Photophysical Outcomes of Water-Solvated Heterocycles: Single-Conformation Ultraviolet and Infrared Spectroscopy of Microsolvated 2-Phenylpyrrole.

The molecular chromophores within brown carbon (BrC) aerosols absorb solar radiation at visible and near-ultraviolet wavelengths. This contributes to the overall warming of the troposphere and the photochemical aging of aerosols. In this investigation, we combine a suite of experimental and theoretical methods to reveal the conformation-specific ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy of 2-phenylpyrrole (2PhPy)─an extended π-conjugated pyrrole derivative and a model BrC chromophore─along with its water microsolvated molecular complexes (2PhPy:HO, = 1-3).