Search for a small chromophore with efficient singlet fission: biradicaloid heterocycles

Of the five small biradicaloid heterocycles whose S(1), S(2), T(1), and T(2) adiabatic excitation energies were examined by the CASPT2/ANO-L-VTZP method, two have been found to meet the state energy criterion for efficient singlet fission and are recommended to the attention of synthetic chemists and photophysicists.     

Excited state relaxation dynamics of model green fluorescent protein chromophore analogs: evidence for cis-trans isomerism

Two green fluorescent protein (GFP) chromophore analogs (4Z)-4-(N,N-dimethylaminobenzylidene)-1-methyl-2-phenyl-1,4-dihydro-5H-imidazolin-5-one (DMPI) and (4Z)-4-(N,N-diphenylaminobenzylidene)-1-methyl-2-phenyl-1,4-dihydro-5H-imidazolin-5-one (DPMPI) were investigated using femtosecond fluorescence up-conversion spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations with the results being substantiated by HPLC and NMR measurements. The femtosecond fluorescence transients are found to be biexponential in nature and the time constants exhibit a significant dependence on solvent viscosity and polarity. A multicoordinate relaxation mechanism is proposed for the excited state relaxation behavior of the model GFP analogs. The first time component (τ(1)) was assigned to the formation of twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state along the rotational coordinate of N-substituted amine group. Time resolved intensity normalized and area normalized emission spectra (TRES and TRANES) were constructed to authenticate the occurrence of TICT state in subpicosecond time scale. Another picosecond time component (τ(2)) was attributed to internal conversion via large amplitude motion along the exomethylenic double bond which has been enunciated by quantum chemical calculations. Quantum chemical calculation also forbids the involvement of hula-twist because of high activation barrier of twisting. HPLC profiles and proton-NMR measurements of the irradiated analogs confirm the presence of Z and E isomers, whose possibility of formation can be accomplished only by the rotation along the exomethylenic double bond. The present observations can be extended to p-HBDI in order to understand the role of protein scaffold in reducing the nonradiative pathways, leading to highly luminescent nature of GFP.     

The dependence of singlet exciton relaxation on excitation density and temperature in polycrystalline tetracene thin films: kinetic evidence for a dark intermediate state and implications for singlet fission

The excited state dynamics of polycrystalline tetracene films are studied using femtosecond transient absorption in combination with picosecond fluorescence, continuing work reported in an earlier paper [J. J. Burdett, A. M. Muller, D. Gosztola, and C. J. Bardeen, J. Chem. Phys. 133, 144506 (2010)]. A study of the intensity dependence of the singlet state decay is conducted to understand the origins of the discrepancy between the broadband transient absorption and fluorescence experiments seen previously. High-sensitivity single channel transient absorption experiments allow us to compare the transient absorption dynamics to the fluorescence dynamics measured at identical laser fluences. At high excitation densities, an exciton-exciton annihilation rate constant of ~1 × 10(-8) cm(3) s(-1) leads to rapid singlet decays, but at excitation densities of 2 × 10(17) cm(-3) or less the kinetics of the transient absorption match those of the fluorescence. At these lower excitation densities, both measurements confirm that the initially excited singlet state relaxes with a decay time of 80 ± 3 ps, not 9.2 ps as claimed in the earlier paper. In order to investigate the origin of the singlet decay, the wavelength-resolved fluorescence dynamics were measured at 298 K, 77 K, and 4 K. A high-energy J-type emitting species undergo a rapid (~100 ps) decay at all temperatures, while at 77 K and 4 K additional species with H-type and J-type emission lineshapes have much longer lifetimes. A global analysis of the wavelength-dependent decays shows that the initial ~100 ps decay occurs to a dark state and not via energy transfer to lower energy bright states. Varying the excitation wavelength from 400 nm to 510 nm had no effect on the fast decay, suggesting that there is no energy threshold for the initial singlet relaxation. The presence of different emitting species at different temperatures means that earlier interpretations of the fluorescence behavior in terms of one singlet state that is short-lived due to singlet fission at high temperatures but long-lived at lower temperatures are probably too simplistic. The presence of a rapid singlet decay at all temperatures indicates that the initially created J-type singlet exciton decays to an intermediate that only produces free triplets (and delayed fluorescence) at high temperatures.     

Excited state dynamics in solid and monomeric tetracene: The roles of superradiance and exciton fission

The excited state dynamics in polycrystalline thin films of tetracene are studied using both picosecond fluorescence and femtosecond transient absorption. The solid-state results are compared with those obtained for monomeric tetracene in dilute solution. The room temperature solid-state fluorescence decays are consistent with earlier models that take into account exciton-exciton annihilation and exciton fission but with a reduced delayed fluorescence lifetime, ranging from 20-100 ns as opposed to 2?μs or longer in single crystals. Femtosecond transient absorption measurements on the monomer in solution reveal several excited state absorption features that overlap the ground state bleach and stimulated emission signals. On longer timescales, the initially excited singlet state completely decays due to intersystem crossing, and the triplet state absorption superimposed on the bleach is observed, consistent with earlier flash photolysis experiments. In the solid-state, the transient absorption dynamics are dominated by a negative stimulated emission signal, decaying with a 9.2 ps time constant. The enhanced bleach and stimulated emission signals in the solid are attributed to a superradiant, delocalized S(1) state that rapidly fissions into triplets and can also generate a second superradiant state, most likely a crystal defect, that dominates the picosecond luminescence signal. The enhanced absorption strength of the S(0)→S(1) transition, along with the partially oriented nature of our polycrystalline films, obscures the weaker T(1)→T(N) absorption features. To confirm that triplets are the major species produced by relaxation of the initially excited state, the delayed fluorescence and ground state bleach recovery are compared. Their identical decays are consistent with triplet diffusion and recombination at trapping or defect sites. The results show that complications like exciton delocalization, the presence of luminescent defect sites, and crystallite orientation must be taken into account to fully describe the photophysical behavior of tetracene thin films. The experimental results are consistent with the traditional picture that tetracene's photodynamics are dominated by exciton fission and triplet recombination, but suggest that fission occurs within 10 ps, much more rapidly than previously believed.     

Polar character of transition state in reactions for elimination of HNO2 from mononitro compounds

Conclusions As the result of analyzing a large amount of experimental data on the decomposition of mononitro compounds it was shown that the reaction for elimination of HNO₂ from nitro compounds proceeds via a polar transition state.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 6, pp. 1345–1350, June, 1974.     

The unimolecular chemistry of [1,2-propanediol]+˙: a rationale in terms of hydrogen-bridged radical cations

By combining results from a variety of mass spectrometric techniques (metastatle ion, collisional activation, collision-induced dissociative ionization, neutralization–reionization spectrometry and appearance energy measurements) and the classical method of isotopic labelling, a unified mechanism is proposed for the complex unimolecular chemistry of ionized 1,2-propanediol. The key intermediates involved are the stable hydrogen-bridged radical cations [CH₂?C(H)? H…?O…?O(H)CH₃]⁺˙, which were generated independently from [4-methoxy, 1-butanol]⁺˙ (loss of C₂H₄) and [1-methoxyglycerol]⁺˙ (loss of CH₂O), [CH₃? C?O…?H…?O(H)CH₃]⁺˙ and the related ion-dipole complex [CH₂?C(OH)CH₃/H₂O]⁺˙. The latter species serves as the precursor for the loss of CH³˙ and in this reaction the same non-ergodic behaviour is observed as in the loss of CH³˙ from the ionized enol of acetone.     

Absence of singlet fission and carrier multiplication in a model conjugated polymer: tracking the triplet population through phosphorescence

Singlet fission, or multiple exciton generation, has been purported to occur in a variety of material systems. Given the current interest in exploiting this process in photovoltaics, we search for the direct signature of singlet fission, phosphorescence from the triplet state, in a model polymeric organic semiconductor for which photoinduced absorption experiments have implied a tripling of the intersystem crossing yield at the onset of fission. Fluorescence and phosphorescence are clearly discriminated using a picosecond gated photoluminescence excitation technique, at variable temperature. At low excitation densities, in a quasi-steady-state experiment, we detect no change of the relative triplet yield to within 4% for photon energies of almost three times the triplet energy of 2.1 eV. Identical results are obtained under nonlinear two-photon excitation. We conclude that assignments of singlet fission based on induced absorptions alone should be treated with caution and may substantially overestimate excited-state intersystem crossing yields, raising questions with regards to the applicability of the process in devices.     

Nature of bonding in group 13 dimetallenes: a delicate balance between singlet diradical character and closed shell interactions

The nature of metal-metal bonding in group 13 dimetallenes REER (E = Al, Ga, In, Tl; R = H, Me, (t)Bu, Ph) was investigated by use of quantum chemical methods that include HF, second order M?ller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), coupled cluster (CCSD(T)), complete active space with (CASPT2) and without (CAS) second order perturbation theory, and two density functionals, namely, B3LYP and M06-2X. The results show that the metal-metal interaction in group 13 dimetallenes stems almost exclusively from static and dynamic electron correlation effects: both dialuminenes and digallenes have an important singlet diradical component in their wave function, whereas the bonding in the heavier diindenes and, in particular, dithallenes is dominated by closed shell metallophilic interactions. The reported calculations represent a systematic attempt to determine the metal and ligand dependent bonding changes in these systems.     

Magnetic properties of cationic tungsten(IV) half sandwich compounds: experimental and theoretical study of a solvent and ligand stabilized singlet ground state leading to a thermally induced singlet-triplet spin state interconversion

A series of novel neutral tungsten(III) and cationic tungsten(IV) complexes with disubstituted 4,4'-R,R-2,2'-bipyridyl (R(2)-bpy) ligands of the type [CpW(R(2)-bpy)Cl(2)](n+) (n = 0,1) were prepared and characterized by X-ray crystallography. Susceptibility measurements of the tungsten(IV) complexes revealed an intrinsic paramagnetism of these compounds and evidenced different magnetic properties of the dimethylamino and methyl (R = NMe(2), Me) substituted tungsten(IV) compounds in solution and in the solid state. In dichloromethane solution, singlet ground states with thermally populated triplet states were observed, whereas triplet (R = Me) and singlet ground states (R = NMe(2)) were observed in the solid state. Using both experimental and theoretical techniques (DFT) allowed to establish solvation and ligand effects to account for the different magnetic behavior. Thermodynamic parameters were derived for the spin equlibria in solution by fits of the temperature dependent (1)H NMR shifts to the Van Vleck equation and were found to be in excellent agreement with the DFT calculations.     

Picosecond absorption spectra of the second excited singlet state of a molecule in the condensed phase: Xanthione

The flourescence emission from the S₂ state of xanthione in benzene solution was time resolved using a Nd³⁺ glass mode-locker laser driven light gate technique. Using a separate optical apparatus, in conjunction with the mode-locked laser, transient absorption spectra were recorded at times subsequent to excitation. In both experiments excitation was provided by the 353 nm third harmonic of the neodymium laser. The exponential lifetime of the S₂ flourescence was found to be 12±3 ps. Two distinct transient absorption bands appear as a function of time after excitation. At early times a band centered at 620 nm is observed which we ascribe to absorption from S₂ while at longer times a band at 540 nm appears. This latter transient persists for up to 2 ns and we assign this band to absorption from T₁.     

Sensitization mechanisms from excited‐singlet state of pyrromethene dye to a radical‐generating reagent in a poly(methylmethacrylate) film

The sensitization mechanisms of a pyrromethene dye with a radical‐generating reagent, 3,5,3′,5′‐tetramethylpyrromethene‐BF₂ (BH) with 3,3′,4,4′‐tetrakis(t‐butyldioxycarbonyl)benzophenone (BP), in a poly‐ (methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) film were investigated by laser flash phoptolysis using a total reflection cell and single photon counting. From the laser flash photolysis, strong fluorescence was detected though no transient absorption was detected. The fluorescence intensity was significantly decreased with increasing concentration of BP, apparently exhibiting Perrin‐type static quenching at a quenching radius, R_f = 26 Å. From the examination of decay profile using single photon counting, logarithmic plots of fluorescence decay in a PMMA film afforded a nonlinear, convex reduction, corresponding to a streched exponential decay, while the logarithmic plots in acetonitrile showed a linear relationship. With increasing concentration of BH, the fluorescence maximum was shifted to red, and the intensity of fluorescence was significantly reduced. The red shift of fluorescence, the nonlinear fluorescence logarithmic decay and the large reduction in fluorescence indicate a dispersive photoexcited state and a relaxation of excitation energy hopping across an array of sites with Gaussian energy distribution. Moreover, after incorporating BP, the convex logarithmic plots became more steep, and the fluorescence maximum was also shifted to red, exhibiting a nonstatic quenching process competitive to the excitation energy hopping. Thus the sensitization of photoinitiator system containing BH and BP, whose contents were almost same as that in the commercial products, was due to a static quenching process from dispersive singlet excited BH to BP ground state, and the nonstatic quenching process competitive to the excitation energy hopping was minimal. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Existence of a new emitting singlet state of proflavine: femtosecond dynamics of the excited state processes and quantum chemical studies in different solvents

Proflavine (3,6-diaminoacridine) shows fluorescence emission with lifetime, 4.6 ± 0.2 ns, in all the solvents irrespective of the solvent polarity. To understand this unusual photophysical property, investigations were carried out using steady state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy in the pico- and femtosecond time domain. Molecular geometries in the ground and low-lying excited states of proflavine were examined by complete structural optimization using ab initio quantum chemical computations at HF/6-311++G** and CIS/6-311++G** levels. Time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations were performed to study the excitation energies in the low-lying excited states. The steady state absorption and emission spectral details of proflavine are found to be influenced by solvents. The femtosecond fluorescence decay of the proflavine in all the solvents follows triexponential function with two ultrafast decay components (τ(1) and τ(2)) in addition to the nanosecond component. The ultrafast decay component, τ(1), is attributed to the solvation dynamics of the particular solvent used. The second ultrafast decay component, τ(2), is found to vary from 50 to 215 ps depending upon the solvent. The amplitudes of the ultrafast decay components vary with the wavelength and show time dependent spectral shift in the emission maximum. The observation is interpreted that the time dependent spectral shift is not only due to solvation dynamics but also due to the existence of more than one emitting state of proflavine in the solvent used. Time resolved area normalized emission spectral (TRANES) analysis shows an isoemissive point, indicating the presence of two emitting states in homogeneous solution. Detailed femtosecond fluorescence decay analysis allows us to isolate the two independent emitting components of the close lying singlet states. The CIS and TDDFT calculations also support the existence of the close lying emitting states. The near constant lifetime observed for proflavine in different solvents is suggested to be due to the similar dipole moments of the ground and the evolved emitting singlet state of the dye from the Franck-Condon excited state.     

About the intrinsic photochemical properties of the 11-cis retinal chromophore: computational clues for a trap state and a lever effect in Rhodopsin catalysis

CASPT2//CASSCF/6-31G* computations are used on the singlet S ₁ and S ₂ states to map the photoisomerization process of the 11-cis retinal protonated Schiff base in vacuo and to characterize its optical properties. It is shown that the spectroscopic observations recorded in Rhodopsin are reproduced quite well, calling for a substantially neutral effect of the protein. Furthermore, a rationale is proposed for the unreactive population recently observed in Rhodopsin, which is here addressed to the accessible S ₂ state, behaving as a trap. The experimental transient absorption and (absorption-wavelength dependent) emission are discussed and interpreted under the light of this novel model. Finally, a planarization of the β-ionone ring is observed on S ₁, which may cause a steric lever effect into the protein pocket, thus assisting photoisomerization catalysis. The reported results constitute a solid reference for further studies aimed to rationalize the effect of the environment on the photochemical reactivity of retinal chromophores. Electronic Supplementary Material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. Contribution to the Fernando Bernardi Memorial Issue.     

A two‐state reactivity rationale for the reaction of ta atom with acetonitrile in the gas phase

The spin‐forbidden reaction mechanism of Ta (⁴F, 5d³6s²) with CH₃CN, on two different potential surfaces (PESs) has been investigated at the B3LYP, MP2, and CCSD level of theory. Crossing points between the PESs are located using different methods, and possible spin inversion processes are discussed by means of spin‐orbit coupling calculations. As a result, the reaction system will change its spin multiplicities near this crossing seam, leading to a significant decrease in the barrier of ^2‐4TS3 from 24.17 to 5.36 kcal/mol, which makes the reaction access to a lower energy pathway and accelerate the reaction rate. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Theoretical exploration about excited state proton transfer mechanism for a series of phenol–quinoline compounds

In the present work, three novel phenols (10a,11‐dihydro‐4bH‐indeno[1,2‐b]quinolin‐4‐ol ( 1 ), 5,6‐dihydro‐benzo[c]acridin‐1‐ol ( 2 ), and 5,5,7,7a‐tetrahydro‐4aH‐13‐aza‐benzo[3,4]cyclohepta[1,2‐b]naphthalene‐1‐ol ( 3 )) have been explored theoretically in detail. Using density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent DFT (TDDFT) methods, we inquire into the intramolecular hydrogen‐bonding interactions and the excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process. Exploring the steady‐state absorption and emission spectra under TDDFT/B3LYP/TZVP theoretical level in acetonitrile solvent, our calculated results demonstrate an experimental phenomenon. Based on analysis of the variations of geometrical parameters and infrared (IR) vibrational spectra, we confirm that O–H?N should be strengthened in the S₁ state. Investigating the frontier molecular orbitals (MOs) and the charge density difference (CDD) maps, it can be confirmed that the charge redistribution facilitates the tendency of the ESIPT process for 1 , 2, and 3 systems. By constructing potential energy curves, we confirm that the proton transfer should occur in the S₁ state. In particular, the ESIPT for 2 and 3 systems are nonbarrier processes in the S₁ state, which confirms that ESIPT should be exothermal spontaneously. This work explains previous experimental results and makes a reasonable assumption about the ESIPT mechanism for 1 , 2 and 3 systems. We sincerely hope our work can facilitate understanding and promoting applications about them in future.     

Hydrogen Bonding of Fluorinated Saccharides in Solution: F Acting as H‐Bond Acceptor in a Bifurcated H‐Bond of 4‐Fluorinated Levoglucosans

4‐Fluorinated levoglucosans were synthesised to test if OH???F H‐bonds are feasible even when the O???F distance is increased. The fluorinated 1,6‐anhydro‐β‐D ‐glucopyranoses were synthesised from 1,6 : 3,4‐dianhydro‐β‐D ‐galactopyranose ( 8 ). Treatment of 8 with KHF₂ and KF gave 43% of 4‐deoxy‐4‐fluorolevoglucosan ( 9 ), which was transformed into the 3‐O‐protected derivatives 13 by silylation and 15 by silylation, acetylation, and desilylation. 4‐Deoxy‐4‐methyllevoglucosan ( 19 ) and 4‐deoxylevoglucosan ( 21 ) were prepared as reference compounds that can only form a bivalent H‐bond from HO? C(2) to O? C(5). They were synthesised from the ⁱPr₃Si‐protected derivative of 8 . Intramolecular bifurcated H‐bonds from HO? C(2) to F? C(4) and O? C(5) of the 4‐fluorinated levoglucosans in CDCl₃ solution are evidenced by the ¹H‐NMR scalar couplings ^h1J(F,OH) and ³J(H,OH). The OH???F H‐bond over an O???F distance of ca. 3.0 Å is thus formed in apolar solvents, at least when favoured by the simultaneous formation of an OH???O H‐bond.