Dynamic Symmetry Breaking Hidden in Fano Resonance of a Molecule: S1 State of Diazirine Using Quantum Wave Packet Propagation.

Fano resonance in the predissociation of the S1 state of diazirine was studied by applying a time-dependent wave packet propagation method, and dynamic symmetry breaking (DSB) around the stationary structure of S1 was disclosed in a detailed analysis of this theoretical result. The DSB was found to originate in coupling between the asymmetric C-N2 stretching and CH2 wagging modes, suggesting that there is a slight time gap between ring opening and the concurrent dragging of two H atoms of the CH2 moiety. Although the depth of the double well due to DSB is just 0.011 eV, its presence noticeably affects the early time dynamics and observed spectrum.

Induction and control of supramolecular chirality by light in self-assembled helical nanostructures.

Evolution of supramolecular chirality from self-assembly of achiral compounds and control over its handedness is closely related to the evolution of life and development of supramolecular materials with desired handedness. Here we report a system where the entire process of induction, control and locking of supramolecular chirality can be manipulated by light. Combination of triphenylamine and diacetylene moieties in the molecular structure allows photoinduced self-assembly of the molecule into helical aggregates in a chlorinated solvent by visible light and covalent fixation of the aggregate via photopolymerization by ultraviolet light, respectively. By using visible circularly polarized light, the supramolecular chirality of the resulting aggregates is selectively and reversibly controlled by its rotational direction, and the desired supramolecular chirality can be arrested by irradiation with ultraviolet circularly polarized light. This methodology opens a route to ward the formation of supramolecular chiral conducting nanostructures from the self-assembly of achiral molecules.

H(+)-Assisted fluorescent differentiation of Cu(+) and Cu(2+): effect of Al(3+)-induced acidity on chemical sensing and generation of two novel and independent logic gating pathways.

A novel Schiff base probe exhibited strong 'turn-ON' fluorescence for Cu(2+) at 345 nm, Al(3+) at 445 nm, and Cu(+) at 360 nm in the presence of Al(3+) in organic solvent (acetonitrile), which allowed for construction of molecular logic gates 'INH' and '1:2 DEMULTIPLEXING.' H(+) generated from Al(3+) contributed greatly to Cu(+) chemosensing based on a redox non-innocence mechanism.

Factors Affecting the Branching Ratio of Photodissociation: Thiophenol Studied through Quantum Wavepacket Dynamics.

The photodissociation dynamics of thiophenol (PhSH) excited to the 1(1) ππ* state was investigated by time-dependent quantum wavepacket propagation within two-dimensional (2D) space consisting of the S-H bond and -SH torsion. We systematically studied the dependence of the branching ratio (Ã/X(~)) between the two electronic states of the phenylthiyl radical (PhS(.) ) on several factors of the 2D potential energy surfaces (PESs). The effect of a reduced initial barrier to the first ππ*/πσ* conical intersection (CI) was found to be marginal, whereas the effects of a reduced torsional barrier of -SH on the excited ππ* state and the mitigated slope of the πσ* PES between the first (ππ*/πσ*) and the second (πσ*/S0 ) CIs were noticeable. The effect of the slope on the branching ratio has never been previously noticed. It was shown that the branching ratio can be sufficiently above unity without pre-excitation of the torsion mode of -SH, which has been assumed so far.

Prediction of the reduction potential of tris(2,2'-bipyridinyl)iron(III/II) derivatives.

The reduction potentials of a tris(2,2'-bipyridinyl)iron (III/II) and iron(III/II) couples complexed with 2,2'-bipyridinyl derivatives in acetonitrile are predicted using density functional theory. The calculation protocol proposed by Kim et al. (Kim, J. Park, Y. S. Lee, J. Comput. Chem. 2013, 34, 2233) showing reliable performance for the reduction potential is used. The four kinds of the functional groups, a methoxy group, a methyl group, a chlorine atom, and a cyanide group, are substituted at the ligands to examine the electronic effect on the reduction potential. Electron donating/withdrawing effect is analyzed by comparing the reduction potential having different substituents at the same position. The influence of the geometrical strain on the reduction potential is investigated. The good correlation between the experimental results and the calculated results is obtained. Not only the general trend, but also the detailed phenomena are correctly reproduced. The maximum deviation from the experimental value is 0.083 V for the methyl substitution at the position 4. The mean absolute error for the seven couples is 0.047 V. The difference of the reduction potential between the chlorine atom substituted at the positions 4 and 5, 0.1 V, is well described. The difference between the CN and the Cl substitution of 0.318 and 0.228 V for the position 4 and 5 is correctly obtained as 0.325 and 0.213 V, respectively. The simple linear relation between the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy of the Fe(III) complexes in solution and the calculated reduction potentials is obtained with the R(2) of 0.977.

Two-component multi-configurational second-order perturbation theory with Kramers restricted complete active space self-consistent field reference function and spin-orbit relativistic effective core potential.

We report the formulation and implementation of KRCASPT2, a two-component multi-configurational second-order perturbation theory based on Kramers restricted complete active space self-consistent field (KRCASSCF) reference function, in the framework of the spin-orbit relativistic effective core potential. The zeroth-order Hamiltonian is defined as the sum of nondiagonal one-electron operators with generalized two-component Fock matrix elements as scalar factors. The Kramers symmetry within the zeroth-order Hamiltonian is maintained via the use of a state-averaged density, allowing a consistent treatment of degenerate states. The explicit expressions are derived for the matrix elements of the zeroth-order Hamiltonian as well as for the perturbation vector. The use of a fully variational reference function and nondiagonal operators in relativistic multi-configurational perturbation theory is reported for the first time. A series of initial calculations are performed on the ionization potential and excitation energies of the atoms of the 6p-block; the results display a significant improvement over those from KRCASSCF, showing a closer agreement with experimental results. Accurate atomic properties of the superheavy elements of the 7p-block are also presented, and the electronic structures of the low-lying excited states are compared with those of their lighter homologues.

Heteroleptic cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes supported by triarylborylpicolinate ligand: ratiometric turn-on phosphorescence response upon fluoride binding.

Heteroleptic cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes (C^N)2Ir(Bpic) (4-6) (C^N = dfppy (4), ppy (5), btp (6)) supported by triarylborylpicolinate (Bpic) ancillary ligand were synthesized and characterized. X-ray diffraction study of 5 confirmed N^O chelation of the Bpic ligand to the iridium center forming an (C^N)2Ir-borane conjugate. While the UV/vis absorption bands of 4-6 remained almost unchanged in the low-energy region upon fluoride addition, a ratiometric turn-on phosphorescence response was observed for 4 and 5. In contrast, the phosphorescence of 6 was little affected by fluoride binding. Experimental and theoretical studies suggest that the LUMO in neutral 4 and 5 is dominated by the Bpic ligand, which makes the weakly emissive (3)ML'CT/(3)LL'CT (L = C^N; L' = Bpic) states as the lowest-energy triplet excited state, while the fluoride binding to 4 and 5 induces the highly emissive (3)MLCT/(3)ππ* states centered on the (C^N)2Ir moiety. Thermally induced conversion from the (3)MLCT/(3)ππ* to the (3)ML'CT/(3)LL'CT states is suggested to be responsible for the low-energy weak phosphorescence in 4 and 5.

Rapid Dye Regeneration Mechanism of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

During the light-harvesting process of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), the hole localized on the dye after the charge separation yields an oxidized dye, D(+). The fast regeneration of D(+) using the redox pair (typically the I(-)/I3(-) couple) is critical for the efficient DSSCs. However, the kinetic processes of dye regeneration remain uncertain, still promoting vigorous debates. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations to determine that the inner-sphere electron-transfer pathway provides a rapid dye regeneration route of ∼4 ps, where penetration of I(-) next to D(+) enables an immediate electron transfer, forming a kinetic barrier. This explains the recently reported ultrafast dye regeneration rate of a few picoseconds determined experimentally. We expect that our MD based comprehensive understanding of the dye regeneration mechanism will provide a helpful guideline in designing TiO2-dye-electrolyte interfacial systems for better performing DSSCs.

Through-space charge transfer and emission color tuning of di-o-carborane substituted benzene.

1,4-Di-(1-Ar-o-carboran-2-yl)benzene (Ar = 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl (1), phenyl (2), 4-n-butylphenyl (3), 4-N,N-dimethylaniline (4)) compounds that are electronically modulated at the C1-position of o-carborane with the electron-withdrawing or -donating aryl groups were prepared and characterized. The X-ray crystal structures of 1, 3, and 4 reveal that the two aryl groups on the C1-carborane carbon atoms are oppositely positioned, featuring overall C2-symmetry, and the C1-C2 bond length of carborane increases with the increasing order of electron-donating effect of an aryl group. UV-vis absorption spectra exhibit small low-energy absorption bands at around 275-300 nm for 1-3 while 4 shows a broad absorption tail at 350-400 nm. Although 1-4 show virtually no emission in solution, an intense aggregation-induced emission over the region ranging from 400-700 nm is observed in the solid state. Importantly, the emission wavelengths of 1-4 exhibit an apparent red-shift upon changing the aryl substituent from the CF3 to the NMe2 group (from 1 to 4). TD-DFT calculations suggest that the low-energy electronic transition is attributed to the intramolecular "through-space" charge transfer between the appended aryl group (HOMO) and the central phenylene ring (LUMO), and the greater change in the HOMO level by the substituent than that in the LUMO is responsible for the emission color tuning.

Deep red phosphorescence of cyclometalated iridium complexes by o-carborane substitution.

Heteroleptic (C(∧)N)2Ir(acac) (C(∧)N = 5-MeCBbtp (5a); 4-BuCBbtp (5b); 5-BuCBbtp (5c); 5-(R)CBbtp = 2-(2'-benzothienyl)-5-(2-R-ortho-carboran-1-yl)-pyridinato-C(2),N, R = Me and n-Bu; 4-BuCBbtp = 2-(2'-benzothienyl)-4-(2-n-Bu-ortho-carboran-1-yl)-pyridinato-C(2),N, acac = acetylacetonate) complexes supported by o-carborane substituted C(∧)N-chelating ligand were prepared, and the crystal structures of 5a and 5b were determined by X-ray diffraction. While 5a and 5c exhibit a deep red phosphorescence band centered at 644 nm, which is substantially red-shifted compared to that of unsubstituted (btp)2Ir(acac) (6) (λem = 612 nm), 5b is nonemissive in THF solution at room temperature. In contrast, all complexes are emissive at 77 K and in the solid state. Electrochemical and theoretical studies suggest that the carborane substitution leads to the lowering of both the HOMO and LUMO levels, but has higher impact on the LUMO stabilization than the HOMO, resulting in the reduction of the triplet excited state energy. In particular, the LUMO stabilization in the 4-substituted 5b is more contributed by carborane than that in the 5-substituted 5a. The solution-processed electroluminescent device incorporating 5a as an emitter displayed deep red phosphorescence (CIE coordinate: 0.693, 0.290) with moderate performance (max ηEQE = 3.8%) whereas the device incorporating 5b showed poor performance, as well as weak luminance.

Fluorescence probing of the ferric Fenton reaction via novel chelation.

A new probe-chelator PET dyad was synthesised, which can be used to detect Fe(3+)via fluorescence enhancement to discriminate between Fe(2+) and Fe(3+)via Fenton chemistry involving hydrogen peroxide. This is the first BODIPY which works as a 2 : 1 multiplexer for Fe(3+), Fe(2+) and H2O2.

High-power broadband organic THz generator.

The high-power broadband terahertz (THz) generator is an essential tool for a wide range of THz applications. Here, we present a novel highly efficient electro-optic quinolinium single crystal for THz wave generation. For obtaining intense and broadband THz waves by optical-to-THz frequency conversion, a quinolinium crystal was developed to fulfill all the requirements, which are in general extremely difficult to maintain simultaneously in a single medium, such as a large macroscopic electro-optic response and excellent crystal characteristics including a large crystal size with desired facets, good environmental stability, high optical quality, wide transparency range, and controllable crystal thickness. Compared to the benchmark inorganic and organic crystals, the new quinolinium crystal possesses excellent crystal properties and THz generation characteristics with broader THz spectral coverage and higher THz conversion efficiency at the technologically important pump wavelength of 800 nm. Therefore, the quinolinium crystal offers great potential for efficient and gap-free broadband THz wave generation.

Two-component Kramers restricted complete active space self-consistent field method with relativistic effective core potential revisited: theory, implementation, and applications to spin-orbit splitting of lower p-block atoms.

The relativistic two-component complete active space self-consistent field theory in Kramers restricted formalism (KRCASSCF) through the framework of the spin-orbit relativistic effective core potential is implemented into the KPACK package. This paper continues the development previously reported [Y. S. Kim and Y. S. Lee, J. Chem. Phys. 119, 12169 (2003)] and extends the theory by means of adding time-reversal symmetry into the relevant expressions so as to complete the course of theoretical development. We retained the usage of elementary spinor excitation operator for defining the spinor rotation operator and derived the gradient and Hessian in simpler forms than previously found. To eliminate redundant computation resulting from repeating sums in the derivatives, a suitable decomposition method is proposed, which also facilitates the implementation. The two-step near second-order approach is employed for convergence. The present implementation is applicable for both closed- and open-shell systems and is used to calculate the atoms of lower p-block. The results for 5p and 6p are in good agreement with the experiments, and those for 7p are comparable to multi-reference configuration interaction results, showing that KRCASSCF is a versatile tool for the relativistic electronic structure calculation of molecules containing moderate-weight through superheavy elements.

Novel reversible Zn2+-assisted biological phosphate "turn-on" probing through stable aryl-hydrazone salicylaldimine conjugation that attenuates ligand hydrolysis.

A novel reversible zinc(II) chemosensing ensemble (2·Zn(2+)) allows for selective "turn-on" fluorescence sensing of ATP and PPi in aqueous media (detection limits: 2.4 and 1.0 µM, respectively) giving selective binding patterns: ATP ∼ PPi > ADP ≫ AMP > monophosphates ≈ remaining ions tested. The conjugated hydrazone [C═N-NH-R] resists hydrolysis considerably, compared to the imine [C═N-CH2-R, pyridin-2-ylmethanamine] functionality, and generalizes to other chemosensing efforts. Prerequisite Zn(2+)·[O(phenol)N(imine)N(pyr)] binding is selective, as determined by UV-vis and NMR spectroscopy; ATP or PPi extracts Zn(2+) to regenerate the ligand-fluorophore conjugate (PPi: turn-on, 512 nm; detection limit, 1.0 µM). Crystallography, 2-D NMR spectroscopy, and DFT determinations (B3LYP/631g*) support the nature of compound 2. 2-Hydrazinyl-pyridine-salicylaldehyde conjugation is unknown, as such; a paucity of chemosensing-Zn(2+) binding reports underscores the novelty of this modifiable dual cation/anion detection platform. A combined theoretical and experimental approach reported here allows us to determine both the potential uniqueness as well as drawbacks of this novel conjugation.

A protocol to evaluate one electron redox potential for iron complexes.

Density functional theory calculation has been performed to calculate the redox potential and the correct ground spin state of iron complexes in acetonitrile. Widely used B3LYP functional is applied with the spin state corrected basis sets. The newly developed protocol for the set of 21 iron complexes is to optimize the structure at the level of the B3LYP/6-31G* and to calculate the single point electronic energy with the same functional and the modified basis sets s6-31G* for the iron atom and 6-31+G* for other ligand atoms. The solvation energy is considered through the polarized continuum model and the cavity creation energy is included for the accurate spin state description. Modifying the cavity size by employing the different scaling factor according to the mean absolute value of the natural population analysis charge (MA-NPA) is introduced. The molecule with the large MA-NPA requires the cavity size smaller than the less polar one. This protocol gives only 1 wrong ground spin state among the 18 iron complexes for which experimental data are known. For the open circuit voltage (OCV) calculation, our protocol performs well yielding the mean absolute error of 0.112 V for the test set. The close correlation between the calculated and the experimental OCV are obtained.

Heteroleptic tris-cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes supported by an o-carboranyl-pyridine ligand.

Heteroleptic tris-cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes supported by the o-carboranyl-pyridine (CBpy) as a novel C^N chelating ligand were synthesized and characterized. While the CBpy ligand contributes to the electronic stabilization of complexes, their photophysical properties are dominated by 2-arylpyridine ligands.

Dual sensing of fluoride ions by the o-carborane-triarylborane dyad.

The o-carborane-triarylborane dyad shows high fluoride ion affinity through the trigonal-planar boron center while degradation to nido-carborane leads to a turn-on fluorescence response toward fluoride.

Phosphorescence color tuning of cyclometalated iridium complexes by o-carborane substitution.

Heteroleptic (C(^)N)(2)Ir(acac) (C(^)N = 4-CBppy (1); 5-CBppy (2), 4-fppy (4) CB = ortho-methylcarborane; ppy = 2-phenylpyridinato-C(2),N, 4-fppy = 2-(4-fluorophenyl)pyridinato-C(2),N, acac = acetylacetonate) complexes were prepared and characterized. While 1 exhibits a phosphorescence band centered at 531 nm, which is red-shifted compared to that of unsubstituted (ppy)(2)Ir(acac) (3) (λ(em) = 516 nm), the emission spectrum of 2 shows a blue-shifted band at 503 nm. Comparison with the emission band for the 4-fluoro-substituted 4 (λ(em) = 493 nm) indicates a substantial bathochromic shift in 1. Electrochemical and theoretical studies suggest that while carborane substitution on the 4-position of the phenyl ring lowers the (3)MLCT energy by a large contribution to lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) delocalization, which in turn assigns the lowest triplet state of 1 as [d(π)(Ir)→π*(C(^)N)] (3)MLCT in character, the substitution on the 5-position raises the (3)MLCT energy by the effective stabilization of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level because of the strong inductive effect of carborane. An electroluminescent device incorporating 1 as an emitter displayed overall good performance in terms of external quantum efficiency (6.6%) and power efficiency (10.7 lm/W) with green phosphorescence.

Strong Spin-Orbit Coupling Facilitates C-H Activation in the Reactions of Os(+) with CH3F: Theoretical Investigations.

The relativistic effects are essential for a complete understanding of the reactions involving heavy transition metal cations with hydrocarbons. Despite this, spin-orbit coupling (SOC) along the reaction pathway is rarely considered. In this work, we demonstrate an unusual SOC on the chemical reactivity of a reaction of Os(+) with methyl fluoride (CH3F) using density functional theory (DFT), high-level ab initio, and spin-orbit multiconfigurational ab initio methods. With the inclusion of the SO effect in the relevant potential energy surfaces (PESs), C-H bond activation by an Os(+) cation occurs readily via almost barrierless (about 2 kcal/mol) PESs of the SO coupled ground state. In contrast, a substantial reaction barrier was observed for C-F bond activation. The calculated results are in line with recent systematic experimental findings for reactions of transition metal cations with CH3F. These results show that the SO effect can facilitate specific bond activation in chemical reactions associated with catalytic transition metal cations.

Nuclear motion captured by the slow electron velocity imaging technique in the tunnelling predissociation of the S1 methylamine.

Predissociation dynamics of methylamines (CH(3)NH(2) and CH(3)ND(2)) on the first electronically excited states are studied using the slow-electron velocity imaging method to unravel the multi-dimensional nature of the N-H(D) chemical bond dissociation reaction which occurs via tunnelling. The nearly free internal rotation around the C-N bond axis is found to be strongly coupled to the reaction pathway, revealing nuclear motions actively involved in the tunnelling process on the S(1) potential energy surfaces. The vibrational state-resolved energy and angular distributions of photoelectron, ejected from the ionization mediated by the metastable intermediate S(1) state provide a unique way for mapping the predissociative potential energy surfaces.