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A combined method of the Dirac-Hartree-Fock (DHF) method and the reference interaction-site model (RISM) theory is reported; this is the initial implementation of the coupling of the four-component relativistic electronic structure theory and an integral equation theory of molecular liquids. In the method, the DHF and RISM equations are solved self-consistently, and therefore the electronic structure of the solute, including relativistic effects, and the solvation structure are determined simultaneously. The formulation is constructed based on the variational principle with respect to the Helmholtz energy, and analytic free energy gradients are also derived using the variational property. The method is applied to the iodine ion (I

The binding process of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-like coronavirus 2 spike protein was investigated using molecular dynamics simulation and the three-dimensional reference interaction-site model theory. The results suggested that the protein-binding process consists of a protein-protein approaching step, followed by a local structural rearrangement step. In the approaching step, the interprotein interaction energy decreased as the proteins approached each other, whereas the solvation free energy increased. As the proteins approached, the glycan of ACE2 first established a hydrogen bond with the RBD. Thereafter, the number of interprotein hydrogen bonds increased rapidly. The solvation free energy increased because of the desolvation of the protein as it approached its partner. The spatial distribution function of the solvent revealed the presence of hydrogen bonds bridged by water molecules on the RBD-ACE2 interface. Finally, principal component analysis revealed that ACE2 showed a pronounced conformational change, whereas there was no significant change in RBD.

This work reports a series of covalently linked hybrids comprising 5,10,15,20-tetraaryl-5,15-diazaporphyrinoids (M-TADAP; M = Ni, Zn, Cu) and amines. M-TADAP-amine hybrids were prepared via the metal-templated cyclization of the corresponding metal(II)-dipyrrin complexes and redox reactions on the DAP unit. In the UV/vis/near-IR absorption spectra of the hybrids containing an 18π-electron DAP ring, broad charge-transfer bands were observed, reflecting the electron-donating property of the para-aminophenyl groups and the electron-accepting property of the 18π TADAP dication. The electrochemical behavior of the M-TADAP-amine hybrids was strongly dependent on the structure of the peripheral amine units. Further electrochemical oxidation of the hybrids bearing N-Ph groups conceivably generated amine-centered radicals, which sequentially underwent irreversible coupling to form benzidine-linked M-TADAP polymer films. The Ni-TADAP-benzidine polymer exhibited the electric conductivity of 1×10-3 S m-1 .

A computational method to investigate the global conformational change of a protein is proposed by combining the linear response path following (LRPF) method and three-dimensional reference interaction site model (3D-RISM) theory, which is referred to as the LRPF/3D-RISM method. The proposed method makes it possible to efficiently simulate protein conformational changes caused by either solutions of varying concentrations or the presence of cosolvent species by taking advantage of the LRPF and 3D-RISM. The proposed method is applied to the urea-induced denaturation of ubiquitin. The LRPF/3D-RISM trajectories successfully simulate the early stage of the denaturation process within the simulation time of 300 ns, whereas no significant structural change is observed even in the 1 μs standard MD simulation. The obtained LRPF/3D-RISM trajectories reproduce the mechanism of the urea denaturation of ubiquitin reported in previous studies, and demonstrate the high efficiency of the method.

We report on the synthesis and optical, magnetic, and electrochemical properties of nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of 5,10,15,20-tetraaryl-5,15-diazaporphyrin–tertiary amine (TADAP–TA) conjugates. Metal-templated cyclization reactions of 9-(4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)amino-1-chloro-5-mesityldipyrrin and 9-(4-(diphenylamino)phenyl)amino-1-chloro-5-mesityldipyrrin (mesityl = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) with nickel(II) or copper(II) acetate afforded the corresponding metal(II) complexes of TADAP–TA. The 20[Formula: see text], 19[Formula: see text], and 18[Formula: see text] oxidation states of the DAP ring in the TADAP – TAs were reversibly interconvertible by redox reactions. NMR spectroscopy of the 20[Formula: see text] and 18[Formula: see text] Ni-TADAP – TAs revealed their antiaromatic and aromatic characters, respectively, whereas electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of the 19[Formula: see text] Ni-TADAP–TAs showed effective delocalization of an unshared electron spin in the DAP ring. The interconversion between the three oxidation states of TADAP – TAs also caused a distinct change in the optical properties of the DAP [Formula: see text]-electron system. Notably, all the 18[Formula: see text] dications exhibited weak and broad absorption bands in the near infrared region owing to the charge-transfer from the peripheral tertiary amine units (donor) to the cationic DAP center (acceptor). Cyclic voltammetry of TADAP – TAs exhibited the reversible 20[Formula: see text]/19[Formula: see text] and 19[Formula: see text]/18[Formula: see text] redox couples and the irreversible amine oxidation at the periphery. The electrochemical oxidation of the Ni-TADAP–triphenylamine conjugate generated reactive ammoniumyl radicals, which underwent intermolecular coupling to form a polymer of TADAP–TA on the electrode surface.

The state-averaged multiconfiguration self-consistent field (MCSCF) method was implemented to the reference interaction site model and three-dimensional reference interaction site model (RISM and 3D-RISM) SCF schemes, where the electronic structures of multiple states and solvation structure are determined simultaneously by the state-averaged MCSCF method and state-specific RISM-SCF/3D-RISM-SCF scheme, respectively, in a single calculation. The method was applied to the potential energy curves of the low-lying states of NaCl in aqueous solution and solvation shifts of the excitation energy of formaldehyde and p-nitroaniline. The results showed good agreement with those of the state-specific MCSCF and/or experiments.

The effect of molecular orientational correlations on the solvation free energy (SFE) of one-dimensional and three-dimensional reference interaction site models (1D- and 3D-RISM) is investigated. The repulsive bridge correction (RBC) and the partial wave (PW) expansion are representative approaches for accounting for the orientational correlation partially lacking in original 1D- and 3D-RISM. The SFEs of 1D- and 3D-RISM for a set of small organic molecules are compared with the simulation results. Accordingly, the SFE expressions, based on RBC and PW, provide more accurate results than those of the uncorrected HNC or KH SFE expressions, which indicates that accounting for molecular orientational dependencies significantly contributes to the improvement of the SFE. The SFE component analysis indicates that the nonpolar component mainly contributes to the correction. The dependence of the error in the RISM SFE on the number of solute sites is examined. In addition, we discuss the differences between 1D- and 3D-RISM through the effect of these corrections.

The synthesis and optical, electrochemical, and magnetic properties of nickel(II) complexes of 5,10,20-triaryl-5,15-diazaporphyrin (TriADAP) are reported. Metal-templated cyclization of unsymmetrically substituted nickel(II)–bis(1-amino-9-chloro-5-mesityldipyrrin; mesityl = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) complexes afforded the corresponding TriADAPs or 5-aryl-15-benzyl-10,20-dimesityl-5,15-diazaporphyrin, depending on the combination of base and solvent. The latter macrocycle was converted to TriADAP by deprotection of the [Formula: see text]-benzyl group through Pd/C-promoted hydrogenation. TriADAPs were isolated in both 18[Formula: see text] (cation) and 19[Formula: see text] (neutral) forms. The interconversion between these two oxidation states resulted in a distinct change in the optical properties of the DAP [Formula: see text]-system. NMR spectroscopy of the 18[Formula: see text] TriADAP cations showed that they had aromatic character, whereas EPR spectroscopy of the 19[Formula: see text] TriADAP showed a highly delocalized electron spin of the [Formula: see text]-radical. The para substituents of the [Formula: see text]-aryl groups of TriADAPs had a small but distinct impact on their HOMO and LUMO energies. The change in the net charge of one electron was directly reflected in the redox properties of the DAP ring; TriADAP was more easily reduced and less easily oxidized than DAP. The difference in the net charge was also reflected by the shielding of the pyrrolic [Formula: see text]-protons observed in the [Formula: see text]H NMR spectra. The present results confirm that TriADAP is a highly promising framework for constructing a new class of azaporphyrin-based materials with 18[Formula: see text]–19[Formula: see text] redox-switchable optical and magnetic properties.

We have established a convenient method for the base-promoted direct amination of β-unsubstituted 5,15-diazaporphyrins (DAPs) with secondary and primary amines to produce 3,7,13,17-tetraamino- and 3-amino-DAPs, respectively, regioselectively. The amino groups attached at the periphery cause significant red shifts of the absorption bands as a result of their perturbation of the HOMO and/or LUMO in the DAP π-system. The palladium complex of a 3,7,13,17-tetrakis(diphenylamino)-DAP generated singlet oxygen in high yield under irradiation with near-infrared light.

A scheme for quantitatively computing the acid dissociation constant, pKa, of hydrated molecules is proposed. It is based on the three-dimensional reference interaction site model self-consistent field (3D-RISM-SCF) theory coupled with the linear fitting correction (LFC) scheme. In LFC/3D-RISM-SCF, pKa values of target molecules are evaluated using the Gibbs energy difference between the protonated and unprotonated states calculated by 3D-RISM-SCF and the parameters fitted by the LFC scheme to the experimental values of training set systems. The pKa values computed by LFC/3D-RISM-SCF show quantitative agreement with the experimental data.

The specific adsorption of alkali ions, Li + , Na + , K + , and Cs + , in electrolyte solutions on Prussian blue (PB) is investigated by using the three-dimensional (3D) reference interaction site-model (RISM) theory. The results from 3D-RISM show dramatically different adsorption sites between large ions (K + and Cs + ) and small ions (Li + and Na + ). The small ions are adsorbed at the channel entrance sites without the water–ion exchange mechanism. In contrast, the large ions are adsorbed in PB by the water–ion exchange mechanism, and the adsorption site of large ions is located at the center of the cage or at the interstitial site.

The excitation energy of Brooker's merocyanine in water-methanol mixtures shows nonlinear behavior with respect to the mole fraction of methanol, and it was suggested that this behavior is related to preferential solvation by methanol. We investigated the origin of this behavior and its relation to preferential solvation using the three-dimensional reference interaction site model self-consistent field method and time-dependent density functional theory. The calculated excitation energies were in good agreement with the experimental behavior. Analysis of the coordination numbers revealed preferential solvation by methanol. The free energy component analysis implied that solvent reorganization and solvation entropy drive the preferential solvation by methanol, while the direct solute-solvent interaction promotes solvation by water. The difference in the preferential solvation effect on the ground and excited states causes the nonlinear excitation energy shift. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

NH-bridged and pyrazine-fused metallodiazaporphyrin dimers have been prepared from nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of 3-amino-5,15-diazaporphyrin by Pd-catalyzed C-N cross-coupling and oxidative dimerization reactions, respectively. The synergistic effects of the nitrogen bridges and meso-nitrogen atoms play major roles in enhancing the light-harvesting properties and delocalization of an electron spin over the entire π-skeletons of the metallodiazaporphyrin dimers.

The β-functionalization of 5,15-diazaporphyrins (DAPs) with phosphoryl, phenoxy, sulfanyl, and sulfonyl groups was achieved by either cross-coupling or aromatic nucleophilic substitution reactions ...

Ferric hexacyanoferrate (FeHCF) or Prussian blue (PB) exhibits selective alkali ion adsorption and has great potential for use in various applications. In the present work, alkali ion (Li+, Na+, K+, and Cs+) and water configurations in defective PB (d-PB) were studied by using the statistical mechanics of molecular liquids. The three-dimensional (3D) distribution functions of the ions and water were determined by solving the 3D-reference interaction site model (RISM) equation of systems of a unit lattice of d-PB in electrolyte solutions, i.e., LiCl, NaCl, KCl, and CsCl. The results show the difference in the ion-water configurations and distributions between small (Li+ and Na+) and large ions (K+ and Cs+). The adsorption sites of Li+ and Na+ are located off-center and lie on the diagonal axis. By contrast, the larger ions, K+ and Cs+, are adsorbed at the center of the unit cell. The degree of dehydration due to the adsorption of alkali ions indicates that there was no water exchange during Li+ and Na+ adsorption, whereas two and three water molecules were removed after adsorption of K+ or Cs+ in the unit cell.

The molecular and solvation structures of the hydrated Cu2+ ions and their excitation spectra were investigated using the Kohn–Sham density functional theory (DFT) and the three-dimensional reference interaction site model (3D-RISM) self-consistent field method. Five stable geometrical structures were found to exist in aqueous solution: the distorted octahedral [Cu(H2O)6]2+ in Ci and D2h symmetries, the square pyramidal and trigonal bipyramidal [Cu(H2O)5]2+, and the square planar [Cu(H2O)4]2+. The distorted octahedral structure in the Ci symmetry is preferred in [Cu(H2O)6]2+, and the square pyramidal and trigonal bipyramidal [Cu(H2O)5]2+ show almost the same stability. Among these geometries, the six-coordinate complex [Cu(H2O)6]2+ in the Ci symmetry had the lowest Helmholtz energy. [Cu(H2O)6]2+ had a distorted octahedral structure, that is, two long axial bonds and four short equatorial bonds. The spatial and radial distribution function analyses for [Cu(H2O)5]2+ and [Cu(H2O)4]2+ showed that [Cu(H2O)5]2+...

Two-electron repulsion operator formulas for the second- and third-order Douglas–Kroll (DK2 and DK3) method were derived and implemented. The formulas were applied to helium-like ions with Z = 10, 20, …, 130, and to rare gas atoms. The energies obtained for the DK2 and DK3 two-electron operators showed differences from the four-component method that were one order of magnitude smaller than those of the nonrelativistic and DK1 two-electron operators. Approximation formulas for the small component-type two-electron integrals were also derived; they were applied to the helium-like ions with Z = 80 and 130 and were numerically confirmed to reproduce unapproximated values very accurately.

Changes in the acid dissociation constant, p K a, of p -carboxybenzeneboronic acid (PCBA) upon complex formation with monosaccharide are considered by using the three-dimensional reference interaction site model self-consistent field theory. The p K a of PCBA is lowered through complex formation, which is consistent with experimental observations. Free energy component analysis of the dissociation reaction was performed to investigate the details of the contribution to the p K a shift. The magnitudes of the changes in both the electronic energy and the solvation free energy were smaller for the PCBA-complex than for PCBA. These smaller changes can be attributed to the delocalization of the excess charge and to a reduction of the solvent-accessible area near the boric acid group because of the steric bulk of the monosaccharide.

The first examples of air-stable 20π-electron 5,10,15,20-tetraaryl-5,15-diaza-5,15-dihydroporphyrins, their 18π-electron dications, and the 19π-electron radical cation were prepared through metal-templated annulation of nickel(II) bis(5-arylamino-3-chloro-8-mesityldipyrrin) complexes followed by oxidation. The neutral 20π-electron derivatives are antiaromatic and the cationic 18π-electron derivatives are aromatic in terms of the magnetic criterion of aromaticity. The meso N atoms in these diazaporphyrinoids give rise to characteristic redox and optical properties for the compounds that are not typical of isoelectronic 5,10,15,20-tetraarylporphyrins.

The applicability of density functional theory (DFT) and wave function theory combined with the three-dimensional reference interaction site model self-consistent field method to the d–d transitions of transition metal aqua complexes was examined using [Cr(H2O)6]3+ in aqueous solution as an example. DFTs with hybrid functionals, multiconfigurational self-consistent field followed by perturbation theory, and coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CCSD) followed by the equation of motion CCSD, gave reasonable d–d transition energies.

A scheme for quantitatively computing the acid dissociation constant, pKa, of hydrated molecules is proposed. It is based on the three-dimensional reference interaction site model self-consistent field (3D-RISM-SCF) theory coupled with the linear fitting correction (LFC) scheme. In LFC/3D-RISM-SCF, pKa values of target molecules are evaluated using the Gibbs energy difference between the protonated and unprotonated states calculated by 3D-RISM-SCF and the parameters fitted by the LFC scheme to the experimental values of training set systems. The pKa values computed by LFC/3D-RISM-SCF show quantitative agreement with the experimental data.

The syntheses and optical/electrochemical properties of 3-aryl-10,20-dimesityl-5,15-diazaporphyrin-metal complexes (MDAPs; mesityl = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl; M = Ni , Zn ) are reported. Treatment of 3-bromo-MDAPs with arylboronic acids in the presence of a Pd catalyst and a bulky phosphine ligand in a dioxane-water mixed solvent afforded the corresponding 3-aryl-MDAPs in moderate to good yields. X-ray crystallographic analysis of p- EtO 2 CC 6 H 4- NiDAP showed that the β-aryl group was tilted toward the NiDAP ring, with a dihedral angle of 21.7°. In the UV-visible absorption spectra, all the Ar-MDAPs showed intense Q-bands attributable to HOMO-to-LUMO transitions. The para substituents were found to influence the HOMO energies, which eventually resulted in fine tuning of the HOMO–LUMO gaps of the diazaporphyrin chromophores. It is worth noting that the p- Ph 2 NC 6 H 4- ZnDAP showed broad absorption and emission bands in the visible-near-infrared regions. The large Stokes shifts and their linear solvation energy relationships vs. orientation polarizability show that this Ph 2 N -substituted derivative has intrinsically high charge transfer from the triphenylamine (donor) to the ZnDAP (acceptor) unit. These experimental observations were supported by theoretical calculations for model Ar-ZnDAP compounds. These results confirm that the introduction of a highly electron-donating aryl group at the peripheral β-carbon is a promising strategy for enhancing the light-harvesting and light-emitting abilities of diazaporphyrin-based π-systems in the visible-near-infrared regions.

Two diazaporphyrin (DAP)-porphyrin hetero dimers, in β-meso and β-β configurations, were prepared to study their photoinduced intramolecular electron transfer properties. The two meso nitrogen atoms in the porphyrin ring of DAP change its redox potential, making DAP more easily reduced, compared to its porphyrin counterpart. A charge-transfer from porphyrin to DAP in both hetero dimers was verified by versatile optical spectroscopic methods. The steady-state fluorescence spectra indicated an efficient intramolecular exciplex formation for both dimers. For the β-meso dimer, ultrafast time-resolved spectroscopic methods revealed the subpicosecond formation of two types of primary short-living (1-18 ps) intramolecular exciplexes, which relaxed in toluene to form a long-living final exciplex (1.4 ns) followed by a longer-living charge transfer complex (5 ns). However, in benzonitrile, the lifetime of the final exciplex was longer (660 ps) as was that of the charge transfer complex (180 ps). The β-β analogue formed similar short-living exciplexes in both solvents, but the final exciplex and the charge transfer state had significantly shorter lifetimes. The electrochemical redox potential measurements and density functional theory calculations supported the proposed mechanism.

The salt effect on the intramolecular proton transfer reaction of glycine in aqueous NaCl solution was considered using the reference interaction-site model self-consistent field theory. The free energy profiles were computed for various salt concentrations. The set of profiles clearly showed that the free energy gap between the zwitterionic form (ZW) and the neutral form (NF) became larger as the NaCl concentration increased. The transition-state structure of the solute glycine approaches the NF structure, and the reaction barrier height is reduced. From the energy decomposition analysis of the free energy of solvation, we found that the changes in the solvation free energy are determined by the balance between the electronic distortion energy, the electrostatic interaction, the solvent reorganization, and the entropic effects caused by the NaCl addition. The salt effect of NaCl makes all the species associated with the reaction unstable; however, the destabilization of NFs caused by NaCl addition is stronger than that of ZWs. In the ZW, the penalty coming from the solvent reorganization and the entropic effects are compensated by the strong solute–solvent electrostatic interaction.

The first examples of unsymmetrical β-substituted donor–π–acceptor (D–π–A)-type 5,15-diazaporphyrin (DAP) sensitizers with both p-aminophenyl and p-carboxyphenyl groups at their peripheral 3-, 7-, 13-, and/or 17-positions have been synthesized for use in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). UV/Vis absorption and emission spectroscopy, electrochemical measurements, and DFT calculations revealed that these D–π–A dyes exhibit high light-harvesting properties over the whole visible range because of the intrinsic charge-transfer character of their electronic transitions. The cell performances of TiO2-based DSSCs fabricated with the newly prepared DAP derivatives were evaluated under standard AM1.5 conditions. Among the four dyes examined, 13,17-bis(p-carboxyphenyl)-3,7-bis[p-(N,N-dimethylamino)phenyl]-DAP showed the highest power conversion efficiency (2.0 %), which was 20 times larger than that obtained with 3-(p-carboxyphenyl)-DAP. These results show that the DAP chromophore could be used as the electron-accepting π unit in various types of functional dyes.

New donor–π–acceptor organic (D–π–A) dyes composed of triarylamine, oligothiophene, and phosphole subunits were prepared, and their optical and photovoltaic properties were investigated. The regioselective α-lithiation of the thiophene ring of 2-(thiophen-2-yl)phospholes bearing an ester group, followed by treatment with tributyltin chloride afforded 2-(5-(tributylstannyl)thiophen-2-yl)phosphole derivatives, which underwent Stille coupling with 5′-(p-(diarylamino)phenyl)-5-bromo-2,2′-bithiophene to give triarylamine–terthiophene–phosphole hybrid π systems bearing the terminal ester group. The alkaline hydrolysis of the ester group yielded the target dyes, bearing the carboxylic acid anchoring group. The UV–vis absorption spectra of the new N,S,P-hybrid dyes displayed broad and intense π–π* transitions with two absorption maxima in the visible region. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of two dye models revealed that each highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) resides on the triarylamine–oligothiophene π network, whereas each lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) is basically located on the phosphole subunit. In addition, the time-dependent DFT calculations of the models showed that the lowest energy bands of these hybrid dyes are mainly consisted of the HOMO-to-LUMO+1 and HOMO-to-LUMO transitions with the large intramolecular charge-transfer character. The N,S,P-hybrid-dye-sensitized TiO2 cells exhibited moderate power conversion efficiencies of up to 5.6%. The present findings corroborate the potential utility of the phosphole skeletons as the acceptor components in the D–π–A sensitizers.

Acenes are highly promising p-type organic semiconductors, and have been the subject of intense studies. However, acenes are often low in solubility and stability, which poses major obstacles in the synthesis and processing of this class of compounds. In order to overcome the problem, a series of α-diketone-type acene precursors have been developed. These precursors are generally more soluble and stable than the corresponding acene compounds, and their quantitative conversion can be achieved simply by photoirradiation both in solution and in the solid state. Further, the irreversible photoinduced removal of the α-diketone unit can be used to alter the optoelectronic properties of fluorophores. This review overviews the synthesis and photochemical properties of α-diketone-type acene precursors, as well as their use as intermediates in preparation of large acenes or highly functionalized acene derivatives. Computational studies on the mechanism of α-diketone photolysis and the use of α-diketone derivatives in fabrication of organic devices are also summarized in this review.

The three-dimensional reference interaction-site model self-consistent-field (3D-RISM-SCF) method was applied to the electronic structure of hexahydrated chromium trication [Cr(H2O)6](3+) in aqueous solution. The 3D distribution around [Cr(H2O)6](3+) showed 12 maximum density points arising from hydrogen bonds, as well as eight local maximum points at the hollow sites, in the second hydration shell. The 3D distribution function also indicated 20 local maximum sites in the third hydration shell. The low-lying excited states of vertical transitions were computed using time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT), including the electric field from the solvent. The electronic configurations and excitation energies calculated using DFT and 3D-RISM-SCF were very similar, although the orbital energies involved in the transition were rather different. The two lowest excited states (1(4)T and 2(4)T) were roughly assigned to the d-d transitions, and the third and fourth excited states (3(4)T and 4(4)T) were assigned to ligand-to-metal charge-transfer transitions. The computed excited energies were in good agreement with the experimental values.

The synthesis, structures, optical and electrochemical properties, and aromaticity of a series of 5,15-diaza-10,20-dimesitylporphyrins (M-DAP; M = Pb, H(2), Ni, Pd, Pt, Zn; mesityl = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) are reported. Treatment of mesityl-substituted bis(5,5'-dibromodipyrrin) with sodium azide in the presence of lead(II) acetylacetonate afforded Pb-DAP, which was quantitatively converted to H(2)-DAP by acidolysis. The free base H(2)-DAP reacted with palladium(II), platinum(II), and zinc(II) salts to give Pd-DAP, Pt-DAP, and Zn-DAP, respectively. The crystal structures, optical and electrochemical properties, and aromaticities of these β-unsubstituted M-DAPs were comprehensively investigated by X-ray crystallography, UV-vis absorption/fluorescence spectroscopy, nanosecond flash photolysis, cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry, NMR spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations. The obtained data show that replacement of the 5- and 15-methine carbons with nitrogen atoms alters the intrinsic properties of the porphyrin 18π system as follows: (i) the coordination spheres at the N(4) core become contracted while keeping high planarity; (ii) the Q bands are red shifted and largely intensified; (iii) the electron-accepting ability is enhanced, whereas the electron-donating ability is reduced; (iv) the radiative decay rates from the S(1) state are enhanced; and (v) the aromaticity of the 18π circuit is slightly reduced in terms of both geometric and magnetic criteria. These optical and electrochemical properties of M-DAPs stem from their characteristic frontier orbitals; two HOMOs and two LUMOs are nondegenerate as a result of the incorporation of the electronegative nitrogen atoms at the two meso positions. In addition, the group 10 metals incorporated at the core finely tune the fundamental properties of DAP π systems through inductive effects as well as dπ-pπ antibonding orbital interactions; the HOMO-LUMO gaps of the group 10 metal complexes increase in the order Ni-DAPPd-DAPPt-DAP.

Excited states of two 7-aminocoumarin derivatives, coumarin 120 (7-amino-4-methylcoumarin) and coumarin 151 (7-amino-4-trifluoromethylcoumarin), were investigated using generalized multiconfigurational quasidegenerate perturbation theory (GMC-QDPT), multiconfigurational quasidegenerate perturbation theory (MC-QDPT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) with the B3LYP and CAM-B3LYP functionals. The absorption and fluorescence spectra of C120 and C151 were calculated. We elucidated the characters of the low-lying states of C120 and C151. The absorption spectra calculated with GMC-QDPT and TDDFT B3LYP agreed well with the experimental data, while for the fluorescence spectra, the TDDFT calculations overestimated the fluorescence spectra compared to GMC-QDPT calculations. Utilizing active spaces with large numbers of electrons and orbitals for reference functions, GMC-QDPT showed a better performance than MC-QDPT with a complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) reference of active space with smaller number of electrons and orbitals. In our gas phase calculation, we found that the optimized structures for the first excited states have a planar amino group with a CN single bond, while the amino group is pyramidal in the ground state.

Multiconfigurational second-order quasidegenerate perturbation theory (MCQDPT) calculations were performed for the LaF molecule, with one LaF 2 and four LaF Dirac-Fock-Roothaan (DFR) spinor sets. The best spinor set was that of LaF 2 , which gave the lowest total energies and also the best excitation energies for any state considered. The MCQDPT calculations with the cation and neutral molecular spinors were also performed for LaF. The MCQDPT with the cation spinors gave the lowest total energies for all states under consideration, and the calculated excitation energies compared best with experiment. We prefer the LaF spinor set to those of LaF. These calculations indicate that the DFR spinor set for the (n1) electron system is adequate for treating the molecular electronic system having n electrons. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem 109: 1898 -1904, 2009

Excited states of three 7-aminocoumarin derivatives, coumarin 120 (7- amino-4-methylcoumarin), pyrrolyl coumarin 7-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)-4-methyl-2H-1- benzopyran-2-one, and carbazole-coumarin hybrid 10H-4-methyl-2H-2-oxopyrano(5,6- b)carbazole, have been studied using B3LYP time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). The solvent effect has been taken into account using the polarizable continuum model. The spectra calculated using TDDFT agree well with the experimental absorption spectra. The electronic structures and the solvent effect for the low-lying singlet excited states have been investigated. The HOMO of the pyrrolyl coumarin is localized on the pyrrolyl ring, while the HOMO in the other 7- aminocoumarins is delocalized over the entire molecule. This leads to the weak fluorescence of the pyrrolyl coumarins found in experiments. The HOMO and next HOMO in carbazole-coumarin hybrids have similar orbital energy values, which is not the case in the other 7-aminocoumarin derivatives. This leads to the additional peaks found in the 30,000 - 40,000 cm 1 region of the observed absorption spectra, which are specific for carbazole-coumarin hybrids. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem 109: 1940 -1949, 2009

The 18pi-sigma3- and 22pi-sigma4-phosphaporphyrins were successfully prepared by an acid-promoted condensation between a phosphatripyrrane and a 2,5-bis[hydroxy(phenyl)methyl]pyrrole, and their structures, aromaticity, and optical and electrochemical properties were disclosed. Notably, a sigma4-phosphaporphyrinogen and the 18pi-sigma3-phosphaporphyrin undergo oxidative pi-extension at the peripherally fused carbocycle to afford the 22pi-sigma4-phosphaporphyrin.

The synthesis and aggrega- tion behavior of meso-sulfinylporphy- A are described. The copper-cata- lyzed C-S cross-coupling reaction of a meso-iodoporphyrin with benzenethiol and n-octanethiol has proved to be an efficient method for the synthesis of meso-sulfanylporphyrins, which are oxygenated by m-chloroperbenzoic acid to produce the corresponding meso-sulfinylporphyrins. Optically active zinc meso-sulfinylporphyrins were successfully isolated by means of optical resolution of the racemates on a chiral HPLC column. Zinc sulfinyl- porphyrins readily undergo self-organi- zation through S-oxo-zinc coordina- tion to form cofacial porphyrin dimers in solution, in which the hetero- and homodimers are present as a diastereo- meric mixture. The aggregation modes of the S-oxo-tethered porphyrin dimers were fully characterized by 1 H NMR, IR, and UV/Vis spectroscopy as well as DFT calculations on their model compounds, thus revealing that the self-aggregation behavior depends on the combination of S chirality. The absolute configurations at the sulfur center can be determined by the exci- ton-coupled CD method. The observed self-association constant for the S-oxo- tethered dimerization of (S)-phenylsul- finylporphyrin in toluene is larger than that in dichloromethane, which reflects the difference in dipole moments be- tween the homodimer and the mono- mer. In cyclic and differential pulse voltammetry, the first oxidation process of the cofacial dimers is split into two reversible steps, which indicates that the initially produced p radical cations are delocalized efficiently between the two porphyrin rings. The present find- ings demonstrate the potential utility of meso-sulfinyl groups as promising li- gands for investigating the effects of peripheral chirality on the structures and optical and electrochemical prop- erties of metal-assisted porphyrin self- assemblies.

The fluorescence excitation and dispersed fluorescence spectra of jet-cooled 4-dimethylamino-7-azaindole dimer are recorded to investigate the effect of a substitution of a dimethylamino group into the 4-position of the hydrogen atom of the 7-azaindole on the excited-state double proton transfer (ESDPT). The substitution of the dimethylamino group drastically suppresses the ESDPT reaction.

An efficient computational scheme for using the relativistic and non-relativistic quasidegenerate perturbation theory with general multiconfigurational reference functions is implemented. The scheme is based on the matrix element between the reference and the zero- to two-electron ionized determinants. Comparison with a previous scheme based on diagrams is made using the excitation spectra of [PtCl 4 ] 2− , CH 3 I, and H 2 CO as examples, and the efficiency of the scheme is illustrated.