Issue 14, 2022

Theoretical study on an intriguing excited-state proton transfer process induced by weakened intramolecular hydrogen bonds

Abstract

In the present work, we have systematically investigated the dual hydrogen-bonded system 2Z,2′Z-3,3′-(4,4′-methylenebis(4,1-phenylene)bis(azanediyl)bis(1,3-diphenylprop-2-en-1-one)) (abbreviated as L) utilizing quantum chemistry methods, in which the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) does not conform to the usual stereotype but proceeds along the weakened intramolecular hydrogen bonds (IHBs). Two primary configurations were confirmed to coexist in the ground state (i.e., anti-L and syn-L) by calculating the Boltzmann distribution in three different solvents. Based on the cardinal geometrical parameters involved in IHBs and the interaction region indicator (IRI) isosurface, it can be revealed that the dual IHBs of L were both weakened upon photoexcitation, not least the N1–H2⋯O3 IHB was utterly destroyed in the excited state. The proton-transfer process of anti and syn in three solvents with different polarities has been analyzed by constructing S0- and S1-state potential energy surfaces (PESs). It can be concluded that only the single proton transfer behavior along N1–H2⋯O3 occurs in the S1 state, and the corresponding energy barrier is gradually enlarged with increasing solvent polarity. To further expound the weakened IHB-induced ESIPT mechanism, the scanned PESs connecting the transition state (TS) structures and the initial forms indicate that the ESIPT process is infeasible without the appropriate structural torsion. Our work not only unveils the extraordinary ESIPT process of L, but also complements the results obtained from previous experiments.

Graphical abstract: Theoretical study on an intriguing excited-state proton transfer process induced by weakened intramolecular hydrogen bonds

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 Dec 2021
Accepted
13 Mar 2022
First published
14 Mar 2022

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2022,24, 8453-8462

Theoretical study on an intriguing excited-state proton transfer process induced by weakened intramolecular hydrogen bonds

C. Shang, Y. Cao, C. Sun and H. Zhao, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2022, 24, 8453 DOI: 10.1039/D1CP05584D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements