Intramolecular hydrogen bonding plays a crucial role in the photophysics and photochemistry of the GFP chromophore

Understanding the Photoprocesses in Biological Systems: Need for Accurate Multireference Treatment

Light-matter interaction is crucial to life itself and revolves around many of the central processes in biology. The need for understanding these photochemical and photophysical processes cannot be overemphasized. Interaction of light with biological systems starts with the absorption of light and subsequent phenomena that occur in the excited states of the system. However, excited states are typically difficult to understand within the mean field approximation of quantum chemical methods. Therefore, suitable multireference methods and methodologies have been developed to understand these phenomena. In this Perspective, we will describe a few methods and methodologies suitable for these descriptions and discuss some persisting difficulties.

Advanced theoretical design of light-driven molecular rotary motors: enhancing thermal helix inversion and visible-light activation

In this study, we have advanced the field of light-driven molecular rotary motors (LDMRMs) by achieving two pivotal goals: lowering the thermal helix inversion (THI) barrier and extending the absorption wavelength into the visible spectrum. This study involves the structural reengineering of a second-generation visible LDMRM, resulting in the synthesis of a novel class, specifically, 2-((2S)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]naphthalen-1-yl)-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-dibenzo[e,g]indole-6,9-dicarbonitrile. This redesigned motor stands out with its two photoisomerization stages and two thermal helix inversions, featuring exceptionally low THI barriers (4.00 and 2.05 kcal mol-1 at the OM2/MRCI level for the EM → EP and ZM → ZP processes, respectively). Moreover, it displays absorption wavelengths in the visible light range (482.98 and 465.76 nm for the EP and ZP isomers, respectively, at the TD-PBE0-D3/6-31G(d,p) level), surpassing its predecessors in efficiency, as indicated by the narrow HOMO-LUMO energy gap. Ultrafast photoisomerization kinetics (approximately 0.8-1.6 ps) and high quantum yields (around 0.3-0.6) were observed through trajectory surface hopping simulations. Additionally, the simulated time-resolved fluorescence emission spectrum indicates a significantly reduced "dark state" duration (0.09-0.26 ps) in these newly designed LDMRMs compared to the original ones, marking a substantial leap forward in the design and efficiency of LDMRMs.

Nuclear Quantum Effects on Nonadiabatic Dynamics of a Green Fluorescent Protein Chromophore Analogue: Ring-Polymer Surface-Hopping Simulation

Herein, we have used the "on-the-fly" ring-polymer surface-hopping simulation method with the centroid approximation (RPSH-CA), in combination with the multireference OM2/MRCI electronic structure calculations to study the photoinduced dynamics of a green fluorescent protein (GFP) chromophore analogue in the gas phase, i.e., o-HBI, at 50, 100, and 300 K with 1, 5, 10, and 15 beads (3600 1 ps trajectories). The electronic structure calculations identified five new minimum-energy conical intersection (MECI) structures, which, together with the previous one, play crucial roles in the excited-state decay dynamics of o-HBI. It is also found that the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) occurs in an ultrafast manner and is completed within 20 fs in all the simulation conditions because there is no barrier associated with this ESIPT process in the S1 state. However, the other excited-state dynamical results are strongly related to the number of beads. At 50 and 100 K, the nuclear quantum effects (NQEs) are very important; therefore, the excited-state dynamical results change significantly with the bead number. For example, the S1 decay time deduced from time-dependent state populations becomes longer as the bead number increases. Nevertheless, an essentially convergent trend is observed when the bead number is close to 10. In contrast, at 300 K, the NQEs become weaker and the above dynamical results converge very quickly even with 1 bead. Most importantly, the NQEs seriously affect the excited-state decay mechanism of o-HBI. At 50 and 100 K, most trajectories decay to the S0 state via perpendicular keto MECIs, whereas, at 300 K, only twisted keto MECIs are responsible for the excited-state decay. The present work not only comprehensively explores the temperature-dependent photoinduced dynamics of o-HBI, but also demonstrates the importance and necessity of NQEs in nonadiabatic dynamics simulations, especially at relatively low temperatures.

Mechanistic Insights into the Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer (ESIPT) Process of 2-(2-Aminophenyl)naphthalene

The 2-(2-aminophenyl)naphthalene molecule attracted much attention due to excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) from an amino NH2 group to a carbon atom of an adjacent aromatic ring. The ESIPT mechanisms of 2-(2-aminophenyl)naphthalene are still unclear. Herein, the decay pathways of this molecule in vacuum were investigated by combining static electronic structure calculations and nonadiabatic dynamics simulations. The calculations indicated the existence of two stable structures (S0-1 and S0-2) in the S0 and S1 states. For the S0-1 isomer, upon excitation to the Franck-Condon point, the system relaxed to the S1 minimum quickly, and then there exist four decay pathways (two ESIPT ones and two decay channels with C atom pyramidalization). In the ESIPT decay pathways, the system encounters the S1S0-PT-1 or S1S0-PT-2 conical intersection, which funnels the system rapidly to the S0 state. In the other two pathways, the system de-excited from the S1 to the S0 state via the S1S0-1 or S1S0-2 conical intersection. For the S0-2 structure, the decay pathways were similar to those of S0-1. The dynamics simulations showed that 75 and 69% of trajectories experienced the two ESIPT conical intersections for the S0-1 and S0-2 structures, respectively. Our simulations showed that the lifetime of the S1 state of S0-1 (S0-2) is estimated to be 358 (400) fs. Notably, we not only found the detailed reaction mechanism of the system but also found that the different ground-state configurations of this system have little effect on the reaction mechanism in vacuum.

Effect of external electric fields on the ESDPT process and photophysical properties of 1,8-dihydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde

In this work, by capitalizing on the density functional theory (DFT) and the time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) methods, it has been systematically studied that the excited state double intramolecular proton transfer (ESDPT) process and the photophysical properties of 1,8-dihydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde (DHNA) are affected by the distinct external electric fields (EEFs). The obtained intramolecular hydrogen bond (IHB) parameters containing bond lengths and angles, as well as infrared (IR) vibrational spectra demonstrate that IHB strength changes in the distinct EEFs. Moreover, not only do the potential energy surfaces (PESs) indicate that the ESDPT process of DHNA is stepwise, but also increasing the positive EEF results in a decrease in the energy barrier accordingly, while vice versa. The absorption and fluorescence spectra also undergo a corresponding red or blue shift in the EEF; for instance, when the EEF changes from +10 × 10-4 a.u. to +20 × 10-4 a.u., the fluorescence peak undergoes a blue shift from 602 nm to 513 nm in the keto2 form. In a nutshell, the ESDPT process of DHNA can be influenced by the EEF, which will serve as a reference in regulating and controlling proton transfer that causes luminescence.

Excited-state relaxation mechanisms of 2,2'-(1-phenyl-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3,5-diyl)diphenol: single- or double-proton transfer?

Triazole compounds are important organic systems with excellent electronic properties, which have diagnostic potential in the fields of organic electronics and organic photovoltaics. The important photophysical nature of these systems is the transformation between the enol and keto forms after excited-state proton transfer. In this study, the IR vibrational spectrum, ESIPT mechanism, and excited-state decay dynamics of 2,2'-(1-phenyl-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3,5-diyl)diphenol (ExPh) were explored using electronic structure calculations and non-adiabatic dynamics simulations. Two S1/S0 conical intersections with distinct proton transfer (ESIPT-I and ESIPT-II) involved were obtained. The associated two-dimensional S1 minimum-energy potential energy surface indicated that the dynamical roles of these two S1/S0 conical intersections in the S1 excited-state decay were quite different. The ESIPT-I reaction was more favorable to occur than the ESIPT-II process. Our dynamics simulations supported this hypothesis with the whole trajectories decaying to the ground state via the S1S0-1 conical intersection, which involved the ESIPT-I process. The ESIPT-Involved efficient deactivation pathway could be partially responsible for the decrease in fluorescence emission. These results and ESIPT mechanisms are helpful for understanding the decay pathways of similar systems.

Understanding the Excited-State Relaxation Mechanisms of Xanthophyll Lutein by Multi-configurational Electronic Structure Calculations

The contradictory behaviors in light harvesting and non-photochemical quenching make xanthophyll lutein the most attractive functional molecule in photosynthesis. Despite several theoretical simulations on the spectral properties and excited-state dynamics, the atomic-level photophysical mechanisms need to be further studied and established, especially for an accurate description of geometric and electronic structures of conical intersections for the lowest several electronic states of lutein. In the present work, semiempirical OM2/MRCI and multi-configurational restricted active space self-consistent field methods were performed to optimize the minima and conical intersections in and between the 1Ag-, 2Ag-, 1Bu+, and 1Bu- states. Meanwhile, the relative energies were refined by MS-CASPT2(10,8)/6-31G*, which can reproduce correct electronic state properties as those in the spectroscopic experiments. Based on the above calculation results, we proposed a possible excited-state relaxation mechanism for lutein from its initially populated 1Bu+ state. Once excited to the optically bright 1Bu+ state, the system will propagate along the key reaction coordinate, i.e., the stretching vibration of the conjugated carbon chain. During this period of time, the 1Bu- state will participate in and forms a resonance state between the 1Bu- and 1Bu+ states. Later, the system will rapidly hop to the 2Ag- state via the 1Bu+/2Ag- conical intersection. Finally, the lutein molecule will survive in the 2Ag- state for a relatively long time before it internally converts to the ground state directly or via a twisted S1/S0 conical intersection. Notably, though the photophysical picture may be very different in solvents and proteins, the current theoretical study proposed a promising calculation protocol and also provided many valuable mechanistic insights for lutein and similar carotenoids.

Simultaneously improving the efficiencies of photo- and thermal isomerization of an oxindole-based light-driven molecular rotary motor by a structural redesign

We designed a novel highly efficient light-driven molecular rotary motor theoretically by using electronic structure calculations and nonadiabatic dynamics simulations, and it showed excellent performance for both photo- and thermal isomerization processes simultaneously. By the small structural modification based on 3-(2,7-dimethyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-ylidene)-1-methylindolin-2-one (DDIYM) synthesized by Feringa et al. recently, an oxindole-based light-driven molecular rotary motor, 3-(1,5-dimethyl-4,5-dihydrocyclopenta[b]pyrrol-6(1H)-ylidene)-1-methylindolin-2-one (DDPYM), is proposed, which displays a significant electronic push-pull character and weak steric hindrance for double-bond isomerization. The newly designed motor DDPYM shows a remarkable improvement of the quantum yield for both EP → ZM and ZP → EM photoisomerization processes, compared to the original motor DDIYM. Furthermore, the rotary motion in photoisomerization processes of DDPYM behaves more like a pure axial rotational motion approximately, while that of DDIYM is an obvious precessional motion. The weakness of the steric hindrance reduces the energy barriers of the thermal helix EM → EP and ZM → ZP inversion steps, and would accelerate two ground-state isomerization steps significantly. Our results confirm the feasibility of simultaneously improving the efficiencies of photo- and thermal isomerization of oxindole-based light-driven molecular rotary motors and this design idea sheds light on the future development of more efficient molecular motors.

Liquid-solid phase regulating excited-state intramolecular proton transfer process of HBT-d-NO2: A QM/MM study

The excited-state intramolecular proton transfer process of 2-(1,3-benzothiazol-2-yl)-4-[2-(4-nitrophenyl)ethynyl]phenol (HBT-d-NO₂) in the different surrounding environment is investigated using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). The optimized molecular structure provides convincing evidence that the intramolecular hydrogen bond is strengthened in the first excited (S₁) state. The frontier molecular orbitals observed the HBT-d-NO₂ exists obvious intramolecular charge translate phenomenon. The results of the potential energy curve show that HBT-d-NO₂ is difficult to undergo proton transfer in the ground (S₀) state due to the high energy barrier, while it becomes easier in the S₁ state in both liquid and solid phases. By comparison, the energy barrier of ESIPT in the solid phase is higher than that in the liquid phase. We can conclude that the solid phase effectively hinders the ESIPT process compared with that the liquid phase. In this work, we illustrate the influence of liquid and solid phases on the intramolecular proton transfer process, which could promote further developments in biomedical and fluorophore applications.

Regulating the photophysical properties of ESIPT-based fluorescent probes by functional group substitution: a DFT/TDDFT study

CONTEXT

In recent years, fluorescent probe technology has received more and more attention. However, the photophysical and photochemical properties of probe molecules still need to be further explored. This paper presents the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) processes and photophysical properties of the probe molecule 4-bromo-2-((E)-((Z)-((5-bromo-1H-indol-2-yl) methylene) hydrazono) methyl) phenol (BHPL) and its four derivatives (BHPL2, BHPL3, BHPL4, and BHPL5). Infrared spectra and geometric structure analyses revealed that introducing the -NH₂ group on the benzene ring with the hydroxyl group will enhance the intramolecular hydrogen bond, which benefits the ESIPT process. Combining their absorption and fluorescence spectra, it can be concluded that BHPL2 and BHPL4 are both excellent probe candidates due to their large Stokes shift. The hole and electron and root mean square displacement analyses manifest that the fluorescence quenching of BHPL4 may be due to the intramolecular charge transfer process. Potential energy curves of BHPL and its four derivatives noted that ESIPT process of the BHPL2 is the most favorable to occur. The frontier molecular orbital and NBO analyses indicated that besides introducing electron-donating groups to reduce the energy gap and enhance fluorescence emission, introducing double electron-withdrawing groups can also achieve this effect, explaining why the energy barrier of ESIPT process for BHPL2 is lower than BHPL5. This work would provide the theoretical basis for designing novel fluorescence probes with more prominent properties.

METHODS

The ground (S₀) and excited (S₁) state structures of all compounds were optimized by density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent (TDDFT) method, with B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level, respectively. The infrared spectra and potential energy curves were simulated at the same theoretical level. The reduced density gradient scatter plots and interaction region indicator isosurfaces were drawn using Multiwfn and VMD programs. The absorption and fluorescence spectra were simulated by the TDDFT/B3PW91/6-311+G(d,p) method. All the calculations in this work are carried out in Gaussian 16 program package.

Multiple Photoisomerization Pathways of the Green Fluorescent Protein Chromophore in a Reversibly Photoswitchable Fluorescent Protein: Insights from Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics Simulations

Herein, we have employed a combined CASPT2//CASSCF approach within the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) framework to explore the early time photoisomerization of rsEGFP2 starting from its two OFF trans states, i.e., Trans1 and Trans2. The results show similar vertical excitation energies to the S₁ state in their Franck-Condon regions. Considering the clockwise and counterclockwise rotations of the C11-C9 bond, four pairs of the S₁ excited-state minima and low-lying S₁/S₀ conical intersections were optimized, based on which we determined four S₁ photoisomerization paths that are essentially barrierless to the relevant S₁/S₀ conical intersections leading to efficient excited-state deactivation to the S₀ state. Most importantly, our work first identified multiple photoisomerization and excited-state decay paths, which must be seriously considered in the future. This work not only sheds significant light on the primary trans-cis photoisomerization of rsEGFP2 but also aids in the understanding of the microscopic mechanism of GFP-like RSFPs and the design of novel GFP-like fluorescent proteins.

Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer Dynamics of Derivatives of the Green Fluorescent Protein Chromophore

Excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) dynamics of the o-hydroxy analogs of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) chromophore have been investigated by time-resolved spectroscopies and theoretical calculations. These molecules comprise an excellent system to investigate the effect of electronic properties on the energetics and dynamics of ESIPT and to realize applications in photonics. Time-resolved fluorescence with high enough resolution was employed to record the dynamics and the nuclear wave packets in the excited product state exclusively in conjunction with quantum chemical methods. The ESIPT are ultrafast occurring in 30 fs for the compounds employed in this work. Although the ESIPT rates are not affected by the electronic properties of the substituents suggesting barrierless reaction, the energetics, their structures, subsequent dynamics following ESIPT, and possibly the product species are distinct. The results attest that fine tuning of the electronic properties of the compounds may modify the molecular dynamics of ESIPT and subsequent structural relaxation to achieve brighter emitters with broad tuning capabilities.

Applications of fluorescence spectroscopy in protein conformational changes and intermolecular contacts

Emission fluorescence is one of the most versatile and powerful biophysical techniques used in several scientific subjects. It is extensively applied in the studies of proteins, their conformations, and intermolecular contacts, such as in protein-ligand and protein-protein interactions, allowing qualitative, quantitative, and structural data elucidation. This review, aimed to outline some of the most widely used fluorescence techniques in this area, illustrate their applications and display a few examples. At first, the data on the intrinsic fluorescence of proteins is disclosed, mainly on the tryptophan side chain. Predominantly, research to study protein conformational changes, protein interactions, and changes in intensities and shifts of the fluorescence emission maximums were discussed. Fluorescence anisotropy or fluorescence polarization is a measurement of the changing orientation of a molecule in space, concerning the time between the absorption and emission events. Absorption and emission indicate the spatial alignment of the molecule's dipoles relative to the electric vector of the electromagnetic wave of excitation and emitted light, respectively. In other words, if the fluorophore population is excited with vertically polarized light, the emitted light will retain some polarization based on how fast it rotates in solution. Therefore, fluorescence anisotropy can be successfully used in protein-protein interaction investigations. Then, green fluorescent proteins (GFPs), photo-transformable fluorescent proteins (FPs) such as photoswitchable and photoconvertible FPs, and those with Large Stokes Shift (LSS) are disclosed in more detail. FPs are potent tools for the study of biological systems. Their versatility and wide range of colours and properties allow many applications. Finally, the application of fluorescence in life sciences is exposed, especially the application of FPs in fluorescence microscopy techniques with super-resolution that enables precise in vivo photolabeling to monitor the movement and interactions of target proteins.

SiO2-supported HClO4 catalyzed synthesis of (Z)-thiazolylhydrazonoindolin-2-ones and their electrochemical properties

In this paper, an environmentally benign silica-supported perchloric acid (HClO₄-SiO₂) catalyzed green FCDR strategy has been developed for the synthesis of (Z)-THIs (6) with high stereospecificity via an intramolecular hydrogen bond (IHB) directed approach, involving the reaction of methyl ketones (1), N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) (2), isatins (4) and thiosemicarbazide (5) in ethanol at reflux temperature for 45-60 min in one-pot. The reaction proceeds through the construction of C-Br (α-bromination), C-S & C-N (heterocyclization), and CN (condensation) bonds in one pot. The absolute structure of the compound (Z)-3-(2-(4-(4-bromophenyl)thiazol-2-yl)hydrazono)indolin-2-one (6e) has been confirmed by single-crystal XRD analysis. Further, the role of IHB on Z-configuration of the synthesized (Z)-THIs is proved by single-crystal XRD and ¹H NMR studies. Wide substrate scope, good functional group tolerance, scalability, improved safety since the method circumvents the use of highly lachrymatric α-bromoketones as starting materials, high product yields (up to 98%), short reaction times, reusable solid Brønsted acid catalyst (HClO₄-SiO₂), and products that do not require column chromatography purification are all attractive features of this FCDR strategy. Electrochemical properties of THIs (6) are examined by cyclic voltammetry. The HOMO and LUMO energy level of THIs, 6a, 6c, 6d, 6j, 6o-6v, 6y, and 6aa are comparable with the reported ambipolar materials, and the HOMO levels of other THIs, 6b, 6e-6i, 6n, 6w, 6x, 6z and 6 ab-6ae are similar with the most commonly used hole transporting materials (HTMs).

Excited-state photochemistry dynamics of 2-(1-naphthyl) phenol: electronic structure calculations and non-adiabatic dynamics simulations

The excited-state proton transfer processes and the formation mechanism of quinone methide of (1-naphthyl)phenol were investigated by combining static electronic structure calculations and non-adiabatic dynamics simulations in vacuum. The results indicated the existence of two minimum energy structures (S0-ENOL-1 and S0-ENOL-2) in the ground and excited states, which correspond to two ESIPT pathways. Upon excitation of S0-ENOL-1 to the bright S₁ state, the system relaxes to the S₁ minimum quickly in the enol region, for which two decay pathways have been described. The first is a barrierless ESIPT-1 process that generates keto species. Afterwards, the system encounters a keto conical intersection, which funnels the system to the ground state. The generated keto species, in the S₀ state, either regenerated the starting material via ground-state proton transfer or yielded the keto product at the end of the simulations. In the other pathway, the system de-excites from the S₁ state to the S₀ state via one enol-type conical intersection. The dynamics simulations showed that 58.8% of trajectories experience keto-type conical intersection and the rest undergo enol-type conical intersection. Besides the ESIPT-1 process, a new-type ESIPT (ESIPT-2), which was not observed experimentally, was found with the irradiation of S0-ENOL-2. The ESIPT-2 process occurs after overcoming a small barrier (0.9 kcal mol^-1) and yields a distinct quinone methide. Our simulation results also showed that the S₁ lifetime of S0-ENOL-1 (S0-ENOL-2) would be 437 (617) fs in the gas phase. These results provide detailed and important mechanistic insights into the systems in which ESPT to carbon atoms occurs.

Effect of Temperature on Photoisomerization Dynamics of a Newly Designed Two-Stroke Light-Driven Molecular Rotary Motor

The working mechanism of conventional light-driven molecular rotary motors, especially Feringa-type motors, contains two photoisomerization steps and two thermal helix inversion steps. Due to the existence of a thermal helix inversion step, both the ability to work at lower temperatures and the rotation speed are limited. In this work, a two-stroke light-driven molecular rotary motor, 2-(1,5-dimethyl-4,5-dihydrocyclopenta[b]pyrrol-6(1H)-ylidene)-1,2-dihydro-3H-pyrrol-3-one (DDPY), is proposed, which is capable of performing unidirectional and repetitive rotation by only two photoisomerization (EP→ZP and ZP→EP) steps. With trajectory surface-hopping simulation at the semi-empirical OM2/MRCI level, the EP→ZP and ZP→EP nonadiabatic dynamics of DDPY were systematically studied at different temperatures. Both EP→ZP and ZP→EP photoisomerizations are on an ultrafast timescale (ca. 200–300 fs). The decay mode of EP→ZP photoisomerization is approximately bi-exponential, while that of ZP→EP photoisomerization is found to be periodic. For EP and ZP isomers of DDPY, after the S0→S1 excitation, the dynamical processes of nonadiabatic decay are both followed by twisting about the central C=C double bond and the pyramidalization of the C atom at the stator-axle linkage. The effect of temperature on the nonadiabatic dynamics of EP→ZP and ZP→EP photoisomerizations of DDPY has been systematically investigated. The average lifetimes of the S1 excited state and quantum yields for both EP→ZP and ZP→EP photoisomerization are almost temperature-independent, while the corresponding unidirectionality of rotation is significantly increased (e.g., 74% for EP→ZP and 72% for ZP→EP at 300 K vs 100% for EP→ZP and 94% for ZP→EP at 50 K) with lowering the temperature.

Fluorescence Modulation of ortho-Green Fluorescent Protein Chromophores Following Ultrafast Proton Transfer in Solution

Photophysical and photochemical properties of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) chromophore and derivatives underlie their bioimaging applications. To date, ultrafast spectroscopic tools represent the key for unraveling fluorescence mechanisms toward rational design of this powerful biomimetic framework. To correlate the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) with chromophore emission properties, we implement experimental and computational tool sets to elucidate real-time electronic and structural dynamics of two archetypal ortho-GFP chromophores (o-HBDI and o-LHBDI) possessing an intramolecular hydrogen bond to undergo efficient ESIPT, only differing in a bridge-bond constraint. Using excited-state femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS), a low-frequency phenolic (P)-ring-deformation mode (∼562 cm^-1) was uncovered to accompany ESIPT. The tautomerized chromophore undergoes either rapid P-ring isomerization to reach the ground state with essentially no fluorescence for o-HBDI or enhanced (up to an impressive 180-fold in acetonitrile) and solvent-polarity-dependent fluorescence by P-ring locking in o-LHBDI. The significant dependence of the fluorescence enhancement ratio on solvent viscosity confirms P-ring isomerization as the dominant nonradiative decay pathway for o-HBDI. This work provides crucial insights into the dynamic solute-solvent electrostatic and steric interactions, enabling the application-specific improvement of ESIPT-capable molecules as versatile fluorescence-based sensors and imaging agents from large Stokes shift emission to brighter probes in physiological environments.

Excited-State Deactivation Mechanism of 3,5-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole: Electronic Structure Calculations and Nonadiabatic Dynamics Simulations

3,5-bis(2-Hydroxyphenyl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole (bis-HPTA) has attracted wide attention due to the important application in the detection of microorganisms and insecticidal activity. However, the mechanisms of excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process and decay pathways are still a matter of debate. In this work, we have comprehensively investigated the photodynamics of bis-HPTA by executing combined electronic structure calculations and nonadiabatic surface-hopping dynamics simulations. Based on the computed electronic structure and dynamics information, we propose two nonadiabatic deactivation channels that efficiently populate the ground state from the Franck-Condon region. In the first one, after being excited to the bright S₁ state, bis-HPTA molecule undergoes an ultrafast and barrierless ESIPT-1 process. Then, the system encounters with an energetically accessible S₁/S₀ conical intersection (CI), which funnels the system to the ground state speedily. Afterward, the keto species either arrives at the keto product or return to its enol species via a ground-state proton transfer in the S₀ state. In the other excited-state decay channel, the S₁ system hops to the ground state through a different CI, which involves the ESIPT-2 process. In our dynamics simulations, about 79.6% of the trajectories decay to the S₀ state via the first CI, while the remaining ones employ the second conical intersection. The results of dynamics simulations also demonstrated that the lifetime of the S₁ state is estimated as 315 fs. The present work will give elaborating mechanistic information of similar compounds in various environments.

Excited-state double proton transfer of 1,8-dihydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde: A MS-CASPT2//CASSCF study

Excited-state double proton transfer (ESDPT) is a controversial issue which has long been plagued with theoretical and experimental communities. Herein, we took 1,8-dihydroxy-2-naphthaldehyde (DHNA) as a prototype and used combined complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and multi-state complete active-space second-order perturbation (MS-CASPT2) methods to investigate ES-DPT and excited-state deactivation pathways of DHNA. Three different tautomer minima of S1-ENOL, S1-KETO-1, and S1-KETO-2 and two crucial conical intersections of S1S0-KETO-1 and S1S0-KETO-2 in.and between the S0 and S1 states were obtained. S1-KETO-1 and S1-KETO-2 should take responsibility for experimentally observing dual-emission bands. In addition, two-dimensional potential energy surfaces (2D-PESs) and linear interpolated internal coordinate paths connecting relevant structures were calculated at the MS-CASPT2//CASSCF level and confirmed a stepwise ESDPT mechanism. Specifically, the first proton transfer from S1-ENOL to S1-KETO-1 is barrierless, whereas the second one from S1-KETO-1 to S1-KETO-2 demands a barrier of ca. 6.0 kcal/mol. The linear interpolated internal coordinate path connecting S1-KETO-1 (S1-KETO-2) and S1S0-KETO-1 (S1S0-KETO-2) is uphill with a barrier of ca. 12.0 kcal/mol, which will trap DHNA in the S1 state while therefore enabling dual-emission bands. On the other hand, the S1/S0 conical intersections would also prompt the S1 system to decay to the S0 state, which could be to certain extent suppressed by locking the rotation of the C5−C8−C9−O10 dihedral angle. These mechanistic insights are not only helpful for understanding ESDPT but also useful for designing novel molecular materials with excellent photoluminescent performances.

Quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics studies on the mechanistic photophysics of sunscreen oxybenzone in methanol solution

Herein, we have employed the QM(CASPT2//CASSCF)/MM method to explore the photophysical and photochemical mechanism of oxybenzone (OB) in methanol solution. Based on the optimized minima, conical intersections and crossing points, and minimum-energy reaction paths related to excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) and excited-state decay paths in the ¹ππ*, ¹nπ*, ³ππ*, ³nπ*, and S₀ states, we have identified several feasible excited-state relaxation pathways for the initially populated S₂(¹ππ*) state to decay to the initial enol isomer' S₀ state. The major one is the singlet-mediated and stretch-torsion coupled ESIPT pathway, in which the system first undergoes an essentially barrierless ¹ππ* ESIPT process to generate the ¹ππ* keto species, and finally realizes its ground state recovery through the subsequent carbonyl stretch-torsion facilitating S₁ → S₀ internal conversion (IC) and the reverse ground-state intramolecular proton transfer (GSIPT) process. The minor ones are related to intersystem crossing (ISC) processes. At the S₂(¹ππ*) minimum, an S₂(¹ππ*)/S₁(¹nπ*)/T₂(³nπ*) three-state intersection region helps the S₂ system branch into the T₁ state through a S₂ → S₁ → T₁ or S₂ → T₂ → T₁ process. Once it has reached the T₁ state, the system may relax to the S₀ state via direct ISC or via subsequent nearly barrierless ³ππ* ESIPT to yield the T₁ keto tautomer and ISC. The resultant S₀ keto species significantly undergoes reverse GSIPT and only a small fraction yields the trans-keto form that relaxes back more slowly. However, due to small spin-orbit couplings at T₁/S₀ crossing points, the ISC to S₀ state occurs very slowly. The present work rationalizes not only the ultrafast excited-state decay dynamics of OB but also its phosphorescence emission at low temperature.

Multi-Mode and Dynamic Persistent Luminescence from Metal Cytosine Halides through Balancing Excited-State Proton Transfer

Persistent luminescence has attracted great attention due to the unique applications in molecular imaging, photodynamic therapy, and information storage, among many others. However, tuning the dynamic persistent luminescence through molecular design and materials engineering remains a challenge. In this work, the first example of excitation-dependent persistent luminescence in a reverse mode for smart optical materials through tailoring the excited-state proton transfer process of metal cytosine halide hybrids is reported. This approach enables ultralong phosphorescence and thermally activated delayed fluorescence emission colors highly tuned by modulation of excitation wavelength, time evolution, and temperature, which realize multi-mode dynamic color adjustment from green to blue or cyan to yellow-green. At the single crystal level, the 2D excitation/space/time-resolved optical waveguides with triple color conversion have been constructed on the organic-metal halide microsheets, which represent a new strategy for multi-dimensional information encryption and optical logic gate applications.

Prediction of Fluorophore Brightness in Designed Mini Fluorescence Activating Proteins

The de novo computational design of proteins with predefined three-dimensional structure is becoming much more routine due to advancements both in force fields and algorithms. However, creating designs with functions beyond folding is more challenging. In that regard, the recent design of small beta barrel proteins that activate the fluorescence of an exogenous small molecule chromophore (DFHBI) is noteworthy. These proteins, termed mini fluorescence activating proteins (mFAPs), have been shown to increase the brightness of the chromophore more than 100-fold upon binding to the designed ligand pocket. The design process created a large library of variants with different brightness levels but gave no rational explanation for why one variant was brighter than another. Here, we use quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics simulations to investigate how molecular flexibility in the ground and excited states influences brightness. We show that the ability of the protein to resist dihedral angle rotation of the chromophore is critical for predicting brightness. Our simulations suggest that the mFAP/DFHBI complex has a rough energy landscape, requiring extensive ground-state sampling to achieve converged predictions of excited-state kinetics. While computationally demanding, this roughness suggests that mFAP protein function can be enhanced by reshaping the energy landscape toward conformations that better resist DFHBI bond rotation.

Theoretical study on an intriguing excited-state proton transfer process induced by weakened intramolecular hydrogen bonds

In the present work, we have systematically investigated the dual hydrogen-bonded system 2Z,2'Z-3,3'-(4,4'-methylenebis(4,1-phenylene)bis(azanediyl)bis(1,3-diphenylprop-2-en-1-one)) (abbreviated as L) utilizing quantum chemistry methods, in which the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) does not conform to the usual stereotype but proceeds along the weakened intramolecular hydrogen bonds (IHBs). Two primary configurations were confirmed to coexist in the ground state (i.e., anti-L and syn-L) by calculating the Boltzmann distribution in three different solvents. Based on the cardinal geometrical parameters involved in IHBs and the interaction region indicator (IRI) isosurface, it can be revealed that the dual IHBs of L were both weakened upon photoexcitation, not least the N₁-H₂⋯O₃ IHB was utterly destroyed in the excited state. The proton-transfer process of anti and syn in three solvents with different polarities has been analyzed by constructing S₀- and S₁-state potential energy surfaces (PESs). It can be concluded that only the single proton transfer behavior along N₁-H₂⋯O₃ occurs in the S₁ state, and the corresponding energy barrier is gradually enlarged with increasing solvent polarity. To further expound the weakened IHB-induced ESIPT mechanism, the scanned PESs connecting the transition state (TS) structures and the initial forms indicate that the ESIPT process is infeasible without the appropriate structural torsion. Our work not only unveils the extraordinary ESIPT process of L, but also complements the results obtained from previous experiments.

Diabatic States of Molecules

Quantitative simulations of electronically nonadiabatic molecular processes require both accurate dynamics algorithms and accurate electronic structure information. Direct semiclassical nonadiabatic dynamics is expensive due to the high cost of electronic structure calculations, and hence it is limited to small systems, limited ensemble averaging, ultrafast processes, and/or electronic structure methods that are only semiquantitatively accurate. The cost of dynamics calculations can be made manageable if analytic fits are made to the electronic structure data, and such fits are most conveniently carried out in a diabatic representation because the surfaces are smooth and the couplings between states are smooth scalar functions. Diabatic representations, unlike the adiabatic ones produced by most electronic structure methods, are not unique, and finding suitable diabatic representations often involves time-consuming nonsystematic diabatization steps. The biggest drawback of using diabatic bases is that it can require large amounts of effort to perform a globally consistent diabatization, and one of our goals has been to develop methods to do this efficiently and automatically. In this Feature Article, we introduce the mathematical framework of diabatic representations, and we discuss diabatization methods, including adiabatic-to-diabatic transformations and recent progress toward the goal of automatization.

Ultrafast Excited-State Proton Transfer of a Cationic Superphotoacid in a Nanoscopic Water Pool

The excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) of a cationic superphotoacid, N-methyl-7-hydroxyquinolium, was studied within the water pool of an anionic aerosol-OT (AOT), bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate, reverse micelle (RM). Previously, we had found that the cationic photoacid residing at the anionic AOT interface was conducive to ESPT to the bound water having concentric heterogeneity on the time scale of hundreds of picoseconds to nanoseconds. In our present study, on the time scale of hundreds of femtoseconds to a few tens of picoseconds, the photoacid underwent an ultrafast ESPT influenced by mobile water constituting the core of the RM. The two subpopulations of the core water molecules that determine the ultrafast biphasic deprotonation of the photoacid on time scales differing by an order of magnitude were identified. The core water molecules solvating the counteranion of the photoacid showed a higher basicity than typical water clusters in bulk resulting in ESPT on a subpicosecond time scale. Bare water clusters sensed by the photoacid showed a slower ESPT, over several picoseconds, as typically limited by the rotational motion of water molecules for similar types of the photoacid.

Electronic state of a fluoranthene–urea compound and the kinetics of its emissive tautomer state in the presence of acetate anions

The fluorescence spectrum of 3FU–Ac around 600 nm agrees well with that of 3FU–DBU, indicating that the electronic state of tautomer has a proton-abstracted structure.

Theoretical Studies on the Excited-State Decay Mechanism of Homomenthyl Salicylate in a Gas Phase and an Acetonitrile Solution

Here, we employ the CASPT2//CASSCF and QM(CASPT2//CASSCF)/MM approaches to explore the photochemical mechanism of homomenthyl salicylate (HMS) in vacuum and an acetonitrile solution. The results show that in both cases, the excited-state relaxation mainly involves a spectroscopically "bright" S₁(¹ππ*) state and the lower-lying T₁ and T₂ states. In the major relaxation pathway, the photoexcited S₁ keto system first undergoes an essentially barrierless excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) to generate the S₁ enol minimum, near which a favorable S₁/S₀ conical intersection decays the system to the S₀ state followed by a reverse ground-state intramolecular proton transfer (GSIPT) to repopulate the initial S₀ keto species. In the minor one, an S₁/T₂/T₁ three-state intersection in the keto region makes the T₁ state populated via direct and T₂-mediated intersystem crossing (ISC) processes. In the T₁ state, an ESIPT occurs, which is followed by ISC near a T₁/S₀ crossing point in the enol region to the S₀ state and finally back to the S₀ keto species. In addition, a T₁/S₀ crossing point near the T₁ keto minimum can also help the system decay to the S₀ keto species. However, small spin-orbit couplings between T₁ and S₀ at these T₁/S₀ crossing points make ISC to the S₀ state very slow and make the system trapped in the T₁ state for a while. The present work rationalizes not only the ultrafast excited-state decay dynamics of HMS but also its low quantum yield of phosphorescence at 77 K.

Impact of the Structural Modification of Diamondoid Cd(II) MOFs on the Nonlinear Optical Properties

A change in the degree of interpenetration (DOI) in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) prompted by heat, pressure, or exchange of solvents is a fascinating phenomenon that can potentially impact the functional properties of MOFs. Structural transformation involving two noncentrosymmetric MOFs with different DOIs provides a rare opportunity to manipulate their optical properties. Herein, we report an unusual single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) transformation of a noncentrosymmetric 7-fold interpenetrated diamondoid (dia) Cd(II) MOF into another noncentrosymmetric but 8-fold interpenetrated dia MOF upon the removal of guest solvents. A hydrogen-bond network formed between the lattice solvents and linker trans-2-(4-pyridyl)-4-vinylbenzoate (pvb) in a 7-fold interpenetrated noncentrosymmetric MOF results in a significant increase in the two-photon absorption cross-section (11 times) as compared to that in the desolvated 8-fold interpenetrated MOF. Also, an increase in the DOI in the noncentrosymmetric crystals strengthened the π···π interaction between the individual diamondoid networks and enhanced the second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) coefficient (deff) by 4.5 times. These results provide a way to manipulate the optical properties of MOFs using a combined strategy of the formation of hydrogen bonds and interpenetration for access to tunable single-crystal NLO devices in an SCSC manner. By changing the experimental conditions, another dia Cd(II) MOF with 4-fold interpenetration can be isolated. In this centrosymmetric MOF, the olefin groups in the backbone of the ligand (pvb) undergo a [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction quantitatively under UV light but in a non-SCSC fashion.

Theoretical Investigation of the Excited-State Dynamics Mechanism of the Asymmetric Two-Way Proton Transfer Molecule BTHMB

An asymmetric two-way proton transfer molecule 3-(benzo[d]-thiazol-2-yl)-2-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzaldehyde (BTHMB) with the function of white-light emission was synthesized in a recent experiment (Bhattacharyya, A.; Mandal, S. K.; Guchhait, N. J. Phys. Chem. A 2019, 123, 10246). The particularity of this molecule is that there are two possible forms, one of which contained a six-membered H-bonded network toward a N atom (BTHMB-NH) present in the molecule as a proton acceptor and the other was toward an O atom (BTHMB-OH). Unfortunately, the experimental work lacked the theoretical explanation about the determination of the BTHMB-NH form and its excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process under different solvents. Therefore, this study has explored these two points by means of the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method. The calculated relative energy and potential energy profile (PEP) of the transformation between BTHMB-NH and BTHMB-OH forms illustrated that BTHMB-NH was more stable, and the transfer from BTHMB-NH to BTHMB-OH was almost impossible at both S₀ and S₁ states under all solvents due to high potential energy barriers (PEBs) (11.67-21.59 kcal/mol). These calculated results provided the theoretical explanation and verification for the conclusion that the BTHMB molecule exists in the BTHMB-NH form in the experiment. Subsequently, the constructed PEPs of the ESIPT process for BTHMB-NH have proved that it was prone to the ESIPT process due to low PEBs (0.11-0.28 kcal/mol) at the S₁ state. In particular, as the solvent polarity increased, the intensity of the intramolecular hydrogen bond (IHB) (O₃-H₄···N₅) increased and the ESIPT process was more likely to occur. In addition, the twisted intramolecular charge-transfer (TICT) process was studied to explore the possible fluorescence quenching pathway of BTHMB-NH. Based on the PEPs of BTHMB-NH-T as a function of the N₅-C₆-C₇-C₈ dihedral angle at the S₀ and S₁ states, it is seen that the S₀ state TICT process was inhibited due to the large PEBs (16.45-23.93 kcal/mol). Although the S₁ state PEBs have been greatly reduced, they were still maintained at about 3.60 kcal/mol (3.60-3.84 kcal/mol), and hence, this process was still relatively difficult to occur. Due to the fact that BTHMB can be regarded as a standard in future designs involving red light and solvent-specific white-light emitters, a certain amount of investigative work on the ESIPT process was done in detail, and it paved the way for future research on the directionality of ESIPT in double ESIPT probes.

Investigation of nonadiabatic dynamics in the photolysis of methyl nitrate (CH3ONO2) by on-the-fly surface hopping simulation

The photolysis mechanism of methyl nitrate (CH₃ONO₂) was studied using the on-the-fly surface hopping dynamics at the XMS-CASPT2 level. Several critical geometries, including electronic state minima and conical intersections, were obtained, which play essential roles in the nonadiabatic dynamics of CH₃ONO₂. The ultrafast nonadiabatic decay dynamics to the ground state were simulated, which gives a proper explanation on the broad and structureless absorption spectra of CH₃ONO₂. The photodissociation channels, including CH₃O + NO₂, CH₃O + NO + O, and others, as well as their branching ratios, were identified. When the dynamics starts from the lowest two electronic states (S₁ and S₂), the CH₃O + NO₂ channel is the dominant photolysis pathway, although we observed the minor contributions of other channels. In contrast, when the trajectories start from the third excited state S₃, both CH₃O + NO₂ and CH₃O + NO + O channels become important. Here the CH₃O-NO₂ bond dissociation takes place first, and then for some trajectories, the N-O bond of the NO₂ part breaks successively. The quasi-degeneracy of electronic states may exist in the dissociation limits of both CH₃O + NO₂ and CH₃O + NO + O channels. The current work provides valuable information in the understanding of experimental findings of the wavelength-dependent photolysis mechanism of CH₃ONO₂.

Brightening up Circularly Polarized Luminescence of Monosubstituted Polyacetylene by Conformation Control: Mechanism, Switching, and Sensing

The first example of luminescent monosubstituted polyacetylenes (mono-PAs) is presented, based on a contracted cis-cisoid polyene backbone. It has an excellent circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) performance with a high dissymmetric factor (up to the order of 10^-1 ). The luminescence stems from the helical cis-cisoid PA backbone, which is tightly fixed by the strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds, thereby reversing the energy order of excited states and enabling an emissive energy dissipation. CPL switches are facilely achieved by the solvent and temperature through reversible conformational transition. By taking advantages of fast response and high sensitivity, the thin film of mono-PAs could be used as a CPL-based probe for quantitative detection of trifluoroacetic acid with a wider linear dynamic range than those of photoluminescence and circular dichroism. This work opens a new avenue to develop novel smart CPL materials through modulating conformational transition.

Characterization of Fluorescent Proteins with Intramolecular Photostabilization*

Genetically encodable fluorescent proteins have revolutionized biological imaging in vivo and in vitro. Despite their importance, their photophysical properties, i. e., brightness, count-rate and photostability, are relatively poor compared to synthetic organic fluorophores or quantum dots. Intramolecular photostabilizers were recently rediscovered as an effective approach to improve photophysical properties of organic fluorophores. Here, direct conjugation of triplet-state quenchers or redox-active substances creates high local concentrations of photostabilizer around the fluorophore. In this paper, we screen for effects of covalently linked photostabilizers on fluorescent proteins. We produced a double cysteine mutant (A206C/L221C) of α-GFP for attachment of photostabilizer-maleimides on the β-barrel near the chromophore. Whereas labelling with photostabilizers such as trolox, a nitrophenyl group, and cyclooctatetraene, which are often used for organic fluorophores, had no effect on α-GFP-photostability, a substantial increase of photostability was found upon conjugation to azobenzene. Although the mechanism of the photostabilizing effects remains to be elucidated, we speculate that the higher triplet-energy of azobenzene might be crucial for triplet-quenching of fluorophores in the blue spectral range. Our study paves the way for the development of fluorescent proteins with photostabilizers in the protein barrel by methods such as unnatural amino acid incorporation.

Solvation effect on the ESIPT mechanism of nitrile-substituted ortho-hydroxy-2-phenyl-oxazolines

In this study, density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) were used to unveil the solvation effects on the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) of nitrile-substituted ortho-hydroxy-2-phenyl-oxazoline (NOHPO) molecules in three different solvents. According to the functional analysis of the reduced density gradient, hydrogen bond in low-polar solvents is stronger compared to that in high-polar solvents, indicating that proton transfer (PT) can be influenced by the polarity of the solvent. Moreover, the geometric parameters and infrared vibration spectrum of NOHPO in different types of solvents in the S0 and S1 state were compared, which confirmed the above results. By analyzing electronic spectra and frontier molecular orbitals, it was found that the spectral properties were affected by different polar solvents. Molecular electrostatic potential surface calculations proved that PT took place between the H2 atom and N3 atom, and the natural population analysis and Hirshfeld charge reveal the charge distribution after photoexcitation. To investigate the ESIPT progress intensively, the potential energy curves of NOHPO in three types of solvents were established. The findings revealed that NOHPO could transform from enol to keto form in the S1 state spontaneously, and ESIPT progress was promoted with the decrease in polarity.

On the Relationship between Hydrogen Bond Strength and the Formation Energy in Resonance-Assisted Hydrogen Bonds

Resonance-assisted hydrogen bonds (RAHB) are intramolecular contacts that are characterised by being particularly energetic. This fact is often attributed to the delocalisation of π electrons in the system. In the present article, we assess this thesis via the examination of the effect of electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups, namely -F, -Cl, -Br, -CF3, -N(CH3)2, -OCH3, -NHCOCH3 on the strength of the RAHB in malondialdehyde by using the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) and the Interacting Quantum Atoms (IQA) analyses. We show that the influence of the investigated substituents on the strength of the investigated RAHBs depends largely on its position within the π skeleton. We also examine the relationship between the formation energy of the RAHB and the hydrogen bond interaction energy as defined by the IQA method of wave function analysis. We demonstrate that these substituents can have different effects on the formation and interaction energies, casting doubts regarding the use of different parameters as indicators of the RAHB formation energies. Finally, we also demonstrate how the energy density can offer an estimation of the IQA interaction energy, and therefore of the HB strength, at a reduced computational cost for these important interactions. We expected that the results reported herein will provide a valuable understanding in the assessment of the energetics of RAHB and other intramolecular interactions.

Luminescent excited-state intramolecular proton-transfer dyes based on 4-functionalized 6,6'-dimethyl-3,3'-dihydroxy-2,2'-bipyridine (BP(OH)2-Rs); DFT simulation study

The 4-functionalized 6,6'-dimethyl-3,3'-dihydroxy-2,2'-bipyridine dyes (BP(OH)₂-Rs) have exhibited dienol and diketo emissions. The optimum geometrical structures for ground, singlet and triplet excited states are computed by DFT/B3LYP/6-31++G that showed the planarity of BP(OH)₂-Rs structure. The emission spectra of the molecules are determined in the gas-phase at singlet and triplet excited states using CIS/6-31++G. The theoretical calculations are carried out for BP(OH)₂-Rs to understand the impact of different substituents (R = -H (I), -Br (II), -TMS (III), -C2H (IV), -terpyridine (V) and -bodipy (diazaboraindacene) (VI)) on excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) in singlet and triplet excited states. Based on the calculations, the concerted diproton transfer proceeds in the triplet excited state, in which nπ* state has a significant participation in ESIPT. The spectral variation at ESIPT emission of BP(OH)₂-Rs is influenced by the electron-acceptor ability of the substituents. The compound V revealed a higher spectral intensity compared to the others. From the comparison with the experimental data, the molecule V is almost planar agreed with the X-ray structure and trend variation of wavelengths. The molecule VI contains bodipy chromophore that excitation energy transfers completely from BP(OH)₂ core to a bodipy substituent, leading to emission from the lowest-lying bodipy substituent, and consequently, ESIPT does not occur for this dye.

Glycine insertion modulates the fluorescence properties of Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein and its variants in their ambient environment

The green fluorescent protein (GFP) derived from Pacific Ocean jellyfish is an essential tool in biology. GFP-solvent interactions can modulate the fluorescent property of GFP. We previously reported that glycine insertion is an effective mutation in the yellow variant of GFP, yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). Glycine insertion into one of the β-strands comprising the barrel structure distorts its structure, allowing water molecules to invade near the chromophore, enhancing hydrostatic pressure or solution hydrophobicity sensitivity. However, the underlying mechanism of how glycine insertion imparts environmental sensitivity to YFP has not been elucidated yet. To unveil the relationship between fluorescence and β-strand distortion, we investigated the effects of glycine insertion on the dependence of the optical properties of GFP variants named enhanced-GFP (eGFP) and its yellow (eYFP) and cyan (eCFP) variants with respect to pH, temperature, pressure, and hydrophobicity. Our results showed that the quantum yield decreased depending on the number of inserted glycines in all variants, and the dependence on pH, temperature, pressure, and hydrophobicity was altered, indicating the invasion of water molecules into the β-barrel. Peak shifts in the emission spectrum were observed in glycine-inserted eGFP, suggesting a change of the electric state in the excited chromophore. A comparative investigation of the spectral shift among variants under different conditions demonstrated that glycine insertion rearranged the hydrogen bond network between His148 and the chromophore. The present results provide important insights for further understanding the fluorescence mechanism in GFPs and suggest that glycine insertion could be a potent approach for investigating the relationship between water molecules and the intra-protein chromophore.

"On-The-Fly" Non-Adiabatic Dynamics Simulations on Photoinduced Ring-Closing Reaction of a Nucleoside-Based Diarylethene Photoswitch

Nucleoside-based diarylethenes are emerging as an especial class of photochromic compounds that have potential applications in regulating biological systems using noninvasive light with high spatio-temporal resolution. However, relevant microscopic photochromic mechanisms at atomic level of these novel diarylethenes remain to be explored. Herein, we have employed static electronic structure calculations (MS-CASPT2//M06-2X, MS-CASPT2//SA-CASSCF) in combination with non-adiabatic dynamics simulations to explore the related photoinduced ring-closing reaction of a typical nucleoside-based diarylethene photoswitch, namely, PS-IV. Upon excitation with UV light, the open form PS-IV can be excited to a spectroscopically bright S₁ state. After that, the molecule relaxes to the conical intersection region within 150 fs according to the barrierless relaxed scan of the C1–C6 bond, which is followed by an immediate deactivation to the ground state. The conical intersection structure is very similar to the ground state transition state structure which connects the open and closed forms of PS-IV, and therefore plays a crucial role in the photochromism of PS-IV. Besides, after analyzing the hopping structures, we conclude that the ring closing reaction cannot complete in the S₁ state alone since all the C1–C6 distances of the hopping structures are larger than 2.00 Å. Once hopping to the ground state, the molecules either return to the original open form of PS-IV or produce the closed form of PS-IV within 100 fs, and the ring closing quantum yield is estimated to be 56%. Our present work not only elucidates the ultrafast photoinduced pericyclic reaction of the nucleoside-based diarylethene PS-IV, but can also be helpful for the future design of novel nucleoside-based diarylethenes with better performance.

Green fluorescent protein inspired fluorophores

Green fluorescence proteins (GFP) are appealing to a variety of biomedical and biotechnology applications, such as protein fusion, subcellular localizations, cell visualization, protein-protein interaction, and genetically encoded sensors. To mimic the fluorescence of GFP, various compounds, such as GFP chromophores analogs, hydrogen bond-rich proteins, and aromatic peptidyl nanostructures that preclude free rotation of the aryl-alkene bond, have been developed to adapt them for a fantastic range of applications. Herein, we firstly summarize the structure and luminescent mechanism of GFP. Based on this, the design strategy, fluorescent properties, and the advanced applications of GFP-inspired fluorophores are then carefully discussed. The diverse advantages of bioinspired fluorophores, such as biocompatibility, structural simplicity, and capacity to form a variety of functional nanostructures, endow them potential candidates as the next-generation bio-organic optical materials.

Ultrafast spectroscopy of biliverdin dimethyl ester in solution: pathways of excited-state depopulation

Biliverdin is a bile pigment that has a very low fluorescence quantum yield in solution, but serves as a chromophore in far-red fluorescent proteins being developed for bio-imaging. In this work, excited-state dynamics of biliverdin dimethyl ether (BVE) in solvents were investigated using femtosecond (fs) and picosecond (ps) time-resolved absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. This study is the first fs timescale investigation of BVE in solvents, and therefore revealed numerous dynamics that were not resolved in previous, 200 ps time resolution measurements. Viscosity- and isotope-dependent experiments were performed to identify the contributions of isomerization and proton transfer to the excited-state dynamics. In aprotic solvents, a ∼2 ps non-radiative decay accounts for 95% of the excited-state population loss. In addition, a minor ∼30 ps emissive decay pathway is likely associated with an incomplete isomerization process around the C15[double bond, length as m-dash]C16 double bond that results in a flip of the D-ring. In protic solvents, the dynamics are more complex due to hydrogen bond interactions between solute and solvent. In this case, the ∼2 ps decay pathway is a minor channel (15%), whereas ∼70% of the excited-state population decays through an 800 fs emissive pathway. The ∼30 ps timescale associated with isomerization is also observed in protic solvents. The most significant difference in protic solvents is the presence of a >300 ps timescale in which BVE can decay through an emissive state, in parallel with excited-state proton transfer to the solvent. Interestingly, a small fraction of a luminous species, which we designate lumin-BVE (LBVE), is present in protic solvents.

Bioinspired Fluorescent Peptidyl Nanoparticles with Rainbow Colors

The growing enthusiasm to mimic the luminous properties of fluorescent proteins (FPs) has expanded to include the potential biomedical applications of FP analogues. We developed a series of non-fluorescent oligopeptides (Fc-(X)_n; where X = F, Y, W, and H; n = 1-3) that can aggregate into fluorescent nanoparticles with rainbow colors, termed the peptidyl rainbow kit (PRK). The PRK encompasses the full visible color spectrum, and its photoluminescent properties may have originated from aggregation-induced emission (AIE). Intermolecular forces restricted the intramolecular motions of the oligopeptide residues, providing a barrier to non-radiative conformational relaxation pathways and leading to AIE fluorescence. The PRK oligopeptides are pH sensitive, biocompatible, and photostable under physiological conditions, making the PRK a promising fluorescence candidate for biomedical applications.