School of Chemistry - Research Publications
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ItemA strong cis-effect in an imidazole/imidazolium substituted alkene(John Wiley & Sons Ltd., 2017-07-10)We report the first example of an alkene with two carbon‐bound substituents (imidazole and imidazolium rings) where the Z‐isomer has a greater thermodynamic stability than the E‐isomer which persists in both the gas phase and in solution. Theoretical calculations, solution fluorescence spectroscopy and gas‐phase ion mobility mass spectrometry studies confirm the preference for the Z‐isomer, the stability of which is traced to a non‐covalent interaction between the imidazole lone pair and the imidazolium ring.
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ItemNo Preview AvailablePhotoinitiated Intramolecular Proton Transfer in Deprotonated para-Coumaric Acid(American Chemical Society, 2019-05-23)Deprotonated para-coumaric acid is commonly considered as a model for the chromophore in photoactive yellow protein, which undergoes E → Z isomerization following absorption of blue light. Here, tandem ion mobility mass spectrometry is coupled with laser excitation to study the photochemistry of deprotonated para-coumaric acid, to show that the E isomers of the phenoxide and carboxylate forms have distinct photochemical responses with maxima in their action spectra at 430 and 360 nm, respectively. The E isomer of the phenoxide anion undergoes efficient autodetachment upon excitation of its lowest ππ* transition. For the E isomer of the carboxylate deprotomer, a one-way photoinitiated proton transfer generates the phenoxide deprotomer through a mechanism postulated to involve an excited-state enol–keto tautomerism followed by a series of ground-state rearrangements including a second proton transfer. This mechanism is supported by experiments in which the relevant intermediate keto isomer is prepared and spectroscopically probed and through master equation modeling of possible ground-state isomerization processes. The Z isomer of the carboxylate deprotomer shows a weak Z → E photoisomerization response that occurs in competition with photodestruction (presumably electron detachment), demonstrating that the E and Z isomers undergo different processes in their excited states. The study highlights the utility of isomer-selective spectroscopy for characterizing the photochemistry of isolated anions possessing multiple deprotonation sites.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableUltrafast photoisomerisation of an isolated retinoid.(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2019-05-28)The photoinduced excited state dynamics of gas-phase trans-retinoate (deprotonated trans-retinoic acid, trans-RA-) are studied using tandem ion mobility spectrometry coupled with laser spectroscopy, and frequency-, angle- and time-resolved photoelectron imaging. Photoexcitation of the bright S3(ππ*) ← S0 transition leads to internal conversion to the S1(ππ*) state on a ≈80 fs timescale followed by recovery of S0 and concomitant isomerisation to give the 13-cis (major) and 9-cis (minor) photoisomers on a ≈180 fs timescale. The sub-200 fs stereoselective photoisomerisation parallels that for the retinal protonated Schiff base chromophore in bacteriorhodopsin. Measurements on trans-RA- in methanol using the solution photoisomerisation action spectroscopy technique show that 13-cis-RA- is also the principal photoisomer, although the 13-cis and 9-cis photoisomers are formed with an inverted branching ratio with photon energy in methanol when compared with the gas phase, presumably due to solvent-induced modification of potential energy surfaces and inhibition of electron detachment processes. Comparison of the gas-phase time-resolved data with transient absorption spectroscopy measurements on retinoic acid in methanol suggest that photoisomerisation is roughly six times slower in solution. This work provides clear evidence that solvation significantly affects the photoisomerisation dynamics of retinoid molecules.
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ItemNo Preview AvailablePhotodetachment and photoreactions of substituted naphthalene anions in a tandem ion mobility spectrometer(ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY, 2019-07-01)Substituted naphthalene anions (deprotonated 2-naphthol and 6-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid) are spectroscopically probed in a tandem drift tube ion mobility spectrometer (IMS). Target anions are selected according to their drift speed through nitrogen buffer gas in the first IMS stage before being exposed to a pulse of tunable light that induces either photodissociation or electron photodetachment, which is conveniently monitored by scavenging the detached electrons with trace SF6 in the buffer gas. The photodetachment action spectrum of the 2-naphtholate anion exhibits a band system spanning 380-460 nm with a prominent series of peaks spaced by 440 cm-1, commencing at 458.5 nm, and a set of weaker peaks near the electron detachment threshold corresponding to transitions to dipole-bound states. The two deprotomers of 6-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid are separated and spectroscopically probed independently. The molecular anion formed from deprotonation of the hydroxy group gives rise to a photodetachment action spectrum similar to that of the 2-naphtholate anion with an onset at 470 nm and a maximum at 420 nm. Near the threshold, the photoreaction with SF6 is observed with displacement of an OH group by an F atom. In contrast, the anion formed from deprotonation of the carboxylic acid group gives rise to a photodissociation action spectrum, recorded on the CO2 loss channel, lying at much shorter wavelengths with an onset at 360 nm and maximum photoresponse at 325 nm.
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ItemIon mobility action spectroscopy of flavin dianions reveals deprotomer-dependent photochemistry(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2018-08-07)The intrinsic optical properties and photochemistry of flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) dianions are investigated using a combination of tandem ion mobility spectrometry and action spectroscopy. Two principal isomers are observed, the more stable form being deprotonated on the isoalloxazine group and a phosphate (N-3,PO4 deprotomer), and the other on the two phosphates (PO4,PO4 deprotomer). Ion mobility data and electronic action spectra suggest that photo-induced proton transfer occurs from the isoalloxazine group to a phosphate group, converting the PO4,PO4 deprotomer to the N-3,PO4 deprotomer. Comparisons of the isomer selective action spectra of FAD dianions and flavin monoanions with solution spectra and gas-phase photodissociation action spectra suggests that solvation shifts the electronic absorption of the deprotonated isoalloxazine group to higher energy. This is interpreted as evidence for significant charge transfer in the lowest optical transition of deprotonated isoalloxazine. Overall, this work demonstrates that the site of deprotonation of flavin anions strongly affects their electronic absorptions and photochemistry.
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ItemFrom E to Z and back again: reversible photoisomerisation of an isolated charge-tagged azobenzene(ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY, 2018-01-07)Substituted azobenzenes serve as chromophores and actuators in a wide range of molecular photoswitches. Here, tandem ion mobility spectrometry coupled with laser excitation is used to investigate the photoisomerisation of selected E and Z isomers of the charge-tagged azobenzene, methyl orange. Both isomers display a weak S1(nπ*) photoisomerisation response in the blue part of the spectrum peaking at 440 nm and a more intense S2(ππ*) photoisomerisation response in the near-UV with maxima at 370 and 310 nm for the E and Z isomers, respectively. The 60 nm separation between the S2(ππ*) photo-response maxima for the two isomers allows them to be separately addressed in the gas phase and to be reversibly photoisomerised using different colours of light. This is an essential characteristic of an ideal photoswitch. The study demonstrates that a sequence of light pulses at different stages in an ion mobility spectrometer can be deployed to generate and probe isomers that cannot be electrosprayed directly from solution or produced through collisions in the ion source.
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ItemIsomerisation of an intramolecular hydrogen-bonded photoswitch: protonated azobis(2-imidazole)(ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY, 2017-05-28)Photoisomerisation of protonated azobis(2-imidazole), an intramolecular hydrogen-bonded azoheteroarene photoswitch molecule, is investigated in the gas phase using tandem ion mobility mass spectrometry. The E and Z isomers exhibit distinct spectral responses, with E-Z photoisomerisation occurring over the 360-520 nm range (peak at 460 nm), and Z-E photoisomerisation taking place over the 320-420 nm range (peak at 390 nm). A minor photodissociation channel involving loss of N2 is observed for the E-isomer with a maximum efficiency at 390 nm, blue-shifted by ≈70 nm relative to the wavelength for maximum photoisomerisation response. Loss of N2 is also the predominant collision-induced dissociation channel. Electronic structure calculations suggest that E-isomer photoisomerisation involves S1(ππ*) excitation, whereas the Z-isomer photoisomerisation involves S2(ππ*) excitation. Conversion between the E and Z isomers through collisional excitation, which is calculated to occur through both inversion and torsion pathways, is investigated experimentally by colliding the molecular ions with nitrogen buffer gas over a range of electric fields. This study demonstrates the versatility of tandem ion mobility mass spectrometry for exploring the isomerisation of molecular photoswitches initiated by either light or collisions.
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ItemA Strong cis‐Effect in an Imidazole‐Imidazolium‐Substituted Alkene(Wiley, 2017-07-10)We report the first example of an alkene with two carbon bound substituents (imidazole and imidazolium rings) where the Z-isomer has a greater thermodynamic stability than the E-isomer which persists in both the gas phase and in solution. Theoretical calculations, solution fluorescence spectroscopy and gas-phase ion mobility mass spectrometry studies confirm the preference for the Z-isomer, the stability of which is traced to a non-covalent interaction between the imidazole lone pair and the imidazolium ring.
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ItemHydrogen-adduction to open-shell graphene fragments: spectroscopy, thermochemistry and astrochemistry(Royal Society of Chemistry, 2017-02-01)We apply a combination of state-of-the-art experimental and quantum-chemical methods to elucidate the electronic and chemical energetics of hydrogen adduction to a model open-shell graphene fragment. The lowest-energy adduct, 1H-phenalene, is determined to have a bond dissociation energy of 258.1 kJ mol−1, while other isomers exhibit reduced or in some cases negative bond dissociation energies, the metastable species being bound by the emergence of a conical intersection along the high-symmetry dissociation coordinate. The gas-phase excitation spectrum of 1H-phenalene and its radical cation are recorded using laser spectroscopy coupled to mass-spectrometry. Several electronically excited states of both species are observed, allowing the determination of the excited-state bond dissociation energy. The ionization energy of 1H-phenalene is determined to be 7.449(17) eV, consistent with high-level W1X-2 calculations.
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ItemElectronic spectrum and photodissociation chemistry of the linear methyl propargyl cation H2C4H3+(AMER INST PHYSICS, 2017-01-28)The electronic spectrum of the methyl propargyl cation (2-butyn-1-yl cation, H2C4H3+) is measured over the 230-270 nm range by photodissociating the bare cation and its Ar and N2 tagged complexes in a tandem mass spectrometer. The observed A'1←A'1 band system has an origin at 37 753 cm-1 for H2C4H3+, 37738 cm-1 for H2C4H3+-Ar, and 37 658 cm-1 for H2C4H3+-N2. The methyl propargyl cation photodissociates to produce either C2H3++C2H2 (protonated acetylene + acetylene) or H2C4H++H2 (protonated diacetylene + dihydrogen). Photodissociation spectra of H2C4H3+, H2C4H3+-Ar, and H2C4H3+-N2 exhibit similar vibronic structure, with a strong progression of spacing 630 cm-1 corresponding to excitation of the C-C stretch mode. Interpretation of the spectra is aided by ground and excited state calculations using time dependent density functional theory at the ωB97X-D/aug-cc-pVDZ level of theory. Ab initio calculations and master equation simulations were used to interpret the dissociation of H2C4H3+ on the ground state manifold. These calculations support the experimentally observed product branching ratios in which acetylene elimination dominates and also suggests that channel switching occurs at higher energies to favor H2 elimination.