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Zhou J, Jia S, Xue X, Skitnevskaya AD, Wang E, Wang X, Hao X, Zeng Q, Kuleff AI, Dorn A, Ren X. Revealing the Role of N Heteroatoms in Noncovalent Aromatic Interactions by Ultrafast Intermolecular Coulombic Decay. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:1529-1538. [PMID: 38299504 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Despite the widely recognized importance of noncovalent interactions involving aromatic rings in many fields, our understanding of the underlying forces and structural patterns, especially the impact of heteroaromaticity, is still incomplete. Here, we investigate the relaxation processes that follow inner-valence ionization in a range of molecular dimers involving various combinations of benzene, pyridine, and pyrimidine, which initiate an ultrafast intermolecular Coulombic decay process. Multiparticle coincidence momentum spectroscopy, combined with ab initio calculations, enables us to explore the principal orientations of these fundamental dimers and, thus, to elucidate the influence of N heteroatoms on the relative preference of the aromatic π-stacking, H-bonding, and CH-π interactions and their dependence on the number of nitrogen atoms in the rings. Our studies reveal a sensitive tool for the structural imaging of molecular complexes and provide a more complete understanding of the effects of N heteroatoms on the noncovalent aromatic interactions at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaqi Zhou
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Shaokui Jia
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Xiaorui Xue
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Anna D Skitnevskaya
- Laboratory of Quantum Chemistry, Irkutsk State University, Irkutsk 664003, Russia
| | - Enliang Wang
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale and Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Xing Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Xintai Hao
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Qingrui Zeng
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Alexander I Kuleff
- Theoretische Chemie, Physikalisch-Chemisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg 69120, Germany
| | - Alexander Dorn
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg 69117, Germany
| | - Xueguang Ren
- MOE Key Laboratory for Nonequilibrium Synthesis and Modulation of Condensed Matter, School of Physics, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg 69117, Germany
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Wang Z, Li Y, Sun M. The effect of weak π-π interactions on single-molecule electron transport properties of the tetraphenylethene molecule and its derivatives: a first-principles study. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024; 26:1067-1076. [PMID: 38095244 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp04593e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2024]
Abstract
Intramolecular π-π interactions are a significant research focus in fields such as chemistry, biology, and materials science. Different configurations of benzene-benzene moieties within a molecule can affect the magnitude of their π-π interactions, consequently influencing the electronic transport capabilities of the molecule. In this study, we designed three π-conjugated molecules, TPEM, TPEEM, and TEEPM, based on tetraphenylethene (TPE). These three molecules exhibit three distinct π-conjugated structures: linear cis-π-conjugation, linear trans-π-conjugation, and cross-π-conjugation. Thereinto, TPEM and TPEEM molecules share the same TPE core, with identical π-π interaction distances, while the TEEPM molecule has acetylene groups between the TPE units, thereby increasing the π-π interaction distances between the benzene moieties. Using density functional theory calculations combined with non-equilibrium Green's function (DFT+NEGF), our results reveal that the conductance order of different π-conjugated structures in TPEM and TPEEM molecules is as follows: cis > cross ≈ trans. Through analysis of transmission spectra, transmission pathways, and the innermost π orbitals, we find that in TPEM and TPEEM molecules, the cis- and cross-π-conjugated structures exhibit π-π interactions between benzene moieties and provide special through-space electron transport pathways, enhancing their electronic transport capabilities in coordination with the bonded molecular framework, whereas their trans-conjugated structures only allow electron transport along the molecular backbone. In contrast, in TEEPM molecule, due to the absence of π-π interactions, the conductance of different π-conjugated structures is primarily determined by the molecular backbone and follows the order: trans > cis > cross. These findings provide a theoretical basis for designing single-molecule electronic devices with multiple electron channels based on intramolecular π-π interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiye Wang
- Department of Materials and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 430081, Wuhan, China.
| | - Yunchuan Li
- Department of Materials and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 430081, Wuhan, China.
| | - Mingjun Sun
- Department of Materials and Metallurgy, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, 430081, Wuhan, China.
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Triple ionization and fragmentation of benzene trimers following ultrafast intermolecular Coulombic decay. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5335. [PMID: 36088449 PMCID: PMC9464219 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33032-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Intermolecular interactions involving aromatic rings are ubiquitous in biochemistry and they govern the properties of many organic materials. Nevertheless, our understanding of the structures and dynamics of aromatic clusters remains incomplete, in particular for systems beyond the dimers, despite their high presence in many macromolecular systems such as DNA and proteins. Here, we study the fragmentation dynamics of benzene trimer that represents a prototype of higher-order aromatic clusters. The trimers are initially ionized by electron-collision with the creation of a deep-lying carbon 2s−1 state or one outer-valence and one inner-valence vacancies at two separate molecules. The system can thus relax via ultrafast intermolecular decay mechanisms, leading to the formation of C\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$${}_{6}{{{{{{{{{\rm{H}}}}}}}}}_{6}}^{+}$$\end{document}6H6+ trications and followed by a concerted three-body Coulomb explosion. Triple-coincidence ion momentum spectroscopy, accompanied by ab-initio calculations and further supported by strong-field laser experiments, allows us to elucidate the details on the fragmentation dynamics of benzene trimers. Higher-order aromatic clusters are prevalent in biochemical systems, but a full understanding of their structural and dynamical properties is lacking. Here, the authors demonstrate that inner-valence ionization can induce ultrafast relaxation and further fragmentation mechanisms in benzene trimers.
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Beregovaya IV, Shchegoleva LN. Potential energy surfaces of a stacked dimer of benzene and its radical cation: what remains and what appears. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:17547-17560. [PMID: 35822440 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp01691e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A stepwise qualitative consideration of the reduction in symmetry for the highly symmetrical "right sandwich" and "twisted sandwich" structures of the stacked benzene dimer caused by the pseudo-Jahn-Teller effect made it possible to construct a scheme of the potential energy surface (PES) of this dimer. Thirty-six equivalent structures of minimum energy are ordered on this extremely flat surface, transforming into each other in an almost barrier-free manner. There are two kinds of these transformations, both of which are pseudorotation. The transformation pathways inherent in this neutral dimer are also characteristic of its radical cation (RC). Structural transformations of the RC are inextricably linked with changes in its electronic state since its stationary structures relate to different electronic states. (C6H6)2+˙ exists in the form of two orbital isomers, each of which "pseudorotates" on its own area of the PES. During the pseudorotation, the SOMO distribution on the fragments of (C6H6)2+˙ changes, which is identical to what occurs during the pseudorotation of the Jahn-Teller benzene RC. These areas are connected by pairwise interconversions of their minimum energy structures. The interconversion of the orbital isomers is a bypassing of conical intersections between corresponding electronic states, which occurs through a synchronized pseudorotation of the fragments. The conclusions of the qualitative consideration and the results of quantum chemical calculations of various levels performed for (C6H6)2+˙ are in full agreement with each other. The revealed features of the structure of the PES of the two reference systems in studying the intermolecular and ion-molecule interactions are the basis for considering their more complex analogs, primarily their less symmetrical ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina V Beregovaya
- N.N. Vorozhtsov Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry, SB RAS, 9 Ac. Lavrentiev Ave., Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.
| | - Lyudmila N Shchegoleva
- N.N. Vorozhtsov Novosibirsk Institute of Organic Chemistry, SB RAS, 9 Ac. Lavrentiev Ave., Novosibirsk 630090, Russia.
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Ultrafast energy transfer between π-stacked aromatic rings upon inner-valence ionization. Nat Chem 2022; 14:232-238. [PMID: 34931045 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-021-00838-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Non-covalently bound aromatic systems are ubiquitous and govern the physicochemical properties of various organic materials. They are important to many phenomena of biological and technological relevance, such as protein folding, base-pair stacking in nucleic acids, molecular recognition and self-assembly, DNA-drug interactions, crystal engineering and organic electronics. Nevertheless, their molecular dynamics and chemical reactivity, particularly in electronic excited states, are not fully understood. Here, we observe intermolecular Coulombic decay in benzene dimers, (C6H6)2-the simplest prototypes of noncovalent π-π interactions between aromatic systems. Intermolecular Coulombic decay is initiated by a carbon 2s vacancy state produced by electron-impact ionization and proceeds through ultrafast energy transfer between the benzene molecules. As a result, the dimer relaxes with the emission of a further low-energy electron (<10 eV) and a pair of C6H6+ cations undergoing Coulomb explosion. Coincident fragment-ion and electron momentum spectroscopy, accompanied by ab initio calculations, enables us to elucidate the dynamical details of this ultrafast relaxation process.
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Jahnke T, Hergenhahn U, Winter B, Dörner R, Frühling U, Demekhin PV, Gokhberg K, Cederbaum LS, Ehresmann A, Knie A, Dreuw A. Interatomic and Intermolecular Coulombic Decay. Chem Rev 2020; 120:11295-11369. [PMID: 33035051 PMCID: PMC7596762 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.0c00106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Interatomic or intermolecular Coulombic decay (ICD) is a nonlocal electronic decay mechanism occurring in weakly bound matter. In an ICD process, energy released by electronic relaxation of an excited atom or molecule leads to ionization of a neighboring one via Coulombic electron interactions. ICD has been predicted theoretically in the mid nineties of the last century, and its existence has been confirmed experimentally approximately ten years later. Since then, a number of fundamental and applied aspects have been studied in this quickly growing field of research. This review provides an introduction to ICD and draws the connection to related energy transfer and ionization processes. The theoretical approaches for the description of ICD as well as the experimental techniques developed and employed for its investigation are described. The existing body of literature on experimental and theoretical studies of ICD processes in different atomic and molecular systems is reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till Jahnke
- Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe Universität, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Uwe Hergenhahn
- Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Wendelsteinstr. 1, 17491 Greifswald, Germany.,Leibniz Institute of Surface Engineering (IOM), 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Bernd Winter
- Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Reinhard Dörner
- Institut für Kernphysik, Goethe Universität, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ulrike Frühling
- Institut für Experimentalphysik and Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Philipp V Demekhin
- Institut für Physik und CINSaT, Universität Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Str. 40, 34132 Kassel, Germany
| | - Kirill Gokhberg
- Physical-Chemistry Institute, Ruprecht-Karls University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 229, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lorenz S Cederbaum
- Physical-Chemistry Institute, Ruprecht-Karls University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 229, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Arno Ehresmann
- Institut für Physik und CINSaT, Universität Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Str. 40, 34132 Kassel, Germany
| | - André Knie
- Institut für Physik und CINSaT, Universität Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Str. 40, 34132 Kassel, Germany
| | - Andreas Dreuw
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, Ruprecht-Karls University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 205, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Howell RW. Advancements in the use of Auger electrons in science and medicine during the period 2015-2019. Int J Radiat Biol 2020; 99:2-27. [PMID: 33021416 PMCID: PMC8062591 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2020.1831706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Auger electrons can be highly radiotoxic when they are used to irradiate specific molecular sites. This has spurred basic science investigations of their radiobiological effects and clinical investigations of their potential for therapy. Focused symposia on the biophysical aspects of Auger processes have been held quadrennially. This 9th International Symposium on Physical, Molecular, Cellular, and Medical Aspects of Auger Processes at Oxford University brought together scientists from many different fields to review past findings, discuss the latest studies, and plot the future work to be done. This review article examines the research in this field that was published during the years 2015-2019 which corresponds to the period since the last meeting in Japan. In addition, this article points to future work yet to be done. There have been a plethora of advancements in our understanding of Auger processes. These advancements range from basic atomic and molecular physics to new ways to implement Auger electron emitters in radiopharmaceutical therapy. The highly localized doses of radiation that are deposited within a 10 nm of the decay site make them precision tools for discovery across the physical, chemical, biological, and medical sciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger W Howell
- Division of Radiation Research, Department of Radiology, New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
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