an increase in the percentage of acetic acid. Plausible mechanisms consistent with the results have been postulated, and suitable rate laws in consonance with the postulated mechanisms have been derived.     

Influence of the central metal ion on nonlinear optical and two-photon absorption properties of push-pull transition metal porphyrins

We present a quantum-chemical analysis of the central metal ion's effect on first hyperpolarizabilities and two-photon absorption (TPA) cross sections at the infrared region of a series of push-pull porphyrins whose synthesis and NLO properties have been reported earlier (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 9710). The molecular geometries are obtained via the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level optimization including SCRF/PCM approach, and the NLO and TPA properties are calculated with the ZINDO/CV method including solvent effects. It is found that the CT transition between the metal ion's d orbital and the macrocycle pi orbitals plays an important role on NLO and TPA properties of metal porphyrins. Our data suggest a new approach to enhance TPA properties of porphyrin materials. We also present a quantum-chemical analysis on porphyrin dimers and trimers to understand the relationship between structural and collective NLO properties. It has been observed that beta values can be improved about an order of magnitude and TPA properties can be enhanced by 2 orders of magnitude by the formation of a trimer. The importance of our results with respect to the design of photonic and photodynamic therapy materials have been discussed.     

13顶点金属碳硼烷结构和非线性光学性质的DFT研究

采用量子化学密度泛函理论(DFT)B3LYP/6-31G(d)方法,对4,1,6-MC2B10H1213顶点金属碳硼烷几何构型进行优化,结合有限场(FF)方法计算了它们的极化率和二阶非线性光学(NLO)系数.结果表明,十个13顶点金属碳硼烷分子中1a～6a的二阶NLO系数与其构型纵向扩张呈现相同的规律.分子的前线分子轨道能级差越小,其二阶NLO系数越大.对于不同自旋态的同种金属碳硼烷分子,其偶极矩值为高自旋态大于相应的低自旋态,极化率和二阶NLO系数与自旋多重度没有一致的对应规律,自旋多重度对NLO性质影响不大.     

Theoretical Study on Structural Stability and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Non-conjugated Carbon and Nitrogen Diradical Molecules

The geometrical structures and stability of non-conjugated C5H10 and C3H8N2 singlet and triplet diradical molecules have been investigated at the UCCSD/6-311g** level. The effects of molecular structure, radical position, amount of Hartree Hork (HF) exchange and spin multiplicity on the nonlinear optical (NLO) coefficients have been also investigated. The reliable UCCSD results show that the triplets of all diradical molecules are more stable compared to their singlet analogues. In addition, the α s and β tot values of C5H10 and C3H8N2 triplet diradical mo-lecules have been investigated by the UBHandHLYP, UB3LYP, UBLYP, UHF and UCCSD methods. The investigation shows that the variations in α s and β tot values are closely connected to the amount of HF exchange. The increasing amount of HF exchange results in monotonic decreases in α s and β tot values, while the α s and β totvalues of singlet diradical molecules and the γ s of C5H10 and C3H8N2 singlet and triplet diradical molecules have been studied by the UBHandHLYP method. The results illustrate that the NLO coefficients for our studied non-conjugated carbon and nitrogen diradical species can be tuned by molecular structure, radical position and spin multiplicity, which are very significant for designing NLO materials.     

Theoretical investigation of nonlinear optical behavior for rod and T-Shaped phenothiazine based D-π-A organic compounds and their derivatives

The exploration of novel materials with excellent nonlinear optical (NLO) features is an area of frontline investigation for scientific community from technological point of view. This study reports the novel phenothiazine-based rod-shaped and T-shaped NLO molecules which are quantum chemically designed from synthesized compounds: rod-shaped (CFA and CBA) and T-shaped (CTA, CCA and CPA). Structural tailoring was performed on D-π-π-A centered CPA chromophore and the effect of various π-spacers, as well as solvents on NLO response properties is investigated. Density functional theory (DFT) along with time dependent DFT (TDDFT) calculations have been executed at B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) functional to examine entire analysis. Results showed a smaller energy gap in structurally modified compounds as compared to reference CPA. Global reactivity parameters analysis revealed smaller hardness and larger softness values in T-shaped compounds. UV–Vis analysis of investigated molecules displayed a red shift in absorption maximum value as compared to CPA. Natural bond orbital (NBO) and frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analysis revealed the stability and intra-molecular electron transferring (ICT) process in investigated molecules. ICT showed the effective charge shift from donor to acceptor via π-spacers. Overall, promising NLO response exists in gas phase and different solvents (acetonitrile, ethyl alcohol and water). Interestingly, proposed molecule CPP presented a maximum value of linear polarizability < α > as 1518.23 a.u and first hyperpolarizability (β_tot) as 755322.39 a.u in acetonitrile solvent. In short, entitled chromophores exhibited excellent NLO properties due to their lower charge transport resistance. This NLO study may open a new topic for researchers to discover novel NLO for hi-tech submissions of modern era.     

Intercalation of Varied Sulfonates into a Layered MOC: Confinement‐Caused Tunable Luminescence and Novel Properties

The pores/channels of porous 3D metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have been widely applied to incorporate gas, solvent, or organic molecules. On the contrary, the utilization of the interlamellar void of layered metal–organic complexes (MOCs) remains underappreciated, although it is more flexible and available to accommodate molecules with different sizes. In this work, diverse sulfonates have been intercalated purposely into an identical layered MOC, which constructed various novel intercalation compounds possessing fluorescent, white‐light emitting, photochromic, homochiral, or nonlinear optical (NLO) properties. With the help of single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, their structures and the mutual interactions between the MOC host and the sulfonate guests were characterized. The properties of the guest molecules were tuned and meanwhile some new performances were generated after confining them into the interlayer region. Such a hybrid approach provides an efficient strategy to design and prepare multifunctional materials.     

Origin of near-infrared absorption and large second hyperpolarizability in oxyallyl diradicaloids: a three-state model approach

Bis(benzofuranonyl)methanolate (BM4i4i) dye and croconate dyes (derivatives of oxyallyl molecules) in general are known to have intense transitions in the near-infrared (NIR) region, indicating small transition energies and large transition dipole moments. These molecules have been reported in the literature to have very large resonant third-order nonlinear optical (NLO) susceptibilities and molecular hyperpolarizabilities (gamma). In this work we investigate using density functional theory (DFT)/ab initio/symmetry adapted cluster-configuration interaction (SAC-CI) techniques the oxyallyl substructure and attribute the NIR transition and the NLO activity to this substructure, which is common in all these molecules. Using valence bond (VB) theory, an analysis of a three-state model of this substructure is carried out. It is seen that the mixture of an intermediate diradical character and some zwitterionic character in the molecule and a large coupling between these two VB resonance forms is responsible for large gamma values. This can be used as a design principle for increasing NLO activity in oxyallyl derivatives.     

以三亚吡嗪为中心的有机共轭分子的二阶NLO性质研究

采用密度泛函理论B3LYP/6-311G**方法,对一系列以三亚吡嗪为中心的有机共轭分子的二阶NLO性质和电子光谱进行了理论研究.结果表明,取代基推、拉电子能力的变化、相对数目及共轭桥的性质对研究分子的极化率及二阶NLO系数都有较大的影响.当研究分子以甲氨基为供体、以三氰基乙烯为受体、并以C=C双键为共轭桥时,显示了较大的二阶NLO活性和良好透光性的优化.该系列分子在NLO材料领域有较好的潜在应用价值.     

噻唑类生色分子的电子光谱和非线性光学性质

在B3LYP/6-31+G*水平上对八种噻唑类生色分子的电子光谱与二阶非线性光学性质茁进行计算研究. 结果表明, 含羟乙基、烷氧乙基、氟乙基和氨乙基活性基团的噻唑类分子具有大的β值, 为1.6×10-28 esu左右, 与实验结果基本一致. 气相中的最大吸收波长λmax位于480-488 nm范围内. 含羟乙基活性基团的噻唑分子, 随溶剂极性增大, λmax有红移趋势.     

Synthesis of Biaryl Ferrocenyl 2-Propene-1-ones

Last two decades, molecular-based second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) chromo-phores[1,2] have attracted much attention because of their potential applications in emerging opto-electronic technologies. These efforts have mainly focused on organic systems. More recently, organometallic molecules have been investigated as well. In comparison to common organic molecules, they offer a large variety of novel structures. The possibility of high environ mental stability, and diversity of turnable electronic behaviors by virtue of the coordinated metal center of which might bring about NLO materials with unique characteristics such as magnetic and electro-chemical properties.     

非线性光学材料的分子设计研究

非线性光学研究应用电磁场和各种材料的相互作用, 产生新的电磁场, 改变频率, 相或其它物理性质. 本文介绍了非线性光学材料分子设计的原理, 并以共轭长链分子和碳笼及其衍生物为例报道了我们在这方面的研究工作.     

Effect of the π Bridge and Acceptor on Intramolecular Charge Transfer in Push–Pull Cationic Chromophores: An Ultrafast Spectroscopic and TD‐DFT Computational Study

Three (donor–π–acceptor)⁺ systems with a methyl pyridinium or quinolinium as the electron‐deficient group, a dimethyl amino as the electron‐donor group, and an ethylene or butadiene group as the spacer have been investigated in a joint spectroscopic and TD‐DFT computational study. A negative solvatochromism has been revealed in the absorption spectra, which implies a solution color change, and interpreted by considering the variation in the permanent dipole moment modulus and orientation upon photoexcitation. The fluorescence efficiency decreases upon increasing solvent polarity, in agreement with the excited‐state optimized geometries (planar in low‐polarity media and twisted in high‐polarity media). Femtosecond transient absorption has revealed the occurrence of a fast photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and the molecular factors that determine an efficient ICT. Considering the crucial role of the ICT in tuning the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, these compounds can be considered promising NLO materials.     

Facile synthesis of sugar lactols via bromine-mediated oxidation of thioglycosides

Synthesis of a variety of sugar lactols (hemiacetals) has been accomplished in moderate to excellent yields by using bromine-mediated oxidation of thioglycosides. It was found that acetonitrile is the optimal solvent for this oxidation reaction. This approach involving bromine as oxidant is superior to that using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) which produces byproduct succinimide often difficult to separate from the lactol products.     

Interplay among aromaticity, magnetism, and nonlinear optical response in all-metal aromatic systems

All-metal aromatic molecules are the latest inclusion in the family of aromatic systems. Two different classes of all-metal aromatic clusters are primarily identified: one is aromatic only in the low spin state, and the other shows aromaticity even in high-spin situations. This observation prompts us to investigate the effect of spin multiplicity on aromaticity, taking Al(4)(2-), Te(2)As(2)(2-), and their copper complexes as reference systems. Among these clusters, it has been found that the molecules that are aromatic only in their singlet state manifest antiaromaticity in their triplet state. The aromaticity in the singlet state is characterized by the diatropic ring current circulated through the bonds, which are cleaved to generate excess spin density on the atoms in the antiaromatic triplet state. Hence, in such systems, an antagonistic relationship between aromaticity and high-spin situations emerges. On the other hand, in the case of triplet aromatic molecules, the magnetic orbitals and the orbitals maintaining aromaticity are different; hence, aromaticity is not depleted in the high-spin state. The nonlinear optical (NLO) behavior of the same set of clusters in different spin states has also been addressed. We correlate the second hyperpolarizability and spin density in order to judge the effect of spin multiplicity on third-order NLO response. This correlation reveals a high degree of NLO behavior in systems with excess spin density. The variance of aromaticity and NLO response with spin multiplicity is found to stem from a single aspect, the energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), and eventually the interplay among aromaticity, magnetism, and NLO response in such materials is established. Hence, the HOMO-LUMO energy gap becomes the cornerstone for tuning the interplay. This correlation among the said properties is not system-specific and thus can be envisaged even beyond the periphery of all-metal aromatic clusters. Such interplay is of crucial importance in tailoring novel paradigm of multifunctional materials.     

Origin of high second- and third-order nonlinear optical response in ammonio/borato diphenylpolyene zwitterions: the remarkable role of polarized aromatic groups

We present a quantum-chemical analysis of the molecular structure and second- and third-order polarizabilities in a series of promising nonlinear optical (NLO) chromophores, the zwitterionic ammonio/borato diphenylpolyenes, R3N+Ph(C=C)nPhB-R3, whose synthesis has been reported recently. The molecular geometries are obtained via MP2/6-31G optimization, while the NLO properties are calculated with the INDO Hamiltonian using the sum-over-states and finite-field real-space methods. The real-space approach allows the direct evaluation of the NLO-active segments of the molecules, while the sum-over-states results illustrate the virtual excitations and charge-transfer pathways that are essential in the NLO response. Both methods highlight the remarkable and unexpected result that it is the strongly polarized phenylene groups that play the key role in generating a high NLO response.     

Influence of isomerization on nonlinear optical properties of molecules

The influence of rotational and geometrical isomerism on the nonlinear optical (NLO) properties, specifically the first-order hyperpolarizability beta, of chromophores of current interest has been investigated with density functional theory (DFT). In the first of this two-part study, the rotational isomerism of a linear chromophore was explored. Calculation of the torsion potentials about two of the rotatable and conformation-changing single bonds in a chromophore demonstrated the near equality of the molecular energies at 0 degrees and 180 degrees rotational angles. To explore the consequences of this near conformational energy degeneracy to NLO behavior, the eight low energy rotational isomers of FTC [Robinson, B. H.; et al. Chem. Phys. 1999, 245, 35] were investigated. This study provides the first-reported DFT-based calculation of the statistical mechanical average of beta over the conformational space of a molecule having substantial nonlinear optical behavior. The influence of the solvent reaction field on rotameric populations and on the beta tensor is reported. In the second part, two molecules having two donors and two acceptors bonded respectively in ortho and meta positions on a central benzene ring are shown to have substantially different beta tensors. These two so-called molecular Xs have different highest occupied molecular orbital to lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO) distributions, and consistent with expectations, it is found that the larger beta(zzz) is associated with a large spatial asymmetry between the HOMOs and LUMOs. Large hyperpolarizability correlates with the HOMO concentrated on the donor groups and the LUMO on the acceptor groups.