Low-Frequency Spectra of Hydrated Ionic Liquids with Kosmotropic and Chaotropic Anions.

In this study, we investigated the water concentration dependence of the intermolecular vibrations of two hydrated ionic liquids (ILs), cholinium dihydrogen phosphate ([ch][dhp]) and cholinium bromide ([ch]Br), using femtosecond Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy (fs-RIKES). The anions of the former and latter hydrated ILs are kosmotropic and chaotropic, respectively. We found that the spectral peak of ∼50 cm shifted to the low-frequency side in hydrated [ch][dhp], indicating the weakening of its intermolecular interactions.

Physical Properties and Low-Frequency Polarizability Anisotropy and Dipole Responses of Phosphonium Bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide Ionic Liquids with Pentyl, Ethoxyethyl, or 2-(Ethylthio)ethyl Group.

This study compared the physical properties, e.g., glass transition temperature, melting point, viscosity, density, surface tension, and electrical conductivity, and the low-frequency spectra under 200 cm of three synthesized ionic liquids (ILs), triethylpentylphosphonium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide ([P][NF]), ethoxyethyltriethylphosphonium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide ([P][NF]), and triethyl[2-(ethylthio)ethyl]phosphonium bis(fluorosulfonyl)amide ([P][NF]), at various temperatures using femtosecond Raman-induced Kerr effect spectroscopy (fs-RIKES) and terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS).

Inverse design of molecule-metal nanoparticle systems interacting with light for desired photophysical properties.

Molecules close to a metal nanoparticle (NP) have significantly different photophysical properties from those of the isolated one. In order to harness the potential of the molecule-NP system, appropriate design guidelines are required. Here, we propose an inverse design method of the optimal molecule-NP systems and incident electric field for desired photophysical properties.

Origin of the Aggregation-Induced Phosphorescence of Platinum(II) Complexes: The Role of Metal-Metal Interactions on Emission Decay in the Crystalline State.

Discerning the origins of the phosphorescent aggregation-induced emission (AIE) from Pt(II) complexes is crucial for developing the broader range of photo-functional materials. Over the past few decades, several mechanisms of phosphorescent AIE have been proposed, however, not have been directly elucidated. Herein, we describe phosphorescence and deactivation processes of four class of AIE active Pt(II) complexes in the crystalline state based on experimental and theoretical investigation.

Lifetimes of Be and Mg Cluster Dianions.

The alkaline earth metal trimer cluster dianions Be and Mg lie energetically above their respective monoanions and can therefore decay by electron autodetachment. Consequently, these dianions possess only short-lived resonance states, and here we study these states using regularized analytic continuation as well as complex absorbing potentials combined with a wide a variety of quantum chemistry methods including CCSD(T), SACCI, EOM-CCSD, CASPT2, and NEVPT2. For both Be and Mg, four low-energy resonance states corresponding to different occupation patterns of the two excess electrons in the two lowest p-σ and p-π orbitals are identified: Two states are dominated by doubly occupied configurations and can be characterized as showing σ and π aromatic character.

Oxidation and Storage Mechanisms for Nitrogen Oxides on Variously Terminated (001) Surfaces of SrFeO and SrFeO Perovskites.

The Ruddlesden-Popper (RP)-type layered perovskite is a candidate material for a new nitrogen oxide (NO) storage catalyst. Here, we investigate the adsorption and oxidation of NO on the (001) surfaces of RP-type oxide SrFeO for all of the terminations by comparing to those of simple perovskite SrFeO by the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The possible (001) cleavages of SrFeO generate two FeO- and three SrO-terminated surfaces, and the calculated surface energies indicated that the SrO-terminated surface generated by the cleavage at the rock salt layer is the most stable one.

Substitution effect on the nonradiative decay and → photoisomerization route: a guideline to develop efficient cinnamate-based sunscreens.

Cinnamate derivatives are very useful as UV protectors in nature and as sunscreen reagents in daily life. They convert harmful UV energy to thermal energy through effective nonradiative decay (NRD) including trans → cis photoisomerization. However, the mechanism is not simple because different photoisomeirzation routes have been observed for different substituted cinnamates.

Combination of a Voronoi-Type Complex Absorbing Potential with the XMS-CASPT2 Method and Pilot Applications.

Electronic resonances are metastable ( + 1) electron states, in other words, discrete states embedded in an electronic continuum. While great progress has been made for certain types of resonances-for example, temporary anions created by attaching one excess electron to a closed shell neutral-resonances in general remain a great challenge of quantum chemistry because a successful description of the decay requires a balanced description of the bound and continuum aspect of the resonance. Here, a smoothed Voronoi complex absorbing potential (CAP) is combined with the XMS-CASPT2 method, which enables us to address the balance challenge by appropriate choice of the CAS space.

Gold-Palladium Nanocluster Catalysts for Homocoupling: Electronic Structure and Interface Dynamics.

The gold-palladium (Au-Pd) bimetallic nanocluster (NC) catalyst in colloidal phase performs the homocoupling reaction of various aryl chlorides (Ar-Cl) under ambient conditions. We have systematically investigated various aspects of the Au-Pd NC catalysts with respect to this homocoupling reaction by using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, genetic algorithm (GA) approaches, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Our findings include the geometric and electronic structures of the Au-Pd NC, the reactive Pd sites on the NC surface, the electron-donating effects of surrounding polymer matrix, the reaction mechanism of homocoupling reaction and rate-determining step, the inverse halogen dependence of the reaction, and the solvation dynamics at interface region between NC and polymer matrix in aqueous solution.

Photophysical properties of fluorescent imaging biological probes of nucleic acids: SAC-CI and TD-DFT Study.

Recently, exciton-controlled hybridization-sensitive fluorescent oligonucleotide (ECHO) probe, which shows strong emission in the near-infrared region via hybridization to the target DNA and/or RNA strand, has been developed. In this work, photophysical properties of the chromophores of these probes and the fluorescent mechanism have been investigated by the SAC-CI and TD-DFT calculations. Three fluorescent cyanine chromophores whose excitation is challenging for TD-DFT methods, have been examined regarding the photo-absorption and emission spectra.

Open-Shell Character Dependences of the Second Hyperpolarizability in Two-Dimensional Tetraradicaloids.

The open-shell character dependences of the second hyperpolarizability, γ, are investigated for rectangular-shaped tetraradicaloid models, such as diradical dimers, using numerically exact solutions of the extended Hubbard model. The newly defined local diradical characters for intra- and intermolecular interactions (referred to as y and y, respectively) are compared to conventional global ones ( y and y) and provide a comprehensive understanding of the electronic structure of the system. The system shows two kinds of enhancements of the γ components, γ and γ (caused, respectively, by intra- and intermolecular diradical interactions): (i) a system with a large y ( y) (>∼0.

Frenkel-exciton decomposition analysis of circular dichroism and circularly polarized luminescence for multichromophoric systems.

Recently, a method to calculate the absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectra based on the exciton coupling has been developed. In this work, the method was utilized for the decomposition of the CD and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) spectra of a multichromophoric system into chromophore contributions for recently developed through-space conjugated oligomers. The method which has been implemented using rotatory strength in the velocity form and therefore it is gauge-invariant, enables us to evaluate the contribution from each chromophoric unit and locally excited state to the CD and CPL spectra of the total system.

Comparing the performance of TD-DFT and SAC-CI methods in the description of excited states potential energy surfaces: An excited state proton transfer reaction as case study.

The performances, in the description of excited state potential energy surfaces, of several density functional approximations representative of the currently most applied exchange correlation functionals' families have been tested with respect to post Hartree-Fock references (here Symmetry Adapted Cluster-Configuration Interaction results). An experimentally well-characterized intermolecular proton transfer reaction has been considered as test case. The computed potential energy profiles were analyzed both in the gas phase and in toluene solution, here represented as a polarizable continuum model.

Computational Studies on Reaction Mechanism and Origins of Selectivities in Nickel-Catalyzed (2 + 2 + 2) Cycloadditions and Alkenylative Cyclizations of 1,6-Ene-Allenes and Alkenes.

The reaction mechanism and origins of ligand-controlled selectivity, regioselectivity, and stereoselectivity of Ni-catalyzed (2 + 2 + 2) cycloadditions and alkenylative cyclizations of 1,6-ene-allenes and alkenes were studied by using density functional theory. The catalytic cycle involves intermolecular oxidative coupling and an intramolecular concerted 1,4-addition step to afford a stable metallacycloheptane intermediate; these steps determine both the regioselectivity and stereoselectivity. Subsequent C-C reductive elimination leads to the cyclohexane product, whereas the β-hydride elimination leads to the trans-diene product.

Multistep Intersystem Crossing Pathways in Cinnamate-Based UV-B Sunscreens.

The nonradiative decay pathways of jet-cooled para-methoxy methylcinnamate (p-MMC) and para-methoxy ethylcinnamate (p-MEC) have been investigated by picosecond pump-probe and nanosecond UV-Deep UV pump-probe spectroscopy. The possible relaxation pathways were calculated by the (time-dependent) density functional theory. We found that p-MMC and p-MEC at low excess energy undergo multistep intersystem crossing (ISC) from the bright S (ππ*) state to the lowest triplet T (ππ*) state via two competing pathways through the T state in the time scale of 100 ps: (a) stepwise ISC followed after the internal conversion (IC) from S to the dark nπ* state; (b) direct ISC from the S to T states.

Low-Lying π* Resonances of Standard and Rare DNA and RNA Bases Studied by the Projected CAP/SAC-CI Method.

Low-lying π* resonance states of DNA and RNA bases have been investigated by the recently developed projected complex absorbing potential (CAP)/symmetry-adapted cluster-configuration interaction (SAC-CI) method using a smooth Voronoi potential as CAP. In spite of the challenging CAP applications to higher resonance states of molecules of this size, the present calculations reproduce resonance positions observed by electron transmission spectra (ETS) provided the anticipated deviations due to vibronic effects and limited basis sets are taken into account. Moreover, for the standard nucleobases, the calculated positions and widths qualitatively agree with those obtained in previous electron scattering calculations.

Modeling Molecular Systems at Extreme Pressure by an Extension of the Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM) Based on the Symmetry-Adapted Cluster-Configuration Interaction (SAC-CI) Method: Confined Electronic Excited States of Furan as a Test Case.

Novel molecular photochemistry can be developed by combining high pressure and laser irradiation. For studying such high-pressure effects on the confined electronic ground and excited states, we extend the PCM (polarizable continuum model) SAC (symmetry-adapted cluster) and SAC-CI (SAC-configuration interaction) methods to the PCM-XP (extreme pressure) framework. By using the PCM-XP SAC/SAC-CI method, molecular systems in various electronic states can be confined by polarizable media in a smooth and flexible way.

Projected CAP/SAC-CI method with smooth Voronoi potential for calculating resonance states.

The complex absorbing potential (CAP)/symmetry-adapted cluster-configuration interaction (SAC-CI) method has been combined with a smooth Voronoi potential, which was recently introduced in the extrapolation procedure, to locate π* resonance states of small- to medium-size molecules. Here, the projected CAP/SAC-CI method is combined with this potential and used to calculate the double-bond and heteroaromatic π* resonances of acetaldehyde, butadiene, glyoxal, pyridine, pyrazine, and furan. As observed in the pilot applications, the corrected η-trajectories provide a stable resonance energy and width or lifetime regardless of the size parameter (rcut ) of the smooth Voronoi potential.

Experimental and theoretical study on the excited-state dynamics of ortho-, meta-, and para-methoxy methylcinnamate.

The S1 state dynamics of methoxy methylcinnamate (MMC) has been investigated under supersonic jet-cooled conditions. The vibrationally resolved S1-S0 absorption spectrum was recorded by laser induced fluorescence and mass-resolved resonant two-photon ionization spectroscopy and separated into conformers by UV-UV hole-burning (UV-UV HB) spectroscopy. The S1 lifetime measurements revealed different dynamics of para-methoxy methylcinnamate from ortho-methoxy methylcinnamate and meta-methoxy methylcinnamate (hereafter, abbreviated as p-, o-, and m-MMCs, respectively).

An efficient computational scheme for electronic excitation spectra of molecules in solution using the symmetry-adapted cluster-configuration interaction method: the accuracy of excitation energies and intuitive charge-transfer indices.

Solvent effects on electronic excitation spectra are considerable in many situations; therefore, we propose an efficient and reliable computational scheme that is based on the symmetry-adapted cluster-configuration interaction (SAC-CI) method and the polarizable continuum model (PCM) for describing electronic excitations in solution. The new scheme combines the recently proposed first-order PCM SAC-CI method with the PTE (perturbation theory at the energy level) PCM SAC scheme. This is essentially equivalent to the usual SAC and SAC-CI computations with using the PCM Hartree-Fock orbital and integrals, except for the additional correction terms that represent solute-solvent interactions.

Efficiency of perturbation-selection and its orbital dependence in the SAC-CI calculations for valence excitations of medium-size molecules.

The efficiency and accuracy of the perturbation-selection used in the symmetry-adapted cluster-configuration interaction (SAC-CI) calculations are investigated for several low-lying valence excited states of 21 medium-size molecules, including typical chromophores with heterocyclic macrocycles (free-base porphine, coumarin, indole, and BODIPY), nucleobases, amino acids (tyrosine and tryptophan), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and organometallics (ferrocene and Re(bpy)(CO)4+1). Benchmark SAC-CI calculations with up to 110 million operators are performed. The efficiency of the perturbation-selection depends on the molecular orbitals (MOs); therefore, the canonical MO and localized MO (LMO) obtained by Pipek-Mezey's method are examined.

Communication: Coupled-cluster interpretation of the photoelectron spectrum of Au₃⁻.

We use the scalar relativistic ionized equation-of-motion coupled-cluster approaches, correlating valence and semi-core electrons and including up to 3-hole-2-particle terms in the ionizing operator, to investigate the photoelectron spectrum of Au₃⁻. We provide an accurate assignment of peaks and shoulders in the experimental photoelectron spectrum of Au₃⁻ for the first time.

Benchmark Study on the Triplet Excited-State Geometries and Phosphorescence Energies of Heterocyclic Compounds: Comparison Between TD-PBE0 and SAC-CI.

In this work, we investigated the properties of the triplet excited states of heterocyclic compounds including their geometries, electronic properties, and phosphorescence energies by using both the direct symmetry-adapted cluster-configuration interaction (SAC-CI) method and the TD-DFT approach with the PBE0 exchange-correlation functional (TD-PBE0). The target states are the ππ* and nπ* triplet states of furan, pyrrole, pyridine, p-benzoquinone, uracil, adenine, 9,10-anthraquinone, coumarin, and 1,8-naphthalimide as well as the Rydberg states. The present benchmark demonstrates that these two methods provide reasonably accurate geometries for the excited states of these heterocyclic compounds.