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 …
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…
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…
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.
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.