Theoretical electronic spectra of 2-aminopurine in vapor and in water

The accurate quantum chemical CASSCF and CASPT2 methods combined with a Monte Carlo procedure to mimic solvation effects have been used in the calculation of the spectroscopic properties of two tautomers of 2-aminopurine (2AP). Absorption and emission spectra have been simulated both in vacuum and in aqueous environment. State and transition energies and properties have been obtained with high accuracy, leading to the assignment of the most important spectroscopic features. The lowest-lying 1 (,*) ( 1 La) state has been determined as responsible for the first band in the absorption spectrum and also for the strong fluorescence observed for the system in water. The combined approach used in …

Towards an accurate molecular orbital theory for excited states : Ethene, butadiene, and hexatriene

A newly proposed quantum chemical approach for ab initio calculations of electronic spectra of molecular systems is applied to the molecules ethene, trans‐1,3‐butadiene, and trans‐trans‐1,3,5‐hexatriene. The method has the aim of being accurate to better than 0.5 eV for excitation energies and is expected to provide structural and physical data for the excited states with good reliability. The approach is based on the complete active space (CAS) SCF method, which gives a proper description of the major features in the electronic structure of the excited state, independent of its complexity, accounts for all near degeneracy effects, and includes full orbital relaxation. Remaining dynamic ele…

Computation of conical intersections by using perturbation techniques

Multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory, both in its single-state multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) and multistate (MS-CASPT2) formulations, is used to search for minima on the crossing seams between different potential energy hypersurfaces of electronic states in several molecular systems. The performance of the procedures is tested and discussed, focusing on the problem of the nonorthogonality of the single-state perturbative solutions. In different cases the obtained structures and energy differences are compared with available complete active space self-consistent field and multireference configuration interaction solutions. Calculations on dif…

Multiconfigurational second-order perturbation study of the decomposition of the radical anion of nitromethane

The doublet potential energy surfaces involved in the decomposition of the nitromethane radical anion (CH(3)NO(2) (-)) have been studied by using the multistate extension of the multiconfigurational second-order perturbation method (MS-CASPT2) in conjunction with large atomic natural orbital-type basis sets. A very low energy barrier is found for the decomposition reaction: CH(3)NO(2) (-)--[CH(3)NO(2)](-)--CH(3)+NO(2) (-). No evidence has been obtained on the existence of an isomerization channel leading to the initial formation of the methylnitrite anion (CH(3)ONO(-)) which, in a subsequent reaction, would yield nitric oxide (NO). In contrast, it is suggested that NO is formed through the …

An ab initio study of the low-lying 1 A′ electronic states of indene

Abstract The electronic absorption spectrum of indene in the region of the lowest-lying valence π → π * singlet excited states was studied using multi-configurational second-order perturbation theory through the CASPT2 formalism. Four 1 A′ states were found to be the most important for describing the excitation spectrum up to 6.8 eV. Their transition energies (oscillator strengths in parentheses) were computed to be: 4.46 eV (0.0004), 5.02 eV (0.175), 6.14 eV (0.221), and 6.36 eV (0.434). These states can be labelled and described as the four Platt states of indene: 1 L a , 1 L b , 1 B b , and 1 B a , respectively. This description of the spectrum explains the experimental observations bett…

Cyclobutane Pyrimidine Photodimerization of DNA/RNA Nucleobases in the Triplet State

The photoinduced formation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers in the triplet excited state of the DNA/RNA pyrimidine nucleobases pairs has been studied at the CASPT2 level of theory. A stepwise mechanism through the triplet state of the homodimer is proposed for the pairs of nucleobases cytosine, thymine, and uracil involving a singlet−triplet crossing intermediary structure of biradical character representing the most favorable triplet state conformation of the nucleobases as found in the DNA environment. The efficiency of the mechanism will be modulated by two factors: the effectiveness of the triplet−triplet energy transfer process from a donor photosensitizer molecule, which relates to th…

The Role of Adenine Excimers in the Photophysics of Oligonucleotides

Energies and structures of different arrangements of the stacked adenine homodimer have been computed at the ab initio CASPT2 level of theory in isolation and in an aqueous environment. Adenine dimers are shown to form excimer singlet states with different degrees of stacking and interaction. A model for a 2-fold decay dynamics of adenine oligomers can be supported in which, after initial excitation in the middle UV range, unstacked or slightly stacked pairs of nucleobases will relax by an ultrafast internal conversion to the ground state, localizing the excitation in the monomer and through the corresponding conical intersection with the ground state. On the other hand, long-lifetime intra…

DNA nucleobase properties and photoreactivity: Modeling environmental effects

Abstract The accurate ab initio quantum chemical (QM) method multiconfigurational second-order perturbation (CASSPT2)/complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) has been used in conjunction with molecular mechanics (MM) procedures to compute molecular properties and photoinduced reactivity of DNA/RNA nucleobases (NABs) in isolation and within a realistic environment, in which the double helix strand, the aqueous media, and the external counterions are included. It is illustrated that the use of an MM model is helpful both to account for short- and long-range effects of the system surrounding the QM molecular core and to provide the proper structural constraints that allow more acc…

A Theoretical Insight into the Photophysics of Acridine

The electronic absorption and emission spectra of acridine have been studied by means of a multiconfigurational second-order perturbation method (CASSCF/CASPT2) and its multistate extension (MS-CASPT2). The low-lying valence singlet and triplet π → π* and n → π* excited states have been computed. The location of the lowest Rydberg state (3s) has been also estimated. By optimization of the geometries of the ground and low-lying excited states and the calculation of transition energies and properties, the obtained results lead to a complete analysis and assignment of the available experimental singlet−singlet and triplet−triplet absorption spectra and to the description of the basic features …

Theoretical CASPT2 study of the excited state double proton transfer reaction in the 7-azaindole dimer

Accurate CASPT2 calculations on the excited state double proton transfer reaction in the 7-azaindole dimer have been performed on different symmetric and asymmetric pathways along the protons interchange. The presence of a conical intersection connecting the initially photoinduced singlet excited state with a charge transfer state leading both to asymmetric ionic and neutral structures promotes a step-wise mechanism, probably taking place through the ionic intermediate. The concerted path is computed slightly higher in energy in the gas phase.

2-Aminopurine non-radiative decay and emission in aqueous solution: A theoretical study

Abstract The minimum energy path along the lowest-lying ππ ∗ excited state of 2-aminopurine was calculated to elucidate the mechanisms of radiationless decay and emission in water. The sequential Monte Carlo quantum mechanics approach with a multiconfigurational and perturbative description of the wave function was employed to compute the minimum, transition state, and conical intersection. It was found that the barrier in the potential energy surface to access the conical intersection funnel increases in aqueous environment, making the system prone to enlarge the emission yield. These results rationalize the observed enhancement of emission in 2-aminopurine upon increasing of the solvent p…

Ultrafast internal conversion of excited cytosine via the lowest pipi electronic singlet state.

Computational evidence at the CASPT2 level supports that the lowest excited state pipi* contributes to the S1/S0 crossing responsible for the ultrafast decay of singlet excited cytosine. The computed radiative lifetime, 33 ns, is consistent with the experimentally derived value, 40 ns. The nOpi* state does not play a direct role in the rapid repopulation of the ground state; it is involved in a S2/S1 crossing. Alternative mechanisms through excited states pisigma* or nNpi* are not competitive in cytosine.

Ab initio determination of the ionization potentials of DNA and RNA nucleobases

Quantum chemical high level ab initio coupled-cluster and multiconfigurational perturbation methods have been used to compute vertical and adiabatic ionization potentials of the five canonical DNA and RNA nucleobases: uracil, thymine, cytosine, adenine, and guanine. Several states of their cations have been also calculated. The present results represent a systematic compendium of these magnitudes, establishing theoretical reference values at a level not reported before, calibrating computational strategies, and guiding the assignment of the features in the experimental photoelectron spectra. Daniel.Roca@uv.es Mercedes.Rubio@uv.es Manuela.Merchan@uv.es Luis.Serrano@uv.es

On the role of the triplet state in the cis/trans isomerization of rhodopsin: A CASPT2//CASSCF study of a model chromophore

The possibility of population of the lowest-lying triplet state (T1) in the early events of the photochemical isomerization process of a model chromophore of Rhodopsin (Rh) has been analyzed using multireference perturbation theory (CASPT2//CASSCF) methods. It is shown that the characteristics of the isomerization process namely small S1−T1 gap, presence of hydrogen out of plane active vibrational modes, and existence of a dense manifold of vibrational states, render possible the fulfilment of the conditions needed for the population of T1. The possible consequences for the photochemistry and photophysics of Rh are also discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem 111:3431–3…

Charge Transfer Transitions in Neutral and Ionic Polypeptides:  A Theoretical Study

We report on the vertical electronic excitation spectra of neutral polypeptides and their radical ions. Model systems including tri-, tetra-, and octamers in an α-helix and β-sheet alike conformation are studied by various computational methods. The results allow us to assign the band centered at about 7.5 eV in the absoption spectra of proteins to charge transfer states. The calculations also support conclusions from recent experiments which propose charge transfer as a possible mechanism for photoinduced electron transfer in polypeptide cations.

MCSCF determination of the KO molecule ground state.

Abstract Ab initio calculations at the MC/CASSCF level are used to determine in an accurate way the nature and position of the ground state of the KO molecule. The characteristic 2 Π and 2 Σ + alkali monoxide ionic states show a theoretical energy separation of about 0.04 eV, which produces opposite results by authors in favour of one or the other symmetry. We test the basis set dependence and active space dependence of the calculated energetical ordering of both states, with an extensive study of the active orbitais selection; the results show a ground state of 2 Σ + symmetry.

Theoretical insight into the intrinsic ultrafast formation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers in UV-irradiated DNA: thymine versus cytosine.

The higher formation yields measured in the ultrafast photoinduced formation of cyclobutane thymine dimers (T T) with respect to those of cytosine (C C) are explained, on the basis of ab initio CASPT2 results, by the existence in thymine of more reactive orientations and a less efficient photoreversibility, whereas in cytosine the funnel toward the photolesion becomes competitive with that mediating the internal conversion of the excited-cytosine monomer.

Photochemical window mechanism for controlled atom release in carborane endohedral boxes: Theoretical evidence

Abstract On the basis of high-level quantum chemical calculations, closed-cage carboranes are shown to be prospective nanoscale mass selective conveyors via a photochemical switch. A mechanism is evidenced in which stable carborane boxes with lithium as endohedral atom, Li@CB 11 H 12 , can be photoinduced to sequentially evolve opening the cage, releasing the internal atom through a window in the box structure, and closing the cage toward either ionic or neutral channels where the charge or spin of the fragments may be controlled.

Ultrafast decay of the excited singlet states of thioxanthone by internal conversion and intersystem crossing.

The experimental ultrafast photophysics of thioxanthone in several aprotic organic solvents at room temperature is presented, measured using femtosecond transient absorption together with high-level ab initio CASPT2 calculations of the singlet- and triplet-state manifolds in the gas phase, including computed state minima and conical intersections, transition energies, oscillator strengths, and spin-orbit coupling terms. The initially populated singlet pi pi* state is shown to decay through internal conversion and intersystem crossing processes via intermediate n pi* singlet and triplet states, respectively. Two easily accessible conical intersections explain the favorable internal conversio…

Transition Dipole Orientation of Linear Polyenes:  Semiempirical Models and Extrapolation to the Infinite Chain Limit

Linear conjugated polyenes have an electronic transition dipole moment for the strongly allowed 1Ag to 1Bu electronic excitation that is not oriented along the major axis of the polyene chain. In this paper, the experimental values of this off-axis angle are compared to semiempirical and ab initio theoretical predictions. The semiempirical computations are shown to be reliable and are extended to long chains (n = 20). The results are then extrapolated to the infinite chain limit. A nonzero value of 6°−11° for the infinite polyene is suggested by this extrapolation but state of the art ab initio results for a series of small polyenes yield a zero asymptotic value.

Molecular Basis of DNA Photodimerization: Intrinsic Production of Cyclobutane Cytosine Dimers

Based on CASPT2 results, the present contribution establishes for the first time that cytosine photodimer formation (CC) is mediated along the triplet and singlet manifold by a singlet-triplet crossing, (T1/S0)X, and by a conical intersection, (S1/S0)CI, respectively. The former can be accessed in a barrierless way from a great variety of photochemical avenues and exhibits a covalent single bond between the ethene C6-C6' carbon atoms of each monomer. The efficiency of the stepwise triplet mechanism, however, would be modulated by the effectiveness of the intersystem crossing mechanism. The results provide the grounds for the understanding of the potential photogenotoxicity of endogenous and…

Theoretical Insight into the Spectroscopy and Photochemistry of Isoalloxazine, the Flavin Core Ring

The electronic singlet-singlet and singlet-triplet electronic transitions of the isoalloxazine ring of the flavin core are studied using second-order perturbation theory within the framework of the CASPT2//CASSCF protocol. The main features of the absorption spectrum are computed at 3.09, 4.28, 4.69, 5.00, and 5.37 eV. The lowest singlet (S1) and triplet (T1) excited states are found to be both of pi character with a singlet-triplet splitting of 0.57 eV. On the basis of the analysis of the computed spin-orbit couplings and the potential energy hypersurfaces built for the relevant excited states, the intrinsic mechanism for photoinduced population of T1 is discussed. Upon light absorption, e…

Theoretical investigations of the IR spectroscopy of Ni(C(2)S(2)H(2))(2). A case study of the P_VMWCI(2) algorithm including anharmonic effects.

The near infrared (NIR) spectra of bis(ethylene-1,2-dithiolato)nickel, Ni(C(2)S(2)H(2))(2) are fully interpreted here by applying a method developed for efficient automatic computation of both the infrared wave numbers and the intensities. The employed procedure uses parallel variational multiple window configuration interaction wave functions, the so-named P_VMWCI(2) algorithm, which incorporates both the mechanical and the electric anharmonic effects. It is shown that inclusion of anharmonicities is crucial for correctly assigning the fundamental, combination, and overtone vibrational frequencies in the infrared spectrum of the target system, for which conflicting assignments are found in…

Singlet oxygen generation in PUVA therapy studied using electronic structure calculations

Abstract The ability of furocoumarins to participate in the PUVA (Psoralen + UV-A) therapy against skin disorders and some types of cancer, is analyzed on quantum chemical grounds. The efficiency of the process relies on its capability to populate its lowest triplet excited state, and then either form adducts with thymine which interfere DNA replication or transfer its energy, generating singlet molecular oxygen damaging the cell membrane in photoactivated tissues. By determining the spin–orbit couplings, shown to be the key property, in the intersystem crossing yielding the triplet state of the furocoumarin, the electronic couplings in the triplet–triplet energy transfer process producing …

On the intrinsic population of the lowest triplet state of uracil

Abstract From CASPT2//CASSCF quantum-chemical computations it is determined that the lowest triplet state of uracil can be efficiently populated from the initially activated singlet manifold through respective singlet–triplet crossings of the singlet state with the low-lying 3nπ∗ state at 4.6 eV and with the lowest 3ππ∗ state at 4.2 eV located along the minimum energy path of the low-lying 1ππ∗ state. Large spin–orbit coupling elements predict, in particular for the former case, efficient intersystem crossing processes. The wavelength dependence measured for the triplet quantum yield can be explained by the location of the singlet–triplet crossing regions.

Theoretical characterization of the lowest-energy absorption band of pyrrole

The lowest-energy band of the electronic spectrum of pyrrole has been studied with vibrational resolution by using multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) and its multistate extension (MS–CASPT2) in conjunction with large atomic natural orbital-type basis sets including Rydberg functions. The obtained results provide a consistent picture of the recorded spectrum in the energy region 5.5–6.5 eV and confirm that the bulk of the intensity of the band arises from a ππ∗ intravalence transition, in contradiction to recent theoretical claims. Computed band origins for the 3s,3p Rydberg electronic transitions are in agreement with the available experimental data, although new…

Combined Theoretical and Experimental Study of the Photophysics of Asulam

The photophysics of the neutral molecular form of the herbicide asulam has been described in a joint experimental and theoretical, at the CASPT2 level, study. The unique π → π* aromatic electronic transition (f, ca. 0.5) shows a weak red-shift as the polarity of the solvent is increased, whereas the fluorescence band undergoes larger red-shifts. Solvatochromic data point to higher dipole moment in the excited state than in the ground state (μ(g)μ(e)). The observed increase in pKa in the excited state (pKa* - pKa, ca. 3) is consistent with the results of the Kamlet-Abboud-Taft and Catalán et al. multiparametric approaches. Fluorescence quantum yield varies with the solvent, higher in water (…

Dissociation energies within selected configuration interaction and perturbation theory

Abstract Selected configuration interaction (CI) calculations and second-order perturbational theory are used to truncate systematically multireference single and double excitation CI (MRCI) expansions in the calculation of the bond dissociation energies of several systems like the single-bonded LiF molecule or the multiple-bonded N2, NO and O2 diatomic systems. The method is extended to compute the CH bond dissociation energy ofethene C2H4. It is shown how the proposed scheme (perturbation-selected MRCI (MRCI-PS)) is able to reproduce the accuracy of complete MRCI expansions with only a small number of configurations variationally evaluated.

On the Deactivation Mechanisms of Adenine–Thymine Base Pair

In this contribution, the multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory method based on a complete active space reference wave function (CASSCF/CASPT2) is applied to study all possible single and double proton/hydrogen transfers between the nucleobases in the adenine-thymine (AT) base pair, analyzing the role of excited states with different nature [localized (LE) and charge transfer (CT)], and considering concerted as well as step-wise mechanisms. According to the findings, once the lowest excited states, localized in adenine, are populated during UV irradiation of the Watson-Crick base pair, the proton transfer in the N-O bridge does not require high energy in order to populate a …

Do fluorescence and transient absorption probe the same intramolecular charge transfer state of 4-(dimethylamino)benzonitrile?

International audience; We present here the results of time-resolved absorption and emission experiments for 4-(dimethylamino)benzonitrile in solution, which suggest that the fluorescent intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state may differ from the twisted ICT (TICT) state observed in transient absorption.

Determination of the lowest-energy oxidation site in nucleotides: 2'-deoxythymidine 5'-monophosphate anion.

High level ab initio computations anticipate nucleobases as the most favorable sites for oxidation in nucleotides. At the CASPT2 level, the lowest ionization channel for the 2'-deoxythymidine 5'-monophosphate anion is related to a pi-orbital of the thymine base. The present findings lead to revision of the recent assignments of the photodetachment photoelectron spectra of mononucleotide anions in the gas phase and support the classical view of the nucleobase being the main actor in the oxidation process of both nucleosides and nucleotides.

The role of pyrimidine nucleobase excimers in DNA photophysics and photoreactivity

Abstract Quantum chemical studies using the accurate CASPT2//CASSCF procedure show that π-stacked interactions in biochromophores such as pyrimidine (Pyr) DNA/RNA nucleobases pairs yield excimer-like situations which behave as precursors of processes like charge transfer (CT) or photoreactivity and are the source of the emissive properties in DNA. Examples are the CT between adjacent DNA nucleobases in a strand of oligonucleotides and the photodimerization taking place in cytosine (C) pairs leading to cyclobutanecytosine (CBC) mutants. These processes take place through nonadiabatic photochemical mechanisms whose evolution is determined by the presence and accessibility of conical intersect…

Toward an Understanding of Ultrafast Electron Transfer in Photosynthesis

The mechanism of electron transfer (ET) from reduced pheophytin (Pheo−) to the primary stable photosynthetic acceptor, a quinone (Q) molecule, is addressed by using high-level ab initio computations and realistic molecular models. The results reveal that the ET process involving the (Pheo−+Q) and (Pheo+Q−) oxidation states can be seen essentially as an ultrafast radiationless transition between the two hypersurfaces taking place via conical intersections (CIs) and is favoured when the topology of the interacting moieties makes possible some overlap between the lowest occupied molecular orbitals (LUMO) of the two systems. Thus, it is anticipated that large scale motions, which are difficult …

Organic spectroscopy under Björn O. Roos

Photoreactivity of Furocoumarins and DNA in PUVA Therapy: Formation of Psoralen−Thymine Adducts

The mechanism of the [2 + 2] cycloaddition photoreaction of psoralen and a DNA nucleobase, thymine, cornerstone of the furocoumarin-based PUVA (psoralen + UVA radiation) phototherapy, has been studied by the quantum-chemical multiconfigurational CASPT2 method. Triplet- and singlet-mediated mono- and diadduct formations have been determined to take place via singlet-triplet crossings and conical intersections, correlated with the initially promoted triplet or singlet states in different possible reactive orientations. Pyroneside monoadducts are suggested to be formed in the triplet manifold of the system, and to be less prone to yield diadducts because of the properties of the monoadduct low…

On the Low-Lying Excited States ofsym-Triazine-Based Herbicides

We report a joint computational and luminescence study on the low-lying excited states of sym-triazines, namely, 1,3,5-triazine (1) and the ubiquitous herbicides atrazine [6-chloro-N2-ethyl-N4-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine (2)] and ametryn [6-methylthio-N2-ethyl-N4-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine (3)]. Geometrical structures, energetics, and transition and state properties of I and 2 were computed at the TD-DFT, CASSCF, and CASPT2 levels of theory. The fluorescence and phosphorescence emission spectra, lifetimes, and fluorescence quantum yields were measured for the three compounds, and from these, the energies of the lowest excited states and their corresponding radiative rates…

Electron capture activation of the disulfide bond. The role of the asymmetry and electronegativity.

The effects of electron capture on the structure of XSSX' disulfide derivatives in which the substituents attached to the sulfur atoms have different electronegativites have been investigated at different levels of theory, namely DFT, MP2, QCISD and CASSCF/CASPT2. Although it has been generally assumed that electron attachment to disulfide derivatives leads to a systematic and significant activation of the S-S bond, our results show that this is the case only when the substituents X or X' have low electronegativity. Otherwise, the S-S bond in the anion remains practically unperturbed and only the S-X bond is largely activated or even broken, because the extra electron occupies the sigma*(S-…

Theoretical study of the low‐lying states of trans‐1,3‐butadiene

We present extensive ab initio calculations on the low‐lying electronic states of trans‐1,3‐butadiene within the multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) framework by selecting the configurations with a perturbative criterion. The X 1Ag ground state and 1 3Bu, 1 3Ag, 2 1Ag, and 1 1Bu valence excited states have been calculated at a fixed geometry. The results obtained are in good agreement with previous experimental and calculated values, and could help to understand polyene spectroscopy, photochemistry, and photophysics. The advantages of a MRCI method where the most important contributions to the total MRCI wave function, perturbatively selected, are treated variationally, and the …

A theoretical study of the 1B2u and 1B1u vibronic bands in benzene

The two lowest bands, 1B2u and 1B1u, of the electronic spectrum of the benzene molecule have been studied theoretically using a new method to compute vibronic excitation energies and intensities. The complete active space (CAS) self-contained field (SCF) method (with six active π-orbitals) was used to compute harmonic force field for the ground state and the 1B2u and 1B1u electronic states. A linear approximation has been used for the transition dipole as a function of the nuclear displacement coordinates. Derivatives of the transition dipole were computed using a variant of the CASSCF state interaction method. Multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) was used to obtai…

Calibration of Cholesky Auxiliary Basis Sets for Multiconfigurational Perturbation Theory Calculations of Excitation Energies

The accuracy of auxiliary basis sets derived from Cholesky decomposition of two-electron integrals is assessed for excitation energies calculated at the state-average complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and multiconfigurational second order perturbation theory (CASPT2) levels of theory using segmented as well as generally contracted atomic orbital basis sets. Based on 196 valence excitations in 26 organic molecules and 72 Rydberg excitations in 3 organic molecules, the results show that Cholesky auxiliary basis sets can be used without compromising the accuracy of the multiconfigurational methods. Specifically, with a decomposition threshold of 10(-4) au, the mean error due…

Quantum chemical study on the population of the lowest triplet state of psoralen

Abstract The efficient population of the low-lying triplet ππ * state of psoralen is studied with the quantum chemical CASPT2 method. Minima, singlet–triplet crossings, conical intersections, and reaction paths on the low-lying singlet and triplet states hypersurfaces of the system have been computed together with electronic energy gaps and spin–orbit coupling terms. A mechanism is proposed, favorable in the gas phase, for efficient deactivation of the initially populated singlet excited ππ * state, starting with an intersystem crossing with an n π * triplet state and evolving via a conical intersection toward the final lowest-lying ππ * triplet state, protagonist of the reactivity of psora…

Singlet-Triplet States Interaction Regions in DNA/RNA Nucleobase Hypersurfaces.

The present study provides new insight into the intrinsic mechanisms for the population of the triplet manifold in DNA nucleobases by determining, at the multiconfigurational CASSCF/CASPT2 level, the singlet-triplet states crossing regions and the main decay paths for their lowest singlet and triplet states after near-UV irradiation. The studied singlet-triplet interacting regions are accessible along the minimum energy path of the initially populated singlet bright (1)ππ* state. In particular, all five natural DNA/RNA nucleobases have, at the end of the main minimum energy path and near a conical intersection of the ground and (1)ππ* states, a low-energy, easily accessible, singlet-triplet…

Theoretical study of the electronic spectrum of magnesium-porphyrin

Multiconfigurational self-consistent field (SCF) and second order perturbation methods have been used to study the electronic spectrum of magnesium-porphyrin (MgP). An extended ANO-type basis set including polarization functions on all heavy atoms has been used. Four allowed singlet states of E1u symmetry have been computed and in addition a number of forbidden transitions and a few triplet states. The results lead to a consistent interpretation of the electronic spectrum, where the Q band contains one transition, the B band two, and the N band one. The computed transition energies are consistently between 0.1 and 0.5 too low compared to the measured band maxima. The source of the discrepan…

Proton/Hydrogen Transfer Mechanisms in the Guanine–Cytosine Base Pair: Photostability and Tautomerism

Proton/hydrogen-transfer processes have been broadly studied in the past 50 years to explain the photostability and the spontaneous tautomerism in the DNA base pairs. In the present study, the CASSCF/CASPT2 methodology is used to map the two-dimensional potential energy surfaces along the stretched NH reaction coordinates of the guanine–cytosine (GC) base pair. Concerted and stepwise pathways are explored initially in vacuo, and three mechanisms are studied: the stepwise double proton transfer, the stepwise double hydrogen transfer, and the concerted double proton transfer. The results are consistent with previous findings related to the photostability of the GC base pair, and a new contrib…

Multiconfigurational Perturbation Theory: Applications in Electronic Spectroscopy

Design of carborane molecular architectures with electronic structure computations: From endohedral and polyradical systems to multidimensional networks

11 pags, 6 figs. -- 19th International Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry (ICPOC-19) 13–18 July 2008, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

A computational study of the lowest singlet and triplet states of neutral and dianionic 1,2-substituted icosahedral and octahedralo-carboranes

This work introduces a calibrated B3LYP/6-31G(d) study on the electronic structure of singlet and triplet neutral species of 1,2-substituted icosahedral 1,2-R(2)-1,2-C(2)B(10)H(10) and octahedral 1,2-R(2)-1,2-C(2)B(4)H(4) molecules with R = {H, OH, SH, NH(2), PH(2), CH(3), SiH(3)} and their respective dianions formed by proton removal on each R group. A variety of small adiabatic singlet-triplet gaps DeltaE(ST) are obtained from these systems ranging from 2.93 eV (R = NH(2)) <or= DeltaE(ST) <or= 3.98 eV (R = SiH(3)) for the icosahedral neutrals and 1.56 eV (R = NH(2)) <or= DeltaE(ST) <or= 4.13 eV (R = SiH(3)) for the octahedral neutrals, these gaps being globally smaller for the dianionic s…

Intramolecular charge transfer and dual fluorescence of 4-(dimethylamino)benzonitrile: ultrafast branching followed by a two-fold decay mechanism.

International audience; In this contribution we present new experimental and theoretical results for the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) reaction underlying the dual fluorescence of 4-(dimethylamino) benzonitrile ( DMABN), which indicate that the fully twisted ICT (TICT) state is responsible for the time-resolved transient absorption spectrum while a distinct partially twisted ICT (pTICT) structure is suggested for the fluorescent ICT state.

On the relaxation mechanisms of 6-azauracil

The nonadiabatic photochemistry of 6-azauracil has been studied by means of the CASPT2//CASSCF protocol and double-ζ plus polarization ANO basis sets. Minimum energy states, transition states, minimum energy paths, and surface intersections have been computed in order to obtain an accurate description of several potential energy hypersurfaces. It is concluded that, after absorption of ultraviolet radiation (248 nm), two main relaxation mechanisms may occur, via which the lowest (3)(ππ*) state can be populated. The first one takes place via a conical intersection involving the bright (1)(ππ*) and the lowest (1)(nπ*) states, ((1)ππ*/(1)nπ*)(CI), from which a low-energy singlet-triplet crossin…

A Theoretical Study of the Low-Lying Excited States of trans- and cis-Urocanic Acid

A multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) study of the lowest lying states in the gas-phase electronic spectra of trans- and cis-urocanic acid is presented. Geometries of both isomers have been optimized at the MP2/6-31G(d) and π-CASSCF/ANO-L(4s3p1d,2s) levels of theory. The geometries are found to differ considerably between the two levels. The vertical and 0−0 excitation spectra were calculated for each isomer. Both singlet and triplet states are described for each, including the lowest lying ππ* excitations and the nOπ* excitations. Remarkably, in the trans spectrum, it is found that the nOπ* state has a higher vertical excitation energy than the lowest ππ* (5.12 v…

A theoretical study of the electronic spectrum of thiophene

Abstract The electronic spectrum of thiophene has been studied using multiconfiguration second-order perturbation theory and extended ANO basis sets. The calculations comprise four singlet valence excited states and the 3s3p3rd Rydberg series. The lowest triplet states were included and some n-π* and n-σ* states. The results have been used to assign the experimental spectrum below 8.0 eV, with a maximum deviation of about 0.1 eV for vertical transition energies. The calculations place the 2 1A1 valence state at 5.33 eV, below the 1 1B2 valence state at 5.72 eV, and the most intense valence transitions at 6.69 eV (3 1A1) and 7.32 eV (4 1B2) with oscillator strengths 0.19 and 0.39, respective…

Design of carborane molecular architectures via electronic structure computations

10 pags, 9 figs

Progress and Challenges in the Calculation of Electronic Excited States

A detailed understanding of the properties of electronic excited states and the reaction mechanisms that molecules undergo after light irradiation is a fundamental ingredient for following light-driven natural processes and for designing novel photonic materials. The aim of this review is to present an overview of the ab initio quantum chemical and time-dependent density functional theory methods that can be used to model spectroscopy and photochemistry in molecular systems. The applicability and limitations of the different methods as well as the main frontiers are discussed. To illustrate the progress achieved by excited-state chemistry in the recent years as well as the main challenges f…

What Is the Limit of Atom Encapsulation for Icosahedral Carboranes?

The stability of endohedral carboranes X@{1,n-C2B10H12} (X = Li(+), Be(2+); n = 2, 7, 12) and X@{CB11H12(-)} (X = Li(+), Be(2+)) is studied using electronic structure calculations with the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) model. Our calculations suggest that all endohedral compounds are local energy minima; for the exohedral complexes X···cage, the global energy minimum always corresponds to the X atom above a triangular face of the icosahedron. In the latter the X atom is furthest apart from the carbon atoms of the cage. As opposite to exohedral {Be(2+)···cage} complexes, no global energy minima were found for exohedral complexes {Li(+)···cage} whereby a carbon atom is present in the triangular face of …

Linear and nonlinear optical properties of some organoxenon derivatives

We employ a series of state-of-the-art computational techniques to study the effect of inserting one or more Xe atoms in HC2H and HC4H, on the linear and nonlinear optical (L&NLO) properties of the resulting compounds. It has been found that the inserted Xe has a great effect on the L&NLO properties of the organoxenon derivatives. We analyze the bonding in HXeC2H, and the change of the electronic structure, which is induced by inserting Xe, in order to rationalize the observed extraordinary L&NLO properties. The derivatives, which are of interest in this work, have been synthesized in a Xe matrix. Thus the effect of the local field (LF), due to the Xe environment, on the properties of HXeC2…

Vibronic structure in triatomic molecules : The hydrocarbon flame bands of the formyl radical (HCO). A theoretical study

A theoretical study of the vibrational structure of the math 2A′ ground and math 2A′ excited states of the formyl radical, HCO, and its deuterated form, DCO, has been performed. The potential energy surfaces have been computed by means of a multiconfigurational perturbative method, CASPT2. The computed geometries and the harmonic and anharmonic frequencies are successfully compared to the available experimental information. The vibrational intensities of the transition math 2A′↔math 2A′ have been computed both for absorption and emission. The results lead to accurate determinations of several structural parameters and some reassignments of the vibrational transitions of the so-called hydroc…

Electronic excited states of conjugated cyclic ketones and thioketones : A theoretical study

Absorption spectra of a series of cyclic conjugated ketones and thioketones have been computed at the multiconfigurational second-order multistate perturbation level of theory, the CASSCF/MS-CASPT2 method. Excitation energies, transition dipole moments, oscillator strengths, and static dipole moments are reported and discussed for excited states with energies lower than ≈ 7–8 eV. The main bands of the spectra have been assigned and characterized in most cases for the first time. The spectroscopy of the different systems is compared in detail. Thioketones in particular have low-energy and intense ππ∗ transitions which suggest corresponding enhanced nonlinear molecular optical properties. Add…

The family of furocoumarins: Looking for the best photosensitizer for phototherapy

Abstract Furocoumarins are widely used as photosensitizers in photochemical therapies against different skin disorders such as psoriasis and vitiligo. Absorption of near-UV light by the chromophore triggers a set of photoreactions related to the therapeutic properties of the technique: linkage of a furocoumarin to thymine DNA nucleobases preventing proliferation of pathogenic cells, or generation of highly reactive singlet oxygen in damaged tissues. The family of furocoumarins has been studied in depth for many years seeking a drug having the most remarkable set of properties to act as a photosensitizer. For this purpose, understanding the underlying photochemical mechanisms behind the effe…

On the N1-H and N3-H Bond Dissociation in Uracil by Low Energy Electrons: A CASSCF/CASPT2 Study.

The dissociative electron-attachment (DEA) phenomena at the N1-H and N3-H bonds observed experimentally at low energies (<3 eV) in uracil are studied with the CASSCF/CASPT2 methodology. Two valence-bound π(-) and two dissociative σ(-) states of the uracil anionic species, together with the ground state of the neutral molecule, are proven to contribute to the shapes appearing in the experimental DEA cross sections. Conical intersections (CI) between the π(-) and σ(-) are established as the structures which activate the DEA processes. The N1-H and N3-H DEA mechanisms in uracil are described, and experimental observations are interpreted on the basis of two factors: (1) the relative energy of …

Adenine and 2-aminopurine: Paradigms of modern theoretical photochemistry

Distinct photophysical behavior of nucleobase adenine and its constitutional isomer, 2-aminopurine, has been studied by using quantum chemical methods, in particular an accurate ab initio multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory. After light irradiation, the efficient, ultrafast energy dissipation observed for nonfluorescent 9H-adenine is explained here by the nonradiative internal conversion process taking place along a barrierless reaction path from the initially populated 1 (ππ* L a ) excited state toward a low-lying conical intersection (CI) connected with the ground state. In contrast, the strong fluorescence recorded for 2-aminopurine at 4.0 eV with large decay lifetime …

Theoretical Studies of the Electronic Spectra of Organic Molecules

The complete active space (CAS) SCF method in conjunction with multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) has been used to study the electronic spectra of a large number of molecules. The wave functions and the transition properties are computed at the CASSCF level, while dynamic correlation contributions to the excitation energies are obtained through the perturbation treatment. The methods yield energies, which are accurate to at least 0.2 eV, except in a few cases, where the CASSCF reference function does not characterize the electronic state with sufficient accuracy. The applications comprise: the polyenes from ethene to octatetraene (cis- and trans-forms); a number …

Quasi diabatic CASSCF state functions

A new method to determine quasi diabatic (QD) CASSCF states is presented. The adiabatic states are subjected to a unitary transformation resulting from diagonalization of a state-selection operator. The latter is constructed from the overlap of the adiabatic states with a suitable set of reference states. The multi-state (MS) CASPT2 method is used to account for the dynamical correlation effects in an approach where the QD-CASSCF wave functions are used as reference states. The procedure is applied to avoided crossings in excited states of BeH, LiO and ozone. The advantages of the proposed formulation are discussed.

Two- and three-state conical intersections in the electron capture dissociation of disulfides: The importance of multireference calculations

The SS bond cleavage produced upon electron attachment to disulfides was generally assumed to be an adiabatic process because the added electron occupies the σ*(SS) antibonding orbital. This is clearly the case in the parent HSSH compound, but not necessarily in XSSX′ derivatives, where the substituents X and X′ are different. Through the use of MS-CASPT2 calculations, we have shown that the dissociation of the SS two-center-three-electron bond in these asymmetric XSSX′ compounds requires the interaction of at least two states, in order to localize the extra electron in one of the fragments upon dissociation. This is actually the case for the CH3SSNH2 derivative, where the most favorable di…

A mutliconfigurational study of low-lying electronic states of KO

Abstract Potential energy curves and spectroscopic parameters of several electronic states of the KO molecule have been calculated using multi-configurational methods. The KO B 2Π state, first time theoretically described, presents a strong avoided crossing with the A 2Π state, and allows for the explanation of the observed fluorescence of the KO molecule. Eleven electronic states have been studied at all the internuclear distances. Effects of complete active space and basis set selections on the results are also analyzed.

Theoretical Study of the Electronic Spectrum of Imidazole

The complete active space (CAS) self-consistent field (SCF) method and multireference second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) have been used to study the electronic spectrum of imidazole and the imidazolium ion. The calculations comprise a large number of, both singlet and triplet, valence and Rydberg excited states. A newly developed continuum model has been used to compute solvatochromic shifts. In the gas phase the first and second π → π* excited singlet valence states of imidazole are computed at 6.72 and 7.15 eV, and they shift to 6.32 and 6.53 eV upon solvation. The gas-phase values are somewhat too large (≈0.3 eV) due to an erroneous valence−Rydberg mixing in the CASSCF wave functi…

A theoretical insight into the photophysics of psoralen

Psoralen photophysics has been studied on quantum chemistry grounds using the multiconfigurational second-order perturbation method CASPT2. Absorption and emission spectra of the system have been rationalized by computing the energies and properties of the low-lying singlet and triplet excited states. The S1 ππ* state has been determined to be responsible of the lowest absorption and fluorescence bands and to initially carry the population in the photophysical processes related to the phototherapeutic properties of psoralen derivatives. The low-lying T1 ππ* state is, on the other hand, protagonist of the phosphorescence, and its prevalent role in the reactivity of psoralen is suggested to b…

Energy landscapes in diexo and exo/endo isomers derived from Li2B12H12

Abstract In the pursuit of detecting the first endohedral polyhedral borane complex, we report a quantum-chemical computational study of energy landscapes for diexo isomers derived from Li 2 B 12 H 12 and the exo/endo isomer Li@{LiB 12 H 12 }. Geometries, electronic structure and energy barriers are computed for the interconversion between diexo isomers and the exo / endo isomer, the latter leading to a thermal injection / ejection mechanism of Li + from outside / inside the complex [LiB 12 H 12 ] − .

Photoinduced Formation Mechanism of the Thymine−Thymine (6−4) Adduct

The photoinduced mechanism leading to the formation of the thymine-thymine (6-4) photolesion has been studied by using the CASPT2//CASSCF approach over a dinucleotide model in vacuo. Following light absorption, localization of the excitation on a single thymine leads to fast singlet-triplet crossing that populates the triplet (3)(nπ*) state of thymine. This state, displaying an elongated C(4)═O bond, triggers (6-4) dimer formation by reaction with the C(5)═C(6) double bond of the adjacent thymine, followed by a second intersystem crossing, which acts as a gate between the excited state of the reactant and the ground state of the photoproduct. The requirement of localized excitation on just …

On the Intrinsic Population of the Lowest Triplet State of Thymine

The population of the lowest triplet state of thymine after near-UV irradiation has been established, on the basis of CASPT2//CASSCF quantum chemical calculations, to take place via three distinct intersystem crossing mechanisms from the initially populated singlet bright 1pipi* state. Two singlet-triplet crossings have been found along the minimum-energy path for ultrafast decay of the singlet state at 4.8 and 4.0 eV, involving the lowest 3npi* and 3pipi* states, respectively. Large spin-orbit coupling elements predict efficient intersystem crossing processes in both cases. Another mechanism involving energy transfer from the lowest 1npi* state with much larger spin-orbit coupling terms ca…

Theoretical studies on the spectroscopy of the 7-azaindole monomer and dimer

The absorption and the emission spectra, both fluorescence and phosphorescence, of the 7-azaindole molecule have been studied by means of the complete active space (CAS) SCF method and multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2). Excitation energies, oscillator strengths, dipole moments, transition dipole moments, and their directions have been computed and the results compared to those of analogous molecules such as indene, indole, and benzimidazole, to get a homogeneous picture of the photophysics of the systems. The absorption and emission of the 7-azaindole dimer and its related tautomer have also been computed in order to get further insight into the double fluoresce…

Theoretical characterization of the absorption spectra of phenanthrene and its radical cation

The vertical absorption spectra of phenanthrene and its radical cation have been studied theoretically by means of a multiconfigurational second-order perturbation approach. Singlet-singlet transition energies and oscillator strengths, and singlet-triplet excitation energies have been studied in the absorption spectrum of phenanthrene up to 6 eV. The absorption spectrum of the pehnanthrene radical cation has been computed up to 3.4 eV. The results obtained confirm previous assignments and also lead to new interpretations of the main features of the spectra of these systems.

The multi-state CASPT2 method

Abstract An extension of the multiconfigurational second-order perturbation approach CASPT2 is suggested, where several electronic states are coupled at second order via an effective-Hamiltonian approach. The method has been implemented into the MOLCAS-4 program system, where it will replace the single-state CASPT2 program. The accuracy of the method is illustrated through calculations of the ionic-neutral avoided crossing in the potential curves for LiF and of the valence-Rydberg mixing in the V-state of the ethylene molecule.

Rydberg or Valence? The Long-Standing Question in the UV Absorption Spectrum of 1,1′-Bicyclohexylidene

The electronic excited states of the olefin 1,1'-bicylohexylidene (BCH) are investigated using multiconfigurational complete active space self-consistent-field second order perturbation theory in its multi-state version (MS-CASPT2). Our calculations undoubtedly show that the bulk of the intensity of the two unusually intense bands of the UV absorption of BCH measured with maxima at 5.95 eV and 6.82 eV in the vapor phase are due to a single pi pi* valence excitation. Sharp peaks reported in the vicinity of the low-energy feature in the gas phase correspond to the beginning of the pi 3s(R) Rydberg series. By locating the origin of the pi pi* band at 5.63 eV, the intensity and broadening of th…

Distinct Photophysics of the Isomers of B18H22 Explained

The photophysics of the two isomers of octadecaborane(22), anti- and syn-B 18H 22, have been studied by UV-vis spectroscopic techniques and theoretical computational methods. In air-saturated hexane, anti-B 18H 22 shows fluorescence with a high quantum yield, Φ F = 0.97, and singlet oxygen O 2( 1Δ g) production (Φ Δ ∼ 0.008). Conversely, isomer syn-B 18H 22 shows no measurable fluorescence, instead displaying much faster, picosecond nonradiative decay of excited singlet states. Computed potential energy hypersurfaces (PEHs) for both isomers rationalize these data, pointing to a deep S 1 minimum for anti-B 18H 22 and a conical intersection (CI) between its S 0 and S 1 states that lies 0.51 e…

Photostability and Photoreactivity in Biomolecules: Quantum Chemistry of Nucleic Acid Base Monomers and Dimers

The great potentials of high-level ab initio methods, in particular, the CASPT2//CASSCF protocol, are fully illustrated through: (i) the study of ultrafast energy relaxation in DNA/RNA base monomers, (ii) the intrinsic population mechanism of the lowest triplet state, and (iii) how bioexcimers can be considered as precursors of charge transfer and photoinduced reactivity. In order to describe these processes properly, the presence of conical intersections (CIs) and the topology of the involved pathways have to be determined correctly. Thus, in theoretical calculations the dynamic electronic correlation has to be considered. The accessibility of the CIs (or the seam of CIs) becomes crucial t…

Theoretical Study of the Twisted Intramolecular Charge Transfer in 1-Phenylpyrrole

Ab initio results for the electronic spectra of 1-phenylpyrrole are presented. Vertical, emission, and nonvertical excitation energies have been computed using multiconfigurational second-order per...

Theoretical study of the electronic spectra ofcis-1,3,5-hexatriene andcis-1,3-butadiene

The electronic spectra forcis-1,3-butadiene andcis-1,3,5-hexatriene have been studied using multiconfiguration second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) and extended ANO basis sets. The calculations comprise all singlet valence excited states below 8.0 eV, the first 3s, 3p, 3d Rydberg states, and the second 3s state. The four lowest triplet states were also studied. The resulting excitation energies forcis-hexatriene have been used in an assignment of the experimental spectrum, leading to a maximum deviation of 0.13 eV for the vertical transition energies. The calculations place the 11 B 2 state 0.04 eV below the 21 A 1 state. 16 excited states were studied incis-butadiene, using a CASPT2 o…

Interpretation of the electronic absorption spectrum of free base porphin by using multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory

Abstract Multiconfigurational second-order perturbation (CASPT2) calculations have been performed on the low-lying optically allowed valence excited states of the free base porphin molecule in order to assign the four lowest bands of the spectrum. The low-lying triplet states have also been characterized. A basis set of the atomic natural orbital type of split-valence plus polarization quality for first-row atoms has been employed. Polarization functions are important for an accurate description of the transitions. These CASPT2 results provide a consistent picture of the experimental spectrum. Each band of the spectrum up to 4.5 eV is composed of a pair of states, which become degenerate in…

Thioxanthone: on the shape of the first absorption band

The equilibrium ground state geometry of thioxanthone (TX) has been investigated and its effect on the vertical excitation energies and photophysical behaviour has been explained. In line with this purpose, the first absorption band of TX has been simulated and analysed in detail. The calculations show that TX is planar, C(2v) symmetric in its ground state. The energy of the low-lying excited states seems to be rather insensitive along the butterfly motion coordinate. The shoulder in the first absorption band (at around 3.43 eV) is shown to be caused by vibrational progression of various in-plane modes and does not justify the hypothesis that two photophysically distinct conformers of TX ex…

Calculation of Excited States: Molecular Photophysics and Photochemistry on Display

A butterfly like motion as a clue to the photophysics of thioxanthone

Abstract A theoretical, quantum-chemical study of the thioxanthone (TX) molecule has been performed at the MP2 and CASPT2 levels of theory. Geometries, absorption energies, and transition and state properties have been investigated. Two conformers have been found very close in energy with planar (P) and non-planar (NP) structures, the latter characterized by a dihedral angle θ  = 173.3° representing the bend of the side benzene rings and an out-of-plane angle ϕ  = 4° of the C O bond. Large changes in the relative positions and properties of the two low-lying electronic absorption bands, ππ * and nπ * , are computed when changing the conformation. As a consequence of the analysis of the TX a…

Theoretical absorption and emission spectra of 1H- and 2H-benzotriazole

Excitation energies, dipole moments, and transition properties for the lowest-lying 1(π, π*) and 1(n, π*) electronic states of two benzotriazole tautomers have been studied at the complete active space (CAS) SCF and multiconfigurational second-order perturbation (CASPT2) levels. With these results, the UV absorption spectra of 1H- and 2H-benzotriazole were first described individually, and then they were considered simultaneously in order to better understand the experimental, observed spectrum of benzotriazole. Aspects of the fluorescence of the compound have been also analyzed. The spectrum of benzotriazole is finally related to those of other azo-compounds.

Are the five natural DNA/RNA base monomers a good choice from natural selection?

In order to prevent the damaging effects of sun radiation in the genetic material, its constituent chromophores, the five natural DNA/RNA nucleobases cytosine, thymine, uracil, adenine, and guanine, should be able to efficiently dissipate absorbed radiation, UV specifically, avoiding as much as possible photoreactions leading to lesions. It has been established experimentally and theoretically that efficient internal conversion channels, still open and relevant in the oligomer-stacked strands, exist in the monomers allowing an effective waste of the initial energy. Previous evidences cannot explain, however, why minor differences in the molecular structure modify drastically the photochemis…

Asymmetry and Non-Adiabaticity in Fragmentation of Disulfide Bonds upon Electron Capture

Although it has been generally assumed that electron attachment to disulfide derivatives leads to a systematic and significant activation of the S-S bond, we show, by using [CH(3)SSX] (X = CH(3), NH(2), OH, F) derivatives as model compounds, that this is the case only when the X substituents have low electronegativity. Through the use of MP2, QCI and CASPT2 molecular orbital (MO) methods, we elucidate, for the first time, the mechanisms that lead to unimolecular fragmentation of disulfide derivatives after electron attachment. Our theoretical scrutiny indicates that these mechanisms are more intricate than assumed in previous studies. The most stable products, from a thermodynamic viewpoint…

Nonadiabatic orientation, toroidal current, and induced magnetic field in BeO molecules.

It is predicted that oriented BeO molecules would give rise to unprecedentedly strong, unidirectional electric ring current and an associated magnetic field upon excitation by a right or left circularly polarized laser pulse into the first excited degenerate singlet state. The strong toroidal electric ring current of this state is dominated by the ring current of the 1π± orbital about the molecular axis. Our predictions are based on the analysis of the orbital composition of the states involved and are substantiated by high level electronic structure calculations and wavepacket simulations of the laser-driven orientation and excitation dynamics. Luis.Serrano@uv.es

A Three-State Model for the Photophysics of Adenine

An ab initio theoretical study at the CASPT2 level is reported on minimum energy reaction paths, state minima, transition states, reaction barriers, and conical intersections on the potential energy hypersurfaces of two tautomers of adenine: 9H- and 7H-adenine. The obtained results led to a complete interpretation of the photophysics of adenine and derivatives, both under jet-cooled conditions and in solution, within a three-state model. The ultrafast subpicosecond fluorescence decay measured in adenine is attributed to the low-lying conical intersection (gs/pipi* La)(CI), reached from the initially populated 1(pipi* La) state along a path which is found to be barrierless only in 9H-adenine…

Ab Initio Methods for Excited States

This chapter focuses mainly on the performance of ab initio methods for the description of spectroscopic molecular properties of compounds. Most of the quantum-chemical methods developed up to date are based on the concept of the one-electron wave function. The electronic states of a system with N electrons are described by a double expansion. Molecular orbitals (MOs) are one-electron wave functions expressed as linear combinations of a known one-electron basis set (K) and the N electron wave function is formulated in a many-electron basis set formed by determinants (or linear combination of them to form spin-adapted wave functions), built as normalized antisymmetric products of MOs. Accord…

A Theoretical Study of the Electronic Spectra of N9 and N7 Purine Tautomers

The complete active space (CAS) SCF method and multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) have been used to study electronic spectra of the N(9)H and N(7)H tautomers of purine. The calculations include vertical excitation energies, oscillator strengths, dipole moments, and transition moment directions in gas phase. In accord with experiment in nonpolar solvents, the two lowest π → π* excited singlet valence states are predicted to be located at 4.7 and 5.1 eV. The latter is expected to shift to the red in aqueous solutions. A satisfactory interpretation of the electronic spectra above 5.5 eV is obtained if the experimental data are assumed to consist of the superposition…

Ultrafast electron transfer in photosynthesis: reduced pheophytin and quinone interaction mediated by conical intersections.

The mechanism of electron transfer (ET) from reduced pheophytin (Pheo(-)) to the primary stable photosynthetic acceptor, a quinone (Q) molecule, is addressed by using high-level ab initio computations and realistic molecular models. The results reveal that the ET process involving the (Pheo(-) + Q) and (Pheo + Q(-)) oxidation states can be essentially seen as an ultrafast radiationless transition between the two hypersurfaces taking place via conical intersections (CIs). According to the present findings, an efficient ultrafast ET implies that the Pheo- and Q move toward each other in a given preferential parallel orientation, reaching the most effective arrangement for ET at intermolecular…

Applications of level shift corrected perturbation theory in electronic spectroscopy

Abstract Multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) with a level shift technique used to reduce the effect of intruder states has been tested for applications in electronic spectroscopy. The following molecules have been studied: formamide, adenine, stilbene, Ni(CO) 4 , and a model compound for the active site in the blue copper protein plastocyanin, Cu(Im) 2 (SH)(SH 2 ) + . The results show that the level shift technique can be used to remove the effects of the intruder states in all these molecules. In some cases a drift in the energies as a function of the level shift is observed, which however is small enough that the normal error bar for CASPT2 excitation energies (…

Erratum: “Nonadiabatic orientation, toroidal current, and induced magnetic field in BeO molecules” [J. Chem. Phys. 129, 164303 (2008)]

Photophysics and photostability of adenine in aqueous solution: A theoretical study

Abstract The sequential Monte Carlo/CASPT2 approach was employed to investigate deactivation and emission processes from the lowest-lying ππ∗ and n π∗ excited states of 9H-adenine in aqueous solution. It is found that conical intersections connecting the ππ∗ and n π∗ states with the ground state are also present in solution, whereas the barriers for the deactivation paths are significantly smaller on solvated conditions. The large destabilization of the n π∗ state found in solution possibly prevents its involvement in the deactivation photophysics and explains the change from a bi- to a mono-exponential decay for the molecule in the gas phase and solution, respectively.

Quantum simulations of toroidal electric ring currents and magnetic fields in linear molecules induced by circularly polarized laser pulses

Circularly polarized laser pulses may excite state selective unidirectional toroidal electric ring currents around the axis of oriented linear molecules. These in turn induce state selective magnetic fields. Quantum simulations for AlCl show that these effects are about one or even more than three orders of magnitudes larger than those which may be prepared in oriented planar molecules such as Mg-porphyrin, by means of either circularly polarized laser pulses, or by traditional magnetic fields, respectively.

2MOLCAS as a development platform for quantum chemistry software

This work presents the quantum chemistry package MOLCAS, with emphasis on its usefulness as a platform for developing new quantum chemical codes, and the reader is assumed to be familiar with such a process. The development of new codes for quantum chemistry is a time-consuming job that can be dramatically simplified by using libraries for standard problems (such as calculation of integrals), and tools to surmount computer language and operating system limitations. The MOLCAS quantum chemistry software contains modules for a variety of quantum chemical methods, such as Hartree-Fock (HF), density functional theory (DFT), coupled-cluster (CC), and multiconfigurational (MCSCF) approaches, incl…

Electrostatic control of the photoisomerization efficiency and optical properties in visual pigments: on the role of counterion quenching.

Hybrid QM(CASPT2//CASSCF/6-31G*)/MM(Amber) computations have been used to map the photoisomerization path of the retinal chromophore in Rhodopsin and explore the reasons behind the photoactivity efficiency and spectral control in the visual pigments. It is shown that while the electrostatic environment plays a central role in properly tuning the optical properties of the chromophore, it is also critical in biasing the ultrafast photochemical event: it controls the slope of the photoisomerization channel as well as the accessibility of the S(1)/S(0) crossing space triggering the ultrafast decay. The roles of the E113 counterion, the E181 residue, and the other amino acids of the protein pock…

Photosensitization and phototherapy with furocoumarins: A quantum-chemical study

Abstract The effect of electromagnetic radiation on biological objects extends from heating to complex photochemistry, and includes DNA alteration, that properly modified in damaged cells may entail beneficial effects. In this regard, psoralen + UV-A (PUVA) therapy, in which furocoumarins, psoralen-like chromophores, are used as photosensitizers and photoreactants with DNA bases, is one of the most promising strategies against a plethora of diseases. Understanding the underlying photochemical mechanisms is crucial to design effective drugs without undesired side effects. We have undertaken a quantum-mechanical study on the photophysics and photochemistry of furocoumarins, analyzing firstly …

Unified model for the ultrafast decay of pyrimidine nucleobases.

Ultrafast decay processes detected after absorption of UV radiation in gas-phase pyrimidine nucleobases uracil, thymine, and cytosine are ascribed to the barrierless character of the pathway along the low-lying 1(pipi*) hypersurface connecting the Franck-Condon region with an out-of-plane distorted ethene-like conical intersection with the ground state. Longer lifetime decays and low quantum yield emission are on the other hand related to the presence of a 1(pipi*) state planar minimum on the S1 surface and the barriers to access other conical intersections. A unified model for the three systems is established on the basis of accurate multiconfigurational CASPT2 calculations, whereas the ef…

Theoretical spectroscopic parameters of the alkali monofluorides LiF, NaF and KF

Abstract Multireference configuration interaction and second-order perturbation theory are used to determine accurate spectroscopic parameters for the ground state of the alkali monofluorides from LiF to KF. Systematic saturation of the spdf subspaces of the atomic basis sets for the electron affinity of fluorine and the ionization potential of the metals have been shown to be more efficient than for the approximate dissociation energies in the molecule. the calculated rotational and vibrational constants and transitions for the three systems show excellent agreement with the expeirmental data.

Theoretical spectroscopy of organic systems

Abstract The complete active space (CAS) SCF method in conjunction with the multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) has been applied to study the electronically excited states of basic organic compounds. As shown in the lecture with a number of examples, the CASPT2 method is capable of yielding accurate results for relative energies and other properties of excited states, provided that flexible one-electron basis sets are employed. The applications comprise an ample range of systems and problems, including polyenes, conjugated and unconjugated dienes, alternant and nonalternant hydrocarbons, polyenals, etc. As a whole these studies enable both qualitative and quantita…

Linear and nonlinear optical properties of a series of Ni-dithiolene derivatives

Some linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of Ni(SCH)4 and several of its derivatives have been computed by employing a series of basis sets and a hierarchy of methods (e.g., HF, DFT, coupled cluster, and multiconfigurational techniques). The electronic structure of Ni(SCH)4 has been also analyzed by using CASSCF/CASPT2, ab initio valence bond, and DFT methods. In particular we discuss how the diradicaloid character (DC) of Ni(SCH)4 significantly affects its NLO properties. The quasidegeneracy of the two lowest-energy singlet states 1 mathg and 1 math1u, the clear DC nature of the former, and the very large number of low-lying states enhance the NLO properties values. These particul…

On the electronic structure of a dianion, a radical anion, and a neutral biradical (HB)11CCCC(BH)11 carborane dimer

Abstract The electronic structure of a neutral, a radical anion, and a dianion carborane dimer connected via an acetylenic bridge unit (HB) 11 C C C C(BH) 11 is analyzed by quantum chemical methods. Geometries, relative stabilities, and singlet–triplet gaps are determined in the neutral and dianion species for the lowest-lying singlet and triplet states and for the doublet ground state in the radical anion. As for the recently studied biradical compounds derived from o -carborane, m -carborane and p -carborane [J. Chem. Theory Comput. 4 (2008) 1338] via double hydrogen abstraction, the neutral dimeric compound displays a biradical ground-state structure in which both singlet and triplet sta…

Toward Understanding the Photochemistry of Photoactive Yellow Protein: A CASPT2/CASSCF and Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules Combined Study of a Model Chromophore in Vacuo.

Photochemical processes that take place in biological molecules have become an increasingly important research topic for both experimentalists and theoreticians. In this work, we report the reaction mechanism of a model of the photoactive yellow protein (PYP) chromophore in vacuo. The results obtained here, using a strategy based on the simultaneous use of the minimum energy path concept and the quantum theory of atoms in molecules applied to this excited state process, suggest a possible way in which the protein could increase the efficiency of the reaction. The role played by other electronic states of the same and different spin multiplicities in the reaction process is also analyzed, wi…

Modeling hole transfer in DNA: Low-lying excited states of oxidized cytosine homodimer and cytosine–adenine heterodimer

Abstract Charge transport in DNA strands has been studied by characterizing on theoretical grounds the lowest doublet states of the oxidized cytosine homodimer (CC + ) and adenine–cytosine heterodimer (CA + ) along the intermolecular separation of the monomers. The high-level quantum-chemical ab initio CASPT2 method and accurate one-electron basis sets have been employed. Both cationic species are found to be bound with comparable binding energies as those of neutral CC and reduced CC − . The results suggest that charge transport in DNA and the distinct photophysical attributes related to the polymer can be described within the framework of a unified theory. A cooperative micro-hopping mech…

Excited states of the water molecule: Analysis of the valence and Rydberg character

The excited states of the water molecule have been analyzed by using the extended quantum-chemical multistate CASPT2 method, namely, MS-CASPT2, in conjunction with large one-electron basis sets of atomic natural orbital type. The study includes 13 singlet and triplet excited states, both valence and 3s-, 3p-, and 3d-members of the Rydberg series converging to the lowest ionization potential and the 3s- and 3p-Rydberg members converging to the second low-lying state of the cation, 1 math. The research has been focused on the analysis of the valence or Rydberg character of the low-lying states. The computation of the 1 math state of water at different geometries indicates that it has a predom…

Ab initio determination of the electron affinities of DNA and RNA nucleobases

High-level quantum-chemical ab initio coupled-cluster and multiconfigurational perturbation methods have been used to compute the vertical and adiabatic electron affinities of the five canonical DNA and RNA nucleobases: uracil, thymine, cytosine, adenine, and guanine. The present results aim for the accurate determination of the intrinsic electron acceptor properties of the isolated nucleic acid bases as described by their electron affinities, establishing an overall set of theoretical reference values at a level not reported before and helping to rule out less reliable theoretical and experimental data and to calibrate theoretical strategies. Daniel.Roca@uv.es Manuela.Merchan@uv.es Luis.Se…

Quantum chemistry of the excited state: 2005 overview

The present contribution contains an overview of quantum-chemical methods and strategies to compute and interpret spectroscopic and photochemical phenomena in molecular systems. The state of the art for the quantum chemistry of the excited state is reviewed, focusing in the advantages and disadvantages of the most commonly employed computational methods, from the single configurational procedures like CI-Singles (CIS), propagator approaches, and Coupled-Cluster (CC) techniques, to the more sophisticated multiconfigurational treatments, with particular emphasis on perturbation theory, the CASPT2 approach. Also, a short summary on the performance, lights, and shadows of the popular TDDFT meth…

A theoretical study of the emission spectra of indole and its analogs: indene, benzimidazole, and 7-azaindole

Abstract The complete active space (CAS) SCF method and multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) have been used to study the electronic spectra of indole, indene, benzimidazole, and 7-azaindole. The paper is focused on the study of the low-lying valence triplet and singlet electronic states at the optimized geometries of the excited states. The geometries have been optimized by using analytic CASSCF derivatives. CASPT2 point calculations have been performed in order to obtain band origins and relaxed emission energies. The results are analyzed in the context of the complex emission processes, both fluorescence and phosphorescence, displayed by the title compounds, whic…

Determination of the electron-detachment energies of 2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate anion: influence of the conformation.

The vertical electron-detachment energies (VDEs) of the singly charged 2'-deoxyguanosine 5'-monophosphate anion (dGMP - ) are determined by using the multiconfigurational second-order perturbation CASPT2 method at the MP2 ground-state equilibrium geometry of relevant conformers. The origin of the unique low-energy band in the gas phase photoelectron spectrum of dGMP - , with maximum at around 5.05 eV, is unambiguously assigned to electron detachment from the highest occupied molecular orbital of π-character belonging to guanine fragment of a syn conformation. The presence of a short H-bond linking the 2-amino and phosphate groups, the guanine moiety acting as proton donor, is precisely resp…

Toward the understanding of DNA fluorescence: The singlet excimer of cytosine

By using the multiconfigurational second-order perturbation method CASPT2, including corrections for the basis set superposition error, the lowest-singlet excited state of the face-to-face π-stacked cytosine homodimer is revealed to be bound by about half an eV, being the source of an emissive feature consistent with the observed redshifted fluorescence. Gloria.Olaso@uv.es Daniel.Roca@uv.es Luis.Serrano@uv.es Manuela.Merchan@uv.es

A Theoretical Determination of the Low-lying Electronic States of the p-Benzosemiquinone Radical Anion

The low-lying electronic states of the p-benzosemiquinone radical anion are studied using multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) and extended atomic natural orbital (ANO) ba...