Hans-Martin Frey

High resolution femtosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering: Determination of rotational constants, molecular anharmonicity, collisional line shifts, and temperature

In this paper we present high resolution spectroscopy performed with femtosecond coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS). After a theoretical treatment of the issue, specific experimental configurations will be introduced. Transients from nonresonant rotational and vibrational CARS on di- and polyatomics in the gas phase were analyzed. Rotational and vibrational constants and pressure-dependent line shifts are determined with high accuracy. The method is suitable for precise measurement of temperatures. We present thermometry on combustion relevant species like H2 and N2 and discuss the reliability and accuracy of the data.

Switching on the fluorescence of 2-aminopurine by site-selective microhydration

2-Aminopurine (2 AP) is a fluorescent isomer of adenine and has a fluorescence lifetime of ~11 ns in water. It is widely used in biochemical settings as a site-specific fluorescent probe of DNA and RNA structure and base-flipping and -folding. These assays assume that 2 AP is intrinsically strongly fluorescent. Here, we show this not to be the case, observing that gas-phase, jet-cooled 2-aminopurine and 9-methyl-2-aminopurine have very short fluorescence lifetimes (156 ps and 210 ps, respectively); they are, to all intents and purposes, non-fluorescent. We find that the lifetime of 2-aminopurine increases dramatically when it is part of a hydrate cluster, 2 AP · (H2O)n, where n = 1-3. Not only does it depend on the presence of water molecules, it also depends on the specific hydrogen-bonding site to which they attach and on the number of H2O molecules at that site. We selectively microhydrate 2-aminopurine at its sugar-edge, cis-amino or trans-amino sites and see that its fluorescence lifetime increases by 4, 50 and 95 times (to 14.5 ns), respectively.

Excited-State Structure and Dynamics of Keto–Amino Cytosine: The 1ππ* State Is Nonplanar and Its Radiationless Decay Is Not Ultrafast

We have measured the mass- and tautomer-specific S0 → S1 vibronic spectra and S1 state lifetimes of the keto–amino tautomer of cytosine cooled in supersonic jets, using two-color resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI) spectroscopy at 0.05 cm(–1) resolution. The rotational contours of the 0(0)(0) band and nine vibronic bands up to +437 cm(–1) are polarized in the pyrimidinone plane, proving that the electronic excitation is to a 1ππ* state. All vibronic excitations up to +437 cm(–1) are overtone and combination bands of the low-frequency out-of-plane ν1′ (butterfly), ν2′ (boat), and ν3′ (H–N–C6–H twist) vibrations. UV vibronic spectrum simulations based on approximate second-order coupled-cluster (CC2) calculations of the ground and 1ππ* states are in good agreement with the experimental R2PI spectrum, but only if the calculated ν1′ and ν2′ frequencies are reduced by a factor of 4 and anharmonicity is included. Together with the high intensity of the ν1′ and ν2′ overtone vibronic excitations, this implies that the 1ππ* potential energy surface is much softer and much more anharmonic in the out-of-plane directions than predicted by the CC2 method. The 1ππ* state lifetime is determined from the Lorentzian line broadening necessary to reproduce the rotational band contours: at the 0(0)(0) band it is τ = 44 ps, remains at τ = 35–45 ps up to +205 cm(–1), and decreases to 25–30 ps up to +437 cm(–1). These lifetimes are 20–40 times longer than the 0.5–1.5 ps lifetimes previously measured with femtosecond pump–probe techniques at higher vibrational energies (1500–3800 cm(–1)). Thus, the nonradiative relaxation rate of keto–amino cytosine close to the 1ππ* state minimum is k(nr) 2.5 × 10(10) s(–1), much smaller than at higher energies. An additional nonradiative decay channel opens at +500 cm(–1) excess energy. Since high overtone bands of ν1′ and ν2′ are observed in the R2PI spectrum but only a single weak 2ν3′ band, we propose that ν3′ is a promoting mode for nonradiative decay, consistent with the observation that the ν3′ normal-mode eigenvector points toward the “C6-puckered” conical intersection geometry.

Ground- and excited state proton transfer and tautomerization in 7-hydroxyquinoline.(NH3)n clusters: Spectroscopic and time resolved investigations

Mass-selected S1↔S0 two color resonant two photon ionization (2C-R2PI) spectra, fluorescence spectra and fluorescence decay times are measured for supersonically cooled 7-hydroxyquinoline (7HQ)⋅(NH3)n clusters with n=4–10. For n=4, the S1←S0 2C-R2PI spectrum shows a 20 cm−1 broad electronic origin at 27 746 cm−1, followed by an intermolecular vibrational progression with band widths that increase up to ≈45 cm−1. In contrast, the 2C-R2PI spectra of the mixed 7HQ⋅(NH3)3H2O and 7HQ⋅(NH3)2(H2O)2 clusters exhibit narrow bands of 1–2 cm−1 width. The large band widths of 7HQ⋅(NH3)4 are due to a fast (k>1012 s−1) excited state process which is blocked when replacing one or more NH3 molecules by H2O in the cluster. For the n=5–10 clusters, the 2C-R2PI spectra display two broad absorption bands peaking at 25 000 and 27 000 cm−1. The latter is characteristic of the 7-quinolinate (7Q−) anion, implying that ground state proton transfer from 7HQ to the ammonia cluster occurs for n⩾5. Excitation at 27 000 cm−1 leads to ...

Jet-Cooled 2-Aminopyridine Dimer: Conformers and Infrared Vibrational Spectra

The 2-aminopyridine dimer, (2AP)(2), is linked by two N-H...N hydrogen bonds, providing a model for the Watson-Crick configurations of the adenine or cytosine self-dimers. Structure optimization of (2AP)(2) at the MP2 level with the aug-cc-pVQZ basis set establishes the existence of two nearly degenerate conformers with C(i) and C(2) symmetry. Adding complete basis set extrapolation and DeltaCCSD(T) corrections gives binding energies D(e) = 10.70 and 10.72 kcal/mol, respectively. Both isomers are chiral, each giving rise to a pair of enantiomers. The potential energy surface of (2AP)(2) is calculated along the 2AP amino flip coordinates, revealing a 4-fold minimum low-energy region with a planar C(2h) symmetric and four asymmetric transition structures. The mass-selective resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI) spectra of supersonically cooled (2AP)(2) were remeasured. Three different species (A-C) were separated and characterized by UV/UV depletion spectroscopy and by infrared (IR) depletion spectroscopy in the 2600-3800 cm(-1) range. The R2PI and IR spectra of species A and B are very similar, in agreement with the prediction of two conformers of (2AP)(2). The IR bands are assigned to the H-bonded N-H(b) stretch, the N-H(2) bend overtone, and the free N-H(f) stretch of (2AP)(2), based on the calculated IR spectra, thereby extending and correcting previous assignments. Conformer A is tentatively assigned as the C(2) conformer. The UV spectrum of species C is very different from those of A and B, its IR spectrum exhibiting additional O-H stretching bands. C is assigned to the (2AP)(2).H(2)O cluster, based on the agreement of its IR spectrum with calculated IR spectra. Complete dissociation into the (2AP)(2)(+) ion occurs upon ionization.

Accurate determination of the structure of cyclooctatetraene by femtosecond rotational coherence spectroscopy and ab initio calculations.

We combine femtosecond time-resolved rotational coherence spectroscopy with high-level ab initio theory to obtain accurate structural information for the nonpolar antiaromatic molecule 1,3,5,7-cyclooctatetraene (C8H8, COT) and its perdeuterated isotopomer COT-d8 (C8D8). We measure the rotational B0 and centrifugal distortion constants D(J), D(JK) of the v = 0 states of COT and COT-d8 to high accuracy, e.g. B0 (COT) = 2710.329(56) MHz, as well as B(v) for the v = 1 states nu6, nu11, nu17, nu22, and nu41/nu42 of COT. The experimental rotational constants are compared to those obtained from calculations at the coupled-cluster with single, double, and perturbative triples [CCSD(T)] level. The latter also take into account vibrational averaging effects of the ground and vibrationally excited states. Combining the experimental and calculated rotational constants with the calculated equilibrium bond lengths and angles allows us to determine accurate equilibrium structure parameters, e.g., r(e) (C-C) = 147.0 +/- 0.05 pm, r(e) (C=C) = 133.7 +/- 0.1 pm, and r(e) (C-H) = 107.9 +/- 0.1 pm. The equilibrium C-C and C=C bond lengths of COT are compared to those of 1,3-butadiene. The expected effect of decreased pi-electron delocalization due to the twisting of adjacent C=C double bonds in COT relative to butadiene is observed for the C-C bonds but not for the C=C bonds.

Intersystem crossing rates of S1 state keto-amino cytosine at low excess energy

The amino-keto tautomer of supersonic jet-cooled cytosine undergoes intersystem crossing (ISC) from the v = 0 and low-lying vibronic levels of its S1((1)ππ(∗)) state. We investigate these ISC rates experimentally and theoretically as a function of S1 state vibrational excess energy Eexc. The S1 vibronic levels are pumped with a ∼5 ns UV laser, the S1 and triplet state ion signals are separated by prompt or delayed ionization with a second UV laser pulse. After correcting the raw ISC yields for the relative S1 and T1 ionization cross sections, we obtain energy dependent ISC quantum yields QISC (corr)=1%-5%. These are combined with previously measured vibronic state-specific decay rates, giving ISC rates kISC = 0.4-1.5 ⋅ 10(9) s(-1), the corresponding S1⇝S0 internal conversion (IC) rates are 30-100 times larger. Theoretical ISC rates are computed using SCS-CC2 methods, which predict rapid ISC from the S1; v = 0 state with kISC = 3 ⋅ 10(9) s(-1) to the T1((3)ππ(∗)) triplet state. The surprisingly high rate of this El Sayed-forbidden transition is caused by a substantial admixture of (1)nOπ(∗) character into the S1((1)ππ(∗)) wave function at its non-planar minimum geometry. The combination of experiment and theory implies that (1) below Eexc = 550 cm(-1) in the S1 state, S1⇝S0 internal conversion dominates the nonradiative decay with kIC ≥ 2 ⋅ 10(10) s(-1), (2) the calculated S1⇝T1 ((1)ππ(∗)⇝(3)ππ(∗)) ISC rate is in good agreement with experiment, (3) being El-Sayed forbidden, the S1⇝T1 ISC is moderately fast (kISC = 3 ⋅ 10(9) s(-1)), and not ultrafast, as claimed by other calculations, and (4) at Eexc ∼ 550 cm(-1) the IC rate increases by ∼50 times, probably by accessing the lowest conical intersection (the C5-twist CI) and thereby effectively switching off the ISC decay channels.

Intermolecular vibrations of 1-naphthol⋅NH3 and d3-1-naphthol⋅ND3 in the S0 and S1 states

Hydrogen-bonded complexes of the photoacid 1-naphthol with NH3 and ND3 were investigated by resonant two-photon ionization, spectral hole burning, and fluorescence spectroscopies. Although the intermolecular vibrations are weak in both absorption and emission, with typical Franck–Condon factors <2% relative to the electronic origin, all six intermolecular modes were identified, namely the hydrogen bond stretch σ, the ammonia torsion τ, two in-plane wags β1 and β2, and two out-of-plane rocking motions ρ1 and ρ2. Several ammonia torsional excitations were observed, with spacings in good agreement with the S0- and S1 state effective torsional barriers derived by Humphrey and Pratt [J. Chem. Phys. 104, 8332 (1996)]. The β1, β2, and ρ2 vibrational excitations exhibit large (2–8 cm−1) torsional splittings, which indicate strong anharmonic coupling with the ammonia internal rotation. The observed Franck–Condon factors of the intermolecular stretching vibration imply a contraction of the O–H⋅⋅⋅N hydrogen bond by ...

Large-amplitude vibrations of an N-H center dot center dot center dot pi hydrogen bonded cis-amide-benzene complex

The ground-state N-H...pi interaction of 2-pyridone.benzene (2PY.Bz) has been studied by infrared-UV depletion spectroscopy of the supersonic-jet cooled complex [P. Ottiger et al., J. Phys. Chem. B (2009) 113, 2937]. Here, we investigate the large-amplitude vibrations of 2PY.Bz and its d(1)-2PY and benzene-d(6) isotopologues in the S(1) state, using two-color resonant two-photon ionization and UV-holeburning spectroscopies, complemented by RI-CC2 and SCS-RI-CC2 calculations of the S(1) state. The latter predict a tilted T-shaped structure with an N-H...pi hydrogen bond to the benzene ring, similar to the S(0) state. The binding energy is predicted to increase by 1.5 kJ mol(-1) upon S(1)<--S(0) excitation, in close agreement with the experimental value of 1.2 kJ mol(-1). The vibronic band structure up to 60 cm(-1) above the 0 band is dominated by large-amplitude delta tilting excitations, reflecting a change in the tilt angle of the T-shaped complex. The S(0) and S(1) state delta potentials were fitted to experiment, yielding a single minimum in the S(0) state and a double-minimum S(1) potential with delta(min) = +/-13 degrees. The second large-amplitude vibration is the theta twisting or benzene internal-rotation mode. Due to the C(6) symmetry of the benzene moiety the S(0) and S(1) state theta potentials are sixfold symmetric. Analysis of the theta band structure reveals that the S(0) and S(1)theta potentials are mutually aligned and that the internal rotation barriers are V(6)(S(0)) < 0.2 kJ mol(-1) and V(6)(S(1)) = 0.10(1) kJ mol(-1), in close agreement with the calculations. Weaker excitations of the totally symmetric intermolecular vibrations chi (shear), omega (bend) and sigma (stretch) vibrations are also observed. The 2PY intramolecular nu(1) overtone, corresponding to an 2PY amide out-of-plane twist distortion, lies approximately 30% higher than in bare 2PY, reflecting the hindrance of this motion by the strong N-H...pi interaction.

Gas-Phase Cytosine and Cytosine-N1-Derivatives Have 0.1-1 ns Lifetimes Near the S1 State Minimum.

Ultraviolet radiative damage to DNA is inefficient because of the ultrafast S1 ⇝ S0 internal conversion of its nucleobases. Using picosecond pump-ionization delay measurements, we find that the S1((1)ππ*) state vibrationless lifetime of gas-phase keto-amino cytosine (Cyt) is τ = 730 ps or ∼ 700 times longer than that measured by femtosecond pump-probe ionization at higher vibrational excess energy, Eexc. N1-Alkylation increases the S1 lifetime up to τ = 1030 ps for N1-ethyl-Cyt but decreases it to 100 ps for N1-isopropyl-Cyt. Increasing the vibrational energy to Eexc = 300-550 cm(-1) decreases the lifetimes to 20-30 ps. The nonradiative dynamics of S1 cytosine is not solely a property of the amino-pyrimidinone chromophore but is strongly influenced by the N1-substituent. Correlated excited-state calculations predict that the gap between the S2((1)nOπ*) and S1((1)ππ*) states decreases along the series of N1-derivatives, thereby influencing the S1 state lifetime.