Vibronic interactions and possible electron pairing in the photoinduced excited electronic States in molecular systems: a theoretical study

Electron-phonon interactions in the photoinduced excited electronic states in molecular systems such as phenanthrene-edge-type hydrocarbons are discussed and compared with those in the monoanions and cations. The complete phase patterns difference between the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO) (the atomic orbitals between two neighboring carbon atoms combined in phase (out of phase) in the HOMO are combined out of phase (in phase) in the LUMO) are the main reason that the C-C stretching modes around 1500 cm(-1) afford much larger electron-phonon coupling constants in the excited electronic states than in the charged electronic states. The frequencies of the vibrational modes that play an essential role in the electron-phonon interactions for the excited electronic states are similar to those for the monoanions and cations in phenanthrene-edge-type hydrocarbons. Possible electron pairing and Bose-Einstein condensation in the photoinduced excited electronic states as well as those in the monoanions and cations in molecular systems such as phenanthrene-edge-type hydrocarbons are also discussed.     

Two-photon study on the electronic interactions between the first excited singlet states in carotenoid-tetrapyrrole dyads

Electronic interactions between the first excited states (S(1)) of carotenoids (Car) of different conjugation lengths (8-11 double bonds) and phthalocyanines (Pc) in different Car-Pc dyad molecules were investigated by two-photon spectroscopy and compared with Car S(1)-chlorophyll (Chl) interactions in photosynthetic light harvesting complexes (LHCs). The observation of Chl/Pc fluorescence after selective two-photon excitation of the Car S(1) state allowed sensitive monitoring of the flow of energy between Car S(1) and Pc or Chl. It is found that two-photon excitation excites to about 80% to 100% exclusively the carotenoid state Car S(1) and that only a small fraction of direct tetrapyrrole two-photon excitation occurs. Amide-linked Car-Pc dyads in tetrahydrofuran demonstrate a molecular gear shift mechanism in that effective Car S(1) → Pc energy transfer is observed in a dyad with 9 double bonds in the carotenoid, whereas in similar dyads with 11 double bonds in the carotenoid, the Pc fluorescence is strongly quenched by Pc → Car S(1) energy transfer. In phenylamino-linked Car-Pc dyads in toluene extremely large electronic interactions between the Car S(1) state and Pc were observed, particularly in the case of a dyad in which the carotenoid contained 10 double bonds. This observation together with previous findings in the same system provides strong evidence for excitonic Car S(1)-Pc Q(y) interactions. Very similar results were observed with photosynthetic LHC II complexes in the past, supporting an important role of such interactions in photosynthetic down-regulation.     

The low-lying electronic excited states of NiCO

Highly correlated coupled cluster methods with single and double excitations (CSSD) and CCSD with perturbative triple excitations were used to predict molecular structures and harmonic vibrational frequencies for the electronic ground state X 1Sigma+, and for the 3Delta, 3Sigma+, 3Phi, 1 3Pi, 2 3Pi, 1Sigma+, 1Delta, and 1Pi excited states of NiCO. The X 1Sigma+ ground state's geometry is for the first time compared with the recently determined experimental structure. The adiabatic excitation energies, vertical excitation energies, and dissociation energies of these excited states are predicted. The importance of pi and sigma bonding for the Ni-C bond is discussed based on the structures of excited states.     

Using internal coordinates to describe photoinduced geometry changes in MLCT excited states

A resonance Raman intensity analysis of the metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) transition for the rhenium compound Re(2-(2'-pyridyl)quinoxaline)(CO)(3)Cl (RePQX) is presented. Photoinduced geometry changes are calculated, and the results are presented using the vibrational normal modes and the redundant internal coordinates. A density functional theory calculation is used to determine the ground-state nonresonant Raman spectrum and a transformation matrix that transforms the redundant internal coordinates into the normal modes. The normal modes nu(37) (rhenium coordination sphere distortion) and nu(75) (ligand skeletal stretch) show the largest photoinduced geometry change (Delta = 1.0 and 0.7, respectively). A single carbonyl mode is enhanced in the resonance Raman spectra. Time-dependent density functional theory is used to calculate excited-state geometry changes, which are subsequently used to determine the signs of the photoinduced normal mode displacements. Transforming to internal coordinates reveals that all the CO bond lengths are displaced in the excited state. The Re-C and C-C ligand bond lengths are also displaced in the excited state. The results are discussed in terms of a simple one-electron picture for the electronic transition. Many bond angles and torsional coordinates are also displaced by the metal-to-ligand charge transfer, and most of these are associated with the rhenium coordination sphere. It is demonstrated that using internal coordinates presents a clear picture of the geometry changes associated with photoinduced electron transfer in metal polypyridyl systems.     

Vibrational relaxtion in excited electronic states of aromatic hydrocarbons

Time-resolved experiments are reported Showing kinetic evidence for vibrational relaxation of electronically excited molecules in solution at room temperature. The experiments involve higher electronic states of 3,4,9,10-dibenzpyrene. Data are consistent with slow vibrational relaxation (≈ 15 ps), similar to that for ground state species.     

On the lower excited electronic states of glyoxal

The polarization of both nπ* absorption bands of glyoxal has been measured in a glass matrix of 2-methyltetrahydrofuran by the photoselection method. The second absorption band in the 30 000 cm^?1 region has been assigned to a ¹A_g → ¹B_g nπ* transition. Its intensity is mainly induced by interaction with the solvent. An absorption band at about 43 000 cm^?1 has been ascribed to a charge transfer transition in complexes of glyoxal and 2-MTHF.     

Calculation of some electronic excited states of formaldehyde

The optimized MO's of several excited states of formaldehyde have been calculated by means of a large basis set of modified Gaussian functions; particular attention has been paid to the * transition. The total energy of the various states has been obtained as the sum of the SCF and correlation energies; the last one has been calculated as a functional of the electronic density. The calculated values for the transition energies are in good agreement with the experiment. A strong interaction of the * state with the continuum is evidentiated; this fact can justify the absence of the * band in the absorption spectrum.     

The excited electronic states of all-trans-1,3,5-hexatriene

Extensive configuration interaction calculations based on ab initio wavefunctions including diffuse basis functions are reported for all-trans-1,3,5-hexatriene. Using these results we have assigned the one-photon spectra of Gavin and Rice and the electron-impact spectra of Kuppermann, and we have confirmed the assignment of the two-photon spectra of El-Sayed. The valence 2 ¹A_g state is found to lie above the strongly allowed valence 1 ¹B_u state.     

On the lower excited electronic states of biacetyl

An ab initio SCF and CI study has been carried out for the ground and electronically excited states of biacetyl (CH₃COCOCH₃). The second absorption band in the 4.40 eV region has been assigned to a ¹A_g → ¹B_g nπ^* transition The character of the lower-lying states has been analyzed in terms of the CI wavefunctions.     

Zinc ion-tetraphenylporphyrin interactions in the ground and excited states

In the present article, tetraphenylporphyrin a new ratiometric fluorescence sensitizer for zinc ion has been proposed. Electronic absorption, emission and (1)H NMR spectral characteristics of meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) have been studied in acetonitrile medium in the presence of zinc perchlorate. Absorption spectral studies indicate the formation of a new complex between zinc ion and the porphyrin moiety in the ground state as distinguished from the characteristics of metalo(zinc) porphyrin compound. The energy of maximum fluorescence of porphyrin shifts towards blue with the addition of Zn(ClO(4))(2). Steady state emission studies point to the existence of two emitting species viz, the solvated and the complexed porphyrin in equilibrium. The fluorescence emission of tetraphenylporphyrin at 651-nm bands decreases while that at 605 nm increases upon zinc ion interaction in acetonitrile. Thus, the TPP can behave as a ratiometric fluorescent sensor. This fluorescence modulation of TPP should be applicable to dual-wavelength measurement of various biomolecules or enzyme activities. (1)H NMR spectra of the porphyrin suffered a radical change with the addition of zinc perchlorate which points to the formation of a new porphyrin complex. This change is due to the difference in the electron-donating ability of the pyrrolic nitrogens before and after complexation with Zn(2+). The values of equilibrium constant for the binding process have been determined in acetone and acetonitrile, in both ground and excited states.     

State-selective optimization of local excited electronic states in extended systems

Standard implementations of time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) for the calculation of excitation energies give access to a number of the lowest-lying electronic excitations of a molecule under study. For extended systems, this can become cumbersome if a particular excited state is sought-after because many electronic transitions may be present. This often means that even for systems of moderate size, a multitude of excited states needs to be calculated to cover a certain energy range. Here, we present an algorithm for the selective determination of predefined excited electronic states in an extended system. A guess transition density in terms of orbital transitions has to be provided for the excitation that shall be optimized. The approach employs root-homing techniques together with iterative subspace diagonalization methods to optimize the electronic transition. We illustrate the advantages of this method for solvated molecules, core-excitations of metal complexes, and adsorbates at cluster surfaces. In particular, we study the local π→π(?) excitation of a pyridine molecule adsorbed at a silver cluster. It is shown that the method works very efficiently even for high-lying excited states. We demonstrate that the assumption of a single, well-defined local excitation is, in general, not justified for extended systems, which can lead to root-switching during optimization. In those cases, the method can give important information about the spectral distribution of the orbital transition employed as a guess.     

Vibrational dynamics of excited electronic states of molecular iodine

Femtosecond degenerate four-wave-mixing spectroscopy following an initial pump laser pulse was used to observe the wave packet dynamics in excited electronic states of gas phase iodine. The focus of the investigation was on the ion pair states belonging to the first tier dissociating into the two ions I-(1S) + I+(3P2). By a proper choice of the wavelengths of the initial pump and degenerate four-wave-mixing pulses, we were able to observe the vibrational dynamics of the B (3)Pi(u) (+) state of molecular iodine as well as the ion pair states accessible from there by a one-photon transition. The method proves to be a valuable tool for exploring higher lying states that cannot be directly accessed from the ground state due to selection rule exclusion or unfavorable Franck-Condon overlap.     

Theoretical evidence for bound electronic excited states of ozone

Extensive configuration interaction calculations (up to 1532 spin eigenfunctions) have been carried out on ozone with both minimal and extended bases. Vertical and adiabatic excitation energies to 14 excited states are reported, including seven states with vertical excitation energies less than 4 eV. Our calculations indicate that in addition to the ground state there are four other states of ozone (³B₂, ³A₂, ¹A₂ and ³B₁) bound with respect to dissociation to ground state O₂ and O (by 0.4, 0.3, 0.1 and 0.0 eV, respectively). With such small bonding energies, the current results cannot be said to show definitively (except perhaps for ³B₂) these four states to be bound with respect to O₂ + O. However, the theoretical evidence is sufficiently strong as to warrant careful experimental studies. Such bound excited electronic states could play important roles in the chemistry of the upper atmosphere and in the chemistry of oxygen discharge systems. One (or more) of these states may be responsible for the short-lived intermediate (‘ozone precursor’) recently observed in oxygen radiolysis.     

Lithium ion-ketocyanine dye interactions in the ground and excited states

Electronic absorption and emission spectral characteristics of a ketocyanine dye have been studied in solution in the presence of lithium perchlorate. Absorption spectral studies indicate complex formation between lithium ion and the dye in the ground state. The value of the equilibrium constant along with the molar absorbance of the absorbing species has been determined for the dye-cation interaction. The energy of maximum fluorescence shifts toward the red with the addition of LiClO(4). Steady-state emission studies point to the existence of two emitting species, viz., the solvated and the complexed dye in equilibrium. The values of the equilibrium constant for the process have been determined in acetone and acetonitrile. Time-resolved studies in the picosecond domain in pure solvents reveal that the lifetime (tau) value increases as the solvation interaction increases. Time-resolved studies also indicate the presence of two emitting species in equilibrium.     

Intramolecular interactions in the triplet excited states of benzophenone-thymine dyads

Time-resolved and product studies on the synthesized dyads 1 and 2 have provided evidence that the benzophenone-to-thymine orientation strongly influences intramolecular photophysical and photochemical processes. The prevailing reaction mechanism has been established as a Paterno-Büchi cycloaddition to give oxetanes 3-6; however, the ability of benzophenone to achieve a formal hydrogen abstraction from the methyl group of thymidine has also been evidenced by the formation of photoproducts 7 and 8. These processes have been observed only in the case of the cisoid dyad 1. Adiabatic photochemical cycloreversion of the oxetane ring is achieved upon direct photolysis to give the starting dyad 1 in its excited triplet state. The photobiological implications of the above results are discussed with respect to benzophenone-photosensitized damage of thymidine.     

Second-derivative method: Application to vibrational spectroscopy in excited electronic states

The second-derivative method, which has been known to be useful for finding peaks overlapped in a broad band, is applied to u.v. and visible absorption bands to derive vibrational frequencies in excited electronic states of molecules in solution. By using this method, much better estimates of vibrational frequencies are possible for Franck—Condon active modes than can be made from the absorption spectrum itself. Computational procedure and the results obtained for trans-1,3,5-hexatriene, azulene, pyrazine and anthracene are described with remarks about the effectiveness and limitations of the second-derivative method.     

Size-dependent dynamics in excited states of gold clusters: from oscillatory motion to photoinduced melting

Femtosecond time resolved photoelectron spectroscopy in combination with direct ab initio molecular dynamics "on the fly" based on density functional theory has been used to study the relaxation dynamics of optically excited states in small mass selected anionic gold clusters (Au(n) (-); n = 5-8). The nature of the dynamics strongly depends on the cluster size and structure. Oscillatory wavepacket motion (Au(5)(-)), a long lived excited state (Au(6)(-)), as well as photoinduced melting (Au(7)(-),Au(8)(-)) is observed in real time. This illustrates nonscalable properties of excited states in clusters in the size regime, in which each atom counts.