Optical and time-resolved EPR studies of the excited states of azastilbenes and their protonated cations

The effects of protonation on the excited states oftrans-3-styrylpyridine (StP) andtrans-4,4′-dipyridylethylene (DPE) have been studied through measurements of the time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), ultraviolet absorption, and fluorescence spectra in methanol-water mixtures at 77 K. The assignment of the transient EPR signals was carried out with the aid of the stretched poly(vinyl alcohol) films method. From the analysis of these spectra it is concluded that the single protonation appears to have little effect on the zero-field splitting parameters and the anisotropy in the sublevel populating rates of the lowest excited triplet (T₁) states of StP and DPE. However, the decay rate constants of the fluorescent states decrease and fluorescence quantum yields increase on single protonation. These experimental results suggest that the single protonation causes a decrease in the intersystem crossing (ISC) rates for the three T₁ sublevels. These results are explained in terms of the vibronic mixing between the¹nπ* and¹ππ* states in the lowest excited singlet state. The assignment of StP to the specified conformer was carried out through the analysis of the anisotropic ISC processes.     

Optical and time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance studies of the excited states of para-methylcinnamic acid and para-methylcinnamate anion

Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), fluorescence, and phosphorescence spectra have been observed for the excited states oftrans-p-methylcinnamic acid (p-MeCA) andtrans-p-methylcinnamate anion (p-MeCA^?) in rigid organic glasses at 77 K. With a stretched-polymer-film technique, we assigned the resonance fields in the time-resolved EPR spectra of the lowest excited triplet (T₁) states ofp-MeCA andp-MeCA^?. From the analysis of these spectra we concluded that the deviation from planar structure in the T₁ state is small inp-MeCA andp-MeCA^? and the direction of C=O iss-cis to the ethylenic C=C bond inp-MeCA. The deprotonation appears to have little effect on the zero-field splitting (ZFS) parameters. The ZFS parameters were calculated theoretically using semiempirical molecular orbitals. The sublevel preferentially populated by intersystem crossing (ISC) is T _y in bothp-MeCA andp-MeCA^?. However, following the deprotonation ofp-MeCA, (P _y?P _z)/(P _x?P _z) changes from 5.7 inp-MeCA to 2.1 inp-MeCA^? (P _i are relative populating rates; thex andy axes are close to the long and short in-plane molecular axes, respectively, andz-axis is perpendicular to the molecular plane). The fluorescence lifetimes indicate that the deprotonation has little effect on the sum of the three ISC rate constants for the three T₁ sublevels. A decrease in acidity ofp-MeCA upon excitation has been observed.     

On Electron Spin Polarization Created in the Excited Triplet State of Accessory Chlorophyll via Photoinduced Charge-Recombination of the Photosystem II Reaction Center

We present a theoretical approach to investigate the electron spin polarization (ESP) of the excited triplet state that has been detected using the time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) method in the photosystem II center of the plants. We show, using the stochastic Liouville equation, that the ESP pattern created in the accessory chlorophyll (Chl_accD1) which reside near the P_D1 chlorophyll of the active branch is explained by one-step, concerted double electron transfer model, initiating from the singlet–triplet conversion of the light-induced charge-separated state composed of P_D1 radical cation and pheophytin radical anion. We also considered the sequential ESP transfer model via the triplet charge-recombination (CR) and the triplet–triplet energy transfer processes. It has been clearly shown that the ESP created in the ³Chl_accD1* is dependent on the rate constant (k _TT) of the triplet–triplet energy transfer from the intermediate triplet state created by the CR. Also we show that the relative orientation of the principal axes of the spin dipolar interaction in the intermediate triplet state (³P_D1*, as an example) may play a role in the ESP pattern, when the k _TT is smaller than the angular frequency of the Zeeman energy. We have theoretically shown that the TREPR measurement of the ESP is very powerful to investigate the primary chemical process and to characterize the intermediate as a signature of the stepwise ESP transfer.     

Temperature-dependent electron spin polarization of the triplet state of the primary donor in photosynthetic reaction centers ofRhodopseudomonas viridis: A time-resolved EPR study of single crystals and solid solution

The electron spin polarization (ESP) of triplet of the primary donor (³P) ofRhodopseudomonas viridis reaction centers (RCs) is anomalous at temperatures above 25 K, i.e. the steady-state ESP changes from AEEAAE to AEAEAE. Fast, time-resolved EPR measurements in solid solution and single crystals of RCs show that this phenomenon results most probably from fast anisotropic spin-lattice relaxation in the radical pair triplet state (k _r≈ 5·10⁹s^?1 at 25 K).     

A New Laser Photochemical Process for Isotope Enrichment

Selective laser excitation of a specific isotopic species to its lowest electronic singlet (S₁) and triplet (T₁) states respectively, then followed by a chemical reaction for isotope separation is examined theoretically. It is found that the direct excitation to T₁ state from ground state (S₀) is an unique excitation channel for obtaining a controllable chemical reaction and for achieving a high isotope separation factor. This is due to the following important facts: 1) Resonant energy transfer from a selectively excited triplet isotopic species to an unexcited species of the other isotope present in the mixture is missing (or is very small); 2) The lifetime of the T₁ state is normally longer than that of the S₁ state; 3) There is no intersystem crossing channel that exists for the deactivation of excited isotopic species from T₁ state.

Numerical calculation is performed for the chlorine isotope separation in a mixture of thiophosgene (0.5 torr) and diethoxyethylene (1.5 torr). The result indicates that the isotopic enrichment factor is at least 2.5 × 10³ times larger for selective T₁ excitation than that for S₁ excitation.     

Time-resolved EPR study of electron spin polarization and spin exchange in mixed solutions of porphyrin stable free radicals

The time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra are studied in the temperature range of 110–300 K for two mixed solutions of porphyrins, ZnTPP and H₂TPP, in toluene and the stable free radical 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxyl (TEMPO). The EPR spectra and their kinetic behavior were studied for concentrations of TEMPO varied in the interval from 0.51 to 7.68 mM, while the porphyrin concentration was fixed as 1 mM. The EPR spectra of triplet-state porphyrins and free radicals manifest the chemically induced spin polarization. For the relatively short-lived radical-triplet pairs, with the perturbation theory up to the fourth order, the theoretical expressions are obtained for the triplet and radical spin polarization induced by the enhanced intersystem crossing (ISC) due to the interaction of excited singlet-state porphyrins with free radicals and by the triplet quenching by free radicals. The time-dependent EPR spectra of the triplets are simulated taking into account the spin-lattice relaxation. It is shown that the variation of the triplet EPR spectra shape, when the time of observation increases, arises from the spin-lattice relaxation kinetics. The kinetic behavior of the TEMPO EPR spectrum was simulated on the basis of the kinetic scheme suggested earlier in the literature. The triplet spin-lattice relaxation time, the rate of the ISC and the lifetime of the excited singlet state were estimated by fitting the kinetic curves for the triplet EPR spectra intensity. For the mixed porphyrin-TEMPO solutions, a possible set of the rate constants of important bimolecular processes were determined. For this set of parameters, it turns out that the spin polarization transfer has a smaller rate constant than the rate constant of the diffusion collisions of the triplet and radical. It appears that the rate constant of the ISC catalyzed by radicals is relatively high in the solutions close to the melting point of the solvent and in the soft-glassy state. In the triplet porphyrins the initial spin polarization induced by the spin-selective ISC was found to exceed the equilibrium spin polarization by up to two orders of magnitude.     

Intersystem crossing in oligothiophenes studied by fs time-resolved spectroscopy

High triplet quantum yields of more than 90% for bithiophene and terthiophene have to be connected with very fast and effective formation of triplets after excitation. We studied these processes with fs pump–probe spectroscopy. The time behaviour of transient optical spectra within the singlet and triplet manifold was examined for bi- and terthiophene (2T and 3T) in solution. For 2T we used two-photon absorption for excitation. We found transient spectra of the excited singlet state, the triplet state and that of radical cations. The kinetics of the excited-state absorption was described by a bi-exponential function. Additionally we observed formation and recombination of radical cations. The recombination is connected with triplet formation. Both processes could be described by a time constant of 62 ps±9 ps. For 3T we found a dependence of the processes on excitation energy using one-photon absorption. The triplet quantum yield increased with higher excitation energy. The kinetics becomes bi-exponential with increasing amplitude of the short time constant of 2 ps at increasing excitation energy. The main reasons for the effective intersystem crossing (ISC) in both oligothiophenes are – besides the high spin-orbit coupling factor introduced by the sulphur atom – the almost isoenergetic positions of the S ₁ and T ₂ states, detected by PD-PES [1]. At higher photon excitation energy for 3T above the band gap an additional channel for ISC was detected. We believe that during the geometric change from the non-relaxed non-planar to the relaxed planar excited state S ₁, ultrafast intersystem crossing takes place. Received: 6 December 1999 / Published online: 2 August 2000     

Luminescence study of self-trapped excitons in CdMoO4

Luminescence properties of CdMoO₄ crystals have been investigated in a wide temperature range of T=5–300 K. The luminescence-excitation spectra are examined by using synchrotron radiation as a light source. A broad structureless emission band appears with a maximum at nearly 550 nm when excited with photons in the fundamental absorption region (<350 nm) at T=5 K. This luminescence is ascribed to a radiative transition from the triplet state of a self-trapped exciton (STE) located on a (MoO₄)^2? complex anion. Time-resolved luminescence spectra are also measured under the excitation with 266 nm light from a Nd:YAG laser. It is confirmed that triplet luminescence consists of three emission bands with different decay times. Such composite nature is explained in terms of a Jahn–Teller splitting of the triplet STE state. The triplet luminescence at 550 nm is found to be greatly polarized in the direction along the crystallographic c axis at low temperatures, but change the degree of polarization from positive to negative at T>180 K. This remarkable polarization is accounted for by introducing further symmetry lowering of tetrahedral (MoO₄)^2? ions due to a uniaxial crystal field, in addition to the Jahn–Teller distortion. Furthermore, weak luminescence from a singlet state locating above the triplet state is time-resolved just after the pulse excitation, with a polarization parallel to the c axis. The excited sublevels of STEs responsible for CdMoO₄ luminescence are assigned on the basis of these experimental results and a group-theoretical consideration.     

Shifts of g Values in the Excited Triplet States of Metal Complexes Studied by Time-Resolved W-band EPR

A highly time-resolved high-frequency/high-field W-band electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) (ν ~ 94 GHz) is a powerful technique to determine small g anisotropies of transient paramagnetic species. We applied this method to studies of the lowest excited triplet (T₁)³ ππ* states in metal complexes such as a platinum (Pt) diimine complex and metal (Zn and Mg) porphines in rigid glasses. From the analyses of time-resolved EPR spectra, g anisotropies were obtained as g _z  = 2.0048, g _x  = g _y  = 2.0035 for Pt(b-iq)(CN)₂ (b-iq = 3,3′bi-isoquinoline) and g _z  = 1.9968, g _x  = g _y  = 2.0022 for zinc tetraphenylporphine (ZnTPP). No measurable anisotropies were found for magnesium (Mg) TPP. The g values of the Pt complex are larger than g _e (=2.0023, g value of free electron) and that g _z of ZnTPP is smaller than g _e. These results were interpreted in terms of the nature of the perturbed states: the higher triplet ππ′* state mixes with T₁(ππ*) via spin–orbit coupling in ZnTPP. In contrast, the higher triplet dπ* state is involved in this coupling for the Pt complex. Thus, the nature of the perturbed state can be distinguished from the anisotropic g values of the T₁(ππ*) state.     

Spin polarization transfer during intramolecular triplet-triplet energy transfer as studied by time resolved EPR spectroscopy

Spin polarization conservation during intramolecular triplet-triplet energy transfer was studied for the phthalimide derivatives. It is shown that spin polarization transfer is useful for determining the conformation and the nature of the lowest triple (T₁) states of the donor and acceptor moieties. The polarization pattern of the acceptor triplet state was well reproduced taking into account the polarization of the donor and the mutual orientation of the donor and acceptor moieties. This technique clarified the order of the triplet sublevels in energy of the phthalimide chromophore. The T₁ states of stilbene derivatives, which have a low quantum yield of intersystem crossing under direct excitation, were also detected.     

Excitation of lowest electronic states of thymine by slow electrons

Excitation of lowest electronic states of the thymine molecules in the gas phase is studied by elec- tron energy loss spectroscopy. In addition to dipole-allowed transitions to singlet states, transitions to the lowest triplet states were observed. The low-energy features of the spectrum at 3.66 and 4.61 eV are identified with the excitation of the first triplet states 1₃ A′ (π → π*) and 1₃ A″ (n → π*). The higher-lying features at 4.96, 5.75, 6.17, and 7.35 eV are assigned mainly to the excitation of the π → π* transitions to the singlet states of the molecule. The excitation dynamics of the lowest states is studied. It is found that the first triplet state 1³ A′(π → π*) is most efficiently excited at a residual energy close to zero, while the singlet 2₁ A′(π → π*) state is excited with almost identical efficiency at different residual energies.     

Time-Resolved and Pulse EPR Study of Triplet States of Alkylketones in β-Cyclodextrin

The triplet states of deoxybenzoin (DOB) and benzophenone (BP) molecules in randomly methylated β-cyclodextrin (CD) cavity are studied by time-resolved (TR) and pulse electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The observed TR EPR spectrum of DOB in β-CD at 30 K is close to the spectrum measured in polar solvent trifluoroethanol, revealing strong hydration by water molecules. At the same time, TR EPR spectrum of BP in β-CD corresponds to nonpolar surrounding of the CO-group. The electron spin relaxation times T ₁ and T ₂ of triplet BP at 30 K measured by pulse EPR are found to be different in β-CD compared to nonpolar toluene glass. The observed increase of T ₂ by up to a factor of four in β-CD is caused by the lower vibration amplitude of CO-bond of BP due to the confinement in β-CD. The influence of β-CD with covalently attached nitroxide on the triplet states of DOB and BP is principally different: the excited triplet states could not be observed by TR EPR due to the efficient quenching of the excited states by nitroxide.     

Time‐resolved spectroscopic and density functional theory investigation of the photochemistry of suprofen

The photochemistry of suprofen (SPF) was investigated by femtosecond transient absorption (fs‐TA), resonance Raman (RR) and nanosecond time‐resolved resonance Raman (ns‐TR³) spectroscopic methods to gain additional information so as to better elucidate the possible photochemical reaction mechanism of suprofen in several different solvents. In neat acetonitrile (MeCN), the fs‐TA and ns‐TR³ experimental data indicated that the lowest lying excited singlet state S₁ (nπ*) underwent an efficient intersystem crossing process (ISC) to the excited triplet state T₃ (ππ*), followed by an internal conversion (IC) process to T₁ (ππ*). In the aqueous solution, a triplet biradical species (³ETK‐1) was obtained as the product of a decarboxylation process from triplet suprofen anion (³SPF⁻) and the reaction rate of the decarboxylation process was determined by the concentration of H₂O. A protonation process for ³ETK‐1 leads to formation of a neutral species (³ETK‐3) that was directly observed by ns‐TR³ spectra, then this ³ETK‐3 species decayed via ISC process to generate final product. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Time-resolved EPR and ODMR studies on the lowest excited triplet states of α-silyl and α-germyl ketones

Sublevel properties of the lowest excited triplet (T¹) nπ* states of α-silyl and α-germyl ketones were examined by means of ODMR, time-resolved EPR and optical spectroscopy. The EPR parameters, D, E and g, population ratios, and triplet lifetimes were obtained. The D value and the triplet lifetime varied among the molecules. In contrast the E value and population ratio remains nearly the same. These properties together with their solvent dependence and emission properties are interpreted in terms of spin-orbit couplings between T₁ (nπ*) and higher S₁ (nπ*), T₂ (ππ*) and S₂ (ππ*) states. An origin of the remarkable red-shifts of ^1,3 (π*) are discussed based on a model of delocalized n, π and π* electrons over the Si and Ge atoms. This model is also consistent with all the triplet properties obtained.     

Electron paramagnetic resonance of quasi-one-dimensional crystal [Nd2(Cl3COO)6(H2O)3]n · nH2O

A quasi-one-dimensional single crystal of [Nd₂(Cl₃COO)₆(H₂O)₃]_n · nH₂O in which chains are built up of two alternating neodymium-ion dimer fragments is studied by the EPR technique. It is found that anisotropic interactions between neodymium ions in a chain are responsible for the complex shape of the EPR spectrum. Two groups of EPR signals are distinguished in the spectrum. Each group corresponds to one of the chain dimers disturbed by the interaction with neighbors in the chain. The shape of the EPR spectra is interpreted as a superposition of the spectra of chain fragments which have different lengths and are formed by the alternating magnetic triplet and nonmagnetic singlet states in the chain. Consideration is given to two cases when two alternating dimer fragments are either equivalent or nonequivalent to each other. It is shown that the spectral shape is primarily determined by the superposition of the spectra of an isolated triplet state (S=1), two interacting triplet states, and three interacting triplet states whose weighting contributions differ for the above two cases. The tensors of the anisotropic spin-spin interaction are determined, and the contribution from the isotropic component of the interaction is estimated.     

EPR studies of photoinduced electron transfer in triad model compounds of photosynthesis

Time-resolved EPR spectra are reported for porphyrin-quinone-quinone and porphyrin-porphyrin-quinone triads obtained after photoexcitation in the nematic and soft glass phase of liquid crystals. Spin-polarized EPR spectra were observed for the triplet states of the porphyrin created by spin-selective intersystem crossing (ISC) from the excited singlet state and those of the charge-separated radical pair states (RP) generated by electron transfer (ET) processes. The EPR polarization patterns of the RP are discussed in terms of the favored decay channel of the photoexcited singlet state of the porphyrin donor. The decay pathway may either be singlet ET to the quinone(s) followed by singlet/triplet mixing to yield RPs with triplet character or triplet ET after ISC from the porphyrin singlet to the triplet state, or a superposition of both pathways. It is demonstrated that the nature of the linking bridge between donor and acceptor, i.e., aliphatic cyclohexylene or aromatic phenylene, significantly influences the ET mechanism and thus the polarization patterns of the RP spectra. Using liquid crystals, information about the orientation of the guest molecules in the liquid crystal matrix with respect to the long axes of the liquid crystal molecules can be obtained. In the porphyrin-porphyrin-quinone triads the energy and ET processes strongly depend on the type of metallation of the porphyrins, specifically, whether the distal, the vicinal or both porphyrins bear a zinc atom.     

Excited singlet and triplet states of aromatic hydrocarbons determined by a laser photolysis technique

A kinetic spectrophotometric technique, employing a Q-switched, frequency-doubled ruby laser as the excitation source, has been used to determine the short-lived (S₁ → S_p), and long-lived (T₁ → T_q) transient absorption spectra of several benzenoid aromatic hydrocarbons. The excited singlet states determined in this way are compared with the singlet states observed by absorption from the ground state (S₀ → S_n). Some previously assigned triplet states are reassigned as singlet levels.     

EPR of photo-excited triplet states: A personal account

A sketch is presented of the path that has led from Zavoisky’s pioneering experiments to modern investigations by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of the phosphorescent (S = 1) triplet state of polyatomic molecules or ions. The group-theoretical method first introduced by Wigner in his analysis of the multiplets of atomic spectroscopy, likewise provides a key for understanding the zero-field splitting and selection rules for radiative decay of the phosphorescent triplet state. Examples to illustrate the progress made through EPR experiments are selected from three fields. (i) Conformational instability on excitation. Both the zero-field splitting and the electron spin density distribution provide unique fingerprints of a triplet state’s geometry — structural information of a kind that is nonexistent for singlet states! Illustrations are provided by benzene C₆H₆ and fullerene C₆₀. (ii) The optical pumping cycle. The spin selectivity of singlet-to-triplet intersystem crossing and radiative decay of the individual spin components of the triplet state is discussed. In practice this selectivity is put to advantage by performing EPR on triplet states in zero-field by means of optical detection. In turn, such experiments have led to a detailed insight into the spin-orbit coupling mechanisms responsible for the spin selectivity of the above processes. The high sensitivity attainable with optical detection has recently culminated in EPR experiments on single molecules. (iii) Quantum interference. In a triplet state of low symmetry two of the spin sublevels may decay to the ground state by the emission of photons of a common polarization (i.e., out of plane for an aromatic hydrocarbon). In such a situation quantum interference between the two decay channels can be induced by an appropriate preparation of the excited state. An example is shown where flash-excitation in the singlet manifold followed by rapid intersystem crossing causes theS = 1 spin angular momentum to be created in a spin state which is not an eigenstate of the zero-field splitting tensor. This nonstationary character of the initial triplet state, which reflects the spin-orbit coupling pathway, is observed through the detection of a spontaneous microwave signal following the 25 ps laser flash.     

Structures and electronic states of photoexcited states in a system of two nitroxide radicals linked to fullerene studied by two-dimensional pulsed nutation and time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy

Magnetic properties of fulleropyrrolidine adducts with two stable nitroxide radicals (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl, TEMPO) were studied in toluene solution by continuous-wave time-resolved (TR) and pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy in the ground and photoexcited states. Four isomers of the bisadduct,trans-1,trans-2,trans-3, and equatorial forms, having the second pyrrolidine ring at different [6-6] bonds were synthesized. In the ground states, the exchange interaction between two TEMPOs is so small that the spin state of the bisadduct is a doublet in nature. By means of spectral simulations of the EPR spectra in frozen solution at 70 K, the upper limit of the exchange interaction was estimated to be 5 MHz for thetrans-1 andtrans-2 and 10 MHz for thetrans-3 and equatorial isomers. The simulation was also made to determine relative positions of the two TEMPO groups with respect to the pyrrolidine ring. Photoexcited states of the bisadducts with excitation of the 532 nm laser pulse were studied in frozen toluene solution at 5–100 K by using two-dimensional (2-D) pulsed nutation EPR and TREPR. The spin multiplicity of the excited state was determined by the nutation frequency. All of the four bisadducts showed strong exchange couplings between two TEMPOs and fullerene triplet³C ₆₀ ^* , resulting in the generation of the excited quintet and triplet states. The excited triplet states have been observed and assigned for the first time in strongly coupled triplet-radical systems. The zero-field splittings of the quintet state determined from the 2-D nutation EPR spectra were analyzed as the sum of the spinspin interactions among the three paramagnetic centers, two TEMPOs and³C ₆₀ ^* . On the basis of these analyses, the spin distribution on the³C ₆₀ ^* part and the geometry of two TEMPOs are discussed.     

Photoinduced electron transfer and spin dynamics in mixed porphyrin-quinone solutions studied by time-resolved EPR

From time-resolved direct detection cw EPR with pulsed laser excitation, the photoinduced electron transfer and spin dynamics (CIDEP) in mixed zinc-tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP)/benzo-1,4-quinone (BQ) ethanol solutions were determined as functions of temperature and BQ concentration. At lower temperatures the EPR spectra reveal that mixing of the S and T_?1 states in the charge separated radical pair gains in importance relative to the ST₀ mixing. Furthermore, at lower temperatures, the EPR spectra of the spin-correlated radical pairs of ZnTPP⁺ and BQ⁷ could also be observed. From the temperature/viscosity dependence of the electron transfer rates and of the polarization contributions from the triplet and radical pair mechanisms, deviations from a macroscopic diffusion behaviour are inferred at lower temperatures.