Optimally shaped narrowband pulses for femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy in the range 330-750 nm

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-21-6-6866.Spectral compression of femtosecond pulses by second harmonic generation in the presence of substantial group velocity dispersion provides a convenient source of narrowband Raman pump pulses for femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS). We discuss here a simple and efficient modification that dramatically increases the versatility of the second harmonic spectral compression technique. Adding a spectral filter following second harmonic generation produces narrowband pulses with a superior temporal profile. This simple modification i) increases the Raman gain for a given pulse energy, ii) improves the spectral resolution, iii) suppresses coherent oscillations associated with slowly dephasing vibrations, and iv) extends the useful tunable range to at least 330-750 nm

TWO-PHOTON EXCITATION OF CONJUGATED MOLECULES IN SOLUTION: SPECTROSCOPY AND EXCITED-STATE DYNAMICS

We examine the two-photon absorption (2PA) spectroscopy and ultrafast excited-state dynamics of several conjugated molecules in solution. By controlling the relative wavelength and polarization of the two photons, the 2PA measurements provide a more sensitive means of probing the electronic structure of a molecule compared with traditional linear absorption spectra. We compare experimental spectra of trans-stilbene, cis-stilbene, and phenanthrene in solution with the calculated spectra of the isolated molecules using EOM-EE-CCSD. The calculated spectra show good agreement with the low-energy region of the experimental spectra (below ~6 eV) after suppressing transitions with strong Rydberg character and accounting for solvent and method-dependent shifts of the valence transitions. We also monitor the excited state dynamics following two-photon excitation to high-lying valence states of trans-stilbene up to 6.5 eV. The initially excited states rapidly relax to the lowest singlet excited state and then follow the same reaction path as observed following direct one-photon excitation to the lowest absorption band at 4.0 eV

Two-photon absorption spectroscopy of stilbene and phenanthrene: Excited-state analysis and comparison with ethylene and toluene

The following article appeared in The Journal of Chemical Physics 146, 174102 (2017); doi: 10.1063/1.498204 and may be found at http://doi.org/10.1063/1.4982045Two-photon absorption (2PA) spectra of several prototypical molecules (ethylene, toluene, trans- and cis-stilbene, and phenanthrene) are computed using the equation-of-motion coupled-cluster method with single and double substitutions. The states giving rise to the largest 2PA cross sections are analyzed in terms of their orbital character and symmetry-based selection rules. The brightest 2PAtransitions correspond to Rydberg-like states from fully symmetric irreducible representations. Symmetry selection rules dictate that totally symmetric transitions typically have the largest 2PA cross sections for an orientationally averaged sample when there is no resonance enhancement via one-photon accessible intermediate states. Transition dipole arguments suggest that the strongest transitions also involve the most delocalized orbitals, including Rydberg states, for which the relative transition intensities can be rationalized in terms of atomic selection rules. Analysis of the 2PA transitions provides a foundation for predicting relative 2PA cross sections of conjugated molecules based on simple symmetry and molecular orbital arguments

Vibrational relaxation of CH3I in the gas phase and in solution

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/jcp/120/15/10.1063/1.1676292.Transient electronic absorption measurements reveal the vibrational relaxation dynamics of CH(3)I following excitation of the C–H stretch overtone in the gas phase and in liquid solutions. The isolated molecule relaxes through two stages of intramolecular vibrational relaxation (IVR), a fast component that occurs in a few picoseconds and a slow component that takes place in about 400 ps. In contrast, a single 5–7 ps component of IVR precedes intermolecular energy transfer (IET) to the solvent, which dissipates energy from the molecule in 50 ps, 44 ps, and 16 ps for 1 M solutions of CH(3)I in CCl(4), CDCl(3), and (CD(3))(2)CO, respectively. The vibrational state structure suggests a model for the relaxation dynamics in which a fast component of IVR populates the states that are most strongly coupled to the initially excited C–H stretch overtone, regardless of the environment, and the remaining, weakly coupled states result in a secondary relaxation only in the absence of IET

Transient x-ray absorption spectroscopy of hydrated halogen atom

Time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy monitors the transient species generated by one-photon detachment of an electron from aqueous bromide. Hydrated bromine atoms with a lifetime of ca. 17 ns were observed, nearly half of which react with excess Br- to form Br2-. The K-edge spectra of the Br atom and Br2- anion exhibit distinctive resonant transitions that are absent for the Br- precursor. The absorption spectra indicate that the solvent shell around a Br0 atom is defined primarily by hydrophobic interactions, in agreement with a Monte Carlo simulation of the solvent structure.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures + supplement, will be submitted to PR

Ultrafast Spectroscopy of [Mn(CO)3] Complexes: Tuning the Kinetics of Light-Driven CO Release and Solvent Binding

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Inorganic Chemistry, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.inorgchem.9b02758.Manganese tricarbonyl complexes are promising catalysts for CO2 reduction, but complexes in this family are often photo-sensitive and decompose rapidly upon exposure to visible light. In this report, synthetic and photochemical studies probe the initial steps of light-driven speciation for Mn(CO)3(Rbpy)Br complexes bearing a range of 4,4′-disubstituted-2,2′-bipyridyl ligands (Rbpy, R = tBu, H, CF3, NO2). Transient absorption spectroscopy measurements for the Mn(CO)3(Rbpy)Br coordination compounds with R = tBu, H, and CF3 in acetonitrile reveal ultrafast loss of a CO ligand on the femtosecond timescale, followed by solvent coordination on the picosecond timescale. The Mn(CO)3(NO2bpy)Br complex is unique among the four compounds in having a longer-lived excited state that does not undergo CO release or the subsequent solvent coordination. The kinetics of photolysis and solvent coordination for the light-sensitive complexes depend on the electronic properties of the di-substituted bipyridyl ligand. The results implicate roles for both metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) and dissociative ligand field (dd) excited states in the ultrafast photochemistry. Taken together, the findings suggest that more robust catalysts could be prepared with appropriately designed complexes that avoid crossing between the excited states that drive photochemical CO loss.Hall Chemical Research Fund at the University of KansasU.S. National Science Foundation (CHE-1151555)NIH T32 GM008545-2

Vibrational relaxation of CH(2)I(2) in solution: Excitation level dependence

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/jcp/118/12/10.1063/1.1554396.Transient electronic absorption monitors the flow of vibrational energy in methylene iodide (CH(2)I(2)) following excitation of five C–H stretch and stretch–bend modes ranging in energy from 3000 to 9000 cm(−1). Intramolecular vibrational relaxation (IVR) occurs through a mechanism that is predominantly state-specific at the C–H stretch fundamental but closer to the statistical limit at higher excitation levels. The IVR times change with the excitation energy between the fundamental and first C–H stretch overtone but are constant above the overtone. The intermolecular energy transfer (IET) times depend only weakly on the initial excitation level. Both the IVR and the IET times depend on the solvent[CCl(4), CDCl(3), C(6)D(6), C(6)H(6), or (CD(3))(2)CO] and its interaction strength, yet there is no energy level dependence of the solvent influence

Excited state dynamics of liquid water: Insight from the dissociation reaction following two-photon excitation

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/jcp/126/16/10.1063/1.2727468.The authors use transient absorption spectroscopy to monitor the ionization and dissociation products following two-photon excitation of pure liquid water. The primary decay mechanism changes from dissociation at an excitation energy of 8.3eV to ionization at 12.4eV. The two channels occur with similar yield for an excitation energy of 9.3eV. For the lowest excitation energy, the transient absorption at 267nm probes the geminate recombination kinetics of the H and OH fragments, providing a window on the dissociation dynamics. Modeling the OH geminate recombination indicates that the dissociating H atoms have enough kinetic energy to escape the solvent cage and one or two additional solvent shells. The average initial separation of H and OH fragments is 0.7±0.2nm. Our observation suggests that the hydrogen bonding environment does not prevent direct dissociation of an O–H bond in the excited state. We discuss the implications of our measurement for the excited state dynamics of liquid water and explore the role of those dynamics in the ionization mechanism at low excitation energies

Two-Photon Excitation of trans-Stilbene: Spectroscopy and Dynamics of Electronically Excited States Above S1

The photoisomerization dynamics of trans-stilbene have been well studied in the lowest excited state, but much less is known about the behavior following excitation to higher-lying electronically excited states. This contribution reports a combined study of the spectroscopy and dynamics of two-photon accessible states above S1. Two-photon absorption (2PA) measurements using a broadband pump–probe technique reveal distinct bands near 5.1 and 6.4 eV. The 2PA bands have absolute cross sections of 40 ± 16 and 270 ± 110 GM, respectively, and a pump–probe polarization dependence that suggests both of the transitions access Ag-symmetry excited states. Separate transient absorption measurements probe the excited-state dynamics following two-photon excitation into each of the bands using intense pulses of 475 and 380 nm light, respectively. The initially excited states rapidly relax via internal conversion, leading to the formation of an S1 excited-state absorption band that is centered near 585 nm and evolves on a time scale of 1–2 ps due to intramolecular vibrational relaxation. The subsequent evolution of the S1 excited-state absorption is identical to the behavior following direct one-photon excitation of the lowest excited state at 4.0 eV. The complementary spectroscopy and dynamics measurements provide new benchmarks for computational studies of the electronic structure and dynamics of this model system on excited states above S1. Probing the dynamics of molecules in their higher-lying excited states is an important frontier in chemical reaction dynamics

Synthesis of Cycloheptatriene-Containing Azetidine Lactones

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in The Journal of Organic Chemistry, copyright © 2022 American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.2c00367.We prepared a collection of complex cycloheptatriene-containing azetidine lactones by applying two key photochemical reactions: “aza-Yang” cyclization and Buchner carbene insertion into aromatic rings. While photolysis of phenacyl amines leads to a rapid charge transfer and elimination, we found that a simple protonation of the amine enables the formation of azetidinols as single diastereomers. We provide evidence, through ultrafast spectroscopy, for the electron transfer from free amines in the excited state. Further, we characterize the aza-Yang reaction by establishing the dependence of the initial reaction rates on the rates of photon absorption. An unanticipated change in reactivity in morpholine analogues is explained through interactions with the tosylate anion. The Buchner reaction proceeds with a slight preference for one diastereomer over the other, and successful reaction requires electron-donating carbene-stabilizing substituents. Overall, 16 compounds were prepared over seven steps. Guided by an increase in structural complexity, efforts such as this one extend the reach of chemists into unexplored chemical space and provide useful quantities of new compounds for studies focused on their properties