Excited-state double-proton transfer in the 7-azaindole dimer in the gas phase. 3. Reaction mechanism studied by picosecond time-resolved REMPI spectroscopy.

ABSTRACT

The excited-state double-proton-transfer (ESDPT) reaction in the jet-cooled 7-azaindole dimer (7AI2) has been investigated with picosecond time-resolved resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization spectroscopy. The observed decay profiles of 7AI2 by exciting the origin and the intermolecular stretch fundamental in the S1 state are well reproduced by single-exponential functions with time constants of 1.9 +/- 0.9 ps and 860 +/- 300 fs, respectively. This result provides clear evidence of the concerted mechanism of ESDPT in 7AI2.