N-Protonation as a Switch of the Twisted Excited States with ππ* or nπ* Character and Correlation with the π-Electrons Characteristic of Rotatable Bonds.

N-protonation for numerous fluorophores is widely known as an efficient switch for the fluorescence turn-on/off in acidic conditions, which has been applied in various scenarios that involve pH monitoring. Yet the universal mechanism for fluorescence regulation through N-protonation is still elusive. Herein, the excited state deactivation processes are systematically investigated for a series of nitrogen-containing fluorescent probes through theoretical approaches. Two types of mechanisms for the complex fluorescent phenomena by N-protonation are concluded: one is through the regulation for the transition to a ππ* twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state; the other one applies for the case when nonradiative decay pathway is predominant by a dark nπ* state, which is also accompanied by an evident structural twisting and can be regarded as another kind of TICT state. More generally, the formation of the TICT state is closely related to the conjugated π-electrons on the single bond that links the acceptor and donor part of fluorophores, which provides a simple strategy for evaluating the occurrence of the TICT process. The current contributions can bring novel insights for the rational design of functional fluorophores that involve TICT process in the excited states.

Apparent thermal acclimation of soil heterotrophic respiration mainly mediated by substrate availability.

Multiple lines of existing evidence suggest that increasing CO2 emission from soils in response to rising temperature could accelerate global warming. However, in experimental studies, the initial positive response of soil heterotrophic respiration (RH ) to warming often weakens over time (referred to apparent thermal acclimation). If the decreased RH is driven by thermal adaptation of soil microbial community, the potential for soil carbon (C) losses would be reduced substantially. In the meanwhile, the response could equally be caused by substrate depletion, and would then reflect the gradual loss of soil C. To address uncertainties regarding the causes of apparent thermal acclimation, we carried out sterilization and inoculation experiments using the soil samples from an alpine meadow with 6 years of warming and nitrogen (N) addition. We demonstrate that substrate depletion, rather than microbial adaptation, determined the response of RH to long-term warming. Furthermore, N addition appeared to alleviate the apparent acclimation of RH to warming. Our study provides strong empirical support for substrate availability being the cause of the apparent acclimation of soil microbial respiration to temperature. Thus, these mechanistic insights could facilitate efforts of biogeochemical modeling to accurately project soil C stocks in the future climate.

Structural prediction of anion thiolate protected gold clusters of [Au28+7n(SR)17+3n]- (n = 0-4).

Structural prediction of thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) with diverse charge states can enrich the understanding of this species. Untill now, the number of anion AuNCs is still deficient. In this work, a series of gold nanoclusters with negative total charge, including [Au28(SR)17]-, [Au35(SR)20]-, [Au42(SR)23]-, [Au49(SR)26]-, and [Au56(SR)29]-, are designed. Following a crystallized [Au23(SR)16]- prototype structure, the inner core of the newly predicted clusters is obtained through packing crossed Au7. Next, proper protecting thiolate ligands are arranged to fulfill the duet rule to obtain Au3(2e) and Au4(2e). Extensive analysis indicates that these clusters own high stabilities. Molecular orbital analysis shows that the orbitals for the populations of the valence electron locate at each Au3(2e) and Au4(2e), which demonstrates the reliability of the grand unified model. This work should be helpful for enriching the structural diversity of AuNCs.

Dual fluorescence of 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl) benzoxazole derivatives via the branched decays from the upper excited-state.

As a special fluorescence phenomenon, double fluorescence has been widely developed and applied in various fields. Nevertheless, most of the research on fluorescence emission channels focuses on the first excited state, while the research on how to control the fluorescence emission channel through the upper excited state is relatively under-explored. Here, we use the time-dependent density functional theory method and consider the 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl) benzoxazole (HBO) derivative system as an example to study the effect of upper excited states on double fluorescence. According to the calculation results, a new mechanism for the dual fluorescence was proposed, which involved the different decay pathways from the upper excited-state, the internal conversion through vibrational relaxation, and conical intersection, respectively. This research has potential value and can help in determining how to control the fluorescence emission channel through the upper excited state.

Effects of Intermolecular Hydrogen Bonding and Solvation on Enol-Keto Tautomerism and Photophysics of Azomethine-BODIPY Dyads.

Boron-dipyrromethene derivatives (BODIPYs) are a category of molecules with excellent photophysical properties and can be applied to various fields. This work investigates the fluorescent properties of two azomethine-BODIPY dyads in different solvents based on the time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) method. The potential energy curves (PECs) show that the polar protic solvent and the enhanced π-conjugation effect can lower the proton-transfer (PT) barriers, causing the main configuration of NA-BODIPY in methanol to be the keto form, while the main configuration of NA-BODIPY in toluene and SA-BODIPY in methanol and toluene is the enol form. The keto forms of the two compounds possess the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) decay pathway in the excited state identified by the optimized twisted configurations and the appropriate barriers of the TICT process, whereas the twisted configurations of the enol forms are nonexistent. TICT successfully competes with excited-state proton transfer (ESIPT) of the keto form, which leads to the fluorescence quenching of NA-BODIPY in methanol. This work provides new ideas for the influence of enol-keto tautomerism and the competitiveness of TICT and ESIPT on the photophysical properties of BODIPYs and is expected to provide guidance for the design of new BODIPY functional molecules.

Ultrafast trans-cis photoisomerization of the neutral chromophore in green fluorescent proteins: Surface-hopping dynamics simulation.

Reversible photoswitching fluorescent protein can reversibly switch between on-state (fluorescent) and off-state (dark). Anionic cis and neutral trans chromophores are the on- and off-states in green fluorescent proteins (GFPs), respectively. We investigated the ultrafast trans-cis photoisomerization mechanisms of the neutral GFP chromophore upon excitation to the S1 state by means of surface-hopping dynamics simulations based on the Zhu-Nakamura theory. Two trans isomers, located in the S0 state, were taken into consideration in dynamics simulation. After these two trans isomers are excited to the S1 state, the molecule moves to a excited-state minimum by increasing the imidazolinone-bridge bond length and decreasing the phenol-bridge bond length. The twist of imidazolinone-bridge bond drives the molecule toward a conical intersection, and internal conversion occurs. Then, a cis or trans conformer will be obtained in the S0 state. The torsion around the imidazolinone-bridge bond plays a key role in the ultrafast photoisomerization of a neutral chromophore. The torsional motion around the phenol-bridge bond is restricted in the S1 state, while it may occur in the S0 state. The isomerization reaction of this molecule is predicted to be not sensitive to solvent viscosity, and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations indicate that the fast excited-state decay from the Franck-Condon region of the trans isomer to the excited-state minimum was almost independent of solvent polarity.

[NIR Fingerprints of Different Medicinal Parts of Angelicae Sinensis Radix].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the spectrum characteristics of near-intrared dittuse retlectance spectroscopy (NIR) fingerprint of different medicinal parts of Angelicae Sinensis Radix. METHODS: 96 batches of samples were collected from 14 counties of Gansu Province and Yunnan Province. The NIR fingerprints were collected by integrated sphere. Similarity analysis and partial least square discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) were used to analyze the fingerprint. RESULTS: The average spectrum of NIR fingerprint of different medicinal parts of Angelicae Sinensis Radix showed some differences; the absorbance in characteristic absorption was in a decreasing order of body > tail > head > whole. Most NIR fingerprint similarities of different medicinal parts of Angelicae Sinensis Radix exceeded 0. 95. The established model of PLS-DA could be used to accurately classify the medicinal parts of Angelicae Sinensis Radix. The differences of NIR fingerprints of different medicinal parts of Angelicae Sinensis Radix were mainly existing in the wave number ranges of 8,443 - 8,284 cm -1, 7,003 - 6,896 cm-1, 6,102 - 5,864 cm-1, 4,847 - 4,674 cm-1, and 4,386 - 4,208 cm-1. CONCLUSION: The different medicinal parts of Angelicae Sinensis Radix have some differences in chemical components.

[Correlation Analysis Between Common Peaks of Angelica sinensis HPLC Fingerprint and Mineral Elements in Its Growing Soil].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between common peaks of Angelica sinensis HPLC fingerprint and mineral elements in its growing soil. METHODS: The fingerprints of 120 batches of Angelica sinensis from 12 habitats were determined by HPLC. The contents of Pb, As, Cr, Sb, Hg, Cu, Cd, Ni, Zn, Mg, Mn, Ca, Fe, Na and K in corresponding soil were determined by ICP-MS and AAS. Bivariate and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the correlation. RESULTS: There were significant ( P < 0. 01 or P < 0.05) positive and negative correlation between many common peaks in HPLC fingerprint of Angelica sinensis and mineral elements in its growing soil. The contribution of mineral elements in soil on peak 1 were Zn > K > Sb > Fe > Na; on peak 6 (3-butylphthalide) were Mn > Mg > Ca; on peak 7 were Cr > Zn; on peak 8 were Mn > Na; on peak 11 were As > K > Fe > Cd; on peak 12 were Zn > Mn > K; on peak 13 (Z-butylidenephthalide) were Mn > Zn > Cd; on peak 15 were Zn > K; on peak 16 were Fe > Ni; on peak 17 were Zn > Mn > Ni > Fe > K; on peak 18 were Zn > Na; peaks 2,3 (ferulic acid), 4 and 14 (Z-ligustilide) was mainly affected by As, Zn, Sb and Cu, respectively. CONCLUSION: The relationship between HPLC fingerprint peak of Angelica sinensis and mineral elements in its growing soil shows complexity, multiplicity and interactivity, which should be selectively examined during manuring micronutrient fertilizer and Angelica sinensis cultivation.

[Study on mineral elements distribution in soil of Angelica sinensis producing regions and its relationship with altitude and soil types].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the distribution characteristics of mineral elements in the soil of Angelica sinensis producing regions and its relationship with altitude and soil types. METHODS: The contents of 15 mineral elements in 103 batches of soil from 13 counties were determined by ICP-MS or AAS. Pearson correlation analysis, partial correlation analysis and systematical cluster analysis were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Pearson correlation analysis showed that the content of Mg in soil and altitude showed significant positive correlation(P <0. 01), the content of Cd in soil and altitude showed significant negative correlation(P <0. 05), and the con- tents of Pb, Cd, As, Cu, Cr as well as Ni in soil and altitude showed negative correlation. The result of systematic cluster analysis showed that 103 batches of soil were clustered into 5 groups. The main soil types of group I were black soil, haplic kastanozems and black sandy-soil, group II was loess, group III was cinnamon soil, group IV were red soil and grey cinnamon soil, and group V were black soil, haplic kastanozems, grey cinnamon soil and cinnamon soil. CONCLUSION: The distribution of mineral elements in soil is closely related to altitude and soil types.

A reactive molecular dynamics study of n-heptane pyrolysis at high temperature.

n-Heptane is the most important straight chain paraffin in the fossil-fuel industry. In this work, pyrolysis of n-heptane at high temperature is investigated by a series of ReaxFF based reactive molecular dynamic simulations. The pyrolysis correlated intermediate reactions, important product/intermediate distributions, and corresponding kinetics behaviors are systematically analyzed at atomistic level. The results indicate that the entire pyrolysis process is radical-dominated. The unimolecular dissociation is the main pathway of n-heptane decomposition. Initiation of the decomposition is mainly through C-C bond fission. Central C-C bonds would dissociate prior to the terminal ones. Besides, the Rice-Kossiakoff theory is proved for the pyrolysis of n-heptane at the atomistic level. To give a better description of the pyrolysis behavior, some alkane related intermolecular reactions should be considered in the mechanism. The apparent activation energy extracted from the present simulations is 43.02-54.49 kcal/mol in the temperature range 2400-3000 K, which is reasonably consistent with the experimental results.

TD-DFT study on the excited-state proton transfer in the fluoride sensing of a turn-off type fluorescent chemosensor based on anthracene derivatives.

The sensing mechanism for fluoride chemosensor based on anthracene structure has been investigated by DFT and TDDFT methods. The results show that the similar geometries in S(0) and S(1) states in the absence of the fluoride anion induce the local excited (LE) state over the anthracene moiety, which is responsible for the strong fluorescence. The fluorescence quenching phenomenon for F-coordinated complex can be explained by the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process from benzylic amide to anthracene moiety. Moreover, the strong electronegativity for fluoride anion in the F-complex constructs the intermolecular hydrogen bond of N-H…F in the ground state. In contrast, the upper proton in the urea group close to phenyl group prefers to bind fluoride anion in S(1) state of the F-complex, and it presents excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) to form another hydrogen bond like N…H-F, which has been confirmed by natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis and the potential energy curve of S(1) state for the function of N-H bond. In this novel and efficient fluoride fluorescent chemosensor based on anthracene, the anthracene moiety is regarded as not only the fluorescent source, but the template for introducing the binding sites for fluoride anion.

Time-dependent density functional theory study on the electronic excited-state geometric structure, infrared spectra, and hydrogen bonding of a doubly hydrogen-bonded complex.

The geometric structures and infrared (IR) spectra in the electronically excited state of a novel doubly hydrogen-bonded complex formed by fluorenone and alcohols, which has been observed by IR spectra in experimental study, are investigated by the time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) method. The geometric structures and IR spectra in both ground state and the S(1) state of this doubly hydrogen-bonded FN-2MeOH complex are calculated using the DFT and TDDFT methods, respectively. Two intermolecular hydrogen bonds are formed between FN and methanol molecules in the doubly hydrogen-bonded FN-2MeOH complex. Moreover, the formation of the second intermolecular hydrogen bond can make the first intermolecular hydrogen bond become slightly weak. Furthermore, it is confirmed that the spectral shoulder at around 1700 cm(-1) observed in the IR spectra should be assigned as the doubly hydrogen-bonded FN-2MeOH complex from our calculated results. The electronic excited-state hydrogen bonding dynamics is also studied by monitoring some vibraitonal modes related to the formation of hydrogen bonds in different electronic states. As a result, both the two intermolecular hydrogen bonds are significantly strengthened in the S(1) state of the doubly hydrogen-bonded FN-2MeOH complex. The hydrogen bond strengthening in the electronically excited state is similar to the previous study on the singly hydrogen-bonded FN-MeOH complex and play important role on the photophysics of fluorenone in solutions.

Time-dependent density functional theory study on electronically excited States of coumarin 102 chromophore in aniline solvent: reconsideration of the electronic excited-state hydrogen-bonding dynamics.

The time-dependent density functional theory method was performed to investigate the electronically excited states of the hydrogen-bonded complex formed by coumarin 102 (C102) chromophore and the hydrogen-donating aniline solvent. At the same time, the electronic excited-state hydrogen-bonding dynamics for the photoexcited C102 chromophore in solution was also reconsidered. We demonstrated that the intermolecular hydrogen bond CO...H-N between C102 and aniline molecules is significantly strengthened in the electronically excited-state upon photoexcitation, since the calculated hydrogen bond energy increases from 25.96 kJ/mol in the ground state to 37.27 kJ/mol in the electronically excited state. Furthermore, the infrared spectra of the hydrogen-bonded C102-aniline complex in both the ground state and the electronically excited state were also calculated. The hydrogen bond strengthening in the electronically excited-state was confirmed for the first time by monitoring the spectral shift of the stretching vibrational mode of the hydrogen-bonded N-H group in different electronic states. Therefore, we believed that the dispute about the intermolecular hydrogen bond cleavage or strengthening in the electronically excited-state of coumarin 102 chromophore in hydrogen donating solvents has been clarified by our studies.