Vibronic absorption spectra and excited states of acridine red dye in aqueous solution: TD-DFT/DFT study

Abstract

Abstract The vibronic absorption spectra of acridine red (AR) xanthene dye in an aqueous solution using 40 hybrid functionals, the 6-31++G(d,p) basis set, and the IEFPCM solvent model were calculated. It turned out that the O3LYP functional provided the best agreement with the experiment in the positions of the main maximum and the short-wavelength subband (shoulder). The calculations showed that this shoulder is vibronic. At the same time, the shoulder intensity in the calculated spectrum turned out to be lower than in the experimental one. Apparently, insignificant dimerization, which occurs even at low concentrations of the dye in solution, contributes to the shoulder of the experimental absorption spectrum. Various parameters of the AR cation in the ground and excited states (IR spectra, atomic charges, dipole moments, and transition moment) were calculated. Maps of the distribution of electron density and electrostatic potential have been built. The influence of the strong hydrogen bonds of the dye with three water molecules on the absorption spectrum was analyzed. It has been shown that these bonds are strengthened upon AR excitation. The strengthening of two hydrogen bonds with water upon excitation leads to a lowering of the potential energy surface of the excited state, which causes a decrease in the excitation energy (i.e., an increase in the wavelength of the absorbed photon) as compared to a purely implicit specification of the water environment. Therefore, explicit assignment of waters strongly bound to the dye leads to spectrum redshift.