Counterions are deemed "spectators" in aqueous solutions of cationic or anionic molecular metal-oxo clusters. While pH and concentration drive aqueous metal speciation as a first approximation, the important effect of counterions is usually overlooked and never considered in standard Pourbaix databases. Alkali counterions for polyoxometalate (POM) clusters control solubility with distinct periodic trends, but evidence for alkali control over speciation is ambiguous. Here we show that a simple Nb-POM, [Nb 10 O 28 ] 6− ({Nb 10 }), converts to oligomers of (H x Nb 24 O 72 ) (24−x)− ({Nb 24 }) upon adding only alkali chloride salts, even in buffered neutral solutions. Raman and X-ray scattering reveal that the rate of {Nb 10 } to {Nb 24 } conversion increases with alkali cation radius and cation concentration. Cation-bridged oligomers of {Nb 24 } y (y = 2,4) are defined by comparing experimental to computed small-angle X-ray scattering spectra. Computational studies and mass spectrometry indicate that the alkalis open the compact {Nb 10 } cluster in conjunction with protonation of a heptamer {Nb 7 } intermediate, in which alkali-{Nb 10 } association at key locations on the cluster initiates the reaction. Computation also explains the alkali periodic trend for {Nb 10 } to {Nb 24 } conversion; larger alkalis more effectively destabilize {Nb 10 }. This periodic trend asserts the hypothesis that Nb-cluster speciation near neutral pH is driven by the alkali cations in the absence of added base or acid. The extremely high solubility of these 3.5 nm polyoxoanion assemblies2 M Nb at near neutral pHis both surprising and exploitable for aqueous synthesis of niobate thin films or nanomaterials used in energy and microelectronics applications.

The excited state dynamics of carbonyl carotenoids is very complex because of the coupling of single- and doubly excited states and the possible involvement of intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) states. In this contribution we employ ultrafast infrared spectroscopy and theoretical computations to investigate the relaxation dynamics of trans-8'-apo-β-carotenal occurring on the picosecond time scale, after excitation in the S2 state. In a (slightly) polar solvent like chloroform, one-dimensional (T1D-IR) and two-dimensional (T2D-IR) transient infrared spectroscopy reveal spectral components with characteristic frequencies and lifetimes that are not observed in nonpolar solvents (cyclohexane). Combining experimental evidence with an analysis of CASPT2//CASSCF ground and excited state minima and energy profiles, complemented with TDDFT calculations in gas phase and in solvent, we propose a photochemical decay mechanism for this system where only the bright single-excited 1Bu(+) and the dark double-excited 2Ag(-) states are involved. Specifically, the initially populated 1Bu(+) relaxes toward 2Ag(-) in 200 fs. In a nonpolar solvent 2Ag(-) decays to the ground state (GS) in 25 ps. In polar solvents, distortions along twisting modes of the chain promote a repopulation of the 1Bu(+) state which then quickly relaxes to the GS (18 ps in chloroform). The 1Bu(+) state has a high electric dipole and is the main contributor to the charge-transfer state involved in the dynamics in polar solvents. The 2Ag(-) → 1Bu(+) population transfer is evidenced by a cross peak on the T2D-IR map revealing that the motions along the same stretching of the conjugated chain on the 2Ag(-) and 1Bu(+) states are coupled.

The long-standing controversy about the presence of two different emissive minima in the lowest excited state of the cationic push-pull dye o-(p-dimethylamino-styryl)-methylpyridinium (DASPMI) was definitively proved through the observation of dual emission, evidenced by both experimental (femtosecond up-conversion measurements) and theoretical (density functional theory calculations) approaches. From the fluorescence up-conversion data of DASPMI in water, the time resolved area normalized spectra (TRANES) were calculated, showing one isoemissive point and therefore revealing the presence of two distinct emissive minima of the excited state potential energy hypersurface with lifetimes of 0.51 and 4.8 ps. These spectroscopic techniques combined with proper data analysis allowed us to discriminate the sub-picosecond emitting state from the occurrence of ultrafast solvation dynamics and to disentangle the overlapping fluorescence (very close in energy) of the two components. Vibronic computations based on TD-DFT potential energy surfaces fully confirm those results and provide deeper insights about the key factors playing a role in determining the overall result. The two emissive minima have different structural and electronic characteristics: on one hand, the locally excited (LE) minimum has a flat geometry and an electric dipole moment smaller than the ground state; on the other hand, the twisted-intramolecular-charge-transfer (TICT) minimum shows a rotation of the methylpyridinium moiety with respect to the rest of the structure, and has an electric dipole moment significantly larger than the ground state.

Many complex organic molecules (hereafter COMs) have been detected in different regions of the interstellar medium (ISM). In each region, different energetic processes - UV irradiation, atom bombardments, etc. - that could be linked to the formation of detected COMs may occur depending on the environment. Several formation mechanisms were proposed but increasing attention is paid to radical recombination reactions. Previous studies showed that glycolaldehyde (HC(O)CHOH) and ethylene glycol (HOCHCHOH) are formed by radical recombination between HC˙O and ˙CHOH, and by ˙CHOH dimerisation, respectively. Formyl (HC˙O), one of the most famous astrophysically-relevant radical species, has been detected as a gaseous component of the ISM. Its reactivity was already attributed to the formation of several COMs. This work aims to study the dimerisation of formyl radical HC˙O using a cryogenic matrix technique. The evolution of the chemical sample composition is monitored by infrared spectroscopy and by mass spectrometry during temperature programmed desorption (TPD) monitoring. Results indicate that the reaction of one HC˙O with another does not lead to the direct formation of glyoxal (HC(O)C(O)H) but yields HCO and CO. Results are also compared with those for the reaction between two ˙CHOH radicals and the recombination between HC˙O and ˙CHOH. Also, glyceraldehyde was tentatively detected in our experiment using different spectroscopic techniques. A radical mechanism is proposed to explain its formation in our experiments. Complementary quantum chemical calculations provide an atomistic interpretation of the experimental findings.

In this work, we report a comparative study of computed excitation energies, oscillator strengths, and excited-state energy gradients of (S)-nicotine, chosen as a test case, using multireference methods, coupled cluster singles and doubles, and methods based on time-dependent density functional theory. This system was chosen because its apparent simplicity hides a complex electronic structure, as several different types of valence excitations are possible, including n-π(*), π-π(*), and charge-transfer states, and in order to simulate its spectrum it is necessary to describe all of them consistently well by the chosen method.