Acetylacetone photodynamics at a seeded free-electron laser

The first steps in photochemical processes, such as photosynthesis or animal vision, involve changes in electronic and geometric structure on extremely short time scales. Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy is a natural way to measure such changes, but has been hindered hitherto by limitations of available pulsed light sources in the vacuum-ultraviolet and soft X-ray spectral region, which have insufficient resolution in time and energy simultaneously. The unique combination of intensity, energy resolution, and femtosecond pulse duration of the FERMI-seeded free-electron laser can now provide exceptionally detailed information on photoexcitation–deexcitation and fragmentation in pump-probe experiments on the 50-femtosecond time scale. For the prototypical system acetylacetone we report here electron spectra measured as a function of time delay with enough spectral and time resolution to follow several photoexcited species through well-characterized individual steps, interpreted using state-of-the-art static and dynamics calculations. These results open the way for investigations of photochemical processes in unprecedented detail.

The first steps in photochemical processes involve changes in electronic and geometric structure on extremely short timescales. Here, the authors report femtosecond dynamics in prototypical acetylacetone, by pump-probe photoexcitation-photoemission experiments and static and dynamics calculations.

Timescales of N–H bond dissociation in pyrrole: a nonadiabatic dynamics study

The excitation wavelength dependent photodynamics of pyrrole are investigated by surface-hopping nonadiabatic dynamics simulations. The results are explained in terms of correct Rydberg–valence interaction in the lowest B₂ state.

Combined Surface-Hopping, Dyson Orbital, and B-Spline Approach for the Computation of Time-Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy Signals: The Internal Conversion in Pyrazine

A computational protocol for simulating time-resolved photoelectron signals of medium-sized molecules is presented. The procedure is based on a trajectory surface-hopping description of the excited-state dynamics and a combined Dyson orbital and multicenter B-spline approach for the computation of cross sections and asymmetry parameters. The accuracy of the procedure has been illustrated for the case of ultrafast internal conversion of gas-phase pyrazine excited to the ¹B_2u(ππ*) state. The simulated spectra and the asymmetry map are compared to the experimental data, and a very good agreement was obtained without applying any energy-dependent rescaling or broadening. An interesting side result of this work is the finding that the signature of the ¹A_u(nπ*) state is indistinguishable from that of the ¹B_3u(nπ*) state in the time-resolved photoelectron spectrum. By locating four symmetrically equivalent minima on the lowest-excited (S₁) adiabatic potential energy surface of pyrazine, we revealed the strong vibronic coupling of the ¹A_u(nπ*) and ¹B_3u(nπ*) states near the S₁ ← S₀ band origin.

Fine-tuning the effect of π-π interactions on the stability of the NTB phase

The synthesis and liquid-crystalline properties are reported for novel bent-shaped dimers in which a naphthyl group has been incorporated into the mesogenic cores. In addition to the nematic and twist-bend nematic phase, a new liquid-crystalline phase was observed. The combined experimental and computational study demonstrated how the interplay between the molecular geometry and π-π interactions affects the thermal stability of the twist-bend nematic and nematic phases. Correlation between mesomorphic properties and molecular geometry revealed that a greater conformational diversity leads to a broader distribution of bend-angles and destabilization of the NTB phase. Qualitative correlation between the thermal behaviour and electronic structure of the molecules of a similar geometry suggested that the transition temperatures of both nematic phases depend on the relative contribution of dispersion and electrostatic energies which determines the strength of the π-π interactions. These results provide an insight into how subtle changes in chemical structure can be exploited to tune the intermolecular interactions and influence the thermal stability of the liquid crystalline phase.

UV absorption spectra of DNA bases in the 350-190 nm range: assignment and state specific analysis of solvation effects

The theoretical assignment of electronic spectra of polyatomic molecules is a challenging problem that requires the specification of the character of a large number of electronic states. We propose a procedure for automatically determining the character of electronic transitions and apply it to the study of UV spectra of DNA bases in the gas phase and in the aqueous environment. The procedure is based on the computation of electronic wave function overlaps and accounts for an extensive sampling of nuclear geometries. Novelties of this work are the theoretical assignment of the electronic spectra of DNA bases up to 190 nm and a state specific analysis of solvation effects. By accounting for different effects contributing to the total solvent shift we obtained a good agreement between the computed and experimental spectra. Effects of vibrational averaging, temperature and solvent-induced structural changes shift excitation energies to lower values. Solvent-solute electrostatic interactions are state specific and strongly destabilize nRyd states, and to lesser extent nπ* and πRyd states. Altogether, this results in the stabilization of ππ* states and destabilization of nπ*, πRyd and nRyd states in solution.

Induced smectic phase in binary mixtures of twist-bend nematogens

The investigation of liquid crystal (LC) mixtures is of great interest in tailoring material properties for specific applications. The recent discovery of the twist-bend nematic phase (N_TB) has sparked great interest in the scientific community, not only from a fundamental viewpoint, but also due to its potential for innovative applications. Here we report on the unexpected phase behaviour of a binary mixture of twist-bend nematogens. A binary phase diagram for mixtures of imino-linked cyanobiphenyl (CBI) dimer and imino-linked benzoyloxy-benzylidene (BB) dimer shows two distinct domains. While mixtures containing less than 35 mol % of BB possess a wide temperature range twist-bend nematic phase, the mixtures containing 55-80 mol % of BB exhibit a smectic phase despite that both pure compounds display a Iso-N-N_TB-Cr phase sequence. The phase diagram shows that the addition of BB of up to 30 mol % significantly extends the temperature range of the N_TB phase, maintaining the temperature range of the nematic phase. The periodicity, obtained by atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging, is in the range of 6-7 nm. The induction of the smectic phase in the mixtures containing 55-80 mol % of BB was confirmed using polarising optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction. The origin of the intercalated smectic phase was unravelled by combined spectroscopic and computational methods and can be traced to conformational disorder of the terminal chains. These results show the importance of understanding the phase behaviour of binary mixtures, not only in targeting a wide temperature range but also in controlling the self-organizing processes.

Mixed-quantum-classical or fully-quantized dynamics? A unified code to compare methods

Three methods for non-adiabatic dynamics are compared to highlight their capabilities. Multi-configurational time-dependent Hartree is a full grid-based solution to the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, variational multi-configurational Gaussian (vMCG) uses a less flexible but unrestricted Gaussian wavepacket basis, and trajectory surface hopping (TSH) replaces the nuclear wavepacket with a swarm of classical trajectories. Calculations with all methods using a model Hamiltonian were performed. The vMCG and TSH were also then run in a direct dynamics mode, with the potential energy surfaces calculated on-the-fly using quantum chemistry calculations. All dynamics calculations used the Quantics package, with the TSH calculations using a new interface to a surface hopping code. A novel approach to calculate adiabatic populations from grid-based quantum dynamics using a time-dependent discrete variable representation is presented, allowing a proper comparison of methods. This article is part of the theme issue 'Chemistry without the Born-Oppenheimer approximation'.

Excitation and fragmentation of the dielectric gas C4F7N: Electrons vs photons

C₄F₇N is a promising candidate for the replacement of sulfur hexafluoride as an insulating medium, and it is important to understand the chemical changes initiated in the molecule by collision with free electrons, specifically the formation of neutral fragments. The first step of neutral fragmentation is electronic excitation, yet neither the absorption spectrum in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) region nor the electron energy loss spectrum have previously been reported. Here, we experimentally probed the excited states by VUV photoabsorption spectroscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). We found that the distribution of states populated upon electron impact with low-energy electrons is significantly different from that following photoabsorption. This difference was confirmed and interpreted with ab initio modeling of both VUV and EELS spectra. We propose here a new computational protocol for the simulation of EELS spectra combining the Born approximation with approximate forms of correlated wave functions, which allows us to calculate the (usually very expensive) scattering cross sections at a cost similar to the calculation of oscillator strengths. Finally, we perform semi-classical non-adiabatic dynamics simulations to investigate the possible neutral fragments of the molecule formed through electron-induced neutral dissociation. We show that the product distribution is highly non-statistical.

Fundamental data for modeling electron-induced processes in plasma remediation of perfluoroalkyl substances

Plasma treatment of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contaminated water is a potentially energy efficient remediation method. In this treatment, an atmospheric pressure plasma interacts with surface-resident PFAS molecules. Developing a reaction mechanism and modeling of plasma-PFAS interactions requires fundamental data for electron-molecule reactions. In this paper, we present results of electron scattering calculations, potential energy landscapes and their implications for plasma modelling of a dielectric barrier discharge in PFAS contaminated gases, a first step towards modelling of plasma-water-PFAS intereactions. It is found that the plasma degradation of PFAS is dominated by dissociative electron attachment with the importance of other contributing processes varying depending on the molecule. All molecules posses a large number of shape resonances - transient negative ion states - from near-threshold up to ionization threshold. These states lie in the region of the most probable electron energies in the plasma (4-5 eV) and consequently are expected to further enhance the fragmentation dynamics in both dissociative attachment and dissociative excitation.

Discrimination of Excited States of Acetylacetone through Theoretical Molecular-Frame Photoelectron Angular Distributions

Photoelectron angular distribution (PAD) in the laboratory frame for randomly oriented molecules is typically described by a single anisotropy parameter, the so-called asymmetry parameter. However, especially from a theoretical perspective, it is more natural to consider molecular photoionization by using a molecular frame. The molecular frame PADs (MFPADs) may be used to extract information about the electronic structure of the system studied. In the last decade, significant experimental efforts have been directed to MFPAD measurements. MFPADs are highly characterizing signatures of the final ionic states. In particular, they are very sensitive to the nature of the final state, which is embodied in the corresponding Dyson orbital. In our previous work on acetylacetone, a prototype system for studying intra-molecular hydrogen bond interactions, we followed the dynamics of the excited states involved in the photoexcitation-deexcitation process of this molecule. It remains to be explored the possibility of discriminating between different excited states through the MFPAD profiles. The calculation of MFPADs to differentiate excited states can pave the way to the possibility of a clear discrimination for all the cases where the recognition of excited states is otherwise intricate.

Electronic dynamics created at conical intersections and its dephasing in aqueous solution

A dynamical rearrangement in the electronic structure of a molecule can be driven by different phenomena, including nuclear motion, electronic coherence or electron correlation. Recording such electronic dynamics and identifying its fate in an aqueous solution has remained a challenge. Here, we reveal the electronic dynamics induced by electronic relaxation through conical intersections in both isolated and solvated pyrazine molecules using X-ray spectroscopy. We show that the ensuing created dynamics corresponds to a cyclic rearrangement of the electronic structure around the aromatic ring. Furthermore, we found that such electronic dynamics were entirely suppressed when pyrazine was dissolved in water. Our observations confirm that conical intersections can create electronic dynamics that are not directly excited by the pump pulse and that aqueous solvation can dephase them in less than 40 fs. These results have implications for the investigation of electronic dynamics created during light-induced molecular dynamics and shed light on their susceptibility to aqueous solvation.

Photochemical Ring-Opening Reaction of 1,3-Cyclohexadiene: Identifying the True Reactive State

The photochemically induced ring-opening isomerization reaction of 1,3-cyclohexadiene to 1,3,5-hexatriene is a textbook example of a pericyclic reaction and has been amply investigated with advanced spectroscopic techniques. The main open question has been the identification of the single reactive state which drives the process. The generally accepted description of the isomerization pathway starts with a valence excitation to the lowest lying bright state, followed by a passage through a conical intersection to the lowest lying doubly excited state, and finally a branching between either the return to the ground state of the cyclic molecule or the actual ring-opening reaction leading to the open-chain isomer. Here, in a joint experimental and computational effort, we demonstrate that the evolution of the excitation-deexcitation process is much more complex than that usually described. In particular, we show that an initially high-lying electronic state smoothly decreasing in energy along the reaction path plays a key role in the ring-opening reaction.