A theoretical study of the electronic spectrum of styrene

Abstract The electronic spectrum of styrene has been studied by using multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2). The study includes geometry optimization of the ground state, the lowest triplet state, and the lowest singlet excited state. The covalent 2 1 A ′ state placed vertically at 4.34 eV is assigned to the first band. The 1 1 A ′→3 1 A ′ transition located at 4.97 eV is responsible for the second band. The most intense feature involves the 5 1 A ′ state, which is calculated to lie 6.19 eV above the ground state. The lowest singlet–singlet Rydberg transition (3s) is predicted to occur at 5.85 eV.