Absorption spectra of azobenzenes simulated with time‐dependent density functional theory

Using time‐dependent density functional theory and the polarizable continuum model, we have simulated the absorption spectra of an extended series of azobenzene dyes. First, we have determined a theoretical level optimal for this important class of dyes, and it turned out that a C‐PCM‐CAM‐B3LYP/6‐311+G(d,p)//C‐PCM‐B3LYP/6‐311G(d,p) approach represents an effective compromise between chemical accuracy and computational cost. In a second stage, we have compared the theoretical and experimental transition energies for 46 n → π^☆ and 141 π → π^☆ excitations. For the full set, that spans over a 302–565 nm domain, we obtained a mean absolute deviation of 13 nm (0.10 eV) and a linear correlation coefficient of 0.95, illustrating the accuracy of our approach, though some significant outliers pertained. In a last step, the impact of several modifications, that is, trans/cis isomerization, variation of the acidity of the medium and azo/hydrazo tautomerism have been modeled with two functionals. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010