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Proton/hydrogen-transfer processes have been broadly studied in the past 50 years to explain the photostability and the spontaneous tautomerism in the DNA base pairs. In the present study, the CASSCF/CASPT2 methodology is used to map the two-dimensional potential energy surfaces along the stretched NH reaction coordinates of the guanine–cytosine (GC) base pair. Concerted and stepwise pathways are explored initially in vacuo, and three mechanisms are studied: the stepwise double proton transfer, the stepwise double hydrogen transfer, and the concerted double proton transfer. The results are consistent with previous findings related to the photostability of the GC base pair, and a new contribution to tautomerism is provided. The C-based imino-oxo and imino-enol GC tautomers, which can be generated during the UV irradiation of the Watson–Crick base pair, have analogous radiationless energy-decay channels to those of the canonical base pair. In addition, the C-based imino-enol GC tautomer is thermally less stable. A study of the GC base pair is carried out subsequently taking into account the DNA surroundings in the biological environment. The most important stationary points are computed using the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach, suggesting a similar scenario for the proton/hydrogen-transfer phenomena in vacuo and in DNA. Finally, the static model is complemented by ab initio dynamic simulations, which show that vibrations at the hydrogen bonds can indeed originate hydrogen-transfer processes in the GC base pair. The relevance of the present findings for the rationalization of the preservation of the genetic code and mutagenesis is discussed.

In this contribution, the multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory method based on a complete active space reference wave function (CASSCF/CASPT2) is applied to study all possible single and double proton/hydrogen transfers between the nucleobases in the adenine-thymine (AT) base pair, analyzing the role of excited states with different nature [localized (LE) and charge transfer (CT)], and considering concerted as well as step-wise mechanisms. According to the findings, once the lowest excited states, localized in adenine, are populated during UV irradiation of the Watson-Crick base pair, the proton transfer in the N-O bridge does not require high energy in order to populate a CT state. The latter state will immediately relax toward a crossing with the ground state, which will funnel the system to either the canonical structure or the imino-enol tautomer. The base pair is also capable of repairing itself easily since the imino-enol species is unstable to thermal conversion.

The photophysics of the two isomers of octadecaborane(22), anti- and syn-B 18H 22, have been studied by UV-vis spectroscopic techniques and theoretical computational methods. In air-saturated hexane, anti-B 18H 22 shows fluorescence with a high quantum yield, Φ F = 0.97, and singlet oxygen O 2( 1Δ g) production (Φ Δ ∼ 0.008). Conversely, isomer syn-B 18H 22 shows no measurable fluorescence, instead displaying much faster, picosecond nonradiative decay of excited singlet states. Computed potential energy hypersurfaces (PEHs) for both isomers rationalize these data, pointing to a deep S 1 minimum for anti-B 18H 22 and a conical intersection (CI) between its S 0 and S 1 states that lies 0.51 eV higher in energy. Such an energy barrier to nonradiative relaxation is not present in the PEH of syn-B 18H 22, and the system therefore has sufficient initial energy on excitation to reach the (S 0/S 1) CI and to then decay to the ground state without fluorescence. The computational analysis of the geometries at stationary points along the PEH of both isomers shows that the determining factor for the dissimilar photophysics of anti- and syn-B 18H 22 may be due to the significant differences in the geometrical rearrangements at their respective conical intersections. Thus, the syn isomer shows one very large, B-B elongation of 1.2 Å from 1.8 Å in the ground state to 3.0 Å at the CI, whereas the anti isomer shows smaller elongations (below 1 Å) in several B-B connectivities at its (S 0/S 1) CI. The absorbed energy in S 1 for the anti-B 18H 22 is therefore redistributed vibrationally into several regions of the molecule rather than almost completely into a single vibrational mode as in the case for the syn isomer. The consequent prolonged S 1 lifetime for the anti isomer allows for relaxation via fluorescence. © 2012 American Chemical Society., This research was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (Nos. P207/11/1577 and P208/10/1678), Czech Ministry of Education (MSM6007665808), and Spanish Projects CTQ2010-14892, CSD2007-0010 Consolider-Ingenio in Molecular Nanoscience, Comunidad de Madrid Project S2009/ESP/1691 Program MODELICO-CM, and European Union Projects FP7-ICT-2009-4-248909-LIMA and FP7-ICT-2009-4-248855-N4E.

The stability of endohedral carboranes X@{1,n-C2B10H12} (X = Li(+), Be(2+); n = 2, 7, 12) and X@{CB11H12(-)} (X = Li(+), Be(2+)) is studied using electronic structure calculations with the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) model. Our calculations suggest that all endohedral compounds are local energy minima; for the exohedral complexes X···cage, the global energy minimum always corresponds to the X atom above a triangular face of the icosahedron. In the latter the X atom is furthest apart from the carbon atoms of the cage. As opposite to exohedral {Be(2+)···cage} complexes, no global energy minima were found for exohedral complexes {Li(+)···cage} whereby a carbon atom is present in the triangular face of the icosahedron below the Li(+) cation.

The present study provides new insight into the intrinsic mechanisms for the population of the triplet manifold in DNA nucleobases by determining, at the multiconfigurational CASSCF/CASPT2 level, the singlet-triplet states crossing regions and the main decay paths for their lowest singlet and triplet states after near-UV irradiation. The studied singlet-triplet interacting regions are accessible along the minimum energy path of the initially populated singlet bright (1)ππ* state. In particular, all five natural DNA/RNA nucleobases have, at the end of the main minimum energy path and near a conical intersection of the ground and (1)ππ* states, a low-energy, easily accessible, singlet-triplet crossing region directly connecting the lowest singlet and triplet ππ* excited states. Adenine, thymine, and uracil display additional higher-energy crossing regions related to the presence of low-lying singlet and a triplet nπ* state. These funnels are absent in guanine and cytosine, which have the bright (1)ππ* state lower in energy and less accessible nπ* states. Knowledge of the location and accessibility of these regions, in which the singlet-triplet interaction is related to large spin-orbit coupling elements, may help to understand experimental evidence such as the wavelength dependence measured for the triplet formation quantum yield in nucleobases and the prevalence of adenine and thymine components in the phosphorescence spectra of DNA.

The SS bond cleavage produced upon electron attachment to disulfides was generally assumed to be an adiabatic process because the added electron occupies the σ*(SS) antibonding orbital. This is clearly the case in the parent HSSH compound, but not necessarily in XSSX′ derivatives, where the substituents X and X′ are different. Through the use of MS-CASPT2 calculations, we have shown that the dissociation of the SS two-center-three-electron bond in these asymmetric XSSX′ compounds requires the interaction of at least two states, in order to localize the extra electron in one of the fragments upon dissociation. This is actually the case for the CH3SSNH2 derivative, where the most favorable dissociation process locates the extra electron at the SCH3 moiety, the SCH3· + SNH dissociation limit being 66 kJ mol−1 higher in energy. The situation is still more complex when one of the substituents is an OH group, because, in this particular case, the most favorable process is the dissociation of the SO rather than the SS bond. Besides, the two dissociation limits CH3SS· + OH− and CH3SS− + OH· are accidentally degenerate, so the SO bond fission involves a three-state conical intersection. This constitutes the first example of a three-state crossing computed by accurate ab initio calculations involved in a nonphotochemical reaction. These findings highlight the necessity of using multireference approaches to appropriately describe the electron capture dissociation of disulfide bridges. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem 111: 3316–3323, 2011

The UV photoreactivity of different pyrimidine DNA/RNA nucleobases along the singlet manifold leading to the formation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers has been studied by using the CASPT2 level of theory. The initially irradiated singlet state promotes the formation of excimers between pairs of properly oriented nucleobases through the overlap between the π structures of two stacked nucleobases. The system evolves then to the formation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers via a shearing-type conical intersection activating a [2 + 2] photocycloaddition mechanism. The relative location of stable excimer conformations or alternative decay channels with respect to the reactive degeneracy region explains the differences in the photoproduction efficiency observed in the experiments for different nucleobases sequences. A comparative analysis of the main structural parameters and energetic profiles in the singlet manifold is carried out for thymine, uracil, cytosine, and 5-methylcytosine homodimers. Thymine and uracil dimers display the most favorable paths, in contrast to cytosine. Methylation of the nucleobases seems to increase the probability for dimerization.

In the pursuit of detecting the first endohedral polyhedral borane complex, we report a quantum-chemical computational study of energy landscapes for diexo isomers derived from Li 2 B 12 H 12 and the exo/endo isomer Li@{LiB 12 H 12 }. Geometries, electronic structure and energy barriers are computed for the interconversion between diexo isomers and the exo / endo isomer, the latter leading to a thermal injection / ejection mechanism of Li + from outside / inside the complex [LiB 12 H 12 ] − .

Although it has been generally assumed that electron attachment to disulfide derivatives leads to a systematic and significant activation of the S-S bond, we show, by using [CH(3)SSX] (X = CH(3), NH(2), OH, F) derivatives as model compounds, that this is the case only when the X substituents have low electronegativity. Through the use of MP2, QCI and CASPT2 molecular orbital (MO) methods, we elucidate, for the first time, the mechanisms that lead to unimolecular fragmentation of disulfide derivatives after electron attachment. Our theoretical scrutiny indicates that these mechanisms are more intricate than assumed in previous studies. The most stable products, from a thermodynamic viewpoint, correspond to the release of neutral molecules; CH(4), NH(3), H(2)O, and HF. However, the barriers to reach these products depend strongly on the electronegativity of the X substituents. Only for very electronegative substituents, such as OH or F, the loss of H(2)O or HF is the most favorable process, and likely the only one observed. This is possible because of two concomitant factors, 1) the extra electron for [CH(3)SSX](-) (X = OH, F) occupies a sigma*(S-X) MO, which favors the cleavage of the S-X bond, and 2) the activation barriers associated with the hydrogen transfer process to produce H(2)O and HF are rather low. Only when the substituents are less electronegative (X = H, CH(3), NH(2)) the extra electron is located in a sigma*(S-S) orbital and the cleavage of the disulfide bridge becomes the most favorable process. The intimate mechanism associated with the S-S bond dissociation process also depends strongly on the nature of the substituent. For X = H or CH(3) the process is strictly adiabatic, while for X = NH(2) it proceeds through a conical intersection (CI) associated with the charge reorganization necessary to obtain, from a molecular anion with the extra electron delocalized in a sigma*(S-S) antibonding orbital, two fragments with the proper charge localization.

The photoinduced formation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers in the triplet excited state of the DNA/RNA pyrimidine nucleobases pairs has been studied at the CASPT2 level of theory. A stepwise mechanism through the triplet state of the homodimer is proposed for the pairs of nucleobases cytosine, thymine, and uracil involving a singlet−triplet crossing intermediary structure of biradical character representing the most favorable triplet state conformation of the nucleobases as found in the DNA environment. The efficiency of the mechanism will be modulated by two factors: the effectiveness of the triplet−triplet energy transfer process from a donor photosensitizer molecule, which relates to the relative position of the intermediate in the three acceptor systems, determined here to be lower in energy in the thymine and uracil dimers than in the cytosine pairs, and that of the intersystem crossing process toward the ground state of the photoproduct.

The sequential Monte Carlo/CASPT2 approach was employed to investigate deactivation and emission processes from the lowest-lying ππ∗ and n π∗ excited states of 9H-adenine in aqueous solution. It is found that conical intersections connecting the ππ∗ and n π∗ states with the ground state are also present in solution, whereas the barriers for the deactivation paths are significantly smaller on solvated conditions. The large destabilization of the n π∗ state found in solution possibly prevents its involvement in the deactivation photophysics and explains the change from a bi- to a mono-exponential decay for the molecule in the gas phase and solution, respectively.

The accuracy of auxiliary basis sets derived from Cholesky decomposition of two-electron integrals is assessed for excitation energies calculated at the state-average complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) and multiconfigurational second order perturbation theory (CASPT2) levels of theory using segmented as well as generally contracted atomic orbital basis sets. Based on 196 valence excitations in 26 organic molecules and 72 Rydberg excitations in 3 organic molecules, the results show that Cholesky auxiliary basis sets can be used without compromising the accuracy of the multiconfigurational methods. Specifically, with a decomposition threshold of 10(-4) au, the mean error due to the Cholesky auxiliary basis set is 0.001 eV, or smaller, decreasing with increasing atomic orbital basis set quality.

Some of the new unique features of the MOLCAS quantum chemistry package version 7 are presented inthis report. In particular, the Cholesky decomposition method applied to some quantum chemical methods is described. This approach is used both in the context of a straight forward approximation of the two-electron integrals and in the generation of so-called auxiliary basis sets. The article describes how the method is implemented for most known wave functions models: self-consistent field, density functional theory, 2nd order perturbation theory, complete-active space self-consistent field multiconfigurational reference 2nd order perturbation theory, and coupled-cluster methods. The report further elaborates on the implementation of a restricted-active space self-consistent field reference function in conjunction with 2nd order perturbation theory. The average atomic natural orbital basis for relativistic calculations, covering the whole periodic table, are described and associated unique properties are demonstrated. Furthermore, the use of the arbitrary order Douglas-Kroll-Hess transformation for one-component relativistic calculations and its implementation are discussed. This section especially focuses on the implementation of the so-called picture-change-free atomic orbital property integrals. Moreover, the ElectroStatic Potential Fitted scheme, a version of a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics hybrid method implemented in MOLCAS, is described and discussed. Finally, the report discusses the use of the MOLCAS package for advanced studies of photo chemical phenomena and the usefulness of the algorithms for constrained geometry optimization in MOLCAS in association with such studies. (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Corn put Chem 31: 224-247, 2010

The electronic structure of a neutral, a radical anion, and a dianion carborane dimer connected via an acetylenic bridge unit (HB) 11 C C C C(BH) 11 is analyzed by quantum chemical methods. Geometries, relative stabilities, and singlet–triplet gaps are determined in the neutral and dianion species for the lowest-lying singlet and triplet states and for the doublet ground state in the radical anion. As for the recently studied biradical compounds derived from o -carborane, m -carborane and p -carborane [J. Chem. Theory Comput. 4 (2008) 1338] via double hydrogen abstraction, the neutral dimeric compound displays a biradical ground-state structure in which both singlet and triplet state are practically degenerate, with the singlet state lying slightly lower in energy (⩽0.005 eV) at both DFT broken-symmetry and ab initio CASPT2 levels of theory. The singlet–triplet splitting is therefore close to k B · T at room temperature, approaching the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The neutral dimer biradical becomes then a strong candidate to behave as a molecular magnet in molecular architectures based on carborane units. It is also shown that the system is a powerful electron acceptor with increasing stability from the neutral to the radical anion and dianion systems.

A theoretical multiconfigurational second-order perturbation method, CASPT2, has been employed to determine the binding energies and electronic couplings for all pairs of stacked canonical nucleobases in the standard conformation of the B-DNA. The existence and relevance of conical intersections mediating the hole transfer process has been shown in different systems in vacuo and, by using hybrid QM/MM techniques, in a more realistic biological environment, formed by a double helix of 18 oligomers of DNA surrounded by water molecules. The present results support, therefore, the cooperative micro-hopping mechanism proposed in a previous work for the migration of the hole between adjacent π-stacked 2′-deoxycytidine 5′-monophosphate (dCMP) or alternate 2′-deoxyadenosine 5′-monophosphate and dCMP oligonucleotides.

Quantum chemical studies using the accurate CASPT2//CASSCF procedure show that π-stacked interactions in biochromophores such as pyrimidine (Pyr) DNA/RNA nucleobases pairs yield excimer-like situations which behave as precursors of processes like charge transfer (CT) or photoreactivity and are the source of the emissive properties in DNA. Examples are the CT between adjacent DNA nucleobases in a strand of oligonucleotides and the photodimerization taking place in cytosine (C) pairs leading to cyclobutanecytosine (CBC) mutants. These processes take place through nonadiabatic photochemical mechanisms whose evolution is determined by the presence and accessibility of conical intersections (CIs) and other surface crossings between different electronic states.

The ability of furocoumarins to participate in the PUVA (Psoralen + UV-A) therapy against skin disorders and some types of cancer, is analyzed on quantum chemical grounds. The efficiency of the process relies on its capability to populate its lowest triplet excited state, and then either form adducts with thymine which interfere DNA replication or transfer its energy, generating singlet molecular oxygen damaging the cell membrane in photoactivated tissues. By determining the spin–orbit couplings, shown to be the key property, in the intersystem crossing yielding the triplet state of the furocoumarin, the electronic couplings in the triplet–triplet energy transfer process producing the singlet oxygen, and the reaction rates and lifetimes, the efficiency in the phototherapeutic action of the furocoumarin family is predicted as: khellin

Energies and structures of different arrangements of the stacked adenine homodimer have been computed at the ab initio CASPT2 level of theory in isolation and in an aqueous environment. Adenine dimers are shown to form excimer singlet states with different degrees of stacking and interaction. A model for a 2-fold decay dynamics of adenine oligomers can be supported in which, after initial excitation in the middle UV range, unstacked or slightly stacked pairs of nucleobases will relax by an ultrafast internal conversion to the ground state, localizing the excitation in the monomer and through the corresponding conical intersection with the ground state. On the other hand, long-lifetime intrastrand stacked excimer singlet states will be formed in different conformations, including neutral and charge transfer dimers, which originate the red-shifted emission observed in the oligonucleotide chains and that will evolve toward the same monomer decay channel after surmounting an energy barrier. By computing the transient absorption spectra for the different structures considered and their relative stability in vacuo and in water, it is concluded that in the adenine homodimers the maximum-overlap face-to-face orientations are the most stable excimer conformations observed in experiment.

In order to prevent the damaging effects of sun radiation in the genetic material, its constituent chromophores, the five natural DNA/RNA nucleobases cytosine, thymine, uracil, adenine, and guanine, should be able to efficiently dissipate absorbed radiation, UV specifically, avoiding as much as possible photoreactions leading to lesions. It has been established experimentally and theoretically that efficient internal conversion channels, still open and relevant in the oligomer-stacked strands, exist in the monomers allowing an effective waste of the initial energy. Previous evidences cannot explain, however, why minor differences in the molecular structure modify drastically the photochemistry of the systems, leading for many derivatives to slower decays, sometimes to intense fluorescence, and also to reactivity. Using the accurate CASPT2//CASSCF quantum chemical method and the Photochemical Reaction Path Approach it is determined that the five natural nucleobases display barrierless paths from the allowed excited state toward accessible conical intersection seams with the ground state. Such features are known to be the funnels for efficient energy decay and fluorescence quenching. Modified nucleobases, except the methylated ones, are predicted less photostable because they display energy barriers along lowest-energy paths and hence restricted accessibility of the internal conversion channel. This specificity speaks in favor of the choice of the biological nucleobases by natural selection based on their resistance to photochemical damage. Whereas natural and methylated nucleobases, also frequent in the genetic code, are photostable and cannot be photochemically discarded, other non-natural nucleobases may have been eliminated at early stages of the natural selection process.

The accurate ab initio quantum chemical (QM) method multiconfigurational second-order perturbation (CASSPT2)/complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) has been used in conjunction with molecular mechanics (MM) procedures to compute molecular properties and photoinduced reactivity of DNA/RNA nucleobases (NABs) in isolation and within a realistic environment, in which the double helix strand, the aqueous media, and the external counterions are included. It is illustrated that the use of an MM model is helpful both to account for short- and long-range effects of the system surrounding the QM molecular core and to provide the proper structural constraints that allow more accurate QM geometry determinations.

The electronic excited states of the olefin 1,1'-bicylohexylidene (BCH) are investigated using multiconfigurational complete active space self-consistent-field second order perturbation theory in its multi-state version (MS-CASPT2). Our calculations undoubtedly show that the bulk of the intensity of the two unusually intense bands of the UV absorption of BCH measured with maxima at 5.95 eV and 6.82 eV in the vapor phase are due to a single pi pi* valence excitation. Sharp peaks reported in the vicinity of the low-energy feature in the gas phase correspond to the beginning of the pi 3s(R) Rydberg series. By locating the origin of the pi pi* band at 5.63 eV, the intensity and broadening of the observed bands and their presence in solid phase is explained as the vibrational structure of the valence pi pi* transition, which underlies the Rydberg manifold as a quasi-continuum.

The mechanism of the [2 + 2] cycloaddition photoreaction of psoralen and a DNA nucleobase, thymine, cornerstone of the furocoumarin-based PUVA (psoralen + UVA radiation) phototherapy, has been studied by the quantum-chemical multiconfigurational CASPT2 method. Triplet- and singlet-mediated mono- and diadduct formations have been determined to take place via singlet-triplet crossings and conical intersections, correlated with the initially promoted triplet or singlet states in different possible reactive orientations. Pyroneside monoadducts are suggested to be formed in the triplet manifold of the system, and to be less prone to yield diadducts because of the properties of the monoadduct lowest triplet state and the minor accessibility of its excited singlet states. Furan-side monoadducts are better produced in the singlet manifold after reaching a conical intersection with the ground state of the system. From there, the absorption of a second photon would in this case trigger the formation of the diadduct. The proposed mechanisms enable rationalizing the phototherapeutic behavior of several furocoumarins.

The minimum energy path along the lowest-lying ππ ∗ excited state of 2-aminopurine was calculated to elucidate the mechanisms of radiationless decay and emission in water. The sequential Monte Carlo quantum mechanics approach with a multiconfigurational and perturbative description of the wave function was employed to compute the minimum, transition state, and conical intersection. It was found that the barrier in the potential energy surface to access the conical intersection funnel increases in aqueous environment, making the system prone to enlarge the emission yield. These results rationalize the observed enhancement of emission in 2-aminopurine upon increasing of the solvent polarity.

Furocoumarins are widely used as photosensitizers in photochemical therapies against different skin disorders such as psoriasis and vitiligo. Absorption of near-UV light by the chromophore triggers a set of photoreactions related to the therapeutic properties of the technique: linkage of a furocoumarin to thymine DNA nucleobases preventing proliferation of pathogenic cells, or generation of highly reactive singlet oxygen in damaged tissues. The family of furocoumarins has been studied in depth for many years seeking a drug having the most remarkable set of properties to act as a photosensitizer. For this purpose, understanding the underlying photochemical mechanisms behind the effectiveness of this therapy is required. We have undertaken a quantum-mechanical study on the photophysics and photochemistry of several relevant furocoumarins: psoralen, 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) and 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP), 4,5′,8-trimethylpsoralen (TMP), 3-carbethoxypsoralen (3-CPS), and khellin, analyzing the most efficient way in which the lowest excited triplet state, as protagonist of the photosensitizing action, is populated from the initially promoted singlet states. The results point out to khellin, in particular, and 5-MOP, as the most efficient photosensitizers.

Based on CASPT2 results, the present contribution establishes for the first time that cytosine photodimer formation (CC) is mediated along the triplet and singlet manifold by a singlet-triplet crossing, (T1/S0)X, and by a conical intersection, (S1/S0)CI, respectively. The former can be accessed in a barrierless way from a great variety of photochemical avenues and exhibits a covalent single bond between the ethene C6-C6' carbon atoms of each monomer. The efficiency of the stepwise triplet mechanism, however, would be modulated by the effectiveness of the intersystem crossing mechanism. The results provide the grounds for the understanding of the potential photogenotoxicity of endogenous and exogenous compounds via triplet-triplet sensitization, with a lower bound for cytosine oligonucleotides predicted to be 2.70 eV, and give support to the traditional view of the primary role of triplet excited states in the photochemistry of DNA, a well-known source of photoproducts in solution under triplet photosensitization conditions. The function played by singlet excimers (excited dimers) to explain both the red-shifted fluorescence and photoreaction is highlighted. A rationale on the pronounced wavelength dependence of the observed fluorescence is offered. Geometrical arrangements at the time of light irradiation close to, but energetically above, (S1/S0)CI are suggested as reactive orientations that become prone to produce CC directly, with no energy barrier. Because of the outstanding intrinsic ability of cytosine to form stable relaxed excimers, the system located near the bound relaxed excimer has to accumulate enough vibrational energy to surmount a small barrier of 0.2 eV to reach (S1/S0)CI, making the overall process to proceed at a slower relative rate as compared to other compounds such as thymine, which is not susceptible of forming so stable excimers.

Structures, relative stabilities, singlet-triplet gaps, and the ground-state character of mono- and diradicals derived from the three icosahedral carborane cage isomers have been computed by unrestricted broken-symmetry DFT and by CASPT2 methods. Whereas the bond dissociation energies (BDE) leading to the carborane monoradicals are close to the benzene BDE, the most stable carborane radicals are derived from dissociations of hydrogens farthest away from the carbon atoms. All the monomeric carborane diradicals are determined to have singlet ground states. However, the energetic accessibility of triplet states in some of the species offers the potential of building diradical multidimensional carborane network architectures with interesting magnetic properties.

Charge transport in DNA strands has been studied by characterizing on theoretical grounds the lowest doublet states of the oxidized cytosine homodimer (CC + ) and adenine–cytosine heterodimer (CA + ) along the intermolecular separation of the monomers. The high-level quantum-chemical ab initio CASPT2 method and accurate one-electron basis sets have been employed. Both cationic species are found to be bound with comparable binding energies as those of neutral CC and reduced CC − . The results suggest that charge transport in DNA and the distinct photophysical attributes related to the polymer can be described within the framework of a unified theory. A cooperative micro-hopping mechanism involving consecutively two-by-two adjacent π-stacked nucleobases is proposed for hole transport along single strands of only dCMP or alternate dAMP and dCMP oligonucleotides. This model could be extrapolated to other combinations of deoxynucleotides and even to double stranded DNA and is expected to be similar for the transport of an excess electron. It is suggested that the efficiency of the process is controlled by the presence and relative location of conical intersections connecting the relevant hypersurfaces.

Circularly polarized laser pulses may excite state selective unidirectional toroidal electric ring currents around the axis of oriented linear molecules. These in turn induce state selective magnetic fields. Quantum simulations for AlCl show that these effects are about one or even more than three orders of magnitudes larger than those which may be prepared in oriented planar molecules such as Mg-porphyrin, by means of either circularly polarized laser pulses, or by traditional magnetic fields, respectively.

The effect of electromagnetic radiation on biological objects extends from heating to complex photochemistry, and includes DNA alteration, that properly modified in damaged cells may entail beneficial effects. In this regard, psoralen + UV-A (PUVA) therapy, in which furocoumarins, psoralen-like chromophores, are used as photosensitizers and photoreactants with DNA bases, is one of the most promising strategies against a plethora of diseases. Understanding the underlying photochemical mechanisms is crucial to design effective drugs without undesired side effects. We have undertaken a quantum-mechanical study on the photophysics and photochemistry of furocoumarins, analyzing firstly the most efficient way in which the lowest excited triplet state, as protagonist of the photosensitizing action, is populated from the initially promoted singlet states, and secondly the basics of the formation of furocoumarin–DNA photoadducts.

The population of the lowest triplet state of thymine after near-UV irradiation has been established, on the basis of CASPT2//CASSCF quantum chemical calculations, to take place via three distinct intersystem crossing mechanisms from the initially populated singlet bright 1pipi* state. Two singlet-triplet crossings have been found along the minimum-energy path for ultrafast decay of the singlet state at 4.8 and 4.0 eV, involving the lowest 3npi* and 3pipi* states, respectively. Large spin-orbit coupling elements predict efficient intersystem crossing processes in both cases. Another mechanism involving energy transfer from the lowest 1npi* state with much larger spin-orbit coupling terms can also be proposed. The wavelength dependence measured for the triplet quantum yield of pyrimidine nucleobases is explained by the location and accessibility of the singlet-triplet crossing regions.

CASPT2//CASSCF/6-31G* computations are used on the singlet S 1 and S 2 states to map the photoisomerization process of the 11-cis retinal protonated Schiff base in vacuo and to characterize its optical properties. It is shown that the spectroscopic observations recorded in Rhodopsin are reproduced quite well, calling for a substantially neutral effect of the protein. Furthermore, a rationale is proposed for the unreactive population recently observed in Rhodopsin, which is here addressed to the accessible S 2 state, behaving as a trap. The experimental transient absorption and (absorption-wavelength dependent) emission are discussed and interpreted under the light of this novel model. Finally, a planarization of the β-ionone ring is observed on S 1, which may cause a steric lever effect into the protein pocket, thus assisting photoisomerization catalysis. The reported results constitute a solid reference for further studies aimed to rationalize the effect of the environment on the photochemical reactivity of retinal chromophores.

The efficient population of the low-lying triplet ππ * state of psoralen is studied with the quantum chemical CASPT2 method. Minima, singlet–triplet crossings, conical intersections, and reaction paths on the low-lying singlet and triplet states hypersurfaces of the system have been computed together with electronic energy gaps and spin–orbit coupling terms. A mechanism is proposed, favorable in the gas phase, for efficient deactivation of the initially populated singlet excited ππ * state, starting with an intersystem crossing with an n π * triplet state and evolving via a conical intersection toward the final lowest-lying ππ * triplet state, protagonist of the reactivity of psoralen.

Photochemical processes that take place in biological molecules have become an increasingly important research topic for both experimentalists and theoreticians. In this work, we report the reaction mechanism of a model of the photoactive yellow protein (PYP) chromophore in vacuo. The results obtained here, using a strategy based on the simultaneous use of the minimum energy path concept and the quantum theory of atoms in molecules applied to this excited state process, suggest a possible way in which the protein could increase the efficiency of the reaction. The role played by other electronic states of the same and different spin multiplicities in the reaction process is also analyzed, with special emphasis on that played by the lowest-lying triplet state. The possibility of a more complex than expected reaction mechanism is finally discussed, with some suggestions on the possible roles of the protein.

The dissociative electron-attachment (DEA) phenomena at the N1-H and N3-H bonds observed experimentally at low energies (

On the basis of high-level quantum chemical calculations, closed-cage carboranes are shown to be prospective nanoscale mass selective conveyors via a photochemical switch. A mechanism is evidenced in which stable carborane boxes with lithium as endohedral atom, Li@CB 11 H 12 , can be photoinduced to sequentially evolve opening the cage, releasing the internal atom through a window in the box structure, and closing the cage toward either ionic or neutral channels where the charge or spin of the fragments may be controlled.

The electronic singlet-singlet and singlet-triplet electronic transitions of the isoalloxazine ring of the flavin core are studied using second-order perturbation theory within the framework of the CASPT2//CASSCF protocol. The main features of the absorption spectrum are computed at 3.09, 4.28, 4.69, 5.00, and 5.37 eV. The lowest singlet (S1) and triplet (T1) excited states are found to be both of pi character with a singlet-triplet splitting of 0.57 eV. On the basis of the analysis of the computed spin-orbit couplings and the potential energy hypersurfaces built for the relevant excited states, the intrinsic mechanism for photoinduced population of T1 is discussed. Upon light absorption, evolution of the lowest singlet excited state along the relaxation pathway leads ultimately to the population of the lowest triplet state, which is mediated by a singlet-triplet crossing with a state of npi* type. Subsequently a radiationless decay toward T1 through a conical intersection takes place. The intersystem crossing mechanism and the internal conversion processes documented here provide a plausible route to access the lowest triplet state, which has a key role in the photochemistry of the flavin core ring and is mainly responsible for the reactivity of the system.

An ab initio theoretical study at the CASPT2 level is reported on minimum energy reaction paths, state minima, transition states, reaction barriers, and conical intersections on the potential energy hypersurfaces of two tautomers of adenine: 9H- and 7H-adenine. The obtained results led to a complete interpretation of the photophysics of adenine and derivatives, both under jet-cooled conditions and in solution, within a three-state model. The ultrafast subpicosecond fluorescence decay measured in adenine is attributed to the low-lying conical intersection (gs/pipi* La)(CI), reached from the initially populated 1(pipi* La) state along a path which is found to be barrierless only in 9H-adenine, while for the 7H tautomer the presence of an intermediate plateau corresponding to an NH2-twisted conformation may explain the absence of ultrafast decay in 7-substituted compounds. A secondary picosecond decay is assigned to a path involving switches towards two other states, 1(pipi* Lb) and 1(npi*), ultimately leading to another conical intersection with the ground state, (gs/npi*), with a perpendicular disposition of the amino group. The topology of the hypersurfaces and the state properties explain the absence of secondary decay in 9-substituted adenines in water in terms of the higher position of the 1(npi*) state and also that the 1(pipi* Lb) state of 7H-adenine is responsible for the observed fluorescence in water. A detailed discussion comparing recent experimental and theoretical findings is given. As for other nucleobases, the predominant role of a pipi*-type state in the ultrafast deactivation of adenine is confirmed.

A theoretical, quantum-chemical study of the thioxanthone (TX) molecule has been performed at the MP2 and CASPT2 levels of theory. Geometries, absorption energies, and transition and state properties have been investigated. Two conformers have been found very close in energy with planar (P) and non-planar (NP) structures, the latter characterized by a dihedral angle θ = 173.3° representing the bend of the side benzene rings and an out-of-plane angle ϕ = 4° of the C O bond. Large changes in the relative positions and properties of the two low-lying electronic absorption bands, ππ * and nπ * , are computed when changing the conformation. As a consequence of the analysis of the TX absorption spectrum it is suggested that TX should be viewed as dynamically changing its conformation between the planar and the non-planar conformations. We coined such behavior as a “butterfly like motion”. This dynamic view of the TX structure enables a plausible explanation of the photophysical properties observed for the system.

This work introduces a calibrated B3LYP/6-31G(d) study on the electronic structure of singlet and triplet neutral species of 1,2-substituted icosahedral 1,2-R(2)-1,2-C(2)B(10)H(10) and octahedral 1,2-R(2)-1,2-C(2)B(4)H(4) molecules with R = {H, OH, SH, NH(2), PH(2), CH(3), SiH(3)} and their respective dianions formed by proton removal on each R group. A variety of small adiabatic singlet-triplet gaps DeltaE(ST) are obtained from these systems ranging from 2.93 eV (R = NH(2))

The reaction mechanism of the CH2OH + O2 gas-phase reaction was investigated by means of ab initio calculations. MP2 and QCISD methodologies were used to obtain the stationary points on the potential energy surface. Single-point high-level QCISD(T) calculations were performed over the QCISD results in order to refine the energy of the transition states and the minima found. A new transition state concerning the initial O2 addition to the CH2OH radical was found, not reported so far for this reaction. Extra CCSD optimisation and single-point high-level CCSD(T) calculations upon the QCISD results confirm this TS. Additional RASSCF calculations show that its wave function has no significant multireferential character.

Accurate CASPT2 calculations on the excited state double proton transfer reaction in the 7-azaindole dimer have been performed on different symmetric and asymmetric pathways along the protons interchange. The presence of a conical intersection connecting the initially photoinduced singlet excited state with a charge transfer state leading both to asymmetric ionic and neutral structures promotes a step-wise mechanism, probably taking place through the ionic intermediate. The concerted path is computed slightly higher in energy in the gas phase.

The accurate quantum chemical CASSCF and CASPT2 methods combined with a Monte Carlo procedure to mimic solvation effects have been used in the calculation of the spectroscopic properties of two tautomers of 2-aminopurine (2AP). Absorption and emission spectra have been simulated both in vacuum and in aqueous environment. State and transition energies and properties have been obtained with high accuracy, leading to the assignment of the most important spectroscopic features. The lowest-lying 1 (,*) ( 1 La) state has been determined as responsible for the first band in the absorption spectrum and also for the strong fluorescence observed for the system in water. The combined approach used in the present work gives quantitatively accurate

The present contribution contains an overview of quantum-chemical methods and strategies to compute and interpret spectroscopic and photochemical phenomena in molecular systems. The state of the art for the quantum chemistry of the excited state is reviewed, focusing in the advantages and disadvantages of the most commonly employed computational methods, from the single configurational procedures like CI-Singles (CIS), propagator approaches, and Coupled-Cluster (CC) techniques, to the more sophisticated multiconfigurational treatments, with particular emphasis on perturbation theory, the CASPT2 approach. Also, a short summary on the performance, lights, and shadows of the popular TDDFT methods is included. The role of the differential correlation effects on quantum-chemical calculations is analyzed, especially for the location of potential energy surface crossings. The contribution finally addresses the importance that theoretical constructs as conical and non-conical intersections play in non-adiabatic photochemistry. The nice photochemistry of cytosine is used as an illustrative example of theoretical photochemistry, a continuously expanding field of research.

We report a joint computational and luminescence study on the low-lying excited states of sym-triazines, namely, 1,3,5-triazine (1) and the ubiquitous herbicides atrazine [6-chloro-N2-ethyl-N4-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine (2)] and ametryn [6-methylthio-N2-ethyl-N4-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine (3)]. Geometrical structures, energetics, and transition and state properties of I and 2 were computed at the TD-DFT, CASSCF, and CASPT2 levels of theory. The fluorescence and phosphorescence emission spectra, lifetimes, and fluorescence quantum yields were measured for the three compounds, and from these, the energies of the lowest excited states and their corresponding radiative rates were determined. The predictions from CASPT2 calculations are in good agreement with the experimental results obtained from the luminescence studies and allow the interpretation of different absorption and emission features.

The doublet potential energy surfaces involved in the decomposition of the nitromethane radical anion (CH(3)NO(2) (-)) have been studied by using the multistate extension of the multiconfigurational second-order perturbation method (MS-CASPT2) in conjunction with large atomic natural orbital-type basis sets. A very low energy barrier is found for the decomposition reaction: CH(3)NO(2) (-)--[CH(3)NO(2)](-)--CH(3)+NO(2) (-). No evidence has been obtained on the existence of an isomerization channel leading to the initial formation of the methylnitrite anion (CH(3)ONO(-)) which, in a subsequent reaction, would yield nitric oxide (NO). In contrast, it is suggested that NO is formed through the bimolecular reaction: CH(3)+NO(2) (-)--[CH(3)O-N-O](-)--CH(3)O(-)+NO. In particular, the CASSCF/MS-CASPT2 results indicate that the methylnitrite radical anion CH(3)ONO(-) does not represent a minimum energy structure, as concluded by using density functional theory (DFT) methodologies. The inverse symmetry breaking effect present in DFT is demonstrated to be responsible for such erroneous prediction.