Photodimerization of hydrophobic guests within a water-soluble nanocapsule

Conducting reactions in environmentally benign conditions is one of the major objectives of “green chemistry.” In this context, developing ways to conduct reactions in water seems obvious. In this report, we present our results on photodimerization of select guest molecules placed within the rigid reaction cavity of a water-soluble cavitand, octa acid. The results presented herein highlight the value of a supramolecular approach in achieving selectivity in photoreactions and opening reaction pathways that are latent in solution chemistry.     

Adiabatic photodissociation of acenaphthylene dimers in the excited singlet state

Fluorescence spectroscopic studies of acenaphthylene dimers in saturated hydrocarbon solution have revealed that the dimer (A₂) photodissociates to     

Laser-induced temperature dependent triplet state lifetime of rubreneperoxide

A number of photophysical properties of three different types of rubreneperoxides have been measured experimentally by flash spectroscopy technique, including the two-photon absorption, fluorescence, delayed fluorescence and temperature dependent triplet-triplet absorption spectra. Excited singlet and triplet state lifetimes are temperature dependent. Lowest triplet state lifetimes were measured from 77 K to 50 degrees C. Experimental observations showed that as we decreased the temperature of rubreneperoxides, most of the molecules migrate to the lowest vibrational and rotational energy levels of the ground electronic state. Similar migration is also observed for the lowest triplet state. Therefore at 77 K, we can get the clean absorption an emission spectra and decay curves for the lowest triplet state. At 50 degrees C, due to the P- and/or E-type of delayed fluorescences, decay of T(1) state, in other words disappearance of the T(1) state is becoming faster than at low temperature (below room temperature).     

Solvent dependent excited state spectral properties of 4-hydroxyacridine: Evidence for only water mediated excited state proton transfer process

The possibility of ground and excited state proton transfer reaction across the five member intramolecular hydrogen bonded ring in 4-hydroxyacridine (4-HA) has been investigated spectroscopically and the experimental results have been correlated with quantum chemical calculations. The difference in the emissive behaviour of 4-HA in different types of solvents is due to the presence of different species in the excited state. In non-polar solvents, the species present is non-fluorescing in nature, whereas 4-HA molecule shows normal emission from intramolecularly hydrogen bonded closed conformer in polar aprotic solvents. In polar protic solvents like MeOH, EtOH, etc. (except water), a single broad emission band is attributed to the hydrogen bonded solvated form of 4-HA. However, in case of water, fluorescence from the tautomeric form of 4-HA is observed apart from emission from the solvated form. Emission from the tautomeric form may arise due to double proton transfer via a single water molecule bonded to 4-HA. Evaluation of the potential energy surfaces by quantum chemical calculations using density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), however, points towards the possibility of proton transfer—both intrinsic intramolecular as well as water mediated in the first excited state of 4-HA.     

Ground and excited state communication within a ruthenium containing benzimidazole metallopolymer

Emission spectroscopy and electrochemistry has been used to probe the electronic communication between adjacent metal centres and the conjugated backbone within a family of imidazole based metallopolymers, [Ru(bpy)(2)(PPyBBIM)(n)](2+), in the ground and excited states, bpy is 2,2'-bipyridyl, PPyBBIM is poly[2-(2-pyridyl)-bibenzimidazole] and n = 3, 10 or 20. Electronic communication in the excited state is not efficient and upon optical excitation dual emission is observed, i.e., both the polymer backbone and the metal centres emit. Coupling the ruthenium moiety to the imidazole backbone results in a red shift of approximately 50 nm in the emission spectrum. Luminescent lifetimes of up to 120 ns were also recorded. Cyclic voltammetry was also utilized to illustrate the distance dependence of the electron hopping rates between adjacent metal centres with ground state communication reduced by up to an order of magnitude compared to previously reported results when the metal to backbone ratio was not altered. D(CT) and D(e) values of up to 3.96 × 10(-10) and 5.32 × 10(-10) cm(2) S(-1) were observed with corresponding conductivity values of up to 2.34 × 10(-8) S cm(-1).     

Ionization dynamics of a water dimer: specific reaction selectivity

Ionization dynamics of a water dimer have been investigated by means of a direct ab initio molecular dynamics (MD) method. Two electronic state potential energy surfaces of (H(2)O)(2)(+) (ground and first excited states, (2)A' and (2)A') were examined as cationic states of (H(2)O)(2)(+). Three intermediate complexes were found as product channels. One is a proton transfer channel where a proton of H(2)O(+) is transferred into the H(2)O and then a complex composed of H(3)O(+)(OH) was formed. The second is a face-to-face complex channel denoted by (H(2)O-OH(2))(+) where the oxygen-oxygen atoms directly bind each other. Both water molecules are equivalent to each other. The third one is a dynamical complex where H(2)O(+) and H(2)O interact weakly and vibrate largely with a large intermolecular amplitude motion. The dynamics calculations showed that in the ionization to the (2)A' state, a proton transfer complex H(3)O(+)(OH) is only formed as a long-lived complex. On the other hand, in the ionization to the (2)A' state, two complexes, the face-to-face and dynamical complexes, were found as product channels. The proton of H(2)O(+) was transferred to H(2)O within 25-50 fs at the (2)A' state, meaning that the proton transfer on the ground state is a very fast process. On the other hand, the decay process on the first excited state is a slow process due to the molecular rotation. The mechanism of the ionization dynamics of (H(2)O)(2) was discussed on the basis of theoretical results.     

Reassignment of the electronic states of the trans dimer of acenaphthylene

The fluorescence and excitation spectra of trans dimer of acenaphthylene in a shpol'skii matrix at 4K are reported. The spectra at 4k are compared with the fluorescence and excitation spectra at 77K, previously reported by us. A reassignment of the origin of the two electronic states is required by such a comparison. The comparison once again establishes the point that the g state is below the u state, as was originally found from the comparison of two-photon and one-photon spectra. However, the splitting, which was originally described as “exciton splitting” should actually be ascribed to “site splitting”. The “exciton splitting”, as given in the present study, is about 130 cm⁻¹.     

Ultrafast internal conversion in ethylene. I. The excited state lifetime

Using a combined theoretical and experimental approach, we investigate the non-adiabatic dynamics of the prototypical ethylene (C(2)H(4)) molecule upon π → π? excitation. In this first part of a two part series, we focus on the lifetime of the excited electronic state. The femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron spectrum (TRPES) of ethylene is simulated based on our recent molecular dynamics simulation using the ab initio multiple spawning method with multi-state second order perturbation theory [H. Tao, B. G. Levine, and T. J. Martinez, J. Phys. Chem. A 113, 13656 (2009)]. We find excellent agreement between the TRPES calculation and the photoion signal observed in a pump-probe experiment using femtosecond vacuum ultraviolet (hν = 7.7 eV) pulses for both pump and probe. These results explain the apparent discrepancy over the excited state lifetime between theory and experiment that has existed for ten years, with experiments [e.g., P. Farmanara, V. Stert, and W. Radloff, Chem. Phys. Lett. 288, 518 (1998) and K. Kosma, S. A. Trushin, W. Fuss, and W. E. Schmid, J. Phys. Chem. A 112, 7514 (2008)] reporting much shorter lifetimes than predicted by theory. Investigation of the TRPES indicates that the fast decay of the photoion yield originates from both energetic and electronic factors, with the energetic factor playing a larger role in shaping the signal.     

Absorption spectrum,lifetime and reactivity of the excited triplet state of dimesitylcarbene

The first excited triplet state of dimesitylcarbene has been generated in solution at room temperature. It has a lifetime of 60 ns and shows fluorescence with λ_max = 501 nm and absorption with λ_max = 360 nm. This species is quenched by oxygen and carbon tetrachloride with rate constants of (4.4 ± 0.8) × 10¹⁰ and (7.3 ± 0.6) × 10⁹ M⁻¹ s⁻¹, respectively.     

Triplet excited state distortions in a pyrazolate bridged platinum dimer measured by X-ray transient absorption spectroscopy

The excited-state structure of a dinuclear platinum(II) complex with tert-butyl substituted pyrazolate bridging units, [Pt(ppy)(μ-(t)Bu(2)pz)](2) (ppy = 2-phenylpyridine; (t)Bu(2)pz = 3,5-di-tert-butylpyrazolate) is studied by X-ray transient absorption (XTA) spectroscopy to reveal the transient electronic and nuclear geometry. DFT calculations predict that the lowest energy triplet excited state, assigned to a metal-metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MMLCT) transition, has a contraction in the Pt-Pt distance. The Pt-Pt bond length and other structural parameters extracted from fitting the experimental XTA difference spectra from full multiple scattering (FMS) and multidimensional interpolation calculations indicates a metal-metal distance decrease by approximately 0.2 ? in the triplet excited state. The advantages and challenges of this approach in resolving dynamic transient structures of nonbonding or weak-bonding dinuclear metal complexes in solution are discussed.     

Acetone in its lowest excited triplet state: an isotope dependent ODMR study

The lowest excited triplet state T₁ of acetone-h₆ and acetone-d₆ was investigated with a pulsed dye laser equipped Optical Detection of Magnetic Resonance spectrometer. The results obtained for this prototype aliphatic carbonyl compound are discussed with reference to a recent ab initio calculation on formaldehyde. The peculiarities of the acetone T₁ are largely determined by its distinct non-planar geometry: Our data indicate that the carbonyl group is rotated out of the plane defined by the three C-atoms, and the distortion angle is found to be appoximately 38°C, similar to the formaldehyde value. This is a central result of our investigation: All of the observed zero-field splitting parameters, ODMR linewidths, kinetic data, and the deuterium effects can be satisfactorily rationalized with this out-of-plane distortion.     

Ground and asymmetric CO-stretch excited state tunneling splittings in the formic acid dimer

There has been some controversy concerning the assignment of measured tunneling splittings for the formic acid dimer in the vibrational ground state and the asymmetric CO-stretching excited state. The discussion is intimately related to the question whether the fundamental excitation of the CO-vibration promotes or hinders tunneling. Here we will address this issue on the basis of a five-dimensional reaction space Hamiltonian which includes three large amplitude coordinates as well as two harmonic modes whose linear superposition reproduces the asymmetric CO-vibrational mode. Within density functional theory using the B3LYP functional together with a 6-311++G(3df,3pd) basis set we obtain a ground state tunneling splitting which is about 2.4 larger than the one for the CO-stretching excited state.     

Stretching of hydrogen-bonded OH in the lowest singlet excited electronic state of water dimer

The lowest singlet excited electronic state of water monomer in the gas phase is strictly dissociative along a OH stretch coordinate but changes its nature when the stretched OH moiety is hydrogen bonded to a neighboring water molecule. This work extends previous exploration of the water dimer excited singlet potential-energy surface, using computational methods that are reliable even at geometries well removed from the ground-state equilibrium. First, the hydrogen-bonded OH moiety is stretched far enough to establish the existence of a barrier that is sufficient to support a quasibound vibrational state of the OH oscillator near the Franck-Condon region. Second, the constraint of an icelike structure is relaxed, and it is found that a substantial fraction of liquidlike structures also supports a quasibound vibrational state. These potential-energy explorations on stretching of the hydrogen-bonded OH moiety in a water dimer are discussed as a model for understanding the initial dynamics upon excitation into the lowest excited singlet state of condensed water. The possibility is raised that the excited-state lifetime may be long enough to allow for exciton migration, which would provide a mechanism for energy transport in condensed water phases.     

Ultrafast excited state dynamics of fucoxanthin: excitation energy dependent intramolecular charge transfer dynamics

Carotenoids containing a carbonyl group in conjugation with their polyene backbone are naturally-occurring pigments in marine organisms and are essential to the photosynthetic light-harvesting function in aquatic algae. These carotenoids exhibit spectral characteristics attributed to an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state that arise in polar solvents due to the presence of the carbonyl group. Here, we report the spectroscopic properties of the carbonyl carotenoid fucoxanthin in polar (methanol) and nonpolar (cyclohexane) solvents studied by steady-state absorption and femtosecond pump-probe measurements. Transient absorption associated with the optically forbidden S(1) (2(1)A) state and/or the ICT state were observed following one-photon excitation to the optically allowed S(2) (1(1)B) state in methanol. The transient absorption measurements carried out in methanol showed that the ratio of the ICT-to-S(1) state formation increased with decreasing excitation energy. We also showed that the ICT character was clearly visible in the steady-state absorption in methanol based on a Franck-Condon analysis. The results suggest that two spectroscopic forms of fucoxanthin, blue and red, exist in the polar environment.     

Conformational effects on vibronic spectra and excited state dynamics of 3-fluorobenzoic acid dimer

Two conformational isomers of 3-fluorobenzoic acid dimer (3-FBA(2)) have been identified in a supersonic jet expansion by use of laser-induced fluorescence excitation (FE), UV-UV hole-burning, and dispersed fluorescence (DF) spectroscopic methods. In the FE spectrum, the S(1) origins of the two isomeric species appear at a frequency gap of only 24 cm(-1), and the vibronic intensities of the redshifted dimer (dimer I) are about two times weaker than those of dimer II. However, ab initio quantum chemistry calculations at the MP2/6-31G(**) level of theory predict that all the isomeric species of 3-FBA(2) have almost the same binding energy (approximately 17 kcal/mol) in the ground state. Furthermore, unlike benzoic acid dimer, the present system shows intense activity for a low-frequency mode in both the FE and DF spectra. With the aid of DFT (B3LYP/6-311G(**)) predicted normal mode frequencies, we have assigned the mode to the in-plane gear (cogwheel) vibration of the cyclic hydrogen-bonded frame of the dimer. The Franck-Condon profiles for vibronic excitation of the mode indicate that the distortion of the cyclic hydrogen bond frame as a result of S(1)<--S(0) excitation is larger for dimer I than dimer II. Moreover, the fluorescence lifetime at the S(1) zero-point level of the former is also significantly smaller than the latter. Using the predictions of configuration interaction singles calculations, we have proposed that the spectral and dynamical differences between the two isomeric species observed in this study are manifestations of the different characteristics of their S(1) surfaces. By measuring FE, DF, and hole-burning spectra of a mixed dimer between 3-fluobenzoic acid and benzoic acid we have shown that the isomeric features in the homodimer spectra are due to two locally excited rotamers of the 3-fluorobenzoic acid moiety.     

Continuum emission of excited sodium dimer

A study has been made of the behaviour of excited molecular sodium using high-power Ar⁺ laser radiation. A continuum emission was observed in the red wavelength region. This emission was thought to be caused by the formation of excited triatomic molecules. Energy transfer was observed from excited molecules to atoms.     

A 3.0 micros room temperature excited state lifetime of a bistridentate RuII-polypyridine complex for rod-like molecular arrays

A bistridentate RuII-polypyridine complex [Ru(bqp)2]2+ (bqp = 2,6-bis(8'-quinolinyl)pyridine) has been prepared, which has a coordination geometry much closer to a perfect octahedron than the typical Ru(terpyridine)2-type complex. Thus, the complex displays a 3.0 mus lifetime of the lowest excited metal-to-ligand charge transfer (3MLCT) state at room temperature. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the longest MLCT state lifetime reported for a RuII-polypyridyl complex at room temperature. The structure allows for the future construction of rod-like, isomer-free molecular arrays by substitution of donor and acceptor moieties on the central pyridine units. This makes it a promising photosensitizer for applications in molecular devices for artificial photosynthesis and molecular electronics.     

Photoproduct selectivity in reactions involving singlet and triplet excited states within bile salt micelles

Generally, photochemical reactions tend to give more than one product. For such reactions to be useful one should be able to control them to yield a single product. Of the many approaches used in this context, the use of reaction media with features different from those of isotropic solutions has been very effective. We provide results of our studies on four reactions within bile salt micelles (cholic acid and deoxycholic acid). These four reactions involve homolytic cleavage of a C-C or C-O bond to yield either a singlet or triplet radical pair. The bile salt micelles control the rotational and translational mobilities of the radical pair, resulting in photoproduct selectivity. The dynamic nature of the bile salt micelles results in differential effects on the singlet and triplet radical pairs.