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While direct hot-carrier transfer can increase photo-catalytic activity, it is difficult to discern experimentally and competes with several other mechanisms. To shed light on these aspects, here, we model from first principles hot-carrier generation across the interface between plasmonic nanoparticles and a CO molecule. The hot-electron transfer probability depends non-monotonically on the nanoparticle-molecule distance and can be effective at long distances, well outside the region of chemisorption; hot-hole transfer on the other hand is limited to shorter distances. These observations can be explained by the energetic alignment between molecular and nanoparticle states as well as the excitation frequency. The hybridization of the molecular orbitals is the key predictor for hot-carrier transfer in these systems, emphasizing the need to include the effects of ground state hybridization for accurate predictions. Finally, we show a non-trivial dependence of the hot-carrier distribution on the excitation energy, which could be exploited when optimizing photo-catalytic systems., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures

We report a benchmark study of vertical excitation energies and oscillator strengths for the HOMO -> LUMO transitions of 17 boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) structures, showing a large variety of ring sizes and substituents. Results obtained at the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) and at the delta-self-consistent-field (Delta SCF) by using 13 different exchange correlation kernels (within LDA, GGA, hybrid, and range-separated approximations) are benchmarked against the experimental excitation energies when available. It is found that the time-independent Delta SCF DFT method, when used in combination with hybrid PBE0 and B3LYP functionals, largely outperforms TDDFT and can be quite competitive, in terms of accuracy, with computationally more costly wave function based methods such as CC2 and CASPT2.

New mononuclear ternary transition metal complexes: [M(HL)(bipy)2]ClO4, (M: Mn(II) for 1, Ni(II) for 2), [M(HL) (bipy) (ClO4)], (M: Ni(II) for 3, Cu(II) for 4, Zn(II) for 5) with M(II), 2-[(hydroxyimino)methyl]-4-[-phenyldiazenyl] phenol, H2L, and 2,2’-bipyridine were synthesized, and their structures were investigated by using various analytical, spectroscopic techniques such as elemental analysis, FTIR, UV-Vis, NMR, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, thermal analysis. The theoretical studies were performed by DFT techniques by using B3LYP function with 6-311++G (d, p)/ LanLD2Z basis set. The electronic transitions charters of the complexes were further analyzed by TD-DFT/CAM-B3LYP method. IR and thermal analysis data verify the proposed structures. The inhibition activities of the complexes against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) extracted from Ricania simulans adults and nymphs were examined and all the complexes were found to be active. Among the complexes studied, the highest inhibition activity was exhibited by complex 5 with the lowest IC50 value (3.2 ± 0.8 μM) for AChE of adults and complex 3 with the lowest IC50 value (4.6 ± 0.8 μM) for AChE of nymphs.

The rational design of cyanine dyes for the fine-tuning of their photophysical properties undoubtedly requires theoretical considerations for understanding and predicting their absorption and fluorescence characteristics. The present study aims to assess the applicability and accuracy of several DFT functionals for calculating the absorption and fluorescence maxima of monomethine cyanine dyes. Ten DFT functionals and different basis sets were examined to select the proper theoretical model for calculating the electronic transitions of eight representative molecules from this class of compounds. The self-aggregation of the dyes was also considered. The pure exchange functionals (M06L, HFS, HFB, B97D) combined with the triple-zeta basis set 6-311+G(2d,p) showed the best performance during the theoretical estimation of the absorption and fluorescent characteristics of cyanine dyes.

A new series of 13 pyrazole-derivative compounds with potential antifungal activity were synthetized with good yields. The series have the (E)-2-((1-(R)-3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)diazenyl)phenol general structure and were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis, FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, and two-dimensional NMR experiments. This experimental characterization was complemented by DFT simulations. A deep insight regarding molecular reactivity was accomplished employing a conceptual DFT approach. In this sense, dual descriptors were calculated at HF and DFT level of theory and GGV spin-density Fukui functions. The main reactive region within the molecules was mapped through isosurface and condensed representations. Finally, chemical descriptors that have previously shown to be close related to biological activity were compared within the series. Thus, higher values of chemical potential ω and electrophilicity χ obtained for compounds 10, 9, 8, 6 and 7, in this order, suggest that these molecules are the better candidates as biological agents., Grants Fondecyt 1180565, 1201880, 11200677, and 3210559. ANID/FONDAP/15110019.

Intermolecular interactions modulate the electro-optical properties of molecular materials and the nature of low-lying exciton states. Molecular materials composed by oligoacenes are extensively investigated for their semiconducting and optoelectronic properties. Here, we analyze the exciton states derived from time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations for two oligoacene model aggregates: naphthalene and anthracene dimers. To unravel the role of inter-molecular interactions, a set of diabatic states is selected, chosen to coincide with local (LE) and charge-transfer (CT) excitations within a restricted orbital space including two occupied and two unoccupied orbitals for each molecular monomer. We study energy profiles and disentangle inter-state couplings to disclose the (CT) character of singlet and triplet exciton states and assess the influence of inter-molecular orientation by displacing one molecule with respect to the other along the longitudinal translation coordinate. The analysis shows that (CT) contributions are relevant, although comparably less effective for triplet excitons, and induce a non-negligible mixed character to the low-lying exciton states for eclipsed monomers and for small translational displacements. Such (CT) contributions govern the La/Lb state inversion occurring for the low-lying singlet exciton states of naphthalene dimer and contribute to the switch from H- to J-aggregate type of the strongly allowed Bb transition of both oligoacene aggregates.

Combining phase‐dependent photoluminescence (PL) measurements and quantum chemical calculations is a powerful approach to help understand the influence of the molecular surroundings on the PL properties. Herein, a phosphine functionalized amidinate was used to synthesize a recently presented bimetallic gold complex, featuring an unusual charge separation. The latter was subsequently used as metalloligand to yield heterotetrametallic complexes with an Au‐M‐M‐Au “molecular wire” arrangement (M=Cu, Ag, Au) featuring metallophilic interactions. All compounds show bright phosphorescence in the solid state, also at ambient temperature. The effect of the molecular environment on the PL was studied in detail for these tetrametallic complexes by comparative measurements in solution, in the solid state and in the gas phase and contrasted to time‐dependent density functional theory computations., The photoluminescence of Au‐M‐M‐Au (M=Cu, Ag, Au) “molecular wire” complexes was studied in detail by comparative measurements in solution, in the solid state and in the gas phase and contrasted to time‐dependent density functional theory computations.

JACS Au 1(9), 1412 – 1421 (2021). doi:10.1021/jacsau.1c00196, Cu-zeolites are able to directly convert methane to methanol via a three-step process using O$_2$ as oxidant. Among the different zeolite topologies, Cu-exchanged mordenite (MOR) shows the highest methanol yields, attributed to a preferential formation of active Cu–oxo species in its 8-MR pores. The presence of extra-framework or partially detached Al species entrained in the micropores of MOR leads to the formation of nearly homotopic redox active Cu–Al–oxo nanoclusters with the ability to activate CH$_4$. Studies of the activity of these sites together with characterization by $^{27}$Al NMR and IR spectroscopy leads to the conclusion that the active species are located in the 8-MR side pockets of MOR, and it consists of two Cu ions and one Al linked by O. This Cu–Al–oxo cluster shows an activity per Cu in methane oxidation significantly higher than of any previously reported active Cu–oxo species. In order to determine unambiguously the structure of the active Cu–Al–oxo cluster, we combine experimental XANES of Cu K- and L-edges, Cu K-edge HERFD-XANES, and Cu K-edge EXAFS with TDDFT and AIMD-assisted simulations. Our results provide evidence of a [Cu$_2$AlO$_2$]$^{2+}$ cluster exchanged on MOR Al pairs that is able to oxidize up to two methane molecules per cluster at ambient pressure., Published by ACS Publications, Washington, DC

Noble metal nanoclusters allow for the atomically- precise control of their composition. However, to create nanoclusters with pre-defined optical properties, comprehensive description of their structure-property relation is required. Here, we report the gold atom doping impact on one-photon and two-photon absorption (TPA) and luminescence properties of ligated silver nanoclusters via combined experimental studies and time-dependent density functional theory simulations (TD-DFT). We synthesized a series of Ag25−xAux(DMBT)18 nanoclusters where x=0, 1 and 5–10. For Ag24Au1(DMBT)18 we demonstrate that the presence of the central Au dopant strongly influences linear and non-linear optical properties, increasing photoluminescence quantum yield and two-photon brightness, with respect to undoped silver nanoclusters. With improved TPA and luminescence, atomically-precise AuAg alloys presented in our work can serve as robust luminescent probes e.g. for bioimaging in the second biological window.

A new set of auxiliary basis function suitable to fit the induced electron density is presented. Such set has been optimized in order to furnish accurate absorption spectra using the complex polarizability algorithm of time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). An automatic procedure has been set up, able, thanks to the definition of suitable descriptors, to evaluate the resemblance of the auxiliary basis-dependent calculated spectra with respect to a reference. In this way, it has been possible to reduce the size of the basis set maximizing the basis set accuracy. Thanks to the choice to employ a collection of molecules for each element, such basis has proven transferable to molecules outside the collection. The final sets are therefore much more accurate and smaller than the previously optimized ones and have been already included in the database of the last release of the AMS suite of programs. The availability of the present new set will allow to improve drastically the applicability range of the polTDDFT method with higher accuracy and less computational effort.

Morin (M) is one of the most widely distributed flavonoids with several beneficial effects on human health, and has the potential of being used as a possible treatment for COVID-19. To achieve a better understanding of the process of M dissolution, the fluorescent (FL) emission from M solutions prepared with different polar and nonpolar solvents (methanol, DMSO, and chloroform) was measured and compared with the FL emission from M powder and M crystals. In the FL spectra of the solutions with high M concentration, as well as in the spectra of M in solid state, two features, at 615 nm and 670 nm, were observed. As the solution concentration decreases, the maxima of FL spectra of the M solutions in all considered solvents shift to the blue side of the spectrum until reaching the value of 520 nm. To explain the experimental results, the TDDFT-M06-2X/6-31++G(d,p) method was used to determine the possible electronic transitions in the M molecule. The computations show that the FL emission in the spectral range of detection of our setup (405–800 nm) is related to the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT). Comparison of the experimental data with the computations strongly suggests that in low-concentrated solutions, the FL emission is mostly due to electronic transitions in the keto OH3 form, whereas in aggregated states, the dominate contribution to the FL emission spectra is due to the transitions in keto OH5 form. Moreover, the time evolution of the M solutions FL spectra was observed, measured and explained for the first time.

We introduce iSPECTRON, a program that parses data from common quantum chemistry software (NWChem, OpenMolcas, Gaussian, Cobramm, etc.), produces the input files for the simulation of linear and nonlinear spectroscopy of molecules with the Spectron code, and analyzes the spectra with a broad range of tools. Vibronic spectra are expressed in term of the electronic eigenstates, obtained from quantum chemistry computations, and vibrational/bath effects are incorporated in the framework of the displaced harmonic oscillator model, where all required quantities are computed at the Franck-Condon point. The program capabilities are illustrated by simulating linear absorption, transient absorption and two dimensional electronic spectra of the pyrene molecule. Calculations at two levels of electronic structure theory, time-dependent density functional theory (with NWChem) and RASSCF/RASPT2 (with OpenMolcas) are presented and compared where possible. The iSPECTRON program is available online at https://github.com/ispectrongit/iSPECTRON/ and distributed open source under the terms of the Educational Community License version 2.0 (ECL 2.0).

The equilibrium and conical intersection geometries of the benzene dimer were computed in the framework of the conventional, linear-response time-dependent and spin-flipped time-dependent density functional theories (known as DFT, TDDFT and SF-TDDFT) as well as using the multiconfigurational complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) method considering the minimally augmented def2-TZVPP and the 6–31G(d,p) basis sets. It was found that the stacking distance between the benzene monomers decreases by about 0.5 Å in the first electronic excited state, due to the stronger intermolecular interaction energy, bringing the two monomers closer together. Intermolecular-type conical intersection (CI) geometries can be formed between the two benzene molecules, when (i) both monomer rings show planar deformation and (ii) weaker (approximately 1.6–1.8 Å long) C–C bonds are formed between the two monomers, with parallel and antiparallel orientation with respect to the monomer. These intermolecular-type CIs look energetically more favorable than dimeric CIs containing only one deformed monomer. The validity of the dimer-type CI geometries obtained by SF-TDDFT was confirmed by the CASSCF method. The nudged elastic band method used for finding the optimal relaxation path has confirmed both the accessibility of these intermolecular-type CIs and the possibility of the radiationless deactivation of the electronic excited states through these CI geometries. Although not as energetically favorable as the previous two CI geometries, there are other CI geometries characterized by the relative rotation of monomers at different angles around a vertical C–C axis.

Ca2+-triggered coelenterazine-binding protein (CBP) is a natural form of the luciferase substrate involved in the Renilla bioluminescence reaction. It is a stable complex of coelenterazine and apoprotein that, unlike coelenterazine, is soluble and stable in an aquatic environment and yields a significantly higher bioluminescent signal. This makes CBP a convenient substrate for luciferase-based in vitro assay. In search of a similar substrate form for the luciferase NanoLuc, a furimazine-apoCBP complex was prepared and verified against furimazine, coelenterazine, and CBP. Furimazine-apoCBP is relatively stable in solution and in a frozen or lyophilized state, but as distinct from CBP, its bioluminescence reaction with NanoLuc is independent of Ca2+. NanoLuc turned out to utilize all the four substrates under consideration. The pairs of CBP-NanoLuc and coelenterazine-NanoLuc generate bioluminescence with close efficiency. As for furimazine-apoCBP-NanoLuc pair, the efficiency with which it generates bioluminescence is almost twice lower than that of the furimazine-NanoLuc. The integral signal of the CBP-NanoLuc pair is only 22% lower than that of furimazine-NanoLuc. Thus, along with furimazine as the most effective NanoLuc substrate, CBP can also be recommended as a substrate for in vitro analytical application in view of its water solubility, stability, and Ca2+-triggering “character”.

To understand the photochemical behaviour of the polydopamine polymer in detail, one would also need to know the behaviour of its building blocks. The electronic absorption, as well as the fluorescence emission and excitation spectra of the dopamine were experimentally and theoretically investigated considering time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and first-principles quantum theory methods. The shape of the experimental absorption spectra obtained for different dopamine species with standard, zwitterionic, protonated, and deprotonated geometries was interpreted by considering the advanced equation-of-motion coupled-cluster theory of DLPNO-STEOM. Dynamical properties such as fluorescence lifetimes or quantum yield were also experimentally investigated and compared with theoretically predicted transition rates based on Fermi’s Golden Rule-like equation. The results show that the photochemical behaviour of dopamine is strongly dependent on the concentration of dopamine, whereas in the case of a high concentration, the zwitterionic form significantly affects the shape of the spectrum. On the other hand, the solvent pH is also a determining factor for the absorption, but especially for the fluorescence spectrum, where at lower pH (5.5), the protonated and, at higher pH (8.0), the deprotonated forms influence the shape of the spectra. Quantum yield measurements showed that, besides the radiative deactivation mechanism characterized by a relatively small QY value, non-radiative deactivation channels are very important in the relaxation process of the electronic excited states of different dopamine species.

Irradiating solids with ultrashort laser pulses is known to initiate femtosecond timescale magnetization dynamics. However, sub-femtosecond spin dynamics have not yet been observed or predicted. Here, we explore ultrafast light-driven spin dynamics in a highly non-resonant strong-field regime. Through state-of-the-art ab-initio calculations, we predict that a non-magnetic material can be transiently transformed into a magnetic one via dynamical extremely nonlinear spin-flipping processes, which occur on attosecond timescales and are mediated by a combination of multi-photon and spin-orbit interactions. These are non-perturbative non-resonant analogues to the inverse Faraday effect that build up from cycle-to-cycle as electrons gain angular momentum. Remarkably, we show that even for linearly polarized driving, where one does not intuitively expect any magnetic response, the magnetization transiently oscillates as the system interacts with light. This oscillating response is enabled by transverse anomalous light-driven currents in the solid, and typically occurs on timescales of ~500 attoseconds. We further demonstrate that the speed of magnetization can be controlled by tuning the laser wavelength and intensity. An experimental set-up capable of measuring these dynamics through pump-probe transient absorption spectroscopy is outlined and simulated. Our results pave the way for new regimes of ultrafast manipulation of magnetism., Comment: 21 pages, 14 figures

Functionalized titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) with intense fluorescent dyes are a promising tool for several technological applications ranging from photochemistry, photocatalysis, photovoltaics, photodynamic therapy, or bioimaging. Here, we present the case study of Alizarin adsorption on TiO2 NPs of different shapes and increasing size up to 2.2 nm (700 atoms), by means of density functional theory calculations. We find that Alizarin can bind in three different ways, depending on the number and the type of bonds between Alizarin and TiO2: ‘tridented’, ‘bidented’, and ‘chelated’. Next, we investigate the optical properties of these systems by time-dependent density functional theory calculations. Based on the absorption spectra and the Kohn–Sham orbitals analysis, we discovered that the mechanism of electron injection depends on the Alizarin binding mode to the TiO2 surface. While for bidented and chelated adsorption modes, a direct charge transfer is observed; for the tridented one, an indirect mechanism governs the charge transfer process following the excitation. Our results are in good agreement with existing experimental data and suggest that by tailoring the shape of the TiO2 NPs and, thus, determining the type of undercoordinated Ti atoms prevalently exposed at the surface, it is possible to control the predominant injection mechanism.

Density functional theory (DFT), time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), and extended transition state natural orbitals for chemical valence (ETS-NOCV) have all been used to investigate the physicochemical and biological properties of curcumin and three complexes, i.e., Cur-M (M = Ni, Cu, and Mg). Based on DFT calculations, the enolic form (Cur-Enol) is more stable than the anti-diketone form (Cur-Anti diketone) favored for complexation. This enolic form stability was explained by the presence of three intramolecular hydrogen bonds according to the QTAIM analysis. Furthermore, the ETS-NOCV technique revealed that the enolic form had more significant antioxidant activity compared with the anti-diketone form. The calculations from the COnductor-like Screening MOdel for Realistic Solvents (COSMO-RS) showed that the dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solvent could dissolve all the curcumin tautomers Cur-Enol, Cur-Anti-diketone and Cur-Cu, Cur-Mg, and Cur-Ni complexes in contrast to benzene, acetone, octanol, ethanol, methanol, and water. Furthermore, except for Cur-Mg, which had a relatively low solubility (14 g/L), all complexes were insoluble in water. Cur-Anti-diketone was considerably more soluble than Cur-Enol in the examined solvents.

Significance Defects are inevitable in van der Waals (vdW) materials, but their role on moiré excitons remains unknown. While both moiré and defect potentials can trap excitons in twisted vdW heterostructures, their interplay has not been explored thus far. In this work, we perform first-principles simulations to elucidate the interplay of the defect and moiré potentials in tailoring the excitonic properties in twisted vdW heterostructures. Our work provides an in-depth study of defect-trapped moiré excitons in vdW heterostructures and establishes defect engineering as a promising strategy to tailor optoelectronic responses on demand., Excitons can be trapped by moiré potentials in van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures, forming ordered arrays of quantum dots. Excitons can also be trapped by defect potentials as single photon emitters. While the moiré and defect potentials in vdW heterostructures have been studied separately, their interplay remains largely unexplored. Here, we perform first-principles calculations to elucidate the interplay of the two potentials in determining the optoelectronic properties of twisted MoS2/WS2 heterobilayers. The binding energy, charge density, localization, and hybridization of the moiré excitons can be modulated by the competition and cooperation of the two potentials. Their interplay can also be tuned by vertical electric fields, which can either de-trap the excitons or strongly localize them. One can further tailor the interplay of the two potentials via defect engineering to create one-dimensional exciton lattices with tunable orientations. Our work establishes defect engineering as a promising strategy to realize on-demand optoelectronic responses.

A novel nickel complex with mixed ligands [Ni(L) 2 (EtOH) 2 (MeOH) 2 ] (HL = 3-hydroxy-2-methylquinoline-4-carboxylic acid) has been synthesized through solvothermal reaction and its crystal structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveals that the title compound crystallizes in the triclinic system of the P –1 space group, and exists as isolated mononuclear complex. The intermolecular hydrogen bonds lead to the formation of chains, and the layered supramolecular structure is formed by the strong π×××π stacking interactions. Solid-state photoluminescent characterization reveals that the title compound has an emission in the green region. Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculation shows that the nature of the photoluminescence of the title compound originates from the ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (LLCT; from the HOMO of the p-orbital of ligand HMCA to the LUMO of the oxygen atoms). A wide optical band gap of 2.25 eV is found by the solid-state UV/vis diffuse reflectance spectrum.

Hybrid organic-inorganic metal perovskites (ABX3, A- organic cation, B-metal ion, X-halide ion) have shown significant potential as thin-film solar cells or Dye solar cells (DSC) materials. Using a time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) study, this work explores the role that the central organic cation plays in defining the optoelectronic and physical properties of metal perovskites. Cubic phases of CH3NH3PbI3, CH3NH3PbCl3, CH3NH3PbICl2, and CH3NH3PbI2Cl perovskite structures are investigated using TDDFT with Gaussian 16. Electronic and optical properties, including transition energy, band gap, IR and absorption spectra and vibrational frequencies are examined. It is observed that the organic cation reduces the unit cell volume of the outer metal halide structure from approximately 9–20% for different perovskite materials. The peak optical absorption also correspondingly decreases by a significant margin, ranging from about 40–60%. This work is partially supported by the United States Office of Naval Research through grant number N00014-18-1-2732 . Scopus

The theoretical study of the use of cyano acid derivatives as electron acceptor groups in pelargonidin as a dye compound in sensitized solar cells (DSSC) was successfully carried out. Theoretical study was carried out with the purpose to determine the effect modification of the addition of cyanoacrylic benzothiadiazole, cyanoacrylate, cyanovinyl, and cyanocynamic as electron acceptors to the characteristics of pelargonidin as dye DSSC. The effect of modification is based on the parameters of bond length, spectra, molecular electron density, light harvesting efficiency (LHE), (VRP), and HOMO-LUMO energy. The molecular structure created using the Avogadro program, then optimized by DFT/TDDFT method using a base set 6.311G *. Based on the results of research on pelargonidin-benzothiadiazole cyanoacrylate is a better modification when compared with pelargonidin without modification or pelargonidin modified with other cyano acids. This modification is better modification based on parameters molecular electron density, HOMO-LUMO energy, (VRP), bond lengths, and spectra. Pelargonidin-benzothiadiazole cyanoacrylic electron density in LUMO conditions centred in benzothiadiazole cyanoacrylic, HOMO and LUMO energy of dye is -4.97856 eV & -2,56731 eV, VRP value 0.439, bond lengths 1.936 Å, and spectra at wavelength 393.14 nm & 377.09 nm. Based on the light harvesting efficiency (LHE), pelargonidin without modification is the best modification with an LHE value 0.820.

International audience; Charge-transfer interactions (CT) between the electron donor gliclazide (GLC) and the π-acceptors 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) and tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) were studied in a chloroform solution and in the solid state. The CT complexes were discussed in terms of formation constants (KCT), molar extinction coefficients (εCT), standard reaction quantities (ΔG° ΔH° and ΔS°), oscillator strength (f), transition dipole moment (μEN), and ionization potential (Ip). The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) have also been reported. The stoichiometry of these complexes was found to be in a 1:1 M ratio. The formed solid CT complexes were also synthesized and characterized using electronic methods, FT-IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis techniques (TGA/DTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to determine the thermal stability of the synthesized CT complex. The kinetic parameters (ΔG* ΔH* and ΔS*) were calculated from thermal decomposition data using the Coats-Redfern method. Moreover, density functional theory (DFT) studies are discussed for the charge transfer complex GLC-TCNE, using the B3LYP with 6–311++G (d, p) basis set. The harmonic vibrational frequencies were calculated, and the scaled values have been compared with experimental FT-IR spectra. The calculated ¹H and ¹³C NMR chemical shifts using the GIAO method showed good correlations with the experimental data. The theoretical UV–visible spectrum of the compound and the electronic properties, such as HOMO and LUMO energies, were performed using the time-dependent (TD-DFT) approach with CAM-B3LYP, employing the 6–311++G (d, p) basis set, and good agreement with the theoretical and experimental UV–visible data was found.

The photophysical properties of two classes of porphyrins and metalloporphyrins linked to N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) Au(I) complexes have been investigated by means of density functional theory and its time-dependent extension for their potential application in photodynamic therapy. For this purpose, the absorption spectra, the singlet–triplet energy gaps, and the spin–orbit coupling (SOC) constants have been determined. The obtained results show that all the studied compounds possess the appropriate properties to generate cytotoxic singlet molecular oxygen, and consequently, they can be employed as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy. Nevertheless, on the basis of the computed SOCs and the analysis of the metal contribution to the involved molecular orbitals, a different influence in terms of the heavy atom effect in promoting the intersystem crossing process has been found as a function of the identity of the metal center and its position in the center of the porphyrin core or linked to the peripheral NHC.

Quantum algorithms are touted as a way around some classically intractable problems such as the simulation of quantum mechanics. At the end of all quantum algorithms is a quantum measurement whereby classical data is extracted and utilized. In fact, many of the modern hybrid-classical approaches are essentially quantum measurements of states with short quantum circuit descriptions. Here, we compare and examine three methods of extracting the time-dependent one-particle probability density from a quantum simulation: direct Z-measurement, Bayesian phase estimation, and harmonic inversion. We have tested these methods in the context of the potential inversion problem of time-dependent density functional theory. Our test results suggest that direct measurement is the preferable method. We also highlight areas where the other two methods may be useful and report on tests using Rigetti's quantum virtual device. This study provides a starting point for imminent applications of quantum computing.

The optical properties of hybrid systems composed of silver nanoparticles (NPs) and azobenzene molecules were systematically investigated by combining the real-time time-dependent density functional theory (RT-TDDFT) approach with the classical electrodynamics finite difference time domain (FDTD) technique for the solution of Maxwell’s equations. In order to reflect the chemical interaction between azobenzene and metal more exactly, except for adsorbed molecules, a Ag cluster separated from NP was also dealt, using RT-TDDFT. We studied the different factors affecting the surface-enhanced absorption spectra. It was found that the electric field amplified by plasmon resonance of Ag NPs can have an overall enhancement to the molecular light absorption throughout the whole energy range. The resonance between the electron and the plasmon excitation results in a larger percentage of enhancement in the absorption spectrum the closer the resonance peak is. The enhancement ratio of the resonance peak is the largest. The plasmon–exciton coupling and the optical properties of different isolate isomers influence the line shape of the absorption spectra. The dipole interaction and electronic transfer between azobenzene molecules and Ag NPs also change the shape of spectroscopy from the absorption enhancement ratio and the location of the peak. Physical and chemical factors lead to photoswitching in these hybrid systems together.

This chapter reviews the principles behind the theory and computation of interband transitions at surfaces. Particular emphasis is given to state-of-the-art ab-initio methodologies, and their application is illustrated through numerous practical examples in realistic surface systems. Following a simple introduction, we outline a general theoretical framework of surface spectroscopy, obtaining an expression for the surface response function that is appropriate for computation with ab-initio methods and for simulating various experimental spectroscopic techniques. We then revise the key ab-initio approaches, namely, density functional theory, Green's function-based many-body theory, and time-dependent density functional theory. The rest of the chapter presents examples of calculations at different levels of theory for various clean and modified surfaces of current interest, illustrating in each case the interplay between the surface geometry, electronic band structure, and interband excitations. Advanced concepts such as local field and excitonic effects at surfaces are highlighted. The chapter concludes with an outlook on challenges in the field and perspectives for future development.

Over the last few years, extraordinary advances in experimental and theoretical tools have allowed us to monitor and control matter at short time and atomic scales with a high degree of precision. An appealing and challenging route toward engineering materials with tailored properties is to find ways to design or selectively manipulate materials, especially at the quantum level. To this end, having a state-of-the-art ab initio computer simulation tool that enables a reliable and accurate simulation of light-induced changes in the physical and chemical properties of complex systems is of utmost importance. The first principles real-space-based Octopus project was born with that idea in mind, i.e., to provide a unique framework that allows us to describe non-equilibrium phenomena in molecular complexes, low dimensional materials, and extended systems by accounting for electronic, ionic, and photon quantum mechanical effects within a generalized time-dependent density functional theory. This article aims to present the new features that have been implemented over the last few years, including technical developments related to performance and massive parallelism. We also describe the major theoretical developments to address ultrafast light-driven processes, such as the new theoretical framework of quantum electrodynamics density-functional formalism for the description of novel light–matter hybrid states. Those advances, and others being released soon as part of the Octopus package, will allow the scientific community to simulate and characterize spatial and time-resolved spectroscopies, ultrafast phenomena in molecules and materials, and new emergent states of matter (quantum electrodynamical-materials)., This work was supported by the European Research Council (Grant No. ERC-2015-AdG694097), the Cluster of Excellence “Advanced Imaging of Matter” (AIM), Grupos Consolidados (IT1249-19), and SFB925. The Flatiron Institute is a division of the Simons Foundation. X.A., A.W., and A.C. acknowledge that part of this work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07A27344. J.J.-S. gratefully acknowledges the funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 795246-StrongLights. J.F. acknowledges financial support from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG Forschungsstipendium FL 997/1-1). D.A.S. acknowledges University of California, Merced start-up funding.

Recent advances in the synthesis of stable organic (open-shell) polyradicaloids have opened their application as active compounds for emerging technologies. These systems typically exhibit small energy differences between states with different spin multiplicities, which are intrinsically difficult to calculate by theoretical methods. We thus apply here some DFT-based variants (FT-DFT, SF-DFT, and SF-TDDFT) on a test set of large and real-world molecules, as test systems for which such energy differences are experimentally available, also comparing systematically with RAS-SF results to infer if shortcomings of previous DFT applications are corrected. Additionally, we explore the spin–spin contribution to the ZFS tensor, of high interest for EPR spectroscopy, and derive the spatial extent of the corresponding (photoexcited) triplet state. G.S. acknowledges the Erasmus+ program for a research internship. D.C. is thankful to projects PIBA19-0004 (Eusko Jaurlaritza) and CTQ2016-80955-P from the Spanish Government (MINECO/FEDER).

Ultrafast optical control of ferroelectricity using intense terahertz fields has attracted significant interest. Here we show that the nonlinear interactions between two optical phonons in SnTe, a two-dimensional in-plane ferroelectric material, enables a dynamical amplification of the electric polarization within subpicoseconds time domain. Our first-principles time-dependent simulations show that the infrared-active out-of-plane phonon mode, pumped to nonlinear regimes, spontaneously generates in-plane motions, leading to rectified oscillations in the in-plane electric polarization. We suggest that this dynamical control of ferroelectric material, by nonlinear phonon excitation, can be utilized to achieve ultrafast control of the photovoltaic or other nonlinear optical responses., Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL., We further acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC-2015-AdG-694097), the Clusters of Excellence Advanced Imaging of Matter (AIM, EXC 2056, ID 390715994), Grupos Consolidados (IT1249-19), and SFB925. D.S. acknowledges the support from National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2019R1A6A3A03031296). N.P. was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2019R1A2C2089332). The Flatiron Institute is a division of the Simons Foundation.

beta-Diketones are an important class of bidentate cyclometalating compounds, used in organometallic chemistry as ancillary ligands because of their wide commercial availability and easy synthesis. They are employed to finely tune the electronic, spectroscopic and physical properties of metal complexes. Heteroleptic iridium complexes often benefit from the use of -diketonate ligands, their properties being similar to those of the corresponding homoleptic tris-cyclometalated ones. Nevertheless, in some cases, their use results in a complete quenching of the phosphorescence. Aiming to understand the origin of this drawback, we designed a suitable class of heteroleptic complexes and studied their thermal stability (DSC/TGA). We explored the effect of the ancillary ligand in a series of Ir(iii) complexes bearing 2-phenylpyridine (ppy) as a cyclometalated ligand and acac (acetylacetonate), tta (2-thienoyltrifluoroacetonate), dtdk (1,3-di(thiophen-2-yl)propane-1,3-dionate) and BPhen (4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline) as ancillary ligands. Through photochemical and electrochemical investigations, whose results agree with and support our density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that -diketonate ligands with low triplet energy generate dark triplet excited states with negligible coupling to the ground state which indeed promote non-radiative relaxation through population of higher states.

The synthesis and characterization of diaquabis[2-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyridine-κ2 N,O)nickel(II) dinitrate, [Ni(C7H9NO)2(H2O)2](NO3)2, under ambient conditions is reported and compared with catena-poly[[bis[2-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyridine-κ2 N,O]copper(II)]-μ-sulfato-κ2 O:O′], [Cu(C7H9NO)2(SO4)] n [Zeghouan et al. (2016). Private communication (refcode 1481676). CCDC, Cambridge, England]. In the two complexes, the 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyridine ligands coordinate the metal ions through the N atom of the pyridine ring and the O atom of the hydroxy group, creating a chelate ring. The NiII or CuII ion lies on an inversion centre and exhibits a slightly distorted MO4N2 octahedral coordination geometry, build up by O and N atoms from two 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)pyridine ligands and two water molecules or two O atoms belonging to sulfate anions. The sulfate anion bridges the CuII ions, forming a polymeric chain. The photoluminescence properties of these complexes have been studied on as-synthesized samples and reveal that both compounds display a strong blue-light emission with maxima around 497 nm. From DFT/TDDFT studies, the blue emission appears to be derived from the ligand-to-metal charge-transfer (LMCT) excited state. In addition, the IR spectroscopic properties and thermogravimetric behaviours of both complexes have been investigated.

Half-sandwich organometallic rhodium and iridium complexes [1–6] have been synthesized with ligands L1 (L1 = Pyridin-2-ylmethylene picolinichydrazine) and L2 (L2 = Pyridin-3-ylmethylene picolinichydrazine). Treatment of [{Cp∗MCl2}2] (M = Rh/Ir) with L1 in methanol has yielded mononuclear cationic complexes such as [{Cp∗M(L1N∩N)Cl}]PF6 where {M = Rh (1) and Ir (2)} and dinuclear complexes such as [{(Cp∗MCl)2(L1N∩N, N∩N)}]PF6 where {M = Rh (3) and Ir (4)} in 1:2 and 1:1 metal dimer to ligand ratios respectively. Reactions of [{Cp∗MCl2}2] with L2 in both 1:2 and 1:1 metal dimer to ligand ratios have yielded two metalla-macrocyclic dinuclear and dicationic complexes such as [{Cp∗M(L2N∩NμN)}2](PF6)2 where {M = Rh (5) and Ir (6)}. Spectroscopic and crystallographic data were used to elucidate the structures of the synthesized complexes. The in vitro antitumor evaluation of the complexes 1 and 2 by fluorescence based apoptosis study revealed their antitumor activity against Dalton’s ascites lymphoma (DL) cells. The antibacterial evaluation of complexes 1, 2, 5 and 6 by agar well-diffusion method revealed their significant activity against the two species considered viz., Proteus vulgaris (MTCC 426) and Vibrio parahaemolyticus (MTCC 451) with zone of inhibition up to 43 mm. The docking study with few key enzymes associated with cancer viz., ribonucleotide reductase, thymidylate synthase, thymidylate phosphorylase and topoisomerase II revealed their strong interactions with complexes under study. Complexes 1–6 exhibited a HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital) – LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) energy gap from 2.95 eV to 3.59 eV. TDDFT calculations explain the nature of electronic transitions and found well agreement with the experiments. Keywords: Rhodium dimer, Pyridin-2-ylmethylene picolinichydrazine, Metalla-macrocycles, Antitumor, Antibacterial, TDDFT

The restricted excitation subspace approximation is explored as a basis to reduce the memory storage required in linear response time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations within the Tamm-Dancoff approximation. It is shown that excluding the core orbitals and up to 70% of the virtual orbitals in the construction of the excitation subspace does not result in significant changes in computed UV/vis spectra for large molecules. The reduced size of the excitation subspace greatly reduces the size of the subspace vectors that need to be stored when using the Davidson procedure to determine the eigenvalues of the TDDFT equations. Furthermore, additional screening of the two-electron integrals in combination with a reduction in the size of the numerical integration grid used in the TDDFT calculation leads to significant computational savings. The use of these approximations represents a simple approach to extend TDDFT to the study of large systems and make the calculations increasingly tractable using modest computing resources.

Resumen Se investigó el espectro electrónico vertical de la oxoglaucina utilizando el método de interacción de configuraciones multi-referencial (DFT/MRCI). Se analizó el efecto de los grupos metilo y metoxilo sobre la geometría y la distribución energética de los estados excitados de baja energía utilizando la base TZVP. Se encontró que, en los mínimos del estado fundamental de oxoglaucina, oxoglaucina sin grupos metilo y sin grupos metoxilo, los estados excitados singulete de más baja energía son de tipo nП* (S1) y ПП* (S2) y que los estados triplete ПП* (T1) y nП* (T2) son energéticamente accesibles desde S1 Desde el punto de vista energético, se encontró que el canal más eficiente para el entrecruzamiento de sistemas singulete-triplete es 1(nП*)3(ПП*). Aunque la presencia de los grupos metilo y metoxilo distorsionan la planaridad del sistema de anillos, su efecto en la distribución (vertical) de los estados singulete y triplete de más baja energía es mínimo. Abstract The vertical electronic spectrum of oxoglaucine by means of a multireference configuration interaction method (DFT/ MRCI) was studied. The effect of both methyl and methoxy groups on the geometries and energetic distribution of the low-lying excited states was analyzed. The results show that, by means of the TZVP basis set, at the ground state minima of oxoglaucine, oxoglaucine without methyl and methoxy groups, the lowest excited singlet states are of nП* (S1) and ПП* (S2) type. Triplet states of ПП* (T1) and nП* (T2) type are energetically accessible from S1. From the energetic point of view, it can be proposed that the channel for an efficient intersystem crossing 1(nП*)3(ПП*) is plausible. Although the presence of the methyl and methoxyl groups distort the planarity of the rings system, the effect in the vertical distribution of the lowest lying singlet and triplet states can be considered as negligible. Resumo O espectro eletrônico vertical da oxoglaucina foi investigado por meio do método de interação de configurações multi referência (DFT/MRCI). Foi estudado o efeito dos grupos metilo e metoxi nas geometrias e na distribuição energética dos estados excitados de baixa energia utilizando a base TZVP. Os resultados mostram que nos mínimos do estado fundamental da oxoglaucina, a oxoglaucina sem grupos metilo e metoxi os estados excitados singletos de mais baixa energia são de tipo nП* (S1) y ПП* (S2) e que os estados tripletos do tipo ПП* (T1) e nП* (T2) são energeticamente acessíveis a partir de S1 Do ponto de vista energético, pode-se propor que o canal para um cruzamento intersistema eficiente 1(nП*)3(ПП*) seja plausível. Embora a presença dos grupos metilo e metoxilo distorçam a planaridade do sistema de anéis, o efeito na distribuição vertical dos estados de singleto e de tripleto de mais baixa energía pode ser considerado negligenciável.

Quercetin (Q) is an important antioxidant with high bioactivity and the potential of being used as SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor. The fluorescence (FL) emission from Q solutions made with different polar and non-polar solvents (methanol, acetone, and chloroform) was measured and compared with the FL emission from Q powder and from Q crystals. In the FL spectra of the solutions with high Q concentration, as well as in the spectra of Q in solid state, two features, at 615 nm and 670 nm, were observed. As the solution concentration decreases, the intensity of those peaks decreases and a peak at 505 nm arises. The FL emission of low concentration solutions displayed only that peak. Calculations for the Q molecule in each solvent, performed using time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), show that the emission at 505 nm is associated with the excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) of the –OH3 group proton. Our calculations also show that the feature at 615 nm, which is observed in solid state Q and also in the emission of the high concentrated solutions, is related to the –OH5 proton transfer.

In this review, we provide a brief overview of the contribution that computational studies can offer to the elucidation of the electronic mechanisms responsible for the electrochromism phenomenon, through the use of the density functional theory (DFT) and its time-dependent formulation (TDDFT). Although computational studies on electrochromic systems are not as numerous as those for other physico-chemical processes, we will show their reliability and ability to predict structures, excitation energies, and redox potentials. The results confirm that these methods not only help in the interpretation of experimental data but can also be used for the rational design of molecules with interesting electrochromic properties to be initiated for synthesis and experimental characterization.

Here we investigate via first-principles simulations the optical absorption spectra of three different Au-30(SR)(18) monolayer-protected clusters (MPC): Au-30((SBu)-Bu-t)(18), Au-30(SPh)(18), and Au-30(SPh-pNO2)(18). Au-30((SBU)-B-t)(18) is known in the literature, and its crystal structure is available. In contrast, Au-30(SPh)(18) and Au-30(SPh-pNO(2))(18) are two species that have been designed by replacing the tertbutyl organic residues of Au-30((SBu)-Bu-t)(18) with aromatic ones so as to investigate the effects of ligand replacement on the optical response of Au nanomolecules. By analogy to a previously studied Au-23(SR)(16)(-) anionic species, despite distinct differences in charge and chemical composition, a substantial ligand enhancement of the absorption intensity in the optical region is also obtained for the Au-30(SPh-pNO(2))(18) MPC. The use of conjugated aromatic ligands with properly chosen electron-withdrawing substituents and exhibiting steric hindrance so as to also achieve charge decompression at the surface is therefore demonstrated as a general approach to enhancing the MPC photoabsorption intensity in the optical region. Additionally, we here subject the ligand-enhancement phenomenon to a detailed analysis based on the fragment projection of electronic excited states and on induced transition densities, leading to a better understanding of the physical origin of this phenomenon, thus opening avenues to its more precise control and exploitation.

Saccharin is a versatile scaffold to build up different heterocycles with relevance in asymmetric catalysis, agricultural chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and so forth. Here, we report a photochemical strategy to obtain seven-membered ring benzosultams in one step, using saccharin anion as starting material. The reaction can be improved in a photoflow reactor and its scope was evaluated. Furthermore, computational study at the CASPT2//CASSCF level of theory was also performed to rationalize the involved mechanism. Fil: Figueroa, Francisco Nicolas. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina Fil: Heredia, Adrián Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentina Fil: Peñéñory, Alicia B.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentina Fil: Sampedro, Diego. Universidad de la Rioja; Argentina Fil: Argüello, Juan Elias. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentina Fil: Oksdath Mansilla, Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Físico-química de Córdoba; Argentina

CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais No presente trabalho, é apresentado o desenvolvimento sintético de metaloftalocianinas assimétricas para aplicação como fotossensibilizadores visando melhorar a eficiência fotocatalítica do dióxido de titânio. Neste contexto, foi proposta a síntese da 2-carbóxi,8,15,22-triaminoftalocianina de Zinco(II) e da 2-carbóxi,9,16,23-triaminoftalocianina de Zinco(II), e seus isômeros, sendo um novo derivado do tipo ftalocianina de Zinco(II), contendo três grupos amino e um grupo carboxilato em suas posições periféricas. A síntese resultou em uma mistura de isômeros com rendimento de 75%. A caracterização das misturas de ftalocianinas assimétricas de Zinco(II) foi realizada através de medidas espectroscópicas nas regiões do ultravioleta-visível (UV-Vis), infravermelho (IV) e ressonância magnética nuclear de hidrogênio (RMN 1H), e medidas espectrométricas por espectrometria de massas e termogravimétrica e análise térmica diferencial (TG/DTA). A semelhança entre esses isômeros e a tendência de agregação apresentada pelas ftalocianinas são um grande desafio para a separação, mesmo utilizando as técnicas modernas de cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (CLAE). A partir dos cálculos teóricos realizados foi possível observar grande similaridade na polaridade entre os isômeros. A análise por CLAE permitiu observar três dos oito possíveis isômeros. No estudo teórico realizados para a 2-carbóxi,9,16,23-triaminoftalocianina de Zinco(II) e seus isômeros, foi observado que o orbital LUMO dessas ftalocianinas, está associado à banda Q, apenas um discreto aumento na densidade eletrônica sobre os oxigênios do grupo carboxílico. Este é sensivelmente melhorado quando essas ftalocianinas são ancoradas a um fragmento de anatase, sugerindo, diferença do esperado, apenas um discreto deslocamento da densidade eletrônica para o TiO2. Por outro lado, as energias de excitação singleto-tripleto, estimadas a partir de cálculos TDDFT, sugerem uma eficiente população do estado T1 tanto para essas ftalocianinas em solução, como ancoradas à Anatase, revelando, com base nas energias estimadas, a possibilidade dessas espécies sensitizarem a geração de oxigênio singleto, de forma similar às evidências experimentais. Isto abre a possibilidade de aplicação dessas ftalocianinas, associadas ou não a óxidos semicondutores, tanto em processos fotocatalíticos como em terapia fotodinâmica. In the present work, we present the synthetic development of asymmetric metallophthalocyanines for application as photosensitizers in order to improve the photocatalytic efficiency of titanium dioxide. In this context, the synthesis of 2-carboxy, 8,15,22-triaminophthalocyanine Zinc(II) and 2-carboxy,9,16,23-triaminophthalocyanine of Zinc(II), and their isomers, have been proposed. phthalocyanine Zinc(II) derivative containing three amino groups and one carboxylate group in their peripheral positions. The synthesis resulted in a mixture of isomers in 75% yield. The characterization of the asymmetric phthalocyanine Zinc(II) mixtures was performed by spectroscopic measurements in the ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), infrared (IV) and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) spectrometric measurements mass and thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA). The similarity between these isomers and the tendency of aggregation presented by phthalocyanines are a great challenge for the separation, even using modern techniques of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). From the theoretical calculations realized it was possible to observe great similarity in the polarity between the isomers. Analysis by HPLC allowed observing three of the eight possible isomers. In the theoretical study performed for 2-carboxy,9,16,23-triaminophthalocyanine of Zinc(II) and its isomers, it was observed that the LUMO orbital of these phthalocyanines is associated with the Q band, only a slight increase in the electron density on the oxygen of the carboxyl group. This is appreciably improved when these phthalocyanines are anchored to an anatase fragment, suggesting, unlike expected, only a discrete displacement of the electron density to TiO2. On the other hand, the singlet-triplet excitation energies, estimated from TDDFT calculations, suggest an efficient population of the T1 state both for these phthalocyanines in solution and anchored to Anatase, revealing, based on the estimated energies, the possibility of these species sensitize the generation of singlet oxygen, similar to the experimental evidence. This opens the possibility of applying these phthalocyanines, associated or not to semiconductor oxides, both in photocatalytic processes and in photodynamic therapy. Tese (Doutorado)

WOS: 000399466200011, Conformers of N-methacryloyl-(L)-glutamic acid (MAGA, C9H13NO5) in the gas phase, benzene or methanol environment were searched by the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT. Selected conformational isomers based on potential energy surface analysis were studied by considering the structural and electronic properties. B3LYP functional, and HF and MP2 levels were used with the 6-31+G(d,p), 6-311+G(3df,p) and aug-cc-pVDZ basis sets. We explored the effect of medium on the conformational preferences, UV spectra and frontier molecular orbitals of the conformers. The outcomes of this research will be useful for future studies including moieties analogous to MAGA.

The utilization of silicon nanostructures, from quantum dots to nanowires, for photovoltaic applications depends on understanding the effect of their physical structure on their optical absorption properties. In this work, we perform TDDFT calculations to study the length dependent optical absorption in pristine and doped silicon nanostructures. Our main findings are that: (i) The oscillator strength as a function of length is quadratic at small lengths, and then increases linearly. (ii) The exciton binding energy is seen to decrease by approximately 45% from 0.67 eV to about 0.3 eV with length increase, for a nanostructure with a cross-section diameter of approximately 12 Å. (iii) Doping and codoping with P, B, and Zr have the potential to cause the optical absorption to change from UV to the visible spectrum. The findings of this investigation demonstrate the potential to tailor silicon nanostructures for photovoltaic and optoelectronic applications. This paper was made possible by a NPRP Grant # GB RAM machine with dual Xeon E5-2680 CPUs. The authors acknowledge the generous research computing support through the use of the supercomputer Stampede from the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin through Texas A&M University - Kingsville. 5-968-2-403 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the authors. The calculations were performed on a 32 Core, 128 Scopus

The time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method was performed to investigate the excited-state intramolecular double proton transfer (ESIDPT) reaction of calix[4]arene (C4A) and the role of the intramolecular hydrogen bonds in the ESIDPT process. The geometries of C4A in the ground state and excited states (S1, S2 and T1) were optimized. Four intramolecular hydrogen bonds formed in the C4A are strengthened or weakened in the S2 and T1 states compared to those in the ground state. Interestingly, upon excitation to the S1 state of C4A, two protons H1 and H2 transfer along the two intramolecular hydrogen bonds O1-H1···O2 and O2-H2···O3, while the other two protons do not transfer. The ESIDPT reaction breaks the primary symmetry of C4A in the ground state. The potential energy curves of proton transfer demonstrate that the ESIDPT process follows the stepwise mechanism but not the concerted mechanism. Findings indicate that intramolecular hydrogen bonding is critical to the ESIDPT reactions in intramolecular hydrogen-bonded systems.

The synthesis and a comprehensive characterization of the excited state properties of five N,N′-substituted indigo (Ind) derivatives (acetyl-, benzoyl-, methoxybenzoyl-, nitrobenzoyl- and chlorobenzoyl-) was undertaken in various solvents and temperatures. In the excited state, rotation around the central double bond was found with N,N′-diacetylindigo (DAI) and N,N′-dibenzoilindigo (DBI) derivatives. Both DAI and DBI acyl derivatives show rotation in the excited state around the central C–C bond, leading to a conical intersection (CI). Steric hindrance prevents DBI from accomplishing full rotation (which consequently does not fully isomerize) with two conformers being experimentally found from both fs-transient absorption and time-resolved emission measurements. For DAI, the fluorescence decays are single exponential (varying from 2790 ps in 2MeTHF to 7520 ps in MCH), while fs-TA indicates the presence of two species, with lifetimes, in 2MeTHF, of 33 ps and 2790 ps. All the acyl derivatives show blue shifted absorption and emission from the parent indigo dye due to stabilization of the π HOMO orbital in the S1 π*←π transition by delocalization to the acyl carbonyl. The extent of blue shift among the different acyl derivatives is found to depend on the geometric constraints imposed on the dihedral angle between indigo and the acyl group. With the DBI derivatives, interconversion between the two conformers in the excited state leads to rate constant values ranging from 1.3 × 1010 s−1 (in MeTHF) to 3.6 × 109 s−1 for the nitrobenzoyl-DBI derivative (in dioxane).

This article describes an implementation of Ehrenfest molecular dynamics based on TDDFT and Gaussian basis sets, optimized for hybrid QM–MM simulations in GPU. The present method makes use of the equations of motion proposed by Chen et al. (J Chem Phys 135:044126, 2011), which, at variance with previous formulations of the Ehrenfest dynamics, takes into account the movement of the localized basis functions, thus improving accuracy and energy conservation. This methodology is used to explore the evolution and the stability of excited state dynamics for two different constructions of the initial excited state, consisting in the linear response TDDFT S1 solution, and in the ground state density matrix where the HOMO–LUMO occupancies have been switched, which is a widespread approach to model photoexcitation in electron dynamics simulations. It is found that the second kind of starting state leads to a larger numerical noise and to a poorer stability of the dynamics, aside from “awakening” inner electronic modes that become manifest in the frequency spectrum, and which are absent if the dynamics departs from the linear response TDDFT density matrix. Then, the method is applied to investigate the photodissociation of the diazirine molecule, CH2N2, both in vacuum and in aqueous solution. Diazirine decomposes into carbene and molecular nitrogen upon irradiation with UV light, and for this reason it has been widely adopted to photolabel biomolecules through the insertion of carbenes in the macromolecular surface. Our simulations suggest that the quantum yield of the dissociative reaction experiences a decrease in solution with respect to the gas phase, that can be understood in terms of the vibrational relaxation facilitated by the solvent molecules. Besides, the present results indicate that the isomerization and dissociation mechanism occur fully on the S1 excited state. Fil: Ramírez, Francisco Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; Argentina Fil: Díaz Mirón, Gonzalo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; Argentina Fil: González Lebrero, Mariano Camilo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; Argentina Fil: Scherlis Perel, Damian Ariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; Argentina

International audience; A DFT calculation of small CdnSn QDs (n = 6) has been achieved in the study of CdS-ligand systems using DFT and TDDFT calculations. We discussed the influence of three thiol ligands, namely, 3-Mercaptopropionic Acid (MPA), Thioglycerol (TG) and 2-Mercaptoethanol (ME), on the size of CdS QDs. In addition, both the carboxyl group of MPA and the hydroxyl group of TG and ME affected the mechanisms of bonding between ligands and the cadmium atom of the cluster. The interaction between CdS QDs and thiol ligands (R–SH) form stable bonds Cd–S. Increasing the number of (R–SH)−Cd bonds using different ligands ensured the good cohesion of the nanoparticle as well as better confinment. Furthermore, TEM and FTIR analyses confirmed the size, shape and morphology calculated using the DFT.

Two 2-pyridone tautomeric analogs, methoxypyridine 4 and N-methylpyridone 5, were synthesized, and their spectroscopic properties were investigated both experimentally and computationally. A detailed photophysical study reveals that 4 shows high fluorescence quantum yields not only in chloroform but also in ethanol, and the strong fluorescence in solution might be attributed to the enol form (pyridine) of the 2-pyridone. Furthermore, we designed and synthesized novel 2-substitued pyridines to achieve more intense emissions in both solution and the solid state. Substituent modification with phenylsulfonyl,morpholino, and 4-diethylamino groups greatly affected the fluorescence properties, and methoxypyridine 7 and morpholinopyridine compound 8 showed fluorescence in various solvents (Ф = 0.59-0.95) and the solid state (Ф = 0.12-0.15). A hypsochromic shift in the emission maximum wavelength and strong fluorescence in the solid state (Ф = 0.39) were observed for dimorpholinopyridine 9. Morpholinopyridine 11 showed intense fluorescence in all nonpolar and polar solvents. Systematic time-dependent density functional theory calculations were performed for the compounds whose electronic and fluorescent maxima were computationally reproduced with good agreement to those from experiment. In detail, the drastic difference in the emission intensity between 4 and 5 in solution was successfully explained using CASSCF calculations, which revealed the presence of conical intersections between the ground and the excited states., Dyes and Pigments, 171, art.no.107705; 2019

BODIPY dyes are used in a variety of applications because of their peculiar spectroscopic and photo-physical properties that vary depending on the stereochemistry of the functional groups attached to the boron-dipyrromethene core structure. In this work, we have applied several computational methods, adapted for semi-rigid molecules based on the Franck-Condon principle, for the study of the optical properties of BODIPY systems and for the understanding of the influence of functional groups on their spectroscopic features. We have analyzed the electronic spectra of two styryl substituted BODIPY molecules of technological interest, properly taking into account the vibronic contribution. For comparison with recently recorded experimental data in methanol, the vibrationally resolved electronic spectra of these systems were computed using both Time-Independent (TI) and Time-Dependent (TD) formalisms. The first step toward the analysis of optical properties of the styryl modified BODIPYs was a benchmark of several density functionals, to select the most appropriate one. We have found that all benchmarked functionals provide good results in terms of band shape but some of them show strong discrepancies in terms of band position. Beyond the issue of the electronic structure calculation method, different levels of sophistication can be adopted for the calculation of vibronic transitions. In this study, the effect of mode couplings and the influence of the Herzberg-Teller terms on the theoretical spectra has been investigated. It has been found that all levels of theory considered give reproducible results for the investigated systems: band positions and shapes are similar at all levels and little improvements have been found in terms of band shape with the inclusion of Herzberg-Teller effect. Inclusion of temperature effects proved to be challenging due to the important impact of large amplitude motions. Better agreement can be achieved by adopting a suitable set of coordinates coupled with a reduced-dimensionality scheme.

A novel mononuclear nickel complex coordinated by 2-(2-hy­droxy­eth­yl)pyridine has been synthesized and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction techniques and photoluminescence spectroscopy. TDDFT calculations have been performed to rationalize the structure explored for this and a related polymeric Cu complex., The synthesis and characterization of di­aqua­bis­[2-(2-hy­droxy­eth­yl)pyridine-κ2 N,O)nickel(II) dinitrate, [Ni(C7H9NO)2(H2O)2](NO3)2, under ambient conditions is reported and compared with catena-poly[[bis­[2-(2-hy­droxy­eth­yl)pyridine-κ2 N,O]copper(II)]-μ-sulfato-κ2 O:O′], [Cu(C7H9NO)2(SO4)]n [Zegh­ouan et al. (2016 ▸). Private communication (refcode 1481676). CCDC, Cambridge, England]. In the two complexes, the 2-(2-hy­droxy­eth­yl)pyridine ligands coordinate the metal ions through the N atom of the pyridine ring and the O atom of the hy­droxy group, creating a chelate ring. The NiII or CuII ion lies on an inversion centre and exhibits a slightly distorted MO4N2 octa­hedral coordination geometry, build up by O and N atoms from two 2-(2-hy­droxy­eth­yl)pyridine ligands and two water mol­ecules or two O atoms belonging to sulfate anions. The sulfate anion bridges the CuII ions, forming a polymeric chain. The photoluminescence properties of these complexes have been studied on as-synthesized samples and reveal that both compounds display a strong blue-light emission with maxima around 497 nm. From DFT/TDDFT studies, the blue emission appears to be derived from the ligand-to-metal charge-transfer (LMCT) excited state. In addition, the IR spectroscopic properties and thermogravimetric behaviours of both complexes have been investigated.

A novel cadmium complex with mixed ligands {[Cd(2,2'-biim)(4,4'-bipy)(H 2 O)(ClO 4 )] (ClO 4 )} n ( 1 ) (2,2'-biim = 2,2'-biimidazole; 4,4'-bipy = 4,4'-bipyridine) has been synthesized through hydrothermal reaction and its crystal structure was determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction technique. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that complex 1 crystallizes in the space group Pna 2 1 of the orthorhombic system and exhibits a one-dimensional zigzag chain structure consisting of [Cd(2,2'-biim)(4,4'-bipy)(H 2 O)(ClO 4 )] n n + cationic chains and isolated ClO 4 – anions. Powder photoluminescent characterization reveals that complex 1 has an emission in the green region of the spectrum. Time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculation showed that the nature of the photoluminescence of complex 1 is originated from the ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (LLCT; from the HOMO of the perchlorate anions to the LUMO of the 4,4'-bipy ligand). A wide optical band gap of 3.25 eV was found by the solid-state UV/vis diffuse reflectance spectrum.