A PYP chromophore acts as a 'photoacid' in an isolated hydrogen bonded complex

Photoelectron photofragment coincidence spectroscopy of aromatic carboxylates: benzoate and p-coumarate

Photoelectron-photofragment coincidence spectroscopy was used to study the dissociation dynamics of the conjugate bases of benzoic acid and p-coumaric acid. Upon photodetachment at 266 nm (4.66 eV) both aromatic carboxylates undergo decarboxylation, as well as the formation of stable carboxyl radicals. The key energetics are computed using high-level electronic structure methods. The dissociation dynamics of benzoate were dominated by a two-body DPD channel resulting in CO₂ + C₆H₅ + e^-, with a very small amount of stable C₆H₅CO₂ showing that the radical ground state is stable and the excited states are dissociative. For p-coumarate (p-CA^-) the dominant channel is photodetachment resulting in a stable radical and a photoelectron with electron kinetic energy (eKE) <2 eV. We also observed a minor two-body dissociative photodetachment (DPD) channel resulting in CO₂ + HOC₆H₄CHCH + e^-, characterized by eKE <0.8 eV. Evidence was also found for a three-body ionic photodissociation channel producing HOC₆H₅ + HCC^- + CO₂. The ion beam contained both the phenolate and carboxylate isomers of p-CA^-, but DPD only occurred from the carboxylate form. For both species DPD is seen from the first and second excited states of the radical, where vibrational excitation is required for decarboxylation from the first excited radical state.

Controlling Light-Induced Proton Transfer from the GFP Chromophore

Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) is known to undergo excited-state proton transfer (ESPT). Formation of a short H-bond favors ultrafast ESPT in GFP-like proteins, such as the GFP S65T/H148D mutant, but the detailed mechanism and its quantum nature remain to be resolved. Here we study in vacuo, light-induced proton transfer from the GFP chromophore in hydrogen-bonded complexes with two anionic proton acceptors, I^- and deprotonated trichloroacetic acid (TCA^- ). We address the role of the strong H-bond and the quantum mechanical proton-density distribution in the excited state, which determines the proton-transfer probability. Our study shows that chemical modifications to the molecular network drastically change the proton-transfer probability and it can become strongly wavelength dependent. The proton-transfer branching ratio is found to be 60 % for the TCA complex and 10 % for the iodide complex, being highly dependent on the photon energy in the latter case. Using high-level ab initio calculations, we show that light-induced proton transfer takes place in S₁ , revealing intrinsic photoacid properties of the isolated GFP chromophore in strongly bound H-bonded complexes. ESPT is found to be very sensitive to the topography of the highly anharmonic potential in S₁ , depending on the quantum-density distribution upon vibrational excitation. We also show that the S₁ potential-energy surface, and hence excited-state proton transfer, can be controlled by altering the chromophore microenvironment.

Photoelectron photofragment coincidence spectroscopy of carboxylates

Photoelectron–photofragment coincidence (PPC) spectroscopy is a powerful technique for studying the decarboxylation dynamics of carboxyl radicals. Measurement of photoelectron and photofragment kinetic energies in coincidence provides a kinematically complete measure of the dissociative photodetachment (DPD) dynamics of carboxylate anions. PPC spectroscopy studies of methanoate, ethanoate, propanoate, 2-butenoate, benzoate, p-coumarate and the oxalate monoanion are reviewed. All of the systems studied undergo decarboxylation via a two-body DPD channel i.e., driven by the thermodynamic stability of CO₂. Additionally, decarboxylation is observed via a three-body ionic photodissociation channel for p-coumarate. In some cases photodetachment also results in a stable carboxyl radical (RCO₂). The branching ratio for DPD, the threshold detachment energy and the peak of the kinetic energy release spectrum are compared for different carboxylates, as a probe of the character of the potential energy landscape in the Franck–Condon region.

Photoelectron photofragment coincidence spectroscopy studies of a range of carboxylate anions are reviewed, revealing details of the decarboxylation dynamics of carboxyl radicals.

Ultrafast valence to non-valence excited state dynamics in a common anionic chromophore

Non-valence states in neutral molecules (Rydberg states) have well-established roles and importance in photochemistry, however, considerably less is known about the role of non-valence states in photo-induced processes in anions. Here, femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron imaging is used to show that photoexcitation of the S₁(ππ*) state of the methyl ester of deprotonated para-coumaric acid – a model chromophore for photoactive yellow protein (PYP) – leads to a bifurcation of the excited state wavepacket. One part remains on the S₁(ππ*) state forming a twisted intermediate, whilst a second part leads to the formation of a non-valence (dipole-bound) state. Both populations eventually decay independently by vibrational autodetachment. Valence-to-non-valence internal conversion has hitherto not been observed in the intramolecular photophysics of an isolated anion, raising questions into how common such processes might be, given that many anionic chromophores have bright valence states near the detachment threshold.

Photoactive biomolecules rely on chromophores whose photochemistry depends on the environment. Here, the excited state dynamics of a model for the anionic biochromophore in photoactive yellow protein is investigated by time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy showing involvement of a non-valence state, and lack of E-Z isomerisation in the gas phase.

Proton-coupled charge-transfer reactions and photoacidity of N,N-dimethyl-3-arylpropan-1-ammonium chloride salts

Excited-state, intermolecular proton-transfers of aromatics tethered to ammonium groups are solvent mediated and coupled to either the formation of an exciplex or a solvent-separated ion pair.

Chromophores of chromophores: a bottom-up Hückel picture of the excited states of photoactive proteins

Many photoactive proteins contain chromophores based on para-substituted phenolate anions which are an essential component of their electronic structure.