Effect of electrolytes on the excited-state proton transfer and geminate recombination

Time-resolved emission and steady-state fluorescence techniques are used to study the excited-state intermolecular proton transfer from 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (HPTS or pyranine) to water in the presence of inert salts, NaCl and MgCl(2). At low salt concentrations, up to about 0.5 M MgCl(2) or about 0.8 M NaCl, the time-resolved emission of both the photoacid and conjugate base can be quantitatively fitted by our diffusion-assisted geminate recombination model. In this concentration range, the proton transfer and geminate recombination rate constants are almost independent of the salt concentrations whereas the proton diffusion constant decreases as the salt concentration increases. At higher salt concentrations, the proton-transfer rate constant decreases while the recombination rate constant increases slightly. For the saturated solution of MgCl(2) (about 5 M at room temperature), the steady-state emission consists of only a single band of the protonated photoacid. Careful examination of the time-resolved emission of HPTS in the presence of a large concentration of MgCl(2) shows that the quality of the fit to the geminate recombination model is rather poor and we fail to find adjustable parameters for a good quality fitting. For this large concentration range of MgCl(2) we were able to get a good fit of the experimental data with a model based on a distribution of proton-transfer rates. The model is consistent with an inhomogeneous water environment next to the excited HPTS molecule in such concentrated solutions.     

Excited state proton transfer in reverse micelles

The aqueous phase of water/AOT reversed micelles having varying diameters was probed by a single free diffusing proton that was released form a hydrophilic photoacid molecule (2-naphthol-6,8-disulfonate). The fluorescence decay signals were reconstructed through the geminate recombination algorithm, accounting for the reversible nature of the proton-transfer reactions at the surface of the excited molecule and at the water/detergent interface. The radial diffusion of the proton inside the aqueous phase was calculated accounting for both the entropy of dilution and the total electrostatic energy of the ion pair, consisting of the pair-energy and self-energy of the ions. The analysis implied that micellar surface must be modeled with atomic resolution, assuming that the sulfono residue protrudes above the water/hydrocarbon interface by approximately 2 A. The analysis of the fluorescence decay curves implies that the molecule is located in a solvent with physical-chemical properties very similar to bulk water, except for the dielectric constant. For reversed micelles with r(max) > or = 16 A, the dielectric constant of the aqueous phase was approximately 70 and for smaller micelles, where approximately 60% of the water molecule is in contact with the van der Waals surface of the micelle, it is as low as 60. This reduction is a reflection of the increased fraction of water molecule that is in close interaction with the micelle surface.     

Temperature dependence of excited state proton transfer in ice

We have studied the excited-state proton-transfer rate of four photoacids in ice as a function of temperature. For all four photoacids, we have found a non Arrhenius behavior of the proton-transfer rate constant, k(PT). d(ln k(PT))/d(1/T) decreases as the temperature decreases. The average slope of ln(k(PT))versus 1/T depends on the photoacid strength (pK*). The stronger the photoacid is, the smaller the slope. For the strongest photoacid 2-naphthol-6,8-disulfonate (2N68DS) the largest slope is 35 kJ/mol at about 270 K, and the smallest measured slope is about 8 kJ/mol at about 215 K. We propose that the temperature dependence of k(PT) in ice at the temperature range 270 > T > 200 K can be explained as arising from contributions of two proton-transfer mechanisms over the barrier and tunneling under the barrier. At very low temperatures T < 200 K, the slope of ln(k(PT)) versus 1/T increases again. At about 170 K, the proton-transfer rate is much slower than the radiative rate, and the deprotonated form of the photoacid cannot be detected in the steady-state emission spectrum. At lower temperatures, T < 200 K, the rate further decreases because of a limitation on the reaction caused by the restrictions on the H2O hydrogen reorientations.     

Electrolyte screening effect on the photoprotolytic cycle of excited photoacid in ice

Time-resolved emission was used to measure the photoprotolytic cycle of an excited photoacid as a function of temperature, both in liquid water and in ice, in the presence of an inert salt. The inert salt affects the geminate recombination between the transferred proton with the conjugate base of the photoacid. We used the Debye-Hückel theory to express the screening of the Coulomb electrical potential by the inert salt. We find that in the liquid phase the measured screening effect is small and the Debye-Hückel expression slightly overestimates the experimental effect. In ice, the screening effect is rather large and the Debye-Hückel expression under estimates the measured effect. We explain the large screening in ice by the "salting-out" effect in ice that tends to concentrate the impurities to confined volumes to minimize the ice crystal energy.     

Origin of the nonexponential dynamics of excited-state proton transfer in wt-green fluorescent protein

We used an inhomogeneous excited-state proton-transfer kinetics model to explain the origin of the non-exponential time-resolved emission of the A-band of wt-green fluorescence protein. The calculated fit is rather good for both H 2O and D 2O samples in a wide temperature range of 80-229 K. We attribute the inhomogeneous kinetics to the distance dependence of the excited-state proton-transfer rate between the proton donor (the hydroxyl group of the chromophore) and the oxygen of a nearby water molecule.     

Time-resolved emission of flavin adenine dinucleotide in water and water-methanol mixtures

Time-resolved fluorescence decay of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) was studied at room temperature in water and water-methanol mixtures by a fluorescence upconversion technique. The observations were focused on the most initial decay phase (200 ps), before the residual fluorescence assumes a single exponential decay, typical for an extended conformation of the fluorophore. Within the first few picoseconds, where most of the electron transfer coupled quenching takes place, the emission decay curves could be fitted by a stretched exponent, compatible with the inhomogeneous distance dependent electron transfer model. This implies that the population of the excited FAD molecules exhibits a large number of non-identical states, each with its own separation between the donor (adenine) and acceptor (isoalloxazine) moieties, having its own rate of electron transfer. To evaluate the distribution of the separation between the donor-acceptor pair, we carried out molecular dynamics simulations of closed conformation of the FAD in water and water-methanol mixtures, sampling the structure at 10 fs intervals. The analysis of the dynamics reveals that within the 4 ps time frame, where most of the nonexponential fluorescence relaxation takes place, the relative motion of the donor-acceptor pair is consistent with a one-dimensional Brownian motion, where the diffusion coefficient and the shape of the confining potential well are solvent dependent. The presence of methanol enhances the diffusion constant and widens the width of the potential well. On the basis of these parameters, the relaxation dynamics was accurately reconstructed as an electron transfer reaction in an inhomogeneous system where the reactants are diffusing within the time frame of the observation.     

The Factors Influencing Nonlinear Characteristics of the Short‐Circuit Current in Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells Investigated by a Numerical Model

A numerical model for interpretation of the light‐intensity‐dependent nonlinear characteristics of the short‐circuit current in dye‐sensitized solar cells is suggested. The model is based on the continuity equation and includes the influences of the nongeminate recombination between electrons and electron acceptors in the electrolyte and the geminate recombination between electrons and oxidized dye molecules. The influences of the order and rate constant of the nongeminate recombination reaction, the light‐absorption coefficient of the dye, the film thickness, the rate constant of geminate recombination, and the regeneration rate constant on the nonlinear characteristics of the short‐circuit current are simulated and analyzed. It is proposed that superlinear and sublinear characteristics of the short‐circuit current should be attributed to low electron‐collection efficiency and low dye‐regeneration efficiency, respectively. These results allow a deep understanding of the origin of the nonlinear characteristics of the short‐circuit current in solar cells.     

Picosecond dynamics of proton transfer of a 7-hydroxyflavylium salt in aqueous-organic solvent mixtures

The intermediacy of the geminate base-proton pair (A*···H(+)) in excited-state proton-transfer (ESPT) reactions (two-step mechanism) has been investigated employing the synthetic flavylium salt 7-hydroxy-4-methyl-flavylium chloride (HMF). In aqueous solution, the ESPT mechanism involves solely the excited acid AH(+)* and base A* forms of HMF as indicated by the fluorescence spectra and double-exponential fluorescence decays (two species, two decay times). However, upon addition of either 1,4-dioxane or 1,2-propylene glycol, the decays become triple-exponential with a term consistent with the presence of the geminate base-proton pair A*···H(+). The geminate pair becomes detectable because of the increase in the recombination rate constant, k(rec), of (A*···H(+)) with increasing the mole fraction of added organic cosolvent. Because the two-step ESPT mechanism splits the intrinsic prototropic reaction rates (deprotonation of AH(+)*, k(d), and recombination, k(rec), of A*···H(+)) from the diffusion controlled rates (dissociation, k(diss), and formation, k(diff)[H(+)], of A*···H(+)), the experimental detection of the geminate pair provides a wealth of information on the proton-transfer reaction (k(d) and k(rec)) as well as on proton diffusion/migration (k(diss) and k(diff)).     

Proton antenna effect of the gamma-cyclodextrin outer surface, measured by excited state proton transfer

The reversible proton dissociation and geminate recombination of the common photoacid, 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (pyranine), either in dilute aqueous solution or when forming a complex with gamma-cyclodextrin (gamma-CD), has been studied by time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and supplemented by molecular modeling and dynamics simulations. We find that the dissociation rate of the proton from the excited molecule was decreased to about approximately 50% of its value in water, while the rate of recombination was doubled. These observations were evaluated by molecular modeling of the reactants at atomic resolution. The combination of the two methodologies indicates that the pyranine in the complex can assume more than one level of interaction with the solvent. The polysugar torus surrounding the pyranine perturbs the hydrogen bond in the dye's immediate vicinity and deforms the electrostatic potential inside the Coulomb cage, causing major deviations from a simple spheric symmetry. These observations can account for the special kinetic features measured for the complex. We suggest that this system can be used as a basic model for evaluating the mechanism of proton transfer in non-homogeneous systems, such as the surface of proteins or biomembranes.     

Radical copolymerization of sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate and sodium acrylate in water-alcohol solutions

The effect of the nature of a solvent on the kinetic parameters of the process and the intrinsic viscosities of copolymers formed by the homogeneous free-radical copolymerization of the sodium salt of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid and the sodium salt of acrylic acid initiated by potassium persulfate in water, water-methanol mixtures (92: 8, 84: 16, 75: 25, 50: 50), and water-isopropanol (50: 50) mixtures at pH 9 and 60°C is studied. The initial rate of copolymerization increases with increases in the concentrations of the comonomers and initiator, the content of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid in the initial monomer mixture, and the content of water in a water-methanol mixture and in the sequence of solvents water-methanol < water-isopropanol. The intrinsic viscosity and yield of the copolymer grow when the content of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid in the initial monomer mixture and water in water-methanol mixtures are increased and when isopropanol is replaced with methanol. The reactivity ratios of the monomers in water-methanol (50: 50) and water-isopropanol (50: 50) mixtures are determined.     

Excited-state proton transfer in methanol-doped ice in the presence of KF

Steady-state and time-resolved emission techniques were employed to study the photoprotolytic cycle of an excited photoacid in ice in the presence of a low concentration of a weak base-like F(-). In previous studies we found that the photoprotolytic cycle in methanol-doped ice (1% mol fraction) is too slow to be observed at temperatures below 190 K. In this study we found that at temperatures below 240 K an additional proton-transfer process occurs in ice doped with 10 mM KF. We attributed this reaction to the creation of a mobile L-defect by F(-) ions. We used a diffusion-assisted reaction model, based on the Debye-Smoluchowski equation, to account for the direct reaction of the L-defect with the excited photoacid at temperatures below T < 240 K. Below 160 K the spectroscopic properties as well as the photoprotolytic cycle change dramatically. We propose that below 160 K the sample enters a new phase. The excited-state proton-transfer (ESPT) process was observed and followed down to a liquid nitrogen temperature of approximately 78 K. In the low-temperature phase the ESPT rate is almost twice as much as at 180 K and the temperature dependence of the rate is very small. The kinetic isotope effect of the ESPT at the low-temperature phase is small of about 1.3.     

Measurements of the photodissociation quantum yields of MbNO and MbO(2) and the vibrational relaxation of the six-coordinate heme species

The (t approximately 0) photodissociation quantum yields (Y(0)) of MbNO and MbO(2) are measured to be 50 +/- 5 and 28 +/- 6%, respectively, using MbCO (Y(0) = 100%) as a reference. When photolysis does not take place, we find that a significant portion of the photon energy contributes to heating of the residual six-coordinate heme (MbNO and MbO(2)). The time constant for vibrational relaxation of the six-coordinate ligand-bound heme is found to be close to 1 ps for both samples. The MbO(2) sample also shows a approximately 4-ps optical response that is assigned to a rapid phase (25-30% amplitude) of O(2) geminate rebinding. We observe no additional geminate recombination in the MbO(2) sample out to 120 ps. In contrast, the MbNO sample displays significant geminate recombination over the first 120 ps, which can be adequately fit with two exponentials whose amplitudes and time constants appear to depend weakly on the pump wavelength. This more complex kinetic behavior conceivably arises due to heating of the photodissociated heme and its effect on the geminate recombination as the system cools. Overall, the data are consistent with a hypothesis that distortions along the iron-ligand bending coordinate play a key role in the photodissociation process. The transient formation of an unphotolyzable FeO(2) side-on binding geometry is suggested to be responsible for the lowered quantum yield of MbO(2) relative to MbNO.     

Excited-state proton transfer: indication of three steps in the dissociation and recombination process

A femtosecond pump-probe, with approximately 150 fs resolution, as well as time-correlated single photon counting with approximately 10 ps resolution techniques are used to probe the excited-state intermolecular proton transfer from HPTS to water. The pump-probe signal consists of two ultrafast components (approximately 0.8 and 3 ps) that precede the relatively slow (approximately 100 ps) component. From a comparative study of the excited acid properties in water and methanol and of its conjugate base in basic solution of water, we propose a modified mechanism for the ESPT consisting of two reactive steps followed by a diffusive step. In the first, fast, step the photoacid dissociates at about 10 ps to form a contact ion pair RO-*...H3O+. The contact ion pair recombines efficiently to re-form the photoacid with a recombination rate constant twice as large as the dissociation rate constant. The first-step equilibrium constant value is about 0.5 and thus, at short times, <10 ps, only approximately 30% of the excited photoacid molecules are in the form of the conjugated base-proton contact ion pair. In the second, slower, step, of about 100 ps, the proton is separated by at least one water molecule from the conjugate base RO-. The separated proton and the conjugated base can recombine geminately as described by our previous diffusion-assisted model. The new two-step reactive model predicts that the population of the ROH form of HPTS will decrease with two time constants and the RO- population will increase by the same time constants. The proposed model fits the experimental data of this study as well as previous published experimental data.     

Picosecond geminate charge pair recombination in liquid hexane

We review recent measurements of the recombination kinetics of geminate cation-electron pairs produced by two-photon ionization of anthracene and benzene in liquid hexane at temperatures from 191 to 296 K. Two techniques, infrared-stimulated conductivity and transient absorption by geminate electrons are compared and found to agree reasonably well. The time-dependent diffusion theory of geminate charge pair recombination is shown to provide a satisfactory fit to the decay kinetics.     

Behaviour of the thiodipropionic complex of In(III) and U(VI) at the DME in aqueous and aqueous methanolic solutions

The complexation of In(III) and U(VI) with thiodipropionic acid has been investigated polarographically in water and water-methanol solutions at 30 +/- 0.1 degrees . All the chelates belong to polaro-graphically reversible systems. With indium(III), complexes with metal to ligand ratios of 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4 are found at pH 4.8. Uranium(VI) is found to form three successive complexes with metal to ligand ratios of 1:1,1:2 and 1:3 in 0.1M HCl, with 0.1M KCl as supporting electrolyte.     

Proton transport and the water environment in nafion fuel cell membranes and AOT reverse micelles

The properties of confined water and diffusive proton-transfer kinetics in the nanoscopic water channels of Nafion fuel cell membranes at various hydration levels are compared to water in a series of well-characterized AOT reverse micelles with known water nanopool sizes using the photoacid pyranine as a molecular probe. The side chains of Nafion are terminated by sulfonate groups with sodium counterions that are arrayed along the water channels. AOT has sulfonate head groups with sodium counterions that form the interface with the reverse micelle's water nanopool. The extent of excited-state deprotonation is observed by steady-state fluorescence measurements. Proton-transfer kinetics and orientational relaxation are measured by time-dependent fluorescence using time-correlated single photon counting. The time dependence of deprotonation is related to diffusive proton transport away from the photoacid. The fluorescence reflecting the long time scale proton transport has an approximately t-0.8 power law decay in contrast to bulk water, which has a t-3/2 power law. For a given hydration level of Nafion, the excited-state proton transfer and the orientational relaxation are similar to those observed for a related size AOT water nanopool. The effective size of the Nafion water channels at various hydration levels are estimated by the known size of the AOT reverse micelles that display the corresponding proton-transfer kinetics and orientational relaxation.     

Elementary steps in excited-state proton transfer

The absorption of a photon by a hydroxy-aromatic photoacid triggers a cascade of events contributing to the overall phenomenon of intermolecular excited-state proton transfer. The fundamental steps involved were studied over the last 20 years using a combination of theoretical and experimental techniques. They are surveyed in this sequel in sequential order, from fast to slow. The excitation triggers an intramolecular charge transfer to the ring system, which is more prominent for the anionic base than the acid. The charge redistribution, in turn, triggers changes in hydrogen-bond strengths that set the stage for the proton-transfer step itself. This step is strongly influenced by the solvent, resulting in unusual dependence of the dissociation rate coefficient on water content, temperature, and isotopic substitution. The photolyzed proton can diffuse in the aqueous solution in a mechanism that involves collective changes in hydrogen-bonding. On longer times, it may recombine adiabatically with the excited base or quench it. The theory for these diffusion-influenced geminate reactions has been developed, showing nice agreement with experiment. Finally, the effect of inert salts, bases, and acids on these reactions is analyzed.     

A new approach in modelling phase equilibria and gas solubility in electrolyte solutions and its applications to gas hydrates

This paper presents a new predictive model for phase equilibria and gas solubility calculations in the presence of electrolyte solutions. It treats salts as pseudo-components in an equation of state (EoS) by defining the critical properties and acentric factor for each salt. The water–salt, gas–salt and salt–salt binary interaction parameters (BIP) have been determined by using available experimental data on freezing point depression and boiling point elevation as well as gas solubility and salt solubility data in saline solutions.The methodology has been applied in modelling sodium chloride, potassium chloride and their mixtures, as well as solubility of methane and carbon dioxide in aqueous single and mixed electrolyte solutions.The developed model is capable of accurately predicting the phase behaviour, gas hydrate stability zone and potential salt precipitation in single and mixed electrolyte solutions. The model predictions are compared with available independent experimental data, including hydrate inhibition characteristics of single and mixed electrolyte solutions, and good agreement is demonstrated.     

Aggregation of sulfonated poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) in dilute solutions

The viscosities of dilute solutions of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide), PPTS, in dimethylacetamide, water, and their mixtures were determined. The reduced viscosity plot in dimethylacetamide shows a negative slope. When the water content in the mixed solvent in 90% or higher, there is an upswing in the reduced viscosity values at concentrations below 0.1 g/dL. The latter behavior suggests a “polyelectrolyte” effect. However, an association model was found to be able to explain the viscosity behaviors in both solvents. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Bimodal proton transfer in acid-base reactions in water

We investigate one of the fundamental reactions in solutions, the neutralization of an acid by a base. We use a photoacid, 8-hydroxy-1,3,6-trisulfonate-pyrene (HPTS; pyranine), which upon photoexcitation reacts with acetate under transfer of a deuteron (solvent: deuterated water). We analyze in detail the resulting bimodal reaction dynamics between the photoacid and the base, the first report on which was recently published. We have ascribed the bimodal proton-transfer dynamics to contributions from preformed hydrogen bonding complexes and from initially uncomplexed acid and base. We report on the observation of an additional (6 ps)(-1) contribution to the reaction rate constant. As before, we analyze the slower part of the reaction within the framework of the diffusion model and the fastest part by a static, sub-150 fs reaction rate. Adding the second static term considerably improves the overall modeling of the experimental results. It also allows to connect experimentally the diffusion controlled bimolecular reaction models as defined by Eigen-Weller and by Collins-Kimball. Our findings are in agreement with a three-stage mechanism for liquid phase intermolecular proton transfer: mutual diffusion of acid and base to form a "loose" encounter complex, followed by reorganization of the solvent shells and by "tightening" of the acid-base encounter complex. These rearrangements last a few picoseconds and enable a prompt proton transfer along the reaction coordinate, which occurs faster than our time resolution of 150 fs. Alternative models for the explanation of the slower "on-contact" reaction time of the loose encounter complex in terms of proton transmission through a von Grotthuss mechanism are also discussed.