Fluorescence Quenching in Electron-Donating Solvents. 1. Influence of the Solute−Solvent Interactions on the Dynamics

Three-centered model of ultrafast photoinduced charge transfer: Continuum dielectric approach

A theoretical description of photoinduced charge transfer involves explicit treating both the optical formation of the nuclear wave packet on the excited free energy surface and its ensuing dynamics. The reaction pathway constitutes two-stage charge transfer between three centers. Manifestations of fractional charge transfer at first stage are explored. An expression for time dependent rate constant of photoinduced charge transfer is found in the framework of the linear dielectric continuum model of the medium. The model involves both the intramolecular vibrational reorganization and the Coulombic interaction of the transferred charge with the medium polarization fluctuations and allows to express the rate in terms of intramolecular reorganization parameters and complex dielectric permittivity. The influence of the vibrational coherent motion in the locally excited state on the charge transfer dynamics has been explored. The dependence of the ultrafast photoinduced charge transfer dynamics on the excitation pulse carrier frequency (spectral effect) has been investigated. The spectral effect has been shown to depend on quantity of the fractional charge.

Effect of the excitation pulse frequency on the ultrafast photoinduced electron transfer dynamics

The dependence of the ultrafast photoinduced electron transfer dynamics in donor-acceptor complexes on the excitation pulse carrier frequency (spectral effect) has been investigated in the framework of a model involving three electronic state. The spectral effect has been shown to strongly depend on the angle theta between the reaction coordinate directions corresponding to optical and charge transfer transitions. Describing the solvent as a linear homogenous polar medium and accounting for Coulombic interaction of the transferred charge with the medium polarization fluctuations, the angle theta has been found out to be typically in the area 40 degrees -85 degrees. Exactly in this area of theta the spectral effect is predicted to be most pronounced.

Bimodal proton transfer in acid-base reactions in water

We investigate one of the fundamental reactions in solutions, the neutralization of an acid by a base. We use a photoacid, 8-hydroxy-1,3,6-trisulfonate-pyrene (HPTS; pyranine), which upon photoexcitation reacts with acetate under transfer of a deuteron (solvent: deuterated water). We analyze in detail the resulting bimodal reaction dynamics between the photoacid and the base, the first report on which was recently published. We have ascribed the bimodal proton-transfer dynamics to contributions from preformed hydrogen bonding complexes and from initially uncomplexed acid and base. We report on the observation of an additional (6 ps)(-1) contribution to the reaction rate constant. As before, we analyze the slower part of the reaction within the framework of the diffusion model and the fastest part by a static, sub-150 fs reaction rate. Adding the second static term considerably improves the overall modeling of the experimental results. It also allows to connect experimentally the diffusion controlled bimolecular reaction models as defined by Eigen-Weller and by Collins-Kimball. Our findings are in agreement with a three-stage mechanism for liquid phase intermolecular proton transfer: mutual diffusion of acid and base to form a "loose" encounter complex, followed by reorganization of the solvent shells and by "tightening" of the acid-base encounter complex. These rearrangements last a few picoseconds and enable a prompt proton transfer along the reaction coordinate, which occurs faster than our time resolution of 150 fs. Alternative models for the explanation of the slower "on-contact" reaction time of the loose encounter complex in terms of proton transmission through a von Grotthuss mechanism are also discussed.