Ultrafast [2 + 2]-cycloaddition in norbornadiene

Ultrafast electronic relaxation pathways of the molecular photoswitch quadricyclane

The light-induced ultrafast switching between molecular isomers norbornadiene and quadricyclane can reversibly store and release a substantial amount of chemical energy. Prior work observed signatures of ultrafast molecular dynamics in both isomers upon ultraviolet excitation but could not follow the electronic relaxation all the way back to the ground state experimentally. Here we study the electronic relaxation of quadricyclane after exciting in the ultraviolet (201 nanometres) using time-resolved gas-phase extreme ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy combined with non-adiabatic molecular dynamics simulations. We identify two competing pathways by which electronically excited quadricyclane molecules relax to the electronic ground state. The fast pathway (<100 femtoseconds) is distinguished by effective coupling to valence electronic states, while the slow pathway involves initial motions across Rydberg states and takes several hundred femtoseconds. Both pathways facilitate interconversion between the two isomers, albeit on different timescales, and we predict that the branching ratio of norbornadiene/quadricyclane products immediately after returning to the electronic ground state is approximately 3:2.

Surface science and liquid phase investigations of oxanorbornadiene/oxaquadricyclane ester derivatives as molecular solar thermal energy storage systems on Pt(111)

The transition to renewable energy sources comes along with the search for new energy storage solutions. Molecular solar thermal systems directly harvest and store solar energy in a chemical manner. By a suitable molecular design, a higher overall efficiency can be achieved. In this study, we investigate the surface chemistry of oxa-norbornadiene/quadricyclane derivatives on a Pt(111) surface. Specifically, we focus on the energy storage and release properties of molecules that are substituted with ester moieties of different sizes. For our model catalytic approach, synchrotron radiation-based x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were conducted in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) and correlated with the catalytic behavior in the liquid phase monitored by photochemical infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy. The differences in their spectral appearance enabled us to unambiguously differentiate the energy-lean and energy-rich isomers and decomposition products. Next to qualitative information on the adsorption motifs, temperature-programmed experiments allowed for the observation of thermally induced reactions and the deduction of the related reaction pathways. We analyzed the selectivity of the cycloreversion reaction from the energy-rich quadricyclane derivative to its energy-lean norbornadiene isomer and competing processes, such as desorption and decomposition. For the 2,3-bis(methylester)-substitution, the cycloreversion reaction was found to occur between 310 and 340 K, while the thermal stability limit of the compounds was determined to be 380 K. The larger 2,3-bis(benzylester) derivatives have a lower apparent adsorption energy and a decomposition onset already at 135 K. In the liquid phase (in acetonitrile), we determined the rate constants for the cycloreversion reaction on Pt(111) to k = 5.3 × 10-4 s-1 for the 2,3-bis(methylester)-substitution and k = 6.3 × 10-4 s-1 for the 2,3-bis(benzylester) derivative. The selectivities were of >99% and 98% for the two molecules, respectively. The difference in the catalytic behavior of Pt(111) for both derivatives is less pronounced in the liquid phase than in UHV, which we attribute to the passivation of the Pt(111) surface by carbonaceous species under ambient conditions.

Multiconfigurational Calculations and Photodynamics Describe Norbornadiene Photochemistry

Storing solar energy is a vital component of using renewable energy sources to meet the growing demands of the global energy economy. Molecular solar thermal (MOST) energy storage is a promising means to store solar energy with on-demand energy release. The light-induced isomerization reaction of norbornadiene (NBD) to quadricyclane (QC) is of great interest because of the generally high energy storage density (0.97 MJ kg-1) and long thermal reversion lifetime (t1/2,300K = 8346 years). However, the mechanistic details of the ultrafast excited-state [2 + 2]-cycloaddition are largely unknown due to the limitations of experimental techniques in resolving accurate excited-state molecular structures. We now present a full computational study on the excited-state deactivation mechanism of NBD and its dimethyl dicyano derivative (DMDCNBD) in the gas phase. Our multiconfigurational calculations and nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations have enumerated the possible pathways with 557 S2 trajectories of NBD for 500 fs and 492 S1 trajectories of DMDCNBD for 800 fs. The simulations predicted the S2 and S1 lifetimes of NBD (62 and 221 fs, respectively) and the S1 lifetime of DMDCNBD (190 fs). The predicted quantum yields of QC and DCQC are 10 and 43%, respectively. Our simulations also show the mechanisms of forming other possible reaction products and their quantum yields.

Ultrafast structural and isomerization dynamics in the Rydberg-exited quadricyclane: norbornadiene system

The quadricyclane-norbornadiene system is an important model for the isomerization dynamics between highly strained molecules. In a breakthrough observation for a polyatomic molecular system of that complexity, we follow the photoionization from Rydberg states in the time-domain to derive a measure for the time-dependent structural dynamics and the time-evolving structural dispersion even while the molecule is crossing electronic surfaces. The photoexcitation to the 3s and 3p Rydberg states deposits significant amounts of energy into vibrational motions. We observe the formation and evolution of the vibrational wavepacket on the Rydberg surface and the internal conversion from the 3p Rydberg states to the 3s state. In that state, quadricyclane isomerizes to norbornadiene with a time constant of τ(2) = 136(45) fs. The lifetime of the 3p Rydberg state in quadricyclane is τ(1) = 320(31) and the lifetime of the 3s Rydberg state in norbornadiene is τ(3) = 394(32).

Thymine dimerization in DNA is an ultrafast photoreaction

Femtosecond time-resolved infrared spectroscopy was used to study the formation of cyclobutane dimers in the all-thymine oligodeoxynucleotide (dT)18 by ultraviolet light at 272 nanometers. The appearance of marker bands in the time-resolved spectra indicates that the dimers are fully formed approximately 1 picosecond after ultraviolet excitation. The ultrafast appearance of this mutagenic photolesion points to an excited-state reaction that is approximately barrierless for bases that are properly oriented at the instant of light absorption. The low quantum yield of this photoreaction is proposed to result from infrequent conformational states in the unexcited polymer, revealing a strong link between conformation before light absorption and photodamage.