Franck-Condon Structure Research Articles

Prototropically Controlled Dynamics of Cytosine Photodecay

The effect of the existence of several prototropic tautomers of cytosine on its UV/vis spectra and the excited state decay dynamics is studied by spectral and nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) simulations in connection with the mixed-reference spin-flip time-dependent density functional theory (MRSF-TDDFT) method. Simulated UV/vis spectra provide a strong indication that the H3N keto-amino cytosine tautomer (the least anticipated species) may be present under experimental conditions. The NAMD simulations yield a wide range of excited state decay constants for various tautomers of cytosine, ranging from ∼1.3 ps for the biologically relevant H1N keto-amino tautomer to ∼0.1 ps for the keto-imino tautomer. The slowness of the H1N decay dynamics follows from the presence of a barrier on the excited state energy surface separating the Franck-Condon structure from the major decay funnel, the conical intersection seam. It is suggested that the experimentally observed photodecay dynamics may result from a combination of the decay processes of various tautomers (H3N in particular) present simultaneously under the experimental conditions.

Insight into Isomeric Effect on the Photoluminescence and Mechanoluminescence of Cyanostilbene Derivatives.

Molecular structures, packings, and intermolecular interactions significantly affect the photophysical properties of organic luminogens. In this work, the photoluminescence (PL) and mechanoluminescence (ML) of two pairs of isomers, 1/2 and 3/4, were systematically explored. The fluorescence of crystals 1c and 4c is much brighter than that of their isomers 2c and 3c, respectively. Only 1c is ML-active among all four molecules. Single-crystal structural analysis revealed that isomerization of a substituent group affected their molecular packing and intermolecular interactions. Stronger intermolecular interaction and intact three-dimensional hydrogen-bonded networks were formed only in crystal 1c, which were essential for preventing slippage of molecular layers and generating ML; the other molecules were either lacking π-π interactions or C-H···π interactions. Theoretical calculation suggested that the energy barrier between the Franck-Condon (FC) structure and minimum energy crossing point (MECP) structure of 2/3 was much lower than that of 1/4. Nonradiative decay channels of molecules 2 and 3 were thus more easily activated, which led to their lower quantum yield.

Interplay of Open-Shell Spin-Coupling and Jahn-Teller Distortion in Benzene Radical Cation Probed by X-ray Spectroscopy.

We report a theoretical investigation and elucidation of the X-ray absorption spectra of neutral benzene and of the benzene cation. The generation of the cation by multiphoton ultraviolet (UV) ionization and the measurement of the carbon K-edge spectra of both species using a table-top high-harmonic generation source are described in the companion experimental paper [Epshtein, M.; et al. J. Phys. Chem. A http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.0c08736]. We show that the 1sC → π transition serves as a sensitive signature of the transient cation formation, as it occurs outside of the spectral window of the parent neutral species. Moreover, the presence of the unpaired (spectator) electron in the π-subshell of the cation and the high symmetry of the system result in significant differences relative to neutral benzene in the spectral features associated with the 1sC → π* transitions. High-level calculations using equation-of-motion coupled-cluster theory provide the interpretation of the experimental spectra and insight into the electronic structure of benzene and its cation. The prominent split structure of the 1sC → π* band of the cation is attributed to the interplay between the coupling of the core → π* excitation with the unpaired electron in the π-subshell and the Jahn-Teller distortion. The calculations attribute most of the splitting (∼1-1.2 eV) to the spin coupling, which is visible already at the Franck-Condon structure, and we estimate the additional splitting due to structural relaxation to be around ∼0.1-0.2 eV. These results suggest that X-ray absorption with increased resolution might be able to disentangle electronic and structural aspects of the Jahn-Teller effect in the benzene cation.

A new twist in the photophysics of the GFP chromophore: a volume-conserving molecular torsion couple.

The simple structure of the chromophore of the green fluorescent protein (GFP), a phenol and an imidazolone ring linked by a methyne bridge, supports an exceptionally diverse range of excited state phenomena. Here we describe experimentally and theoretically the photochemistry of a novel sterically crowded nonplanar derivative of the GFP chromophore. It undergoes an excited state isomerization reaction accompanied by an exceptionally fast (sub 100 fs) excited state decay. The decay dynamics are essentially independent of solvent polarity and viscosity. Excited state structural dynamics are probed by high level quantum chemical calculations revealing that the fast decay is due to a conical intersection characterized by a twist of the rings and pyramidalization of the methyne bridge carbon. The intersection can be accessed without a barrier from the pre-twisted Franck-Condon structure, and the lack of viscosity dependence is due to the fact that the rings twist in the same direction, giving rise to a volume-conserving decay coordinate. Moreover, the rotation of the phenyl, methyl and imidazolone groups is coupled in the sterically crowded structure, with the methyl group translating the rotation of one ring to the next. As a consequence, the excited state dynamics can be viewed as a torsional couple, where the absorbed photon energy leads to conversion of the out-of-plane orientation from one ring to the other in a volume conserving fashion. A similar modification of the range of methyne dyes may provide a new family of devices for molecular machines, specifically torsional couples.

Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Study of the Photoreaction of 1,1′-Dimethylstilbene upon S0 → S1 Excitation

Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations were carried out for ππ*-excited 1,1'-dimethylstilbene (dmSB) at the spin-flip time-dependent density functional theory (SF-TDDFT) level with the TSF-index technique, to get insights into the substitution effects on the photoisomerization dynamics of stilbene (SB). It is found that the reaction path from the Franck-Condon structure of cis-dmSB is oriented toward the 4,4-dihydrophenanthrene (DHP) side from the beginning, which is in contrast to the case of SB where the pathway is oriented toward the twist side in the initial stage. The optimized geometries of minima and the minimum-energy conical intersection (MECI) suggested that molecules in the DHP region could easily decay to the ground state. On the other hand, S1/S0-MECI and S1-minimum in the twist region have a relatively different geometry from each other, which is consistent with the experimental observation of the long lifetime of the perpendicular structure. AIMD simulations showed that more trajectories enter the well of the DHP side than the well of the twist side and that all of the trajectories going to the DHP side reached the S1/S0-CI region within ∼0.2 ps on average, while very few trajectories reached S1/S0-CI even after 1 ps in the twist region. Decrease in the S1 population in the cis and twist regions qualitatively reproduced the temporal profiles of the transient absorption bands of dmSB observed in the visible and ultraviolet regions, respectively.

Isotope effects in liquid water probed by transmission mode x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the oxygen K-edge.

The effects of isotope substitution in liquid water are probed by x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the O K-edge as measured in transmission mode. Confirming earlier x-ray Raman scattering experiments, the D2O spectrum is found to be blue shifted with respect to H2O, and the D2O spectrum to be less broadened. Following the earlier interpretations of UV and x-ray Raman spectra, the shift is related to the difference in ground-state zero-point energies between D2O and H2O, while the difference in broadening is related to the difference in ground-state vibrational zero-point distributions. We demonstrate that the transmission-mode measurements allow for determining the spectral shapes with unprecedented accuracy. Owing in addition to the increased spectral resolution and signal to noise ratio compared to the earlier measurements, the new data enable the stringent determination of blue shift and broadening in the O K-edge x-ray absorption spectrum of liquid water upon isotope substitution. The results are compared to UV absorption data, and it is discussed to which extent they reflect the differences in zero-point energies and vibrational zero-point distributions in the ground-states of the liquids. The influence of the shape of the final-state potential, inclusion of the Franck-Condon structure, and differences between liquid H2O and D2O resulting from different hydrogen-bond environments in the liquids are addressed. The differences between the O K-edge absorption spectra of water from our transmission-mode measurements and from the state-of-the-art x-ray Raman scattering experiments are discussed in addition. The experimentally extracted values of blue shift and broadening are proposed to serve as a test for calculations of ground-state zero-point energies and vibrational zero-point distributions in liquid H2O and D2O. This clearly motivates the need for new calculations of the O K-edge x-ray absorption spectrum of liquid water.

Femtosecond Heterodyne Transient-Grating Studies of Nonradiative Decay of the S2 (1(1)Bu(+)) State of β-Carotene: Contributions from Dark Intermediates and Double-Quantum Coherences.

Femtosecond transient-grating spectroscopy with heterodyne detection was employed to characterize the nonradiative decay pathway in β-carotene from the S2 (1(1)Bu(+)) state to the S1 (2(1)Ag(-)) state in benzonitrile solution. The results indicate definitively that the S2 state populates an intermediate state, Sx, on an ultrafast time scale prior to nonradiative decay to the S1 state. Numerical simulations using the response function formalism and the multimode Brownian oscillator model were used to fit the absorption and dispersion components of the transient-grating signal with a common set of parameters for all of the relevant Feynman pathways, including double-quantum coherences. The requirement for inclusion of the Sx state in the nonradiative decay pathway is the observed fast rise time of the dispersion component, which is predominantly controlled by the decay of the stimulated emission signal from the optically prepared S2 state. The finding that the excited-state absorption spectrum from the Sx state is significantly red-shifted from that of S2 and S1 leads to a new assignment for the spectroscopic origin of the Sx state. Rather than assigning Sx to a discrete electronic state, such as the (1)Bu(-) state suggested in previous work, it is proposed that the Sx state corresponds to a transition-state-like structure on the S2 potential surface. In this hypothesis, the 12 fs time constant for the decay of the S2 state corresponds to a vibrational displacement of the C-C and C═C bond-length alternation coordinates of the conjugated polyene backbone from the optically prepared Franck-Condon structure to a potential energy barrier on the S2 surface that divides planar and torsionally displaced structures. The lifetime of the Sx state would be associated with a subsequent relaxation along torsional coordinates over a steep potential energy gradient toward a conical intersection with the S1 state. This hypothesis leads to the idea that twisted structures with intramolecular charge-transfer character along the S2 torsional gradient are active in excitation energy-transfer mechanisms to (bacterio)chlorophyll acceptors.

Vibrationally Coherent Preparation of the Transition State for Photoisomerization of the Cyanine Dye Cy5 in Water

Femtosecond pump-continuum probe spectroscopy with impulsive excitation was employed to observe coherent wavepacket motions of the cyanine dye Cy5 in water that promote photoisomerization after optical preparation of the first excited singlet state, S1. The chief component in the excited-state vibrational coherence is a resonance Raman-inactive, 273 cm(-1) mode of mixed carbon-carbon bond length alternation and out-of-plane or twisting character. The ultrafast (30 fs) damping of these motions arises from trajectories that irreversibly cross the transition state barrier; after several recurrences to the transition state region, vibrational cooling traps a significant fraction of the excited-state molecules in the planar, Franck-Condon region of the potential energy surface. Motion in the 273 cm(-1) promoting mode is apparently launched by a change in conformation of the conjugated polyene backbone during the first few vibrations of the high-frequency C-C and C═C bond length alternation coordinates that principally contribute to the initial displacement from the Franck-Condon structure. To our knowledge, this work provides the first direct observations of the intramolecular redistribution of excited-state potential energy into reactive motions that are rapidly damped by transition state barrier-crossing events leading to photoisomerization in a conjugated polyene. These results provide insight into the vibrational dynamics that contribute to the photoisomerization of retinal protonated Schiff bases in the rhodopsins and to the formation of intramolecular charge transfer character in carotenoids in photosynthetic light-harvesting proteins.

Dynamics Simulations with Spin-Flip Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory: Photoisomerization and Photocyclization Mechanisms of cis-Stilbene in ππ* States

On-the-fly dynamics simulations were carried out using spin-flip time dependent density functional theory (SF-TDDFT) to examine the photoisomerization and photocyclization mechanisms of cis-stilbene following excitation to the ππ* state. A state tracking method was devised to follow the target state among nearly degenerate electronic states during the dynamics simulations. The steepest descent path from the Franck-Condon structure of cis-stilbene in the ππ* state is shown to reach the S1-minimum of 4,4-dihydrophenanthrene (DHP) via a cis-stilbene-like structure (referred to as (S1)cis-min) on a very flat region of the S1-potential energy surface. From the dynamics simulations, the branching ratio of the photoisomerization is calculated as trans:DHP = 35:13, in very good agreement with the experimental data, trans:DHP = 35:10. The discrepancy between the steepest descent pathway and the significant trans-stilbene presence in the branching ratio observed experimentally and herein computationally is clarified from an analysis of geometrical features along the reaction pathway, as well as the low barrier of 0.1 eV for the pathway from (S1)cis-min to the twisted pyramidal structure on the S1-potential energy surface. It is concluded that ππ*-excited cis-stilbene propagates primarily toward the twisted structural region due to dynamic effects, with partial branching to the DHP structural region via the flat-surface region around (S1)cis-min.

Probing Vibrationally Mediated Ultrafast Excited-State Reaction Dynamics with Multireference (CASPT2) Trajectories

Excited-state trajectories computed at the complete active space second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) reveal how vibrational excitation controls the molecular approach to the intersection space that drives the photodissociation of a prototypical halogenated methyl radical, namely CF2I. Translating the Franck-Condon structure along the ground-state CASPT2 vibrational modes in this system followed by propagating the displaced structures in the first excited doublet state simulates specific vibrational excitations and vibrationally mediated dynamics, respectively. Three distinct situations are encountered: the trajectories (i) converge to an energetically flat segment of the intersection space, (ii) locate a segment of the intersection space, and (iii) access a region where the intersection space degeneracy is lifted to form a ridge of avoided crossings. The computational protocol documented herein can be used as a tool to design control strategies based on selective excitation of vibrational modes, including adaptive feedback schemes using coherent light sources.

Photophysics and photochemistry of positionally isomeric 1,2-dianthryltetramethyldisilanes: Investigation of anthryl–anthryl and anthryl–SiSi interactions

Aryldisilanes composed of one or two anthryl groups and tetra- or pentamethyldisilane chain units were prepared. The substitution of disilanes on the two anthryl groups was isomeric at positions 1, 2, and 9 for 1A2S2, 2A2S2, and 9A2S2, respectively. The photochemical properties of these compounds, such as absorption and fluorescence, were studied in solution. The dependence of the intramolecular π–π and σ–π interactions on the substitution position of the anthryl group were examined. The dianthryldisilanes displayed excimer emission as well as monomer emission. The emission characteristics of the dianthryldisilanes were compared with those of the corresponding anthrylpentamethyldisilanes ( 1AS2Me, 2AS2Me, and 9AS2Me). We also examined the time dependence of the fluorescence in view of the calculated potential energy surface of conformers in the ground state. The time constants correspond to the relaxation from the Franck–Condon structures those are most stable in the ground state to the relaxed excimer structures in the S 1 excited state.

Nuclear quantum effects in the structure and lineshapes of the N2 near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectrum

We study the relative ability of several models of x-ray absorption spectra to capture the Franck-Condon structure apparent from an experiment on gaseous nitrogen. In doing so, we adopt the Born-Oppenheimer approximation and a constrained density functional theory method for computing the energies of the x-ray-excited molecule. Starting from an otherwise classical model for the spectrum, we systematically introduce more realistic physics, first by substituting the quantum mechanical nuclear radial density in the bond separation R for the classical radial density, then by adding the effect of zero-point energy and other level shifts, and finally by including explicit rovibrational quantization of both the ground and excited states. The quantization is determined exactly, using a discrete variable representation (DVR). We show that the near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectrum can be predicted semiquantitatively within this framework. We also address the possibility of non-trivial temperature dependence in the spectrum. By using constrained density functional theory in combination with more accurate potentials, we demonstrate that it is possible to improve the predicted spectrum. Ultimately, we establish the predictive limits of our method with respect to vibrational fine structure in NEXAFS spectra.

Photophysics of the π,π* and n,π* States of Thymine: MS-CASPT2 Minimum-Energy Paths and CASSCF on-the-Fly Dynamics

The photodynamics along the main decay paths of thymine after excitation to the lowest pi,pi* state have been studied with MS-CASPT2 calculations and semiclassical CASSCF dynamics calculations including a surface hopping algorithm. The static calculations show that there are two decay paths from the Franck-Condon structure that lead to a conical intersection with the ground state. The first path goes directly to the intersection, while the second one is indirect and involves a minimum of the pi,pi* state, a small barrier, and a crossing between the pi,pi* and n,pi* states. From the static calculations, both paths have similar slopes. The dynamics calculations along the indirect path show that, after the barrier, part of the trajectories are funneled to the intersection with the ground state, where they are efficiently quenched to the ground state. The remaining trajectories populate the n,pi* state. They are also quenched to the ground state in less than 1 ps, but the static calculations show that the decay rate of the n,pi* state is largely overestimated at the CASSCF level used for the dynamics. Overall, these results suggest that both direct and indirect paths contribute to the subpicosecond decay components found experimentally. The indirect path also provides a way for fast population of the n,pi* state, which will account for the experimental picosecond decay component.

Role of Ribose in the Initial Excited State Structural Dynamics of Thymidine in Water Solution: A Resonance Raman and Density Functional Theory Investigation

Resonance Raman spectra were obtained for thymidine and thymine with excitation wavelengths in resonance with the approximately 260 nm band absorption spectrum. The spectra indicate that the Franck-Condon (FC) region photodissociation dynamics of thymidine have multidimensional character with motion predominantly along the nominal C5=C6 stretch + C6-H bend nu17 (delta = 0.75, lambda = 468 cm(-1)), the nominal thymine ring stretch + C6-H bend + N1-C1, stretch nu29 (delta = 0.73, lambda = 363 cm(-1)), the nominal thymine ring stretch + C5-CH3/ N1-C1, stretch nu37 (delta = 0.69, lambda = 292 cm(-1)), and accompanied by the moderate and minor changes in the nu40, nu20 and nu23, nu55, nu60, nu61, nu63 modes. A preliminary resonance Raman intensity analysis was done, and these results for thymidine and thymine were compared to each other. The roles of ribose in the FC structure dynamics of thymidine were explored and the results were used to correlate to its lifetime constants tau1 and tau2 for two nonradiative decay channels. Spi/Sn conical intersection versus a distorted structure of Spi,min in the FC region was briefly discussed.

On the inversion of the 1 Bu and 2 Ag electronic states in α,ω-diphenylpolyenes

An alternative model to that of the inversion of the states 1 Bu and 2 Ag is proposed for interpreting the photophysics of the α,ω-diphenylpolyenes. This model is based upon the existence of two chemical structures with Bu symmetry, which may be ascribed to the same excited electronic state 1 Bu. One of the two chemical structures corresponds to the Franck–Condon structure with conjugated single and double bonds for the polyene chain, and another consists of a nearly equivalent series of partial double bonds along the polyene chain. The latter relaxed structure is consistent with the observation of high torsional energy barriers and low photoisomerization quantum yields for diphenylhexatriene in the singlet excited state manifold. Interestingly, such a simple quantum model as that of the particle in a one-dimensional box provides quite an accurate description of the absorption spectroscopic properties of these major compounds. This is partly the result of the most stable structures for these compounds being of the all-trans type; such structures increase in length as additional ethylene units are added, which makes them very similar to a one-dimensional box becoming increasingly longer.

On librational broadening of vibrational transitions in liquids: a simple model

Sensitive absorption measurements can expose irregularly shaped vibrational overtone bands from the near-IR well into the visible region for stretching modes involving light atoms—particularly hydrogen. For the fifth overtone transition of the C-H stretching mode of liquid benzene, the asymmetric shape has been modelled as Franck–Condon structure in the separate rolibrational space of the molecule. The two rolibrational potentials, one for the ground state, the other for the fifth overtone state, were approximated as truncated anharmonic wells. In the present work the rolibrational potentials are treated as periodic cosinusoids and the associated Franck–Condon structure is derived in which one can smoothly pass from hindered rotation to free rotation, which is particularly relevant to potential barriers that are on the order of kT or less. Application to benzene provides a fit to the shape of the asymmetric fifth overtone band that is essentially within experimental error. The symbolic capabilities of Mathematica (ver. 3.0) have greatly facilitated the calculations by providing a quasi-analytic approach valid over a large range of parameters.

Photoassociation Spectroscopy: Determination of Parameters of Potentials of Diatomic Molecules

Laser-induced fluorescence studied with the help of a tunable dye laser is used to record the photoassociation spectrum of equilibrium mercury atoms in the range of 34 700–37 300 cm–1. The so-called Franck-Condon structure, which represents periodic variations of absorption intensity on a continuous background, is observed. The structure makes it possible to determine spectroscopic parameters of the upper bound potential and the lower repulsive potential, including the potential with a shallow Van der Waals well. The Numerov-Cooley procedure is used to find the numerical solution of the boundary problem, namely, eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of the Schrodinger equation for the one-dimensional motion in a potential field, matrix elements of transitions and partial waves, and the absorption spectrum of collisional pairs of atoms are calculated. The absorption spectrum of mercury dimers was simulated taking into account 100 vibrational and 200 rotational levels. The comparison of theoretical and experimental spectra according to Tellinghuisen made it possible to determine the lower part of the potential curve for the dimer excited state.

Temperature dependence of aryl butatriene fluorescence: barrier to twisting on S 1 for 1,1,4,4-tetraphenylbutatriene

The temperature dependence of aryl butatriene fluorescence is assigned to a competition between radiative decay and butatriene chain rotation against a barrier followed by radiationless decay from S 1. Fluorescence quantum yields were measured as a function of temperature for 1,1,4,4-tetraphenylbutatriene (TPBT) in a series of n-alkane solvents. Application of the medium-enhanced barrier model and transition state theory allow the observed barrier to be expressed in terms of an intrinsic and solvent-induced contribution ( Δ H ‡ obsd = Δ H ‡ t + Δ H ‡ v ). It is found that there is little or no intrinsic barrier to rotation ( Δ H ‡ t = 0.075 ± 0.155 kcal/mol ) on S 1 for TPBT. The solvent-induced component is related to E η , the activation energy for viscous flow, by Δ H ‡ v = aE η with a = 0.86 ± 0.06 for TPBT. This is in contrast to twisting on S 1 for trans-stilbene for which a significant intrinsic barrier has been reported. AM1 molecular orbital calculations for gas phase TPBT show a twist angle of ∼0° on S 0 with a barrier to rotation of 20.1 kcal/mol. Consistent with the experimental results, the calculations show that TPBT undergoes a barrierless relaxation on S 1 from its Franck-Condon structure to a minimum with a twist angle of 85.6°.

On the kinetic aspects of exciplex formation under molecular supersonic beam conditions

The existence of various orientational isomers in the ground and excited states of electron-donor-acceptor molecular systems under molecular supersonic beam conditions has been confirmed in a number of experiments. The analysis of the potential energy surfaces of such systems suggests that the photokinetic scheme of formation of an exciplex (charge-transfer excited state) should be modified (beyond the classical two-state model) and should also include, among the others, the relaxation pathways of excited Franck-Condon structures corresponding to various ground-state orientational isomers of a Van der Waals complex. A modified kinetic scheme is proposed, solved and applied to analysis of available experimental data. Computer simulations of the time profiles of exciplex emission have shown that the proposed photokinetic scheme is capable of handling qualitatively different features of the rise and decay curves observed for different electron-donor-acceptor systems under molecular supersonic beams conditions.

Theoretical analysis of vibronic structure of absorption spectrum of fulvene

Ab initio and semiempirical quantum-chemical methods are used to study the lowest two valence excited states of fulvene. A new assignment is proposed for ground state frequencies and the Franck–Condon structure of the S0→S1, S2 transitions is obtained with the help of calculated geometries and vibrational force-fields of the electronic states involved. It is shown to account very satisfactorily for the observed vibronic structure of the absorption spectra of fulvene. It is demonstrated that, contrary to previous assumptions, CH2 out-of-plane vibrational modes play no role in formation of the vibronic structures of the two transitions.