Vibrational Spectra of N,N-Dimethylaniline and Its Radical Cation. An Interpretation Based on Quantum Chemical Calculations

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy for the Investigation of Chromogenic Motion Picture Films: A Preliminary Study

In the present work, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is proposed for the identification of dyes in chromogenic films. These substances, which are generated within the film itself during the colour development process, are first studied on reference molecules synthesised for the purpose and, subsequently, on dyes extracted from a chromogenic film. SERS spectroscopy proved to be an efficient technique for their investigation, providing a proof of concept for its applicability for further studies on this complex topic. SERS spectra of the reference molecules were also compared with normal Raman spectra, acquired with a spectrometer based on SSE™ technology. Furthermore, the excellent SERS properties of anisotropic nanomaterials, such as silver nanostars, have been confirmed.

Prediction of the standard potentials for one-electron oxidation of N,N,N',N' tetrasubstituted p-phenylenediamines by calculation

The formal potentials for the reversible one-electron oxidation of N,N,N',N' tetrasubstituted p-phenylenediamines in acetonitrile have been applied as a test set for benchmarking computational methods for a series of compounds with only small structural differences. The aim of the study is to propose a simple method for calculating the standard oxidation potentials, and therefore, the protocol is progressively developed by adding more terms in the energy expression. In addition, the effect of including implicit solvation models (IEFPCM, CPCM, and SMD), larger basis sets, and correlation methods are investigated. The oxidation potentials calculated using the G3MP2B3 approach with IEFPCM resulted in the best fit (R² = 0.9624), but the slope of the correlation line, 0.74, is far from the optimal value, 1.00. B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) and TPSSh/6-311++G(2d,p) yielded only slightly less consistent data (R² = 0.9388 and R² = 0.9425), but with much better slopes, 1.00 and 0.94, respectively. We conclude that it is important to investigate the basis set size and treatment of electron correlation when calculating oxidation potentials for N,N,N',N' tetrasubstituted p-phenylenediamines.

Rational design and syntheses of aniline-based diradical dications: isolable congeners of quinodimethane diradicals

Two-electron oxidation of five aniline-based compounds 4,4′′-p/m-terphenyldiamines afforded the first isolable aniline-based diradical dications 1²⁺–5²⁺.

Interplay of vibrational wavepackets during an ultrafast electron transfer reaction

Electron transfer reactions facilitate energy transduction and photoredox processes in biology and chemistry. Recent findings show that molecular vibrations can enable the dramatic acceleration of some electron transfer reactions, and control it by suppressing and enhancing reaction paths. Here, we report ultrafast spectroscopy experiments and quantum dynamics simulations that resolve how quantum vibrations participate in an electron transfer reaction. We observe ballistic electron transfer (~30 fs) along a reaction coordinate comprising high-frequency promoting vibrations. Along another vibrational coordinate, the system becomes impulsively out of equilibrium as a result of the electron transfer reaction. This leads to the generation (by the electron transfer reaction, not the laser pulse) of a new vibrational coherence along this second reaction coordinate in a mode associated with the reaction product. These results resolve a complex reaction trajectory composed of multiple vibrational coordinates that, like a sequence of ratchets, progressively diminish the recurrence of the reactant state.

Photoluminescence as a Valuable Tool in the Optical Characterization of Acetaminophen and the Monitoring of Its Photodegradation Reactions

In this work, new evidence for the photodegradation reactions of acetaminophen (AC) is reported by photoluminescence (PL), Raman scattering and FTIR spectroscopy. Under excitation wavelength of 320 nm, AC shows a PL band in the spectral range of 340-550 nm, whose intensity decreases by exposure to UV light. The chemical interaction of AC with the NaOH solutions, having the concentration ranging between 0.001 and 0.3 M, induces a gradual enhancement of the photoluminescence excitation (PLE) and PL spectra, when the exposure time of samples at the UV light increases until 140 min, as a result of the formation of p-aminophenol and sodium acetate. This behavior is not influenced by the excipients or other active compounds in pharmaceutical products as demonstrated by PLE and PL studies. Experimental arguments for the obtaining of p-aminophenol and sodium acetate, when AC has interacted with NaOH, are shown by Raman scattering and FTIR spectroscopy.

Vibrational spectra, first order hyperpolarizability, NBO, Fukui function and HOMO-LUMO analysis of 2-[4-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-ylmethyl)-1-piperazinyl] pyrimidine

In this work, the vibrational spectral analysis was carried out by using FT-Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy in the range 4000-100cm(-1) and 4000-400cm(-1) respectively, for 2-[4-(1, 3-benzodioxol-5-ylmethyl)-1-piperazinyl] pyrimidine(BDPP) molecule. Theoretical calculations were performed density functional theory (DFT) method using 6-31G(d,p) and 6-311G(d,p) basis sets. The assignments of vibrational spectra have been carried out with the help of normal co-ordinate analysis (NCA) following the scaled quantum mechanical force field (SQMFF) methodology. The results of the calculations were applied to simulated spectra of the title compound, which show excellent agreement with observed spectra. The frontier orbital energy gap and dipole moment illustrates the high reactivity of the title molecule. The first order hyperpolarizability (β0) and related properties (μ, α and Δα) of the title molecule were also calculated. Stability of the molecule has been analyzed by natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. Global reactivity and local reactivity descriptors of the title molecule have been calculated. Mulliken population analyses on atomic charges of the title compound have been calculated. Finally, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) and HOMO-LUMO energy levels have been performed.

Vibrational spectra and first order hyperpolarizability studies of dimethyl amino pyridinium 4-nitrophenolate 4-nitrophenol

Vibrational spectra of the organic nonlinear optical crystallized dimethyl amino pyridinium 4-nitrophenolate 4-nitrophenol have been recorded and analyzed. The spectral interpretation has been done based on the density functional theory using the standard B3LYP/LANL2DZ basis set. Total energy distribution is calculated using the scaled quantum mechanic program. Natural bond orbital analysis is also used to explain the inter and intra molecular hydrogen bonding. The relative second harmonic efficiency of the compound is found to be 15 times greater than that of KDP. The effect of intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the phenolate ion of 4-nitrophenol with N-atom of pyridine ring is sufficiently more, enhancing the β value which is the required property of a system to be NLO active.

Quantum mechanical study of the structure and spectroscopic (FT-IR, FT-Raman, 13C, 1H and UV), first order hyperpolarizabilities, NBO and TD-DFT analysis of the 4-methyl-2-cyanobiphenyl

The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and FT-Raman of 4-methyl-2-cyanobiphenyl (4M2CBP) have been recorded and analyzed. The equilibrium geometry, bonding features and harmonic vibrational frequencies have been investigated with the help of density functional theory (DFT) method. The assignments of the vibrational spectra have been carried out with the help of normal coordinate analysis (NCA) following the scaled quantum mechanical force field methodology (SQMFF). The 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) chemical shifts of the molecule were calculated by the Gauge including atomic orbital (GIAO) method. The first order hyperpolarizability (β0) of this novel molecular system and related properties (β, α0 and Δα) of 4M2CBP are calculated using HF/6-311G(d,p) method on the finite-field approach. Stability of the molecule arising from hyperconjugative interactions, charge delocalization have been analyzed using natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. The results show that charge in electron density (ED) in the σ* and π* antibonding orbitals and second order delocalization energies (E2) confirms the occurrence of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) within the molecule. UV-vis spectrum of the compound was recorded and the electronic properties, such as HOMO and LUMO energies, were performed by time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) approach. Finally the calculations results were applied to simulated infrared and Raman spectra of the title compound which show good agreement with observed spectra.

Ground and Excited State Resonance Raman Spectra of an Azacrown-Substituted [(bpy)Re(CO)3L]+ Complex: Characterization of Excited States, Determination of Structure and Bonding, and Observation of Metal Cation Release from the Azacrown

A [(bpy)Re(CO)3L+] complex (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine) in which L contains a phenyl-azacrown ether that is attached to Re via an amidopyridyl linking group has been studied by steady state and nanosecond time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopy. Vibrational band assignments have been aided by studies of model complexes in which a similar electron-donating dimethylamino group replaces the azacrown or in which an electron-donor group is absent, and by density functional theory calculations. The ground state resonance Raman spectra show nu(bpy) and nu(CO) bands of the (bpy)Re(CO)3 group when excitation is exclusively in resonance with the Re --> bpy metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) transition, whereas L ligand bands are dominant when it is in resonance with the strong intra-ligand charge-transfer (ILCT) transition present for L ligands with electron-donor groups. Transient resonance Raman (RR) spectra obtained on single color (385 nm) pulsed excitation of the complexes in which an electron-donor group is absent show bpy*- bands of the MLCT excited state, whereas those of the complexes with electron-donor groups show both bpy*- bands and a down-shifted nu(CO) band that together are characteristic of an L-to-bpy ligand-to-ligand charge-transfer (LLCT) excited state. Samples in which a metal cation (Li+, Na+, Ca2+, Ba2+) is bound to the azacrown in the ground state show bands from both excited states, consistent with a mechanism in which the LLCT state forms after metal cation release from the MLCT state. Nanosecond time-resolved RR spectra from two-color (355 nm pump, 500 nm probe) experiments on the electron-donor systems show L-ligand bands characteristic of the LLCT state; the same bands are observed from samples in which a metal cation is bound to the azacrown in the ground state, and their time dependence is consistent with the proposed mechanism in which the rate constant for ion release in the MLCT state depends on the identity of the metal cation.

A Theoretical Investigation on the Wurster's Crown Analogue of 18-Crown-6

An ab initio, quantum mechanical study of the Wurster's crown analogue of 18-crown-6 and its interactions with the alkali metal cations are presented. This study explores methods for accurately treating large, electron-rich species while providing an understanding of the molecular behavior of a representative member of this class of crowns. The molecular geometries, binding energies, and binding enthalpies are evaluated with methods similar to those reported for the analysis of 18-crown-6 and its alkali metal complexes to facilitate direct comparison. Hybrid density functional methods are applied to gauge the effects of electron correlation on the geometries of the electron-rich phenylenediamine moiety present in the Wurster's crowns. While the structure of the crown ether backbone is largely unperturbed by the incorporation of the redox active functionality, the alkali metal binding enthalpies are uniformly stronger for the Wurster's crown complexes, adding 1.8 to 5.1 kcal/mol to the strength of the interaction, depending on cation type. The additional strength, due to the exchange of an oxygen donor atom in the crown ether backbone by a nitrogen donor supplied by the redox group, is tightly coupled to the rotation of the dimethylaminophenyl group with respect to the plane of the macrocycle. Gas-phase selectivities favor the more highly charge-dense cations, while the explicit addition of only a few waters of hydration in the calculations recovers the selectivities expected in solution. The alkali metal binding affinity to the singly oxidized Wurster's crown is significantly diminished, while it is completely eliminated for the doubly oxidized ligand.

Vibrational spectra and normal coordinate analysis of 4-(dimethylamino)benzaldehyde and selected isotopic derivatives

Results of a normal coordinate analysis based on infrared and Raman spectra of six isotopic forms of 4-(dimethylamino)benzaldehyde are reported (DABA, DABA-CDO, DABA-13CDO, DABA-13CHO, DABA-CHO18O, and DABA-3,5-D). Cs point group symmetry has been applied and all motions except the internal rotations of the dimethylamino and the two methyl groups have been used to generate symmetry coordinates. The potential energy distributions have lead to revision and extension of previous assignments. The force field and the forms of the normal modes are in excellent agreement with those reported for similar molecules.