Observation of Nuclear Motion during Ultrafast Intramolecular Proton Transfer

Direct Observation of Nuclear Motion during Ultrafast Intramolecular Proton Transfer 

Stefan Lochbrunner, Christian Schriever, and Eberhard Riedie 

The chapter focuses on the ultrafast ESIPT found in molecules containing an H-chelate ring (see Fig. 11.1). We will discuss the spectral features associated with the ESIPT which are observed in experiments with a time resolution down to 30 fs. They are interpreted in terms of a wavepacket motion on an adiabatic potential energy surface connecting the Franck-Condon region of the enol-form with the minimum of the electronically excited keto configuration. The reaction coordinate is reconstructed from the coherently excited vibrational product modes observed in the experiment. Strong evidence is provided that skeletal modes deter- 

Hydrogen-Transfer Reactions. Edited by J. T. Hynes, J. P. Klinman, H. H. Limbach, and R. L. Schowen Copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH Co. KGaA, Weinheim ISBN 978-3-527-30777-7 

The chapter is organized as follows. In the remainder of the introduction the investigated molecular systems are introduced. The experimental section describes a typical pump-probe setup for experiments with a very high time resolution. Then the transient absorption and the contributing processes are discussed. In the fourth section a model of the reaction mechanism is developed from the experimental findings. Then we discuss briefly the situation of parallel reaction channels, and finally the results and conclusion are summarized. 

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I 11 Direct Observation of Nuclear Motion during Ultrafast Intramolecular Proton Transfer n.3.1... 

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