The potential energy surfaces and the radiationless dynamics of excited states of benzene and pyrazine

The potential energy surfaces of the lowest excited states of benzene and pyrazine are investigated as a function of some of the symmetry-adapted internal coordinates by means of the INDO/S method. A large stabilization of the T₂ (ππ*) state of pyrazine (≈ 0.5 eV) along the S_8b vibrational coordinate is found. The calculated potential energy in some excited states (T₁ in benzene, T₂ and S₂ in pyrazine) is a very flat function of the S_16b vibrational coordinate, leading to a crossing with the potential energy of the ground state at relatively small excess of vibrational energy (≈ 1 eV). Thus the ν_16b vibrational mode is postulated to play an important role in the radiationless relaxation to the ground states of these systems. No such crossing has been found near the “channel three” threshold of benzene.