1
|
Cuéllar-Zuquin J, Pepino AJ, Fdez. Galván I, Rivalta I, Aquilante F, Garavelli M, Lindh R, Segarra-Martí J. Characterizing Conical Intersections in DNA/RNA Nucleobases with Multiconfigurational Wave Functions of Varying Active Space Size. J Chem Theory Comput 2023; 19:8258-8272. [PMID: 37882796 PMCID: PMC10851440 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.3c00577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
We characterize the photochemically relevant conical intersections between the lowest-lying accessible electronic excited states of the different DNA/RNA nucleobases using Cholesky decomposition-based complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) algorithms. We benchmark two different basis set contractions and several active spaces for each nucleobase and conical intersection type, measuring for the first time how active space size affects conical intersection topographies in these systems and the potential implications these may have toward their description of photoinduced phenomena. Our results show that conical intersection topographies are highly sensitive to the electron correlation included in the model: by changing the amount (and type) of correlated orbitals, conical intersection topographies vastly change, and the changes observed do not follow any converging pattern toward the topographies obtained with the largest and most correlated active spaces. Comparison across systems shows analogous topographies for almost all intersections mediating population transfer to the dark 1nO/Nπ* states, while no similarities are observed for the "ethylene-like" conical intersection ascribed to mediate the ultrafast decay component to the ground state in all DNA/RNA nucleobases. Basis set size seems to have a minor effect, appearing to be relevant only for purine-based derivatives. We rule out structural changes as a key factor in classifying the different conical intersections, which display almost identical geometries across active space and basis set change, and we highlight instead the importance of correctly describing the electronic states involved at these crossing points. Our work shows that careful active space selection is essential to accurately describe conical intersection topographies and therefore to adequately account for their active role in molecular photochemistry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Cuéllar-Zuquin
- Instituto
de Ciencia Molecular, Universitat de Valencia, P.O. Box 22085, ES-46071 Valencia, Spain
| | - Ana Julieta Pepino
- Dipartimento
di Chimica Industriale “Toso Montanari”, Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, I-40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Ignacio Fdez. Galván
- Department
of Chemistry − BMC, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 576, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Ivan Rivalta
- Dipartimento
di Chimica Industriale “Toso Montanari”, Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, I-40136 Bologna, Italy
- ENSL,
CNRS, Laboratoire de Chimie UMR 5182, 46 Allée d’Italie, 69364 Lyon, France
| | - Francesco Aquilante
- Theory
and Simulation of Materials (THEOS), and National Centre for Computational
Design and Discovery of Novel Materials (MARVEL), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marco Garavelli
- Dipartimento
di Chimica Industriale “Toso Montanari”, Università di Bologna, Viale del Risorgimento 4, I-40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Roland Lindh
- Department
of Chemistry − BMC, Uppsala University, P.O. Box 576, SE-75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Javier Segarra-Martí
- Instituto
de Ciencia Molecular, Universitat de Valencia, P.O. Box 22085, ES-46071 Valencia, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Beal R, Valverde D, Gonçalvez PFB, Borin AC. Photophysics of tz Adenine and tz Guanine fluorescent nucleobases embedded into DNA and RNA. J Comput Chem 2023; 44:2246-2255. [PMID: 37486177 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.27194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
UV-VIS photoinduced events of tz A and tz G embedded into DNA and RNA are described by combining the Extended Multi-State Second-Order Perturbation Theory (XMS-CASPT2) and electrostatic embedding molecular mechanics methods (QM/MM). Our results point out that the S1 1 (ππ* La ) state is the bright state in both environments. After the photoexcitation to the S1 1 (ππ* La ) state, the electronic population evolves barrierless towards its minimum, from where the excess of energy can be dissipated by fluorescence. As the minimum energy crossing point structure between the ground and first bright states lies in a high-energy region, the direct internal conversion to the ground state is an unviable mechanism. Other spectroscopic properties (for instance, absorption and Stokes shifts) and comparisons with photochemical properties of canonical nucleobases are also provided.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roiney Beal
- Grupo de Química Teórica e Computacional, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul-UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Danillo Valverde
- Unité de Chimie Physique Théorique et Structurale, Namur Institute of Structured Matter, Université de Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Paulo F B Gonçalvez
- Grupo de Química Teórica e Computacional, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul-UFRGS, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Antonio Carlos Borin
- Department of Fundamental Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Vasconcelos Sanches de Araújo A, Borin AC. Water Solvated Zn(II)-Guanine Complex: Structural Aspects and Luminescence Properties. J Phys Chem A 2023; 127:8297-8306. [PMID: 37772405 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.3c04132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the role of metal ions in living organisms and their interactions with biological compounds is fundamental for our health and for developing technological devices for bioinorganic applications. In this work, structural aspects and photophysical mechanisms involved in the luminescence of the Zn(II)-guanine complex in water were studied by using computational quantum chemical methods, providing molecular-level explanations for reported experimental findings. Structural aspects were investigated with def2-SVP basis sets, Density Functional Theory, Resolution of Identity Algebraic Diagrammatic Construction in Second-Order (RI-ADC(2)), Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM), and Conductor-like Screening Model (COSMO) methods. Spectroscopic properties and photophysical deactivation mechanisms were explored with the atomic natural orbital basis sets including relativistic and semicore correlation (ANO-RCC-VDZP) basis sets, Multistate Complete-Active-Space Second-Order Perturbation Theory (MS-CASPT2), and Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM) methods. Our results indicate that Zn(II) ions bind preferentially to the N7 position, and three water molecules in its coordination sphere are sufficient for describing the photophysical properties. The complexation with Zn(II) ions and solvation effects favor fluorescence because the minimum energy region of the S1 (La) (1ππ*) ((La)min) potential energy hypersurface is stabilized, the (La/GS) crossing region is destabilized, and a high energetic barrier along the pathway from the (La)min and (La/GS) regions hampers fast nonradiative return of the electronic population to the ground state, as observed for isolated 9H-guanine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Antonio Carlos Borin
- Department of Fundamental Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes 748, São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Janicki MJ, Szabla R, Šponer J, Góra RW. Photoinduced water-chromophore electron transfer causes formation of guanosine photodamage. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:8217-8224. [PMID: 35319053 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp00801g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
UV-induced photolysis of aqueous guanine nucleosides produces 8-oxo-guanine and Fapy-guanine, which can induce various types of cellular malfunction. The mechanistic rationale underlying photodestructive processes of guanine nucleosides is still largely obscure. Here, we employ accurate quantum chemical calculations and demonstrate that an excited-state non-bonding interaction of guanosine and a water molecule facilitates the electron-driven proton transfer process from water to the chromophore fragment. This subsequently allows for the formation of a crucial intermediate, namely guanosine photohydrate. Further (photo)chemical reactions of this intermediate lead to the known products of guanine photodamage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mikołaj J Janicki
- Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370, Wrocław, Poland.
| | - Rafał Szabla
- Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370, Wrocław, Poland.
| | - Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Královopolská 135, 61265 Brno, Czech Republic.,National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Robert W Góra
- Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27, 50-370, Wrocław, Poland.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Krul SE, Hoehn SJ, Feierabend KJ, Crespo-Hernández CE. Excited state dynamics of 7-deazaguanosine and guanosine 5'-monophosphate. J Chem Phys 2021; 154:075103. [PMID: 33607894 DOI: 10.1063/5.0038123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Minor structural modifications to the DNA and RNA nucleobases have a significant effect on their excited state dynamics and electronic relaxation pathways. In this study, the excited state dynamics of 7-deazaguanosine and guanosine 5'-monophosphate are investigated in aqueous solution and in a mixture of methanol and water using femtosecond broadband transient absorption spectroscopy following excitation at 267 nm. The transient spectra are collected using photon densities that ensure no parasitic multiphoton-induced signal from solvated electrons. The data can be fit satisfactorily using a two- or three-component kinetic model. By analyzing the results from steady-state, time-resolved, computational calculations, and the methanol-water mixture, the following general relaxation mechanism is proposed for both molecules, Lb → La → 1πσ*(ICT) → S0, where the 1πσ*(ICT) stands for an intramolecular charge transfer excited singlet state with significant πσ* character. In general, longer lifetimes for internal conversion are obtained for 7-deazaguanosine compared to guanosine 5'-monophosphate. Internal conversion of the 1πσ*(ICT) state to the ground state occurs on a similar time scale of a few picoseconds in both molecules. Collectively, the results demonstrate that substitution of a single nitrogen atom for a methine (C-H) group at position seven of the guanine moiety stabilizes the 1ππ* Lb and La states and alters the topology of their potential energy surfaces in such a way that the relaxation dynamics in 7-deazaguanosine are slowed down compared to those in guanosine 5'-monophosphate but not for the internal conversion of 1πσ*(ICT) state to the ground state.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Krul
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
| | - Sean J Hoehn
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
| | - Karl J Feierabend
- Department of Chemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Teles‐Ferreira DC, Conti I, Borrego‐Varillas R, Nenov A, Van Stokkum IHM, Ganzer L, Manzoni C, Paula AM, Cerullo G, Garavelli M. A Unified Experimental/Theoretical Description of the Ultrafast Photophysics of Single and Double Thionated Uracils. Chemistry 2019; 26:336-343. [DOI: 10.1002/chem.201904541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Cristina Teles‐Ferreira
- Departamento de Física Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais 31270-901 Belo Horizonte MG Brazil
- Electrical Engineering Department Federal Institute of Minas Gerais Formiga MG Brazil
| | - Irene Conti
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale Università degli Studi di Bologna Viale del Risorgimento 4 40136 Bologna Italy
| | - Rocío Borrego‐Varillas
- IFN-CNR Department of Physics Politecnico di Milano P.za L. da Vinci 32 20133 Milano Italy
| | - Artur Nenov
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale Università degli Studi di Bologna Viale del Risorgimento 4 40136 Bologna Italy
| | - Ivo H. M. Van Stokkum
- Department of Physics and Astronomy Faculty of Sciences Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam De Boelelaan 1081 1081HV Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - Lucia Ganzer
- IFN-CNR Department of Physics Politecnico di Milano P.za L. da Vinci 32 20133 Milano Italy
| | - Cristian Manzoni
- IFN-CNR Department of Physics Politecnico di Milano P.za L. da Vinci 32 20133 Milano Italy
| | - Ana Maria Paula
- Departamento de Física Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais 31270-901 Belo Horizonte MG Brazil
| | - Giulio Cerullo
- IFN-CNR Department of Physics Politecnico di Milano P.za L. da Vinci 32 20133 Milano Italy
| | - Marco Garavelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale Università degli Studi di Bologna Viale del Risorgimento 4 40136 Bologna Italy
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Martinez-Fernandez L, Changenet P, Banyasz A, Gustavsson T, Markovitsi D, Improta R. Comprehensive Study of Guanine Excited State Relaxation and Photoreactivity in G-quadruplexes. J Phys Chem Lett 2019; 10:6873-6877. [PMID: 31613628 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b02740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
G-quadruplexes (G4) are four-stranded DNA/RNA structures playing a key role in many biological functions and promising for nanotechnology applications. Here, combining theoretical calculations and multiscale time-resolved fluorescence, we describe, for the first time, an ensemble of photoactivated processes involving the guanines of the G4 core. We use as showcase the G4 formed by the human telomeric sequence GGG(TTAGGG)3 in the presence of Na+ ions. According to quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics calculations, the hyperchromism at the red part of the absorption spectrum, typical of G4 structures, arises mainly from the inner Na+ ions. Various relaxation pathways, leading to excited states localized on individual bases, neutral excimers, and excited charge transfer states between two guanines or a guanine and a thymine in the loop, are mapped. Their fingerprints are detected in the fluorescence anisotropies and the fluorescence decays, spanning five decades of time. Finally, a reaction funnel leading to guanine dimerization is identified.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Pascale Changenet
- LIDYL, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay , F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette , France
- Laboratoire d'Optique et Biosciences, Institut Polytechnique de Paris , CNRS, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay , 91128 Palaiseau cedex , France
| | - Akos Banyasz
- LIDYL, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay , F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette , France
| | - Thomas Gustavsson
- LIDYL, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay , F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette , France
| | - Dimitra Markovitsi
- LIDYL, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay , F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette , France
| | - Roberto Improta
- LIDYL, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay , F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette , France
- Istituto Biostrutture e Bioimmagini-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Via Mezzocannone 16 , I-80134 Napoli , Italy
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Martinez-Fernandez L, Gavvala K, Sharma R, Didier P, Richert L, Segarra Martì J, Mori M, Mely Y, Improta R. Excited-State Dynamics of Thienoguanosine, an Isomorphic Highly Fluorescent Analogue of Guanosine. Chemistry 2019; 25:7375-7386. [PMID: 30882930 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201900677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 03/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Thienoguanosine (th G) is an isomorphic analogue of guanosine with promising potentialities as fluorescent DNA label. As a free probe in protic solvents, th G exists in two tautomeric forms, identified as the H1, being the only one observed in nonprotic solvents, and H3 keto-amino tautomers. We herein investigate the photophysics of th G in solvents of different polarity, from water to dioxane, by combining time-resolved fluorescence with PCM/TD-DFT and CASSCF calculations. Fluorescence lifetimes of 14.5-20.5 and 7-13 ns were observed for the H1 and H3 tautomers, respectively, in the tested solvents. In methanol and ethanol, an additional fluorescent decay lifetime (≈3 ns) at the blue emission side (λ≈430 nm) as well as a 0.5 ns component with negative amplitude at the red edge of the spectrum, typical of an excited-state reaction, were observed. Our computational analysis explains the solvent effects observed on the tautomeric equilibrium. The main radiative and nonradiative deactivation routes have been mapped by PCM/TD-DFT calculations in solution and CASSCF in the gas phase. The most easily accessible conical intersection, involving an out-of plane motion of the sulfur atom in the five-membered ring of th G, is separated by a sizeable energy barrier (≥0.4 eV) from the minimum of the spectroscopic state, which explains the large experimental fluorescence quantum yield.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lara Martinez-Fernandez
- Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Modúlo13, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Campus de Excelencia UAM-CSIC, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Krishna Gavvala
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies, UMR 7021 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de pharmacie, 74 route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
| | - Rajhans Sharma
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies, UMR 7021 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de pharmacie, 74 route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
| | - Pascal Didier
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies, UMR 7021 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de pharmacie, 74 route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
| | - Ludovic Richert
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies, UMR 7021 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de pharmacie, 74 route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
| | - Javier Segarra Martì
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, White City Campus, 80 Wood Lane, W12 0BZ, London, UK
| | - Mattia Mori
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Chimica e Farmacia, Università degli Studi di Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy
| | - Yves Mely
- Laboratoire de Bioimagerie et Pathologies, UMR 7021 CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, Faculté de pharmacie, 74 route du Rhin, 67401, Illkirch, France
| | - Roberto Improta
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto Biostrutture e Bioimmagini, Via Mezzocannone 16, 80134, Napoli, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Zhou P, Zhao L. How Does the O6-Methylation Regulate the Excited-State Decay of Guanine Monomers. J Phys Chem B 2018; 123:201-206. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b08606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Panwang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Dalian 116023, Liaoning, China
| | - Li Zhao
- School of Science, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, Shandong, China
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Lischka H, Nachtigallová D, Aquino AJA, Szalay PG, Plasser F, Machado FBC, Barbatti M. Multireference Approaches for Excited States of Molecules. Chem Rev 2018; 118:7293-7361. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 197] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hans Lischka
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dana Nachtigallová
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry v.v.i., The Czech Academy of Sciences, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16610 Prague 6, Czech Republic
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Palacký University, 78371 Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Adélia J. A. Aquino
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, P.R. China
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States
- Institute for Soil Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Peter-Jordan-Strasse 82, A-1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Péter G. Szalay
- ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/A, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Felix Plasser
- Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
| | - Francisco B. C. Machado
- Departamento de Química, Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica, São José dos Campos 12228-900, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Morzan UN, Alonso de Armiño DJ, Foglia NO, Ramírez F, González Lebrero MC, Scherlis DA, Estrin DA. Spectroscopy in Complex Environments from QM–MM Simulations. Chem Rev 2018; 118:4071-4113. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.8b00026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Uriel N. Morzan
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física/INQUIMAE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Diego J. Alonso de Armiño
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física/INQUIMAE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Nicolás O. Foglia
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física/INQUIMAE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Francisco Ramírez
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física/INQUIMAE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mariano C. González Lebrero
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física/INQUIMAE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Damián A. Scherlis
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física/INQUIMAE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Darío A. Estrin
- Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Analítica y Química Física/INQUIMAE-CONICET, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ciudad Universitaria, Pab. II, C1428EHA Buenos Aires, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
The highly excited-state manifold of guanine: calibration for nonlinear electronic spectroscopy simulations. Theor Chem Acc 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00214-018-2225-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
|
13
|
Segarra-Martí J, Jaiswal VK, Pepino AJ, Giussani A, Nenov A, Mukamel S, Garavelli M, Rivalta I. Two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy as a tool for tracking molecular conformations in DNA/RNA aggregates. Faraday Discuss 2018; 207:233-250. [DOI: 10.1039/c7fd00201g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A computational strategy to simulate two-dimensional electronic spectra (2DES) is introduced, which allows characterising ground state conformations of flexible nucleobase aggregates that play a crucial role in nucleic acid photochemistry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Javier Segarra-Martí
- Univ Lyon, Ens de Lyon, CNRS
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
- Laboratoire de Chimie UMR 5182
- Lyon
- France
| | - Vishal K. Jaiswal
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale “Toso Montanari”
- Università di Bologna
- Italy
| | - Ana Julieta Pepino
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale “Toso Montanari”
- Università di Bologna
- Italy
| | - Angelo Giussani
- Department of Chemistry
- University College London
- London WC1H 0AJ
- UK
| | - Artur Nenov
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale “Toso Montanari”
- Università di Bologna
- Italy
| | - Shaul Mukamel
- Department of Chemistry
- University of California
- Irvine
- USA
| | - Marco Garavelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale “Toso Montanari”
- Università di Bologna
- Italy
| | - Ivan Rivalta
- Univ Lyon, Ens de Lyon, CNRS
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1
- Laboratoire de Chimie UMR 5182
- Lyon
- France
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Wiebeler C, Borin V, Sanchez de Araújo AV, Schapiro I, Borin AC. Excitation Energies of Canonical Nucleobases Computed by Multiconfigurational Perturbation Theories. Photochem Photobiol 2017; 93:888-902. [DOI: 10.1111/php.12765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christian Wiebeler
- Fritz Haber Center for Molecular Dynamics; Institute of Chemistry; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Jerusalem Israel
| | - Veniamin Borin
- Fritz Haber Center for Molecular Dynamics; Institute of Chemistry; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Jerusalem Israel
| | - Adalberto Vasconcelos Sanchez de Araújo
- Department of Fundamental Chemistry; Institute of Chemistry; NAP-PhotoTech the USP Consortium for Photochemical Technology; University of São Paulo; São Paulo SP Brazil
| | - Igor Schapiro
- Fritz Haber Center for Molecular Dynamics; Institute of Chemistry; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Jerusalem Israel
| | - Antonio Carlos Borin
- Department of Fundamental Chemistry; Institute of Chemistry; NAP-PhotoTech the USP Consortium for Photochemical Technology; University of São Paulo; São Paulo SP Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Lee J, Challa JR, McCamant DW. Ultraviolet Light Makes dGMP Floppy: Femtosecond Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy of 2'-Deoxyguanosine 5'-Monophosphate. J Phys Chem B 2017; 121:4722-4732. [PMID: 28412810 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b01694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The ultrafast dynamics of 2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate after excitation with ultraviolet light has been studied with femtosecond transient absorption (TA) and femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS). TA kinetics and transient anisotropy spectra reveal a rapid relaxation from the Franck-Condon region, producing an extremely red-shifted stimulated emission band at ∼440 nm that is formed after 200 fs and subsequent relaxation for 0.8-1.5 ps, consistent with prior studies. Viscosity dependence shows that the initial relaxation, before 0.5 ps, is the same in water or viscous glycerol/water mixtures, but after 0.5 ps the dynamics significantly slow down in a viscous solution. This indicates that large amplitude structural changes occur after 0.5 ps following photoexcitation. FSRS obtained with both 480 and 600 nm Raman pump pulses observe very broad Raman peaks at 509 and 1530 cm-1, as well as a narrower peak at 1179 cm-1. All of the Raman peaks decay with 0.7-1.3 ps time constants. The 1530 cm-1 peak also shows an increasing inhomogeneous linewidth over the first 0.3 ps. Our TA and FSRS data are consistent with a structurally inhomogeneous population in the S1 (La) state and, in particular, with previous theoretical models in which out-of-plane distortion at C2 and the amine move the molecule toward a conical intersection with the ground state. These FSRS data are the first to directly observe the structural inhomogeneity imparted upon the excited-state population by the broad, flat potential energy surface of the S1 (La) state.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joohyun Lee
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester , Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - J Reddy Challa
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester , Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - David W McCamant
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester , Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Pepino AJ, Segarra-Martí J, Nenov A, Improta R, Garavelli M. Resolving Ultrafast Photoinduced Deactivations in Water-Solvated Pyrimidine Nucleosides. J Phys Chem Lett 2017; 8:1777-1783. [PMID: 28346789 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b00316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
For the first time, ultrafast deactivations of photoexcited water-solvated pyrimidine nucleosides are mapped employing hybrid QM(CASPT2)/MM(AMBER) optimizations that account for explicit solvation, sugar effects, and dynamically correlated potential energy surfaces. Low-energy S1/S0 ring-puckering and ring-opening conical intersections (CIs) are suggested to drive the ballistic coherent subpicosecond (<200 fs) decays observed in each pyrimidine, the energetics controlling this processes correlating with the lifetimes observed. A second bright 1π2π* state, promoting excited-state population branching and leading toward a third CI with the ground state, is proposed to be involved in the slower ultrafast decay component observed in Thd/Cyd. The transient spectroscopic signals of the competitive deactivation channels are computed for the first time. A general unified scheme for ultrafast deactivations, spanning the sub- to few-picosecond time domain, is eventually delivered, with computed data that matches the experiments and elucidates the intrinsic photoprotection mechanism in solvated pyrimidine nucleosides.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Julieta Pepino
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari" Viale del Risorgimento, 4, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Javier Segarra-Martí
- Laboratoire de Chimie UMR 5182, Université Lyon, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, Université Lyon 1 , F-69342 Lyon, France
| | - Artur Nenov
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari" Viale del Risorgimento, 4, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Roberto Improta
- Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini CNR , Via Mezzocannone 16, I-80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - Marco Garavelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica Industriale "Toso Montanari" Viale del Risorgimento, 4, 40136 Bologna, Italy
- Laboratoire de Chimie UMR 5182, Université Lyon, ENS de Lyon, CNRS, Université Lyon 1 , F-69342 Lyon, France
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Pola M, Kochman MA, Picchiotti A, Prokhorenko VI, Miller RJD, Thorwart M. Linear photoabsorption spectra and vertical excitation energies of microsolvated DNA nucleobases in aqueous solution. JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL & COMPUTATIONAL CHEMISTRY 2017. [DOI: 10.1142/s0219633617500286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Employing density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations in combination with the semiclassical nuclear ensemble method, we have simulated the photoabsorption spectra of the four canonical DNA nucleobases in aqueous solution. In order to model the effects of solvation, for each nucleobase, a number of solvating water molecules were explicitly included in the simulations, and additionally, the bulk solvent was represented by a continuous polarizable medium. We find that the effect of the solvation shell in general is significant, and its inclusion improves the realism of the spectral simulations. The involvement of lone electron pairs in the hydrogen bonding with the solvating water molecules has the effect of systematically increasing the energies of vertical excitation into the [Formula: see text]-type states. Apart from a systematic blue shift of around [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]eV observed in the absorption peaks, the calculated photoabsorption spectra reproduce the measured ones with good accuracy. The photoabsorption spectra are dominated by excited states with [Formula: see text] and partial [Formula: see text] character. No low-energy charge transfer states are observed with the use of the CAM-B3LYP and M06-2X functionals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Pola
- I. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Hamburg, Jungiusstraße 9, 20355 Hamburg, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michal A. Kochman
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alessandra Picchiotti
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Valentyn I. Prokhorenko
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - R. J. Dwayne Miller
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Thorwart
- I. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Hamburg, Jungiusstraße 9, 20355 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Center for Ultrafast Imaging, Luruper Chaussee 149, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Segarra-Martí J, Francés-Monerris A, Roca-Sanjuán D, Merchán M. Assessment of the Potential Energy Hypersurfaces in Thymine within Multiconfigurational Theory: CASSCF vs. CASPT2. Molecules 2016; 21:molecules21121666. [PMID: 27918489 PMCID: PMC6274573 DOI: 10.3390/molecules21121666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2016] [Revised: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study provides new insights into the topography of the potential energy hypersurfaces (PEHs) of the thymine nucleobase in order to rationalize its main ultrafast photochemical decay paths by employing two methodologies based on the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and the complete active space second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) methods: (i) CASSCF optimized structures and energies corrected with the CASPT2 method at the CASSCF geometries and (ii) CASPT2 optimized geometries and energies. A direct comparison between these strategies is drawn, yielding qualitatively similar results within a static framework. A number of analyses are performed to assess the accuracy of these different computational strategies under study based on a variety of numerical thresholds and optimization methods. Several basis sets and active spaces have also been calibrated to understand to what extent they can influence the resulting geometries and subsequent interpretation of the photochemical decay channels. The study shows small discrepancies between CASSCF and CASPT2 PEHs, displaying a shallow planar or twisted 1(ππ*) minimum, respectively, and thus featuring a qualitatively similar scenario for supporting the ultrafast bi-exponential deactivation registered in thymine upon UV-light exposure. A deeper knowledge of the PEHs at different levels of theory provides useful insight into its correct characterization and subsequent interpretation of the experimental observations. The discrepancies displayed by the different methods studied here are then discussed and framed within their potential consequences in on-the-fly non-adiabatic molecular dynamics simulations, where qualitatively diverse outcomes are expected.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Javier Segarra-Martí
- Instituto de Ciencia Molecular, Universitat de València, P. O. Box 22085, ES-46071 Valencia, Spain.
- Present Address: Laboratoire de Chimie UMR 5182, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS, Université de Lyon, 46 Allée d'Italie, F-69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France.
| | - Antonio Francés-Monerris
- Instituto de Ciencia Molecular, Universitat de València, P. O. Box 22085, ES-46071 Valencia, Spain.
| | - Daniel Roca-Sanjuán
- Instituto de Ciencia Molecular, Universitat de València, P. O. Box 22085, ES-46071 Valencia, Spain.
| | - Manuela Merchán
- Instituto de Ciencia Molecular, Universitat de València, P. O. Box 22085, ES-46071 Valencia, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Martínez-Fernández L, Pepino AJ, Segarra-Martí J, Banyasz A, Garavelli M, Improta R. Computing the Absorption and Emission Spectra of 5-Methylcytidine in Different Solvents: A Test-Case for Different Solvation Models. J Chem Theory Comput 2016; 12:4430-9. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.6b00518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- L. Martínez-Fernández
- Istituto di Biostrutture
e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone
16, I-80134 Napoli, Italy
| | - A. J. Pepino
- Dipartimento
di Chimica “G. Ciamician”, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - J. Segarra-Martí
- Dipartimento
di Chimica “G. Ciamician”, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- École
Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5182, Université de Lyon, 46 Allée d’Italie, F-69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - A. Banyasz
- LIDYL,
CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - M. Garavelli
- Dipartimento
di Chimica “G. Ciamician”, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- École
Normale Supérieure de Lyon, CNRS, UMR 5182, Université de Lyon, 46 Allée d’Italie, F-69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - R. Improta
- Istituto di Biostrutture
e Bioimmagini, CNR, Via Mezzocannone
16, I-80134 Napoli, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Giussani A, Segarra-Martí J, Nenov A, Rivalta I, Tolomelli A, Mukamel S, Garavelli M. Spectroscopic fingerprints of DNA/RNA pyrimidine nucleobases in third-order nonlinear electronic spectra. Theor Chem Acc 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00214-016-1867-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
|
21
|
Segarra-Martí J, Garavelli M, Aquilante F. Multiconfigurational Second-Order Perturbation Theory with Frozen Natural Orbitals Extended to the Treatment of Photochemical Problems. J Chem Theory Comput 2016; 11:3772-84. [PMID: 26574459 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.5b00479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
A new flavor of the frozen natural orbital complete active space second-order perturbation theory method (FNO-CASPT2, Aquilante et al., J. Chem. Phys. 131, 034113) is proposed herein. In this new implementation, the virtual space in Cholesky decomposition-based CASPT2 computations (CD-CASPT2) is truncated by excluding those orbitals that contribute the least toward preserving a predefined value of the trace of an approximate density matrix, as that represents a measure of the amount of dynamic correlation retained in the model. In this way, the amount of correlation included is practically constant at all nuclear arrangements, thus allowing for the computation of smooth electronic states surfaces and energy gradients-essential requirements for theoretical studies in photochemistry. The method has been benchmarked for a series of relevant biochromophores for which large speed-ups have been recorded while retaining the accuracy achieved in the corresponding CD-CASPT2 calculations. Both vertical excitation energies and gradient calculations have been carried out to establish general guidelines as to how much correlation needs to be retained in the calculation for the results to be consistent with the CD-CASPT2 findings. Our results feature errors within a tenth of an eV for the most difficult cases and have been validated to be used for gradient computations where an up to 3-fold speed-up is observed depending on the size of the system and the basis set employed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Javier Segarra-Martí
- Dipartimento di Chimica "G. Ciamician", Università di Bologna , Via Selmi 2, IT-40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Garavelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica "G. Ciamician", Università di Bologna , Via Selmi 2, IT-40126 Bologna, Italy.,Université de Lyon, CNRS , Institut de Chimie de Lyon, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 Allée d'Italie, F-69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - Francesco Aquilante
- Dipartimento di Chimica "G. Ciamician", Università di Bologna , Via Selmi 2, IT-40126 Bologna, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Improta R, Santoro F, Blancafort L. Quantum Mechanical Studies on the Photophysics and the Photochemistry of Nucleic Acids and Nucleobases. Chem Rev 2016; 116:3540-93. [PMID: 26928320 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.5b00444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 341] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The photophysics and photochemistry of DNA is of great importance due to the potential damage of the genetic code by UV light. Quantum mechanical studies have played a key role in interpretating the results of modern time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy, and in elucidating the main photoactivated reactive paths. This review provides a concise, complete picture of the computational studies carried out, approximately, in the past decade. We start with an overview of the photophysics of the nucleobases in the gas phase and in solution. We discuss the proposed mechanisms for ultrafast decay to the ground state, that involve conical intersections, consider the role of triplet states, and analyze how the solvent modulates the photophysics. Then we move to larger systems, from dinucleotides to single- and double-stranded oligonucleotides. We focus on the possible role of charge transfer and delocalized or excitonic states in the photophysics of these systems and discuss the main photochemical paths. We finish with an outlook on the current challenges in the field and future directions of research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Improta
- Istituto di Biostrutture Biommagini (IBB-CNR), CNR-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Via Mezzocannone 16, I-80134, Napoli, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Santoro
- Area della Ricerca di Pisa, Istituto di Chimica dei Composti Organo Metallici (ICCOM-CNR), CNR-Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Via G. Moruzzi 1, I-56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Lluís Blancafort
- Institut de Química Computacional i Catàlisi and Departament de Química, Universitat de Girona, Campus de Montilivi , 17071 Girona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Theoretical study on the excited-state π-stacking versus intermolecular hydrogen-transfer processes in the guanine–cytosine/cytosine trimer. Theor Chem Acc 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00214-015-1762-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
|
24
|
Monari A, Dumont E, Chatgilialoglu C. Editorial: Radiation-induced and oxidative DNA damages. Front Chem 2015; 3:54. [PMID: 26380254 PMCID: PMC4548249 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2015.00054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Monari
- Theory-Simulatio-Modeling Group, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Lorraine Nancy, France
| | - Elise Dumont
- École normale supérieure de Lyon and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Lyon, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Nenov A, Giussani A, Segarra-Martí J, Jaiswal VK, Rivalta I, Cerullo G, Mukamel S, Garavelli M. Modeling the high-energy electronic state manifold of adenine: Calibration for nonlinear electronic spectroscopy. J Chem Phys 2015; 142:212443. [PMID: 26049463 DOI: 10.1063/1.4921016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Pump-probe electronic spectroscopy using femtosecond laser pulses has evolved into a standard tool for tracking ultrafast excited state dynamics. Its two-dimensional (2D) counterpart is becoming an increasingly available and promising technique for resolving many of the limitations of pump-probe caused by spectral congestion. The ability to simulate pump-probe and 2D spectra from ab initio computations would allow one to link mechanistic observables like molecular motions and the making/breaking of chemical bonds to experimental observables like excited state lifetimes and quantum yields. From a theoretical standpoint, the characterization of the electronic transitions in the visible (Vis)/ultraviolet (UV), which are excited via the interaction of a molecular system with the incoming pump/probe pulses, translates into the determination of a computationally challenging number of excited states (going over 100) even for small/medium sized systems. A protocol is therefore required to evaluate the fluctuations of spectral properties like transition energies and dipole moments as a function of the computational parameters and to estimate the effect of these fluctuations on the transient spectral appearance. In the present contribution such a protocol is presented within the framework of complete and restricted active space self-consistent field theory and its second-order perturbation theory extensions. The electronic excited states of adenine have been carefully characterized through a previously presented computational recipe [Nenov et al., Comput. Theor. Chem. 1040-1041, 295-303 (2014)]. A wise reduction of the level of theory has then been performed in order to obtain a computationally less demanding approach that is still able to reproduce the characteristic features of the reference data. Foreseeing the potentiality of 2D electronic spectroscopy to track polynucleotide ground and excited state dynamics, and in particular its expected ability to provide conformational dependent fingerprints in dimeric systems, the performances of the selected reduced level of calculations have been tested in the construction of 2D electronic spectra for the in vacuo adenine monomer and the unstacked adenine homodimer, thereby exciting the Lb/La transitions with the pump pulse pair and probing in the Vis to near ultraviolet spectral window.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Artur Nenov
- Dipartimento di Chimica "G. Ciamician," Università di Bologna, Via Selmi 2, IT-40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Angelo Giussani
- Dipartimento di Chimica "G. Ciamician," Università di Bologna, Via Selmi 2, IT-40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Javier Segarra-Martí
- Dipartimento di Chimica "G. Ciamician," Università di Bologna, Via Selmi 2, IT-40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Vishal K Jaiswal
- Dipartimento di Chimica "G. Ciamician," Università di Bologna, Via Selmi 2, IT-40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Ivan Rivalta
- Université de Lyon, CNRS, Institut de Chimie de Lyon, École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46 Allée d'Italie, F-69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France
| | - Giulio Cerullo
- Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, IFN-CNR, Piazza Leonardo Da Vinci 32, IT-20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Shaul Mukamel
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, California 92697-2025, USA
| | - Marco Garavelli
- Dipartimento di Chimica "G. Ciamician," Università di Bologna, Via Selmi 2, IT-40126 Bologna, Italy
| |
Collapse
|