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Title: Nitrile Vibration Reports Induced Electric Field and Delocalization of Electron in the Charge-Transfer State of Aryl Nitriles

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry. A, Molecules, Spectroscopy, Kinetics, Environment, and General Theory

An electric field is created upon photoinduced charge separation in electron donor–acceptor (D–A) molecules. The photophysics of a prototypical D–A molecule, 4-(dimethylamino)-benzonitrile (DMABN), has been under extensive investigation for decades. Here in this paper, by using the framework of the vibrational Stark effect (VSE), we show that the nitrile vibration quantifies a significant induced electric field in the intramolecular charge-transfer state of DMABN. We further demonstrate that such a phenomenon can be observed in a structurally similar aryl nitrile and that the VSE depends on solvent polarity due to dielectric screening. Finally, our current work shows how the superb sensitivity of the nitrile vibration can be used to identify the nature of electron delocalization and quantify the induced electric field in photoinduced charge transfer processes.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012704
OSTI ID:
1473657
Report Number(s):
BNL-209069-2018-JAAM
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry. A, Molecules, Spectroscopy, Kinetics, Environment, and General Theory, Vol. 122, Issue 37; ISSN 1089-5639
Publisher:
American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 8 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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