More Like this

1. Chemical bonding analysis of excited states using the adaptive natural density partitioning method

   https://doi.org/10.1039/c9cp00379g  

   Tkachenko, Nikolay V.; Boldyrev, Alexander I. (May 2019, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   A novel approach to chemical bond analysis for excited states has been developed. Using an extended adaptive natural density partitioning method (AdNDP) as implemented in AdNDP 2.0 code, we obtained chemically intuitive bonding patterns for the excited states of H 2 O, B 5 + , and C 2 H 4 + molecules. The deformation pathway in the excited states could be easily predicted based on the analysis of the chemical bond pattern. We expect that this new method of chemical bonding analysis would be very helpful for photochemistry, photoelectron spectroscopy, electron spectroscopy and other chemical applications that involved excited states. 

   more » « less
2. Electronically Excited States of Potential Interstellar, Anionic Building Blocks for Astrobiological Nucleic Acids

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fspas.2021.777107  

   Santaloci, Taylor J.; Strauss, Marie E.; Fortenberry, Ryan C. (November 2021, Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences)

   Functionalizing deprotonated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) anion derivatives gives rise to electronically excited states in the resulting anions. While functionalization with −OH and −C 2 H, done presently, does not result in the richness of electronically excited states as it does with −CN done previously, the presence of dipole-bound excited states and even some valence excited states are predicted in this quantum chemical analysis. Most notably, the more electron withdrawing −C 2 H group leads to valence excited states once the number of rings in the molecule reaches three. Dipole-bound excited states arise when the dipole moment of the corresponding neutral radical is large enough (likely around 2.0 D), and this is most pronounced when the hydrogen atom is removed from the functional group itself regardless of whether functionalized by a hydroxyl or enthynyl group. Deprotonatation of the hydroxyl group in the PAH creates a ketone with a delocalized highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) unlike deprotonation of a hydrogen on the ring where a localized lone pair on one of the carbon atoms serves as the HOMO. As a result, hydroxyl functionlization and subsequent deprotonation of PAHs creates molecules that begin to exhibit structures akin to nucleic acids. However, the electron withdrawing −C 2 H has more excited states than the electron donating −OH functionalized PAH. This implies that the −C 2 H electron withdrawing group can absorb a larger energy range of photons, which signifies an increasing likelihood of being stabilized in the harsh conditions of the interstellar medium. 

   more » « less
3. Exploring the optical properties of La ₂ Hf ₂ O ₇ :Pr ³⁺ nanoparticles under UV and X-ray excitation for potential lighting and scintillating applications

   https://doi.org/10.1039/c8nj00895g  

   Zuniga, Jose P.; Gupta, Santosh K.; Pokhrel, Madhab; Mao, Yuanbing (January 2018, New Journal of Chemistry)

   New optical materials with efficient luminescence and scintillation properties have drawn a great deal of attention due to the demand for optoelectronic devices and medical theranostics. Their nanomaterials are expected to reduce the cost while incrementing the efficiency for potential lighting and scintillator applications. In this study, we have developed praseodymium-doped lanthanum hafnate (La 2 Hf 2 O 7 :Pr 3+ ) pyrochlore nanoparticles (NPs) using a combined co-precipitation and relatively low-temperature molten salt synthesis procedure. XRD and Raman investigations confirmed ordered pyrochlore phase for the as-synthesized undoped and Pr 3+ -doped La 2 Hf 2 O 7 NPs. The emission profile displayed the involvement of both the 3 P 0 and 1 D 2 states in the photoluminescence process, however, the intensity of the emission from the 1 D 2 states was found to be higher than that from the 3 P 0 states. This can have a huge implication on the design of novel red phosphors for possible application in solid-state lighting. As a function of the Pr 3+ concentration, we found that the 0.1%Pr 3+ doped La 2 Hf 2 O 7 NPs possessed the strongest emission intensity with a quantum yield of 20.54 ± 0.1%. The concentration quenching, in this case, is mainly induced by the cross-relaxation process 3 P 0 + 3 H 4 → 1 D 2 + 3 H 6 . Emission kinetics studies showed that the fast decaying species arise because of the Pr 3+ ions occupying the Hf 4+ sites, whereas the slow decaying species can be attributed to the Pr 3+ ions occupying the La 3+ sites in the pyrochlore structure of La 2 Hf 2 O 7 . X-ray excited luminescence (XEL) showed a strong red-light emission, which showed that the material is a promising scintillator for radiation detection. In addition, the photon counts were found to be much higher when the NPs are exposed to X-rays when compared to ultraviolet light. Altogether, these La 2 Hf 2 O 7 :Pr 3+ NPs have great potential as a good down-conversion phosphor as well as scintillator material. 

   more » « less
4. Vibrationally excited states of 1 H - and 2 H -1,2,3-triazole isotopologues analyzed by millimeter-wave and high-resolution infrared spectroscopy with approximate state-specific quartic distortion constants

   https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0137340  

   Zdanovskaia, Maria A.; Franke, Peter R.; Esselman, Brian J.; Billinghurst, Brant E.; Zhao, Jianbao; Stanton, John F.; Woods, R. Claude; McMahon, Robert J. (January 2023, The Journal of Chemical Physics)

   In this work, we present the spectral analysis of 1 H- and 2 H-1,2,3-triazole vibrationally excited states alongside provisional and practical computational predictions of the excited-state quartic centrifugal distortion constants. The low-energy fundamental vibrational states of 1 H-1,2,3-triazole and five of its deuteriated isotopologues ([1- 2 H]-, [4- 2 H]-, [5- 2 H]-, [4,5- 2 H]-, and [1,4,5- 2 H]-1 H-1,2,3-triazole), as well as those of 2 H-1,2,3-triazole and five of its deuteriated isotopologues ([2- 2 H]-, [4- 2 H]-, [2,4- 2 H]-, [4,5- 2 H]-, and [2,4,5- 2 H]-2 H-1,2,3-triazole), are studied using millimeter-wave spectroscopy in the 130–375 GHz frequency region. The normal and [2- 2 H]-isotopologues of 2 H-1,2,3-triazole are also analyzed using high-resolution infrared spectroscopy, determining the precise energies of three of their low-energy fundamental states. The resulting spectroscopic constants for each of the vibrationally excited states are reported for the first time. Coupled-cluster vibration–rotation interaction constants are compared with each of their experimentally determined values, often showing agreement within 500 kHz. Newly available coupled-cluster predictions of the excited-state quartic centrifugal distortion constants based on fourth-order vibrational perturbation theory are benchmarked using a large number of the 1,2,3-triazole tautomer isotopologues and vibrationally excited states studied. 

   more » « less
5. Panoramic portrait of primary molecular events preceding excited state proton transfer in water

   https://doi.org/10.1039/C6SC00672H  

   Liu, Weimin; Wang, Yanli; Tang, Longteng; Oscar, Breland G.; Zhu, Liangdong; Fang, Chong (January 2016, Chemical Science)

   Photochemistry powers numerous processes from luminescence and human vision, to light harvesting. However, the elucidation of multidimensional photochemical reaction coordinates on molecular timescales remains challenging. We developed wavelength-tunable femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy to simultaneously achieve pre-resonance enhancement for transient reactant and product species of the widely used photoacid pyranine undergoing excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) reaction in solution. In the low-frequency region, the 280 cm −1 ring deformation mode following 400 nm photoexcitation exhibits pronounced intensity oscillations on the sub-picosecond timescale due to anharmonic vibrational coupling to the 180 cm −1 hydrogen-bond stretching mode only in ESPT-capable solvents, indicating a primary event of functional relevance. This leads to the contact ion pair formation on the 3 ps timescale before diffusion-controlled separation. The intermolecular 180 cm −1 mode also reveals vibrational cooling time constants, ∼500 fs and 45 ps in both H 2 O and D 2 O, which differ from ESPT time constants of ∼3/8 and 90/250 ps in H 2 O/D 2 O, respectively. Spectral results using H 2 18 O further substantiate the functional role of the intermolecular 180 cm −1 mode in modulating the distance between proton donor and acceptor and forming the transient ion pair. The direct observation of molecular structural evolution across a wide spectral region during photochemical reactions enriches our fundamental understanding of potential energy surface and holds the key to advancing energy and biological sciences with exceptional atomic and temporal precision. 

   more » « less