Study of cis–trans isomerization mechanism of 3,3′-azobenzene disulphonate in the lowest singlet and triplet electronic states by density functional theory

Abstract

The cis–trans isomerization pathways of 3,3′-azobenzene disulphonate in the S0 and T1 states are studied by DFT method at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. In the S0 state, the cis–trans isomerization concerns the complex pathway that is characterized by the inversion of one NNC angle combined with rotation around the NC bond, and the three sequential transition states are also found on the potential energy profile. Therefore, the cis–trans isomerization of 3,3′-azobenzene disulphonate can be understood in terms of a pathway involving successive rotation, inversion, and rotation processes. The energy barrier of the S0 state is 22.79 kcal mol−1. In the T1 state, the isomerization mainly concerns the rotational pathway around the NN double bond, and the two isomers are connected through only one transition state. The isomerization of the T1 state is related to a lower energy barrier, 5.02 kcal mol−1, but requires a change in spin-multiplicity.