Time resolved infrared absorption studies of geminate recombination and vibrational relaxation in OClO photochemistry

Mode-specific vibrational relaxation of photoexcited guanosine 5'-monophosphate and its acid form: a femtosecond broadband mid-IR transient absorption and theoretical study

UV-pump/broadband-mid-IR-probe transient absorption (TA) experiments and ab initio quantum mechanical (QM) calculations were used to investigate the photophysics in heavy water of the neutral and acid forms of guanosine 5'-monophosphate (GMP and GMPD(+), respectively). Excited GMP undergoes ultrafast internal conversion (IC) and returns to the electronic ground state in less than one picosecond with a large amount of excess vibrational energy. The spectroscopic signals are dominated by vibrational cooling - a process in which the solute dissipates vibrational energy to the solvent. For neutral GMP, cooling proceeds with a time constant of 3 ps. Following IC, at least some medium-frequency modes such as the carbonyl stretch and an in-plane ring vibration are excited, suggesting that the vibrational energy distribution is non-statistical. This is consistent with predicted structural changes upon passage through the S1/S0 conical intersection. GMPD(+) differs from GMP by a single deuteron at the N7 position, but has a dramatically longer lifetime of 200 ps. Vibrational cooling of the S1 state of GMPD(+) was monitored via several medium-frequency modes that were assigned using QM calculations. These medium-frequency modes are also vibrationally excited in a non-statistical fashion. Excitation of these modes is in line with the change in geometry at the S1 minimum of GMPD(+) predicted by QM calculations. Furthermore, these modes relax at different rates, fully consistent with QM calculations, which predict that excited vibrational states of the carbonyl stretch couple strongly to the D2O solvent and thus deactivate via intermolecular energy transfer (IET). In contrast, the ring stretch couples strongly to other ring modes of the guanine chromophore and appears to decay via intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR).

Comparing molecular photofragmentation dynamics in the gas and liquid phases

This article explores the extent to which insights gleaned from detailed studies of molecular photodissociations in the gas phase (i.e. under isolated molecule conditions) can inform our understanding of the corresponding photofragmentation processes in solution. Systems selected for comparison include a thiophenol (p-methylthiophenol), a thioanisole (p-methylthioanisole) and phenol, in vacuum and in cyclohexane solution. UV excitation in the gas phase results in RX-Y (X = O, S; Y = H, CH3) bond fission in all cases, but over timescales that vary by ~4 orders of magnitude - all of which behaviours can be rationalised on the basis of the relevant bound and dissociative excited state potential energy surfaces (PESs) accessed by UV photoexcitation, and of the conical intersections that facilitate radiationless transfer between these PESs. Time-resolved UV pump-broadband UV/visible probe and/or UV pump-broadband IR probe studies of the corresponding systems in cyclohexane solution reveal additional processes that are unique to the condensed phase. Thus, for example, the data clearly reveal evidence of (i) vibrational relaxation of the photoexcited molecules prior to their dissociation and of the radical fragments formed upon X-Y bond fission, and (ii) geminate recombination of the RX and Y products (leading to reformation of the ground state parent and/or isomeric adducts). Nonetheless, the data also show that, in each case, the characteristics (and the timescale) of the initial bond fission process that occurs under isolated molecule conditions are barely changed by the presence of a weakly interacting solvent like cyclohexane. These condensed phase studies are then extended to an ether analogue of phenol (allyl phenyl ether), wherein UV photo-induced RO-allyl bond fission constitutes the first step of a photo-Claisen rearrangement.

Vibrational dynamics of deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate following UV excitation

The relaxation dynamics of the DNA nucleotide deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate (dGMP) following 266 nm photoexcitation has been studied by transient IR spectroscopy with femtosecond time resolution. The induced dynamics of the amide I (carbonyl) stretch, the asymmetric guanine ring stretch and the phosphate asymmetric stretch are monitored in the region 1000-1800 cm(-1). Excitation and subsequent rapid internal conversion to a "hot" ground state is reflected by depletion of the vibrational ground states of the amide I stretch and guanine ring stretch. However, the vibrational ground state of the phosphate is left unperturbed, indicating the absence of vibrational coupling between the guanine ring system and the phosphate group. The vibrational ground state of the amide I is repopulated in 2.5 ps (±0.2 ps) while it takes 3.7 ps (±0.5 ps) to repopulate the guanine ring vibration. This article discusses two possible relaxation pathways of dGMP, as well as the implications of the weak phosphate dynamics.

Time-resolved infrared absorption studies of the solvent-dependent vibrational relaxation dynamics of chlorine dioxide

We report a series of time-resolved infrared absorption studies on chlorine dioxide (OClO) dissolved in H2O, D2O, and acetonitrile. Following the photoexcitation at 401 nm, the evolution in optical density for frequencies corresponding to asymmetric stretch of OClO is measured with a time resolution of 120+/-50 fs. The experimentally determined optical-density evolution is compared with theoretical models of OClO vibrational relaxation derived from collisional models as well as classical molecular-dynamics (MD) studies. The vibrational relaxation rates in D2O are reduced by a factor of 3 relative to H2O consistent with the predictions of MD. This difference reflects modification of the frequency-dependent solvent-solute coupling accompanying isotopic substitution of the solvent. Also, the geminate-recombination quantum yield for the primary photofragments resulting in the reformation of ground-state OClO is reduced in D2O relative to H2O. It is proposed that this reduction reflects enhancement of the dissociation rate accompanying vibrational excitation along the asymmetric-stretch coordinate. In contrast to H2O and D2O, the vibrational-relaxation dynamics in acetonitrile are not well described by the theoretical models. Reproduction of the optical-density evolution in acetonitrile requires significant modification of the frequency-dependent solvent-solute coupling derived from MD. It is proposed that this modification reflects vibrational-energy transfer from the asymmetric stretch of OClO to the methyl rock of acetonitrile. In total, the results presented here provide a detailed description of the solvent-dependent geminate-recombination and vibrational-relaxation dynamics of OClO in solution.