Nonradiative relaxation mechanisms of the elusive silole molecule

Silole derivatives have been extensively employed for developing organic optoelectronics, but few studies focused on the photophysical properties of the silole molecule. In this work, we investigate these properties by computing the absorption spectra and performing nonadiabatic molecular dynamics of silole employing the algebraic diagrammatic construction [ADC(2)] and extended multi-state XMS-CASPT2 ab initio electronic structure methods. For vertical excitations and excited state optimizations, the equation of motion coupled-cluster singles and doubles (EOM-CCSD) was also used. The nuclear ensemble and the fewest-switches surface hopping molecular dynamics methods coupled with the first two high-level electronic structure methods were applied to probe the relaxation mechanisms of silole. We could reproduce the experimental first absorption maximum value and found an ultrafast relaxation process occurring exclusively through ring-puckering distortions without breaking ring bonds or hydrogen elimination. Minimum energy conical intersection optimizations were carried out and potential energy curves, including triplet states, were calculated to further elucidate the relaxation process of silole.

Chemical dynamics study on the gas-phase reaction of the D1-silylidyne radical (SiD; X2Π) with deuterium sulfide (D2S) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S)

The reactions of the D1-silylidyne radical (SiD; X2Π) with deuterium sulfide (D2S; X1A1) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S; X1A1) were conducted utilizing a crossed molecular beams machine under single collision conditions. The experimental work was carried out in conjunction with electronic structure calculations. The elementary reaction commences with a barrierless addition of the D1-silylidyne radical to one of the non-bonding electron pairs of the sulfur atom of hydrogen (deuterium) sulfide followed by possible bond rotation isomerization and multiple atomic hydrogen (deuterium) migrations. Unimolecular decomposition of the reaction intermediates lead eventually to the D1-thiosilaformyl radical (DSiS) (p1) and D2-silanethione (D2SiS) (p3) via molecular and atomic deuterium loss channels (SiD-D2S system) along with the D1-thiosilaformyl radical (DSiS) (p1) and D1-silanethione (HDSiS) (p3) through molecular and atomic hydrogen ejection (SiD-H2S system) via indirect scattering dynamics in barrierless and overall exoergic reactions. Our study provides a look into the complex dynamics of the silicon and sulfur chemistries involving multiple deuterium/hydrogen shifts and tight exit transition states, as well as insight into silicon- and sulfur-containing molecule formation pathways in deep space. Although neither of the non-deuterated species - the thiosilaformyl radical (HSiS) and silanethione (H2SiS) - have been observed in the interstellar medium (ISM) thus far, astrochemical models presented here predict relative abundances in the Orion Kleinmann-Low nebula to be sufficiently high enough for detection.