Radiationless decay in exciplexes with variable charge transfer

Rate constants for radiative decay, radiationless decay, and intersystem crossing are reported for a series of excited states formed by reaction of cyanoanthracene acceptors with alkylbenzenes as donors in several solvents of moderate to low polarity. The excited states have widely varying degrees of charge transfer, from essentially pure electron transfer states to pure locally excited states. The data illustrate the fundamental factors that control the contrasting relative efficiencies of radiative and radiationless processes in electron transfer compared to locally excited states. The radiationless decay rate constants can be described quantitatively as a function of the extent of charge transfer using weighted contributions from a locally excited decay mechanism and a pure electron-transfer type mechanism. The factors that control the rate constants for radiationless decay in excited states with intermediate charge-transfer character are discussed.     

Lifetimes of partial charge transfer exciplexes of 9-cyanophenanthrene and 9-cyanoanthracene

The fluorescence decays of several exciplexes with partial charge transfer have been investigated in solvents of various polarity. The measured lifetimes are found to be in reasonable agreement with the activation enthalpy and entropy of exciplex decay obtained earlier from the temperature dependence of the exciplex emission quantum yields. For exciplexes with 9-cyanophenanthrene substantial contribution of the higher local excited state into the exciplex electronic structure is found and borrowed intensity effect enhances the exciplex emission rate constants.     

Bimolecular electron transfers that follow a Sandros-Boltzmann dependence on free energy

Rate constants (k) for exergonic and endergonic electron-transfer reactions of equilibrating radical cations (A(?+) + B ? A + B(?+)) in acetonitrile could be fit well by a simple Sandros-Boltzmann (SB) function of the reaction free energy (ΔG) having a plateau with a limiting rate constant k(lim) in the exergonic region, followed, near the thermoneutral point, by a steep drop in log k vs ΔG with a slope of 1/RT. Similar behavior was observed for another charge shift reaction, the electron-transfer quenching of excited pyrylium cations (P(+)*) by neutral donors (P(+)* + D → P(?) + D(?+)). In this case, SB dependence was observed when the logarithm of the quenching constant (log k(q)) was plotted vs ΔG + s, where the shift term, s, equals +0.08 eV and ΔG is the free energy change for the net reaction (E(redox) - E(excit)). The shift term is attributed to partial desolvation of the radical cation in the product encounter pair (P(?)/D(?+)), which raises its free energy relative to the free species. Remarkably, electron-transfer quenching of neutral reactants (A* + D → A(?-) + D(?+)) using excited cyanoaromatic acceptors and aromatic hydrocarbon donors was also found to follow an SB dependence of log k(q) on ΔG, with a positive s, +0.06 eV. This positive shift contrasts with the long-accepted prediction of a negative value, -0.06 eV, for the free energy of an A(?-)/D(?+) encounter pair relative to the free radical ions. That prediction incorporated only a Coulombic stabilization of the A(?-)/D(?+) encounter pair relative to the free radical ions. In contrast, the results presented here show that the positive value of s indicates a decrease in solvent stabilization of the A(?-)/D(?+) encounter pair, which outweighs Coulombic stabilization in acetonitrile. These quenching reactions are proposed to proceed via rapidly interconverting encounter pairs with an exciplex as intermediate, A*/D ? exciplex ? A(?-)/D(?+). Weak exciplex fluorescence was observed in each case. For several reactions in the endergonic region, rate constants for the reversible formation and decay of the exciplexes were determined using time-correlated single-photon counting. The quenching constants derived from the transient kinetics agreed well with those from the conventional Stern-Volmer plots. For excited-state electron-transfer processes, caution is required in correlating quenching constants vs reaction free energies when ΔG exceeds ～+0.1 eV. Beyond this point, additional exciplex deactivation pathways-fluorescence, intersystem crossing, and nonradiative decay-are likely to dominate, resulting in a change in mechanism.     

Metal-to-metal electron-transfer emission in cyanide-bridged chromium-ruthenium complexes: effects of configurational mixing between ligand field and charge transfer excited states

Irradiations of the transition metal-to-transition metal charge transfer (MMCT) absorption bands of a series of cyanide-bridged chromium(III)-ruthenium(II) complexes at 77 K leads to near-infrared emission spectra of the corresponding chromium(II)-ruthenium(III) electron transfer excited states. The lifetimes of most of the MMCT excited states increase more than 10-fold when their am(m)ine ligands are perdueterated. These unique emissions have weak, low frequency vibronic sidebands that correspond to the small excited-state distortions in metal-ligand bonds that are characteristic of transition metal electron transfer involving only the non-bonding metal centered d-orbitals suggesting that the excited-state Cr(II) center has a triplet spin configuration. However, most of the electronically excited complexes probably have overall doublet spin multiplicity and exhibit an excitation energy dependent dual emission with the near in energy Cr(III)-centered and MMCT doublet excited states forming an unusual mixed valence pair.     

Photophysical properties of β-(1-pyrenyl)ethyl p-cyanobenzoate in binary solvents of isooctane-ethyl acetate and ethyl acetate-acetonitrile

The effects of solvent polarity on the fluorescence spectra and fluorescence decays of β-(1-pyrenyl)ethyl p-cyanobenzoate (P2CN) were investigated in detail using binary solvents consisting of various mixing ratios of isooctane-ethyl acetate or ethyl acetate-acetonitrile (dielectric constants ()=1.94–36.2). Whereas both the intensity and wavelength maxima of an intramolecular exciplex emission (EX) are dependent on the solvent polarity, only the intensity of an emission from the locally excited pyrene (LE) is dependent on the solvents used. When monitored at 377 nm, the picosecond SPC (single photon counting) measurements reveal a slow decay (>150 ns) in addition to a fast decay (<1 ns) of the locally excited P2CN. There are also two decays for the EX which vary the intensity ratios by the monitored wavelength. The decay rate constants, k_EX1 and k_EX2, have a good linear correlation with the dielectric constants of the solvents, indicating that there exist two kinds of exciplexes. It is suggested that the decays of the locally excited-state of P2CN are so fast due to result of the efficient electron transfer that the two kinds of intramolecular exciplexes are formed from the two discrete conformers in the ground state.     

Mechanism of Exciplex Decay: The Quantum Yields and the Rate Constants of Radical Ion Formation from Exciplexes with Partial Charge Transfer

The dynamics of exciplex and radical ion formation was studied in donor–acceptor systems with G ^* _et > –0.1 eV. It was shown that the quenching of excited singlet states of aromatic molecules by electron donors in polar solvents led to the formation of radical ions via exciplex dissociation resulting to complete charge separation. Intersystem crossing and internal conversion into the ground state (back electron transfer) compete with this process. The quantum yields and the rate constants of the radical ion formation were measured.     

Reexamination of the Rehm-Weller data set reveals electron transfer quenching that follows a Sandros-Boltzmann dependence on free energy

In a landmark publication over 40 years ago, Rehm and Weller (RW) showed that the electron transfer quenching constants for excited-state molecules in acetonitrile could be correlated with the excited-state energies and the redox potentials of the electron donors and acceptors. The correlation was interpreted in terms of electron transfer between the molecules in the encounter pair (A*/D ? A(?-)/D(?+) for acceptor A and donor D) and expressed by a semiempirical formula relating the quenching constant, k(q), to the free energy of reaction, ΔG. We have reinvestigated the mechanism for many Rehm and Weller reactions in the endergonic or weakly exergonic regions. We find they are not simple electron transfer processes. Rather, they involve exciplexes as the dominant, kinetically and spectroscopically observable intermediate. Thus, the Rehm-Weller formula rests on an incorrect mechanism. We have remeasured k(q) for many of these reactions and also reevaluated the ΔG values using accurately determined redox potentials and revised excitation energies. We found significant discrepancies in both ΔG and k(q), including A*/D pairs at high endergonicity that did not exhibit any quenching. The revised data were found to obey the Sandros-Boltzmann (SB) equation k(q) = k(lim)/[1 + exp[(ΔG + s)/RT]]. This behavior is attributed to rapid interconversion among the encounter pairs and the exciplex (A*/D ? exciplex ? A(?-)/D(?+)). The quantity k(lim) represents approximately the diffusion-limited rate constant, and s the free energy difference between the radical ion encounter pair and the free radical ions (A(?-)/D(?+) vs A(?-) + D(?+)). The shift relative to ΔG for the overall reaction is positive, s = 0.06 eV, rather than the negative value of -0.06 eV assumed by RW. The positive value of s involves the poorer solvation of A(?-)/D(?+) relative to the free A(?-) + D(?+), which opposes the Coulombic stabilization of A(?-)/D(?+). The SB equation does not involve the microscopic rate constants for interconversion among the encounter pairs and the exciplex. Data that fit this equation contain no information about such rate constants except that they are faster than dissociation of the encounter pairs to (re-)form the corresponding free species (A* + D or A(?-) + D(?+)). All of the present conclusions agree with our recent results for quenching of excited cyanoaromatic acceptors by aromatic donors, with the two data sets showing indistinguishable dependencies of k(q) on ΔG.     

Effect of high-frequency modes and hot transitions on free energy gap dependence of charge recombination rate

The charge recombination (CR) dynamics of geminate ion pairs formed by excitation of the ground-state donor-acceptor complexes in polar solvent have been investigated within the framework of stochastic approach. It is shown that for low exergonic reactions these dynamics critically depend on the reorganization energy of intramolecular high-frequency mode. Even moderate reorganization energies (0.1-0.2 eV) significantly accelerate the excited-state population decay making it nearly exponential. In the solvent-controlled regime, the majority of the excited donor-acceptor complexes recombine at nonthermal (hot) stage when the nonequilibrium initial wave packet passes through a number of term crossings corresponding to the transitions with creation of several vibrational quanta. Analysis of this mechanism allows to conclude (i) the CR in viscous solvents proceeds much faster than the diffusive relaxation of solvent, (ii) under certain conditions, the CR rate becomes practically independent of the diffusive component of solvent relaxation which is determined by solvent viscosity, (iii) in contrast to predictions of Marcus theory, the CR rate decreases monotonically with the rise of reaction exergonicity even at small free energy gaps, in accordance with experimental results. Two semiquantitative approaches providing rather simple analytical expressions for the hot charge recombination dynamics are suggested. These approximations give a good reproduction of the excited-state decay in the wide area of model parameters.     

Excited-state interactions in flurbiprofen-tryptophan dyads

Fluorescence and laser-flash photolysis measurements have been performed on two pairs of diastereomeric dyads that contain the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (S)- or (R)-flurbiprofen (FBP) and (S)-tryptophan (Trp), which is a relevant amino acid present in site I of human serum albumin. The fluorescence spectra were obtained when subjected to excitation at 266 nm, where approximately 60% of the light is absorbed by FBP and approximately 40% is absorbed by Trp; the most remarkable feature observed in all dyads was a dramatic fluorescence quenching, and the residual emission was assigned to the Trp chromophore. In addition, an exciplex emission was observed as a broad band between 380 and 500 nm, especially in the case of the (R,S) diastereomers. The fluorescence lifetimes (tauF) at lambdaem=340 nm were clearly shorter in the dyads than in Trp-derived model compounds; in contrast, the values of tauF at lambdaem=440 nm (exciplex) were much longer. On the other hand, the typical FBP triplet-triplet transient absorption spectrum was obtained when subjected to laser-flash photolysis, although the signals were less intense than when FBP was directly excited under the same conditions. The main photophysical events in FBP-Trp dyads can be summarized as follows: (1) most of the energy provided by the incident radiation at 266 nm reaches the excited singlet state of Trp (1Trp*), either via direct absorption by this chromophore or by singlet singlet energy transfer from excited FBP (1FBP*); (2) a minor, yet stereoselective deactivation of 1FBP* leads to detectable exciplexes and/or radical ion pairs; (3) the main process observed is intramolecular 1Trp* quenching; and (4) the first triplet excited-state of FBP can be populated by triplet-triplet energy transfer from excited Trp or by back-electron transfer within the charge-separated states.     

On the possibility of quantum beats in the total fluorescence of large molecules

The temporal evolution of the total emission from excited electronic states of a large molecule which corresponds to the statistical limit for radiationless relaxation is considered within the two-discrete-states model. It is shown that quantum beats in total (spectrally unresolved) emission may be revealed when the excited discrete levels differ in their rate constants for radiationless relaxation even if they have equal rate constants for radiative decay.     

Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer in 2-(3'-hydroxy-2'-pyridyl)benzoxazole. Evidence of coupled proton and charge transfer in the excited state of some o-hydroxyarylbenzazoles

The influence of solvent, temperature, and viscosity on the phototautomerization processes of a series of o-hydroxyarylbenzazoles was studied by means of ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectroscopy and steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The compounds studied were 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole (HBI), 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole (HBO), 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole (HBT), 2-(3'-hydroxy-2'-pyridyl)benzimidazole (HPyBI), and the new derivative 2-(3'-hydroxy-2'-pyridyl)benzoxazole (HPyBO), this one studied in neutral and acid media. All of these compounds undergo an excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) from the hydroxyl group to the benzazole N3 to yield an excited tautomer in syn conformation. A temperature- and viscosity-dependent radiationless deactivation of the tautomer has been detected for all compounds except HBI and HPyBI. We show that this radiationless decay also takes place for 2-(3-methyl-1,3-benzothiazol-3-ium-2-yl)benzenolate (NMeOBT), the N-methylated analog of the tautomer, whose ground-state structure has anti conformation. In ethanol, the radiationless decay shows intrinsic activation energy for HPyBO and HBO; however, it is barrierless for HBT and NMeOBT and controlled instead by the solvent dynamics. The relative efficiency of the radiationless decay in the series of molecules studied supports the hypothesis that this transition is connected with a charge-transfer process taking place in the tautomer, its efficiency being related to the strength of the electron donor (dissociated phenol or pyridinol moiety) and electron acceptor (protonated benzazole). We propose that the charge transfer is associated with a large-amplitude conformational change of the tautomer, the process leading to a nonfluorescent charge-transfer intermediate. The previous ESIPT step generates the structure with the suitable redox pair to undergo the charge-transfer process; therefore, an excited-state intramolecular coupled proton and charge transfer takes place for these compounds.     

Bonded exciplexes. A new concept in photochemical reactions

Charge-transfer quenching of the singlet excited states of cyanoaromatic electron acceptors by pyridine is characterized by a driving force dependence that resembles those of conventional electron-transfer reactions, except that a plot of the log of the quenching rate constants versus the free energy of electron transfer is displaced toward the endothermic region by 0.5-0.8 eV. Specifically, the reactions with pyridine display rapid quenching when conventional electron transfer is highly endothermic. As an example, the rate constant for quenching of the excited dicyanoanthracene is 3.5 x 10(9) M(-1)s(-1), even though formation of a conventional radical ion pair, A*-D*+, is endothermic by approximately 0.6 eV. No long-lived radical ions or exciplex intermediates can be detected on the picosecond to microsecond time scale. Instead, the reactions are proposed to proceed via formation of a previously undescribed, short-lived charge-transfer intermediate we call a "bonded exciplex", A- -D+. The bonded exciplex can be formally thought of as resulting from bond formation between the unpaired electrons of the radical ions A*- and D*+. The covalent bonding interaction significantly lowers the energy of the charge-transfer state. As a result of this interaction, the energy decreases with decreasing separation distance, and near van der Waals contact, the A- -D+ bonded state mixes with the repulsive excited state of the acceptor, allowing efficient reaction to form A- -D+ even when formation of a radical ion pair A*-D*+ is thermodynamically forbidden. Evidence for the bonded exciplex intermediate comes from studies of steric and Coulombic effects on the quenching rate constants and from extensive DFT computations that clearly show a curve crossing between the ground state and the low-energy bonded exciplex state.     

Photophysics and spectroscopy of the higher electronic states of zinc metalloporphyrins: a theoretical and experimental study

The photophysics of the S2 and S1 excited states of zinc porphyrin (ZnP) and five of its derivatives (ZnOEP, ZnTBP, ZnTPP, ZnTFPP, ZnTCl8PP) have been investigated by measuring their steady-state absorption and fluorescence spectra, quantum yields and excited state lifetimes at room temperature in several solvents. The radiative and radiationless decay constants of the fluorescent excited states accessible in the visible and near UV regions of the spectrum have been obtained. Despite the similarities in the Soret spectra of these compounds, their S2 excited state radiationless decay rates differ markedly. Although the S2-S1 electronic energies of a given zinc porphyrin vary linearly with the Lippert (refractive index) function of the solvent, the S2 radiationless decay rates of the set of compounds do not follow the energy gap law of radiationless transition theory. Calculations, using time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), of the energies and symmetries of the complete set of excited states accessible by 1- or 2-photon absorption in the near UV-visible have also been carried out. Substitution on the porphyrin macrocycle framework affects the ground state geometry and alters the electron density distributions, the orbital energies and the relative order of the excited electronic states accessible in the near UV-blue regions of the spectrum. The results are used to help interpret both the nature of the electronic transitions in the Soret region, and the relative magnitudes of the radiationless transition rates of the excited states involved.     

Emission spectroscopy and excited-state dynamics of chromyl-chloride vapor

A tunable dye laser has been used to excite single vibronic features in the low-pressure vapor of CrO₂Cl₂. The fluorescence spectrum, fluorescence excitation spectrum and time-resolved fluorescence decay are discussed. It is shown that the active ν′₄ and ν″₄ modes are the same frequency in the gas phase, thus collapsing the sequence congestion normally observed in gas-phase spectra. This degeneracy makes impossible the excitation of single vibronic levels. It is shown that the fluorescence lifetime of the excited state in all except the vibrationally cold level is severely shortened by unimolecular radiationless decay. This radiationless rate is strongly dependent upon the partitioning of energy into various excited-state modes. The radiative lifetime of the vibrationally cold excited state is (1.34 ± 0.08) μs and the apparent bimolecular quenching rate is (5.9 ± 0.2) × 10^?10 cm³/molecules. No evidence of emission from the lowest-energy excited electronic state recently reported by Spoliti [J. Mol. Spectrosc. 52 (1973) 146] is observed.     

What determines the rate of excited-state intramolecular electron-transfer reaction of 4-(N,N'-dimethylamino)benzonitrile in room temperature ionic liquids? A study in [bmim][PF6

The kinetics of excited-state intramolecular electron-transfer reaction and dynamics of solvation of the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state of 4-(N,N'-dimethylamino)benzonitrile (DMABN) was studied in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazloium hexafluorophosphate, [bmim][PF(6)], by monitoring the dual fluorescence of the system. The picosecond time-resolved emission spectra (TRES) of DMABN exhibit decay of the locally excited (LE) emission intensity and shift of the ICT emission peak position with time, thus capturing the kinetics of evolution of the ICT state from the LE state and solvent relaxation of the ICT state. These results show that the LE→ICT transformation rate is determined not by the slow dynamics of solvation in ionic liquid, but is controlled mainly by the rate of structural reorganization of the molecule, which accompanies the electron-transfer process in this polar viscous medium. Even though both solvent reorganization around photo-excited DMABN and structural rearrangement of the molecule are dependent on the viscosity of the medium, it is the latter process that contributes to the viscosity dependence of the LE→ICT transformation.     

带不同取代基氧鎓盐化合物电子光谱的研究

本工作对几种不同取代氧鎓盐化合物的荧光光谱和荧光猝灭进行研究,发现在液氮温度下,激发的氧鎓盐分子能和作为猝灭剂的电子给体分子在光谱的长波方向发出激基复合物的荧光。在基态条件下,氧鎓盐能和电子给体生成稳定的电荷转移络合物(CTC)。在冻结的条件下,由于激发的络合物不容易解离或减少了某些无辐射衰减的途径,有可能明显地观察到激发的CTC的发光。     

Magnetic field effects on exciplex-forming systems: the effect on the locally excited fluorophore and its dependence on free energy

This study addresses magnetic field effects in exciplex forming donor-acceptor systems. For moderately exergonic systems, the exciplex and the locally excited fluorophore emission are found to be magneto-sensitive. A previously introduced model attributing this finding to excited state reversibility is confirmed. Systems characterised by a free energy of charge separation up to approximately -0.35 eV are found to exhibit a magnetic field effect on the fluorophore. A simple three-state model of the exciplex is introduced, which uses the reaction distance and the asymmetric electron transfer reaction coordinate as pertinent variables. Comparing the experimental emission band shapes with those predicted by the model, a semi-quantitative picture of the formation of the magnetic field effect is developed based on energy hypersurfaces. The model can also be applied to estimate the indirect contribution of the exchange interaction, even if the perturbative approach fails. The energetic parameters that are essential for the formation of large magnetic field effects on the exciplex are discussed.     

Spectroscopic consequences of a mixed valence excited state: quantitative treatment of a dihydrazine diradical dication

A model for the quantitative treatment of molecular systems possessing mixed valence excited states is introduced and used to explain observed spectroscopic consequences. The specific example studied in this paper is 1,4-bis(2-tert-butyl-2,3-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]oct-3-yl)-2,3,5,6-tetramethylbenzene-1,4-diyl dication. The lowest energy excited state of this molecule arises from a transition from the ground state where one positive charge is associated with each of the hydrazine units, to an excited state where both charges are associated with one of the hydrazine units, that is, a Hy-to-Hy charge transfer. The resulting excited state is a Class II mixed valence molecule. The electronic emission and absorption spectra, and resonance Raman spectra, of this molecule are reported. The lowest energy absorption band is asymmetric with a weak low-energy shoulder and an intense higher energy peak. Emission is observed at low temperature. The details of the absorption and emission spectra are calculated for the coupled surfaces by using the time-dependent theory of spectroscopy. The calculations are carried out in the diabatic basis, but the nuclear kinetic energy is explicitly included and the calculations are exact quantum calculations of the model Hamiltonian. Because the transition involves the transfer of an electron from the hydrazine on one side of the molecule to the hydrazine on the other side and vice versa, the two transitions are antiparallel and the transition dipole moments have opposite signs. Upon transformation to the adiabatic basis, the dipole moment for the transition to the highest energy adiabatic surface is nonzero, but that for the transition to the lowest surface changes sign at the origin. The energy separation between the two components of the absorption spectrum is twice the coupling between the diabatic basis states. The bandwidths of the electronic spectra are caused by progressions in totally symmetric modes as well as progressions in the modes along the coupled coordinate. The totally symmetric modes are modeled as displaced harmonic oscillators; the frequencies and displacements are determined from resonance Raman spectra. The absorption, emission, and Raman spectra are fit simultaneously with one parameter set. The coupling in the excited electronic state H(ab)(ex) is 2000 cm(-1). Excited-state mixed valence is expected to be an important contributor to the electronic spectra of many organic and inorganic compounds. The energy separations and relative intensities enable the excited-state properties to be calculated as shown in this paper, and the spectra provide new information for probing and understanding coupling in mixed valence systems.