Theoretical modeling of deuteration-induced shifts of the 0-0 bands in absorption spectra of selected aromatic amines: the role of the double-well potential

Optical Spectra of Oligofurans: A Theoretical Approach to the Transition Energies, Reorganization Energies, and the Vibronic Activity

There is experimental evidence of high vibronic activity that accompanies the allowed transition between the ground state and the lowest electronic singlet excited state of oligofurans that contain two, three, and four furan rings. The absorption and emission spectra of the three lowest oligofurans measured at liquid nitrogen temperature show distinct fine structures that are reproduced using the projection-based model of vibronic coupling (with Dushinsky rotation included) parameterized utilizing either Density Functional Theory (DFT, with several different exchange-correlation functionals) or ab initio (CC2) quantum chemistry calculations. Using as a reference the experimental data concerning the electronic absorption and fluorescence for the eight lowest oligofurans, we first analyzed the performance of the exchange-correlation functionals for the electronic transition energies and the reorganization energies. Subsequently, we used the best functionals alongside with the CC2 method to explore how the reorganization energies are distributed among the totally symmetric vibrations, identify the normal modes that dominate in the fine structures present in the absorption and emission bands, and trace their evolution with the increasing number of rings in the oligofuran series. Confrontation of the simulated spectra with the experiment allows for the verification of the performance of the selected DFT functionals and the CC2 method.

The lowest triplet states of bridged cis-2,2'-bithiophenes - theory vs. experiment

Theoretical methods that were previously used to give a good quantitative description of the 3(1)Bu state of trans-2,2'-bithiophene are applied to characterize the lowest triplet states of three bridged cis-2,2'-bithiophenes: 3,3'-cyclopentadithiophene (CPDT), 3,3'-dithienylpyrrole (DTP), and 3,3'-dithienylthiophene (DTT). By obtaining highly accurate reproductions of the phosphorescence spectra of all three compounds, we rationalize the observed vibronic activity, further explore the performance of the applied theoretical methods, and address the quality of the reported experimental spectra. Over the course of this study we have, first, characterized the changes in the electronic structures between the ground state and the lowest triplet state and, second, expressed the related geometrical differences in terms of the Huang-Rhys factors. The Huang-Rhys factors have then been used to generate theoretical emission spectra with vibronic resolution. The applied procedure has yielded quantitative reproductions of the previously reported experimental phosphorescence spectra of DTT and DTP. The experimental spectrum of CPDT, on the other hand, turned out to be considerably narrower and intensity-deficient in its low energy region when compared with the theoretical results. Our experimental reinvestigation of the CPDT phosphorescence has given a refined spectrum that is significantly wider than the previously reported one, and is in nearly quantitative agreement with the theoretical prediction. This enabled us to attribute the observed discrepancy to an experimental artifact associated with the sensitivity characteristics of the commonly used photomultipliers.