Optical gap and fundamental gap of oligoynes and carbyne.

The optoelectronic properties of various carbon allotropes and nanomaterials have been well established, while the purely sp-hybridized carbyne remains synthetically inaccessible. Its properties have therefore frequently been extrapolated from those of defined oligomers. Most analyses have, however, focused on the main optical transitions in UV-Vis spectroscopy, neglecting the frequently observed weaker optical bands at significantly lower energies. Here, we report a systematic photophysical analysis as well as computations on two homologous series of oligoynes that allow us to elucidate the nature of these weaker transitions and the intrinsic photophysical properties of oligoynes. Based on these results, we reassess the estimates for both the optical and fundamental gap of carbyne to below 1.6 eV, significantly lower than previously suggested by experimental studies of oligoynes.

Mechanistic Study on the Photogeneration of Hydrogen by Decamethylruthenocene.

Detailed studies on hydrogen evolution by decamethylruthenocene ([Cp*2 RuII ]) highlighted that metallocenes are capable of photoreducing hydrogen without the need for an additional sensitizer. Electrochemical, gas chromatographic, and spectroscopic (UV/Vis, 1 H and 13 C NMR) measurements corroborated by DFT calculations indicated that the production of hydrogen occurs by a two-step process. First, decamethylruthenocene hydride [Cp*2 RuIV (H)]+ is formed in the presence of an organic acid. Subsequently, [Cp*2 RuIV (H)]+ is reversibly reduced in a heterolytic reaction with one-photon excitation leading to a first release of hydrogen. Thereafter, the resultant decamethylruthenocenium ion [Cp*2 RuIII ]+ is further reduced with a second release of hydrogen by deprotonation of a methyl group of [Cp*2 RuIII ]+ . Experimental and computational data show spontaneous conversion of [Cp*2 RuII ] to [Cp*2 RuIV (H)]+ in the presence of protons. Calculations highlight that the first reduction is endergonic (ΔG0 =108 kJ mol-1 ) and needs an input of energy by light for the reaction to occur. The hydricity of the methyl protons of [Cp*2 RuII ] was also considered.

DORI Reveals the Influence of Noncovalent Interactions on Covalent Bonding Patterns in Molecular Crystals Under Pressure.

The study of organic molecular crystals under high pressure provides fundamental insight into crystal packing distortions and reveals mechanisms of phase transitions and the crystallization of polymorphs. These solid-state transformations can be monitored directly by analyzing electron charge densities that are experimentally obtained at high pressure. However, restricting the analysis to the featureless electron density does not reveal the chemical bonding nature and the existence of intermolecular interactions. This shortcoming can be resolved by the use of the DORI (density overlap region indicator) descriptor, which is capable of simultaneously detecting both covalent patterns and noncovalent interactions from electron density and its derivatives. Using the biscarbonyl[14]annulene crystal under pressure as an example, we demonstrate how DORI can be exploited on experimental electron densities to reveal and monitor changes in electronic structure patterns resulting from molecular compression. A novel approach based on a flood-fill-type algorithm is proposed for analyzing the topology of the DORI isosurface. This approach avoids the arbitrary selection of DORI isovalues and provides an intuitive way to assess how compression packing affects covalent bonding in organic solids.

Analyzing Fluxional Molecules Using DORI.

The Density Overlap Region Indicator (DORI) is a density-based scalar field that reveals covalent bonding patterns and noncovalent interactions in the same value range. This work goes beyond the traditional static quantum chemistry use of scalar fields and illustrates the suitability of DORI for analyzing geometrical and electronic signatures in highly fluxional molecular systems. Examples include a dithiocyclophane, which possesses multiple local minima with differing extents of π-stacking interactions and a temperature dependent rotation of a molecular rotor, where the descriptor is employed to capture fingerprints of CH-π and π-π interactions. Finally, DORI serves to examine the fluctuating π-conjugation pathway of a photochromic torsional switch (PTS). Attention is also placed on postprocessing the large amount of generated data and juxtaposing DORI with a data-driven low-dimensional representation of the structural landscape.

Salt-induced thermochromism of a conjugated polyelectrolyte.

We report here the photophysical properties of a water-soluble conjugated polythiophene with cationic side-chains. When dissolved in aqueous buffer solution (PBS, phosphate buffered saline), there is ordering of the polymer chains due to the presence of the salts, in contrast to pure water, where a random-coil conformation is adopted at room temperature. The ordering leads to a pronounced colour change of the solution (the absorption maximum shifts from 400 nm to 525 nm). Combining resonance Raman spectroscopy with density functional theory computations, we show a significant backbone planarization in the ordered phase. Moreover, the ratio of ordered phase to random-coil phase in PBS solution, as well as the extent of intermolecular interactions in the ordered phase, can be tuned by varying the temperature. Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy reveals that the excited-state behaviour of the polyelectrolyte is strongly affected by the degree of ordering. While triplet state formation is favoured in the random-coil chains, the ordered chains show a weak yield of polarons, related to interchain interactions. The investigated polyelectrolyte has been previously used as a biological DNA sensor, based on optical transduction when the conformation of the polyelectrolyte changes during assembly with the biomolecule. Therefore, our results, by correlating the photophysical properties of the polyelectrolyte to backbone and intermolecular conformation in a biologically relevant buffer, provide a significant step forward in understanding the mechanism of the biological sensing.

Photoproduction of Hydrogen by Decamethylruthenocene Combined with Electrochemical Recycling.

The photoinduced hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by decamethylruthenocene, Cp2 *RuII (Cp*=C5 Me5 ), is reported. The use of a metallocene to photoproduce hydrogen is presented as an alternative strategy to reduce protons without involving an additional photosensitizer. The mechanism was investigated by (spectro)electrochemical and spectroscopic (UV/Vis and 1 H NMR) measurements. The photoactivated hydride involved was characterized spectroscopically and the resulting [Cp2 *RuIII ]+ species was electrochemically regenerated in situ on a fluorinated tin oxide electrode surface. A promising internal quantum yield of 25 % was obtained. Optimal experimental conditions- especially the use of weakly coordinating solvent and counterions-are discussed.

Visualizing and Quantifying Interactions in the Excited State.

Determining the location and nature of the electron pairs within a molecule provides an intuitive representation of electronic structures. Yet, most of the available theoretical representations are not suitable for describing excited state phenomena. The density overlap region indicator (DORI) scalar field, which depends only on the density and its derivatives, overcomes previous limitations, while keeping the intuitiveness of popular scalar fields. Here, its usefulness is demonstrated by pinpointing visual and numerical DORI signatures for both intra- and intermolecular excited state situations.

Neutral Aminyl Radicals Derived from Azoimidazolium Dyes.

The synthesis and characterization of a new class of neutral aminyl radicals is reported. Monoradicals were obtained by reduction of azoimidazolium dyes with potassium. Structural, spectroscopic, and computational data suggest that the spin density is centered on one of the nitrogen atoms of the former azo group. The reduction of a dimeric dye with an octamethylbiphenylene bridge between the azo groups resulted in the formation of a biradical with largely independent unpaired electrons. Both the monoradicals and the biradical were found to display high stability in solution as well as in the solid state.