Visualizing a SCSC [2 + 2] photodimerization through its lattice dynamics: an experimental and theoretical investigation

In homogeneous solid‐state reactions, the single‐crystal nature of the starting material remains unchanged, and the system evolves seamlessly through a series of solid solutions of reactant and product. Among [2+2] photodimerizations of cinnamic acid derivatives in the solid state, those involving salts of the 4‐aminocinnamic acid have been recognized to proceed homogeneously in a “single‐crystal‐to‐single‐crystal” fashion by X‐ray diffraction techniques. Here the bromide salt of this compound class is taken as a model system in a Raman spectroscopy study at low wavelengths, to understand how such a mechanism defines the trend of the crystal lattice vibrations during the reaction. Vibrational mode calculations, based on dispersion corrected DFT simulations of the crystal lattices involved in the transformation, have assisted the interpretation of the experiments. Such an approach has allowed us to clarify the spectral signatures and to establish a correlation between the dynamics of the monomer and dimer systems in a process where chemical progress and crystal structural changes are demonstrated to occur simultaneously.

Singlet exciton fission via an intermolecular charge transfer state in coevaporated pentacene-perfluoropentacene thin films

Singlet exciton fission is a spin-allowed process in organic semiconductors by which one absorbed photon generates two triplet excitons. Theory predicts that singlet fission is mediated by intermolecular charge-transfer states in solid-state materials with appropriate singlet-triplet energy spacing, but direct evidence for the involvement of such states in the process has not been provided yet. Here, we report on the observation of subpicosecond singlet fission in mixed films of pentacene and perfluoropentacene. By combining transient spectroscopy measurements to nonadiabatic quantum-dynamics simulations, we show that direct excitation in the charge-transfer absorption band of the mixed films leads to the formation of triplet excitons, unambiguously proving that they act as intermediate states in the fission process.

Surface Induced Phenytoin Polymorph. 1. Full Structure Solution by Combining Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction and Crystal Structure Prediction

Understanding the behavior and properties of molecules assembled in thin layers requires knowledge of their crystalline packing. The drug phenytoin (5,5-diphenylhydantoin) is one of the compounds that can be grown as a surface induced polymorph. By using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, the monoclinic unit cell of the new form II can be determined, but, due to crystal size and the low amount of data, a full solution using conventional structure solving strategies fails. In this work, the full solution has been obtained by combining computational structure generation and experimental results. The comparison between the bulk and the new surface induced phase reveals significant packing differences of the hydrogen-bonding network, which might be the reason for the faster dissolution of form II with respect to form I. The results are very satisfactory, and the method might be adapted for other systems, where, due to the limited amount of experimental data, one must rely on additional approaches to gain access to more detailed information to understand the solid-state behavior.

Surface Induced Phenytoin Polymorph. 2. Structure Validation by Comparing Experimental and Density Functional Theory Raman Spectra

A method for structure solution in thin films that combines grazing incidence X-ray diffraction data analysis and crystal structure prediction was presented in a recent work (Braun et al. Cryst. Growth Des.2019, DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.9b00857). Applied to phenytoin form II, which is only detected in films, the approach gave a very reasonable, but not fully confirmed, candidate structure with Z = 4 and Z' = 2. In the present work, we demonstrate how, by calculating and measuring the crystal Raman spectrum in the low wavenumber energy region with the aim of validating the candidate structure, this can be further refined. In fact, we find it to correspond to a saddle point of the energy landscape of the system, from which a minimum of lower symmetry may be reached. With the new structure, with Z = 4 and Z' = 2, we finally obtain an excellent agreement between experimental and calculated Raman spectra.

DFT-Assisted Polymorph Identification from Lattice Raman Fingerprinting

A combined experimental and theoretical approach, consisting of lattice phonon Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, is proposed as a tool for lattice dynamics characterization and polymorph phase identification. To illustrate the reliability of the method, the lattice phonon Raman spectra of two polymorphs of the molecule 2,7-dioctyloxy[1]benzothieno[3,2-b]benzothiophene are investigated. We show that DFT calculations of the lattice vibrations based on the known crystal structures, including many-body dispersion van der Waals (MBD-vdW) corrections, predict experimental data within an accuracy of ≪5 cm^-1 (≪0.6 meV). Due to the high accuracy of the simulations, they can be used to unambiguously identify different polymorphs and to characterize the nature of the lattice vibrations and their relationship to the structural properties. More generally, this work implies that DFT-MBD-vdW is a promising method to describe also other physical properties that depend on lattice dynamics like charge transport.

Predicting the anchoring of liquid crystals at a solid surface: 5-cyanobiphenyl on cristobalite and glassy silica surfaces of increasing roughness

We employ atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to predict the alignment and anchoring strength of a typical nematic liquid crystal, 4-n-pentyl-4'-cyano biphenyl (5CB), on different forms of silica. In particular, we study a thin (~20 nm) film of 5CB supported on surfaces of crystalline (cristobalite) and amorphous silica of different roughness. We find that the orientational order at the surface and the anchoring strength depend on the morphology of the silica surface and its roughness. Cristobalite yields a uniform planar orientation and increases the order at the surface with respect to the bulk whereas amorphous glass has a disordering effect. Despite the low order at the amorphous surfaces, a planar orientation is established with a persistence length into the film higher than the one obtained for cristobalite.

Are crystal polymorphs predictable? The case of sexithiophene

Using sexithiophene as a benchmark compound, we present a very effective strategy for searching the potential energy minima of a crystalline material, described in terms of rigid molecules with Coulombic and atom-atom interactions. The strategy involves uniform sampling of the many-body energy hypersurface, mechanical identification of all constraints deriving from the crystallographic symmetry, and a "sight-resight" method, originally introduced in wildlife ecology, for assessing the completeness of the search. Thousands of distinct potential energy minima, with a surprising variety of structural arrangements, are identified for sexithiophene. Despite the large number of competing minima, the system presents a small number of deep minima, with very different structures and not particularly congested in energy or density. The two deepest minima correspond to the structures of the two known experimental polymorphs, which are satisfactorily described.

Inherent structures of crystalline tetracene

We have systematically sampled the potential energy surface of crystalline tetracene to identify its local minima. These minima represent all possible stable configurations and constitute the "inherent structures" of the system. The crystal is described in terms of rigid molecules with Coulombic and atom-atom interactions. Hundreds of distinct minima are identified, mostly belonging to the space groups P (triclinic) and P2(1)/c (monoclinic), with a variety of structural arrangements. The deepest minimum corresponds to the high temperature-low pressure polymorph. This is the only polymorph with a completely described X-ray structure, which is satisfactorily described by the calculations. The next deep minimum is likely to correspond to the low temperature-high pressure polymorph, which has been experimentally identified but not yet fully described.

MD Simulation of the Na+−Phenylalanine Complex in Water: Competition between Cation−π Interaction and Aqueous Solvation

The competition between cation-pi interaction and aqueous solvation for the Na+ ion has been investigated by molecular dynamics simulations, using the phenylalanine amino acid as the test pi system. Starting from one of the best standard force fields, we have developed new parameters that significantly improve the agreement with experimental and high quality quantum mechanical results for the complexes of Na+ with phenylalanine, benzene, and water. The modified force field performs very well in forecasting energy and geometry of cation coordination for the complexes. Next, analysis of MD trajectories and steered MD simulations indicate that the Na+-phenylalanine complex survives for a significant time in aqueous solution and that the free energy barrier opposing dissociation of the complex is sizable. Finally, we analyze the role of different intermolecular interactions in determining the preference for cation-pi bonding with respect to aqueous solvation. We thus confirm that the Na+-phenylalanine stabilization energy may overcome the interactions with water.

Probing pentacene polymorphs by lattice dynamics calculations

We have performed a lattice dynamics calculation to compute the "inherent structures" of minimum potential energy for pentacene, starting from available X-ray data. The calculation shows that two distinct bulk crystalline phases of pentacene exist, with very subtle structural differences but clearly different phonon spectra. The method of crystal growth (from solution or vapor) is not the determining factor for obtaining either structure.