| 1. |
- Schalk, Oliver, et al.
(author)
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On the Condensed Phase Ring-Closure of Vinylheptafulvalene and Ring-Opening of Gaseous Dihydroazulene
- 2013
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In: Journal of Physical Chemistry A. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1089-5639 .- 1520-5215. ; 117:16, s. 3340-3347
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Dihydroazulenes are interesting because of their photoswitching behavior. While the ring-opening to vinylheptafulvalene (VHF) is light induced, the back reaction is known to proceed thermally. In the present paper, we show the first gas phase study of the ring-opening reaction of 2-phenyl-1,8a-dihydroazulene-1,1-dicarbonitrile (Ph-DHA) by means of time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy which permits us to follow the ring-opening process. Moreover, we investigated s-trans-Ph-VHF in a series of transient absorption experiments, supported by ab initio computations, to understand the origin of the absence of light-induced ring-closure. The transient absorption results show a biexponential decay governed by a hitherto unknown state. This state is accessed within 1-2 ps and return to the ground state is probably driven through a cis-trans isomerization about the exocyclic C-1=C-2 double bond. The rapid decrease in potential energy disfavors internal rotation to s-cis-Ph-VHF, the structure that would precede the ring-closure reaction.
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| 2. |
- Schalk, Oliver, et al.
(author)
-
Substituent Effects on Dynamics at Conical Intersections : Cycloheptatrienes
- 2013
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In: Journal of Physical Chemistry A. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1089-5639 .- 1520-5215. ; 117:40, s. 10239-10247
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Using selective methyl substitution, we study the effects of vibrational dynamics at conical intersections in unsaturated hydrocarbons. Here, we investigate the excited state nonadiabatic dynamics of cycloheptatriene (CHT) and its relation to dynamics in other polyenes by comparing CHT with 7-methyl CHT, 7-ethyl CHT, and perdeuterated CHT using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and photoelectron anisotropy. Our results suggest that, upon pi pi*-excitation to the bright 2A state, we observe an early intersection with the dark 2A' state close to the Franck-Condon region with evidence of wavepacket bifurcation. This indicates that the wavepacket evolves on both states, likely along a planarization coordinate, with the majority of the flux undergoing nonadiabatic transition via conical intersections within 100 fs following light absorption. In CHT, large amplitude motion along the planarization coordinate improves the intra-ring pi-overlap, yielding a delocalized electronic density. However, substitutions in 7 position, chosen to modify the inertia of the planarization motion, did not markedly alter the first step in the sequential kinetic scheme. This suggests that there is a crossing of potential energy surfaces before planarization is achieved and, thus, nonadiabatic transition likely takes place far away from a local minimum.
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| 3. |
- Sekikawa, Taro, et al.
(author)
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Initial Processes of Proton Transfer in Salicylideneaniline Studied by Time-Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy
- 2013
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In: Journal of Physical Chemistry A. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1089-5639 .- 1520-5215. ; 117:14, s. 2971-2979
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) in salicylideneaniline (SA) and selected derivatives substituted in the para position of the anilino group have been investigated by femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TRPES) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). SA has a twisted structure at the energetic minimum of the ground state, but ESIPT is assumed to take place through a planar structure, although this has not been fully established. The TRPES studies revealed that the excited-state dynamics within the S-1 band varied significantly with excitation wavelength. At finite temperatures, the ground state was found to sample a broad range of torsional angles, from planar to twisted. At lower photon energies (370 nm), only the planar ground-state molecules were excited, and the excited-state reaction took place within 50 fs. At higher energies (350 and 330 nm), predominantly twisted ground-state molecules were excited: they had to planarize before ESIPT could occur. This process was found to be slower in methylated SA but did not change significantly in the brominated and nitrated SAs. These substitution effects on the decay dynamics can be explained by modifications of the potential barriers, as predicted by the TDDFT calculations, and support the mechanism of a twisting motion of the anilino ring prior to ESIPT. The contribution of another pathway leading to internal conversion within the enol form was found to be minor at the excitation wavelengths considered here.
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