Martin Quick

Photoisomerization dynamics and pathways of trans- and cis-azobenzene in solution from broadband femtosecond spectroscopies and calculations.

The photoisomerization of azobenzene in solution was studied experimentally and by calculations. trans-to-cis and cis-to-trans dynamics are described through broadband transient absorption, fluorescence, and stimulated Raman spectroscopy. Transient absorption was extended to cover not only the nπ* band but also the ππ* band in the ultraviolet. Isomerization yields are used for a quantitative comparison of trans and cis transient spectra under different excitation. For the trans-to-cis path upon nπ*(S(1)) excitation, the evolution develops with 0.3, 3, and 16 ps. The first two times reflect population relaxation to a local minimum S(1t )(L) and subsequent transition to a dark intermediate S(1t)(D) over an 8 kJ/mol barrier. The existence of stationary points S(1t)(L) and S(1t)(D) is confirmed by quantum-chemical calculations. The third time corresponds to S(1t) (D) → S0 relaxation to the ground state via an S1/S0 conical intersection over a 12 kJ/mol barrier. Thus, the 16 ps time constant is attributed to the isomerization process and not to vibrational cooling, contrary to the current view and in line with the previous interpretation by Lednev et al. (J. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 13338). The decay of the long-lived intermediate S(1t)(D) is consistent with the hula twist rather than with the inversion mechanism. For the cis-totrans reaction following nπ* excitation, signal decay is strongly nonexponential, with 0.1 and 1 ps. The latter (1 ps) is much shorter than the 16 ps decay of the trans isomer, implying different S1/S0 conical intersections and relaxation paths for the cis-totrans and trans-to-cis reaction. New results are also obtained with ππ*(Sn) excitation. Thus, for trans-azobenzene, 50% of the population relaxes to an S1 region, which is not accessible under nπ* excitation. For cis-azobenzene, up to 30% of the excited species isomerize to trans via an Sn/S1 intersection, resulting in a mixed cis/trans S1 population. The isomerization kinetics of azobenzene shows no viscosity dependence, putting into question the torsion mechanism and suggesting the hula-twist isomerization mechanism.

β‐Carotene Revisited by Transient Absorption and Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy

β-Carotene in n-hexane was examined by femtosecond transient absorption and stimulated Raman spectroscopy. Electronic change is separated from vibrational relaxation with the help of band integrals. Overlaid on the decay of S1 excited-state absorption, a picosecond process is found that is absent when the C9 -methyl group is replaced by ethyl or isopropyl. It is attributed to reorganization on the S1 potential energy surface, involving dihedral angles between C6 and C9 . In Raman studies, electronic states S2 or S1 were selected through resonance conditions. We observe a broad vibrational band at 1770 cm(-1) in S2 already. With 200 fs it decays and transforms into the well-known S1 Raman line for an asymmetric C=C stretching mode. Low-frequency activity (<800 cm(-1) ) in S2 and S1 is also seen. A dependence of solvent lines on solute dynamics implies intermolecular coupling between β-carotene and nearby n-hexane molecules.

Resonance Femtosecond-Stimulated Raman Spectroscopy without Actinic Excitation Showing Low-Frequency Vibrational Activity in the S2 State of All-Trans β-Carotene.

Raman scattering with stimulating femtosecond probe pulses (FSR) was used to observe vibrational activity of all-trans β-carotene in n-hexane. The short-lived excited electronic state S2 was accessed in two ways: (i) by transient FSR after an actinic pulse to populate the S2 state, exploiting resonance from an Sx ← S2 transition, and (ii) by FSR without actinic excitation, using S2 ↔ S0 resonance exclusively and narrow-band Raman/broad-band femtosecond probe pulses only. The two approaches have nonlinear optical susceptibilities χ((5)) and χ((3)), respectively. Both methods show low-frequency bands of the S2 state at 200, 400, and ∼600 cm(-1), which are reported for the first time. With (ii) the intensities of low-frequency vibrational resonances in S2 are larger compared to those in S0, implying strong anharmonicities/mode mixing in the excited state. In principle, for short-lived electronic states, the χ((3)) method should allow the best characterization of low-frequency modes.

Excited-state Raman spectroscopy with and without actinic excitation: S1 Raman spectra of trans-azobenzene

We show that femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy can record excited-state spectra in the absence of actinic excitation, if the Raman pump is in resonance with an electronic transition. The approach is illustrated by recording S1 and S0 spectra of trans-azobenzene in n-hexane. The S1 spectra were also measured conventionally, upon nπ* (S0 → S1) actinic excitation. The results are discussed and compared to earlier reports.

Fluorescence following Excited-State Protonation of Riboflavin at N(5)

Excited-state protonation of riboflavin in the oxidized form is studied in water. In the -1 < pH < 2 range, neutral and N(1)-protonated riboflavin coexist in the electronic ground state. Transient absorption shows that the protonated form converts to the ground state in <40 fs after optical excitation. Broadband fluorescence upconversion is therefore used to monitor solvation and protonation of the neutral species in the excited singlet state exclusively. A weak fluorescence band around 660 nm is assigned to the product of protonation at N(5). Its radiative rate and quantum yield relative to neutral riboflavin are estimated. Protonation rates agree with proton diffusion times for H(+) concentrations below 5 M but increase at higher acidities, where the average proton distance is below the diameter of the riboflavin molecule.

Effect of a Tertiary Butyl Group on Polar Solvation Dynamics in Aqueous Solution: Femtosecond Fluorescence Spectroscopy

We monitor the time-dependent Stokes shift (TDSS) of fluorescence from the zwitterionic probe N-methyl-6-oxyquinolinium betaine in water. A spectral relaxation time τsolv = 0.57 ps (at 20.5 °C) is attributed to a solvation process involving water in the hydration layer. In this article we show that a tertiary butyl group, when attached to the chromophore, slows the dynamics to τsolv = 0.76 ps and increases the corresponding activation energy by 5 kJ/mol. In a companion paper (10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b05039), simulations suggest that the observed slow-down indicates coupling of solute vibrations to hydration water. Thus, a new angle on a thoroughly researched topic, solvation dynamics, has been opened.