Elucidating the structure of chiral molecules by using amplified vibrational circular dichroism: from theory to experimental realization

Recent experimental observations of enhanced vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) in molecular systems with low-lying electronically excited states suggest interesting new applications of VCD spectroscopy. The theory describing VCD enhancement through vibronic coupling schemes was derived by Nafie in 1983, but only recently experimental evidence of VCD amplification has demonstrated the extent to which this effect can be exploited as a structure elucidation tool to probe local structure. In this Concept paper, we give an overview of the physics behind vibrational circular dichroism, in particular the equations governing the VCD amplification effect, and review the latest experimental developments with a prospective view on the application of amplified VCD to locally probe biomolecular structure

The 2 1

Vibrationally resolved 1 1Ag2 1Ag excitation spectra and decay times for cis,trans-1,3,5,7-octatetraene seeded in a supersonic He expansion have been measured by two-color resonance enhanced two-photon ionization spectroscopy. The excitation energy of the 1 1Ag2 1Ag 0-0 band (29 035 cm-1 ) is ~6500 cm-1 lower than the 35 484 cm-1 excitation energy of the 1 1Ag1 1Bu 0-0 band. The intensity pattern of the vibronic development of this spectrum is qualitatively similar to the pattern observed previously in solid state experiments. However, a detailed analysis of the vibrational structure reveals that the electronic structure of the 2 1Ag state is more susceptible to external perturbation than previously suspected. The decay times measured for vibronic levels in the 2 1Ag state decrease with increasing vibrational energy, most dramatically for vibrational energies 1200 cm-1 and higher. This indicates the increasing importance of a nonradiative decay channel which is most reasonably associated, at least in part, with cis-trans isomerization in the 2 1Ag state. The Journal of Chemical Physics is copyrighted by The American Institute of Physics

Urocanic acid as a novel scaffold for next-gen nature-inspired sunscreens: II. Time-resolved spectroscopy under solution conditions †

In recent years the use of synthetic UV filters in commercial skincare formulations has come under considerable scrutiny. Urocanic acid is a naturally occurring UV filter that could serve as a scaffold for developing next-generation biomimetic UV filters. We have carried out time-resolved electronic and vibrational absorption studies on urocanic acid and modified variants in various solvents on timescales spanning eighteen orders of magnitude; from femtoseconds to hours. In combination with quantum chemical calculations these provide vital insight into the photochemical and photophysical properties of urocanic acid and how these are tuned by substitutions and solvents. Moreover, they solve the hitherto conundrum of the wavelength dependence of the photochemistry of trans-urocanic acid in an aqueous environment. Crucially, these studies – together with the accompanying article that reports high-resolution laser spectroscopic studies performed under isolated gas-phase conditions (https://doi.org/10.1039/D4CP02087A) open novel avenues for a rational design of urocanic acid-based UV filters

Lowest energy excited singlet states of isomers of alkyl substituted hexatrienes

Vibrationally resolved S0S1 excitation spectra for the alkyl substituted linear polyenes heptatriene, octatriene, and decatriene seeded into a supersonic He expansion have been measured by resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization spectroscopy. As is the case for the parent compound hexatriene, the lowest energy excited singlet state in all of these molecules is the 2 1Ag state. The measurement of S0S1 excitation spectra of three of the four double bond isomers of heptatriene gives a detailed picture of the dependence of the electronic structure of the 2 1Ag state on molecular conformation. The three isomers for which spectra are presented have the cis configuration at either the central or the alkyl substituted double bond, or both. For the case of the mono cis species with the cis configuration at the alkyl substituted double bond the spectra show the presence of two single bond conformers. Because of the increased number of distinguishable isomers and conformers for octatriene and decatriene we were unable to unambiguously separate the observed spectra of these molecules into contributions from single specific molecular conformations. However, the increased excitation intensity in the low frequency region relative to that in the C-C and C=C stretching region for octatriene and decatriene as compared to heptatriene suggests that vibrational relaxation is enhanced in the more complex molecules. In the case of unsubstituted hexatriene, previously reported spectra show that the 2 1Ag state has lower symmetry than does the ground state (most likely due to nonplanarity at the terminal carbon atoms). There is no evidence for an analogous distortion in the excitation spectra measured for the alkyl substituted hexatrienes. The Journal of Chemical Physics is copyrighted by The American Institute of Physics

Lowest energy excited singlet state of isolated c

In a previous letter [J. Chem. Phys. 92, 4622 (1990)] we reported the first observation of the 2 1Ag state of cis-hexatriene in a supersonic jet expansion by using resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization spectroscopy. Here, the vibrational analysis of the 1 1Ag2 1Ag excitation spectrum of cis-hexatriene is presented. The excitation spectrum shows that cis-hexatriene in the 2 1Ag state deviates slightly from planarity; a conclusion which is corroborated by ab initio calculations indicating that the nonplanarity primarily involves the terminal hydrogen atoms. Except for observable intensity in the low frequency modes associated with the small out of plane distortion, the vibronic development of the 1 1Ag2 1Ag transition in cis-hexatriene is similar to that observed for other polyenes: the 0-0 transition is the most intense feature and the next most intense band is the CC stretching fundamental. Thus the general features of the electronic structure of the cis-hexatriene 2 1Ag state are analogous to those of other polyenes. The Journal of Chemical Physics is copyrighted by The American Institute of Physics

Circular spectropolarimetric sensing of higher plant and algal chloroplast structural variations

Photosynthetic eukaryotes show a remarkable variability in photosynthesis, including large differences in light harvesting proteins and pigment composition. In vivo circular spectropolarimetry enables us to probe the molecular architecture of photosynthesis in a non-invasive and non-destructive way and, as such, can offer a wealth of physiological and structural information. In the present study we have measured the circular polarizance of several multicellular green, red and brown algae and higher plants, which show large variations in circular spectropolarimetric signals with differences in both spectral shape and magnitude. Many of the algae display spectral characteristics not previously reported, indicating a larger variation in molecular organization than previously assumed. As the strengths of these signals vary by three orders of magnitude, these results also have important implications in terms of detectability for the use of circular polarization as a signature of life.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure

Circular spectropolarimetric sensing of chiral photosystems in decaying leaves

Circular polarization spectroscopy has proven to be an indispensable tool in photosynthesis research and (bio)-molecular research in general. Oxygenic photosystems typically display an asymmetric Cotton effect around the chlorophyll absorbance maximum with a signal $\leq 1 \%$. In vegetation, these signals are the direct result of the chirality of the supramolecular aggregates. The circular polarization is thus directly influenced by the composition and architecture of the photosynthetic macrodomains, and is thereby linked to photosynthetic functioning. Although ordinarily measured only on a molecular level, we have developed a new spectropolarimetric instrument, TreePol, that allows for both laboratory and in-the-field measurements. Through spectral multiplexing, TreePol is capable of fast measurements with a sensitivity of $\sim 1*10^{-4}$ and is therefore suitable of non-destructively probing the molecular architecture of whole plant leaves. We have measured the chiroptical evolution of \textit{Hedera helix} leaves for a period of 22 days. Spectrally resolved circular polarization measurements (450-900 nm) on whole leaves in transmission exhibit a strong decrease in the polarization signal over time after plucking, which we accredit to the deterioration of chiral macro-aggregates. Chlorophyll \textit{a} levels measured over the same period by means of UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy showed a much smaller decrease. With these results we are able to distinguish healthy from deteriorating leaves. Hereby we indicate the potency of circular polarization spectroscopy on whole and intact leaves as a nondestructive tool for structural and plant stress assessment. Additionally, we underline the establishment of circular polarization signals as remotely accessible means of detecting the presence of extraterrestrial life.Comment: 29 pages, 6 figure

Establishing PQ-ERA photoclick reactions with unprecedented efficiency by engineering of the nature of the phenanthraquinone triplet state

The light-induced photocycloaddition of 9,10-phenanthrenequinone (PQ) with electron-rich alkenes (ERA), known as the PQ-ERA reaction, is a highly attractive photoclick reaction characterized by high selectivity, external non-invasive control with light and biocompatibility. The conventionally used PQ compounds show limited reactivity, which hinders the overall efficiency of the PQ-ERA reaction. To address this issue, we present in this study a simple strategy to boost the reactivity of the PQ triplet state to further enhance the efficiency of the PQ-ERA reaction, enabled by thiophene substitution at the 3-position of the PQ scaffold. Our investigations show that this substitution pattern significantly increases the population of the reactive triplet state (3ππ*) during excitation of 3-thiophene PQs. This results in a superb photoreaction quantum yield (ΦP, up to 98%), high second order rate constants (k2, up to 1974 M−1 s−1), and notable oxygen tolerance for the PQ-ERA reaction system. These results have been supported by both experimental transient absorption data and theoretical calculations, providing further evidence for the effectiveness of this strategy, and offering fine prospects for fast and efficient photoclick transformations.</p