First principles multielectron mixed quantum/classical simulations in the condensed phase. II. The charge-transfer-to-solvent states of sodium anions in liquid tetrahydrofuran

Abstract

Gas-phase atomic anions lack bound electronic excited states, yet in solution many of these anions exhibit intense absorption bands due to the presence of excited states, referred to as charge-transfer-to-solvent (CTTS) states that are bound only by the presence of the solvent. CTTS spectra thus serve as delicate probes of solute-solvent interactions, but the fact that they are created by the interactions of a solute with many solvent molecules makes them a challenge to describe theoretically. In this paper, we use mixed quantum/classical molecular dynamics with the two-electron Fourier-grid (2EFG) electronic structure method presented in the previous paper [W. J. Glover, R. E. Larsen, and B. J. Schwartz, J. Chem. Phys. 132, 144101 (2010)] to simulate the CTTS states of a sodium anion in liquid tetrahydrofuran, Na(-)/THF. Since our 2EFG method is based on configuration interaction with single and double excitations in a grid basis, it allows for an exact treatment of the two valence electrons of the sodium anion. To simulate Na(-)/THF, we first develop a new electron-THF pseudopotential, and we verify the accuracy of this potential by reproducing the experimental absorption spectrum of an excess electron in liquid THF with near quantitative accuracy. We also are able to reproduce the CTTS spectrum of Na(-)/THF and find that the CTTS states of Na(-) exhibit a Rydberg-like progression due to the pre-existing long-range solvent polarization around the anion. We also find that the CTTS states are highly mixed with the disjoint electronic states supported by naturally occurring solvent cavities that exist in liquid THF. This mixing explains why the solvated electrons that are ejected following CTTS excitation appear with their equilibrium absorption spectrum. The mixing of the CTTS and solvent-cavity states also explains why the recombination of the electron and its geminate Na(0) partner occurs on slower time scales when photoexciting in the blue compared to in the red of the CTTS band: blue excitation accesses CTTS states whose charge densities lies further from the position of the anion, whereas red excitation accesses CTTS states that lie primarily within the anion's first solvation shell. Finally, we see that the radial character of the CTTS states near the Na(+) core matches that of Na(0), explaining why the spectrum of this species appears instantly after photoexciting Na(-).

How Water–Ion Interactions Control the Formation of Hydrated Electron:Sodium Cation Contact Pairs

“…Solvated electrons are interesting objects because their properties are entirely determined by their interaction with the surrounding solvent. A solvated electron–sodium cation contact pair, however, has a behavior somewhere between that of a solvated neutral sodium atom and a solvated electron, as exemplified by previous experiments and simulations studying solvated electron–Na + contact pairs in liquid tetrahydrofuran (THF). − The question we explore in this section is for aqueous sodium cation–hydrated electron contact pairs: how do changes in the cation–water interactions affect the pair’s electronic properties?…”

Nonequilibrium Solvent Effects during Photodissociation in Liquids: Dynamical Energy Surfaces, Caging, and Chemical Identity

“…Briefly, we treat the Na 2 + molecule as two classical Na + cores that are held together by a single quantum mechanical valence bonding electron. We utilize previously developed pseudopotentials to describe the interaction between the bonding electron and the Na + cores and 254 THF molecules − or 1600 Ar atoms and solve the Schrodinger equation for the electron in a basis of 32 3 grid points in Ar and 64 3 grid points in THF. This methodology reproduces gas-phase quantum chemistry calculations quite well , and also has successfully reproduced the experimental properties of sodium cation:solvated electron tight-contact pairs in THF. , Here, we calculate the behavior of the Na 2 + molecule in 120 K liquid Ar at a density of 1.26 g/mL, well in the liquid region of the phase diagram, and at 298 K in liquid THF at the experimental density at 1 atm of 0.89 g/mL.…”

Time-dependent fluorescence in nanoconfined solvents: Linear-response approximations and Gaussian statistics

“…Schwartz and co-workers carried out a series of studies in which they investigated the solvation of a neutral Na atom prepared in liquid THF using two approaches. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] In one they generated the sodium atom by removing an electron from Na − while in the other they obtained it by adding an electron to Na + . If the system obeys linear response, the two experiments should display relaxation on the same time scale because the dynamics in both cases occur on different parts of the same underlying free energy surface.…”