Solvatochromic Shifts on Absorption and Fluorescence Bands of N,N-Dimethylaniline

A mountaineering strategy to excited states: Accurate vertical transition energies and benchmarks for substituted benzenes

In an effort to expand the existing QUEST database of accurate vertical transition energies [Véril et al. WIREs Comput. Mol. Sci. 2021, 11, e1517], we have modeled more than 100 electronic excited states of different natures (local, charge-transfer, Rydberg, singlet, and triplet) in a dozen of mono- and di-substituted benzenes, including aniline, benzonitrile, chlorobenzene, fluorobenzene, nitrobenzene, among others. To establish theoretical best estimates for these vertical excitation energies, we have employed advanced coupled-cluster methods including iterative triples (CC3 and CCSDT) and, when technically possible, iterative quadruples (CC4). These high-level computational approaches provide a robust foundation for benchmarking a series of popular wave function methods. The evaluated methods all include contributions from double excitations (ADC(2), CC2, CCSD, CIS(D), EOM-MP2, STEOM-CCSD), along with schemes that also incorporate perturbative or iterative triples (ADC(3), CCSDR(3), CCSD(T)(a)⋆ $$ {}^{\star } $$ , and CCSDT-3). This systematic exploration not only broadens the scope of the QUEST database but also facilitates a rigorous assessment of different theoretical approaches in the framework of a homologous chemical series, offering valuable insights into the accuracy and reliability of these methods in such cases. We found that both ADC(2.5) and CCSDT-3 can provide very consistent estimates, whereas among less expensive methods SCS-CC2 is likely the most effective approach. Importantly, we show that some lower order methods may offer reasonable trends in the homologous series while providing quite large average errors, and vice versa. Consequently, benchmarking the accuracy of a model based solely on absolute transition energies may not be meaningful for applications involving a series of similar compounds.

TICT compounds by design: comparison of two naphthalimide-π-dimethylaniline conjugates of different lengths and ground state geometries

Two new twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) donor-π-acceptor compounds were designed by combining a well-known electron acceptor naphthalimide unit with a classic electron donor dimethylaniline through two types of different rigid linkers. The combined steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy of molecules in solvents of different polarities in comparison to solid-state solvation experiments of doped polymer matrixes of different polarities allowed distinguishing between solvation and conformation determined processes. The photophysical measurements revealed that non-polar solutions possess high fluorescence quantum yields of up to 70% which is a property of pre-twisted/planar molecules in the excited charge transfer (CT) states. The increase of polarity allows tuning the Stokes shift through all the visible wavelength range up to 8601 cm^-1 which is accompanied by a three orders of magnitude drop of fluorescence quantum yields. This is a result of the emerged TICT states as dimethylaniline twists to a perpendicular position against the naphthalimide core. The TICT reaction of molecules enables an additional non-radiative excitation decay channel, which is not present if the twisting is forbidden in a rigid polymer matrix. Transient absorption spectroscopy was employed to visualize the excited state dynamics and to obtain the excited state reaction constants, revealing that TICT may occur from both the Franck-Condon region and the solvated pre-twisted/planar CT states. Both molecules undergo the same photophysical processes, however, a longer linker and thus a higher excited state dipole moment determines the faster excited state reactions.

Ultraviolet relaxation dynamics of aniline,N,N-dimethylaniline and 3,5-dimethylaniline at 250 nm

Time-resolved photoelectron imaging was used to investigate the electronic relaxation dynamics of gas-phase aniline, N, N-dimethylaniline, and 3,5-dimethylaniline following ultraviolet excitation at 250 nm. Our analysis was supported by ab initio coupled-cluster calculations evaluating excited state energies and (in aniline) the evolution of a range of excited state physical properties as a function of N-H bond extension. Due to a lack of consistency between several earlier studies undertaken in aniline, the specific aim of this present work was to gain new insight into the previously proposed non-adiabatic coupling interaction between the two lowest lying singlet excited states S1(ππ(∗)) and S2(3s/πσ(∗)). The methyl-substituted systems N, N-dimethylaniline and 3,5-dimethylaniline were included in order to obtain more detailed dynamical information about the key internal molecular coordinates that drive the S1(ππ(∗))/S2(3s/πσ(∗)) coupling mechanism. Our findings suggest that in all three systems, both electronic states are directly populated during the initial excitation, with the S2(3s/πσ(∗)) state then potentially decaying via either direct dissociation along the N-X stretching coordinate (X = H or CH3) or internal conversion to the S1(ππ(∗)) state. In aniline and N, N-dimethylaniline, both pathways most likely compete in the depletion of S2(3s/πσ(∗)) state population. However, in 3,5-dimethylaniline, only the direct dissociation mechanism appears to be active. This is rationalized in terms of changes in the relative rates of the two decay pathways upon methylation of the aromatic ring system.

Dual Fluorescence of Fluorazene in Solution: A Computational Study

The fluorazene molecule presents dual fluorescence in polar solvents. Its absorption and emission properties in gas phase and in acetonitrile solution have been studied theoretically using the complete active space second-order perturbation//complete active space self-consistent field quantum methodology and average solvent electrostatic potential from molecular dynamics for the solvent effects. In gas phase, two optimized excited-state geometries were obtained, one of them corresponds to a local excitation (LE), and the other is an intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and lies higher in energy. In acetonitrile solution, a second ICT structure where the molecule remains planar is found, and the energy differences are reduced. Fluorescence energies from LE and the planar ICT have a good agreement with the experimental bands, but emission from the bent ICT has too low an energy.