4 research outputs found
Tracking the Relaxation of 2,5-Dimethylpyrrole by Femtosecond Time-Resolved Photoelectron and Photoion Detection
The relaxation of 2,5-dimethylpyrrole
after excitation in the 290ā239
nm range, which covers the weak absorption of the S<sub>1</sub> <sup>1</sup>A<sub>2</sub> ĻĻ* state, dissociative along the
NāH bond, and the stronger band mostly attributed to the <sup>1</sup>B<sub>2</sub> ĻĻ* state, has been investigated
by time-resolved ion and photoelectron techniques. The measurements
yield an invariant lifetime of ā¼55 fs for the <sup>1</sup>ĻĻ*
state, after preparation in its FranckāCondon region with increasing
vibrational content. This ultrafast rate indicates that, contrary
to the observations made in pyrrole (Roberts et al.<i> Faraday
Discuss.</i> <b>2013</b>, <i>163</i>, 95ā116),
the molecule reaches the dissociative part of the potential without
any barrier effect, although calculations predict the latter to be
higher than in the pyrrole case. The results are rationalized in terms
of a barrier free multidimensional pathway that very likely involves
out-of-plane vibrations. Additionally, a lifetime of ā¼100 fs
is found after excitation along the higher <sup>1</sup>B<sub>2</sub> ĻĻ* ā S<sub>0</sub> transition. The relaxation
of this state by coupling to a very short living S<sub>1</sub> <sup>1</sup>ĻĻ* state, or by alternative routes, is discussed
in the light of the collected photoelectron measurements
Triplet Mediated CāN Dissociation versus Internal Conversion in Electronically Excited <i>N</i>āMethylpyrrole
The photochemical and photophysical
pathways operative in <i>N</i>-methylpyrrole, after excitation
in the near part of its
ultraviolet absorption spectrum, have been investigated by the combination
of time-resolved total ion yield and photoelectron spectroscopies
with high-level ab initio calculations. The results collected are
remarkably different from the observations made for pyrrole and other
aromatic systems, whose dynamics is dictated by the presence of ĻĻ*
excitations on XāH (X: N, O, S, ...) bonds. The presence of
a barrier along the CāN dissociation coordinate that can not
be tunneled triggers two alternative decay mechanisms for the S<sub>1</sub> Aā³ ĻĻ* state. While at low vibrational
content the CāN dissociation occurs on the surface of a lower <sup>3</sup>ĻĻ* state reached after efficient intersystem
crossing, at higher excitation energies, the Aā³ ĻĻ*
directly internally converts to the ground state through a ring-twisted
S<sub>1</sub>/S<sub>0</sub> conical intersection. The findings explain
previous observations on the molecule and may be relevant for more
complex systems containing similar CāN bonds, such as the DNA
nucleotides
Ultrafast Nonradiative Relaxation Channels of Tryptophan
The nonradiative relaxation channels
of gas-phase tryptophan excited
along the S<sub>1</sub>āS<sub>4</sub> excited states (287ā217
nm) have been tracked by femtosecond time-resolved ionization. In
the low-energy region, Ī» ā„ 240 nm, the measured transient
signals reflect nonadiabatic interactions between the two bright L<sub>a</sub> and L<sub>b</sub> states of ĻĻ* character and
the dark dissociative ĻĻ* state of the indole NH. The
observed dynamical behavior is interpreted in terms of the ultrafast
conversion of the prepared L<sub>a</sub> state, which simultaneously
populates the fluorescent L<sub>b></sub> and the dissociative ĻĻ*
states. At higher energies, after excitation of the S<sub>4</sub> state,
the tryptophan dynamics diverges from that observed in indole, pointing
to the opening of a relaxation channel that could involve states of
the amino acid part. The work provides a detailed picture of the processes
and electronic states involved in the relaxation of the molecule,
after photoexcitation in the near part of its UV absorption spectrum
Ultrafast Evolution of Imidazole after Electronic Excitation
The ultrafast dynamics of the imidazole chromophore has
been tracked
after electronic excitation in the 250ā217 nm energy region,
by time delayed ionization with 800 nm laser pulses. The time-dependent
signals collected at the imidazole<sup>+</sup> mass channel show the
signature of femtosecond dynamics, originating on the ĻĻ*-
and ĻĻ*-type states located in the explored energy region.
The fitting of the transients, which due to the appearance of nonresonant
coherent adiabatic excitation requires a quantum treatment based in
the Bloch equations, yields two lifetimes of 18 Ā± 4 and 19 Ā±
4 fs. The first is associated with the ĻĻ* ā ĻĻ*
internal conversion, while the second reflects the loss of ionization
cross-section as the system evolves along the dissociative ĻĻ*
surface. This study provides a comprehensive picture of the photophysics
of the molecule that agrees with previous experimental and theoretical
findings