Sensitivity of Isomerization Kinetics of 1,3,5-Triphenylformazan on Cosolvents Added to Toluene

Formazan molecules exhibit photochromism because isomerization processes following excitation may occur in both the azo group and the hydrazone group; thus, each formazan may be present in various forms with different colors. The ratio of these forms depends on the illumination conditions and the environment of the formazan with a most incisive sensibility of the thermal anti-syn relaxation of the C═N toward slight traces of impurities in toluene solutions, as reported most prominently for 1,3,5-triphenylformazan. Here, we study the latter compound with transient absorption spectroscopy to investigate the role of these traces by adding small amounts of both protic and aprotic cosolvents. Whereas the activation barrier decreases if the binary solvent mixture has a higher polarity, the role of hydrogen bonding can have a reverse impact on the thermal isomerization rate. Both the addition of an aprotic cosolvent and the addition of a protic cosolvent can slow the reaction due to their hydrogen-bond accepting and hydrogen-bond donating properties, respectively. In the case of methanol as a cosolvent, this effect outweighed that of the polarity increase for small concentrations, which was not observed for the fluorinated alcohol hexafluoroisopropanol. The results are explained in the context of a competition between solute-cosolvent and cosolvent-cosolvent hydrogen bonding.

Photoinduced Double Proton Transfer in the Glyoxal-Methanol Complex Revisited: The Role of the Excited States

Under irradiation in the visible range, the glyoxal-methanol complex in a cryogenic argon matrix undergoes a double proton transfer (DPT) reaction through which the glyoxal molecule isomerizes into hydroxyketene. In this work, we employ electronic structure simulations in order to shed more light on the underlying mechanism. Rewardingly, we find that the lowest singlet excited state (S₁) of the complex acts as a gateway to two previously unknown isomerization pathways, of which one takes place entirely in the singlet manifold and the other also involves the lowest triplet state (T₁). Both of these pathways are fully compatible with the available experimental data, implying that either or both are operative under experimental conditions. In either pathway, the methanol molecule acts as a proton shuttle between the proton-donating and proton-accepting sites of glyoxal, resulting in a dramatic lowering of the potential energy barrier to isomerization with respect to the case of isolated glyoxal. The occurrence of DPT in the singlet manifold is demonstrated directly with the use of nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations at the spin-flip time-dependent density functional theory level.

Adiabatic deprotonation as an important competing pathway to ESIPT in photoacidic 2-phenylphenols

ESIPT (Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer) to C atom in 2-phenylphenol is known to be an intrinsically inefficient process. However, to the best of our knowledge, a structure-ESIPT efficiency relationship has not been elucidated yet. Here, we show that there exists a competitive interplay between photoacidity and ESIPT efficiency for the 2-phenylphenol system. The attachment of electron withdrawing groups to the phenol moiety promotes adiabatic deprotonation in the excited state and diminishes the charge transfer character of the excitations, and both these factors contribute in decreasing the ESIPT reaction yield. On the other hand, unfavorable conformational distribution in the ground state also appears as another important aspect responsible for the low ESIPT extent of 2-phenylphenol. A new derivative bearing electron donating, bulky substituents at ortho and para positions of the phenol ring shows an outstanding ESIPT performance, which demonstrates that the efficiency of the process can be significantly enhanced by modifying the substitution pattern. We anticipate that our results will help to guide the molecular designing of new compounds with high ESIPT efficiency.

Molecular Organization of Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine Bilayers Containing Bioactive Compounds 4-(5-Heptyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl) Benzene-1,3-diol and 4-(5-Methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl) Benzene-1,3-diols

This article presents the results of spectroscopic studies of two compounds from the 1,3,4-thiadiazole group, that is, 4-(5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-yl)benzene-1,3-diol (C1) and 4-(5-heptyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-yl)benzene-1,3-diol (C7), present at different molar concentrations in 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (DPPC) liposome systems. In the case of both investigated compounds, fluorescence measurements revealed the presence of several emission bands, whose appearance is related to the molecular organization induced by changes in the phase transition in DPPC. On the basis of the interpretation of Fourier transform infrared spectra, we determined the molecular organization of the analyzed compounds in multilayers formed from DPPC and the 1,3,4-thiadiazoles. It was found that the compound with a longer alkyl substituent both occupied the lipid polar head region in the lipid multilayer and interacted with lipid hydrocarbon chains. In turn, the compound with a shorter alkyl substituent interacted more strongly with the membrane polar region. On the basis of the knowledge from previous investigations conducted using different solvents, the fluorescence effects observed were related to the phenomenon of molecular aggregation. The effects were strongly influenced by the structure of the compound and, primarily, by the type of the alkyl substituent used in the molecule. The substantial shortening of fluorescence lifetimes associated with the effect of long-wave emission (with a maximum at 505 nm) decay also confirms the model of aggregation effects in the analyzed systems. Similar effects can be very easily distinguished and associated with respective forms of the compounds in biologically relevant samples.

Protonation of silylenol ether via excited state proton transfer catalysis

We demonstrate the photocatalytic protonation of a silylenol ether using 7-bromo-2-naphthol as an ESPT catalyst with phenol as the sacrificial proton source. Greater than 95% conversion is achieved with 1 mol% catalyst. The reaction cycle is dependent on the significantly increased acidity of the catalyst in the excited state as well as the long lifetime for the triplet excited state of 7-bromo-2-naphthol. The reaction does not occur in the absence of light (367 nm) and can readily be controlled by light intensity modulation. We also demonstrate that a 72% reaction yield can be obtained with unsubstituted naphthol as the catalyst by coupling triplet energy transfer, via a visible light absorbing (445 nm) sensitizer, into the catalytic cycle. These results open the door to an entirely new class of sensitized photocatalytic reactions that harness the excited state acidity of ESPT dyes.

Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer to carbon atoms: nonadiabatic surface-hopping dynamics simulations

Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) between two highly electronegative atoms, for example, oxygen and nitrogen, has been intensely studied experimentally and computationally, whereas there has been much less theoretical work on ESIPT to other atoms such as carbon. We have employed CASSCF, MS-CASPT2, RI-ADC(2), OM2/MRCI, DFT, and TDDFT methods to study the mechanistic photochemistry of 2-phenylphenol, for which such an ESIPT has been observed experimentally. According to static electronic structure calculations, irradiation of 2-phenylphenol populates the bright S1 state, which has a rather flat potential in the Franck-Condon region (with a shallow enol minimum at the CASSCF level) and may undergo an essentially barrierless ESIPT to the more stable S1 keto species. There are two S1/S0 conical intersections that mediate relaxation to the ground state, one in the enol region and one in the keto region, with the latter one substantially lower in energy. After S1 → S0 internal conversion, the transient keto species can return back to the S0 enol structure via reverse ground-state hydrogen transfer in a facile tautomerization. This mechanistic scenario is verified by OM2/MRCI-based fewest-switches surface-hopping simulations that provide detailed dynamic information. In these trajectories, ESIPT is complete within 118 fs; the corresponding S1 excited-state lifetime is computed to be 373 fs in vacuum. Most of the trajectories decay to the ground state via the S1/S0 conical intersection in the keto region (67%), and the remaining ones via the enol region (33%). The combination of static electronic structure computations and nonadiabatic dynamics simulations is expected to be generally useful for understanding the mechanistic photophysics and photochemistry of molecules with intramolecular hydrogen bonds.

Excited-state proton transfer in 4-2′-hydroxyphneylpyridine: full-dimensional surface-hopping dynamics simulations

We have employed combined electronic structure calculations and “on-the-fly” fewest switches surface-hopping dynamics simulations to study the S₁ excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) and decay dynamics of 4-(2′-hydroxyphenyl)pyridine.

Photoinduced excited state intramolecular proton transfer and spectral behaviors of Aloesaponarin 1

The novel spectral behaviors of Aloesaponarin 1 (AS1) are investigated by studying the dynamics process of excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT). Two intramolecular hydrogen bonds (HB1 and HB2) are formed between hydroxyl and carbonyl groups of AS1. The calculated potential energy curves of AS1 demonstrate that the ESIPT process along HB1 is energy favorable while not along HB2. The analysis of potential energy curves describes clearly the dynamic behaviors of the proton transfer process from hydroxyl group to carbonyl group along HB1. The infrared spectra of AS1 confirm that the stretching absorption peak of hydroxyl group in HB1 disappears and that a new peak corresponding to hydroxyl group appears in the first excited state, which depicts the ESIPT process indirectly. The fluorescence peaks of AS1 (636nm), AS2 (Aloesaponarin 1 3-O-methyl ether, 629 nm) and AS3 (Aloesaponarin 1 8-O-methyl ether, 522 nm) demonstrate that the fluorescence behavior of AS1 is primarily effected by HB1 rather than HB2. The large Stokes shifts of AS1 (206 nm) indicate that the absorbed energy is partly transferred to non-harmful long fluorescence through ESIPT process, which plays important role in the explanation for the UV protection property of AS1. The inducement and influence factors of ESIPT process of AS1 are illustrated by analyzing electrostatic potential, molecular orbital and natural bond orbital.

Photocyclization and Photoaddition Reactions of Arylphenols via Intermediate Quinone Methides

A series of five benzannelated derivatives of 2-phenylphenol were prepared, and their photochemistry was investigated. Two of these (3-phenyl-2-naphthol, 10, and 1-phenyl-2-naphthol, 11) were photoinert. For 2-(1-naphthyl)phenol (12) and 1-(1-naphthyl)-2-naphthol (13), ESPT took place to either the 2'-position or the 7'-position of the naphthalene ring to give quinone methides (QMs) that underwent either reverse proton transfer (RPT) or electrocyclic ring closure to give dihydrobenzoxanthenes. The intermediate QMs for 12 and 13 were detected and characterized by laser flash photolysis. For 2-(9-phenanthryl)phenol (14), ESPT took place either to the 5'-position to give a QM that underwent quantitative electrocyclic ring closure to give the corresponding benzoxanthene or to the 10'-position to give a QM that underwent RPT. If the solution contained methanol, the QM produced on ESPT to the 10'-position in 14 could be trapped as the photoaddition product. The compounds studied in this work demonstrate three possible reactions of QMs produced following ESPT to aromatic carbon atoms: (1) reverse proton transfer (RPT) to regenerate starting material; (2) addition of hydroxylic solvents to give the photoaddition product; and (3) electrocyclic ring closure to give benzoxanthene derivatives.

Observation of excited state proton transfer reactions in 2-phenylphenol and 2-phenyl-1-naphthol and formation of quinone methide species

The excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) reactions from a phenol (naphthol) to a carbon atom in the adjacent aromatic ring of 2-phenylphenol (1) and 2-phenyl-1-naphthol (4) are prototypical examples of intramolecular proton transfer not mediated by solvent molecules. Femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption (fs-TA) studies are conducted for the first time to directly probe the formation of quinone methide (QM) species generated from the ESIPT pathways of 1 and 4. Steady-state absorption experiments demonstrated 1 exists mainly in its non-deprotonated form in neat MeCN and in water-MeCN solutions. Observation of the phenolate form in water-containing solution (MeCN-H2O, 1 : 1, v : v) in fluorescence spectra demonstrates the occurrence of an ESPT reaction between 1 and the surrounding water molecules. In neat MeCN a transient species that absorbs around 520 nm was detected in fs-TA spectra and was assigned to the QM species formed by ESIPT to the 2'-position. This transient signal is strengthened in cyclohexane. In a water-MeCN solution, an additional transient species assigned to the QM species at the 4'-position of 1 was also detected that absorbs around 485 nm. Similar results for 4 were observed, with the absorbance of the transient species being more intense, which suggests there is more efficient production of the QM species from 4, consistent with quantum yields for deuterium exchange in the distal ring reported for these compounds.