0000000000033936
AUTHOR
Antonio Carlos Borin
showing 15 related works from this author
Theoretical electronic spectra of 2-aminopurine in vapor and in water
2006
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 …
An ab initio study of the low-lying 1 A′ electronic states of indene
1999
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…
Relaxation Mechanisms of 5-Azacytosine.
2015
The photophysics and deactivation pathways of the noncanonical 5-azacytosine nucleobase were studied using the CASPT2//CASSCF protocol. One of the most significant differences with respect to the parent molecule cytosine is the presence of a dark (1)(nNπ*) excited state placed energetically below the bright excited state (1)(ππ*) at the Franck-Condon region. The main photoresponse of the system is a presumably efficient radiationless decay back to the original ground state, mediated by two accessible conical intersections involving a population transfer from the (1)(ππ*) and the (1)(nNπ*) states to the ground state. Therefore, a minor contribution of the triplet states in the photophysics o…
2-Aminopurine non-radiative decay and emission in aqueous solution: A theoretical study
2008
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…
On the Deactivation Mechanisms of Adenine–Thymine Base Pair
2012
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 …
Proton/Hydrogen Transfer Mechanisms in the Guanine–Cytosine Base Pair: Photostability and Tautomerism
2013
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…
On the relaxation mechanisms of 6-azauracil
2011
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…
Electronic excited states of conjugated cyclic ketones and thioketones : A theoretical study
2002
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…
Adenine and 2-aminopurine: Paradigms of modern theoretical photochemistry
2006
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 on the spectroscopy of the 7-azaindole monomer and dimer
2001
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 absorption and emission spectra of 1H- and 2H-benzotriazole
2003
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.
A Three-State Model for the Photophysics of Adenine
2006
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…
A Theoretical Study of the Electronic Spectra of N9 and N7 Purine Tautomers
1999
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…
Photophysics and photostability of adenine in aqueous solution: A theoretical study
2010
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.
A theoretical study of the emission spectra of indole and its analogs: indene, benzimidazole, and 7-azaindole
2000
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…