Search

Common one-electron reduced density matrix (1-RDM) functionals that depend on Coulomb and exchange-only integrals tend to underestimate dynamic correlation, preventing reduced density matrix functional theory (RDMFT) from achieving comparable accuracy to density functional theory in main-group thermochemistry and thermochemical kinetics. The recently developed ωP22 functional introduces a semi-local density functional to screen the erroneous short-range portion of 1-RDM functionals without double-counting correlation, potentially providing a better treatment of dynamic correlation around equilibrium geometries. Herein, we systematically evaluate the performance of this functional model, which consists of two parameters, on main-group thermochemistry, thermochemical kinetics, nonbonded interactions, and more. Tests on atomization energies, vibrational frequencies, and reaction barriers reveal that the ωP22 functional model can reliably predict properties at equilibrium and slightly away from equilibrium geometries. In particular, it outperforms commonly used density functionals in the prediction of reaction barriers, nonbonded interactions, and singlet diradicals, thus enhancing the predictive power of RDMFT for routine calculations of thermochemistry and thermochemical kinetics around equilibrium geometries. Further development is needed in the future to refine short- and long-range approximations in the functional model in order to achieve an excellent description of properties both near and far from equilibrium geometries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, we developed a low-scaling Multi-Layer Energy-Based Fragment (MLEBF) method for accurate excited-state calculations and nonadiabatic dynamics simulations of nonbonded fragment systems. In this work, we extend the MLEBF method to treat covalently bonded fragment ones. The main idea is cutting a target system into many fragments according to chemical properties. Fragments with dangling bonds are first saturated by chemical groups; then, saturated fragments, together with the original fragments without dangling bonds, are grouped into different layers. The accurate total energy expression is formulated with the many-body energy expansion theory, in combination with the inclusion–exclusion principle that is used to delete the contribution of chemical groups introduced to saturate dangling bonds. Specifically, in a two-layer MLEBF model, the photochemically active and inert layers are calculated with high-level and efficient electronic structure methods, respectively. Intralayer and interlayer energies can be truncated at the two- or three-body interaction level. Subsequently, through several systems, including neutral and charged covalently bonded fragment systems, we demonstrate that MLEBF can provide accurate ground- and excited-state energies and gradients. Finally, we realize the structure, conical intersection, and path optimizations by combining our MLEBF program with commercial and free packages, e.g., ASE and SciPy. These developments make MLEBF a practical and reliable tool for studying complex photochemical and photophysical processes of large nonbonded and bonded fragment systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an efficient method based on an extension of metadynamics for exploring complex free energy landscapes (FELs). The method employs two-step metadynamics simulations. In the first step, rapid metadynamics simulations using broad and tall Gaussians are performed to identify a free energy pathway (FEP) connecting the two states of interest. The FEP is then divided into a series of independent subphase spaces that comprise selected discrete images of the system. Using appropriate collective variables (CVs) chosen according to the FEP, the accurate FEL of each subphase space is separately calculated in subsequent divide-and-conquer metadynamics simulations with narrow and low Gaussians. Finally, all FELs calculated in each subphase space are merged to obtain the full FEL. We show that the method greatly improves the performance of the metadynamics approach. In particular, we are able to efficiently model chemical systems with complex FELs, such as chemical reactions at the air/water interface. We demonstrate the performance of this method on two model reactions: the hydrolysis of formaldehyde in the gas phase and at the air/water interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the structures and energies of CF3COCl in the low-lying electronic states have been determined by SA-2-CAS(8,7)/6-31G* and SA-2-MSPT2(8,7)/6-31G* calculations, which include equilibrium geometries, transition states, and three minimum-energy conical intersections (CI-1, CI-2, and CI-3) between S0 and S1 states. The AIMS method was used to carry out non-adiabatic dynamic simulations with the ab initio calculation performed at the SA-2-CAS(8,7)/6-31G* level. Upon irradiation to the S1 state, CF3COCl first relaxes to S1 minimum and then overcomes the ∼10 kcal/mol (TSS1_CCl) or ∼30 kcal/mol (TSS1_CO) barrier to the conical intersection region CI-1 or CI-3 (minor), with the S1 → S0 transition probability of 63:1. After non-adiabatic transition to the S0 state through CI-1, trajectories mainly distribute to three different reaction pathways, with one going back to S0 minimum through shortening of the C–Cl bond, the other forming CF3CO and Cl radicals by continuous elongation of the C–Cl distance, and another dissociating into CF3 + CO + Cl and running into the CI-3 region through elongation of C–C and C–Cl distances. Moreover, we found that the trajectories would recross to the S1 state with the recrossing probability of 13.9% through the CI-3 region due to the extremely sloped topographic character of CI-3. On the basis of time evolution of wavefunctions simulated here, the product ratio of CF3 + CO + Cl and CF3CO + Cl is 53.5%:18.4%, which is consistent with the experimental value of 3:1. We further explain the photo-dissociation wavelength dependence of CF3COCl, and the product ratio of CF3 + CO + Cl increases with the increase in total energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are receiving significant attention due to their excellent electronic and optoelectronic properties. The material quality is greatly affected by defects that are inevitably generated during material synthesis. Focusing on chalcogenide vacancies, which constitute the most common defect, we use the state-of-the-art simulation methodology developed in our group to demonstrate that W doping of MoSe2 with Se vacancies reduces charge carrier losses by two mechanisms. First, W doping makes the formation of double Se vacancies unfavorable, while it is favorable in undoped MoSe2. Second, if a Se vacancy is present, the charge carrier lifetimes are extended in the W-doped MoSe2. Combining ab initio real-time time-dependent density functional theory with nonadiabatic molecular dynamics, the simulations show that the nonradiative carrier losses in the presence of Se vacancies proceed by sub-10 ps electron trapping and relaxation down the manifold of trap states, followed by a 100 ps recombination of trapped electrons with free holes. The electron–vibrational energy exchange is driven by both in-plane and out-of-plane vibrational motions of the MoSe2 layer. The atomistic studies advance our understanding of the influence of defects on charge carrier properties in TMDs and guide improvements of material quality and development of TMD applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The position at which the second gold(i)-phosphine group is attached was experimentally found to play a noticeable role in intersystem crossing rates of gold(i) naphthalene derivatives. However, the physical origin is ambiguous. Herein we have employed generalized trajectory-based surface-hopping dynamics simulations to simulate the excited-state relaxation dynamics of these gold(i) naphthalene compounds including both the intersystem crossing process from the initially populated first excited singlet states S1 to triplet manifolds and internal conversion processes within these triplet states. Our predicted intersystem crossing rates are consistent with experiments very well. On the basis of the present results, we have found that (1) ultrafast and subpicosecond intersystem crossing processes are mainly caused by small energy gaps and large spin-orbit couplings between S1 and Tn; (2) adding the second gold(i)-phosphine group does not increase spin-orbit couplings between S1 and Tn but decrease their values remarkably, which implies that heavy-atom effects are state-specific, not stateuniversal; (3) the position at which the second gold(i)-phosphine group is attached has a remarkable influence on the electronic structures of S1 and Tn and their relative energies, which affect energy gaps and spin-orbit couplings between S1 and Tn and eventually modulate intersystem crossing rates from S1 to Tn. These new insights are very useful for the design of gold-containing compounds with excellent photoluminescence properties. Finally, this work also exemplifies that different isomers of a compound could have distinct excited-state relaxation dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stationary and intersection structures on the S0 and S1 potential energy surfaces of CH3COCH2Cl have been determined by the CAS(10,8)/cc-pVDZ optimizations and their relative energies are refined by the CASPT2//CAS(10,8)/cc-pVDZ single-point calculations. Non-adiabatic molecular dynamics simulations were performed on the basis of the state-averaged CAS(10,8)/cc-pVDZ calculated energies, energy gradients, and Hessian matrix for the S0 and S1 states. It is found that the features of the S1 potential energy surface and non-adiabatic effect control the selectivity of the two α-C-C bond fissions, which provides a reasonable explanation why one α-C-C bond was observed as a primary channel and the other is ruled out even if CH3COCH2Cl is excited at 193 nm. The β-C-Cl fission is determined to be a dominant channel once the CH3COCH2Cl molecule is excited to the S1 state and the β-C-Cl:α-C-C branching ratio is estimated by the RRKM rate theory to be 15:1 at 193 nm, which is overestimated in comparison with the value of ∼11:1 inferred experimentally. The present calculation reveals that the α-C-C fission might take place in the ground electronic state as a result of the S1 → S0 internal conversion upon photolysis at 308 nm. However, the measured kinetic energy distributions of the α-C-C fission products suggest that the fission does not involve internal conversion to the ground state. To solve this issue, we need to perform non-adiabatic quantum dynamics simulation on accurate S0, S1, and S2 potential energy surfaces, which is still a challenging task currently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the conformational preferences and photochemistry of acrylic acid (AA, CH2=CHCOOH) monomer isolated in cryogenic argon and krypton matrices were interpreted, based on results of quantum chemical calculations. Natural bond orbital analysis allowed to shed light on the main electronic effects determining the relative stability of the conformers of the molecule in the ground electronic state. The conformational isomerization taking place upon UV-irradiation of the matrix-isolated compound (λ ∼ 243 nm) was explained, based on theoretical complete active space self-consistent field/complete active space with second order perturbation theory (CASSCF/CASPT2) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) results, allowing to rationalize the nearly equal populations of the two lowest energy conformers of the molecule observed in the photostationary state. Besides, details of the infrared spectra of the compound were reinterpreted based on the calculated spectra for the two most stable conformers of the molecule. In particular, the assignments for the out-of-plane A″ symmetry vibrations were revised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, different electronic structure methods have been used to determine stationary and intersection structures on the ground (S0) and 1ππ* (S2) states of 4-methylpyridine, which is followed by adiabatic and nonadiabatic dynamics simulations to explore the mechanistic photoisomerization of 4-methylpyridine. Photoisomerization starts from the S2(1ππ*) state and overcomes a small barrier, leading to formation of the prefulvene isomer in the S0 state via a S2/S0 conical intersection. The ultrafast S2 → S0 nonradiative decay and low quantum yield for the photoisomerization reaction were well reproduced by the combined electronic structure calculation and dynamics simulation. The prefulvene isomer was assigned as a long-lived intermediate and suggested to isomerize to 4-methylpyridine directly in the previous study, which is not supported by the present calculation. The nonadiabatic dynamics simulation and electronic structure calculation reveal that the prefulvene isomer is a short-lived intermediate and isomerizes to benzvalene form very easily. The benzvalene form was predicted as the stable isomer in the present study and is probably the long-lived intermediate observed experimentally. A consecutive light and thermal isomerization cycle via Dewar isomer was determined and this cycle mechanism is different from that reported in the previous study. It should be pointed out that formation of Dewar isomer from the S2(1ππ*) state is not in competition with the isomerization to the prefulvene form. The Dewar structure observed experimentally may originate from other excited states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential energy surfaces for Cl2CO dissociation into CO+Cl+Cl in the lowest two electronic singlet states (S0 and S1) have been determined by the complete active space self-consistent field, coupled-cluster method with single and double excitations (CCSD), and equation-of-motion CCSD calculations, which are followed by direct ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to explore its photodissociation dynamics at 230 nm. It is found that the C–O stretching mode is initially excited upon irradiation and the excess internal energies are transferred to the C–Cl symmetric stretching mode within 200 fs. On average, the first and the second C–Cl bonds break completely within subsequent 60 and 100 fs, respectively. Electronic structure and dynamics calculations have thus provided a strong evidence that the photoinitiated dissociation of Cl2CO at 230 nm or shorter wavelengths is an ultrafast, adiabatic, and concerted three-body process. Since the two C–Cl bonds begin to break at the same time and the time interval between the two C–Cl bond broken fully is very short (∼40 fs), the photoinitiated dissociation of Cl2CO to CO+2Cl can be considered as the synchronous concerted process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ab initio calculations reveal that radiative lifetime of the lowest excited singlet state of 2-aminopyridine molecule should be around 20 ns, consistent with the molecules of the same type but is about one order of magnitude larger than the claimed experimental fluorescent lifetime in recent years. An S1/S0 conical intersection close to the S1 state has been located, which could be the possible nonradiative channel that is responsible for the fast decay observed in the experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential energy surfaces for the BrCH[SUB2]COC1 dissociations into Br+CH[SUB2]COC1, BrCH[SUB2]CO +C1, and BrCH[SUB2]+COC1 in the S[SUB0], S[SUB1], and T[SUB1] states have been investigated at the complete-active-space self-consistent field, density functional theory, and multireference configuration interaction levels with the 6-31G* and cc-pVDZ basis sets, which provide some new insights into the mechanism of the BrCH[SUB2]COC1 photodissociation at 248 nm. It is found that the most probable pathway is the S[SUB1] C-C1 α and C-Br β bond fissions, which are a pair of competitive dissociation channels with some preference of the α C-C1 bond cleavage. The C-C α bond fission can take place along the S[SUB1] pathway upon photoexcitation ar 248 nm, but it is not in competition with the C-C1 α bond cleavage. These results are consistent with the experimental findings. The relative strength of the C-C and C-C1 α bonds is one of the factors that influences the selectivity of the α bond fissions. However, the selectivity is mainly determined by the mechanism of dissociation upon n→&pie;* excitation. The preference of the C-C1 α bond fission over the C-Br β bond cleavage was attributed to the nonadiabatic recrossing in previous studies. The present calculations predict that the distance dependence of intramolecular energy relaxation is another important factor that influences the selectivity of the α and β bond cleavages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potential energy surfaces of the HClCO dissociation to H+ClCO and Cl+HCO in the lowest three electronic states (S[sub 0], S[sub 1], and T[sub 1]) have been investigated with ab initio molecular orbital method at the levels of the complete active space self-consistent-field, single- and multi-reference MP2. The results show that the C–Cl bond cleavage on the S[sub 1] surface is the most probable mechanism for the HClCO photodissociation at 230–320 nm. In comparison with formyl fluoride (HFCO), a significant difference was found in photodissociation dynamics between HClCO and HFCO, and this has been discussed in detail. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report transient resonance Raman spectra and density functional theory calculations for the photoproducts produced after ultraviolet excitation of CHBr[sub 2]Cl and CCl[sub 3]Br in cyclohexane solution. Comparison of the computed vibrational frequencies to the experimental Raman frequencies revealed that the iso-CHBrCl-Br and iso-CHClBr-Br species are mainly responsible for the transient resonance Raman spectrum observed following ultraviolet excitation of CHBr[sub 2]Cl. Similar comparisons for CCl[sub 3]Br showed the iso-CCl[sub 2]Cl-Br species is mainly responsible for the transient resonance Raman spectrum observed following ultraviolet excitation of CCl[sub 3]Br. Additional density functional theory computations were done to examine the chemical reactions of iso-CH[sub 2]Br-Cl and iso-CH[sub 2]Cl-Br with ethylene to give cyclopropane and Br-Cl product. We briefly discuss the possibility for release of reactive halogens into the atmosphere via the photochemical and chemical reactions of iso-polyhalomethane molecules formed after ultraviolet excitation of polyhalomethanes in condensed phase environments. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterizes the structures and properties of indole and its complexes in S[sub 0] and S[sub 1] with the Hartree-Fock, configuration interaction with single excitation, and complete active space self-consistent field methods. Influence of the intermolecular interaction on the structures and properties of the complexes.

Photo-induced multiple body dissociation is of fundamental interest in chemistry and physics. A description of the mechanism associated with n-body (n >= 3) photodissociation has proven to be an intriguing and yet challenging issue in the field of chemical dynamics. Oxalyl chloride, (ClCO)2, is the sole molecule reported up to date that can undergo four-body dissociation following absorption of a single UV photon, with a rich history of mechanistic debate. In the present work, the combined electronic structure calculations and dynamics simulations have been performed at the advanced level, which provides convincing evidence for resolving the mechanistic debate. More importantly, synchronous and asynchronous concertedness were explored for the first time for the (ClCO)2 photodissociation, which is based on the simulated time constants for the C-C and C-Cl bond fissions. Upon photoexcitation of (ClCO)2 to the S1 state, the adiabatic C-C or C-Cl fission takes place with little possibility. The four-body dissociation to 2Cl(2P) and 2CO(1Σ) was determined to a dominant channel with its branch of ∼0.7, while the three-body dissociation to ClCO(2A′) + CO(1Σ) + Cl(2P) was predicted to play a minor role in the (ClCO)2 photodissociation at 193 nm. Both the four-body and three-body dissociations are non-adiabatic processes, which proceed in a synchronous concerted way as a result of the S1 → S0 internal conversion. There is a little possibility for two-body dissociation to occur in the S0 and S1 states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Azobenzene is one of the most widely used photoactive units and recently an ethylene-bridged azobenzene (BAB) was reported to have greatly enhanced conversion efficiency, quantum yield, and other favorable properties. As the first step towards exploring its photo-switchable character in real systems, we report here a systematic study on the photoisomerization dynamics between trans (E) and cis (Z) isomers in the gas phase and the CH3OH solution, using ab initio based surface hopping and molecular dynamics, which is the first report of dynamics simulation to reveal the environmental effects on BAB photoreactions. Results show that while the relatively faster S1 relaxation of the photo-induced E → Z process is only mildly affected by the solvent effect, the relatively slower S1 relaxation of the reverse reaction becomes even slower in the solution compared to the gas phase. The subsequent S0 dynamics from the conical intersection between S1 and S0 (CI_E) to Z is accelerated in solution compared to the gas phase because of avoided re-crossing to the S1 state, while the S0 dynamics from the conical intersection between S1 and S0 (CI_Z) to E are basically the same in both phases. Overall, the solvent effect was found to enhance the back-and-forth photo-switch efficiency between the Z and E isomers compared to the gas phase, while the quantum yields are reduced. But the solution yields of both the forward and backward photoreactions are still around 0.4. Therefore, BAB may have good photo-responsive properties if used as a photoactive unit in real systems. These results will facilitate future experimental and theoretical studies in this area to help design new azobenzene derivatives as photoactive units in biological processes, nanoscale devices, and photo-responsive materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thiothymidine has a potential application as a photosensitizer in cancer photodynamic therapy (PDT). As the chromophore of thiothymidine, 2-thiothymine exhibits ultrahigh quantum yield of intersystem crossing to the lowest triplet state T1 (ca. 100%), which contrasts with the excited-state behavior of the natural thymine that dissipates excess electronic energy via ultrafast internal conversion to the ground state. In this work, we employed high-level complete-active space self-consistent field and its second-order perturbation methods to explore the photophysical mechanism of a 2-thiothymine model. We have optimized the minimum energy structures in the low-lying seven electronic states, as well as ten intersection points. On the basis of the computed potential energy profiles and spin-orbit couplings, we proposed three competitive, efficient nonadiabatic pathways to the lowest triplet state T1 from the initially populated singlet state S2. The suggested mechanistic scenario explains well the recent experimental phenomena. The origin responsible for the distinct photophysical behaviors between thymine and 2-thiothymine is ascribed to the heavy-atom effect, which is significantly enhanced in the latter. Additionally, this heavy-atom effect is found to be state-specific, which could in principle be used to tune the photophysics of 2-thiothymine. The present high-level electronic structure calculations also contribute to understand the working mechanism of thiothymidine in PDT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Potential energy surfaces of the HFCO dissociation to H+FCO and F+HCO in the lowest three electronic states (S[sub 0], S[sub 1], and T[sub 1]) have been investigated with ab initio molecular orbital method at the level of the complete active space self-consistent field. An insight into the dynamics of the HFCO photodissociation at the range of 193–248 nm was provided in the present work. Radiationless transfer from S[sub 1] to T[sub 1] and subsequent dissociation on the T[sub 1] surface was predicted to be the mechanism for the C–H bond cleavage, which is consistent with that proposed by experimentalists. The experimental investigations of the HFCO photodissociation suggest that the F–C bond fission also occurs as a result of intersystem crossing (ISC) from S[sub 1] to T[sub 1], which is not supported by the present calculations. This has been discussed in detail. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive ab initio calculations at different levels of theory have been performed with the 6-31G(d,p) basis set. Three minimum energy structures of (a), (b), and (c) were found on the ground (S[sub 0]) and excited (S[sub 1]) state surfaces of the phenol-(H[sub 2]O)[sub 2] complex, with cyclic structure (a) being the most stable. Experimentally inferred very low frequencies for intermolecular vibrations in S[sub 1] were reproduced using the present calculations. The high vibrational mode density resulting from very low frequency vibrations of the structure (b) may be responsible for a broad electronic origin in the spectra of the phenol-(H[sub 2]O)[sub 2] complex. The intermolecular interaction has little influence on the structures of phenol and water, but a significant change is found in the properties upon complexation. The intramolecular vibrations, which have frequencies of the magnitude of the intermolecular vibrations or involve the OH group of phenol, are significantly affected by formation of complex. All of these have been discussed in detail. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structures and properties of phenol and its complex were characterized at the Hartree-Fock (HF), the second-order Moller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), and complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) levels for the ground state (S[sub 0]) and at the configuration interaction with single excitation (CIS) and CASSCF levels for the excited electronic state (S[sub 1]). The intermolecular interaction has little influence on the structures of phenol and water. However, a significant change is found in the properties upon complex, and this has been discussed in detail. A comparison with the experimental findings shows that the present calculations provide a good description of the nature of phenol and its complex in S[sub 0] and S[sub 1]. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are receiving significant attention due to their excellent electronic and optoelectronic properties. The material quality is greatly affected by defects that are inevitably generated during material synthesis. Focusing on chalcogenide vacancies, which constitute the most common defect, we use the state-of-the-art simulation methodology developed in our group to demonstrate that W doping of MoSe 2 with Se vacancies reduces charge carrier losses by two mechanisms. First, W doping makes the formation of double Se vacancies unfavorable, while it is favorable in undoped MoSe 2 . Second, if a Se vacancy is present, the charge carrier lifetimes are extended in the W-doped MoSe 2 . Combining ab initio real-time time-dependent density functional theory with nonadiabatic molecular dynamics, the simulations show that the nonradiative carrier losses in the presence of Se vacancies proceed by sub-10 ps electron trapping and relaxation down the manifold of trap states, followed by a 100 ps recombination of trapped electrons with free holes. The electron-vibrational energy exchange is driven by both in-plane and out-of-plane vibrational motions of the MoSe 2 layer. The atomistic studies advance our understanding of the influence of defects on charge carrier properties in TMDs and guide improvements of material quality and development of TMD applications.

The photoinduced rearrangement reaction mechanism of 1,2,3-thiadiazole remains experimentally elusive. Two possible mechanisms have been proposed to date. The first is a stepwise mechanism via a thiocarbene intermediate; the second is an excited-state concerted rearrangement mechanism. Herein we have adopted both the electronic structure calculations and nonadiabatic dynamics simulations to study the photoinduced rearrangement reactions of 1,2,3-thiadiazole in the S 2 , S 1 , and S 0 states in solution. On the basis of QM(CASPT2)/MM [quantum mechanics(complete active space self-consistent field second-order perturbation theory)/molecular mechanics] calculations, we have found that (1) the thiocarbene intermediate is not stable; thus, the stepwise mechanism should be unfavorable; (2) the excited-state decay from the S 2 via S 1 to S 0 state is ultrafast and completed within ca. 200 fs; therefore, both the S 2 and S 1 states should not have a long enough time for the excited-state rearrangements. Instead, we have computationally proposed a modified photoinduced rearrangement mechanism. Upon irradiation, the S 2 state is first populated (114.0 kcal/mol), followed by an ultrafast S 2  → S 1  → S 0 excited-state decay along the S-N bond fission, which eventually leads to a very "hot" intermediate with the S-N bond broken (18.3 kcal/mol). Then, thermal rearrangements to thioketene, thiirene, and ethynethiol occur in a concerted asynchronous way. This mechanistic scenario has been verified by full-dimensional trajectory-based nonadiabatic dynamics simulations at the QM(CASPT2)/MM level. Finally, our present computational work provides experimentally interesting mechanistic insights into the photoinduced rearrangement reactions of cyclic and acyclic diazo compounds.

The excited-state structural dynamics and the decay mechanism of 2(1H)-pyridinone (NHP) after excitation to the S 4 (2 1 ππ * ) light-absorbing state were studied using resonance Raman spectroscopy and complete-active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) calculations. The B-band absorption cross-section and the corresponding absolute resonance Raman cross-sections were simulated using a simple model based on time-dependent wave-packet theory. The geometric structures of the singlet electronic excited states and their curve-crossing points were optimized at the CASSCF level of theory. The obtained short-time structural dynamics in easy-to-visualize internal coordinates were then compared with the CASSCF-predicted structural-parameter changes of S 4 (2 1 ππ * )/S 3 (2 1 nπ * )-MIN, S 4 (2 1 ππ * )/S 1 (1 1 nπ * )-MIN, and S 4 (2 1 ππ * )-MIN. Our results indicate that the initial population of NHP in the S 4 state bifurcates in or near the Franck-Condon region, leading to two predominant (S 4 S 3 -MIN and S 4 S 1 -MIN) internal conversion pathways. The lowest-lying S 2 (1 1 ππ * ) excited state is finally formed via subsequent internal conversions S 3 (2 1 nπ * )/S 2 (1 1 ππ * )-MIN and S 1 (1 1 nπ * )/S 2 (1 1 ππ * )-MIN. The enol-keto tautomeric mechanism does not seem to play a role. The decay mechanism in the singlet realm is proposed.

In this work, the combined electronic structure calculations and non-adiabatic dynamics simulations were performed for understanding mechanistic photodissociation of cyclobutanone at ∼248 nm. Besides the stationary and intersection structures reported before, two new conical intersections between the ground (S0) and the first excited singlet (S1) states were determined in the present study, which were confirmed to be the new S1 → S0 funnels by the ab initio multiple spawning dynamic simulation, giving rise to products in the S0 state selectively. The time evolution of the S1 electronic population was fitted with the pure exponential formulae, from which the S1 lifetime was estimated to be 484.0 fs. The time constant for the S1 α-cleavage is calculated to be 176.6 fs, which is based on the present dynamics simulation. As a result of the ultrafast S1 processes, the statistical distribution of the excess energies is prevented in the S1 state. The S1 dynamic effect (the nonergodic behavior) was predicted to be an important factor that is responsible for the wavelength dependence of the branching ratio of photodissociation products, which will be discussed in detail.

In this work, the recently introduced quantum trajectory mean-field (QTMF) approach is implemented and employed to explore photodissociation dynamics of diazirinone (N2CO), which are based on the high-level ab initio calculation. For comparison, the photodissociation process has been simulated as well with the fewest-switches surface hopping (FSSH) and the ab initio multiple spawning (AIMS) methods. Overall, the dynamical behavior predicted by the three methods is consistent. The N2CO photodissociation at λ > 335 nm is an ultrafast process and the two C-N bonds are broken in a stepwise way, giving birth to CO and N2 as the final products in the ground state. Meanwhile, some noticeable differences were found in the QTMF, FSSH, and AIMS simulated time constants for fission of the C-N bonds, excited-state lifetime, and nonadiabatic transition ratios in different intersection regions. These have been discussed in detail. The present study provides a clear evidence that direct ab initio QTMF approach is one of the reliable tools for simulating nonadiabatic dynamics processes.

Ultrahigh quantum yields of intersystem crossing to the lowest triplet state T1 are observed for 2-thiouracils (2TU), which is in contrast to the natural uracils that predominantly exhibit ultrafast internal conversion to the ground state upon excitation to the singlet excited state. The intersystem crossing mechanism of 2TU has recently been investigated using second-order perturbation methods with a high-level complete-active space self-consistent field. Three competitive nonadiabatic pathways to the lowest triplet state T1 from the initially populated singlet excited state S2 were proposed. We investigate the initial decay dynamics of 2TU from the light absorbing excited states using resonance Raman spectroscopy, time-dependent wave-packet theory in the simple model, and complete-active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and time dependent-Becke's three-parameter exchange and correlation functional with the Lee-Yang-Parr correlation functional (TD-B3LYP) calculations. The obtained short-time structural dynamics in easy-to-visualize internal coordinates were compared with the CASSCF(16,11) predicted key nonadiabatic decay routes. Our results indicate that the predominant decay pathway initiated at the Franck-Condon region is toward the S2/S1 conical intersection point and S2T3 intersystem crossing point, but not toward the S2T2 intersystem crossing point.

The photophysics of two α,β-carboxylic methyl esters after excitation to the light absorbing S2(ππ(*)) state were studied by using the resonance Raman spectroscopy and complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) method calculations. The vibrational spectra were assigned on the basis of the experimental measurements and the B3LYP/6-31G(d) computations, as well as the normal mode analysis. The A-band resonance Raman spectra of methyl 2,4-pentadienoate (M24PDA) and methyl trans cronoate (MTCA) were measured to probe the structural dynamics in Franck-Condon region. CASSCF calculations were done to obtain the minimal excitation energies and geometric structures of the lower-lying singlet and triplet excited states, and the curve-crossing points. It was revealed that the short-time structural dynamics of M24PDA was dominated by the Cα=Cβ-C4=C5 stretch coordinate, while that of MTCA was mostly along the Cα=Cβ and the C=O stretch motion. Comparison of the structural dynamics of M24PDA and MTCA with that of 3-methyl-3-pentene-2-one (3M3P2O) indicated that the structural dynamics of MTCA is similar to that of 3M3P2O but different than that of M24PDA in that the variation of the Raman intensity ratios for ν7/ν8, (ν7+ν8)/2ν8, (ν7+2ν8)/3ν8, (ν7+3ν8)/4ν8 of MTCA is similar to that of 3M3P2O but different from that of M24PDA. It is found that the substitution of methyl group in the α(')-position of α,β-enones by methoxyl group does not substantially affect the short-time structural dynamics, while the substitution of vinyl group in the β-position changes significantly the short-time structural dynamics and the subsequent decay processes. A detailed decay mechanism is proposed. Two sub-processes which consider the reconjugation and the subsequent charge-transfer reaction of O=C-Cα=Cβ chromophore were postulated to describe the variation of short-time structural dynamics with the different substitution.

The excited state structural dynamics of phenyl isothiocyanate (PITC) after excitation to the light absorbing S2(A'), S6(A'), and S7(A') excited states were studied by using the resonance Raman spectroscopy and complete active space self-consistent field method calculations. The UV absorption bands of PITC were assigned. The vibrational assignments were done on the basis of the Fourier transform (FT)-Raman and FT-infrared measurements, the density-functional theory computations, and the normal mode analysis. The A-, B-, and C-bands resonance Raman spectra in cyclohexane, acetonitrile, and methanol solvents were, respectively, obtained at 299.1, 282.4, 266.0, 252.7, 228.7, 217.8, and 208.8 nm excitation wavelengths to probe the corresponding structural dynamics of PITC. The results indicated that the structural dynamics in the S2(A'), S6(A'), and S7(A') excited states were very different. The conical intersection point CI(S2/S1) were predicted to play important role in the low-lying excited state decay dynamics. Two major decay channels were predicted for PITC upon excitation to the S2(A') state: the radiative S(2,min) → S0 transition and the nonradiative S2 → S1 internal conversion via CI(S2/S1). The differences in the decay dynamics between methyl isothiocyanate and PITC in the first light absorbing excited state were discussed. The role of the intersystem crossing point ISC(S1/T1) in the excited state decay dynamics of PITC is evaluated.

2-Aminopyridine dimer has frequently been used as a model system for studying photochemistry of DNA base pairs. We examine here the relevance of 2-aminopyridine dimer for a Watson-Crick adenine-thymine base pair by studying UV-light induced photodynamics along two main hydrogen bridges after the excitation to the localized (1)pi pi(*) excited-state. The respective two-dimensional potential-energy surfaces have been determined by time-dependent density functional theory with Coulomb-attenuated hybrid exchange-correlation functional (CAM-B3LYP). Different mechanistic aspects of the deactivation pathway have been analyzed and compared in detail for both systems, while the related reaction rates have also be obtained from Monte Carlo kinetic simulations. The limitations of the 2-aminopyridine dimer as a model system for the adenine-thymine base pair are discussed.

The multistate second order multiconfigurational perturbation theory in conjunction with spin-orbit interaction through complete active space state interaction (MS-CASPT2/CASSI-SO) was employed to calculate the potential energy curves for the ground and low-lying excited states of o-, m-, and p-iodotoluene along the assumed photolysis reaction coordinates. The mechanism and channels leading to products I((2)P(3/2)) and I( *)((2)P(3/2)) for o-, m-, and p-iodotoluene photolysis at 266 and 304 nm were elucidated with the computed potential energy curves and the surface crossing points. The effects of methyl substituent and heavy atom on the photodissociation mechanism were discussed by the comparison to related alkyl and aryl halides.

In the present paper we report a theoretical study on mechanistic photodissociation of acetaldehyde (CH(3)CHO). Stationary structures for H(2) and CO eliminations in the ground state (S(0)) have been optimized with density functional theory method, which is followed by the intrinsic reaction coordinate and ab initio molecular dynamics calculations to confirm the elimination mechanism. Equilibrium geometries, transition states, and intersection structures for the C-C and C-H dissociations in excited states were determined by the complete-active-space self-consistent field (CASSCF) method. Based on the CASSCF optimized structures, the potential energy profiles for the dissociations were refined by performing the single-point calculations using the multireference configuration interaction method. Upon the low-energy irradiation of CH(3)CHO (265 nm < lambda < 318 nm), the T(1) C-C bond fission following intersystem crossing from the S(1) state is the predominant channel and the minor channel, the ground-state elimination to CH(4) + CO after internal conversion (IC) from S(1) to S(0), could not be excluded. With the photon energy increasing, another pathway of IC, achieved via an S(1)/S(0) intersection point resulting from the S(1) C-C bond fission, becomes accessible and increases the yield of CH(4) + CO.

The photodissociations of o-, m-, and p-bromotoluene were investigated by ab initio and spin-orbit ab initio calculations. The possible photodissociation mechanisms at 266 and 193 nm were clarified by multistate second order multiconfigurational perturbation theory (MS-CASPT2) calculated potential energy curves, vertical excitation energies, and oscillator strengths of low-lying states. The dissociation products with spin-orbit-coupled states of Br(*)((2)P(12)) and Br((2)P(32)) were identified by the MS-CASPT2 method in conjunction with spin-orbit interaction through complete active space state interaction (MS-CASPT2/CASSI-SO) calculations. The effects of methyl rotation and substituent on the photodissociation mechanism were discussed.

The selectivity of the C-CH(3) and C-CN bond fissions upon excitation of acetyl cyanide at 193 nm has been investigated at the theoretical level of multistate complete active space self-consistent field second order perturbation. The calculated results indicated that the initially excited S(3) state relaxes to S(2) via ultrafast internal conversion. The S(2) state could dissociate via two pathways. One, adiabatically dissociates to CH(3)CO(X)+CN(A). The other one internally converts to S(1) before S(1) intersystem crossing to T(1). The T(1) state subsequently dissociates to two groups of products: CH(3)(X)+OCCN(X) and CH(3)CO(X)+CN(X). The experimentally observed preference branching of CN elimination over CH(3) one and bond selectivity are the results of the competition between the adiabatic and nonadiabatic dynamics of the S(2) state.

Photodissociations of the o-, m-, and p-chlorotoluene at 193 and 266 nm were investigated by ab initio calculations with and without spin-orbit interaction. The experimentally observed photodissociation channels were clearly assigned by multistate second order multiconfigurational perturbation theory (MS-CASPT2) calculated potential energy curves. The dissociation products with spin-orbit-coupled states of Cl*(2P1/2) and Cl(2P3/2) were identified by MS-CASPT2 in conjunction with spin-orbit interaction through complete active space state interaction (MS-CASPT2/CASSI-SO) calculations. The effects of methyl rotation and substituent on the photodissociation mechanism were discussed in detail.

The selectivity of the alpha C-Cl and beta C-Br bond fissions upon n-->pi(*) excitation of bromoacetyl chloride has been investigated with combined nonadiabatic Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus theory and ab initio molecular dynamics calculations, which are based on the potential energy profiles calculated with the complete active space self-consistent field and multireference configuration interaction methods. The Zhu-Nakamura [J. Chem. Phys. 101, 10630 (1994); 102, 7448 (1995)] theory is chosen to calculate the nonadiabatic hopping probability. It is found that nonadiabatic effect plays an important role in determining selective dissociations of the C-Cl and C-Br bonds. The calculated rate constants are close to those from experimentally inferred values, but the branching ratio of the alpha C-Cl and beta C-Br bond fissions is different from the experimental findings. The direct molecular dynamics calculations predict that fission of the C-Cl bond occurs on a time scale of picoseconds and cleavage of the beta C-Br bond proceeds with less probability within the same period. This reveals that the initial relaxation dynamics is probably another important factor that influences the selectivity of the C-Cl and C-Br bond fissions in photodissociation of BrCH(2)COCl at 248 nm.

In the present work, the wavelength-dependent mechanistic photochemistry of glyoxal in the gas phase has been explored by ab initio calculations of potential-energy surfaces, surface crossing points, and adiabatic and nonadiabatic rates. The CHOCHO molecules in S1 by photoexcitation at 393-440 nm mainly decay to the ground state via internal conversion, which is followed by molecular eliminations to form CO, H2CO,H2, and HCOH. Upon photodissociation of CHOCHO at 350-390 nm, intersystem crossing to T1 followed by the C-C bond cleavage is the dominant process in this wavelength range, which is responsible for the formation of the CHO radicals. The C-C and C-H bond cleavages along the S1 pathway are energetically accessible upon photodissociation of CHOCHO at 290-310 nm, which can compete with the S1-->T1 intersystem crossing process. The present study predicts that the C-H bond cleavage on the S1 surface is probably a new photolysis pathway at high excitation energy, which has not been observed experimentally. In addition, the trans-cis isomerization is predicted to occur more easily in the ground state than in the excited states.

The S2 potential energy surface for Cl2CS dissociation has been characterized with a combined complete active space self-consistent field and multireference configuration interaction method. The S3/S2 minimum-energy intersection has been determined with the state-averaged complete active space self-consistent field method. The S2 direct dissociation was found to have a barrier of 6.0 kcal/mol, leading to formation of Cl(X2P)+ClCS(A2A") in the excited electronic state. Dynamics of the S2 state of Cl2CS can be summarized as follows: (1) The S2-S0 fluorescence occurs with high quantum yield at low excess energies; (2) Both the S(2) dissociation and the S2-->S3 internal conversion cause the loss of the S2-S0 fluorescence upon photoexcitation at 235-253 nm; (3) The S2-->S3 internal conversion (IC) followed by the direct IC to the ground electronic state results in the fragments produced in the ground state, while the S2 dissociation leads to formation of the fragments in excited electronic states.