Role of the (3)(ππ*) State in Photolysis of Lumisantonin: Insight from ab Initio Studies

The CASSCF and CASPT2 methodologies have been used to explore the potential energy surfaces of lumisantonin in the ground and low-lying triplet states along the photoisomerization pathways. Calculations indicate that the (n pi*) state is the accessible low-lying singlet state with a notable oscillator strength under an excitation wavelength of 320 nm and that it can effectively decay to the (3)(pi pi*) state through intersystem crossing in the region of minimum surface crossings with a notable spin-orbital coupling constant. The 3(pi pi*) state, derived from the promotion of an electron from the pi-type orbital mixed with the sigma orbital localized on the C-C bond in the three-membered alkyl ring to the pi* orbital of conjugation carbon atoms, plays a critical role in C-C bond cleavage. Based on the different C-C bond rupture patterns, the reaction pathways can be divided into paths A and B. Photolysis along path A arising from C1-C5 bond rupture is favorable because of the dynamic and thermodynamic preferences on the triplet excited-state PES. Path B is derived from the cleavage of the C5-C6 bond, leading first to a relatively stable species, compared to intermediate A-INT formed on the ground state PES. path B is relatively facile for the pyrolytic reaction. The present results provide a basis to interpret the experimental observations.Swedish Infrastructure Committee (SNIC)[SNIC 022/09-25]; National Science Foundation of China[20733002, 20873105]; Ministry of Science and Technology[2011CB808504

Zero-point vibrational corrections to isotropic hyperfine coupling constants in polyatomic molecules

The present work addresses isotropic hyperfine coupling constants in polyatomic systems with a particular emphasis on a largely neglected, but a posteriori significant, effect, namely zero-point vibrational corrections. Using the density functional restricted-unrestricted approach, the zero-point vibrational corrections are evaluated for the allyl radical and four of its derivatives. In addition for establishing the numerical size of the zero-point vibrational corrections to the isotropic hyperfine coupling constants, we present simple guidelines useful for identifying hydrogens for which such corrections are significant. Based on our findings, we critically re-examine the computational procedures used for the determination of hyperfine coupling constants in general as well as the practice of using experimental hyperfine coupling constants as reference data when benchmarking and optimizing exchange-correlation functionals and basis sets for such calculations.Research Council of Norway through a CoE[179568/V30]; Norwegian Supercomputing program; [191251

Electronic g-tensor calculations for dangling bonds in nanodiamonds

The electronic g-tensor calculations are performed for dangling bonds (DBs) introduced into nanodiamonds (NDs) with four different functional groups on their surfaces. For hydrogenated and fluorinated NDs, it is found that g-shifts of the latter vary in a much wider range, and the same is also true for the total energy differences between the highest and the lowest energy DBs. In addition, it is shown that the shape of NDs significantly impacts the energetics and g-shifts of DBs, whereas the influence of the size is much less pronounced, as is the influence of the presence of one DB in the vicinity of the other, resulting in no substantial change on their magnetic behavior. For hydroxylated and aminated NDs, it is demonstrated that the variation range of g-shifts is larger for the former, whereas the opposite is seen regarding the total energy differences. On the whole, some of the positions of DBs can be energetically very costly in these NDs; besides, the lowest energy DBs are irregular, that is, formed by OH- and NH2-bonded C atoms, contrasting with hydrogenated and fluorinated NDs, for which irregular DBs are the most energetically unfavorable

π –stacking effects on the EPR parameters of a prototypical DNA spin label

The character and value of spin labels for probing environments like double-stranded DNA depends on the degree of changeof the spin Hamiltonian parameters of the spin label induced by the environment. Herein we provide a systematic theoreticalinvestigation of this issue, based on a density functional theory method applied to a spin labeled DNA model system, focusingon the dependence of the EPR properties of the spin label on the π stacking and hydrogen bonding that occur upon incorporatingthe spin label into selected base pair inside DNA. It is found that the EPR spin Hamiltonian parameters of the spin label is onlynegligibly affected by its incorporation into DNA, when compared to the its free form. This result gives theoretical ground forthe common empirical assumption regarding the behaviour of spin Hamiltonian parameters made in EPR based measurementsof distance between spin labels incorporated into DNA.This work was granted access to the HPC resources of MonteRosa/Swiss National High-Performance Centre made avail-able within the Distributed European Computing Initiative bythe PRACE-2IP, receiving funding from the European Com-munity Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) un-der grant agreement no. RI-283493.QC 20130422</p

Role of zero-point vibrational corrections to carbon hyperfine coupling constants in organic pi radicals

By analyzing a set of organic π radicals, we demonstrate that zero-point vibrational corrections give significant contributions to carbon hyperfine coupling constants, in one case even inducing a sign reversal for the coupling constant. We discuss the implications of these findings for the computational analysis of electron paramagnetic spectra based on hyperfine coupling constants evaluated at the equilibrium geometry of radicals. In particular, we note that a dynamical description that involves the nuclear motion is in many cases necessary in order to achieve a semi-quantitatively predictive theory for carbon hyperfine coupling constants. In addition, we discuss the implications of the strong dependence of the carbon hyperfine coupling constants on the zero-point vibrational corrections for the selection of exchange-correlation functionals in density functional theory studies of these constants

Zero-point vibrational corrections to isotropic hyperfine coupling constants in polyatomic molecules

The present work addresses isotropic hyperfine coupling constants in polyatomic systems with a particular emphasis on a largely neglected, but a posteriori significant, effect, namely zero-point vibrational corrections. Using the density functional restricted-unrestricted approach, the zero-point vibrational corrections are evaluated for the allyl radical and four of its derivatives. In addition for establishing the numerical size of the zero-point vibrational corrections to the isotropic hyperfine coupling constants, we present simple guidelines useful for identifying hydrogens for which such corrections are significant. Based on our findings, we critically re-examine the computational procedures used for the determination of hyperfine coupling constants in general as well as the practice of using experimental hyperfine coupling constants as reference data when benchmarking and optimizing exchange-correlation functionals and basis sets for such calculations.QC 20101103. Updated from manuscript to article in journal. 20111220 The published version of this article is deposited in DiVA by permission of the publisher. The pdf may however by no means be further made available or distributed

Breakdown of the first hyperpolarizability/bond-length alternation parameter relationship

We have investigated the dependence of the static first hyperpolarizability on the bond-length alternation (BLA) parameter. Our analysis indicates that the validity of the first hyperpolarizability/BLA parameter relationship is restricted to the no-field, vacuum, limit, while it successively breaks down along with increasing polarity of a surrounding medium, becoming invalid, for instance, in an aqueous solution. This contention is based on a series of TD-DFT, TD-DFT/PCM and hybrid TD-DFT/MM calculations of the first hyperpolarizability for a set of molecular configurations generated from Car–Parrinello hybrid QM/MM simulations of the stilbazolium merocyanine chromophore in chloroform and water solvents, and on a rationalization by means of the two-state model for the first hyperpolarizability. The BLA dependence of the three parameters entering the two-state model is shown to be qualitatively different in vacuum and in solvents. Particularly, in the vacuum case, the difference between ground and excited state dipole moments goes to zero for a vanishing BLA, which is not true in the presence of an aqueous medium. In the aqueous medium, an opposing behavior of the parameters involved in the two-state model results in an almost constant first hyperpolarizability with varying BLA parameter

A time-dependent density-functional theory and complete active space self-consistent field method study of vibronic absorption and emission spectra of coumarin

Time-dependent density-functional theory (TD-DFT) and complete active space multiconfiguration self-consistent field (CASSCF) calculations have been used to determine equilibrium structures and vibrational frequencies of the ground state and several singlet low-lying excited states of coumarin. Vertical and adiabatic transition energies of S1, S2, and S3 have been estimated by TD-B3LYP and CASSCF/PT2. Calculations predict that the dipole-allowed S1 and S3 states have a character of 1(ππ), while the dipole-forbidden 1(nπ) state is responsible for S2. The vibronic absorption and emission spectra of coumarin have been simulated by TD-B3LYP and CASSCF calculations within the Franck-Condon approximation, respectively. The simulated vibronic spectra show good agreement with the experimental observations available, which allow us to reasonably interpret vibronic features in the S0→S1 and S0→S3 absorption and the S0← S1 emission spectra. Based on the calculated results, activity, intensity, and density of the vibronic transitions and their contribution to the experimental spectrum profile have been discussed. ? 2014 AIP Publishing LLC

Two-Photon Absorption of Metal-Assisted Chromophores

Aiming to understand the effect of a metal surface on nonlinear optical properties and the combined effects of surface and solvent environments on such properties, we present a multiscale response theory study, integrated with dynamics of the two-photon absorption of 4-nitro-4′-amino-<i>trans</i>-stilbene physisorbed on noble metal surfaces, considering two such surfaces, Ag(111) and Au(111), and two solvents, cyclohexane and water, as cases for demonstration. A few conclusions of general character could be drawn: While the geometrical change of the chromophore induced by the environment was found to notably alter (diminish) the two-photon absorption cross section in the polar medium, the effects of the metal surface and solvent on the electronic structure of the chromophore surpasses the geometrical effects and leads to a considerably enhanced two-photon absorption cross section in the polar solvent. This enhancement of two-photon absorption arises essentially from the metal charge image induced enlargement of the difference between the dipole moment of the excited state and the ground state. The orientation-dependence of the two-photon absorption is found to connect with the lateral rotation of the chromophore, where the two-photon absorption reaches its maximum when the polarization of the incident light coincides with the long-axis of the chromophore. Our results demonstrate a distinct enhancement of the two-photon absorption by a metal surface and a polar medium and envisage the employment of metal–chromophore composite materials for future development of nonlinear optical materials with desirable properties