Search

Polarized aluminum K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy and first-principles calculations were used to probe electronic structure in a series of (BDI)Al, (BDI)AlX2, and (BDI)AlR2 coordination compounds (X = F, Cl, I; R = H, Me; BDI = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl-β-diketiminate). Spectral interpretations were guided by examination of the calculated transition energies and polarization-dependent oscillator strengths, which agreed well with the XANES spectroscopy measurements. Pre-edge features were assigned to transitions associated with the Al 3p orbitals involved in metal-ligand bonding. Qualitative trends in Al 1s core energy and valence orbital occupation were established through a systematic comparison of excited states derived from Al 3p orbitals with similar symmetries in a molecular orbital framework. These trends suggested that the higher transition energies observed for (BDI)AlX2 systems with more electronegative X(1-) ligands could be ascribed to a decrease in electron density around the aluminum atom, which causes an increase in the attractive potential of the Al nucleus and concomitant increase in the binding energy of the Al 1s core orbitals. For (BDI)Al and (BDI)AlH2 the experimental Al K-edge XANES spectra and spectra calculated using the eXcited electron and Core-Hole (XCH) approach had nearly identical energies for transitions to final state orbitals of similar composition and symmetry. These results implied that the charge distributions about the aluminum atoms in (BDI)Al and (BDI)AlH2 are similar relative to the (BDI)AlX2 and (BDI)AlMe2 compounds, despite having different formal oxidation states of +1 and +3, respectively. However, (BDI)Al was unique in that it exhibited a low-energy feature that was attributed to transitions into a low-lying p-orbital of b1 symmetry that is localized on Al and orthogonal to the (BDI)Al plane. The presence of this low-energy unoccupied molecular orbital on electron-rich (BDI)Al distinguishes its valence electronic structure from that of the formally trivalent compounds (BDI)AlX2 and (BDI)AlR2. The work shows that Al K-edge XANES spectroscopy can be used to provide valuable insight into electronic structure and reactivity relationships for main-group coordination compounds.

Molecular triplet states constitute a crucial gateway in the photochemical reactions of organic molecules by serving as a reservoir for the excess electronic energy. Here, we report the remarkable sensitivity of soft X-ray transient absorption spectroscopy for following the intricate electronic structure changes accompanying the non-adiabatic transition of an excited molecule from the singlet to the triplet manifold. Core-level X-ray spectroscopy at the carbon-1s K-edge (284 eV) is applied to identify the role of the triplet state (T 1 , 3 ππ*) in the ultraviolet-induced photochemistry of pentane-2,4-dione (acetylacetone, AcAc). The excited-state dynamics initiated at 266 nm ( 1 ππ*, S 2 ) is investigated with element- and site-specificity using broadband soft X-ray pulses produced by high harmonic generation, in combination with time-dependent density functional theory calculations of the X-ray spectra for the excited electronic singlet and triplet states. The evolution of the core-to-valence resonances at the carbon K-edge establishes an ultrafast population of the T 1 state ( 3 ππ*) in AcAc via intersystem crossing on a 1.5 ± 0.2 ps time scale.

The initial step of photocatalytic water oxidation reaction at the metal oxide/aqueous interface involves intermediates formed by trapping photogenerated, valence band holes on different reactive sites of the oxide surface. In SrTiO 3, these one-electron intermediates are radicals located in Ti-O • (oxyl) and Ti-O • -Ti (bridge) groups arranged perpendicular and parallel to the surface respectively, and form electronic states in the band gap of SrTiO 3 . Using an ultrafast sub band gap probe of 400 nm and white light, we excited transitions between these radical states and the conduction band. By measuring the time evolution of surface reflectivity following the pump pulse of 266 nm light, we determined an initial radical formation time of 1.3 ± 0.2 ps, which is identical to the time to populate the surface with titanium oxyl (Ti-O • ) radicals. The oxyl was separately observed by a subsurface vibration near 800 cm -1 from Ti-O located in the plane right below Ti-O • . Second, a polarized transition optical dipole allows us to assign the 1.3 ps time constant to the production of both O-site radicals. After a 4.5 ps delay, another distinct surface species forms with a time constant of 36 ± 10 ps with a yet undetermined structure. As would be expected, the radicals' decay, specifically probed by the oxyl's subsurface vibration, parallels that of the photocurrent. Our results led us to propose a nonadiabatic kinetic mechanism for generating radicals of the type Ti-O • and Ti-O • -Ti from valence band holes based on their solvation at aqueous interfaces.