The photophysics of thioxanthone (TX) dissolved in methanol (MeOH) and 2,2,2,-trifluoroethanol (T... more The photophysics of thioxanthone (TX) dissolved in methanol (MeOH) and 2,2,2,-trifluoroethanol (TFE) was studied by time-resolved fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy. The spectrally integrated stimulated emission is seen to lose amplitude within ∼5-10 ps. This is much shorter than the fluorescence lifetimes of the compound (2.7 ns for MeOH and 7.6 ns for TFE). The initial reduction in amplitude is attributed to reversible intersystem crossing between the primarily excited (1)ππ* and a triplet (3)nπ* state. The latter one is energetically slightly (∼0.02 eV) above the former one. Addition of the quencher 1-methylnaphthalene (1-MN) reduces the fluorescence lifetime and yields triplet excited 1-MN, giving further evidence for the equilibrium of singlet and triplet excitations. The depopulation of these two states on the nanosecond time scale results in the rise of the lowest triplet state, a (3)ππ* state. Temperature dependencies attribute this to an activated internal conversion process between the two triplet states. Kinetic and energetic parameters derived from the experimental data will be compared with quantum chemical results in the accompanying paper [Rai-Constapel , V. , Villnow , T. , Ryseck , G. , Gilch , P. , and Marian , C. M. J. Phys. Chem. A 2014 , DOI: 10.1021/jp5099415].
UV-induced photolesions are studied in the visible and IR. While structural distortions of the DN... more UV-induced photolesions are studied in the visible and IR. While structural distortions of the DNA-backbone at the moment of light absorption are prerequisite for CPD-formation, strain from the backbone guides Dewar-formation.
Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 2015
Photolesions between adjacent pyrimidine DNA bases are prone to secondary photochemistry. It has ... more Photolesions between adjacent pyrimidine DNA bases are prone to secondary photochemistry. It has been shown that singlet excited (6-4) moieties form Dewar valence isomers as well as triplet excitations. We here report on the triplet state of a minimal model for the (6-4) photolesion, 1-methyl-2(1H)pyrimidinone. Emphasis is laid on its ability to abstract hydrogen atoms from alcohols and carbohydrates. Steady-state and time-resolved experiments consistently yield bimolecular rate constants of ∼10 4 M −1 s −1 for the hydrogen abstraction. The process also occurs intramolecularly as experiments on zebularine (1-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)-2(1H)-pyrimidinone) show.
The journal of physical chemistry. A, Jan 18, 2014
The chimeric behavior of thioxanthone in protic solvents has been investigated employing computat... more The chimeric behavior of thioxanthone in protic solvents has been investigated employing computational chemistry methods. In particular, methanol and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol have been chosen in this study. The solvent environment has been modeled using microsolvation in combination with a conductor-like screening model. The vertical excitation spectrum within the same solvent is seen to depend on the number of specific bonds formed between the chromophore and the solvent molecules. Two different models have been discussed in this work, namely, one and two H-bond models. In particular, the formation of the second H-bond causes the energy gap between the πHπL* and nOπL* states to increase further. Excited-state absorption spectra for the photophysically relevant electronic states have been theoretically determined for comparison with the time-resolved spectra recorded experimentally [Villnow, T.; Ryseck, G.; Rai-Constapel, V.; Marian, C. M.; Gilch, P. J. Phys. Chem. A 2014]. The equili...
Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 2013
Pyrimidinones are part of the (6-4) photolesions which may be formed from two pyrimidine bases ad... more Pyrimidinones are part of the (6-4) photolesions which may be formed from two pyrimidine bases adjacent on a DNA strand. In relation to the secondary photochemistry of the (6-4) lesion, i.e. its transformation into a Dewar valence isomer, photophysical and photochemical properties of 1-methyl-2(1H)pyrimidinone (1MP) in water, acetonitrile, methanol, and 1,4-dioxane are reported here. As deduced from steady state fluorescence and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy the S 1 lifetime of 1MP is strongly affected by the solvent. The lifetimes range from 400 ps for water to 40 ps for 1,4dioxane. Internal conversion (IC) and intersystem crossing (ISC) contribute to the S 1 decay. The solvent effect on the IC rate constant is more pronounced than on the ISC constant. The quantum yields for the consumption of 1MP (values for nitrogen purged solvents) are large for methanol (0.35) and 1,4-dioxane (0.24) and small for acetonitrile (0.02) and water (0.003). Hydrogen abstraction from the solvent by the triplet state of 1MP may rationalize this.
Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 2012
The photochemistry of ortho-nitrobenzaldehyde dissolved in tetrahydrofuran was studied by means o... more The photochemistry of ortho-nitrobenzaldehyde dissolved in tetrahydrofuran was studied by means of femtosecond UV/Vis and IR spectroscopy. Comparison was made of the spectral and temporal signatures for ∼400 nm and ∼260 nm excitation. The 400 nm excitation promotes NBA to its lowest excited singlet state of nπ* character whereas for 260 nm an upper excited state of ππ* character is addressed. On the picosecond time scale, the molecule undergoes hydrogen transfer, yielding a ketene intermediate, internal conversion recovering the starting material, and intersystem crossing. Time constants and yields of these processes are virtually not affected by the excitation wavelength. For 400 nm excitation a ∼100 fs decay component seen in the 260 nm experiment is absent, indicating that this component is due to a ππ* → nπ* internal conversion. In contrast to its formation, the decay of the ketene intermediate is influenced by the excitation wavelength. This can be attributed to different amounts of vibrational excitation. † Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See
The photophysical and photochemical processes driving the formation of the ultraviolet (UV)-induc... more The photophysical and photochemical processes driving the formation of the ultraviolet (UV)-induced DNA Dewar lesion from the T(6-4)T dimer are investigated by time-resolved spectroscopy and quantum chemical modelling. Time-resolved absorption and emission spectroscopy in the UV revealed a biexponential decay of the electronically excited state (S1) with time constants in the 100 ps and 1 ns range. From the S1
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, 2009
ABSTRACT The photo-induced rearrangement of 2-benzoyl-3-phenylquinoxaline-1,4-dioxide yielding 1,... more ABSTRACT The photo-induced rearrangement of 2-benzoyl-3-phenylquinoxaline-1,4-dioxide yielding 1,3-dibenzoylbenzimidazolone (DBBI) is studied by time-resolved fluorescence, UV/vis absorption, and IR spectroscopy. This complex rearrangement occurs on time scales ranging from 0.1ps up to minutes. Processes within the excited singlet state(s) (0.1–1ps) are followed by a multi-phasic depletion of the fluorescent states (time constants of 1–200ps). During that depletion both a triplet state and a precursor of the photo-product are populated. In absence of oxygen the triplet state decays in 8μs. It does not participate in the formation of the photoproduct. A process with a time constant of 77min terminates the product formation. It can be assigned to a hindered rotation of the benzoyl residues in DBBI.
The photophysics of 1-methyl-2(1H)-pyrimidinone (1MP) dissolved in water is investigated by stead... more The photophysics of 1-methyl-2(1H)-pyrimidinone (1MP) dissolved in water is investigated by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence, UV/Vis absorption, and IR spectroscopy. In the experiments, excitation light is tuned to the lowest-energy absorption band of 1MP peaking at 302 nm. At room temperature (291 K) its fluorescence lifetime amounts to 450 ps. With increasing temperature this lifetime decreases and equals 160 ps at 338 K. Internal conversion (IC) repopulating the ground state and intersystem crossing (ISC) to a triplet state are the dominant decay channels of the excited singlet state. At room temperature both channels contribute equally to the decay, that is, the quantum yields of IC and ISC are both approximately 0.5. The temperature dependence of UV/Vis transient absorption signals shows that the activation energy of the IC process (2140 cm(-1)) is higher than that of the ISC process (640 cm(-1)).
Photochemical & photobiological sciences : Official journal of the European Photochemistry Association and the European Society for Photobiology, 2013
In this paper we investigate the photochromic ring-opening reaction of 2,2-diphenyl-5,6-benzo(2H)... more In this paper we investigate the photochromic ring-opening reaction of 2,2-diphenyl-5,6-benzo(2H)chromene. In particular, we study the uncertainties and contradictions in various published reaction models using a combination of transient absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy with femtosecond time resolution. We propose a simplified reaction scheme which is in good agreement with theoretical studies. Here, photoexcitation populates a Franck-Condon state, whose fast vibrational wave packet motion, vibrational relaxation, bond-alternation and/or solvent rearrangement processes occur on the sub-picosecond timescale. Our data suggest that the resulting excited state minimum with picosecond lifetime still features structural characteristics of the closed form. Subsequently, the ring-opened photoproducts are formed in a concerted step from the excited state. The velocity of the photoreaction hence only depends on the time that the molecule needs to reach the transition region between th...
The photophysics of thioxanthone (TX) dissolved in methanol (MeOH) and 2,2,2,-trifluoroethanol (T... more The photophysics of thioxanthone (TX) dissolved in methanol (MeOH) and 2,2,2,-trifluoroethanol (TFE) was studied by time-resolved fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy. The spectrally integrated stimulated emission is seen to lose amplitude within ∼5-10 ps. This is much shorter than the fluorescence lifetimes of the compound (2.7 ns for MeOH and 7.6 ns for TFE). The initial reduction in amplitude is attributed to reversible intersystem crossing between the primarily excited (1)ππ* and a triplet (3)nπ* state. The latter one is energetically slightly (∼0.02 eV) above the former one. Addition of the quencher 1-methylnaphthalene (1-MN) reduces the fluorescence lifetime and yields triplet excited 1-MN, giving further evidence for the equilibrium of singlet and triplet excitations. The depopulation of these two states on the nanosecond time scale results in the rise of the lowest triplet state, a (3)ππ* state. Temperature dependencies attribute this to an activated internal conversion process between the two triplet states. Kinetic and energetic parameters derived from the experimental data will be compared with quantum chemical results in the accompanying paper [Rai-Constapel , V. , Villnow , T. , Ryseck , G. , Gilch , P. , and Marian , C. M. J. Phys. Chem. A 2014 , DOI: 10.1021/jp5099415].
UV-induced photolesions are studied in the visible and IR. While structural distortions of the DN... more UV-induced photolesions are studied in the visible and IR. While structural distortions of the DNA-backbone at the moment of light absorption are prerequisite for CPD-formation, strain from the backbone guides Dewar-formation.
Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 2015
Photolesions between adjacent pyrimidine DNA bases are prone to secondary photochemistry. It has ... more Photolesions between adjacent pyrimidine DNA bases are prone to secondary photochemistry. It has been shown that singlet excited (6-4) moieties form Dewar valence isomers as well as triplet excitations. We here report on the triplet state of a minimal model for the (6-4) photolesion, 1-methyl-2(1H)pyrimidinone. Emphasis is laid on its ability to abstract hydrogen atoms from alcohols and carbohydrates. Steady-state and time-resolved experiments consistently yield bimolecular rate constants of ∼10 4 M −1 s −1 for the hydrogen abstraction. The process also occurs intramolecularly as experiments on zebularine (1-(β-D-ribofuranosyl)-2(1H)-pyrimidinone) show.
The journal of physical chemistry. A, Jan 18, 2014
The chimeric behavior of thioxanthone in protic solvents has been investigated employing computat... more The chimeric behavior of thioxanthone in protic solvents has been investigated employing computational chemistry methods. In particular, methanol and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol have been chosen in this study. The solvent environment has been modeled using microsolvation in combination with a conductor-like screening model. The vertical excitation spectrum within the same solvent is seen to depend on the number of specific bonds formed between the chromophore and the solvent molecules. Two different models have been discussed in this work, namely, one and two H-bond models. In particular, the formation of the second H-bond causes the energy gap between the πHπL* and nOπL* states to increase further. Excited-state absorption spectra for the photophysically relevant electronic states have been theoretically determined for comparison with the time-resolved spectra recorded experimentally [Villnow, T.; Ryseck, G.; Rai-Constapel, V.; Marian, C. M.; Gilch, P. J. Phys. Chem. A 2014]. The equili...
Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 2013
Pyrimidinones are part of the (6-4) photolesions which may be formed from two pyrimidine bases ad... more Pyrimidinones are part of the (6-4) photolesions which may be formed from two pyrimidine bases adjacent on a DNA strand. In relation to the secondary photochemistry of the (6-4) lesion, i.e. its transformation into a Dewar valence isomer, photophysical and photochemical properties of 1-methyl-2(1H)pyrimidinone (1MP) in water, acetonitrile, methanol, and 1,4-dioxane are reported here. As deduced from steady state fluorescence and femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy the S 1 lifetime of 1MP is strongly affected by the solvent. The lifetimes range from 400 ps for water to 40 ps for 1,4dioxane. Internal conversion (IC) and intersystem crossing (ISC) contribute to the S 1 decay. The solvent effect on the IC rate constant is more pronounced than on the ISC constant. The quantum yields for the consumption of 1MP (values for nitrogen purged solvents) are large for methanol (0.35) and 1,4-dioxane (0.24) and small for acetonitrile (0.02) and water (0.003). Hydrogen abstraction from the solvent by the triplet state of 1MP may rationalize this.
Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 2012
The photochemistry of ortho-nitrobenzaldehyde dissolved in tetrahydrofuran was studied by means o... more The photochemistry of ortho-nitrobenzaldehyde dissolved in tetrahydrofuran was studied by means of femtosecond UV/Vis and IR spectroscopy. Comparison was made of the spectral and temporal signatures for ∼400 nm and ∼260 nm excitation. The 400 nm excitation promotes NBA to its lowest excited singlet state of nπ* character whereas for 260 nm an upper excited state of ππ* character is addressed. On the picosecond time scale, the molecule undergoes hydrogen transfer, yielding a ketene intermediate, internal conversion recovering the starting material, and intersystem crossing. Time constants and yields of these processes are virtually not affected by the excitation wavelength. For 400 nm excitation a ∼100 fs decay component seen in the 260 nm experiment is absent, indicating that this component is due to a ππ* → nπ* internal conversion. In contrast to its formation, the decay of the ketene intermediate is influenced by the excitation wavelength. This can be attributed to different amounts of vibrational excitation. † Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See
The photophysical and photochemical processes driving the formation of the ultraviolet (UV)-induc... more The photophysical and photochemical processes driving the formation of the ultraviolet (UV)-induced DNA Dewar lesion from the T(6-4)T dimer are investigated by time-resolved spectroscopy and quantum chemical modelling. Time-resolved absorption and emission spectroscopy in the UV revealed a biexponential decay of the electronically excited state (S1) with time constants in the 100 ps and 1 ns range. From the S1
Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry, 2009
ABSTRACT The photo-induced rearrangement of 2-benzoyl-3-phenylquinoxaline-1,4-dioxide yielding 1,... more ABSTRACT The photo-induced rearrangement of 2-benzoyl-3-phenylquinoxaline-1,4-dioxide yielding 1,3-dibenzoylbenzimidazolone (DBBI) is studied by time-resolved fluorescence, UV/vis absorption, and IR spectroscopy. This complex rearrangement occurs on time scales ranging from 0.1ps up to minutes. Processes within the excited singlet state(s) (0.1–1ps) are followed by a multi-phasic depletion of the fluorescent states (time constants of 1–200ps). During that depletion both a triplet state and a precursor of the photo-product are populated. In absence of oxygen the triplet state decays in 8μs. It does not participate in the formation of the photoproduct. A process with a time constant of 77min terminates the product formation. It can be assigned to a hindered rotation of the benzoyl residues in DBBI.
The photophysics of 1-methyl-2(1H)-pyrimidinone (1MP) dissolved in water is investigated by stead... more The photophysics of 1-methyl-2(1H)-pyrimidinone (1MP) dissolved in water is investigated by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence, UV/Vis absorption, and IR spectroscopy. In the experiments, excitation light is tuned to the lowest-energy absorption band of 1MP peaking at 302 nm. At room temperature (291 K) its fluorescence lifetime amounts to 450 ps. With increasing temperature this lifetime decreases and equals 160 ps at 338 K. Internal conversion (IC) repopulating the ground state and intersystem crossing (ISC) to a triplet state are the dominant decay channels of the excited singlet state. At room temperature both channels contribute equally to the decay, that is, the quantum yields of IC and ISC are both approximately 0.5. The temperature dependence of UV/Vis transient absorption signals shows that the activation energy of the IC process (2140 cm(-1)) is higher than that of the ISC process (640 cm(-1)).
Photochemical & photobiological sciences : Official journal of the European Photochemistry Association and the European Society for Photobiology, 2013
In this paper we investigate the photochromic ring-opening reaction of 2,2-diphenyl-5,6-benzo(2H)... more In this paper we investigate the photochromic ring-opening reaction of 2,2-diphenyl-5,6-benzo(2H)chromene. In particular, we study the uncertainties and contradictions in various published reaction models using a combination of transient absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy with femtosecond time resolution. We propose a simplified reaction scheme which is in good agreement with theoretical studies. Here, photoexcitation populates a Franck-Condon state, whose fast vibrational wave packet motion, vibrational relaxation, bond-alternation and/or solvent rearrangement processes occur on the sub-picosecond timescale. Our data suggest that the resulting excited state minimum with picosecond lifetime still features structural characteristics of the closed form. Subsequently, the ring-opened photoproducts are formed in a concerted step from the excited state. The velocity of the photoreaction hence only depends on the time that the molecule needs to reach the transition region between th...
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Papers by Gerald Ryseck