Singlet excited-state dynamics of 5-fluorocytosine and Cytosine: an experimental and computational study

The photophysics of singlet excited 5-fluorocytosine (5FC) was studied in steady-state and time-resolved experiments and theoretically by quantum chemical calculations. Femtosecond transient absorption measurements show that replacement of the C5 hydrogen of cytosine by fluorine increases the excited-state lifetime by 2 orders of magnitude from 720 fs to 73 +/- 4 ps. Experimental evidence indicates that emission in both compounds originates from a single tautomeric form. The lifetime of 5FC is the same within experimental uncertainty in the solvents ethanol and dimethyl sulfoxide. The insensitivity of the S(1) lifetime to the protic nature of the solvent suggests that proton transfer is not the principal quenching mechanism for the excited state. Excited-state calculations were carried out for the amino-keto tautomer of 5FC, the dominant species in polar environments, in order to understand its longer excited-state lifetime. CASSCF and CAS-PT2 calculations of the excited states show that the minimum energy path connecting the minimum of the (1)pi,pi state with the conical intersection responsible for internal conversion has essentially the same energetics for cytosine and 5FC, suggesting that both bases decay nonradiatively by the same mechanism. The dramatic difference in lifetimes may be due to subtle changes along the decay coordinate. A possible reason may be differences in the intramolecular vibrational redistribution rate from the Franck-Condon active, in-plane modes to the out-of-plane modes that must be activated to reach the conical intersection region.     

Femtosecond studies of charge-transfer mediated proton transfer in 2-butylamino-6-methyl-4-nitropyridine N-oxide

We have unraveled the effects of an amino substituent in the ortho position on the excited-state dynamics of 4-nitropyridine N-oxide by studying the picosecond fluorescence kinetics and femtosecond transient absorption of a newly synthesized compound, 2-butylamino-6-methyl-4-nitropyridine N-oxide, and by quantum chemical calculations. Similar to the parent compound, the S(1) state of the target molecule has significant charge-transfer character and shows a large (approximately 8000 cm(-1)) static Stokes shift in acetonitrile. Analysis of the experimental and the theoretical results leads, however, to a new scenario in which this intramolecular charge transfer triggers in polar, aprotic solvents an ultrafast (around 100 fs) intramolecular proton transfer between the amino and the N-O group. The electronically excited N-OH tautomer is subsequently subject to solvent relaxation and decays with a lifetime of approximately 150 ps to the ground state.     

Chemistry, photophysics, and ultrafast kinetics of two structurally related Schiff bases containing the naphthalene or quinoline ring

The two structurally related Schiff bases, 2-hydroxynaphthylidene-(8-aminoquinoline) (HNAQ) and 2-hydroxynaphthylidene-1(')-naphthylamine (HNAN), were studied by means of steady-state and time resolved optical spectroscopies as well as time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations. The first one, HNAQ, is stable as a keto tautomer in the ground state and in the excited state in solutions, therefore it was used as a model of a keto tautomer of HNAN which exists mainly in its enol form in the ground state at room temperature. Excited state intramolecular proton transfer in the HNAN molecule leads to a very weak (quantum yield of the order of 10(-4)) strongly Stokes-shifted fluorescence. The characteristic time of the proton transfer (about 30 fs) was estimated from femtosecond transient absorption data supported by global analysis and deconvolution techniques. Approximately 35% of excited molecules create a photochromic form whose lifetime was beyond the time window of the experiment (2 ns). The remaining ones reach the relaxed S(1) state (of a lifetime of approximately 4 ps), whose emission is present in the decay associated difference spectra. Some evidence for the back proton transfer from the ground state of the keto form with the characteristic time of approximately 13 ps was also found. The energies and orbital characteristics of main electronic transitions in both molecules calculated by TDDFT method are also discussed.     

The ground state tautomer in the excited state relaxation process of 3-hydroxyflavone at room temperature

Very recently, the ground state reverse proton transfer in 3-hydroxyflavone (3-HF) has been reported to take place within 30 ps by picosecond transient absorption spectroscopy by Aartsma and co-workers. Here we present evidence of intervention of a long-lived ground state tautomer involved in the excited state relaxation process of 3-HF by transient absorption and two-step laser excitation fluorescence spectroscopy.     

A Time‐Dependent Picture of the Ultrafast Deactivation of keto‐Cytosine Including Three‐State Conical Intersections

Using mixed quantum–classical dynamics, the lowest part of the UV absorption spectrum and the first deactivation steps of keto‐cytosine have been investigated. The spectrum shows several strong peaks, which mainly come from the S₁ and S₂ states, with minor contributions from the S₃. The semiclassical trajectories, launched from these three states, clearly indicate that at least four states are involved in the relaxation of keto‐cytosine to the ground state. Non‐adiabatic transfer between the ππ* and nπ* excited states and deactivation via three‐state conical intersections is observed in the very early stage of the dynamics. In less than 100 fs, a large amount of population is deactivated to the ground state via several mechanisms; some population remains trapped in the S₂ state. The latter two events can be connected to the fs and ps transients observed experimentally.     

Excited‐State Intramolecular Proton Transfer in a Blue Fluorescence Chromophore Induces Dual Emission

Compared with green fluorescence protein (GFP) chromophores, the recently synthesized blue fluorescence protein (BFP) chromophore variant presents intriguing photochemical properties, for example, dual fluorescence emission, enhanced fluorescence quantum yield, and ultra‐slow excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT; J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2014 , 5, 92); however, its photochemical mechanism is still elusive. Herein we have employed the CASSCF and CASPT2 methods to study the mechanistic photochemistry of a truncated BFP chromophore variant in the S₀ and S₁ states. Based on the optimized minima, conical intersections, and minimum‐energy paths (ESIPT, photoisomerization, and deactivation), we have found that the system has two competitive S₁ relaxation pathways from the Franck–Condon point of the BFP chromophore variant. One is the ESIPT path to generate an S₁ tautomer that exhibits a large Stokes shift in experiments. The generated S₁ tautomer can further evolve toward the nearby S₁/S₀ conical intersection and then jumps down to the S₀ state. The other is the photoisomerization path along the rotation of the central double bond. Along this path, the S₁ system runs into an S₁/S₀ conical intersection region and eventually hops to the S₀ state. The two energetically allowed S₁ excited‐state deactivation pathways are responsible for the in‐part loss of fluorescence quantum yield. The considerable S₁ ESIPT barrier and the sizable barriers that separate the S₁ tautomers from the S₁/S₀ conical intersections make these two tautomers establish a kinetic equilibrium in the S₁ state, which thus results in dual fluorescence emission.     

飞秒时间分辨的光电子影像技术研究2-氯吡啶超快内转换动力学

利用时间分辨的飞秒光电子影像技术结合时间分辨的质谱技术, 研究了2-氯吡啶分子激发态的超快过程. 实时观察到了2-氯吡啶分子第二激发态(S₂)向第一激发态(S₁)高振动能级的的超快内转换过程,该内转换的时间常数为(162±5)fs. 实验结果表明, 通过S₂/S₀的锥形交叉衰减到基态的衰减通道也是退布居的重要通道, 其时间尺度为(5.5±0.3) ps.     

Photoisomerization of Arylazopyrazole Photoswitches: Stereospecific Excited‐State Relaxation

Electronic structure calculations and nonadiabatic dynamics simulations (more than 2000 trajectories) are used to explore the Z–E photoisomerization mechanism and excited‐state decay dynamics of two arylazopyrazole photoswitches. Two chiral S₁/S₀ conical intersections with associated enantiomeric S₁ relaxation paths that are barrierless and efficient (timescale of ca. 50 fs) were found. For the parent arylazopyrazole (Z8) both paths contribute evenly to the S₁ excited‐state decay, whereas for the dimethyl derivative (Z11) each of the two chiral cis minima decays almost exclusively through one specific enantiomeric S₁ relaxation path. To our knowledge, the Z11 arylazopyrazole is thus the first example for nearly stereospecific unidirectional excited‐state relaxation.     

Dynamics of carbocation formation in the photolysis of 1,2,2,3-tetramethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline in alcohols

Dynamics of the formation of the carbocation in the ground state as a result of photoinduced proton transfer from a solvent to the excited state of 1,2,2,3-tetramethyl-1,2-dihydroquinoline (3MDHQ) in MeOH and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) was registered by pump-probe laser photolysis (λ_pump = 310 nm) with femtosecond time resolution. The lifetimes of the excited singlet state of 3MDHQ τ = 115 and 780 ps were determined in TFE and MeOH, respectively. The transient species with absorption spectrum corre-sponding to the spectrum of the carbocation from 3MDHQ (λ_max = 480 nm) is generated at time delays lower than 500 fs from the unrelaxed excited singlet state.     

Photo-deactivation pathways of a double H-bonded photochromic Schiff base investigated by combined theoretical calculations and experimental time-resolved studies

The photophysics of N,N'-bis(salicylidene)-p-phenylenediamine (BSP) is analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. The alternative intramolecular proton-transfer reactions lead to three different tautomers. We performed DFT and TDDFT calculations to analyze the topography of the reactions connecting the three tautomers. Deactivation paths through a Conical Intersection (CI) region are also analyzed to explain the low fluorescence quantum yield of the phototautomers. The complex molecular structure of BSP provides a large number of deactivation paths, almost all of them energetically available following the initial photoexcitation. Femtosecond (fs) time-resolved emission studies in solution and flash photolysis experiments (nano to millisecond regime) were performed to get detailed information on the time domain of the full photocycle. The picture that emerges by combining theoretical and experimental results shows a very fast (less than 100 fs) photoinduced single proton transfer process leading to a phototautomer where a single proton has moved. This species may deactivate through a low-energy CI leading in about 20 ps to a rotameric form in the ground state that has a lifetime of several tens of microseconds in solution. This process competes with another deactivation path taking place prior to the proton-transfer reaction which involves a low-energy CI leading to a rotamer of the enol structure. In the flash photolysis studies, the rotamer of the enol structure was directly identified by the positive transient absorption band in the 250-260 nm and its lifetime in n-hexane (10 ms) is almost 3 orders of magnitude longer than the lifetime of the photochrome (around 40 μs). Our findings do not exclude a double proton transfer reaction in the excited enol form to give a tautomer in less than 100 fs during the first (impulsive) phase of the reaction which reverts back to the photoproducts of the simple proton transfer in 1-3 ps.     

Pseudo-bimolecular [2+2] cycloaddition studied by time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy

The first study of pseudo‐bimolecular cycloaddition reaction dynamics in the gas phase is presented. We used femtosecond time‐resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TRPES) to study the [2+2] photocycloaddition in the model system pseudo‐gem‐divinyl[2.2]paracyclophane. From X‐ray crystal diffraction measurements we found that the ground‐state molecule can exist in two conformers; a reactive one in which the vinyl groups are immediately situated for [2+2] cycloaddition and a nonreactive conformer in which they point in opposite directions. From the measured S₁ lifetimes we assigned a clear relation between the conformation and the excited‐state reactivity; the reactive conformer has a lifetime of 13 ps, populating the ground state through a conical intersection leading to [2+2] cycloaddition, whereas the nonreactive conformer has a lifetime of 400 ps. Ab initio calculations were performed to locate the relevant conical intersection (CI) and calculate an excited‐state [2+2] cycloaddition reaction path. The interpretation of the results is supported by experimental results on the similar but nonreactive pseudo‐para‐divinyl[2.2]paracyclophane, which has a lifetime of more than 500 ps in the S₁ state.     

Ultrafast dynamics in thiophene investigated by femtosecond pump probe photoelectron spectroscopy and theory

A hybrid of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer and a time-of-flight "magnetic-bottle type" photoelectron (PE) spectrometer is used for fs pump-probe investigations of the excited state dynamics of thiophene. A resonant two-photon ionization spectrum of the onset of the excited states has been recorded with a tunable UV laser of 190 fs pulse width. With the pump laser set to the first intense transition we find by UV probe ionization first a small time shift of the maxima in the PE spectrum and then a fast decay to a low constant intensity level. The fitted time constants are 80+/-10 fs, and 25+/-10 fs, respectively. Theoretical calculations show that upon geometry relaxation the electronic state order changes and conical intersections between excited states exist. We use the vertical state order S1, S2, S3 to define the terms S1, S2, and S3 for the characterization of the electron configuration of these states. On the basis of our theoretical result we discuss the electronic state order in the UV spectra and identify in the photoelectron spectrum the origin of the first cation excited state D1. The fast excited state dynamics agrees best with a vibrational dynamics in the photo-excited S1 (80+/-10 fs) and an ultrafast decay via a conical intersection, presumably a ring opening to the S3 state (25+/-10 fs). The subsequently observed weak constant signal is taken as an indication, that in the gas phase the ring-closure to S0 is slower than 50 ps. An ultrafast equilibrium between S1 and S2 before ring opening is not supported by our data.     

Excited‐State Dynamics of the Metal String Complex Co3(dpa)4(NCS)2 from Femtosecond Transient Absorption Spectra

Transient absorption spectroscopy is used to study the excited‐state dynamics of Co₃(dpa)₄(NCS)₂, where dpa is the ligand di(2‐pyridyl)amido. The ππ*, charge‐transfer, and d–d transition states are excited upon irradiation at wavelengths of 330, 400 and 600 nm, respectively. Similar transient spectra are observed under the experimental temporal resolution and the transient species show weak absorption. We thus propose that a low‐lying metal‐centered d–d state is accessed immediately after excitation. Analyses of the experimental kinetic traces reveal rapid conversion from the ligand‐centered ππ* and the charge‐transfer states to this metal‐centered d‐d state within 100 fs. The excited molecule then crosses to a second d–d state within the ligand‐field manifold, with a time coefficient of 0.6–1.4 ps. Because the ground‐state bleaching band recovers with a time coefficient of 10–23 ps, we propose that an excited molecule crosses from the low‐lying d–d state either directly within the same spin system or with spin crossing via the state ²B to the ground state ²A₂ (symmetry group C₄). In this trimetal string complex, relaxation to the ground electronic surface after excitation is thus rapid.     

Ultrafast Dynamics Through Conical Intersections in 2,6-dimethylpyridine Studied with Time-resolved Photoelectron Imaging

The ultrafast dynamics through conical intersections in 2,6-dimethylpyridine has been stud-ied by femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron imaging coupled with time-resolved mass spectroscopy. Upon absorption of 266 nm pump laser, 2,6-dimethylpyridine is excited to the S₂ state with a ππ^* character from S₀state. The time evolution of the parent ion sig-nals consists of two exponential decays. One is a fast component on a timescale of 635 fs and the other is a slow component with a timescale of 4.37 ps. Time-dependent photo-electron angular distributions and energy-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy are extracted from time-resolved photoelectron imaging and provide the evolutive information of S₂ state. In brief, the ultrafast component is a population transfer from S₂ to S₁ through the S₂/S₁ conical intersections, the slow component is attributed to simultaneous IC from the S₂ state and the higher vibrational levels of S₁ state to S₀ state, which involves the coupling of S₂/S₀ and S₁/S₀ conical intersections. Additionally, the observed ultrafast S₂→S₁ transition occurs only with an 18% branching ratio.     

The decay mechanism of photoexcited guanine - a nonadiabatic dynamics study

Ab initio surface hopping dynamics calculations were performed for the biologically relevant tautomer of guanine in gas phase excited into the first ππ? state. The results show that the complete population of UV-excited molecules returns to the ground state following an exponential decay within ～220 fs. This value is in good agreement with the experimentally obtained decay times of 148 and 360 fs. No fraction of the population remains trapped in the excited states. The internal conversion occurs in the ππ? state at two related types of conical intersections strongly puckered at the C2 atom. Only a small population of about 5% following an alternative pathway via a nπ? state was found in the dynamics.     

Excitation energy dependence on the intramolecular excited-state proton transfer of 3-hydroxyflavone in the vapor phase

3-hydroxyflavone in the vapor phase exhibits long-wavelength flourescence (λ_max = 530 nm) due to a tautomer generated by intramolecular excited-state proton transfer. Excitation energy dependence on the flourescence quantum yield and lifetimes of the tautomer was observed suggesting proton transfer in the upper vibrational S₁ state of 3-hydroxyflavone.     

Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer driven by conical intersection in hydroxychromones

Nonradiative decay pathways associated with vibronically coupled S₁(ππ*)–S₂(nπ*) potential energy surfaces of 3- and 5-hydroxychromones are investigated by employing the linear vibronic coupling approach. The presence of a conical intersection close to the Franck–Condon point is identified based on the critical examination of computed energetics and structural parameters of stationary points. We show that very minimal displacements of relevant atoms of intramolecular proton transfer geometry are adequate to drive the molecule toward the conical intersection nuclear configuration. The evolving wavepacket on S₁(ππ*) bifurcates at the conical intersection: a part of the wavepacket moves to S₂(nπ*) within a few femtoseconds while the other decays to S₁ minimum. Our findings indicate the possibility of forming the proton transfer tautomer product via S₂(nπ*), competing with the traditional pathway occurring on S₁(ππ*).     

Ultrafast photochemistry of dithizonatophenylmercury(II)

The initial photochromic reaction of dithizonatophenylmercury(II) in solution was investigated by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Ultrafast excitation within less than 100 fs caused a radiationless photoreaction with a time constant of 1.5 ps, which is interpreted as C=N isomerization through a conical intersection. The orthogonally twisted intermediate state was observed through its excited-state absorption. Bifurcation along pathways towards the ground states of the orange cis and blue trans configurations occurs below the funnel of the conical intersection. The photochromism of the title compound in a very polar solvent such as methanol is observed for the first time.     

Nonradiative Excited-State Decay via Conical Intersection in Graphene Nanostructures

Chemical groups are known to tune the luminescent efficiencies of graphene-related nanomaterials, but some species, including the epoxide group (−COC−), are suspected to act as emission-quenching sites. Herein, by performing nonadiabatic excited-state dynamics simulations, we reveal a fast (within 300 fs) nonradiative excited-state decay of a graphene epoxide nanostructure from the lowest excited singlet (S₁) state to the ground (S₀) state via a conical intersection (CI), at which the energy difference between the S₁ and S₀ states is approximately zero. This CI is induced after breaking one C−O bond at the −COC− moiety during excited-state structural relaxation. This study ascertains the role of epoxide groups in inducing the nonradiative recombination of the excited electron-hole, providing important insights into the CI-promoted nonradiative de-excitations and the luminescence tuning of relevant materials. In addition, it shows the feasibility of utilizing nonadiabatic excited-state dynamics simulations to investigate the photophysical processes of the excited states of graphene nanomaterials.     

A comparative study on the photochemistry of two bipyridyl derivatives: [2,2'-bipyridyl]-3,3'-diamine and [2,2'-bipyridyl]-3,3'-diol.

The two isoelectronic bipyridyl derivatives, [2,2'-bipyridyl]-3,3'-diamine and [2,2'-bipyridyl]-3,3'-diol, are experimentally known to undergo very different excited-state double-proton-transfer processes, which result in fluorescence quantum yields that differ by four orders of magnitude. Herein, density functional theory (DFT), time-dependent DFT (TDDFT), and complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) calculations are used to study the double-proton-transfer processes in the ground and first singlet pi-->pi* excited state. The quantum-chemistry calculations indicate 1) the existence of only one energy minimum in the ground electronic state corresponding to reactants (thus avoiding the possibility of a fast fluorescent relaxation process from the photoproducts region), 2) an endoergic process of the complete double proton transfer, and 3) the presence of a conical intersection in the excited intermediate region of [2,2'-bipyridyl]-3,3'-diamine. These facts explain the very low fluorescence quantum yield in [2,2'-bipyridyl]-3,3'-diamine compared to [2,2'-bipyridyl]-3,3'-diol.