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Im Rahmen dieser Dissertation wurden insgesamt drei verschiedene Fragestellungen an biologisch relevanten Modellsystemen mit Hilfe von diversen linearen und nichtlinearen Raman-spektroskopischen Techniken bearbeitet. Neben der Untersuchung von Wasserstoffbrücken-gebundenen Komplexen und ihrer Dynamik auf der fs-Zeitskala (Kapitel 4) bildeten Untersuchungen zur Struktur von Porphyrinen (Kapitel 5) und beta-Carotin (Kapitel 6) als Vertreter wichtiger Klassen von Biomolekülen den Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit. Die spektroskopischen Ergebnisse wurden durchweg über Strukturen und Schwingungsspektren, welche mit Hilfe der Dichtefunktionaltheorie (DFT) berechnet wurden, unterstützt. Die dritte bearbeitete Thematik zum Nachweis anthropogener und ökologisch relevanter Aerosole war bioanalytisch motiviert und wurde anhand von Pestizid-Modellsubstanzen bearbeitet (Kapitel 7).
Iodine oxides appear as reactive intermediates in atmospheric chemistry. Here, we investigate IO and HOI by mass‐selective threshold photoelectron spectroscopy (ms‐TPES), using synchrotron radiation. IO and HOI are generated by photolyzing iodine in the presence of ozone. For both molecules, accurate ionization energies are determined, 9.71±0.02 eV for IO and 9.79±0.02 eV for HOI. The strong spin‐spin interaction in the 3Σ− ground state of IO+ leads to an energy splitting into the Ω=0 and Ω=±1 sublevels. Upon ionization, the I−O bond shortens significantly in both molecules; thus, a vibrational progression, assigned to the I−O stretch, is apparent in both spectra.
Using Photoionization to Investigate Reactive Boron Species and the Kinetics of Hydrocarbon Radicals
(2021)
This thesis highlights the importance of isomer-selective approaches for the complete analysis of chemical processes. The method of choice is photoelectron/photoion coincidence spectroscopy, which allows simultaneous detection of electrons and ions coming from a single ionization event. Ionization techniques are sensitive and can record multiple species simultaneously, rendering them ideal tools to probe molecular transformations. Coupling these setups to synchrotron radiation allows one to analyze complex mixtures with isomer selectivity, based on ionization energies and vibrational structure in the cation, without any prior separation steps. Only few setups exist that can be used to gather these data, although their impact and applicability is growing steadily in various fields. For closed-shell species an easier and more widely used method is gas-chromatography, but most open shell species would not survive the separation process. Due to the reactivity of radicals they have to be created by selectively converting stable precursor molecules. Depending on the radical generation method different properties can be investigated ranging from thermodynamic data, over concentrations in high temperature environments, to chemical kinetics.
The first part of this thesis deals with the determination of bimolecular rate constants. Isomeric hydrocarbon radicals were generated by a high intense UV light pulses and their kinetics with oxygen was measured. The pressure dependence of different isomers in the falloff region was compared to theoretical models, and their reactivity could be explained.
The second part deals with boron containing compounds in various electronic situations. The corresponding precursors were successfully synthesized or could be bought. They were subjected to fluorine atoms in chemical reactors or destroyed pyrolytically at high temperatures. Most investigated species exhibited vibronic effects that could be elucidated using high level computations.
Within this work, an additive and a subtractive QM/MM interface were implemented into CAST. The interactions between QM and MM system are described via electrostatic embedding. Link atoms are used to saturate dangling bonds originating from the separation of QM and MM system. Available energy evaluation methods to be combined include force fields (OPLSAA and AMBER), semi-empirical programs (Mopac and DFTB+), and quantum-chemical methods (from Gaussian, Orca, and Psi4). Both the additive and the subtractive interface can deal with periodic boundary conditions. The subtractive scheme was extended to enable QM/QM, three-layer, and multi-center calculations. Another feature only available within the subtractive interface is the microiteration procedure for local optimizations.
The novel QM/MM methods were applied to the investigation of the reaction path for the complex formation between rhodesain and K11777. Benchmark calculations show a very good agreement with results from Gaussian-ONIOM. When comparing the relative energies obtained with different options to a computation where the whole system was treated with the “QM method” DFTB3, the electrostatic embedding scheme with option “delM3” gives the best results. “delM3” means that atoms with up to three bonds distance to the QM region are ignored when creating the external charges. This is done in order to avoid a double counting of Coulomb interactions between QM and MM system. The embedding scheme for the inner system in a three-layer calculation, however, does not have a significant influence on the energies. The same is true for the choice of the coupling scheme: Whether the additive or the subtractive QM/MM interface is applied does not alter the results significantly. The choice of the QM region, though, proved to be an important factor. As can be seen from the comparison of two QM systems of different size, bigger is not always better here. Instead, one has to make sure not to separate important (polar) interactions by the QM/MM border.
After this benchmark study with singlepoint calculations, the various possibilities of CAST were used to approximate the solution of a remaining problem: The predicted reaction energy for the formation of the rhodesain-K11777 complex differs significantly depending on the starting point of the reaction path.
The reason for this is assumed to be an inadequate adjustment of the environment during the scans, which leads to a better stabilization of the starting structure in comparison to the final structure. The first approach to improve this adjustment was performing the relaxed scan with a bigger QM region instead of the minimal QM system used before. While the paths starting from the covalent complex do not change significantly, those starting from the non-covalent complex become more exothermic, leading to a higher similarity of the two paths. Nevertheless, the difference of the reaction energy is still around 15 kcal/mol, which is far from a perfect agreement. For this reason, Umbrella Samplings were run. Here, the adjustment of the environment is not done by local optimizations like in the scans, but by MD simulations. This has the advantage that the system can cross barriers and reach different local minima. The relative free energies obtained by Umbrella Samplings with suitable QM regions are nearly identical, independently of the starting point of the calculation. Thus, \(\Delta A\) evaluated by these computations can be assumed to reproduce the real energy change best. An MD simulation that was started from the transition state in order to mimic a “real-time” reaction indicates a very fast adjustment of the environment during the formation of the complex. This confirms that Umbrella Sampling is probably better suitable to describe the reaction path than a scan, where the environment can never move strong enough to leave the current local minimum.
cAAC‐Stabilized 9,10‐diboraanthracenes—Acenes with Open‐Shell Singlet Biradical Ground States
(2020)
Narrow HOMO–LUMO gaps and high charge‐carrier mobilities make larger acenes potentially high‐efficient materials for organic electronic applications. The performance of such molecules was shown to significantly increase with increasing number of fused benzene rings. Bulk quantities, however, can only be obtained reliably for acenes up to heptacene. Theoretically, (oligo)acenes and (poly)acenes are predicted to have open‐shell singlet biradical and polyradical ground states, respectively, for which experimental evidence is still scarce. We have now been able to dramatically lower the HOMO–LUMO gap of acenes without the necessity of unfavorable elongation of their conjugated π system, by incorporating two boron atoms into the anthracene skeleton. Stabilizing the boron centers with cyclic (alkyl)(amino)carbenes gives neutral 9,10‐diboraanthracenes, which are shown to feature disjointed, open‐shell singlet biradical ground states.
Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde durch einzelmolekülspektroskopischer bzw. -mikroskopischer Methoden in Kombination mit einer mikrofluischen Zel- le unter Potenzialkontrolle die Elektrochemie von einzelnen einwandigen (6,5)- Kohlenstoffnanoröhren untersucht. Hierfür wurde ein Nahinfrarot-Photolumineszenz- Mikroskop aufgebaut und eine speziell an die experimentellen Vorgaben angepasste elektrochemische Zelle entwickelt, insofern als drei Elektroden (Arbeits-, Gegen- und Referenzelektrode) in einen mikrofluidischen Chip integriert wurden. Darüber hinaus war für die Durchführung der Experimente unter Wasser- und Sauerstoffaus- schluss die Konstruktion eines Handschuhkastens notwendig, sowie eine allgemeine Vorbehandlung der Elektrolytlösungen zur Entfernung gelöster Gase und Wasserreste.
Ein weiteres Projekt umfasste den Aufbau einer chemischen Gasphasenabschei- dungsapparatur zur Synthese von Kohlenstoffnanoröhren. Die hierbei durchgeführten Experimente erbrachten Klarheit über den Einfluss der Prozessparameter Druck, Temperatur und Durchflussrate an Edukten.
Aus den PL-Intensitätsänderungen bei Potenzialvariation konnten Reduktions- und Oxidationspotenziale (ERed = 0.15 V; EOx = 1.34 V) einzelner (6,5)-SWNTs gegen- über einer Platin Referenzelektrode und einem daraus resultierenden Redoxpotenzial
von ∆ERedOx = 1.19 V ermittelt werden. Durch diese einzelmolekülspektroskopische
Methode konnte zum einen gewährleistet werden, dass nur dieser spezielle Chira- litätstyp untersucht wurde und zum anderen eine Verfälschung der Resultate durch einen Potenzialabfall wie er typischerweise in CNT-Filmen auftritt aussgeschlossen werden. Eine Kombination der PL-Daten mit der Ramanintensitätsabhängigkeit des (6,5)-SWNT-S2-Übergangs bei Potenzialvariation erlaubte eine genauere Analyse des Löschmechanismus der PL von Kohlenstoffnanoröhren. Mithilfe eines von Her- tel et al. entwickelten diffusionslimitierten Stoßdesaktivierungsmodells konnte eine invers-quadratische Proportionalität zwischen der (6,5)-SWNT-Emission und den spannungsinduzierten Ladungsträgern ausgemacht werden. Auf Grundlage dieses Ergebnisses folgt, dass die über Photolumineszenzänderungen ermittelten Reduktions-und Oxidationswerte nicht mit den Bandkanten der CNTs übereinstimmen müssen, und dass für deren Bestimmung vielmehr auf Raman- bzw. Absorptionsspektroskopi- sche Techniken zurückgegriffen werden muss.
Die einzelmolekülspektroskopische Herangehensweise ermöglichte ferner eine statis- tische Analyse der Verteilung der Reduktions- und Oxidationspotenziale im Vergleich zu den jeweiligen Erwartungswerten. Hierdurch konnte eine Einteilung der Modifika- tionseinflüsse auf das SWNT-Redoxverhalten in zwei Grenzfälle erfolgen. Es wurde angenommen, dass diese als “Dispergiermitteleffekte” und “CNT-Strukturdefekte” be- zeichneten Auswirkungen entweder das Resultat einer heterodispersen Verteilung an DOC auf der CNT-Oberfläche oder eine Folge von Defekten in der CNT-Gitterstruktur waren. In diesem Zusammenhang ergab sich aus der interpartikulären Analyse der Reduktions- und Oxidationswerte eine Korrelation, die einem dominierenden Einfluss der “CNT-Strukturdefekte” zugeordnet werden konnte. Dieser Beobachtung entgegen- gesetzt konnten aber auch über Untersuchungen der Redoxpotenziale innerhalb einer (6,5)-SWNT lokale Bereiche ausgemacht werden, die eine signifikante Abhängigkeit von “Dispergiermitteleffekte” aufwiesen.
Abgesehen von diesen Einflüssen auf den Emissionsverlauf wurde auch eine Be- trachtung der Breite des spannungsgesteuerten Emissionsabfall durchgeführt. Da- raus konnte ermittelt werden, dass diese Ausdehnung eine Konsequenz aus der PL- Löschungseffizienz der Ladungsträger ist und, dass bei einer Verteilung von 0.32 Löschzentren pro Nanometer eine vollständige Abnahme der Photolumineszenzinten- sität induziert wird.
Darüber hinaus wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit das redoxchemische Verhalten in- dividueller (6,5)-SWNTs in Wechselwirkung mit Ferrocenmolekülen untersucht. Die erhaltenen Ergebnisse ließen annehmen, dass die sich ausbildende Verbindung nicht-kovalenter Natur ist. Zwei verschiedene Gründe führten zu dieser Erkennt- nis: einerseits ließen sich die Ferrocenmoleküle von der CNT-Oberfläche durch ein Durchspülen des mikrofluidischen Kanals mit einer reinen DMF-Lösung entfernen und andererseits war keine dauerhafte Emissionsminderung durch die Ausbildung kovalenter Bindungen zu beobachten. Aus der potenzialabhängigen PL wurde zudem ein Elektronentransfer der Ferrocenmoleküle in die optisch generierten Löcher des CNT-Valenzbandes festgestellt und über eine anregungsintensitätsabhängige Messung die Zunahme dieses Ladungstransfers bei steigendem Photonenfluss nachgewiesen.
Hinsichtlich der Anwendung von Kohlenstoffnanoröhren zur Elektrolyse bzw. Photo- lyse von Wasser wurde auch die Redoxchemie von (6,5)-SWNTs in diesem Solvens untersucht. Bezüglich der Emissionsintensität konnte gezeigt werden, dass diese im Vergleich zu organischen Lösungsmitteln reduziert vorliegt. Außerdem wurde eine irreversible Reaktion nach anodischer Polarisation über eine dauerhafte Löschung der PL beobachtet. Die Bestimmung der hierfür notwendigen Reaktionsumstände erbrachte, dass Wasser, Exzitonen (erzeugt durch optische Anregung) und spannungs- induzierte Löcher im Valenzband zur Bildung einer [SWNT(Q)]-Spezies führen, welche die irreversible Minderung der CNT-Emission verursacht. Darüber hinaus konnte die Reaktionsgeschwindigkeit über eine Kinetik pseudo-nullter-Ordnung be- schrieben werden, unter der Voraussetzung, dass die soeben genannten Parameter konstant verblieben. Desweiteren zeigte sich in einer ferrocenhaltigen Lösung, dass der Löscheffekt der [SWNT(Q)]-Spezies im anodischen Potenzialbereich teilweise reduziert wird. Es wurde angenommen, dass diese Beobachtung auf eine Oxidation der Löschzentren durch die Fc+-Kationen gründet.
Mit Hilfe der CVD-Apparatur gelang es Kohlenstoffnanoröhren zu synthetisieren, wobei Ethanol als Kohlenstoffquelle und ein Eisen-Kobalt-Zeolith-Gemenge als Ka- talysator diente. Die Analyse der verschiedenen Prozessparameter zeigte, dass bei T = 750 °C das beste Verteilungsverhältnis zwischen den gewünschten (6,5)-SWNTs und anderen CNT-Chiralitäten bzw. dem amorphen Kohlenstoff vorliegt. Hierfür war, dass bei T < 750 °C die Verbrennung unerwünschter amorpher Kohlenstoffreste nur geringfügig stattfindet, und dass bei T > 750 °C die Bildung anderer Chiralitäten mit größerem Durchmesser als die (6,5)-SWNT bevorzugt wurde. Die Variation der Durchflussrate hingegen wirkte sich nur in einer absoluten Zunahme aller Chirali- täten aus. Die Steigerung des (6,5)-SWNT-Anteils für höhere Durchflüsse gelang trotzdem durch die geschickte Auswahl geeigneter Druck- und Temperaturwerte. Die Experimente zur Untersuchung der Druckabhängigkeit wiesen auf eine Relation mit dem Gesetz von Le Chatelier hin, insofern als bei einer Druckverringerung eine Verschiebung der Ethanol-Crackreaktion auf Produktseite stattfand. In diesem Zusam- menhang wurde angenommen, dass die damit verstärkt gebildeten Moleküle Ethan, Ethen und Methan den CNT-Anteil zwar erhöhen, jedoch auch eine Steigerung der amorphen Kohlenstoffkonzentration verursachen. Dementsprechend ergab ein Druck von p = 9 mbar das beste (6,5)-SWNT zu dem amorphen Kohlenstoffverhältnis.
Anhand der Arbeiten in dieser Dissertation sind neue Erkenntnisse zwischen der PL-Sensitivität von (6,5)-SWNTs und deren Ladungszustand erhalten worden. Insbe- sondere die genaue Bestimmung der Korrelation zwischen der Photolumineszenz und den induzierten Ladungsträgern ermöglicht einen gezielteren Einsatz von Kohlenstoff- nanoröhren – so zum Beispiel im Bereich der Sensorik. In diesem Zusammenhang zeigen auch die interpartikulären Analysen der Redoxpotenzialverteilung die genau- en Auswirkungen vom Lösungsmittel und der Defektdichte auf die elektronische Struktur der CNTs auf. Darüber hinaus kann aus der Ursachenbestimmung für die Varianz der literaturbekannten Reduktions- bzw. Oxidationspotenziale fortan die ge- eignete spektroskopische Methode zur Evaluierung der Position von Leitungs- und Valenzband in Kohlenstoffnanoröhren besser eingegrenzt werden. Die spektroelektro- chemischen Analysen von (6,5)-SWNTs im Lösungsmittel Wasser und speziell die Bestimmung der Kinetik für die auftretende Reaktion liefern einen tieferen Einblick in die Wechselwirkung (6,5)-SWNT-H2O. Diese Ergebnisse sind insbesondere bei der Verwendung von Kohlenstoffnanoröhren als Elektrodenmaterial für die photolytische bzw. elektrolytische Spaltung von Wasser in Wasserstoff und Sauerstoff von Bedeu- tung. Neben der Untersuchung der SWNT-Wasser Interaktion unter andoischer und optischer Anregung, die zu einer kovalenten Bindung führte, wurde mit Hilfe der (6,5)- SWNT-Ferrocen Wechselwirkung ein Beispiel für eine nichtkovalente Redoxreaktion dargestellt, womit ein Vergleich dieser beiden Spezies und ihrer unterschiedlichen Auswirkungen auf die elektronische Struktur aufgezeigt werden konnte.
In dieser Arbeit werden Pflanzen, Pflanzengewebe, Pflanzenzellen und Mikro-organismen spektroskopisch untersucht und ihre Inhaltsstoffe unter minimaler Probenpräparation im biologischen Gewebe direkt lokalisiert und identifiziert. Unter den verfügbaren Schwingungs-spektroskopischen Methoden ist die Mikro-Raman-Spektroskopie für diese Fragestellungen besonders gut geeignet, da Wasser Raman-Spektren nur wenig beeinflusst. Daher kann mit Raman-spektroskopischen Methoden auch in stark wasserhaltigem Gewebe gemessen werden. Weiterhin erhält man mit der Mikro-Raman-Spektroskopie eine gute räumliche Auflösung im sub-µm-Bereich, wodurch es möglich ist, heterogene Proben zu untersuchen. Darüber hinaus kann die Mikro-Raman-Spektroskopie mit anderen Methoden, wie z. B. der oberflächenverstärkten Raman-Spektroskopie (SERS), kombiniert werden. In pflanzlichen Zellen liegt eine Vielzahl von Substanzen in geringen Konzentrationen vor. Aufgrund der niedrigen Quantenausbeute des Raman-Effekts treten vor allem Substanzen, die eine Resonanz-Verstärkung erfahren, in den Spektren hervor. Diese Substanzen, wie z. B. b-Carotin, können deshalb in geringen Konzentrationen detektiert werden. Der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit liegt in der Untersuchung von Sekundär-Metaboliten wie Alkaloiden, Lipiden oder Terpenen, die in der Pflanze agglomerieren. Neben der Identifikation von Inhaltsstoffen, können die Raman-Spektren von Pflanzen für die chemotaxonomische Klassifizierung mit Hilfe der hierarchischen Clusteranalyse verwendet werden. Die Identifizierung von Mikroorganismen auch in sehr geringen Mengen (Monolage, einzelne Zellen) ist mit der Mikro-Raman-Spektroskopie nur unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen durchführbar. Für weitergehende Untersuchungen wird hier die SERS-Sonde oder ein TERS-Aufbau verwendet werden.
The experimental technique predominantly employed within the scope of this Thesis constitutes one subarea of femtochemistry: the time-resolved spectroscopy of photoin-
duced chemical reactions in the liquid phase by means of molecular signatures in the mid-infrared (MIR) spectral range. Probing transient vibrational states, i.e., dynamic
changes in the vibrational motion of specic molecular subunits or functional Groups allows for a distinct separation and assignment of measured signals to emerging molecular species. For this purpose, one key building block is indispensable, which most of the investigations carried out within the eld of femtochemistry have in common: a coherent light source delivering ultrashort laser pulses with a temporal duration that matches the femtosecond time scale on which molecular motions typically occur. This instrumentation enables the observation of photoinduced chemical reactions from the
starting point|the excitation event to the appearance of intermediates to the nal formation of stable photoproducts after several pico- or nanoseconds.
This work comprises the acquisition and presentation of time-resolved spectroscopic data related to promising molecular systems upon photoexcitation as well as the im-
plementation and testing of experimental optical techniques both for the presented experiments but as well for experiments conceivable in the future. In addition, linear spectroscopy measurements and quantum-chemical simulations on the emerging chemical species have been carried out. In so doing, the primary processes and subse-
quently emerging reaction products of two compounds on a timescale of several nanoseconds after photoexcitation have been elucidated in great detail. Both compounds, the
[Mn(CO)3(tpm)]+ (tpm = tris(2-pyrazolyl)methane) CO-releasing molecule (CORM) and the 5-diazo Meldrum's acid (DMA), are of academic interest but in addition belong
to molecular classes that might be utilized in the near future as dark-stable prodrugs under physiological conditions or that are already utilized in industrial chemistry procedures, respectively. The ndings of both studies gave rise to implement and examine two techniques for prospective transient absorption experiments, namely the shaping and characterization of ultraviolet (UV) laser pulses and the recording of two-photon excitation spectra. Beyond that, since each of the depicted experiments is based on the detection of weak transient absorption signals in the MIR spectral region, two dif-
ferent detection schemes, via chirped-pulse upconversion (CPU) on the one hand and via direct multichannel MCT detection on the other hand, have been juxtaposed at the
conclusion of this work. Since both techniques are suitable in femtosecond pump-probe measurements but thereby exhibit individual strengths and weaknesses, a comparative study provides clarication of the respective pros and cons. The first study introduced within this work investigates the complex photochemistry
of DMA, a photoactive compound used in lithography and industrial chemistry. By femtosecond MIR transient absorption spectroscopy covering several nanoseconds, the
light-induced dynamics and ultrafast formation of several photoproducts from the manifold of reaction pathways have been disclosed to form a coherent picture of the overall
reaction scheme. After UV excitation of DMA dissolved in methanol to the second excited state S2, 70% of excited molecules relax back to the S0 ground state. In compet-
ing processes, they can either undergo an intramolecular Wolff rearrangement to form ketene, which reacts with a solvent molecule to an enol intermediate and further to carboxylate ester, or they rst relax to the DMA S1 state, from where they can isomerize to a diazirine. The third competing reaction channel, having the lowest quantum efficiency with respect to the rst two channels, is the formation of a singlet carbene out of the S1 state. From there an ylide can arise or, via an intersystem crossing, the triplet form of the carbene follows. Whereas the primary reaction steps occur on a picosecond timescale, the subsequently arising intermediates and stable photoproducts are formed
within a few hundreds to thousands of picoseconds. For a reliable identication of the involved compounds, density functional theory calculations on the normal modes and
Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy of the reactant and the photoproducts in the chemical equilibrium accompany the analysis of the transient spectra. Additional experiments in ethanol and isopropanol led to slight spectral shifts as well as elongated time
constants due to steric hindrance in transient spectra connected with the ester Formation channel, further substantiating the assignment of the occurring reaction pathways and photoproducts.
The study demonstrated that the combination of linear and time-resolved spectroscopic measurements in conjunction with quantum-chemical calculations constitutes a powerful tool to unravel even highly complex photoreactions exhibiting multiple consecutive intermediate states within parallel reaction pathways. Although some of the individual reaction steps, for example the ketene formation via Wolff rearrangement, have been observed on ultrashort time scales before, this work encompassed the Observation of the whole set of appearing photoproducts of DMA in different alcohol solutions within several nanoseconds. In this sense, the ultrafast photochemistry of DMA represents a prototype example for a multisequential reaction scheme, elucidated by the capabilities of femtosecond MIR spectroscopy.
With a modified instrumentation concerning amongst others the system delivering the fundamental laser pulses or the generation of the UV pump pulses, the next ob-
jective within this work was to elucidate the primary processes upon UV Irradiation of a manganese tricarbonyl CORM in aqueous environment. The time-resolved
experiment was performed with two different pump wavelengths and furthermore supported by linear spectroscopy methods and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations on the excited states as well as DFT calculations on the ground
states. The measurements revealed that irradiating the compound with UV excitation pulses primarily leads to ultrafast photolysis of one CO ligand. Geminate recombination may occur within one picosecond but it remains a minor process as the photolyzed CO
group is liberated and the unoccupied coordination site is predominantly filled by an incoming solvent molecule. There was no evidence for hot CO bands, i.e., the remaining CO ligands|in the dicarbonyl photoproduct as well as in the intact CORM are not vibrationally excited through the UV excitation of the CORM. According to this, the excess energy merges into low-frequency vibrational modes associated with the molecule as a whole. Since studies on a macroscopic scale at irradiation times of several minutes prove that UV irradiation eventually leads to the release of two or even all three CO
ligands, further loss of CO most likely necessitates manganese oxidation or another interaction with light. To clarify the latter, a consecutive UV pulse was employed in order to excite the photoproducts subsequent to the initial pump interaction. However, the data obtained was not instructive enough to denitely exclude the manganese oxidation being responsible for the loss of further CO groups. Besides the exchange of a CO Group by a solvent molecule or the geminate recombination, the employment of two different excitation wavelengths in combination with ndings derived from the TDDFT calculations suggested another reaction process, namely the possibility that the excitation does not lead to any bond cleavage at all. As the CORM under investigation is tissue-selective and cytotoxic against cancer cells, knowledge of these rst photoinduced reaction steps is essential for a full understanding of its biological activity. Inspired by these two studies, experimental techniques for prospective transient absorption measurements have been implemented and tested within preparative measure-
ments. First, in the course of a UV-pump-MIR-probe experiment with specically tailored excitation pulses, one could pursue the aim of coherently controlling the outcome of a photoreaction in the liquid phase. Out of the rich photochemistry of DMA the vibrational signature of a particular molecular species might thereby serve as a feedback signal, which is a central part of a learning loop that adaptively determines the pulse shape that steers the quantum mechanical system upon photoexcitation into a desired direction. This motivated the installation and testing of devices by means of which the shaping and characterization of ultrashort laser pulses in the UV could be performed. Second, motivated by the biological applications of CORMs, one can imagine a scenario where a certain amount of CORMs is deposited inside cancerous tissue. Since the activation of CO loss by means of UV pulses is not possible due to the absorption characteristics of biological tissue, the simultaneous excitation via two photons from the visible spectral regime seems appealing. However, success or failure of such an application depends on whether the deposited compound efficiently absorbs two photons simultaneously, i.e., whether the two-photon absorption cross section is large enough. Therefore, a setup to record two-photon excitation spectra under full consideration of
the crucial laser pulse parameters like the pulse duration, energy and central wavelength was arranged and tested. The rst results were obtained with a commercially available reference system (Mn2CO10) but the setup as well as the described measurement and
data analysis procedure can easily be applied to record the two-photon absorption cross section of more promising molecular systems. Third, as the detection of probe pulses
in the MIR spectral region is part of each time-resolved measurement throughout this thesis, a comparison between the newly established technique of CPU and direct multi-
channel MCT detection is presented by means of pump{probe experiments on Mn2CO10 and Co4CO12 with a 1 kHz shot-to-shot data acquisition. It was shown that the CPU detection technique scores with its high spectral resolution and coverage of the easy-to-handle and more cost-effective CCD detectors. On the other hand, in the course of the additional nonlinear upconversion process intensity fluctuations of the chirped fundamental pulses are transferred to the probe spectrum in the visible regime. This entails a lower signal-to-noise ratio than the direct MCT detection, which can be compensated by an additional normalization procedure applied to the CPU probe pulses. As a consequence, the CPU detection scheme offers more flexibility for future investigations
employing MIR probe pulses. This is of great importance for many applications within the presented eld of femtochemistry as a huge variety of time-resolved investigations on a multitude of systems in the liquid phase is based on the detection of weak transient
absorption signals in the MIR spectral region.
The concepts of aromaticity and antiaromaticity have a long history, and countless demonstrations of these phenomena have been made with molecules based on elements from the p, d, and f blocks of the periodic table. In contrast, the limited oxidation‐state flexibility of the s‐block metals has long stood in the way of their participation in sophisticated π‐bonding arrangements, and truly antiaromatic systems containing s‐block metals are altogether absent or remain poorly defined. Using spectroscopic, structural, and computational techniques, we present herein the synthesis and authentication of a heterocyclic compound containing the alkaline earth metal beryllium that exhibits significant antiaromaticity, and detail its chemical reduction and Lewis‐base‐coordination chemistry.
Coherent two-dimensional (2D) optical spectroscopy has revolutionized our ability to probe many types of couplings and ultrafast dynamics in complex quantum systems. The dynamics and function of any quantum system strongly depend on couplings to the environment. Thus, studying coherent interactions for different environments remains a topic of tremendous interest. Here we introduce coherent 2D electronic mass spectrometry that allows 2D measurements on effusive molecular beams and thus on quantum systems with minimum system-bath interaction and employ this to identify the major ionization pathway of 3d Rydberg states in NO2. Furthermore, we present 2D spectra of multiphoton ionization, disclosing distinct differences in the nonlinear response functions leading to the ionization products. We also realize the equivalent of spectrally resolved transient-absorption measurements without the necessity for acquiring weak absorption changes. Using time-of-flight detection introduces cations as an observable, enabling the 2D spectroscopic study on isolated systems of photophysical and photochemical reactions.
Plasmonic modes supported by noble-metal nanostructures offer strong subwavelength electric-field confinement and promise the realization of nanometer-scale integrated optical circuits with well-defined functionality. In order to measure the spectral and spatial response functions of such plasmonic elements, we combine a confocal microscope setup with spectral interferometry detection. The setup, data acquisition, and data evaluation are discussed in detail by means of exemplary experiments involving propagating plasmons transmitted through silver nanowires. By considering and experimentally calibrating any setup-inherent signal delay with an accuracy of 1 fs, we are able to extract correct timing information of propagating plasmons. The method can be applied, e.g., to determine the dispersion and group velocity of propagating plasmons in nanostructures, and can be extended towards the investigation of nonlinear phenomena.
The reaction products of the picolyl radicals at high temperature were characterized by mass‐selective threshold photoelectron spectroscopy in the gas phase. Aminomethylpyridines were pyrolyzed to initially produce picolyl radicals (m /z =92). At higher temperatures further thermal reaction products are generated in the pyrolysis reactor. All compounds were identified by mass‐selected threshold photoelectron spectroscopy and several hitherto unexplored reactive molecules were characterized. The mechanism for several dissociation pathways was outlined in computations. The spectrum of m /z =91, resulting from hydrogen loss of picolyl, shows four isomers, two ethynyl pyrroles with adiabatic ionization energies (IE\(_{ad}\)) of 7.99 eV (2‐ethynyl‐1H ‐pyrrole) and 8.12 eV (3‐ethynyl‐1H ‐pyrrole), and two cyclopentadiene carbonitriles with IE′s of 9.14 eV (cyclopenta‐1,3‐diene‐1‐carbonitrile) and 9.25 eV (cyclopenta‐1,4‐diene‐1‐carbonitrile). A second consecutive hydrogen loss forms the cyanocyclopentadienyl radical with IE′s of 9.07 eV (T\(_0\)) and 9.21 eV (S\(_1\)). This compound dissociates further to acetylene and the cyanopropynyl radical (IE=9.35 eV). Furthermore, the cyclopentadienyl radical, penta‐1,3‐diyne, cyclopentadiene and propargyl were identified in the spectra. Computations indicate that dissociation of picolyl proceeds initially via a resonance‐stabilized seven‐membered ring.
Besides their widespread use in coordination chemistry, 2,2’‐bipyridines are known for their ability to undergo cis–trans conformational changes in response to metal ions and acids, which has been primarily investigated at the molecular level. However, the exploitation of such conformational switching in self‐assembly has remained unexplored. In this work, the use of 2,2’‐bipyridines as acid‐responsive conformational switches to tune supramolecular polymerization processes has been demonstrated. To achieve this goal, we have designed a bipyridine‐based linear bolaamphiphile, 1, that forms ordered supramolecular polymers in aqueous media through cooperative aromatic and hydrophobic interactions. Interestingly, addition of acid (TFA) induces the monoprotonation of the 2,2’‐bipyridine moiety, leading to a switch in the molecular conformation from a linear (trans) to a V‐shaped (cis) state. This increase in molecular distortion along with electrostatic repulsions of the positively charged bipyridine‐H\(^{+}\) units attenuate the aggregation tendency and induce a transformation from long fibers to shorter thinner fibers. Our findings may contribute to opening up new directions in molecular switches and stimuli‐responsive supramolecular materials.
Bei der Einelektronenreduktion eines durch eine cyclisches (Alkyl)(amino)carben (CAAC) stabilisierten Arylborylen-Carbonylkomplexes erfolgt die Bildung eines dimeren Borylketyl-Radikalanions, bedingt durch eine intramolekulare Arylmigration zum CO Kohlenstoffatom. Computergestützte Analyse liefert Hinweise auf eine radikalanionische [(CAAC)B(CO)Ar]\(^{.-}\) Zwischenstufe. Weiterführende Reduktion des entstandenen Komplexes liefert ein hoch nukleophiles (Boranyliden)methanolat.
Isolated 2‐phenylallyl radicals (2‐PA), generated by pyrolysis from a nitrite precursor, have been investigated by IR/UV ion dip spectroscopy using free electron laser radiation. 2‐PA is a resonance‐stabilized radical that is considered to be involved in the formation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in combustion, but also in interstellar space. The radical is identified based on its gas‐phase IR spectrum. Furthermore, a number of bimolecular reaction products are identified, showing that the self‐reaction as well as reactions with unimolecular decomposition products of 2‐PA form several PAH efficiently. Possible mechanisms are discussed and the chemistry of 2‐PA is compared with the one of the related 2‐methylallyl and phenylpropargyl radicals.
The present work presents investigations on energy and charge transport properties in organic crystals. Chapter 4 treats exciton transport in anthracene, which is an example for weakly coupled π-systems. The electronic coupling parameter is evaluated by the monomer transition density approach. With these and the reorganization energy hopping rates are calculated in the framework of the Marcus theory. Together with the knowledge of the crystal structure, these allow us to calculate the experimental accessible exciton diffusion lengths, whose isotropic part fits nicely within the scattering of experimental values found in the literature. Furthermore, the anisotropy of the exciton diffusion lengths is reproduced qualitatively and quantitatively correct. This chapter also contains studies about electron and hole transport in both polymorphs (α and β) of perylene. Reorganization energies as well as diffusion coefficients for both crystal structures and types of charge transport were calculated. The best transport is hole transport in β-perylene, but it is strongly isotropic. The preferred transport direction is along the b-axis of the unit cell with couplings of greater than 100 meV. However, there is no transport along the c-axis. The diffusion constant in b-direction is bigger by two orders of magnitude than in c-direction (62.7•10-6 m2/s vs. 0.4•10-6 m2/s). Charge transport is calculated to be strongly anisotropic for holes as well as electrons in both modifications. To verify these results experimental electron mobilities have been compared to the simulations. Good agreement was found with errors of less than 27%. As it was shown above, the calculation and measurement of transport properties between weakly coupled systems is possible. However, it is difficult to exactly determine the quality of the electronic coupling. For this reason a collaboration about strongly interacting π-systems was started between us and the research group of Prof. Ingo Fischer. There, [2.2]paracyclophanes and its derivates were investigated to show how hydroxyl substitution influences absorption properties. Overall, a combination of SCS-MP2 and SCS-CC2 performs best to address the description of geometric and electronic structures for both ground and excited states of these model systems as well as their parent compounds benzene and phenol. Only [2.2]paracyclophane shows a double minimum potential regarding a twist and shift motion between the benzene/phenol subunits towards each other. All other systems are less flexible due to their substitution pattern. Almost all [2.2]paracyclophanes display minor changes in their geometric structure upon excitation to the S1 state: The inter-ring distance shortens, but qualitatively they keep their shift and twist characteristics, although the extent of these deformations diminishes. The exception is p-DHPC, which turns from a shifted ground state structure into a twisted excited state structure. Consequently, the intensity of the 0-0 transition cannot be observed experimentally due to small Franck-Condon factors and impurities of o-DHPC. In the present thesis, the structures and their changes due to excitation are explained by electrostatic potentials as well as antibonding (bonding) HOMO (LUMO) orbitals. Adiabatic excitation energies have been corrected by ZPEs and result in accuracies with errors smaller than 0.1 eV. Note that corrections on the B3LYP level worsen the results and one has to apply SCS-CC2 to achieve this accuracy. These calculations allow an interpretation of the experimental [1+1]REMPI spectra. Band progressions of the twist, shift and breathing of the [2.2]paracyclophane skeleton vibrations have been identified and show good agreement to the experiment. This work shows that the substitution pattern in [2.2]paracyclophanes can have a significant impact on spectroscopic properties. Because these properties are directly linked to the transport properties of these materials, the hereby gained insight can be used to design materials with customized transport properties. It was shown that the SCS-CC2 method is very appropriate to predict the interaction between the π-systems
In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden zwei spektroskopische Methoden (Raman- und Circulardichroismus-Spektroskopie) und die Kernspinresonanz zur Untersuchung der Sekundärstruktur von synthetischen Polypeptiden eingesetzt. Dabei wurden die Struktur-Funktions-Beziehungen der dritten extrazellulären Schleife des Gonadotropin-freisetzenden Rezeptors (GnRH-R) untersucht. Die spektroskopischen Ergebnisse belegten, dass die zuvor getroffene Aussage über eine vorhandene helikale Struktur revidiert werden musste. Die Strukturanalysen mit Hilfe der CD-, Raman- und 2D NMR-Experimente an zwei Serien von Polypeptiden lieferten Aussagen über die Sekundärstruktur. Insbesondere die Raman-Untersuchungen in Verbindung mit einer statistischen Datenanalyse lieferten detaillierte Information über subtile Konformationsänderungen, die einerseits durch die Addition und andererseits durch die Substitution einzelner Aminosäuren in den synthetischen Polypeptiden ausgelöst wurden. Anhand der ausgewählten Raman-Linien konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass sowohl die Änderungen der Polypeptidkettenlänge als auch die Änderung der Polypeptidsequenzen mit den beobachteten Intensitäten der Raman-Linien korreliert sind.
Infrared (IR) and Raman spectroscopy are among the most widely used techniques in the physical and natural sciences today. Vibrational spectroscopy, including IR and Raman spectroscopy, has both a long and interesting history and an illustrious record of contributions to science. Spectroscopy in the pharmaceutical industry is dominated by techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and mass spectrometry (MS) for the elucidation of chemical structures. Despite this, the versatility of infrared spectroscopy ensures it still remains a key technique in quality control laboratories, and in applications where solid form characterization or minimal sample preparation is a necessity. Raman spectroscopy has many uses in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry, but its strengths is in solid form analysis. It is regularly used to identify compounds, and results are used in the release of pharmaceutical and chemical products. This work consists of 8 chapters, which cover the vibrational spectroscopy beginning with the theory and instrumentation, continuing with the experimental setup and probes description, and completing with results and discussions of the experiments. The first chapter of this work introduces Raman spectroscopy as a dominant technique used in pharmaceutical and chemical industry. The theoretical background regarding vibrational spectroscopy (IR and Raman) is accounted for in the second chapter of this work, while the samples presentation, the experimental procedures, and the description of the apparatus together with the computational details are briefly specified in the third chapter. The fourth chapter investigates the concentration dependent wavenumber shifts and linewidth changes of tetrahydrofuran in a binary system. Many of the applications in food science rely heavily on Raman spectroscopy, often preceding the biomedical applications. The characterization and identification of food additives using Raman, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations is in detail depicted in the fifth chapter, whereas in the sixth and seventh chapters the monitoring of several medicines and various lanthanide complexes with anticancer properties, respectively, employing IR and Raman techniques are treated. These last two chapters address applications of vibrational spectroscopy to pharmaceutical products, and include the use of vibrational spectroscopy in combinatorial chemistry and density functional theory, a modality increasingly used by the pharmaceutical industry for the discovery if new pharmacologically active substances.
In the current work, several well-known pharmaceuticals (1,4-dihydrazinophthalazine sulfate, caffeine, and papaverine hydrochloride) and new organometallic compounds (nickel(II) cupferronato complexes NiL2An, L = PhN2O2-, n = 1, A = o-phenanthroline (1), o,o’-bipyridine (2) and n = 2, A = H2O (3), o-NH2Py (4), o-C6H4(NH2)2 (5); silylene-bridged dinuclear iron complexes [Cp(OC)2Fe]2SiX2 (X = H (6), F (7), Cl (8), Br (9), I (10)); 3-silaoxetane 3,3-dimethyl-2,2,4,4-tetraphenyl-1-oxa-3-silacyclobutane (11) and 3-silathietane 3,3-dimethyl-2,2,4,4-tetraphenyl-1-sila-3-thiacyclobutane (12) compounds), which have successfully been characterized by using vibrational spectroscopy in conjunction with accurate density functional theory (DFT) calculations, are presented. The DFT computed molecular geometries of the species of interest reproduced the crystal structure data very well and in conjunction with IR and Raman measurements helped us to clarify the structures of the compounds, for which no experimental data were available; and this, especially for the new organometallic compounds, where the X-Ray analysis was limited by the non-availability of single crystals (3, 5, 10). Furthermore, a natural population analysis (NPA) and natural bond orbital (NBO) calculations together with a detailed analysis of the IR and Raman experimental as well as calculated spectra of the new organometallic compounds, allowed us to study some special bonding situations (1-12) or to monitor the structural changes observed with the change in temperature during the Raman experiments (11, 12). By combining these two methods (DFT and vibrational spectroscopy), the auspicious results obtained on the organometallic compounds 6-12 and overall in literature, made us confident of the power of theoretical calculations in aiding the interpretation of rich SERS spectra by solving some interesting issues. Consequently, the Raman and SERS spectra of well-known pharmaceuticals (1,4-dihydrazinophthalazine sulfate, caffeine, and papaverine hydrochloride) or new potentially biological active organometallic complexes (1-5), that were synthetized by our coworkers, were discussed with the assistance of the accurate results obtained from DFT calculations (structural parameters, harmonic vibrational wavenumbers, Raman scattering activities), and many previous incomplete assignments have been analyzed and improved. This allowed us to establish the vibrational behavior of these biological compounds near a biological artificial model at different pH values or concentrations (Ag substrate), taking into account that information about the species present under particular conditions could be of great importance for the interpretation of biochemical processes. The total electron density of molecules and the partial charges situated on selected atoms, which were determined theoretically by NPA, allowed us to establish the probability of different atoms acting as an adsorptive site for the metal surface. Moreover, a closer examination of the calculated orbitals of molecules brought further arguments on the presence or absence of the photoproducts at the Ag surface during the irradiation (1,4-dihydrazinophthalazine sulfate). Overall, the results provide a benchmark illustration of the virtues of DFT in aiding the interpretation of rich vibrational spectra attainable for larger polyatomic adsorbates by using SERS, as well as in furnishing detailed insight into the relation between the vibrational properties and the nature of the Ag substrate-adsorbate bonding. Therefore, we strongly believe that theoretical calculations will become a matter of rapidly growing scientific and practical interest in SERS.
The SARS virus is the etiological agent of the severe acute respiratory syndrome, a deadly disease that caused more than 700 causalities in 2003. One of its viral proteins, the SARS coronavirus main protease, is considered as a potential drug target and represents an important model system for other coronaviruses. Despite extensive knowledge about this enzyme, it still lacks an effective anti-viral drug. Furthermore, it possesses some unusual features related to its active-site region. This work gives atomistic insights into the SARS coronavirus main protease and tries to reveal mechanistic aspects that control catalysis and inhibition. Thereby, it applies state-of-the-art computational methods to develop models for this enzyme that are capable to reproduce and interpreting the experimental observations. The theoretical investigations are elaborated over four main fields that assess the accuracy of the used methods, and employ them to understand the function of the active-site region, the inhibition mechanism, and the ligand binding. The testing of different quantum chemical methods reveals that their performance depends partly on the employed model. This can be a gas phase description, a continuum solvent model, or a hybrid QM/MM approach. The latter represents the preferred method for the atomistic modeling of biochemical reactions. A benchmarking uncovers some serious problems for semi-empirical methods when applied in proton transfer reactions. To understand substrate cleavage and inhibition of SARS coronavirus main protease, proton transfer reactions between the Cys/His catalytic dyad are calculated. Results show that the switching between neutral and zwitterionic state plays a central role for both mechanisms. It is demonstrated that this electrostatic trigger is remarkably influenced by substrate binding. Whereas the occupation of the active-site by the substrate leads to a fostered zwitterion formation, the inhibitor binding does not mimic this effect for the employed example. The underlying reason is related to the coverage of the active-site by the ligand, which gives new implications for rational improvements of inhibitors. More detailed insights into reversible and irreversible inhibition are derived from in silico screenings for the class of Michael acceptors that follow a conjugated addition reaction. From the comparison of several substitution patterns it becomes obvious that different inhibitor warheads follow different mechanisms. Nevertheless, the initial formation of a zwitterionic catalytic dyad is found as a common precondition for all inhibition reactions. Finally, non-covalent inhibitor binding is investigated for the case of SARS coranavirus main protease in complex with the inhibitor TS174. A novel workflow is developed that includes an interplay between theory and experiment in terms of molecular dynamic simulation, tabu search, and X-ray structure refinement. The results show that inhibitor binding is possible for multiple poses and stereoisomers of TS174.
In the present contribution, we describe the synthesis of highly dispersed silver nanorods (NRs) of different aspect ratios using a chemical route. The shape and size of the synthesized NRs were characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and UV-visible spectroscopy. Longitudinal and transverse absorptions bands confirm the rod type structure. The experimentally recorded UV-visible spectra of NRs solutions were fitted by using an expression of the extinction coefficient for rod like nano structures under the dipole approximation. Simulated and experimentally observed UV-visible spectra were compared to determine the aspect ratios (R) of NRs. The average values of R for NR1, NR2 and NR3 solutions are estimated to be 3.0 ± 0.1, 1.8 ± 0.1 and 1.2 ± 0.1, respectively. These values are in good agreement with those obtained by TEM micrographs. The silver NRs of known aspect ratios are used to study antimicrobial activities against B. subtilis (gram positive) and E. coli (gram negative) microbes. We observed that the NRs of intermediate aspect ratio (R = 1.8) have greater antimicrobial effect against both, B. subtilis (gram positive) and E. coli (gram negative). The NRs of aspect ratio, R = 3.0 has better antimicrobial activities against gram positive than on the gram negative.
Covalent peptidomimetic protease inhibitors have gained a lot of attention in drug development in recent years. They are designed to covalently bind the catalytically active amino acids through electrophilic groups called warheads. Covalent inhibition has an advantage in terms of pharmacodynamic properties but can also bear toxicity risks due to non-selective off-target protein binding. Therefore, the right combination of a reactive warhead with a well-suited peptidomimetic sequence is of great importance. Herein, the selectivities of well-known warheads combined with peptidomimetic sequences suited for five different proteases were investigated, highlighting the impact of both structure parts (warhead and peptidomimetic sequence) for affinity and selectivity. Molecular docking gave insights into the predicted binding modes of the inhibitors inside the binding pockets of the different enzymes. Moreover, the warheads were investigated by NMR and LC-MS reactivity assays against serine/threonine and cysteine nucleophile models, as well as by quantum mechanics simulations.
Tetraiododiborane(4) (B\(_2\)I\(_4\)) is a Polymer based on sp\(^3\) Boron in the Solid State
(2020)
Herein we present the first solid‐state structures of tetraiododiborane(4) (B\(_2\)I\(_4\)), which was long believed to exist in all phases as discrete molecules with planar, tricoordinate boron atoms, like the lighter tetrahalodiboranes(4) B\(_2\)F\(_4\), B\(_2\)Cl\(_4\), and B\(_2\)Br\(_4\). Single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, solid‐state NMR, and IR measurements indicate that B\(_2\)I\(_4\) in fact exists as two different polymeric forms in the solid state, both of which feature boron atoms in tetrahedral environments. DFT calculations are used to simulate the IR spectra of the solution and solid‐state structures, and these are compared with the experimental spectra.
The present studies which have been performed in the work-group C-2 (Prof. W. Kiefer) within the program of the Sonderforschungsbereichs 347, deal with the FT-Raman and –IR spectroscopy on new organometallic complexes, synthesized in the work-groups B-2 (Prof. W. Malisch), B-3 (Prof. W. A. Schenk), D-1 (Prof. H. Werner) and D-4 (Prof. D. Stalke). The FT-Raman spectra recorded at 1064 nm led to very useful and interesting information. Furthermore, the DFT calculations which are known to offer promise of obtaining accurate vibrational wavenumbers, were successfully used for the assignment of the vibrational spectra. For the first time it has been possible to ascribe exactly the n(RhC) stretching mode in the vinylidene rhodium(I) complex trans-[RhF(=C=CH2)(PiPr3)2] by using isotopic substitution, in conjunction with theoretical calculations. This is also true for the complexes trans-[RhF(CO)(PiPr3)2], trans-[RhF(C2H4)(PiPr3)2], trans-[RhX(=C=CHPh)(PiPr3)2] (X = F, Cl, Br, I, Me, PhCºC) and trans-[RhX(CN-2,6-xylyl)(PiPr3)2] (X = F, Cl, Br, I, CºCPh). In addition, the comparison between the n(RhC) wavenumbers of the complexes trans-[RhF(=13C=13CH2)(PiPr3)2] and trans-[RhF(CO)(PiPr3)2], containing the isoelectronic ligands 13C=13CH2 and CO, which have the same reduced mass, indicated that the Rh-C bond is stronger in the carbonyl than in the vinylidene complex. Besides, the n(RhF) stretching mode, which has been observed at higher wavenumbers in the FT-Raman and -IR spectra of trans-[RhF(CO)(PiPr3)2], showed that the carbonyl ligand is a better p-acceptor and a less effective s-donor than the vinylidene one. Moreover, the comparison of the n(CºC) and n(Rh-C) modes from the FT-Raman spectrum of the complexes trans-[Rh(CºCPh)(L)(PiPr3)2] (L = C=CHPh, CO, CN-2,6-xylyl) point out that the p-acceptor ability of the ligand trans to CºCPh should rise in the order C=CH2 < CO < CN-2,6-xylyl £ C=CHPh. The investigated sensitivity of the n(RhC), n(CC), n(CO) and n(CN) vibrational modes to the electronic modifications occuring in the vinylidene, carbonyl, ethylene and isonitrile complexes, should allow in the future the examination of the p-acceptor or p-donor properties of further ligands. Likewise, we were able to characterize the influence of various X ligands on the RhC bond by using the n(RhC) stretching mode as a probe for the weakening of this. The calculated wavenumbers of the n(RhC) for the vinylidene complexes trans-[RhX(=C=CHR)(PiPr3)2], where R = H or Ph, suggested that the strength of the Rh=C bond increases along the sequence X = CºCPh < CH3 < I < Br < Cl < F. For the series of carbonyl compounds trans-[RhX(CO)(PiPr3)2], where X = F, Cl, Br and I, analogous results have been obtained and confirmed from the model compounds trans-[RhX(CO)(PMe3)2]. Since, the calculated vibrational modes for the ethylene complex trans-[RhF(C2H4)(PiPr3)2] were in good agreement with the experimental results and supported the description of this complex as a metallacyclopropane, we were interested in getting more information upon this class of compounds. In this context, we have recorded the FT-Raman and -IR spectra of the thioaldehyde complexes mer-[W(CO)3(dmpe)(h2-S=CH2)] and mer-[W(CO)3(dmpe)(h2-S=CD2)] which have been synthezised by B-3. The positions of the different WL vibrational modes anticipated by the DFT calculations, were consistent with the experimental results. Indeed, the analysis of the band shifts in the FT-Raman and –IR spectra of the isotopomer mer-[W(CO)3(dmpe)(h2-S=CD2)] confirmed our assignment. The different stereoisomers of complex mer-[W(CO)3(dmpe)(h2-S=CH2)] were investigated too, since RMN and IR-data have shown that complex mer-[W(CO)3(dmpe)(h2-S=CH2)] lead in solution to an equilibrium. Since the information on the vibrational spectra of the molybdenum and tungsten complexes Cp(CO)2M-PR2-X (M = Mo, W; R = Me, tBu, Ph; X = S, Se) is very scarce, we extended our research work to this class of compounds. We have tried to elucidate the bonding properties in these chalcogenoheterocycle complexes by taking advantage of the mass effect on the different metal atoms (W vs. Mo). Thus, the observed band shifts allowed to assign most of the ML fundamental modes of these complexes. This project and the following one were a cooperation within the work-group B-2. The Raman and IR spectra of the matrix isolated photoproducts expected by the UV irradiation of the iron silyl complex Cp(CO)2FeSiH2CH3 have been already reported by Claudia Fickert and Volker Nagel in their PhD-thesis. Since no exact assignment was feasible for these spectra, we were interested in the study of the reaction products created by irradiation of the carbonyl iron silyl complex Cp(CO)2FeCH2SiH3. Although the calculated characteristic vibrational modes of the metal ligand unit for the various photoproducts are significantly different in constitution, they are very similar in wavenumbers, which did not simplify their identification. However, the theoretical results have been found to be consistent with the earlier experimental results. Finally, the last part of this thesis has been devoted to the (2-Py)2E- anions which exhibit a high selectivity toward metal-coordination. All di(2-pyridyl) amides and -phosphides which were synthesized by D-4, coordinate the R2Al+ fragment via both ring nitrogen atoms. This already suggests that the charge density in the anions is coupled into the rings and accumulated at the ring nitrogen atoms, but the Lewis basicity of the central nitrogen atom in Et2Al(2-Py)2N is still high enough to coordinate a second equivalent AlEt3 to form the Lewis acid base adduct Et2Al(2-Py)2NAlEt3. Due to the higher electronegativity of the central nitrogen atom in Me2Al(2-Py)2N, Et2Al(2-Py)2N and Et2Al(2-Py)2NAlEt3, compared to the bridging two coordinated phosphorus atom in Me2Al(2-Py)2P and Et2Al(2-Py)2P, the di(2-pyridyl)amide is the hardest Lewis base. In the phosphides merely all charge density couples into the rings leaving the central phosphorus atom only attractive for soft metals. These results were confirmed by using DFT and MP2 calculations. Moreover, a similar behaviour has been observed and described for the benzothiazolyl complex [Me2Al{Py(Bth)P}], where complementary investigations are to be continued. The DFT calculations carried out on the model compounds analysed in these studies supply very accurate wavenumbers and molecular geometries, these being in excellent agreement with the experimental results obtained from the corresponding isolated complexes.
Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, die Möglichkeiten zur Verwendung des Auges bzw. der Augenvorderkammer als spektroskopische Zelle für nicht-invasive In-vivo-Messungen zu untersuchen. Dabei stand vor allem die Geräte-technische Umsetzung und die Entwicklung geeigneter Auswertestrategien im Vordergrund. In dieser Arbeit konnte gezeigt werden, dass die spektroskopische Untersuchung von Kammerwasser-Substanzen möglich ist. Durch den Einsatz der UV/VIS-Spektroskopie konnte Fluorescein in vivo bestimmt werden. Die Anwendung der NIR-Spektroskopie eignet sich vor allem zur Bestimmung von Glucose im Kammerwasser. Die Güte der Glucose-Bestimmung ist von verschiedenen Faktoren abhängig, wie z. B. dem verwendeten Gerät, den Parameter der Auswertung und der Temperatur. Für weitergehende Studien sollten daher die in dieser Arbeit aufgedeckten Probleme und Strategien beachtet werden.
The first is via direct dissociation and the second likely involves a barrier slowing down dissociation.
Chlorine-containing hydrocarbons pose a great risk for the environment and especially for the atmosphere. In this thesis I present the photodissociation dynamics of multiple chlorine-containing molecules. The method of velocity map imaging was utilized for gaining information on the kinetic energy distribution of the fragments generated in the photodissociation reactions.
First, the photodissociation of benzoyl chloride after excitation to the S1, S2 and the S3 state between 279 nm and 237 nm was studied. This stable molecule was an ideal candidate for demonstrating a new ionization scheme for chlorine atoms. It was shown that benzoyl chloride dissociates statistically from the ground state.
Afterwards, the results from experiments on the radicals trichloromethyl and dichlorocarbene are presented in the range of 230 to 250 nm. These radicals remain after the dissociation of carbon tetrachloride and have not been studied in detail because of their instability. Trichlormethyl dissociates via two paths: The loss of a chlorine atom to dichlorocarbene and by decaying to CCl and a chlorine molecule. The dissociation to dichlorocarbene involves a barrier. If the photon exciting the molecule has enough energy to surpass the barrier, which is the case starting at around 235 nm, trichlormethyl dissociates rapidly resulting in an anisotropic VMI. However, if the the excitation energy is lower, the dissociation takes longer than a rotational period and the anisotropy is lost.The path to CCl is a statistical dissociation.
Dichlorocarbene dissociates to CCl and Cl via to separate channels. The first is via direct dissociation and the second likely involves a barrier slowing down dissociation.
In this work, the laser control of molecules was investigated theoretically. In doing so, emphasis was layed on entering vectorial properties and in particular the orientation in the laboratory frame. Therefore, the rotational degree of freedom had to be included in the quantum mechanical description. The coupled vibrational and rotational dynamics was examined, which is usually not done in coherent control theory. Local control theory was applied, where the field is determined from the dynamics of a system, which reacts with an instantaneous response to the perturbation and, in turn, determines the field again. Thus, the field is entangled with the quantum mechanical motion and the presented examples document, that this leads to an intuitive interpretation of the fields in terms of the underlying molecular dynamics. The limiting case of a classical treatment was shown to give similar results and hence, eases to understand the complicated structure of the control fields. In a different approach, the phase- and amplitude shaping of laser fields was systematically studied in the context of controlling population transfer in molecules.
Femtosekunden-zeitaufgelöste transiente Absorptionsspektroskopie einer neutralen organischen gemischtvalenten Verbindung In einem Femtosekunden-zeitaufgelösten Anrege-Abfrage-Experiment wurde die Dynamik des Elektronentransfers einer neutralen organischen gemischtvalenten Verbindung untersucht. Neben der Abhängigkeit des Rückelektronentransfers von der Solvenspolarität wurde auch die Rotationsdiffusion in n-Hexan, Toluol, Dibutylether, tert-Butylmethylether und Benzonitril studiert. Die transiente Dynamik lässt sich mit einer Lebensdauer beschreiben, verursacht durch einen Rückelektronentransfer. Während dieser in unpolaren Lösemitteln relativ langsam verläuft, beobachtet man deutlich schnellere ET-Raten mit steigender Polarität des Lösemittels. Die Lebensdauer variiert von 1.2 ps für Benzonitril bis 260 ps für n-Hexan. Rotationsdiffusion konnte nicht beobachtet werden. Die gemessenen Raten wurden mit theoretischen Raten verglichen. Für unpolare Lösemittel konnte eine gute Übereinstimmung gefunden werden. In polaren Lösemitteln bewirkt eine Korrektur, die die Solvensrelaxationszeit berücksichtigt, eine sehr gute Übereinstimmung von berechneten und gemessenen Rückelektronentransferraten. Zeit- und frequenzaufgelöste Photoionisation des C 2A2-Zustandes des Benzylradikals Die Lebensdauer des C 2A2-Zustandes des Benzylradikals wurde in Abhängigkeit der Überschussenergie bestimmt. Die zeitabhängigen Ionensignale konnten dabei mit einer biexponentiellen Dynamik beschrieben werden. Bei einer Anregung am Ursprung (305nm) betragen die Lebensdauern τ1= 400 fs und τ2 = 4.5 ps. Die kürzere Lebensdauer τ1 beschreibt die interne Konversion vom C-Zustand zu den stark koppelnden A/B-Zuständen, die längere Lebensdauer τ2 die interne Konversion von den A/B-Zuständen in den elektronischen Grundzustand. Mit steigender Anregungsenergie beobachtet man eine stete Abnahme beider Lebensdauern. Bei einer Anregung mit einem Puls der Wellenlänge von 301 nm beobachtet man deutlich kürzere Lebensdauern mit τ1 = 350 fs und τ2 = 2.8 ps. Erfolgt die Anregung mit einem Puls der Wellenlänge von 298 nm, betragen die Zeitkonstanten τ1 = 180 fs und τ2 = 2.1 ps. Desweiteren konnte ein zeitabhängiges Ionensignal für eine Spezies mit der Zusammensetzung C7H5 beobachtet werden. Der Träger des Signals ist das Fulvenallenylradikal.
We introduce a new approach to transient spectroscopy, fluorescence‐detected pump–probe (F‐PP) spectroscopy, that overcomes several limitations of traditional PP. F‐PP suppresses excited‐state absorption, provides background‐free detection, removes artifacts resulting from pump–pulse scattering, from non‐resonant solvent response, or from coherent pulse overlap, and allows unique extraction of excited‐state dynamics under certain conditions. Despite incoherent detection, time resolution of F‐PP is given by the duration of the laser pulses, independent of the fluorescence lifetime. We describe the working principle of F‐PP and provide its theoretical description. Then we illustrate specific features of F‐PP by direct comparison with PP, theoretically and experimentally. For this purpose, we investigate, with both techniques, a molecular squaraine heterodimer, core–shell CdSe/ZnS quantum dots, and fluorescent protein mCherry. F‐PP is broadly applicable to chemical systems in various environments and in different spectral regimes.
Nonlinear frequency conversion of low-energy fs laser pulses was investigated in solid-state media. Raman conversion in the white-light-free regime of impulsive stimulated Raman scattering was achieved by pumping KGW crystal with Bessel beam. Efficient supercontinuum generation was demonstrated for sub-microjule pulses focused into microstructure fiber. Application of four-wave mixing techniques to monitoring of the excited-state dynamics in polyatomic molecules was demonstrated. Time constants of the processes related to vibrational energy redistribution upon the initial photoexcitation of stilbene-3 were determined by means of pump-CARS technique, where CARS process served as an effective mode-selective filter. Spectral as well as temporal properties of electronic relaxation pathway in azulene derivatives were explored by using transient population gratings and pump-probe transient absorption techniques.
The goal of this thesis was the development and application of higher-order spectroscopic techniques. In contrast to ordinary pump–probe (PP) and two-dimensional (2D) spectroscopy, higher-order coherently detected spectroscopic methods measure a polarization that has an order of nonlinearity higher than three. The key idea of the techniques in this thesis is to isolate the higher-order signals from the lower-order signals either by their excitation frequency or by their excitation intensity dependence. Due to the increased number of interactions in higher-order spectroscopy, highly excited states can be probed. For excitonic systems such as aggregates and polymers, the fifth-order signal allows one to directly measure exciton–exciton annihilation (EEA). In polymers and aggregates, the exciton transport is not connected to a change of the absorption and can therefore not be investigated with conventional third-order techniques. In contrast, EEA can be used as a probe to study exciton diffusion in these isonergetic systems. As a part of this thesis, anisotropy in fifth-order 2D spectroscopy was investigated and was used to study geometric properties in polymers.
In 2D spectroscopy, the multi-quantum signals are separated from each other by their spectral position along the excitation axis. This concept can be extended systematically to higher signals. Another approach to isolate multi-quantum signals in PP spectroscopy utilizes the excitation intensity. The PP signal is measured at specific excitation intensities and linear combinations of these measurements result in different signal contributions. However, these signals do not correspond to clean nonlinear signals because the higher-order signals contaminate the lower-order multi-quantum signals. In this thesis, a correction protocol was derived that uses the isolated multiquantum signals, both from 2D spectroscopy and from PP spectroscopy, to remove the contamination of higher-order signals resulting in clean nonlinear signals. Using the correction on the third-order signal allows one to obtain annihilation-free signals at high excitation intensities, i.e., with high signal-to-noise ratio. Isolation and correction in PP and 2D spectroscopy were directly compared by measuring the clean third-order signals of squaraine oligomers at high excitation intensities. Furthermore, higher-order PP spectroscopy was used to isolate up to the 13th nonlinear order of squaraine polymers.
The demonstrated spectroscopic techniques represent general procedures to isolate clean signals in terms of perturbation theory. The technique of higher-order PP spectroscopy needs only small modifications of ordinary PP setups which opens the field of higher-order spectroscopy to the broad scientific community. The technique to obtain clean nonlinear signals allows one to systematically increase the number of interacting (quasi)particles in a system and to characterize their interaction energies and dynamics.
This work focuses on theoretical approaches for predicting the valence and core excited states of aggregate systems. For the valence excitations, TD-HF and TD-DFT with different functionals have been tested at the Perylene bisimide (PBI) system. A simple character analysis method based on the calculated transition dipole moments is proposed. However, this method does not work for excited states without any transition dipole moment. Thus, we proposed a more general and more valid method based on a calculated CIS type wavefunction for the character analysis. Furthermore, a model Hamiltonian method is derived from a localized picture. The energies of the diabatic states and the corresponding coupling parameters were also determined on the basis of ab initio calculations. For the core excitation, three different methods were validated for C 1s-excited and ionized states if several small molecules. Also we tested the basis sets dependence of these core excited states. Based on those results, we chose the frozen core approximation method to evaluate the core excited states of NTCDA molecules. In order to explain the findings in the experiments, we developed an algorithm to evaluate the exciton coupling parameter where non-orthogonal MOs are used.
A series of combustion relevant species like radicals, carbenes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were characterized in the gas phase by vacuum UV synchrotron radiation and their ionization energies (IE) and further spectroscopic details of the respective cations were retrieved from threshold photoelectron spectra. The reactive intermediates were generated by flash vacuum pyrolysis from stable precursor molecules. Furthermore three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were investigated by threshold photoelectron spectroscopy, too. The experiment was performed at the VUV beamline of the Swiss Light Source in Villigen/Switzerland and the iPEPICO (imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence) setup was applied to correlate ions and electrons from the same ionization event. From the threshold photoelectron spectra and from quantum chemical computations the vibrational structure of the molecule cations and the geometry changes upon ionization were assigned. The ionization energies of the two C4H5 isomers 2-butyn-1-yl and 1-butyn-3-yl were assigned to 7.94±0.02 eV and 7.97±0.02 eV, respectively. The isomerization between the two isomers was computed to have a barrier of 2.20 eV, so a rearrangement between the two radicals cannot be excluded. From the threshold photoelectron spectra of the two constitutional C4H7 isomers 1-methylallyl and 2-methylallyl the ionization energies were assigned to 7.48±0.02 eV and to 7.59±0.02 eV for 1-E-methylallyl and 1-Z-methylallyl, as well as to 7.88±0.01 eV for 2-methylallyl. The two radicals 9-fluorenyl, C13H9, and benzhydryl, C13H11, were observed to ionize at 7.01±0.02 eV and 6.7 eV. The threshold photoelectron spectrum of benzhydryl also incorporated the signal of the diphenylmethyl carbene, C13H10, which has an IE at 6.8 eV. In addition, the head-to-head dimers of 9-fluorenyl and benzhydryl were observed as products in the pyrolysis. C26H18 has an IE at 7.69±0.04 eV and C26H22 has an IE at 8.13±0.04 eV. The three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon DHP (C14H16) 1-PEN (C18H22) and THCT (C22H16) were investigated in an effusive beam. The ionization energies were determined to IE(DHP)= 7.38±0.02 eV, IE(1-PEN)=7.58±0.05 eV and IE(THCT)=6.40±0.02 eV. Furthermore the thermal decomposition and the dissociative photoionization of diazomeldrum’s acid was investigated. The pyrolysis products yielded beside several other products the two not yet (by photoelectron spectroscopy) characterized molecules E-formylketene, C3O2H2 and 2-diazoethenone, N2C2O. The dissociative photoionization showed the Wolff rearrangement to occur at higher internal energies.
Im ersten Teil wurde die Dynamik des ersten angeregten Zustandes von drei Truxenonen untersucht. Nach Anregung im sichtbaren Bereich findet ein Elektrontransfer zwischen den Triarylamin-Donor und dem Truxenon-Akzeptor statt. Um die Abhängigkeit der Rate für den Rücktransfer von der elektronischen Kopplung zu untersuchen, wurde diese zum einen über den Abstand zwischen Donor und Akzeptor und zum anderen über die Position der Verknüpfung eingestellt. In einer ersten Studie wurde Truxenon 1, bei dem der direkt über das Stickstoff-Atom an den Akzeptor gekuppelt ist, mit dem System 2 verglichen, bei den die Einheiten über einen Phenyl-Spacer verbunden sind. Der Rücktransfer sollte dabei für das System 1 schneller sein, da ein kurzer Abstand mit einer starken elektronischen Kopplung einhergeht und damit auch mit einem schnellen Elektronentransfer. Allerdings wird die große Rate für das System mit dem größeren Abstand beobachtet (2). Dieses Ergebnis kann mit der Geometrie der Moleküle und der größeren sterischen Hinderung in 1 erklärt werden, aus der eine geringere elektronische Kopplung resultiert. In einem weiteren Experiment wurde die Stärke der elektronischen Kopplung in Abhängigkeit von der Position der Verknüpfung in Bezug auf den Phenyl-Spacer untersucht. Zu diesem Zweck wurden die Systeme 2 und 3 miteinander verglichen. Während in 2 die Einheiten in para-Position verknüpft sind, sind Donor und Akzeptor in 3 in meta-Position an den Phenyl-Spacer gekuppelt. Letzteres System zeichnet sich dabei durch eine geringere Resonanzstabilisierung aus. Dies hat eine geringere elektronische Kopplung zur Folge, was sich auch in den UV/Vis-Spektren zeigt. Die langwelligste Absorption ist hier bei höheren Energien zu beobachten. Zudem deuten die transienten Spektren an, dass in erster Linie nicht der ladungsgetrennte Zustand abgeregt wird sondern vielmehr die Truxenon-Einheit selbst. Im zweiten Teil wurden die Resonanz-Raman-Spektren vier verschiedener Borole aufgenommen. Dabei wurden zwei signifikanten Moden beobachtet, die beim pi –pi∗ -Übergang in ihrer Intensität verstärkt werden. Eine Bande bei 1598 cm-1 wird der symmetrischen Ringatmung zugeordnet, die aus einer Expansion des Borol-Rings resultiert. Eine zweite Schwingung bei 1298 cm-1 resultiert aus einer B-R Streckschwingung. Für System 5 wird diese Schwingung mit einer hohen Intensität beobachtet, während die Bande bei den Systemen 6-8, die mit einem Aryl-Rest substituiert sind, mit sehr geringer Intensität auftritt und deshalb lediglich mit einem hochauflösendem Setup detektiert werden kann. Aufgrund der schwachen Resonanzverstärkung kann von einer schwachen Wechselwirkung zwischen dem Bor und dem Aryl-Rest ausgegangen werden. In Borol 5, in dem eine Ferrocen-Einheit an das Bor gebunden ist, ist die Situation eine andere: nach Anregung des pi-pi*-Übergangs wird die Population im BC_4-Ring verschoben. Dadurch kann vom Eisen keine Elektronendichte mehr in das p_z-Orbital des Bors verschoben werden, die Fe-B-Wechselwirkung wird geschwächt und der Fe-B-Abstand wird vergrößert. Zusammenfassend konnte gezeigt werden, dass die Eigenschaften des Substituenten großen Einfluss auf die elektronische Struktur eines dreifach-substituierten Bor-Atoms hat, das in einer p_z-pi-Konjugation beteiligt ist.
Light-induced excitation of matter proceeds within femtoseconds, resulting in excited states. Originating from these states chemical reaction mechanisms, like isomerization or bond formation, set in. Photophysical mechanisms like energy distribution and excitonic delocalization also occur. Thus, the reaction scheme has to be disentangled by assessing the importance of each process. Spectroscopic methods based on fs laser pulses have emerged as a versatile tool to study these reactions. Within this thesis time-resolved experiments with fs laser pulses on various molecular systems were performed. Novel photosystems, with possible applications ranging from ultrathin molecular wires to molecular switches, were extensively characterized. To resolve the complex kinetics of the investigated systems, time-resolved techniques had to be newly developed. By combining a visible excitation pulse pair with an additional pulse and a continuum probe electronic triggered-exchange two-dimensional spectroscopy (TE2D) was demonstrated for the first time. This goal was accomplished by combining a three-color transient-absorption setup with a pulse shaper. Hence, 2D spectroscopy with a continuum probe was also implemented. Using these methods two different molecular systems in solution were characterized in a comprehensive manner. (ZnTPP)2, a directly beta,beta’-linked Zn-metallated bisporphyrin, and a spiropyran-merocyanine photosystem, 6,8-dinitro BIPS, were characterized. (ZnTPP)2 is a homodimer, featuring strong excitonic effects. These manifest themselves in a twofold splitting of the Soret band (S2). 6,8-Dinitro BIPS exists in one of two possible conformations. The ring closed spiropyran absorbs only in the UV, while the ring open merocyanine also absorbs in the visible. For both molecular systems photodynamics upon illumination were monitored using transient-absorption. However, the obtained results were ambiguous, necessitating more complex methods. In the case of (ZnTPP)2 first the monomeric building block was characterized. There, population transfer from the S2 state into S1 within 2 ps was identified. Afterwards, intersystem crossing proceeds within 2 ns. For (ZnTPP)2 similar pathways were found, albeit the relaxation is faster. The intersystem crossing with 1.5 ns was not only indirectly deduced but directly measured by probing in the NIR spectral range. The excitonic influence of was investigated by coherent 2D spectroscopy in the Soret band. Population transfer within S2 was directly visualized on a time-scale of 100 fs. Calculation of the 2D spectra of a simple homodimer confirmed the results. After this analysis of the distinct excitonic character, this molecule may serve as a building block for larger porphyrin arrays with applications ranging from asymmetric catalysis over biomimicry of electron-transfer to organic optical devices. The second photosystem was the molecular switch 6,8-dinitro BIPS, existing in two conformations. Merocyanine is the more stable form in thermal equilibrium. Transient-absorption measurements uncovered that the sample consisted of a mixture of two merocyanine isomers, referred to as TTC and TTT. However, both isomers are capable of ring-closure forming spiropyran. The remaining excited molecules return to the ground state radiatively. Conducting 2D measurements utilizing a continuum probe the differing photochemistry of both isomers was examined in a single measurement. No isomerization between these conformations was detected. Therefore, 6,8-dinitro BIPS performs a concerted switching without long-living intermediates. This was confirmed by a pump-repump-probe scan. 6,8-DinitroBIPS can be closed by visible and opened by UV pulses using subsequent pulses and vice versa. These mechanisms via singlet pathways satisfy an important criterion for a unimolecular switching device. A second pump-repump-probe experiment showed that the sample is ionized, resulting in a merocyanine radical cation, when the first excited state is resonantly excited. Furthermore, by implementing TE2Dspectroscopy, it was elucidated that only TTC was ionized. Taking all this into account new techniques were developed and complex molecular systems were characterized within this thesis. Deeper insight into the photodynamics of (ZnTPP)2and 6,8-dinitro BIPS was gained by adapting transient absorption for the NIR spectral range, constructing a 2D setup in pump-probe geometry, and combining it with multipulse excitation to coherent TE2D. All techniques solved the questions for which they were constructed, but they are not limited to these cases. Especially TE2D opens new roads in photochemistry. By connecting reactant, product and the corresponding intermediates, a chemical reaction can be tracked through all stages, making unambiguous identification of the reactive states feasible. Thus, fundamental insight into the photochemistry of molecular compounds is gained.
Einzelstrang-DNA-dispergierte und individualisierte (6,5)-chirale Kohlenstoffnanoröhren bilden als Konjugatsystem den Ausgangspunkt dieser Dissertation. Im Vordergrund stehen dabei Untersuchungen zur Biokompatibilität dieser ssDNA-SWNT-Konjugate sowie deren Verhalten nach Zellpenetration und eine Funktionalisierbarkeit zum Wirkstofftransportsystem. Das erste Projekt widmet sich in Kapitel 4 dem Studium der Konjugatstabilität unter physiologischen Bedingungen und einer Verträglichkeit gegenüber zellulären Systemen. Experimente zur Biokompatibilität werden erstmals an Nanorohrkonjugaten durchgeführt, welche nach Ultrazentrifugation im Dichtegradienten sorgfältig individualisiert vorliegen. Die umgebungssensitiven photophysikalischen Charakteristika vereinzelter (6,5)-SWNTs können zu einer Beurteilung der Konjugatintegrität in physiologischem Milieu genutzt werden. Die Stabilität von ssDNA-SWNT-Strukturen wird in Anwesenheit des Restriktionsenzyms DNase I und dem in Zellnährmedien enthaltenen protein- und nukleasereichem Serum FBS auf die Probe gestellt. In beiden Fällen kann eine ausreichende ssDNA-SWNT-Integrität attestiert werden, die eine Verwendung unter Zellkultivierungsbedingungen erlaubt. Unter Berücksichtigung verschiedener in Zellen vorliegender pH-Umgebungen werden die Konjugate ebenfalls dieser Variation ausgesetzt. Bei Vorliegen stark saurer und basischer pH-Werte kann die Integrität von ssDNA-SWNT-Konjugaten nicht gewährleistet werden, was sich durch Aggregation bemerkbar macht. Innerhalb des breiten pH-Bereichs zwischen den Werten 3 und 11 hingegen kann eine gute Stabilität bestätigt werden. Für zelluläre Anwendungen bedeutet dieser Befund keine Einschränkung, da in Kulturen lediglich neutrale bis schwach saure pH-Werte oberhalb von 4.5 zu finden sind. Nachdem die Biostabilität der ssDNA-SWNT-Konjugate gewährleistet ist, kann in Zytotoxizitätsstudien eine ex vivo-Verträglichkeit des Nanomaterials getestet werden. Erste Untersuchungen mit der Mausmakrophagenlinie J774.1 weisen wie auch ausführliche Studien gegenüber menschlichen Epithelzellen HeLa auf eine uneingeschränkte Kompatibilität in den eingesetzten Konzentrationen hin. HeLa-Zellen, die mit DGU-gereinigten Nanorohrproben behandelt werden, zeigen eine geringfügig höhere Vitalität als nach Inkubation mit einer Rohdispersion undefinierter SWNT-Bündel. Im Gesamtbild ergibt sich somit eine zufriedenstellende Biokompatibilität individualisierter ssDNA-SWNT-Konjugate, womit das in dieser Arbeit zentrale Kohlenstoffnanorohrsystem den Anforderungen für dessen biomedizinische Verwendbarkeit gerecht wird. Der Schwerpunkt weiterer Untersuchungen liegt im zweiten Projekt aus Kapitel 5 auf dem Verhalten von ssDNA-SWNT-Konjugaten nach deren Aufnahme in HeLa-Zellen. Auch hier kann die starke Sensitivität der optischen Eigenschaften individualisierter (6,5)-Kohlenstoffnanoröhren gegenüber Umgebungseinflüssen genutzt werden, um Veränderungen im Emissionsverhalten von SWNTs nach deren zellulärer Aufnahme gegenüber dem Ausgangszustand zu beobachten. Nach ausführlicher Weißlicht-, Fluoreszenz- und SWNT-Photolumineszenzmikroskopie, aus deren Resultaten eine erfolgreiche Internalisierung von ssDNA-SWNTs in HeLa-Zellen eindeutig hervorgeht, stehen PL-spektroskopische Untersuchungen der Kohlenstoffnanoröhren im Vordergrund. Durch einen Vergleich des Emissionsverhaltens der ssDNA-SWNT-Konjugate in und außerhalb von Zellen können spektrale Verschiebungen, Linienverbreiterungen und verkürzte Fluoreszenzlebensdauern nach zellulärer Aufnahme festgestellt werden. Sowohl eine Aggregation von SWNTs als auch eine Beeinflussung durch die pH-Umgebung reichen nicht für eine vollständige Erklärung des Befunds aus. Vielmehr kann die in endosomalen Kompartimenten durch das Größenverhältnis von Endosomen zu SWNTs entstehende räumliche Nähe einer großen Nanorohrmenge untereinander als Ursache für eine Veränderung der dielektrischen Umgebung und folglich des Emissionsverhaltens betrachtet werden. Durch Verwendung der Kohlenstoffnanoröhren als Marker und Sensor können ssDNA-SWNT-Konjugate in Zellen somit nicht nur lokalisiert, sondern darüber hinaus hinsichtlich einer möglichen Aggregation untersucht werden. Aus den in dieser Arbeit vorgestellten Daten kann zwar eine vollständige Aggregation der SWNTs durch deren Aufnahme in Zellen ausgeschlossen werden, sie muss jedoch in geringfügigem Ausmaß neben einer Beeinflussung durch die pH-Umgebung und die große räumliche Nähe durchaus in Betracht gezogen werden. Individualisierte ssDNA-SWNT-Konjugate können damit erstmals zeitaufgelöst PL-mikrospektroskopisch in HeLa-Zellen charakterisiert werden. Für das letzte Projekt werden in Kapitel 6 neuartige Funktionalisierungsmöglichkeiten von ssDNA-SWNT-Konjugaten zu zellulären Transportsystemen unter Erhalt der photophysikalischen Eigenschaften erforscht. Dazu soll das Dispergiermittel DNA als Kupplungsstelle für eine kovalente Anbindung eines Agenz genutzt werden. Anstelle eines Wirkstoffes werden die Untersuchungen mit einem Fluorophor als Modellverbindung durchgeführt, welcher den Vorteil einer einfachen Detektierbarkeit liefert. Prinzipiell besteht die Möglichkeit, das Oligomer mit dem Fluorophor vorzufunktionalisieren und anschließend auf die Oberfläche der SWNTs zu bringen. Als effektiver erweist sich die Methode der direkten Kupplung des Farbstoffs an bereits DNA-dispergierte SWNTs. Der Erfolg in der Präparation von FluorophorssDNA- SWNT-Konjugaten wird über die Emission des Fluorophors mit entsprechenden Referenzexperimenten gemessen. Der Versuch einer Quantifizierung liefert jedoch sehr hohe Werte, die lediglich als eine obere Grenze für die gefundene Anzahl gebundener Fluorophore pro Nanoröhre angesehen werden können. Im Verlauf des Projekts kann eine Funktionalisierbarkeit der Nanoröhren über das Dispergieradditiv DNA als neue Strategie aufgezeigt werden. Im Gegensatz zu bekannten Wirkstofftransportsystemen bietet dieser Funktionalisierungsansatz den Vorteil, dass die optischen Eigenschaften der individualisierten ssDNA-SWNT-Konjugate erhalten bleiben, welche wieder um einen gleichzeitigen Einsatz der Nanoröhren als Transporter und Marker bzw. Sensor erlauben. Die vorliegende Dissertation liefert neben dieser bisher unbekannten Funktionalisierungsstrategie neue Erkenntnisse über die Biokompatibilität speziell von individualisierten ssDNA-SWNT-Konjugaten und deren Verhalten in HeLa-Zellen. Mit diesem Wissen kann der gezielte Wirkstofftransport durch Kohlenstoffnanoröhren als biokompatibles und zellgängiges Trägersystem anvisiert werden.
In this thesis, the influence of an environment on molecules and, in particular, on the quantum control of such systems is investigated. Different approaches to describe system-bath dynamics are implemented and applied. The inclusion of a dissipation term in the system Hamiltonian leads to energy loss and relaxation to the ground state. As a first application, the isomerisation reaction in an aromatic complex is treated. It is shown that this simple model is able to reproduce results of time-resolved spectroscopic measurements. Next, the influence of noise is investigated. The incorporation of fluctuations reveals that energy is not conserved and coherences are destroyed. As an example, the quantum control of a population transfer in Na2 is examined. The efficiency of control processes is studied in dependence on the strength of the noise and different system-bath couplings. Starting with the unperturbed system, Local Control Theory is applied to construct a field which selectively transfers population into a single excited electronic state. The coupling to the bath is then switched on to monitor the dependence of the coupling strength on the transfer efficiency. The perturbation of the bath effects the Na2 molecule in such a way that potential energy curves and transition dipole moments are distorted. An important result is that already elastic collisions lead to a substantial loss of control efficiency. The most promising approach used in this thesis is the stochastic Schrödinger equation. It is equivalent to the commonly employed descriptions of system-bath dynamics within the reduced density matrix formalism. It includes decoherences and dissipation caused by elastic and inelastic collisions. Our contribution is the incorporation of laser excitation into the kinetic Monte-Carlo scheme. Thus we are able to apply this stochastic approach to the quantum control of population transfer in the sodium dimer. Because within our description it is possible to separate pure dephasing, inelastic transitions, and coherent time-evolution, we can identify the relative influence of these processes on the control efficiency. This leads to a far more physical picture of the basic processes underlying the perturbations of an environment then what a reduced density matrix description can provide. In utilising the stochastic wave function approach instead of the density matrix formalism, the computations are quite efficient. The stochastic Schrödinger equation is realised by N independent runs, where, in our case, an ensemble size of N = 1000 gives converged results. The efficiency of the laser control process is studied as a function of temperature and collision rates. A rise in temperature (or collision rate) reeffects a stronger fluctuation and thus results in a less efficient transfer by the control field. Though the Gaussian fluctuations used here do not strictly represent 'white'- noise, since a deterministic machine is not able to produce uncorrelated random numbers, an acceptable distribution is achieved by simple procedures. An improvement of the here applied algorithms would, for instance, include a more sophisticated sampling of the dephasing rates. Only one example of a control process is studied here and an application of the developed approach to other problems of quantum control is to be performed. This thesis established a systematic approach to understand quantum control in the presence of an environment.
Investigation of Nanostructure-Induced Localized Light Phenomena Using Ultrafast Laser Spectroscopy
(2017)
In recent years, the interaction of light with subwavelength structures, i.e., structures that are smaller than the optical wavelength, became more and more interesting to scientific research, since it provides the opportunity to manipulate light-induced dynamics below the optical diffraction limit. Specifically designed nanomaterials can be utilized to tailor the temporal evolution of electromagnetic fields at the nanoscale. For the investigation of strongly localized processes, it is essential to resolve both their spatial and their temporal behavior. The aim of this thesis was to study and/or control the temporal evolution of three nanostructure-induced localized light phenomena by using ultrafast laser spectroscopy with high spatial resolution.
In Chapter 4, the absorption of near-infrared light in thin-film a-Si:H solar cells was investigated. Using nanotextured instead of smooth interfaces for such devices leads to an increase of absorption from < 20% to more than 50% in the near-infrared regime. Time-resolved experiments with femtosecond laser pulses were performed to clarify the reason for this enhancement. The coherent backscattered radiation from nanotextured solar cell devices was measured as a function of the sample position and evaluated via spectral interferometry. Spatially varying resonance peaks in the recorded spectra indicated the formation of localized photonic modes within the nanotextured absorber layers. In order to identify the modes separately from each other, coherent two-dimensional (2D) nanoscopy was utilized, providing a high spatial resolution < 40 nm. In a nanoscopy measurement on a modified device with an exposed nanotextured a-Si:H absorber layer, hot-spot electron emission was observed and confirmed the presence of localized modes. Fitting the local 2D nanospectra at the hot-spot positions enabled the determination of the resonance frequencies and coherence lifetimes of the modes. The obtained lifetime values varied between 50 fs and 130 fs. Using a thermionic emission model allowed the calculation of the locally absorbed energy density and, with this, an estimation of the localization length of the photonic modes (≈1 μm). The localization could be classified by means of the estimated localization length and additional data evaluation of the backscattered spectra as strong localization ─ the so-called Anderson localization.
Based on the experimental results, it was concluded that the enhanced absorption of near-infrared light in thin-film silicon solar cells with nanotextured interfaces is caused by the formation of strongly localized photonic modes within the disordered absorber layers. The incoming near-infrared light is trapped in these long-living modes until absorption occurs.
In Chapter 5, a novel hybridized plasmonic device was introduced and investigated in both theory and experiment. It consists of two widely separated whispering gallery mode (WGM) nanoantennas located in an elliptical plasmonic cavity. The goal was to realize a periodic long-range energy transfer between the nanoantennas. In finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations, the device was first optimized with respect to strong coupling between the localized antenna modes and the spatially-extended cavity mode. The geometrical parameters of the antennas and the cavity were adjusted separately so that the m="0" antenna mode and the cavity mode were resonant at λ="800 nm" . A high spatial overlap of the modes was achieved by positioning the two antennas in the focal spots of the cavity, leading to a distance between the antenna centers of more than twice the resonant wavelength of the modes. The spectral response of the optimized device revealed an energy splitting of the antenna and the cavity mode into three separated hybridized eigenmodes within an energy range of about 90 meV due to strong coupling. It could be well reproduced by a simple model of three coupled Lorentzian oscillators. In the time domain, an oscillatory energy transfer between both antennas with a period of 86 fs and an energy transfer efficiency of about 7% was observed for single-pulse excitation. For the experiments, devices with cavities and antennas of varying size were fabricated by means of focused-ion-beam (FIB) milling. Time-resolved correlation measurements were performed with high spatial and temporal resolution by using sequences of two femtosecond laser pulses for excitation and photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) for detection. Local correlation traces at antennas in resonant devices, i.e., devices with enhanced electron emission at both antenna positions, were investigated and reconstructed by means of the coupled-oscillator model. The corresponding spectral response revealed separated peaks, confirming the formation of hybridized eigenmodes due to strong coupling. In a subsequent simulation for single-pulse excitation, one back-and-forth energy transfer between both antennas with an energy transfer efficiency of about 10% was observed.
Based on the theoretical and experimental results, it was demonstrated that in the presented plasmonic device a periodic long-range energy transfer between the two nanoantennas is possible. Furthermore, the coupled-oscillator model enables one to study in depth how specific device properties impact the temporal electric-field dynamics within the device. This can be exploited to further optimize energy transfer efficiency of the device. Future applications are envisioned in ultrafast plasmonic nanocircuitry. Moreover, the presented device can be employed to realize efficient SPP-mediated strong coupling between widely separated quantum emitters.
In Chapter 6, it was investigated in theory how the local optical chirality enhancement in the near field of plasmonic nanostructures can be optimized by tuning the far-field polarization of the incident light. An analytic expression was derived that enables the calculation of the optimal far-field polarizations, i.e., the two far-field polarizations which lead to the highest positive and negative local optical chirality, for any given nanostructure geometry. The two optimal far-field polarizations depend on the local optical response of the respective nanostructure and thus are functions of both the frequency ω and the position r. Their ellipticities differ only in their sign, i.e., in their direction of rotation in the time domain, and the angle between their orientations, i.e., the angle between the principal axes of their ellipses, is ±π/"2" . The handedness of optimal local optical chirality can be switched by switching between the optimal far-field polarizations. In numerical simulations, it was exemplarily shown for two specific nanostructure assemblies that the optimal local optical chirality can significantly exceed the optical chirality values of circularly polarized light in free space ─ the highest possible values in free space. The corresponding optimal far-field polarizations were different from linear and circular and varied with frequency. Using femtosecond polarization pulse shaping provides the opportunity to coherently control local optical chirality over a continuous frequency range. Furthermore, symmetry properties of nanostructures can be exploited to determine which far-field polarization is optimal.
The theoretical findings can have impact on future experimental studies about local optical chirality enhancement. Tuning the far-field polarization of the incident light offers a promising tool to enhance chirally specific interactions of local electromagnetic fields with molecular and other quantum systems in the vicinity of plasmonic nanostructures. The presented approach can be utilized for applications in chiral sensing of adsorbed molecules, time-resolved chirality-sensitive spectroscopy, and chiral quantum control.
In conclusion, each of the localized light phenomena that were investigated in this thesis ─ the enhanced local absorption of near-infrared light due to the formation of localized photonic modes, the periodic long-range energy transfer between two nanoantennas within an elliptical plasmonic cavity, and the optimization of local optical chirality enhancement by tuning the far-field polarization of the incident light ─ can open up new perspectives for a variety of future applications.
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Polarisations-sensitive Resonanz-CARS- und Resonanz-Raman-Spektroskopie an metallfreien Porphyrinen
(2006)
Es werden in dieser Arbeit Raman-spektroskopische Untersuchungen an metallfreien Porphyrinen in verdünnter Lösung vorgestellt. Dabei werden Laseranregungswellenlängen eingesetzt, die mit elektronischen Resonanzen der Porphyrine zusammenfallen. Die Ausnutzung von Resonanz-Effekten hat zum einen den Vorteil, dass gewisse Raman-Banden, je nach der Symmetrie der zugrunde liegenden Molekülschwingung, eine deutliche Intensitätsverstärkung erfahren können, was den Nachweis auch geringer Probenkonzentrationen ermöglicht. Zum anderen sind anhand der Banden-Parameter Rückschlüsse auf die exakte Molekülsymmetrie möglich. Im Vergleich zu Metalloporphyrinen sind für metallfreie Porphyrine bisher nur wenige Daten aus resonanten Raman-Spektren bekannt. Ein Grund hierfür ist, dass letztere ein höheres Maß an Fluoreszenz zeigen, die die Raman-Signale überlagert. Während bei Laseranregungen im Bereich hochenergetischer elektronischer Absorptionen der Porphyrine (B-Banden-Region) die klassische spontane Raman-Spektroskopie noch angewendet werden kann, ist dies im Bereich niederenergetischer Absorptionen (Q-Banden-Region) meist nicht mehr möglich. Um auch Anregungen in der Q-Banden-Region zu verwirklichen, wird daher in dieser Arbeit von der kohärenten anti-Stokesschen Raman-Streuung (coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering, CARS) Gebrauch gemacht. Die CARS-Spektroskopie ermöglicht es, das Fluoreszenzproblem zu umgehen, und bietet zudem noch weitere Vorteile, z. B. bezüglich der Unterscheidbarkeit spektral benachbarter Banden sowie bezüglich der Bestimmung symmetrierelevanter Parameter. Raman-Banden-Parameter aus Q-Banden-CARS-Spektren konnten hier für vier metallfreie Porphyrine, die sich im Substitutionsmuster an den beta-Kohlenstoffatomen des Tetrapyrrol-Makrozyklus unterscheiden, erhalten werden. Die CARS-Parameter, in Kombination mit Parametern aus spontanen B-Banden-Raman-Spektren sowie mit quantenchemisch berechneten Schwingungsvektoren, ließen den Schluss zu, dass Symmetrieunterschiede zwischen den Makrozyklen dieser Moleküle zwar gering, aber durchaus feststellbar sind. Desweiteren konnten durch die niederenergetische Anregung für die metallfreien Porphyrine spezifische Resonanzeffekte nachgewiesen werden, die z. T. von den für Metalloporphyrine bekannten Mustern abweichen.
Electrophilic (het)arenes can undergo reactions with nucleophiles yielding π- or Meisenheimer (σ-) complexes or the products of the S\(_N\)Ar addition/elimination reactions. Such building blocks have only rarely been employed for the design of enzyme inhibitors. Herein, we demonstrate the combination of a peptidic recognition sequence with such electrophilic (het)arenes to generate highly active inhibitors of disease-relevant proteases. We further elucidate an unexpected mode of action for the trypanosomal protease rhodesain using NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, enzyme kinetics and various types of simulations. After hydrolysis of an ester function in the recognition sequence of a weakly active prodrug inhibitor, the liberated carboxylic acid represents a highly potent inhibitor of rhodesain (K\(_i\) = 4.0 nM). The simulations indicate that, after the cleavage of the ester, the carboxylic acid leaves the active site and re-binds to the enzyme in an orientation that allows the formation of a very stable π-complex between the catalytic dyad (Cys-25/His-162) of rhodesain and the electrophilic aromatic moiety. The reversible inhibition mode results because the S\(_N\)Ar reaction, which is found in an alkaline solvent containing a low molecular weight thiol, is hindered within the enzyme due to the presence of the positively charged imidazolium ring of His-162. Comparisons between measured and calculated NMR shifts support this interpretation
The facile synthesis and detailed investigation of a class of highly potent protease inhibitors based on 1,4-naphthoquinones with a dipeptidic recognition motif (HN-l-Phe-l-Leu-OR) in the 2-position and an electron-withdrawing group (EWG) in the 3-position is presented. One of the compound representatives, namely the acid with EWG = CN and with R = H proved to be a highly potent rhodesain inhibitor with nanomolar affinity. The respective benzyl ester (R = Bn) was found to be hydrolyzed by the target enzyme itself yielding the free acid. Detailed kinetic and mass spectrometry studies revealed a reversible covalent binding mode. Theoretical calculations with different density functionals (DFT) as well as wavefunction-based approaches were performed to elucidate the mode of action.
In this thesis, several contributions to the understanding and modeling of chemical phenomena using computational approaches are presented. These investigations are characterized by the usage of non-standard computational modeling techniques, which is necessitated by the complex nature of the electronic structure or atomic fluctuations of the target molecules.
Multiple biradical-type molecules and their spectroscopic properties were modeled. In the course of the investigation, it is found that especially the impact of correct molecular geometries on the computationally predicted absorption properties may be critical. In order to find the correct minimum geometries, Multi-Reference methods may have to be invoked.
The impact of geometry relaxation on the excitonic properties of Perylene Bisimide dimers were investigated. Oftentimes, these geometry factors are neglected in Organic Semiconductor modeling as an approximation. This present investigation suggests that this approximation is not always valid, as certain regimes are identified where geometrical parameters have critical impact on the localization and energetic properties of excitons.
The mechanism of the Triazolinedione (TAD) tyrosine bioconjugation reaction is investigated using quantum-chemical methods. By comparison of different conceivable mechanisms and their energetic ordering, the TAD tyrosine bioconjugation is found to proceed by means of a base-mediated electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction.
The kth nearest neighbor entropy estimation protocol is investigated. This estimator promises accurate entropy estimates even for flexible molecules with multiple structural minima. Our granular investigation of formal and practical properties of the estimator suggests that the uneven variance of a molecule’s vibrational modes is the cause of the observed slow convergence of the estimator. A rescaling procedure to reestablish fast convergence is suggested and benchmarks are performed.
Theory and simulation of ultrafast autodetachment dynamics and nonradiative relaxation in molecules
(2024)
In this thesis, theoretical approaches for the simulation of electron detachment processes in molecules following vibrational or electronic excitation are developed and applied. These approaches are based on the quantum-classical surface-hopping methodology, in which nuclear motion is treated classically as an ensemble of trajectories in the potential of quantum-mechanically described electronic degrees of freedom.
The photoionization of several nitrogen-containing reactive intermediates relevant in combustion processes was investigated in the gas phase employing VUV synchrotron radiation. The intermediates were either freshly prepared and stored under cryogenic temperatures during the experiment or generated in situ by vacuum flash pyrolysis of suitable precursor molecules. The iPEPICO (imaging photoelectron photoion coincidence) setups of the VUV beamlines at the Swiss Light Source and Synchrotron SOLEIL were then used to record mass-selected threshold photoelectron (TPE) spectra. TPE spectra reveal the ionization energy and vibrational structure in the cationic states can often be resolved, which enables to distinguish different isomers. Accurate ionization energies for the radicals carbonyl amidogen, pyrrolyl, and 3-picolyl, and for the closed shell molecules isocyanic acid and cyanovinylacetylene were obtained. The analysis of the dissociative photoionization of the pyrolysis precursors enables in some cases to retrieve thermochemical data. Beyond, the absolute photoionization cross section of the cyclic carbene cyclopropenylidene was determined, NEXAFS and normal Auger spectra of isocyanic acid were recorded and analyzed at the O1s, N1s, and C1s edges, and the dissociative photoionization and pyrolysis of 1,4-di-tert-butyl-1,4-azaborinine was studied.
We report infrared spectra of xylylene isomers in the gas phase, using free electron laser (FEL) radiation. All xylylenes were generated by flash pyrolysis. The IR spectra were obtained by monitoring the ion dip signal, using a IR/UV double resonance scheme. A gas phase IR spectrum of para‐xylylene was recorded, whereas ortho‐ and meta‐xylylene were found to partially rearrange to benzocyclobutene and styrene. Computations of the UV oscillator strength for all molecules were carried out and provde an explanation for the observation of the isomerization products.
Die vorliegende Dissertation untersucht fünf unterschiedliche Moleküle hinsichtlich ihrer Geometrien im Grund- und angeregten Zustand sowie deren Dynamik
nach elektronischer Anregung. Der Fokus liegt dabei unter anderem auf Pi-konjugierten Systemen, die über eine zusätzliche aliphatische Einheit verbrückt (Paracyclophan-
Derivate) oder erweitert (Pyracen) sind. Die Paracyclophan-Derivate sind ein ideales Modellsystem um Einsicht in Pi-Pi-Wechselwirkungen zu erlangen. Ein
weiterer Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit beschreibt die Dynamik des resonanzstabilisierten 2-Methylallyl-Radikals. Die Forschung an solchen kleinen Kohlenwasserstoff-Radikalen ist wichtig, da auf deren Grundlage Modelle entwickelt werden können, die zum Beispiel helfen, den Verbrennungsprozess aufzuklären. Aufgrund ihrer Instabilität sind solche kleinen Kohlenwasserstoff-Radikale nicht einfach zu handhaben und das spektroskopische Vermessen stellt immer eine Herausforderung dar.
This work aims at elucidating chemical processes involving homogeneous catalysis and photo–physical relaxation of excited molecules in the solid state. Furthermore, compounds with supposedly small singlet–triplet gaps and therefore biradicaloid character are investigated with respect to their electro–chemical behavior. The work on hydroboration catalysis via a reduced 9,10–diboraanthracene (DBA) was preformed in collaboration with the Wagner group in Frankfurt, more specifically Dr. Sven Prey, who performed all laboratory experiments. The investigation of delayed luminescence properties in arylboronic esters in their solid state was conducted in collaboration with the Marder group in Würzburg. The author of this work took part in the synthesis of the investigated compounds while being supervised by Dr. Zhu Wu. The final project was a collaboration with the group of Anukul Jana from Hyderabad, India who provided the experimental data.
Die vorliegende Dissertation untersucht reaktive Intermediaten, speziell Radikale und Carbene und deren Verhalten bei Photoionisation mit VUV-Synchrotronstrahlung. Diese instabilen Verbindungen wurden durch Pyrolyse von teils selbstsynthetisierter Vorläufern in einem kontinuierlichen Molekularstrahl erzeugt und mittels der TPEPICO-Spektroskopie untersucht. Die wichtigsten Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit werden im Anschluss hervorgehoben. Drei Radikale der Zusammensetzung C9H7, Indenyl, 1- und 3-Phenylpropargyl wurden aus ihren bromierten Vorläufern synthetisiert und ihre Ionisierungsenergien bestimmt. Die Frage ob es möglich ist alle drei Radikale hinsichtlich ihrer IE zu unterscheiden und dadurch eine Identifikation in einer Flamme möglich wird, konnte beantwortet werden. Indenyl und 3-Phenylpropargyl besitzen Ionisierungsenergien von 7.53 und 7.20 eV, was eine Erkennung in Flammen prinzipiell möglich macht. Für 1-Phenylpropargyl wurde eine IEad von 7.4 eV gemessen, was eine selektive Identifikation erschwert. Die Messwerte wurden durch quantenchemischen Rechnungen überprüft und sind mit diesen in guter Übereinstimmung. Die Photoionisation von Cyclopropenyliden (IEad = 9.17 ± 0.015 eV) wurde untersucht,wobei eine niederenergetische Bande dem Propargylen (IEad = 9.02 ± 0.02 eV), dem HCCCH Isomer der Zusammensetzung C3H2, zugeordnet werden konnte. Die Schwingungsstruktur des Spektrums konnte erfolgreich simuliert und dadurch die Geometrie des Kations ermittelt werden. Als Nebenprodukt im Molekularstrahl wurde Chlorcyclopropenyliden (IEad = 9.17 ± 0.02 eV) durch seine Schwingungsprogression identifiziert. Die Analyse der dissoziativen Photoionisation gestaltet sich als schwierig, da sowohl c-C3H2 als auch c-C3HCl im relevanten Energiebereich fragmentieren können und die Anwesenheit von HCl die Auswertung ebenfalls erschwert. Ein Lösungsvorschlag für dieses Problem wurde ebenfalls aufgezeigt. Der Einfluss von Substitutionen auf die IE wurde am Beispiel des Propargylradikals und seiner zwei bromierten Analoga erforscht. Dabei wurde eine Rotverschiebung (IEad(C3H3) = 8.71 ± 0.02 eV / IEad(BrCCCH2) = 8.16 ± 0.02 eV / IEad(BrHCCCH) = 8.34 ± 0.02 eV) gemessen. Diese ist auf den elektronenspendenden Charakter des Broms begründet. Beide Brompropargylradikale lassen sich anhand ihrer IE unterscheiden. Die Schwelle zur dissoziativen Photoionisation von C3H2Br zu C3H2 wurde mit 10.1 eV ermittelt, wobei verschiedene Kanäle für diese Reaktion in Frage kommen. Schwingungsaktivität konnte im TPE-Spektrum des Propargylradikals ebenfalls verzeichnet und die v3 +-Mode mit 1950 cm-1 ermittelt werden. Als letztes Projekt stand die Photoionisation des t-Butyl im Fokus, da teils widersprüchliche Messwerte für die IEad in der Literatur publiziert sind. Es konnte ein Wert von 6.75 eV ± 0.03 eV gemessen werden. Die Schwierigkeit bei diesem Experiment ist die Geometrieänderung während der Ionisierung, da das Radikal pyramidal und das Kation eine planare Struktur im C-Gerüst besitzt. Die Grenzen der angewendeten Methoden wurden an diesem Beispiel deutlich gemacht. Zur vollständigen Charakterisierung wurden auch die Vorläufer genau analysiert, da diese durch dissoziative Photoionisation (DPI) Fragmentionen bilden, welche die gleiche Masse besitzen wie die zu untersuchenden Radikale und Carbene. Aus diesen Ergebnissen konnten Bindungsenergien berechnet werden. Von allen untersuchten reaktiven Intermediaten konnten die Ionisierungsenergien mit einer Genauigkeit von ± 20 meV ermittelt werden. Es wurde gezeigt, dass sogar Isomere mit gleicher Molekülmasse unterscheidbar sind. Diese Daten lassen sich verwenden um reaktive Zwischenprodukte in Flammen zu identifizieren. Die Identifizierung ermöglicht es dann geeignete Modelle für Verbrennungsprozesse zu konstruieren oder vorhandene zu verbessern. Diese könnten wiederum helfen die Ruß- und PAK-Bildung besser zu verstehen. Die Ziele dieser Dissertation konnten somit erreicht werden. Massenspektren, welche in Flammen durch VUV-Synchrotronstrahlung aufgenommen wurden, beherbergen eine große Fülle an größeren reaktiven Intermediaten wie beispielsweise das Fluorenyl oder das Biphenylmethylradikal. Deren Ionisation ist bislang nur sehr vage erforscht und wäre deshalb ein interessantes Projekt um diese Arbeit fortzuführen.
Mechanistic Insights into the Inhibition of Cathepsin B and Rhodesain with Low-Molecular Inhibitors
(2019)
Cysteine proteases play a crucial role in medical chemistry concerning various fields reaching from more common ailments like cancer and hepatitis to less noted tropical diseases, namely the so-called African Sleeping Sickness (Human Arfican Trypanosomiasis). Detailed knowledge about the catalytic function of these systems is highly desirable for drug research in the respective areas. In this work, the inhibition mechanisms of the two cysteine proteases cathepsin B and rhodesain with respectively one low-molecular inhibitor class were investigated in detail, using computational methods. In order to sufficiently describe macromolecular systems, molecular mechanics based methods (MM) and quantum mechanical based method (QM), as well as hybrid methods (QM/MM) combining those two approaches, were applied.
For Cathespin B, carbamate-based molecules were investigated as potential inhibitors for the cysteine protease. The results indicate, that water-bridged proton-transfer reactions play a crucial role for the inhibition. The energetically most favoured pathway (according to the calculations) includes an elimination reaction following an E1cB mechanism with a subsequent carbamylation of the active site amino acid cysteine.
Nitroalkene derivatives were investigated as inhibitors for rhodesain. The investigation of structurally similar inhibitors showed, that even small steric differences can crucially influence the inhibition potential of the components. Furthermore, the impact of a fluorination of the nitroalkene inhibitors on the inhibition mechanism was investigated. According to experimental data measured from the working group of professor Schirmeister in Mainz, fluorinated nitroalkenes show – in contrast to the unfluorinated compounds – a time dependent inhibition efficiency. The calculations of the systems indicate, that the fluorination impacts the non-covalent interactions of the inhibitors with the enzymatic environment of the enzyme which results in a different inhibition behaviour.
Die ersten Beispiele für Lewis-Basen-Addukte des Stammboraphosphaketens H\(_{2}\)B-PCO und ihre cyclischen Dimere wurden hergestellt. Eines dieser Addukte zeigt unter milden Bedingungen eine Decarbonylierung und anschließende Insertion des Phosphinidens in die B-C-Bindung eines Borols, was in der Bildung sehr seltener Beispiele für 1,2-Phosphaborinine, B,P-Isostere von Benzol, resultiert. Die starken Donoreigenschaften dieser 1,2-Phosphaborinine wurden durch die Synthese ihrer π-Komplexe mit Metallen der Gruppe 6 bestätigt.
Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit verschiedenen Aspekten der Dynamik von Kernen, Elektronen und gekoppelten Kern-Elektron-Systemen, wobei je nach System unterschiedliche Herangehensweisen gewählt wurden.
Zentrale Punkte sind bei allen drei Kapiteln einerseits die Lokalisierung von Teilchen und Energie und andererseits eine hohe Sensitivität in Bezug auf die Wahl der Anfangsbedingungen.
Im ersten Teil wurden von der Carrier-Envelope-Phase (CEP) abhängende, laser-induzierte Lokalisierungen betrachtet. Das zentrale Element ist dabei das entwickelte Doppelpulsschema, mit welchem eine CEP-Abhängigkeit in beobachtbaren Größen erzeugt wird. Als Beispielsysteme wurden die Fragmentation im D₂⁺-Modellsystem und eine Isomerisierung im Doppelminimumpotential (DMP) untersucht. Als Observable wird die Asymmetrie betrachtet
Im DMP kann die Asymmetrie mit dem Entantiomeren/Isomerenüberschuss gleich gesetzt werden kann und im D₂⁺-Modellsystem mit der Lokalisierung des Elektrons auf einem der beiden dissoziierenden Kerne.
Eine Phasenabhängigkeit der Asymmetrien besteht nur für die CEP des zweiten Pulses φ₂, für welchen keine Begrenzungen für die Anzahl an Laserzyklen auftreten.
Im DMP wurde die CEP-Abhängigkeit der Asymmetrien auch bei unterschiedlichen Startkonfigurationen untersucht. Für alle untersuchten Startkonfigurationen konnte ein Laserparametersatz gefunden werden, der für zumindest eine der beiden Asymmetrien eine CEP-Abhängigkeit liefert. Aufgrund der aufgehobenen energetischen Entartung der Paare gerader und ungerader Symmetrie ist die resultierende Lokalisierung zeitabhängig. Zur Messung der vorhergesagten Dynamiken ist z.B. die Aufnahme eines Photoelektronen-Spektrums denkbar.
In nächsten Kapitel wurden unterschiedliche Dynamiken innerhalb eines 4d Kern-Elektron-Modells in der Nähe einer konischen Durchschneidung (CI) zweier Potentiale betrachtet. Hierbei ist hervorzuheben, dass eine solche gleichzeitige Untersuchung von Kern- und Elektron-Dynamik in Systemen mit CIs in der Literatur, nach Wissen des Autors, bisher nicht veröffentlicht ist. Das 4d-Potential wurde mit Hilfe des sogenannten Potfit-Algorithmus gefittet. Dieser Fit wurde anschließend verwendet, um die Dynamik des gekoppelten Systems mit Hilfe der ”Multi-Configuration Time-Dependent Hartree”(MCTDH)-Methode zu berechnen. Aus der Analyse der gekoppelten Kern-Elektron-Wellenfunktion ergaben sich zwei grundlegend unterschiedliche Klassen von Dynamiken:
• Diabatisch: Kern- und Elektrondynamik sind nahezu entkoppelt. Der Kern bewegt sich und das Elektron bleibt statisch.
• Adiabatisch: Kern- und Elektrondynamik sind stark gekoppelt. Die Kerndynamik findet auf Kreisbahnen statt. Mit der Rotation der Kerndichte um den Winkel φ geht eine Rotation der Elektron-Dichte einher.
Die diabatische Bewegung entspricht der Dynamik durch die konische Durchschneidung und die adiabatische Bewegung der Dynamik auf der unteren Potentialfläche. Welche der beiden Dynamiken stattfindet, wird durch die Wahl der Anfangsbedingung bestimmt. Der wesentliche Unterschied zwischen den beiden Startzuständen ist dabei die Lage des Knotens im elektronischen Anteil der Wellenfunktion. In den diabatischen Bewegungen bleibt z.B. der pₓ -artige Charakter der elektronischen Wellenfunktion konstant, wohingegen sich bei der adiabatischen Dynamik der Charakter mit der Kernbewegung ändert. Die Zeitersparnis durch die Verwendung des MCTDH-Ansatzes im Vergleich zur Split-Operator-Methode liegt etwa bei einem Faktor 5.
Das letzte Kapitel widmet sich der mikroskopischen Beschreibung von Exziton-Exziton-
Annihilierung (EEA). Dabei werden numerische Lösungen der aus einem mikro-
skopischen Modell hergeleiteten Ratengleichungen mit Messungen ( transienter Absorption) verglichen. Es wurden zwei Systeme untersucht: ein Squarain-basiertes Heteropolymer (SQA-SQB)ₙ und ein [2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenvinylen]-Polymer, auch bekannt als MEH-PPV. In beiden Fällen gelang die systematische Parameterbestimmung mit Hilfe einer Aufteilung in lokalisierte Subsysteme. Diese Subsysteme werden einzeln gewichtet und anschließend aufsummiert, wobei die Gewichte optimiert werden können. Aus den so erhaltenen Parametern ergibt sich für beide Systeme ein ähnliches Bild:
• Durch ultraschnelle Lokalisierung der Anregung im fs-Bereich auf kleinere Aggregateinheiten bilden sich voneinander getrennte Subsysteme.
• Die in den Subsystemen lokalisierten Exzitonen können sich nur innerhalb dieser Bereiche frei bewegen. Es ist ausreichend, direkt benachbarte Mono-, Bi-, Tri- und Tetra-Exzitonen in bis zu zwei Dimensionen zu berücksichtigen.
• Auf einer fs-Zeitskala annihilieren direkt benachbarte Exzitonen.
• Im MEH-PPV ergibt sich der Signalzerfall im fs-Bereich als Mittelwert aus einer schnellen (zwischen Ketten) und einer langsamen (innerhalb von Ketten) Annihilierung.
• Im ps- bis ns-Bereich wird sowohl durch Diffusion vermittelte Annihilierung, also auch der Zerfall der ersten angeregten Zustände bedeutsam.
In this work a new algorithm to determine quantum control fields from the instantaneous response of systems has been developed. The derived fields allow to establish a direct connection between the applied perturbation and the molecular dynamics. The principle is most easily illustrated in regarding a classical forced oscillator. A particle moving inside the respective potential is accelerated if an external field is applied acting in the same direction as its momentum (heating). In contrary, a deceleration is achieved by a field acting in the opposite direction as the momentum (cooling). Furthermore, when the particle reaches a classical turning point and then changes its direction, the sign of the field has to be changed to further drive the system in the desired way. The frequency of the field therefore is in resonance with the oscillator. This intuitively clear picture of a driven classical oscillator can be used for directing (or controlling) quantum mechanical wave packet motion. The efficiency of the instantaneous dynamics algorithm was demonstrated in treating various model problems, the population transfer in double well potentials, excitation and dissociation of selective modes, and the population transfer between electronic states. Although it was not tried to optimize the fields to gain higher yields, the control was found to be very efficient. Driving population transfer in a double well potential could be shown to take place with nearly 100% efficiency. It was shown that selective dissociation within the electronic ground state of HOD can be performed by either maximizing a selected coordinate's differential momentum change or the energy absorption. Concerning the population transfer into excited electronic states, a direct comparison with common control algorithms as optimal control theory and genetic algorithms was accomplished using a one-dimensional representation of methyl iodide. The fields derived from the various control theories were effective in transferring population into the chosen target state but the underlying physical background of the derived optimal fields was not obvious to explain. The instantaneous dynamics algorithm allowed to establish a direct relation between the derived fields and the underlying molecular dynamics. Bound-to-bound transitions could be handled more effectively. This was demonstrated on the sodium dimer in a representation of 3 electronic states being initially in its vibronic ground state. The objective was to transfer population into a predefined excited state. Choosing the first or the second state as a target, the control fields exhibited quite different features. The pulse-structure is related to the excited state wave packet, moving in, and out of the Franck-Condon region. Changing the control objective, the derived control field performed pure electronic transitions on a fast time-scale via a two-step transition. Futhermore, orientational effects have been investigated. The overall-efficiency of the population transfer for differently oriented molecules was about 70 % or more if applying a control field derived for a 45° orientation. Spectroscopic methods to gain information about the outcome of the control process have been investigated. It was shown that pump/probe femtosecond ionization spectroscopy is suited to monitor time-dependent molecular probability distributions. In particular, time-dependent photoelectron spectra are able to monitor the population in the various electronic states. In the last chapter a different possibility of controlling molecules was regarded by investigating molecular iodine with a setup similar to the STIRAP (“Stimulated Raman Adiabatic passage”) scenario. The possibility to extend this technique to a fs-time scale was examined in theory as well as in experiments, the latter being performed by Dr. Torsten Siebert in the Kiefer group, University of Würzburg. It was shown that off-resonant excitation with implementation of the pulses with a higher intensity of the Stokes pulse as compared to the pump pulse - describing a so-called f-STIRAP like configuration - was shown to effectively transfer population into excited ground-state vibrational levels. This was theoretically underlined by comparing the numerically exact coupling case with the adiabatic picture. The process was described to run in the vicinity of adibaticity. A new model explaining the process by the system's vector rotating around the dressed state vector will be adopted in future calculations. Altogether, a new promising algorithm to control dynamical processes based on the instantaneous response has been developed. Because the derived control fields have been shown to be very efficient in selectively influencing molecules, it is to be expected that farther reaching applications can be realized in future investigations.
Gegenstand dieser Arbeit ist die Untersuchung von gespeicherten Nanopartikeln mit weicher Röntgenstrahlung. Dafür wurde eine neue Apparatur aufgebaut. In dieser befindet sich ein dreidimensionaler elektrodynamischer Quadrupolspeicher, mit dem die positiv geladenen Nanopartikel berührungsfrei und ortsfest gespeichert werden. Mit Hilfe eines Streulichtnachweises werden die Eigenbewegungen der Partikel gemessen und daraus das Ladungs- zu Masseverhältnis ermittelt. Durch gezielte Umladung können die absolute Ladung und die Masse der Partikel mit hoher Genauigkeit bestimmt werden. Die gespeicherten Partikel wurden mit Synchrotronstrahlung am Elektronenspeicherring BESSY II untersucht. Bei niedrig geladenen Partikeln wurden Aufladungsexperimente mit variabler Photonenenergie durchgeführt. Dabei kann die Emission von einzelnen Elektronen beobachtet werden. Die totale Sekundärelektronenausbeute wurde für verschiedene Photonenenergien ermittelt. Sie gleicht den Werten, die durch Messungen mit Elektronenbeschuss bekannt sind. Die Partikel wurden weiterhin bis zum maximal erreichbaren Ladungszustand aufgeladen. Dieser Gleichgewichtszustand liegt unterhalb der theoretischen Erwartungen. Bei den hochgeladenen Partikeln wurden nach Abschalten der Synchrotronstrahlung Entladevorgänge beobachtet, die für das verminderte Ladungsgleichgewicht verantwortlich sind. Die Entladung wird als Ionen-Feldemission interpretiert, möglicherweise hervorgerufen durch den elektrischen Durchschlag im Teilchenmaterial. Das Aufladungsverhalten der Partikel bei verschiedenen Ladungszuständen wurde mit Hilfe von Messungen an der O 1s-Kante untersucht. Bei niedrigen Ladungszuständen liefert der Ladestrom die bekannten Röntgenabsorbtionsstrukturen von Siliziumdioxid. Stark geladene Partikel werden dagegen vor allem im Bereich der resonanten O 1s-Anregung durch schnelle Augerelektronen aufgeladen, während Photoelektronen aus dem O 1s-Kontinuum nicht mehr zur Aufladung beitragen. Deren kinetische Energie ist zu gering, um dem Coulombfeld des Partikels zu entkommen.
The visualization of energy functions is based on the possibility of separating different degrees of freedom. The most important one is the Born-Oppenheimer-approximation, which separates nucleus and electron movements. This allows the illustration of the potential energy as a function of the nuclei coordinates. Minima of the surface correspond to stable points like isomers or conformers. They are important for predicting the stability or thermodynamical of a system. Stationary points of first order correspond to transition points. They describe phase transitions, chemical reaction, or conformational changes. Furthermore, the partition function connects the potential hypersurface to the free energy of the system. The aim of the present work is the development and application of new approaches for the efficient exploration of multidimensional hypersurfaces. Initially, the Conformational Analysis and Search Tool (CAST) program was developed to create a basis for the new methods and algorithms. The development of CAST in object oriented C++ included, among other things, the implementation of a force field, different interfaces to external programs, analysis tools, and optimization libraries. Descriptions of an energy landscape require knowledge about the most stable minima. The Gradient Only Tabu Search (GOTS) has been shown to be very efficient in the optimization of mathematical test functions. Therefore, GOTS was taken as a starting point. Tabu-Search is based on the steepest descent - modest ascent strategy. The steepest descent is used for finding local minima, while the modest ascent is taken for leaving a minimum quickly. Furthermore, Tabu-Search is combined with an adaptive memory design to avoid cycling or returning. The highly accurate exploration of the phase space by Tabu-Search is often too expensive for complex optimization problems. Therefore, an algorithm for diversification of the search is required. After exploration of the proximity of the search space, the algorithm would guide the search to new and hopefully promising parts of the phase space. First application of GOTS to conformational search revealed weaknesses in the diversification search and the modest ascent part. On the one hand, the original methodology for diversification is insufficiently diverse. The algorithm is considerably improved by combining the more local GOTS with the wider searching Basin Hopping (BH) approach. The second weak point is a too inaccurate and inefficient modest ascent strategy. Analysis of common transition state search algorithms lead to the adaption of the Dimer-method to the Tabu-Search approach. The Dimer-method only requires the first derivatives for locating the closest transition state. For conformational search, dihedral angles are usually the most flexible degrees of freedom. Therefore, only those are used in the Dimer-method for leaving a local minimum. Furthermore, the exact localization of the reaction pathway and the transition state is not necessary as the local minimum position should only be departed as fast as possible. This allows for larger step sizes during the Dimer-search. In the following optimization step, all coordinates are relaxed to remove possible strains in the system. The new Tabu-Search method with Dimer-search delivers more and improved minima. Furthermore, the approach is faster for larger systems. For a system with approximately 1200 atoms, an acceleration of 40 was measured. The new approach was compared to Molecular Dynamics with optimization (MD), Simulated Annealing (SA), and BH with the help of conformational search problems of bio-organic systems. In all cases, a better performance was found. A comparison to the Monte Carlo Multiple Minima/Low Mode Sampling (MCMM/LM) method proved the outstanding performance of the new Tabu-Search approach. The solvation of the chignolin protein further revealed the possibility of uncovering discrepancies between the employed theoretical model and the experimental starting structure. Ligand optimization for improvement of x-ray structures was one further new application field. Besides the global optimization, the search for transition states and reaction pathways is also of paramount importance. These points describe different transitions of stable states. Therefore, a new approach for the exploration of such cases was developed. The new approach is based on a global minimization of a hyperplane being perpendicular to the reaction coordinate. Minima of this reduced phase space belong to traces of transition states between reactant and product states on the unchanged hypersurface. Optimization to the closest transition state using the Dimer-method delivers paths lying between the initial and the final state. An iterative approach finally yields complex reaction pathways with many intermediate local minima. The PathOpt algorithm was tested by means of rearrangements of argon clusters showing very promising results.
Simulationen zur transienten Absorptionsspektroskopie an Energie- und Ladungstransfersystemen
(2022)
Anregungsinduzierte Ladungstransferprozesse gemischtvalenter Verbindungen in einem, bzw. zwei Vibrationsfreiheitsgraden werden mithilfe vibronischer Modellsysteme untersucht. Anhand transienter und linearer Absorptionsspektren werden die berechneten mit experimentell bestimmten Daten verglichen. Eine detailliertere theoretische Analyse erfolgt unter den Gesichtspunkten der Populations- und Wellenpaketdynamik.
Darüber hinaus wird der Prozess der Exziton-Exziton-Annihilierung mithilfe eines elektronischen Modellsystems untersucht. Zu diesem Zweck werden, zusätzlich zu den oben genannten Methoden, spektroskopische Signale unterschiedlicher Emissionsrichtungen zum Vergleich herangezogen.
Untersuchungen an biologischen Proben mit verschiedenen Raman- und SERS-spektroskopischen Techniken
(2003)
Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit der Entwicklung und Erprobung geeigneter Methoden zur Raman-spektroskopischen Untersuchung empfindlicher, insbesondere biologischer Proben. Das Ziel dabei ist, ein Werkzeug zur Verfügung zu stellen, mit dem es möglich ist, detaillierte Informationen über die Inhaltsstoffe einer Probe und deren räumlichen Verteilung zu sammeln. Diese Daten sind beispielsweise für die Qualitätssicherung pharmazeutischer Produktionen notwendig. Zu diesem Zweck wurden zwei verschiedene Ansätze verfolgt: ein Raman-Spektrometer wurde zum einen mit einer Glasfasersonde, zum anderen mit einer optischen Gradientenfalle kombiniert. Beide Ansätze wurden getestet und mit ihnen biologische Fragestellungen bearbeitet. Die Empfindlichkeit biologischer Proben und die geringe Konzentration ihrer Inhaltsstoffe macht es dabei notwendig, besonderen Wert auf probenschonende Messverfahren und eine hohe Nachweisempfindlichkeit zu legen. Die Raman- bzw. SERS-Spektroskopie ist hierzu in der Lage und erfordert gleichzeitig nur eine minimale Probenpräparation. Anhand der präsentierten Experimente konnte gezeigt werden, dass sich die SERS-Glasfasersonde besonders zur Untersuchung empfindlicher Proben eignet. Insbesondere erlaubt sie minimal-invasives Arbeiten an biologischen Materialien. Es konnte außerdem gezeigt werden, dass die Sonde aufgrund ihrer geometrischen Beschaffenheit eine gute Ortsauflösung, bis in den Sub-Mikrometerbereich, bei den Messungen erlaubt. Daher eignet sich die Fasersonde besonders zur Untersuchung von hochempfindlichen biologischen Proben bei gleichzeitig sehr geringem Probenbedarf. Mit der optischen Gradientenfalle, als zweite Methode, hat man ein Werkzeug zur Hand, mit dem es möglich ist, einzelne Mikroorganismen oder Mikropartikel in Suspension zu vermessen. Bei Arbeit mit der optischen Gradientenfalle ist eine freie, dreidimensionale Manipulation der gefangenen Zellen im Probengefäß möglich. Auf diese Weise können einzelne Zellen über längere Zeit stabil im Laserfokus gehalten werden, wodurch längere Integrationszeiten möglich werden. Außerdem kann man auf diese Weise eine Immobilisierung der suspendierten Zellen auf einer funktionalisierten Oberfläche vermeiden, wodurch unerwünschte Effekte auf das zu messende Spektrum, wie z. B. Verschiebungen einzelner Banden oder Änderungen in den relativen Bandenintensitäten, ausgeschlossen werden können. Zur Untersuchung partikulärer Verunreinigungen ist es nicht notwendig, die Lösung aus dem Gefäß heraus zu präparieren. Vielmehr können die Mikropartikel durch die optische Gradientenfalle in der Lösung festgehalten und spektroskopisch identifiziert werden. Dies ermöglicht beispielsweise die Charakterisierung von Verunreinigungen in pharmazeutischen Lösungen, ohne dass dafür Ampullen geöffnet werden müssten. Auf diese Weise können Kontaminantien identifiziert werden, ohne Gefahr zu laufen, bei der Probenpräparation weitere Verunreinigungen zu verursachen und damit die Messungen zu verfälschen. Durch die Kombination eines Raman-mikroskopischen Aufbaus mit der SERS-Glasfasersonde bzw. der optischen Gradientenfalle ist es gelungen, Fragestellungen an biologischen Systemen in sehr Proben-schonender, aber gleichzeitig hoch-ortsauflösender Weise zu bearbeiten. Durch die Verwendung nicht-kontaminierender SERS-Sonden ist es möglich, zusätzliche Verstärkungseffekte zu erzielen. Die verwendeten Anregungslaserleistungen können daher generell niedrig gehalten werden. Dennoch erhält man aussagekräftige Spektren in einer akzeptablen Zeit. Die Zwei-Laser-Lösung für die optische Gradientenfalle stellt ein zuverlässiges Werkzeug zur berührungsfreien Manipulation kleiner Partikel bei gleichzeitiger Flexibilität in Bezug auf die Anregungswellenlänge dar.
We investigate NCl\(_{3}\) and the NCl\(_{2}\) radical by photoelectron-photoion coincidence spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation. The mass selected threshold photoelectron spectrum (ms-TPES) of NCl\(_{3}\) is broad and unstructured due to the large geometry change. An ionization energy of 9.7±0.1 eV is estimated from the spectrum and supported by computations. NCl2 is generated by photolysis at 213 nm from NCl\(_{3}\) and its ms-TPES shows an extended vibrational progression with a 90 meV spacing that is assigned to the symmetric N−Cl stretching mode in the cation. An adiabatic ionization energy of 9.94 ± 0.02 eV is determined.
Fulminic acid, HCNO, was first synthesized in the year 1800 and has since then been used numerous times to develop new chemical theories and concepts. Nowadays, research on HCNO is mainly motivated due to its detection in interstellar space in the year 2009. In this thesis, we investigated the interaction of fulminic acid with VUV- and soft X-ray radiation, i.e., radiation that is also present in the interstellar medium. In our study using VUV radiation, we were able to record the photoelectron spectrum of HCNO with high resolution and we were able to simulate the Renner-Teller distorted ground state of the cation using simulation of wavepacket dynamics. We also elucidated the mechanism of the dissociative photoionisation up to 15.3 eV binding energy. Using soft X-ray radiation enables us to ionise or excite the 1s electrons of HCNO. The created state can decay via an Auger-Meitner process, which produces an Auger electron. We measured the kinetic energy of these auger electron and were able to analyse the observed signals using quantum chemical calculations. We also investigated how the ion fragments after the Auger-Meitner process. We observed a site-selectivity, where the initial ionisation/excitation site influenced the product distribution. We were able to explain this observation with a simple thermodynamic argument. This thesis provides a comprehensive description of the interaction of HCNO with ionising radiation. The obtained data may be valuable for the description of the behaviour of HCNO in interstellar space.
Das erste Ziel der vorliegenden Dissertation bestand darin, ein bereits bestehendes TOF-MS-Setup dahingehend zu erweitern, um damit Velocity Map Imaging-Experimente durchführen zu können. Dies erforderte zunächst die Konzipierung und Programmierung einiger für die Datenaufnahme, -verarbeitung und -analyse benötigter LabView-Anwendungen. Anschließend konnten erste Kalibrierexperimente an Methyliodid, in denen wichtige experimentelle Parameter identifiziert und optimiert wurden, durchgeführt werden. Außerdem gelang es dadurch, die Messgenauigkeit des Setups auf 0.7 % und dessen Auflösungsvermögen auf 4.4 % zu bestimmen, was im Bereich für VMI-Apparaturen typischer Werte liegt. Zur weiteren Überprüfung der Funktionstüchtigkeit des Setups wurde in ersten zeitaufgelösten Experimenten im Folgenden die Desaktivierung des S1-Zustands von Pyridin untersucht. Neben der Reproduktion einiger bereits literaturbekannter Resultate konnten dabei zusätzlich die im Multiphotonen-Ionisationsschritt populierten Rydberg-Zustände identifiziert werden. Anschließend wurde mit Experimenten an bisher weniger gut untersuchten organischen Aromaten und Heteroaromaten fortgefahren. Das Ziel dieser Studien lag in der Aufklärung der photoinduzierten Dynamiken der Verbindungen, wobei das zur Verfügung stehende ps-Lasersystem die Möglichkeit bot, die Desaktivierung elektronisch angeregter Zustände gezielt in Abhängigkeit von deren Schwingungsenergie zu untersuchen. Der darin bestehende Vorteil zeigte sich vor allem in Studien an Tolan und Phenanthridin, deren erste angeregte, optisch aktive Zustände am Origin Lebensdauern im ns-Bereich aufweisen, die sich mit zunehmender vibronischer Anregung jedoch auf bis zu 10 ps verringern. Als Grund dafür konnten nichtstrahlende Desaktivierungsprozesse, für deren Eintreten eine energetische Barriere überwunden werden muss, identifiziert werden. Während in Tolan nach Photoanregung ein Übergang in einen (πσ∗)-Zustand, der zur Ausbildung einer trans-bent-Struktur führt, erfolgt, ist im Falle von Phenanthridin vermutlich ein El-Sayed-erlaubter ISC-Übergang in einen 3(nπ∗)-Zustand für die drastische Verkürzung der S1-Lebensdauer verantwortlich. Ein solcher konnte weder im zu Phenanthridin isomerischen Benzo[h]quinolin, noch in dessen PAH-Muttermolekül Phenanthren beobachtet werden, was auf die höhere energetische Lage bzw. die Abwesenheit des mittels ISC populierten 3(nπ∗)-Zustands in diesen Molekülen zurückgeführt werden kann. In weiteren im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit durchgeführten Experimente wurden zudem die aromatischen Moleküle Acenaphthylen und 4-(Dimethylamino)benzethin (DMABE) untersucht. Zeitaufgelöste Studien zeigten dabei, dass die Desaktivierung der S2-Zustände beider Moleküle auf der sub-ps-Zeitskala stattfindet und mit dem vorhandenen Lasersystem daher nicht aufgelöst werden kann. In Acenaphthylen erfolgt die S2-Relaxation größtenteils über einen sequentiellen IC-Mechanismus, innerhalb dem der S1-Zustand des Moleküls intermediär besetzt wird. Dessen Lebensdauer konnte am Origin auf 380 ps bestimmt werden, fällt mit steigender Schwingungsanregung jedoch auf bis zu 55 ps ab. Für die Desaktivierung des S2-Zustands von DMABE konnte hingegen ein paralleles Relaxationsmodell, in dem neben dem S1-Zustand ein weiterer elektronisch angeregter Zustand populiert wird, nachgewiesen werden. Bei diesem könnte es sich möglicherweise um einen (πσ∗)-Zustand, dessen Besetzung die Ausbildung einer trans-bent-Geometrie innerhalb der Acetylen-Einheit des Moleküls zur Folge hat, handeln. Einen weiteren großen Teil der vorliegenden Dissertation nahmen Experimente an van-der-Waals-gebundenen Clustersystemen ein. Im Fokus der Studien standen dabei Moleküle mit ausgedehnten aromatischen π-Systemen, da solche eine hohe Relevanz für verschiedene materialwissenschaftliche Forschungsgebiete besitzen. Ein Beispiel hierfür ist Tetracen, welches als Modellsystem für die Untersuchung von Singlet Fission-Prozessen angesehen wird. In Kombination mit nichtadiabatischen Surface-Hopping-Simulationen zeigten Experimente an Tetracen-Dimeren, dass nach deren S2-Anregung zunächst ein schneller S1←S2-Übergang (τ < 1 ps), gefolgt von der Ausbildung einer Excimerstruktur, stattfindet. Letztere erfolgt mit einer Zeitkonstante von 62 ps und führt zu einem Anstieg des transienten Ionensignals, wohingegen die Desaktivierung des Excimer-Zustands von einem abklingenden Signalbeitrag mit τ = 123 ps repräsentiert wird. Wenngleich über die weitere Relaxation der Excimerspezies zum gegenwärtigen Zeitpunkt keine Aussage getroffen werden kann, besteht damit die Möglichkeit, dass Excimer-Zustände als Zwischenstufe im SF-Mechanismus isolierter Tetracen-Dimere auftreten. In zeitaufgelösten Experimenten an Phenanthren-Dimeren konnte ebenfalls ein Anstieg des transienten Signals mit einer vergleichbaren Zeitkonstante von τ = 86 ps, der jedoch auf einem konstanten Signaloffset endet, gefunden werden. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass auch Phenanthren-Dimere in der Lage sind, Excimerstrukturen, die im Gegensatz zu denen des Tetracens jedoch deutlich langlebiger sind, auszubilden. Studien an den Dimerspezies der Azaphenanthrene Benzo[h]quinolin und Phenanthridin offenbarten hingegen etwas schnellere Relaxationen mit Zeitkonstanten von 15 bzw. 40 ps. Zudem zeigten beide Spezies eine stark ausgeprägte Fragmentation, sodass für deren Untersuchung auf die VMI-Detektionsmethode zurückgegriffen werden musste. Dadurch wurde deutlich, dass sich Photoionen-Imaging-Experimente hervorragend für Studien an schwach gebundenen Clustersystemen eignen, da diese die Separation verschiedener Signalbeiträge innerhalb eines betrachteten Massenkanals ermöglichen.
In dieser Arbeit wurde die unimolekulare Dissoziations- und Rekombinations-Reaktion von Jodmolekülen untersucht, die in mikroporösen Porosil-Kristalliten eingelagert waren. Hierfür wurden sowohl experimentelle Pump-Probe-Experimente als auch theoretische Untersuchungen auf der Femtosekunden-Zeitskala durchgeführt. Die Idee, die diesen Experimenten zugrunde lag, bestand darin, zu erfahren, in welcher Weise und in welchem Maße die Struktur der Umgebung einen Einfluss auf die elementaren dynamischen Prozesse der Reaktion ausübt. Die hier untersuchten Systeme I$_2$ in DDR-, TON-, FER- und MFI-Porosilen sind Modellsysteme für komplexere Moleküle, eingelagert in einer mikroporösen kristallinen Umgebung.
Analyse der chemischen Reaktionen ungesättigter Verbindungen mit FEL- und Synchrotronstrahlung
(2013)
Brilliante Strahlungsquellen werden heute vielfach in der Forschung eingesetzt um Kristallstrukturen, Oberflächeneigenschaften oder Reaktionen zu untersuchen. Als Strahlungsquellen werden dafür bevorzugt Freie Elektronenlaser (FEL) oder Synchrotrons eingesetzt, da sie über weite Bereiche durchstimmbar sind und einen hohen Photonenfluss bereitstellen. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Dissertation werden beide Lichtquellen verwendet um einerseits Isomere von Kohlenwasserstoffradikalen zu identifizieren und andererseits das Verhalten von Borylen und ungesättigten Verbindungen bei Photoionisation zu dokumentieren. Als erstes Experiment am FEL wurde ein IR-Spektrum von gasförmigen Allylradikalen aufgenommen. Das Allyl war ein Testlauf, da es als Kohlenwasserstoffradikal mit einer kleinen Dipolmomentänderung ein gutes Beispiel für ähnliche Verbindungen ist. Trotz der kleinen Änderung des Dipolmoments und der geringen Teilchendichte der Radikale in der Gasphase konnte ein gutes IR-Spektrum mit der IR-UV-Doppelresonanzmethode aufgenommen werden und die beobachteten Banden mit der Literatur zugeordnet werden. Das 3-Trifluoromethyl-3-Phenyl-carben (TFPC) wurde pyrolytisch aus 3-Trifluoromethyl-3-Phenyl-diazirin erzeugt. Dabei kam es beim Großteil der Carbene zu einer Umlagerung zu Trifluorstyrol. Neben dem Hauptprodukt Trifluorstyrol wurde das Triplett TFPC als Nebenprodukt identifiziert. Zusätzlich wurden die Isomerisierungsbarrieren für den Triplett- und Singulett-Übergangszustand berechnet. Die Radikale 1-Phenylpropargyl und 3-Phenylpropargyl sind anhand ihrer IR-Spektren unterscheidbar und lagern sich nicht ineinander oder in Indenyl um. Ausgehend von beiden Radikalen bilden sich die identischen Dimerisierungsprodukte im Massenkanal m/z = 230 (p-Terphenyl) und 228 (1-Phenylethinylnaphthalin (1PEN)). Außergewöhnlich war die Exklusivität dieser Produkte. Somit müssen deren Reaktionsmechanismen kinetisch viel schneller sein. Die Massen m/z = 230 und 228 waren bereits aus einer massenspektrometrischen Studie ausgehend von Benzol und Ethin bekannt, in der ihre Struktur jedoch nicht geklärt wurde. Somit müssen die gefundenen Dimerisierungsprodukte p-Terphenyl und 1PEN wichtige Intermediate bei der Entstehung von polyzyklischen aromatischen Kohlenwasserstoffen (PAK) und Ruß sein. Von gasförmigen NTCDA wurde mittels der TPEPICO-Methode am Synchrotron Schwellenphotoelektronenspektren aufgenommen. Dabei konnte die adiabatische Ionisierungsenergie (IE(ad)) zu 9.66 eV bestimmt werden. Weiterhin wurden noch fünf angeregte Zustände beobachtet, die mittels quantenmechanischer Berechnungen zugeordnet wurden. Es wurde die Photoionisation des Cycloheptatrienradikals (Tropyl) untersucht. Dabei wurde die erste Bande bei 6.23 eV der IE(ad) zugeordnet. Mit einer Franck-Condon Simulation wurden die beiden Schwingungsprogressionen einer CC-Streckschwingung (ν16+) und einer Kombination aus einer Ringatmung (ν2+) und ν16+ zugeordnet. Der erste Triplett- und Singulettzustand des angeregten Tropylkations konnte in Übereinstimmung mit der Literatur zugeordnet werden. Eine Schulter bei 9.85 eV und die intensivste Bande bei 11.6 eV konnten nicht eindeutig interpretiert werden. Neben dem Tropyl erscheint bei etwa 10.55 eV sein dissoziatives Zersetzungsprodukt, das Cyclopentadienylkation. Die IE(ad) des Borylenkomplex [(CO)5CrBN(SiMe3)2] wurde zu 7.1 eV bestimmt. Mit steigender Photonenenergie wurden alle CO-Liganden sequenziell abgespalten, während der Borligand auch bei 15 eV noch nicht dissoziierte. Von den fünf abgespaltenen CO-Liganden konnte die Auftrittsenergie bei 0 K unter Berücksichtigung der kinetischen Verschiebung gefittet werden. Durch einen einfachen thermodynamischen Zyklus wurden aus den Auftrittsenergien der Kationen die Bindungsenergien berechnet. Dabei zeigte sich, dass die zweite Bindungsenergie im Kation erheblich stärker ist als die erste. Dies deutet einen starken trans-Effekt des Borliganden an. In der Dissertation wurden die adiabatische Ionisierungsenergie der Moleküle sowie die Auftrittsenergien der Fragmente und die Bindungsenergien bestimmt. Zudem konnten Isomere anhand ihrer IR-Spektren unterschieden und ihre Dimerisierungsprodukte identifiziert werden. Damit wurden mit p-Terphenyl und 1PEN zwei weitere bedeutende Intermediate im Bildungsmechanismus von Ruß strukturell aufgeklärt. Die Beteiligung dieser Dimerisierungsprodukte am Bildungsmechanismus der PAK initiiert zukünftige Fragen. Was geschieht z.B. mit p-Terphenyl und 1PEN nach ihrer Bildung? Reagieren sie chemisch zu größeren Molekülen oder setzt bei ihnen bereits die Akkumulation zu Partikeln ein? Zusätzlich ist die Frage, ob Phenylpropargyl aus der Reaktion von Phenyl- und Propargylradikalen entsteht noch offen. Die erzielten Resultate haben einen wichtigen Schritt im Bildungsmechanismus der PAK identifiziert und damit die Grundlage für zukünftige Experimente gelegt.
Die vorliegende Arbeit hat zum Ziel, das Antwortverhalten nichtlinearer Reaktionen auf zielgerichtete Störungen zu untersuchen. Dabei beschäftigt sie sich mit zwei nichtlinearen chemischen Sauerstoff-Oszillatoren. Bei den beiden nichtlinearen chemischen Reaktionen handelt es sich um den Polyacrylamid-Methylenblau-Sauerstoff- (PA-MBO) Oszillator und um die Kupfer(II)ionen katalysierte Oxidation von Ascorbinsäure durch Luftsauerstoff. Im ersten Fall wird durch selektive Belichtung des Reaktionsmediums die gebildete Geloberfläche durch ein computergenerirtes Muster kodiert. Die Systemantwort wird mit Hilfe einer CCD-Kamera aufgenommen und danach einer Analyse unterzogen. Die erhaltenen Ergebnisse werden anschließend durch eine Computersimulation verifiziert. Die zweite untersuchte Möglichkeit, das PA-MBO-System einer Störung zu unterwerfen, ist das Anlegen eines externen elektrischen Feldes. In einer speziell dafür entworfenen Anordnung bildet sich ein quasi-eindimensionales Turing-Muster. In dieser quasi-eindimensionalen Anordnung kann die Reaktion leicht elektrischen Strömen von bis zu 200 mA/cm2 ausgesetzt werden. Die experimentellen Daten werden anschließend der Karhunen-Loeve Zerlegung unterworfen, um die komplexe Dynamik der Systemantwort zu studieren. Die Oxidation von Ascorbinsäure durch Luftsauerstoff in Gegenwart von Kupfer(II)ionen, wird im CSTR durchgeführt. Dabei läßt sich das Phänomen der stochastischen Resonanz beobachten, wenn man die Flußrate sinusförmig moduliert und dieser Frequenz zusätzlich weißes Rauschen überlagert.
Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der theoretischen Untersuchung zweier Themenkomplexe: der Erzeugung Hoher Harmonischer in Molekülen und dem Einfluss von gekoppelter Elektronen-Kern-Dynamik auf Ultrakurzpuls-Ionisationsprozesse und Quantenkontrolle. Während bei der Untersuchung der Hohen Harmonischen die Auswirkungen der Kernbewegung auf die Spektren im Mittelpunkt des Interesses stehen, wird bei der Analyse der gekoppelter Elektronen-Kern-Dynamik das Hauptaugenmerk auf die nicht-adiabatischen Effekte gerichtet, die auftreten, wenn Kern- und Elektronenbewegung sich nicht, wie es im Rahmen der Born-Oppenheimer-Näherung in der Quantenchemie häufig angenommen wird, voneinander trennen lassen.
Subject of this work was to investigate the influence of nonadiabatic coupling on the dynamical changes of electron and nuclear density. The properties of electron density have neither been discussed in the stationary case, nor for excited electronic states or for a coupled electronic and nuclear motion. In order to remove these restrictions one must describe the quantum mechanical motion of all particles in a system at the same level. This is only possible for very small systems. A model system developed by Shin and Metiu [1, 2] contains all necessary physical ingredients to describe a combined electronic and nuclear motion. It consists of a single nuclear and electronic degree of freedom and the particle interaction is parameterized in such a way as to allow for a facile switching between and adiabatic (Born-Oppenheimer type) and a strongly coupled dynamics. The first part of the work determined the “static” properties of the model system: The calculation of electronic eigenfunctions, adiabatic potential curves, kinetic coupling elements and transition dipole moments allowed for a prediction of the coupled dynamics. The potentials obtained from different parameterization showed two distinct cases: In the first case the ground and first excited state are separated by a large energy gap which is the typical Born-Oppenheimer case; the second one exhibits an avoided crossing which results in a breakdown of the adiabatic approximation. Due to the electronic properties of the system, the quantum dynamics in the two distinct situations is very different. This was illustrated by calculating nuclear and electron densities as a function of time. In the Born-Oppenheimer case, the electron density followed the vibrational motion of the nucleus. This was demonstrated in two examples. In the strongly coupled case the wave packet did not exhibit features caused by nonadiabatic coupling. However, projections of the wave function onto the electronic states revealed the usual picture obtained from solutions of the nuclear Schrödinger equation involving coupled electronic states. In that case the nuclear motion triggered charge transfer via nonadiabatic coupling. The second part of the work demonstrated that the model system can easily be modified to yield binding situations often found in diatomic molecules. The different situations can be characterized in terms of bound and dissociative adiabatic potential curves. The investigation focussed on the case of an electronic predissociation, where the ground state is dissociative in the asymptotic limit of large internuclear distances. Within our model system we were able to demonstrate how the character of the electron density changes during the fragmentation process. In the third part we investigated the influence of external fields on the correlated dynamics of electron and nucleus. Employing adiabatic potential curves, the structure of absorption spectra can be understood within the weak-field limit. In the above described Born-Oppenheimer case the adiabatically calculated spectrum was in very good agreement with the exact one, whereas in the strongly coupled case the obtained spectrum was not able to resemble the exact one. Regarding the dynamics during a laser excitation process the time-dependent electron and nuclear densities nicely illustrated the famous Franck-Condon principle. The interaction with strong laser pulses lead to an excitation of many bound electronic and vibrational states. The electron density reflected the classical-like quiver motion of the electron induced by the fast variations of the electric field. The nucleus did not follow these fast oscillations because of its much larger mass. The last part of the work extended the original model system by including an additional electron. As a consequence of the Pauli principle, the spatial electronic wave function has to be either symmetric or anti-symmetric with respect to exchange of the two electrons. This corresponds to anti-parallel or parallel electron spins, respectively. The extended model already contains the physical properties of a many-electron system. Solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for a typical vibrational wave packet motion clearly indicated that the electron density is no longer suited to “localize” single electrons. We extended the definition of the electron localization function (ELF) to an exact, time-dependent wave function and demonstrated, how the ELF can be used to further characterize a coupled electron and nuclear motion. Finally, we gave an outlook of how to define electron localization in the case of anti-parallel electron spins. We derived a quantity similar to the ELF denoted “anti-parallel spin electron localization function” (ALF) and demonstrated that the ALF allows to follow time-dependent changes of the electron localization in a numerical example. [1] S. Shin, H. Metiu, J. Chem. Phys. 1995, 102, 9285. [2] S. Shin, H. Metiu, J. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 7867.
Natural light harvesting as well as optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices depend on efficient transport of energy following photoexcitation. Using common spectroscopic methods, however, it is challenging to discriminate one-exciton dynamics from multi-exciton interactions that arise when more than one excitation is present in the system. Here we introduce a coherent two-dimensional spectroscopic method that provides a signal only in case that the presence of one exciton influences the behavior of another one. Exemplarily, we monitor exciton diffusion by annihilation in a perylene bisimide-based J-aggregate. We determine quantitatively the exciton diffusion constant from exciton–exciton-interaction 2D spectra and reconstruct the annihilation-free dynamics for large pump powers. The latter enables for ultrafast spectroscopy at much higher intensities than conventionally possible and thus improves signal-to-noise ratios for multichromophore systems; the former recovers spatio–temporal dynamics for a broad range of phenomena in which exciton interactions are present.
We report the synthesis and spectroscopic analysis of RNA containing the barbituric acid merocyanine rBAM2 as a nucleobase surrogate. Incorporation into RNA strands by solid-phase synthesis leads to fluorescence enhancement compared to the free chromophore. In addition, linear absorption studies show the formation of an excitonically coupled H-type dimer in the hybridized duplex. Ultrafast third- and fifth-order transient absorption spectroscopy of this non-fluorescent dimer suggests immediate (sub-200 fs) exciton transfer and annihilation due to the proximity of the rBAM2 units.
In the experiments presented in this work, linear and non-linear femtosecond time-resolved spectrsocopy were applied to investigate the structure-function and functiondynamics relationship in biological and artificially designed systems. The experiments presented in this work utilize femtosecond time-resolved transient absorption and transient grating as well as picosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy to investigate the photophysics and photochemistry of biological photoreceptors and address the light-induced excited-state processes in a particular molecular device that serves as a - structurally - very simple light-harvesting antenna and potentially as a catalysis-switch for the production of hydrogen in solution. The combination of white-light probe transient absorption and coherent transient grating spectroscopies yields spectral information about the excited state absorption in concert with high quality, high signal-to-noise kinetic transients, which allow for precise fitting and therefore very accurate time-constants to be extracted from the data. The use of femtosecond time-resolved transient grating spectroscopy is relatively uncommon in addressing questions concerning the excited-state reaction pathways of complex (biological) systems, and therefore the experiments presented in this work constitute according to the literature the first studies applying this technique to a a metalloporphyrin and an artificial light-harvesting antenna.
The absence of fluorine from most biomolecules renders it an excellent probe for NMR spectroscopy to monitor inhibitor–protein interactions. However, predicting the binding mode of a fluorinated ligand from a chemical shift (or vice versa) has been challenging due to the high electron density of the fluorine atom. Nonetheless, reliable \(^{19}\)F chemical‐shift predictions to deduce ligand‐binding modes hold great potential for in silico drug design. Herein, we present a systematic QM/MM study to predict the \(^{19}\)F NMR chemical shifts of a covalently bound fluorinated inhibitor to the essential oxidoreductase tryparedoxin (Tpx) from African trypanosomes, the causative agent of African sleeping sickness. We include many protein–inhibitor conformations as well as monomeric and dimeric inhibitor–protein complexes, thus rendering it the largest computational study on chemical shifts of \(^{19}\)F nuclei in a biological context to date. Our predicted shifts agree well with those obtained experimentally and pave the way for future work in this area.
Synthese und Charakterisierung von II-VI-Halbleiter-Nanopartikeln in unterschiedlicher Umgebung
(2007)
Gegenstand dieser Arbeit ist die Synthese und Charakterisierung von II-VI-Halbleiter-Nanopartikeln (NP) in unterschiedlicher Umgebung. Aufgrund des großen Oberfläche-zu-Volumen-Verhältnisses werden Partikeleigenschaften stark durch ihre Oberfläche und die Wechselwirkung mit der Umgebung beeinflusst. Zuerst wurden strukturierte CdSe und CdSe/ZnS-Kern-Schale Nanopartikel durch eine organometallische Synthese in koordinierenden Lösungsmitteln hergestellt. Die optischen und elektronischen Eigenschaften wurden mittels Absorptions-(UV/VIS)-, Fluoreszenz- und konfokaler Fluoreszenz-Korrelations-Spektroskopie (FCS) untersucht. Die Ermittlung der Kristallstruktur erfolgte durch hochauflösende Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie (HRTEM) und Röntgenpulverdiffraktometrie (XRD). Die experimentellen XRD Resultate wurden durch Simulationen mittels der Debye-Formel sowie Berechnung einer Paarverteilungsfunktion (PDF) für die verschiedenen Nanopartikel-Modelle ausgewertet. Somit konnten die Partikelgröße, -form und die Kristallstruktur ermittelt werden. Ramanspektroskopische Untersuchungen ergaben Informationen über die Zusammensetzung des anorganischen Partikelkerns sowie seiner stabilisierenden Ligandenhülle. Aufbauend auf diesen Ergebnissen aus unterschiedlichen spektroskopischen und mikroskopischen Methoden konnte ein Struktur-Modell für die Kern-Schale Nanopartikel entwickelt werden. Dabei ist ein prolater wurtzitischer CdSe-Kern mit einer segmentartigen, lückenhaften ZnS-Schale beschichtet, die eine Zinkblende-Struktur aufweist. Zur Untersuchung der Umgebungseffekte wurden die CdSe- und CdSe/ZnS-Halbleiter-NP mit hydrophilen Liganden funktionalisiert, reversibel mit einer Polymerhülle beschichtet sowie kontrolliert in Silica-Kolloide eingebettet (Multikernpartikel). Somit konnten die Nanopartikel in unterschiedlich polaren und apolaren Lösungsmitteln stabilisiert und charakterisiert werden. Im Hinblick auf die Anwendungen von Halbleiter-NP als Marker in den Lebenswissenschaften wurde die Biokompatibilität und die lichtinduzierte Fluoreszenzverstärkung von Polymer-beschichteten II-VI-Halbleiter-NP und CdSe/ZnS-dotierten Silica-Kolloiden in unterschiedlichen Umgebungen untersucht. Mit Hilfe der erhaltenen Resultate ist ein neues qualitatives Modell für die lichtinduzierten Aktivierungs- und Desaktivierungsprozesse in Multikernpartikeln entwickelt worden. Ein weiterer Aspekt dieser Arbeit war die Untersuchung der lokalen elektronischen Struktur von II-VI-Halbleiter-NP in unterschiedlichen Umgebungen durch elementspezifische Anregung mit weicher Röntgenstrahlung. Dazu wurde ein Verfahren weiterentwickelt, das es erlaubt, einzelne gespeicherte feste und flüssige Nanopartikel substratfrei mit Hilfe von Synchrotronstrahlung zu analysieren. Darüber hinaus wurde die Röntgenabsorptionsfeinstruktur von deponierten CdSe/ZnS-dotierten Silica-Kolloiden durch die Messung der röntgenangeregten optischen Fluoreszenz (XEOL) bzw. durch die Bestimmung der totalen Elektronenausbeute (TEY) untersucht.
This thesis is concerned with the development of an on-line in-situ device for a chemical characterisation of flowing aerosols. The thesis describes the principles and most important features of such a system, allowing also on-line measurements using Raman spectroscopy as a diagnostic technique An analysis of the effect of forced oscillations on the motion of the particle dispersed in a gas flow is given in Chapter 2. Also the most important particle parameters are introduced. A review of the particle/fluid interaction in laminar air flows and the response of the particle is presented. In Chapter 3 the behaviour of the particle under different external conditions (ion bombardment and electric fields) is extended. A brief review of the most important particle charging theories (diffusion, field, and alternating potential charging) shows, that the effect of the electrical properties (represented by the dielectric constant) of the particles affects the charging process. A non-contact method for particle charge measurement was also presented. In the second part of the chapter, the interaction between the electric field and the charged particle for the purpose of particle trapping is illustrated. The most common systems like the two or four ring electrodynamic balance and the quadrupole trap are pointed out. In Chapter 4 a short review of the possibility of using scattered light to study aerosol particles is presented. First, the conditions and the facilities of using the Mie theory for particle size and refractive index determination are mentioned, then some features concerning the classical treatment of the Raman effect are presented Supported by the theoretical considerations exposed in Chapter 2, 3, and 4 the construction and the tests of different devices are presented in Chapter 5. Following the goal of the thesis, first an overview of the used materials and methods for particle generation is presented. Then, the constructed charging devices are described (from the mechanical and electrical point of view) and compared by measuring the acquired charge on the particle. Charged particles can be trapped in different containers. Two types of axially symmetric electrodynamic balances (two ring or an extended four ring configuration) were presented. For a deeper understanding these systems were studied using analytic and numerical methods. Considering the presented purpose of the work another type of trapping system has been developed, namely the quadrupole trap. A similar theoretical characterisation (in term’s of Mathieu equation) as for the electrodynamic balance was presented pointing out some specific features of this system. The incoming particle stream will be focused to the centre of the system simultaneously also the applied DC and AC potential onto the tube electrodes, yields a stable trapping of one or more particles. Chapter 6 consists of two parts: the system for single particle and for many particles investigation. The individual devices presented in Chapter 5 are now put together. The first part presents the method and the experimental realisation of a set-up for solid particle injection. In order to suppress the phase injection disadvantage found for the electrodynamic balance a developed program processes the information obtained from a particle cloud through an adequate electronic detection system, and reduces the number of particles until just one single particle is trapped. The method for one particle investigation can be extended for many particles. Using the presented set-up the particles are moved from one quadrupole to another and transformed from a particle cloud to a particle stream. A linearity between an external vertical mounted detector and the formed image of the particle stream on the CCD camera has been observed and used for simultaneous detection of many particles by Raman spectroscopy. For both methods Raman results are presented. One limitation of Raman Spectroscopy is the relatively long integration time needed for adequate signal-to-noise ratio. There are two factors which influence the integration time: first the incident radiation and the detector sensitivity, and second the intensity of the Raman bands. Using a CCD detector, the desired detector sensitivity should be achieved. So, the improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio should be the next goal in the system development. In order to reduce the integration time an optical system including optic fibres and the integration of an FT-Raman module operating in the visible region is planed. The goal of this work was to develop and construct an instrument for on-line in-situ single particle investigation by Raman spectroscopy. With the presented experimental set-up and the developed program the purpose of the work, the on-line in-situ near atmospheric pressure aerosol investigation was achieved. The Raman spectroscopy has been used successfully for a chemical characterisation of the aerosol particles.
Schwingungsspektroskopie ist eine vielseitige spektroskopische Methode, mit der Molekülstrukturen und inter-/intramolekulare Wechselwirkungen untersucht werden können. Sie ist deshalb ein hervorragendes Mittel für die Identifikation von Molekülen. Die vorliegende Arbeit umfasst drei Projekte, in denen Schwingungsspektroskopie angewandt wurde, um reaktive Moleküle und ihre Hochtemperatur-Reaktionsprodukte zu untersuchen:
1. Die Aufklärung der Entstehungsmechanismen von polycyclischen aromatischen Kohlenwasserstoffen (PAKs) in Verbrennungsprozessen ist eines der Hauptanliegen der Verbrennungschemie.
In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde IR/UV-Ion-Dip-Spektroskopie in Verbindung mit DFT-Frequenzrechnungen und FTIR-Messungen angewandt, um Produkte von Radikal-Radikal-Reaktionen in einem Mikroreaktor bei hohen Temperaturen zu identifizieren. Als IR-Laserquelle für die IR/UV-Ion-Dip-Experimente diente der Freie-Elektronen-Laser FELIX (Free-Electron Laser for Infrared eXperiments) in Nijmegen (Niederlande).
In einem Teilprojekt wurde der A 1A´ (S1) <- X 1A´ (S0) Übergang in 1-(Phenylethinyl)naphthalin (1-PEN), einem mutmaßlich verbrennungsrelevanten Molekül, mit [1+1]-REMPI-Spektroskopie untersucht.
2. Die Identifikation von gasförmigen Reaktionsprodukten bei der thermischen Analyse (EGA: Emissionsgasanalyse) kann als komplementäre Methode zur DTA/TG zusätzliche Informationen für die Aufklärung von Reaktionsmechanismen liefern.
Der Aufbau eines elementaren EGA/FTIR-Experiments, basierend auf einer heizbaren IR-Gaszelle, ermöglichte in der vorliegenden Arbeit die Durchführung dynamischer IR-Messungen, mit denen thermische Umsetzungen von Übergangsmetall-Precursorkomplexen zu Koordinationspolymeren untersucht wurden.
3. Die Synthese des ersten bei Raumtemperatur stabilen Diborins, einer Verbindung mit einer Bor-Bor-Dreifachbindung, stellte einen Meilenstein in der elementorganischen Chemie dar. Dies implizierte eine umfassende Untersuchung der Eigenschaften der BB-Bindung und hatte die Synthese einer Reihe ähnlicher Bor-Bor-Mehrfachbindungssysteme mit variierenden Bindungseigenschaften zur Folge.
In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde Raman-Spektroskopie in Verbindung mit DFT-Frequenzrechnungen angewandt, um für diese Bor-Bor-Systeme die strukturellen/elektronischen Eigenschaften der zentralen CBBC-Einheit zu untersuchen.
Derivate von Vinylsulfonen (VS), die zur Klasse der Michael-Akzeptoren gehören, haben sich in den letzten Jahren als potente irreversible Inhibitoren von Cystein-Proteasen etabliert. Durch einen nucleophilen Angriff des Cys-Restes im aktiven Zentrum der Protease auf das beta-Kohlenstoffatom der C-C-Doppelbindung wird die Protease irreversibel alkyliert. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, einfache theoretische und experimentelle Methoden zu entwickeln, um erste Schlussfolgerungen hinsichtlich der Reaktivität unterschiedlicher Vinylsulfone ziehen zu können, die zur vollständigen Aufklärung der Struktur-Wirkungsbeziehung von Vinylsulfonen mit diversen Cystein-Proteasen dienen. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit wurden quantenmechanische Rechnungen an kleinen Vinylsulfon-Bausteinen angestellt, um den Einfluss unterschiedlicher Substitutionsmuster an der Sulfoneinheit auf die Reaktionskinetik von Vinylsulfonen zu untersuchen. Anhand der jeweiligen Potentialflächen ließen sich die charakteristischen Punkte der Reaktion, wie der Reaktionskomplex, der Übergangszustand (transition state, TS) sowie das Produkt mitsamt ihren Energien und Geometrien bestimmen. Die Höhe der Energiebarriere, die zum Erreichen des TS überwunden werden muss, die sogenannte Aktiverungsenergie, hängt über die Arrhenius-Gleichung mit den kinetischen Parametern der Reaktion zusammen. Es lässt sich also durch die Kenntnis der Aktivierungsenergien die Reaktivitätsreihenfolge unterschiedlich substituierter Vinylsulfone VS vorhersagen. Im zweiten Teil dieser Arbeit wurden Vinylsulfonbausteine synthetisiert und an separat hergestellte Peptide gekuppelt, sodass potentielle Inhibitoren erhalten wurden. So konnten u.a. die peptidischen Inhibitoren Mu-D-Phe-L-HomoPhe-VS-Me und MP-D-Phe-L-HomoPhe-VS-Me hergestellt werden. Ein zweites Syntheseprojekt beschäftigte sich mit der Kupplung von Peptiden an neue Derivate der trans-Aziridin-2,3-dicarbonsäure. Die synthetisierten Inhibitoren waren Z-Phe-Ala-Azi, Boc-Leu-Pro-Azi und Z-Pro-Leu-Azi. Hierfür wurden die Peptide des Vinylsulfonsprojekts in umgekehrter Aminosäure-Reihenfolge synthetisiert, um sie an die Aziridinbausteine kuppeln zu können. Der dritte Teil der Doktorarbeit befasste sich mit der experimentellen Untersuchung der synthetisierten Vinylsulfonbausteine sowie den erhaltenen peptidischen VS- und Aziridin-basierten Inhibitoren. Es wurden einerseits Enzym-Assays durchgeführt, um die prozentuale Hemmung verschiedener Cystein-Proteasen durch die synthetisierten Moleküle zu messen. Keine der Verbindungen wies jedoch eine signifikannte Hemmung der Proteasen Rhodesain, Falcipain 2 und Cathepsin B auf. Andererseits wurden Modellsysteme entwickelt, um die Kinetik der Reaktionen der Vinylsulfon- und Aziridinbausteine mit einem geeigneten Thiol als Enzym-Imitat zu verfolgen. Ein zielführendes Modell konnte mit Phenylethanthiol in deuteriertem Methanol realisiert werden. Durch Zusatz von NaOH, KOH oder KOtBu konnte zusätzlich die Reaktion mit dem Thiolat untersucht werden. Die Reaktionen wurden sowohl mit IR- als auch NMR-Spektroskopie verfolgt und es wurden die Geschwindigkeitskonstanten 2. Ordnung bestimmt. Auf den ersten Blick konnte mit dem theoretischen Modell der experimentell gefundene Trend nicht vorhergesagt werden. Die Reihenfolge der Sulfonderivate aber, die an der Sulfongruppe ein weiteres Heteroatom tragen, Sulfonester und Sulfonamid, wurde richtig abgeschätzt. Der Unterschied in der Aktivierungsenergie zwischen den Sulfonestern beläuft sich auf 0.7 kcal pro mol. Über die Arrheniusgleichung, ergibt sich bei Annahme desselben Arrhenius-Faktors bei einer Temperatur von 25°C, dass OPhVS um einen Faktor 3 schneller als OMeVS reagieren sollte. Tatsächlich wurde im Experiment ein Faktor von 2.6 gefunden. Aufgrund der unterschiedlichen Substituenten am Stickstoffatom, ist das Amid nicht vollständig mit seinem H-substituierten theoretischen Pendant vergleichbar. Dass das Sulfonamid langsamer als die Sulfonester reagieren, wurde vom theoretischen Modell ebenfalls richtig vorhergesagt.
Pericyclic reactions possess changed reactivities in the excited state compared to the ground state which complement each other, as can be shown by simple frontier molecular orbital analysis. Hence, most molecules that undergo pericyclic reactions feature two different photochemical pathways. In this thesis an investigation of the first nanoseconds after excitation of Diazo Meldrum’s acid (DMA) is presented. The time-resolved absorption change in the mid-infrared spectral region revealed indeed two reaction pathways after excitation of DMA with at least one of them being a pericyclic reaction (a sigmatropic rearrangement). These two pathways most probably start from different electronic states and make the spectroscopy of DMA especially interesting. Femtochemistry also allows the spectroscopy of very short-lived intermediates, which is discussed in context of the sequential mechanism of the Wolff rearrangement of DMA. An interesting application of pericyclic reactions are also molecular photoswitches, i.e. molecules that can be switched by light between two stable states. This work presents a photoswitch on the basis of a 6-pi-electrocyclic reaction, whose reaction dynamics after excitation are unravelled with transient-absorption spectroscopy for both switching directions. The 6-pi-electrocyclic reaction is especially attractive, because of the huge electronic changes and subsequent absorption changes upon switching between the ring-open and ring-closed form. Fulgides, diarlyethenes, maleimides as well as spiropyrans belong to this class of switches. Despite the popularity of spiropyrans, the femtochemistry of the ring-open form (“merocyanine”) is still unknown to a great extent. The experiments in this thesis on this system combined with special modeling algorithms allowed to determine the quantum efficiencies of all reaction pathways of the system, including the ring-closure pathway. With the knowledge of the reaction dynamics, a multipulse control experiment showed that bidirectional full-cycle switching between the two stable states on an ultrafast time scale is possible. Such a controlled ultrafast switching is a process which is inaccessible with conventional light sources and may allow faster switching electronics in the future. Theoretical calculations suggest an enantioselective photochemistry, i.e. to influence the chirality of the emerging molecule with the chirality of the light, a field called “chiral control”. The challenges that need to be overcome to prove a successful chiral control are extremely hard, since enantiosensitive signals, such as circular dichroism, are inherently very small. Hence, chiral control calls for a very sensitive detection as well as an experiment that cancels all effects that may influence the enantiosensitive signal. The first challenge, the sensitive detection, is solved with a polarimeter, which is optimized to be combined with femtosecond spectroscopy. This polarimeter will be an attractive tool for future chiral-control experiments due to its extreme sensitivity. The second challenge, the design of an artefact-free experiment, gives rise to a variety of new questions. The polarization state of the light is the decisive property in such an experiment, because on the one hand the polarization carries the chiral information of the excitation and on the other hand the change of the polarization or the intensity change dependent on the polarization is used as the enantiosensitive probing signal. A new theoretical model presented in this thesis allows to calculate the anisotropic distribution of any given pump-probe experiment in which any pulse can have any polarization state. This allows the design of arbitrary experiments for example polarization shaped pump-probe experiments. Furthermore a setup is presented and simulated that allows the shot-to-shot switching between mirror-images of light polarization states. It can be used either for control experiments in which the sample is excited with mirror-images of the pump polarization or for spectroscopy purposes, such as transient circular dichroism or transient optical rotatory dispersion. The spectroscopic results of this thesis may serve as a basis for these experiments. The parallel and sequential photochemical pathways of DMA and the feasibility of the bidirectional switching of 6,8-dinitro BIPS in a pump–repump experiment on the one hand offer a playground to test the relation of the anisotropy with the polarization of the pump, repump and probe pulse. On the other hand control experiments with varying pump and repump polarization may be able to take influence on the dynamics after excitation. Especially interesting is the combination of the 6,8-dinitro BIPS with the polarization-mirroring setup, because the closed form (spiropyran) is chiral. Perhaps in the future it will be possible to prove a cumulative circular-dichroism effect or even a chiral control with this system.
Describing the light-to-energy conversion in OSCs requires a multiscale understanding of the involved optoelectronic processes, i.e., an understanding from the molecular, intermolecular, and aggregate perspective. This thesis presents such a multiscale description to provide insight into the processes in the vicinity of the organic::organic interface, which are crucial for the overall performance of OSCs. Light absorption, exciton diffusion, photoinduced charge transfer at the donor-acceptor interface, and charge separation are included. In order to establish structure-property relationships, a variety of different molecular p-type semiconductors are combined at the organic donor-acceptor heterojunction with fullerene C60, one of the most common acceptors in OSCs. Starting with a comprehensive analysis of the accuracy of diverse ab initio, DFT, and semiempiric methods for the properties of the individual molecules, the intermolecular, and aggregate/device stage are subsequently addressed. At all stages, both methodological concepts and physical aspects in OSCs are discussed to extend the microscopic understanding of the charge generation processes.
Zur Charakterisierung der Wechselwirkungen zwischen organischen Dispergiermitteln und nanoskaligen Oberflächen stellen Komplexe aus Kohlenstoffnanoröhren und (Bio-)Polymeren aufgrund der großen Oberfläche der Nanoröhren und der kommerziellen Verfügbarkeit fluoreszenzmarkierter DNA-Oligomere unterschiedlicher Länge sowie intrinsisch fluoreszierender Polymere ein vielversprechendes Modellsystem dar. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Dissertation wurden verschiedene Methoden evaluiert, um die Stabilität derartiger Komplexe zu untersuchen und dadurch Rückschlüsse auf das Adsorptionsverhalten der (Bio-)Polymere zu ziehen. Dabei konnte gezeigt werden, dass das publizierte helikale Adsorptionsmodell der DNA auf Kohlenstoffnanoröhren die Resultate der durchgeführten Experimente nur unzureichend beschreiben kann und stattdessen andere Adsorptionskonformationen in Erwägung gezogen werden müssen.
Diplatinum A‐frame complexes with a bridging (di)boron unit in the apex position were synthesized in a single step by the double oxidative addition of dihalo(di)borane precursors at a bis(diphosphine)‐bridged Pt\(^{0}\)\(_{2}\) complex. While structurally analogous to well‐known μ‐borylene complexes, in which delocalized dative three‐center‐two‐electron M‐B‐M bonding prevails, theoretical investigations into the nature of Pt−B bonding in these A‐frame complexes show them to be rare dimetalla(di)boranes displaying two electron‐sharing Pt−B σ‐bonds. This is experimentally reflected in the low kinetic stability of these compounds, which are prone to loss of the (di)boron bridgehead unit.
The studies presented in this thesis deal with resonant and non-resonant excitation of free variable size clusters using synchrotron radiation in the soft X-ray regime. The post collision interaction (PCI) effect is investigated in free variable size krypton and argon clusters near the Kr 3d and Ar 2p ionization energies. The core ionization energies of surface and bulk sites in variable size clusters can be clearly distinguished. This is mostly due to the polarization screening. It is found that the asymmetry, which is a consequence of PCI, is characteristically smaller for clusters than for isolated atoms. Moreover, there is less asymmetry for bulk sites than for surface sites in variable size rare gas clusters. We assign the results in terms of mechanisms that are based on quantum mechanical models of post collision interaction. Complementary experiments on the photoionization of free van der Waals clusters are performed by using zero kinetic energy (ZEKE) photoelectron spectroscopy in the Ar 2p-, Kr 3d-, Ne 1s-, and N2-regimes. The experimental approach is also suitable to detect cluster size dependent changes in electronic structure. This also allows us to study post collision interaction in variable size clusters. The parameters of the PCI profiles deduced for ZEKE experiments indicate that there are no significant changes in core ionization dynamics compared to near-threshold experiments. Results from model calculations in Kr 3d ionization energy indicate that different geometric sites can be clearly distinguished from each other by their substantial shift in Kr 3d ionization energy, though the dimer shows almost the same Kr 3d ionization energy as the free atom. A comparison with the experimental results indicates that there is resemblance with the model calculations, even though close-lying ionization energies are blended and require deconvolutions of the experimental spectra. It is evident from the present work that one can observe distinct shifts in core ionization energies in van der Waals clusters that are formed in wide size distributions of a jet expansion. The emission of ultraviolet fluorescence radiation from variable size argon clusters is investigated with high spectral resolution in the Ar 2p-excitation regime. The fluorescence excitation spectra reveal strong fluorescence intensity in the Ar 2p-continuum, but no evidence for the occurrence of discrete low-lying core-exciton states in the near-edge regime. This finding is different from the absorption and photoionization cross sections of argon clusters and the solid. The dispersed fluorescence shows a broad molecular band centered near 280 nm. The present results are consistent with the formation of singly charged, excited moieties within the clusters, which are assigned as sources of the radiative relaxation in the 280 nm regime. A fast energy transfer process (interatomic Coulombic decay, ICD) is assigned to be primarily the origin of these singly charged, excited cations besides intra-cluster electron impact ionization by Auger electrons. Our findings give possibly the first experimental evidence for ICD in the core level regime. Free, variable size nitrogen clusters are investigated in the N 1s excitation regime in comparison with the free molecule and solid nitrogen. The conversion of Rydberg states into core excitons, surface and bulk, was studied. The experimental results are simulated by ab initio calculations using (N2)13 as a reasonable prototype cluster structure that allows us to simulate both surface and bulk properties in comparison with the isolated molecule. The present results clearly show that there are specific properties, such as molecular orientation, in molecular van der Waals clusters, which do not exist in atomic van der Waals clusters. It is shown that inner and outer surface sites give rise to distinct energy shifts of the low lying surface core excitons.
The thesis contains two major parts. The first part deals with structural investigations on different coordination compounds performed by using infrared absorption and FT-Raman spectroscopy in combination with density functional theory calculations. In the first section of this part the starting materials Ph2P-N(H)SiMe3 and Ph3P=NSiMe3 and their corresponding [(MeSi)2NZnPh2P-NSiMe3]2 and Li(o-C6H4PPh2NSiMe3)]2·Et2O complexes have been investigated in order to determine the influence of the metal coordination on the P–N bond length. In the next section the vibrational spectra of four hexacoordinated silicon(IV) and germanium(IV) complexes with three symmetrical bidentate oxalato(2-) ligands have been elucidated. Kinetic investigations of the hydrolysis of two of them, one with silicon and another one with germanium, have been carried out at room temperature and at different pH values and it was observed that the hydrolysis reaction occurs only for the silicon compound, the fastest reaction taking place at acidic pH. In the last section of this part, the geometric configurations of some hexacoordinated silicon(IV) complexes with three unsymmetrical bidentate hydroximato(2-) ligands have been determined. The second part of the thesis contains vibrational investigations of some biologically active molecules performed by means of Raman spectroscopy together with theoretical simulations. The SER spectra of these molecules at different pH values have also been analysed and the adsorption behaviour on the metal surface as well as the influence of the pH on the molecule-substrate interaction have been established.
Two thematic complexes were addressed within this work. One part is related to improvements and new implementations into the CAST program package. Thereby the main focus laid on the delivery of a tool which can be used to characterize complex reactions and their mechanisms. But also within the new force field (FF) method (SAPT-FF) within the CAST program, several improvements were made. The second topic is related to the description of dye molecules and their spectral properties. The main focus within these studies was set on the influence of the environment on these properties. In the first topic improvements of the local acting NEB (nudged elastic band) methods were included and the number of available methods was extended. The initial pathway generation was improved by implementing the IDPP (image dependent pair potential) method and a new method was implemented for describing temperature dependent pathways. Additionally, improvements have been made to the optimization routines (global NEB). As a second part the Pathopt (PO) method was considerably improved. In the beginning of the work the original PO idea was used. In this approach one starts with a global optimization on one n-1 dimensional hyperplane which divides the reaction into two sub-areas for obtaining guesses of TSs (transition states). These found TS guesses were used to optimize to the ”true” TS. Starting from the optimized ones a relaxation to the next connected minima is done. This idea has been automatically implemented and extended to several number of hyperplanes. In this manner a group of pathsegments is obtained which needs to be connected, but within this work it was realized that such a procedure might be not very efficient. Therefore, a new strategy was implemented which is founded on the same constrained global optimization scheme (MCM) for which the user defines the number of hyperplanes generated. The number of such generated hyperplanes should be large enough
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to describe the space between the concerning reactants in a sufficient way. The found minima are directly used to built up the reaction pathway. For this purpose a RMSD (root mean square deviation) criterion is used to walk along ways of minimal change from one to another hyperplane. To prove the implementations various test calculations were carried out and extensions included to prove the capabilities of the new strategy. Related to these tests a new strategy for applying the move steps in MCM (Monte Carlo with minimization) was realized which is also related to the question of the coordinates representation. We were able to show that the hopping steps in MCM can be improved by applying Cartesian steps in combination of random dihedral moves with respect to the constraint. In this way it was possible to show that a large variety of systems can be treated. An additional chapter shows the improvements of the SAPT-FF implementation and related test cases. It was possible to treat benzene dimer and cluster systems of different sizes consistently also in accordance with high level ab initio based approaches. Furthermore, we showed that the SAPT-FF with the right parameters outperforms the standard AMOEBA implementation which is the basis of the SAPT-FF implementation. In the last three chapters deal with the description of perlyene-based dyes. In the first smaller chapter ground state chemistry description of macro cycles of PBI (perylene bisimide) derivatives were investigated. Therefore, AFM (atomic force microscopy) based pictures were explained within our study. The methods to explain aggregation behavior in dependency of the ring size were MD simulations and configuration studies. The last two chapters deal with opto-electronic or photo-physical properties of PBI and PTCDA (perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride). In detail, we investigated the role of the environment and the aggregate or crystal surrounding by applying different models. In that way implicit and explicit solvation models, the size of aggregates and vibration motions were used. In the case of PBI the recent work is found on preliminary studies related to my bachelor thesis and extends it. It was shown that the direct influence of a polarizable surrounding, as well as explicit inclusion of solvent molecules on the overall description of the excitations and nature of the excited states is weaker as one might expect. However the inclusion of intra-molecular degrees of freedom showed a stronger influence on the state characteristics and can induce a change of the order of states within the dimer picture. For the PTCDA molecule the main focus was set on the description of the absorption spectrum of crystalline thin films. Related to this older works exist which already gave a description and assignment of the absorption band, but are based on different approaches compared to the one used in this work. We used the supermolecule ansatz, whereas the environment and different aggregate sizes were investigated. Within the dimer based approach we were able to show that using continuum solvation (IEFPCM/COSMO) based description for the environment the relative order of states remains unchanged. Similar to the PBI calculations the influence of the vibrational motions /distortions is larger. The simulation of the crystal environment by using QM/MM (quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics) approaches delivered that an asymmetric charge distribution might induce a localization of the excitation and a stronger mixing of states. For obtaining further insights we go beyond the dimer picture and aggregates of different sizes were used, whereas the simulations up to the octadecamer mono- and even dual-layer stack were carried out. Within these calculations it was shown that the H-coupling is dominating over a weaker J-coupling between different stacks. Additionally the calculations based on DFT (density functional theory) and semi-empirics showed that the lowest state in terms of energy are mostly of Frenkel type, whereas the higher lying states are CT ones which mix with embedded Frenkel type states. The first band of the absorption spectrum was explained by inclusion of vibrational motions within the stacks which induce an intensity gain of the first excited state. This intensity was not explainable by using the undistorted stacks. Also relaxations at the crystal surface might play a role, but are experimentally not explainable.
The aim of the present work is the development and implementation of new simulation
possibilities for the CAST program package. Development included, among other
things, the partial parallelization of the already existing force fields, extension of the
treatment of electrostatic interactions and implementation of molecular dynamics and
free energy algorithms.
The most time consuming part of force field calculations is the evaluation of the nonbonded
interactions. The calculation of these interactions has been parallelized and
it could be shown to yield a significant speed up for multi-core calculations compared
to the serial execution on only one CPU. For both, simple energy/gradient as well as
molecular dynamics simulations the computational time could be significantly reduced.
To further increase the performance of calculations employing a cutoff radius, a linkedcell
algorithm was implemented which is able to build up the non-bonded interaction
list up to 7 times faster than the original algorithm.
To provide access to dynamic properties based on the natural time evolution of a system,
a molecular dynamics code has been implemented. The MD implementation features
two integration schemes for the equations of motion which are able to generate stable
trajectories. The basic MD algorithm as described in Section 1.2 leads to the sampling
in the microcanonical (NVE) ensemble. The practical use of NVE simulations is limited
though because it does not correspond to any experimentally realistic situation.
More realistic simulation conditions are found in the isothermal (NVT) and isothermalisobaric
(NPT) ensembles. To generate those ensembles, temperature and pressure
control has been implemented. The temperature can be controlled in two ways: by direct
velocity scaling and by a Nose-Hoover thermostat which produces a real canonical
ensemble. The pressure coupling is realized by implementation of a Berendsen barostat.
The pressure coupling can be used for isotropic or anisotropic box dimensions with the
restriction that the angles of the box need to be 90. A crucial simulation parameter in
MD simulations is the length of the timestep. The timestep is usually in the rang of 1fs.
Increasing the timestep beyond 1fs can lead to unstable trajectories since the fastest
motion in the system, usually the H-X stretch vibration can not be sampled anymore.
A way to allow for bigger timesteps is the use of a constraint algorithm which constrains the H-X bonds to the equilibrium distance. For this the RATTLE algorithm has been
implemented in the CAST program. The velocity Verlet algorithm in combination with
the RATTLE algorithm has been shown to yield stable trajectories for an arbitrary
length of simulation time. In a first application the MD implementation is used in conjunction
with the MOPAC interface for the investigation of PBI sidechains and their
rigidity. The theoretical investigations show a nice agreement with experimentally obtained
results. Based on the MD techniques two algorithms for the determination of free
energy differences have been implemented. The umbrella sampling algorithm can be
used to determine the free energy change along a reaction coordinate based on distances
or dihedral angles. The implementation was tested on the stretching of a deca-L-alanine
and the rotation barrier of butane in vacuum. The results are in nearly perfect agreement
with literature values. For the FEP implementation calculations were performed
for a zero-sum transformation of ethane in explicit solvent, the charging of a sodium
ion in explicit solvent and the transformations of a tripeptide in explicit solvent. All
results are in agreement with benchmark calculations of the NAMD program as well
as literature values. The FEP formalism was then applied to determine the relative
binding free energies between two inhibitors in an inhibitor-protein complex.
Next to force fields, ab-initio methods can be used for simulations and global optimizations.
Since the performance of such methods is usually significantly poorer than force
field applications, the use for global optimizations is limited. Nevertheless significant
progress has been made by porting these codes to GPUs. In order to make use of these
developments a MPI interface has been implemented into CAST for communication
with the DFT code TeraChem. The CAST/TeraChem combination has been tested
on the $H_2 O_{10}$ cluster as well as the polypeptide met-Enkephalin. The pure ab-initio
calculations showed a superior behavior compared to the standard procedure where the
force field results are usually refined using quantum chemical methods.
The thesis consists of two major parts. The first part contains a theoretical-experimental study of confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy on hybrid polymer coatings and an application of this spectroscopic method on PDMS-membranes. The theoretical-experimental study includes the application of a model that describes the influence of the refraction effect on the focus length on confocal Raman experiments, and the development of a new model that additionally takes into account the effect of diffraction on the focus dimensions. A parallel comparison between these two theoretical approaches and experimental data has been also drawn and a better agreement between theory and experiment was observed, when both refraction and diffraction effects were considered. Further, confocal resonance micro-Raman spectroscopy has been applied to characterise the diffusion processes of pharmacologically relevant molecules (b-carotene dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide) through a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-membrane. The diffusion rate as a function of the measurement depth and diffusion time as well as the concentration gradient under a steady flux have been determined. The measurements shown that the confocal micro-Raman technique is a powerful tool to investigate the kinetics of diffusion processes within a membrane before the steady state has been reached. The second part of the thesis contains infrared and Raman spectroscopic studies of copper and iron doped B2O3-Bi2O3 glass systems. These studies were performed to obtain specific data regarding their local structure and the role played by dopant ions on boron and bismuthate units. The changes of B2O3 and Bi2O3 structural units due to the relaxation of the amorphous structure, which was induced in these samples by the thermal treatment, were also evidenced.
The enhancement of electronic and optical properties of semiconductor nanostructures is known as a direct consequence of the spatial confinement of carriers. However, the physics of quantum confinement is still not entirely understood. This work focuses on a qualitative study of quasi-zero dimensional II-VI semiconductor nanostructures (quantum dots QDs). In particular, commercially available as-received and heat treated CdSxSe1-x QDs embedded in a dielectric matrix were investigated by means of linear and nonlinear spectroscopy techniques. Low wavenumber Raman in off-resonance scattering regime was applied in order to obtain key-properties of the nanocrystals, such as the QD's size and the distribution of the QD's size inside the inhomogeneous broadening. Moreover, by careful selection of the polarization geometries, different acoustic vibrational modes could be evidenced. In comparison to the bulk, 3D confinement of carriers leads to modifications in the energy distribution in a QD and as a consequence, the intensity of the acoustical phonons is enhanced. However, only 2 acoustic vibrational modes (labelled l=0 and l=2) are Raman-active, which were selectively excited using linear polarized laser light in parallel- and cross-polarized excitation geometries. The QD's size was determined using the dependence of the frequency of the acoustic vibrational mode on the diameter of the vibrating particle, whereas the QD's size distribution was estimated from the normalized full width at the half of the maximum (FWHM) of the symmetric acoustic vibrational mode. In order to study relaxation mechanisms, which in quantum confined systems occur on a ps time scale, ultrafast spectroscopy techniques using laser pulses in the fs range must be employed. To this purpose, fs-FWM and fs-PPT measurements were performed on CdS0.6Se0.4 QDs of 9.1 nm in diameter, embedded in a glass matrix. The laser pulses employed in these experiments were circularly polarized, careful selection of the polarization geometries making different nonlinear processes available to study. It was shown that the relaxation of polarization selection rules depend strongly on the symmetry of the nanocrystals under discussion. The investigated nanocrystals belong to the symmetry group C2v or lower and their hexagonal crystal shape could be evidenced. The relaxation of selection rules was explained in the framework of the 4-level system, including a ground state, two exciton states and a biexcitons state. The appearance of FWM and PPT signals in forbidden polarization geometries was shown to be due to exciton state splitting due to lowering of the QD’s symmetry and due to the strong Coulomb interaction between carriers belonging to the same nanocrystal. Moreover, the significant difference in the origin of the gratings created by two pulses having the same and opposite polarizations, respectively. The intensity of the FWM signals should be the square of the intensity of the PPT signals and therefore the PPT measurements were employed as a check method for the results yielded by the FWM technique. The efficiency of circularly polarized femtosecond FWM spectroscopy techniques was proved once more in the investigation of heat treated CdSe QDs embedded in a dielectric matrix. The role of non-phonon energy relaxation mechanisms in the exciton ground and excited state of the QDs ensemble was extensively studied. Moreover, the dependence of the crystal shape asymmetry on the particle size and on the growth conditions could be estimated. It was shown, that the most efficient procedure to grow high quality nanocrystals is a longer heat treating at lower temperatures. In this case, the particles have more time to "nucleate" and to adopt a more "symmetric" shape. Further, the relaxation of excitons was extensively investigated. It was shown, that the electron intraband dynamics depend strongly on the Coulomb interaction between electrons and holes. Even at low excitation density, the Auger processes cannot be ignored. Auger autoionization of excitons followed by capture of carriers in surface states and deep traps in the dielectric matrix slow down the exciton relaxation process leading to an exciton lifetime ranging on a ps time scale. The relaxation of excitons from higher lying energy levels occurs also on two paths. At the beginning of the relaxation process (t31 < 400 fs), Auger-like thermalization of carriers is responsible for relaxation of the electron from 1pe into its 1se state, while the hole relaxes rapidly through its dense spectrum of states in the valence band. This process is immediately followed by capturing of carriers in deep traps, situated at the semiconductor-dielectric heterointerface. The traps are a consequence of the QD's asymmetry: the more and the deeper the traps, the higher the asymmetry of the nanocrystals (the band offset  is larger). This work presents a complete characterization of CdSSe QDs embedded in a glass matrix. The most important properties of the nanocrystals like QD's size and size distribution inside the inhomogeneous broadening were determined by means of low wavenumber Raman spectroscopy. In order to draw a full picture of these nanoparticles further complementary nonlinear spectroscopy techniques were used. Invaluable conclusions were available as a result of TI-FWM techniques applied in the framework of transient grating on 3D confined nanocrystals embedded in a glass matrix. The polarized the TI-FWM measurements were successfully performed on different QDs ensembles in order to determine symmetry properties and to describe the ultrafast relaxation mechanisms. This work brings additional contribution concerning the preparation of high quality QDs by presenting the effect of different growth conditions on the QDs symmetry, thus indicating a way for efficient manufacturing of nanocrystals.
In the present report, well-defined WO3 nanorods (NRs) and a rGO–WO\(_3\) composite were successfully synthesized using a one-pot hydrothermal method. The crystal phase, structural morphology, shape, and size of the as-synthesized samples were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. The optical properties of the synthesized samples were investigated by Raman, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy and TEM results validate the formation of WO\(_3\) (NRs) on the rGO sheet. The value of the dielectric constant (ε′) of WO3 NRs and rGO–WO\(_3\) composite is decreased with an increase in frequency. At low frequency (2.5 to 3.5 Hz), the value of ε′ for the rGO–WO3 composite is greater than that of pure WO\(_3\) NRs. This could be due to the fact that the induced charges follow the ac signal. However, at higher frequency (3.4 to 6.0), the value of ε′ for the rGO–WO\(_3\) composite is less compared to that of the pure WO3 NRs. The overall decrease in the value of ε′ could be due to the occurrence of a polarization process at the interface of the rGO sheet and WO3 NRs. Enhanced interfacial polarization in the rGO–WO\(_3\) composite is observed, which may be attributed to the presence of polar functional groups on the rGO sheet. These functional groups trap charge carriers at the interface, resulting in an enhancement of the interfacial polarization. The value of the dielectric modulus is also calculated to further confirm this enhancement. The values of the ac conductivity of the WO\(_3\) NRs and rGO–WO\(_3\) composite were calculated as a function of the frequency. The greater value of the ac conductivity in the rGO–WO\(_3\) composite compared to that of the WO\(_3\) NRs confirms the restoration of the sp:\(^{++}\) network during the in situ synthesis of the rGO–WO\(_3\) composite, which is well supported by the results obtained by Raman spectroscopy.
Radiationless energy transfer is at the core of diverse phenomena, such as light harvesting in photosynthesis\(^1\), energy-transfer-based microspectroscopies\(^2\), nanoscale quantum entanglement\(^3\) and photonic-mode hybridization\(^4\). Typically, the transfer is efficient only for separations that are much shorter than the diffraction limit. This hampers its application in optical communication and quantum information processing, which require spatially selective addressing. Here, we demonstrate highly efficient radiationless coherent energy transfer over a distance of twice the excitation wavelength by combining localized and delocalized\(^5\) plasmonic modes. Analogous to the Tavis-Cummings model, two whispering-gallery-mode antennas\(^6\) placed in the foci of an elliptical plasmonic cavity\(^7\) fabricated from single-crystal gold plates act as a pair of oscillators coupled to a common cavity mode. Time-resolved two-photon photoemission electron microscopy (TR 2P-PEEM) reveals an ultrafast long-range periodic energy transfer in accordance with the simulations. Our observations open perspectives for the optimization and tailoring of mesoscopic energy transfer and long-range quantum emitter coupling.
Optimal open-loop control, i.e. the application of an analytically derived control rule, is demonstrated for nanooptical excitations using polarization-shaped laser pulses. Optimal spatial near-field localization in gold nanoprisms and excitation switching is realized by applying a shift to the relative phase of the two polarization components. The achieved near-field switching confirms theoretical predictions, proves the applicability of predefined control rules in nanooptical light–matter interaction and reveals local mode interference to be an important control mechanism.