Christopher J. Huber

Solvent-Mediated Vibrational Energy Relaxation from Vaska’s Complex Adducts in Binary Solvent Mixtures

A vibrational pump-probe and FTIR study was performed on two different adducts of Vaskas complex in two different sets of binary solvent mixtures. The carbonyl vibrational mode in the oxygen adduct exhibits solvatochromic shifts of ~10 cm(-1) in either benzyl alcohol or chloroform relative to benzene-d6, whereas this vibration is nearly unchanged for the iodine adduct for the same three solvents. The width and center frequency of the carbonyl stretch for each adduct are compared to its vibrational lifetime in binary mixtures of benzene-d6 with either benzyl alcohol or chloroform. In neat solvents, the trends in line width, frequency, and vibrational lifetime are consistent for the two adducts, but complex relationships emerge when the trends in each property are compared as a function of mixed solvent composition. ν(CO) is more sensitive to the solvation environment around the trans ligand, whereas the line width and lifetime depend on the environment around the CO group itself. The carbonyl frequency and width vary nonlinearly across the two binary solvent series, indicating preferential solvation. In contrast, the vibrational lifetime changes linearly with solvent composition and is correlated with the mole fraction of chloroform but anticorrelated with the mole fraction of benzyl alcohol. The results are explained by differences in the densities of solvent modes that affect intermolecular relaxation of the carbonyl mode.

Correlating solvent dynamics and chemical reaction rates using binary solvent mixtures and two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy

Two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy was performed on Vaskas complex (VC) and its oxygen adduct (V C-O2) in binary solvent mixtures of chloroform or benzyl alcohol in d6-benzene. The second order rate constants for oxygenation were also measured in these solvent mixtures. The rate constant in chloroform mixtures is linear with mole fraction within the error of the measurements but changes nonlinearly in benzyl alcohol mixtures, displaying a preference for the alcohol over benzene. The rate constants were compared with FTIR spectra of the carbonyl ligand and the frequency-frequency correlation function of this mode determined by 2D-IR. The line shape broadening mechanisms of the linear spectra of the CO bound to VC and V C-O2 are similar to those previously reported for V C-I2. There is a particularly strong correlation between rate constants and homogeneous linewidths of the carbonyl vibration on the V C-O2 product state. Concurrently, the FTIR spectra and spectral diffusion observed by 2D-IR corroborate an increase in solvent heterogeneity around the product. We interpret these results in the context of the potential role of solvent dynamics in facilitating chemical reactivity.

Enhanced vibrational solvatochromism and spectral diffusion by electron rich substituents on small molecule silanes

Fourier transform infrared and two-dimensional IR (2D-IR) spectroscopies were applied to two different silanes in three different solvents. The selected solutes exhibit different degrees of vibrational solvatochromism for the Si-H vibration. Density functional theory calculations confirm that this difference in sensitivity is the result of higher mode polarization with more electron withdrawing ligands. This mode sensitivity also affects the extent of spectral diffusion experienced by the silane vibration, offering a potential route to simultaneously optimize the sensitivity of vibrational probes in both steady-state and time-resolved measurements. Frequency-frequency correlation functions obtained by 2D-IR show that both solutes experience dynamics on similar time scales and are consistent with a picture in which weakly interacting solvents produce faster, more homogeneous fluctuations. Molecular dynamics simulations confirm that the frequency-frequency correlation function obtained by 2D-IR is sensitive to the presence of hydrogen bonding dynamics in the surrounding solvation shell.

Simple fully reflective method of scatter reduction in 2D-IR spectroscopy.

A fully reflective two-dimensional IR (2D-IR) setup is described that enables efficient cancellation of scattered light from multiple pulses in the phase-matched direction. The local oscillator pulse and the pulse that stimulates the vibrational echo signal are synchronously modulated (or fibrillated) in time maintaining their phase relationships with the echo wavepacket. The modification is cost-effective and can be easily implemented on existing 2D-IR instruments, and it avoids the addition of dispersive elements into the beam paths. The fibrillation results in a decrease of waiting-time resolution of only tens of femtoseconds and has no impact on the spectral lineshape, making it a general improvement for 2D-IR spectrometers even for weakly or non-scattering samples.