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A family of quinoidal oligothiophenes, from the dimer to the hexamer, with fused bis(butoxymethyl)cyclopentane groups has been extensively investigated by means of electronic and vibrational spectroscopy, electrochemical measurements, and density functional calculations. The latter predict that the electronic ground state always corresponds to a singlet state and that, for the longest oligomers, this state has biradical character that increases with increasing oligomer length. The shortest oligomers display closed-shell quinoidal structures. Calculations also predict the existence of very low energy excited triplet states that can be populated at room temperature. Aromatization of the conjugated carbon backbone is the driving force that determines the increasing biradical character of the ground state and the appearance of low-lying triplet states. UV/Vis, Raman, IR, and electrochemical experiments support the aromatic biradical structures predicted for the ground state of the longest oligomers and reveal that population of the low-lying triplet state accounts for the magnetic activity displayed by these compounds.

A detailed investigation of the optical and electrochemical properties of two pentathienoacene derivatives, 2,6-bis(trimethylsilyl)-alpha-pentathienoacene (TMS-T5-TMS) and 2,6-bis(triisopropylsilyl)-alpha-pentathienoacene (TIPS-T5-TIPS), as the neutral and oxidized species was performed in the temperature range of 80-300 K. The experimental solution UV/Vis and solid-state Raman spectra were interpreted by using time-dependent DFT and DFT quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G** level. Bond lengths, HOMO-LUMO positions, and charge distribution were also predicted by computational methods for both the neutral and oxidized states of each thienoacene. As evidenced by ESR and spectroelectrochemical data, upon oxidation the pentathienoacene derivative with the less sterically hindering trimethylsilyl solubilizing groups, TMS-T5-TMS, undergoes pi dimerization to form [TMS-T5-TMS](2) (2+). In contrast, TIPS-T5-TIPS, with the more bulky triisopropylsilyl solubilizing groups, was oxidized to the radical cation but dimerization was prevented due to steric interactions. These experimental observations are supported by DFT calculations, which were used to investigate [TMS-T5-TMS](2) (2+) and [TIPS-T5-TIPS](2) (2+) pi dimers in the solid state and in solution. The redox potentials and absorption peak locations corresponding to the radical cations and pi dimer of TMS-T5-TMS were identified experimentally.

We have synthesized three new molecules that have three thienylethynyl arms substituting a central benzene core and different electron donor/acceptor groups in the three remaining phenyl positions. The absorption, fluorescence, phosphorescence, and transient triplet-triplet spectra are analyzed in the light of the electronic structure of the ground and excited states obtained from quantum-chemical calculations. From the above, the relevant photophysical data (including quantum yields, lifetimes, and rate constants) could be derived. It was found that the major deactivation pathway is internal conversion, which competes with the fluorescence and intersystem crossing processes. For the three investigated compounds, we provide convincing theoretical support corroborating these findings and further conclusions based on the theoretical information obtained. These molecules are one of the very few cases in which the depolarization ratios, obtained from the NLO optical measurements, clearly reflect the octopolar configuration. Molecular hyperpolarizabilities have been measured and display a typical dependence on the donor-acceptor substitution pattern.

What's your role? New oligothiophene-vinylene compounds have been synthesized to study the role of the conjugated chain in two different cases (see scheme; MV=mixed valence). The electronic and molecular structures were analyzed by means of electronic, X-ray photoelectron, and Raman spectroscopy, together with thermo spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and DFT calculations.New oligothiophene-vinylene compounds have been synthesized in order to study the role of the conjugated chain in two different cases: 1) when push-pull action operates between an electron-donor and an electron-acceptor group at the ends of the thiophene-vinylene conjugated chain, and 2) when mixed-valence action is induced by single oxidation of the same chain functionalized at both terminal positions with ferrocene groups leading to competition between the donor groups. The electronic and molecular structures are analyzed by means of electronic, X-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopies, together with thermospectroscopy, electrochemistry and density functional theory calculations. The cyclic voltammetry processes have been followed by spectrochemistry. It is shown that the radical cation of the diferrocenyl derivative is a class III mixed-valence system (i.e., fully delocalized) according to its Raman spectrum. Moreover, by Raman thermo-spectroscopy the thermal transition of this radical cation from a delocalized (class III, room temperature) to a localized (class II, -160 degrees C) state is scanned. In all cases the Raman study is paralleled by an electronic absorption spectroscopic analysis. Structure-property relationships are proposed for molecules of two important fields of very active research as that of the non-linear optics (i.e., organic optoelectronic) and that of the mixed-valence systems (i.e., charge-transfer processes).

The synthesis, structural, electrochemical, optical, and electronic structure properties of a new azine-thiophene semiconductor family are reported and compared to those of analogous oligothiophenes. The new molecules are: 5,5'-bis(6-(thien-2-yl)pyrimid-4-yl)-2,2'-dithiophene (1), 5,5'-bis(6-(5-hexylthien-2-yl)pyrimid-4-yl)-2,2'-dithiophene (3), and 5,5'-bis(6-(thien-2-yl)pyridazin-3-yl))-2,2'-dithiophene (2). Electrochemical experiments demonstrate that introduction of electron-poor heteroaromatic rings into the oligothiophene core significantly enhances electron affinity. Thin-film transistors were fabricated with these materials and evaluated both in vacuum and in air. We find that although diazine substitution is important in tuning oligothiophene orbital energetics, these oligomers are p-channel semiconductors and the field-effect transistor (FET) charge transport properties are remarkably similar to these of unsubstituted oligothiophenes. The combined computational-experimental analysis of the molecular and thin film properties indicates that these diazine-containing oligothiophenes essentially behave as pi-extended bithiophenes. Interestingly, despite strong intermolecular interactions, high solid-state fluorescence efficiencies are observed for these new derivatives. Such emission characteristics suggest that these materials behave as more extended pi systems, which should be advantageous in light-emitting transistors.

In this article, we present a computational study of the nonlinear optical properties of pyridine-based octupolar molecules in their neutral and fully triprotonated states. The effect of the core substitution and the degree of conjugation with the periphery has been also established and confirms the possibility of fine-tuning the nonlinear optical response. Computations involving the time-dependent density-functional theory approach serve to further explore the existence of excited states with nonzero dipole moment. From these results, the origin of the high second-order nonlinear optical activity upon protonation is addressed.

The Raman spectra of a series of push-pull molecules containing probenzenoid or quinoid spacers which are substituted with 1,3-dithiol-2-ylidene as donor and dicyano-methylene or barbituric acid as acceptors have been analyzed. The experimental spectra have been assigned and interpreted according to density functional theory calculations. Correlations between the Raman spectra of the isolated spacers and of the substituted molecules have been done. Raman bands in the 1620-1560 cm-1 interval provide vibrational markers of the quinoid<-->aromatic structural evolution. This finding is supported by a careful inspection of geometrical parameters, namely, bond length alteration data and particular bond distances. As a result, the peak positions and relative intensities of these Raman features can be used to evaluate the benzenoid character of the spacer as a function of the donor/acceptor substitution pattern. This paper shows that Raman spectroscopy is a powerful spectroscopic tool for the analysis of the conjugational properties (i.e., intramolecular donor-->acceptor charge transfer) of new organic materials.

This paper reports on a combined spectroscopic and density functional theory study on a series of cyclo(diacetylenes-oligothiophenes) with different shapes and dimensions. The case of a macrocycle fragmented by the insertion of Pt metallic atoms is illustrated as well. The analysis covers the neutral and oxidized samples. A full assignment of the spectra has been proposed, supported by BP86/cc-pVDZ theoretical calculations. Ring shape and molecular dimension have been related with the C[Double Bond]CC-C structural parameters and Raman wave numbers. Platinum atom insertion within the acetylene spacer seems to soften ring strain owing to the rupture of the strained circular shape. Oxidation causes an overall downshift of the Raman wave numbers likely due to the skeletal relaxation of CC conjugated path, while the ring shape of each macrocycle is conserved upon oxidation.

A series of tricyanovinyl (TCV)-substituted oligothiophenes was synthesized and investigated with a number of physical methods including UV/Vis, IR, and Raman spectroscopy, nonlinear optical (NLO) measurements, X-ray diffraction, and cyclic voltammetry. Mono- or disubstituted oligomers were prepared by the reaction of tetracyanoethylene with mono- or dilithiated oligomers. The comparative effects of the symmetric and asymmetric substitutions in the electronic and molecular properties have been addressed. These oligomers display dramatic reductions in both their optical and electrochemical band gaps in comparison with unsubstituted molecules. The analysis of the electronic properties of the molecules was assisted by density functional theory calculations, which are in excellent agreement with the experimental data. TCV substitution influences the energies of the frontier orbitals, especially with respect to the stabilization of LUMO orbitals. X-ray structural characterization of a monosubstituted oligomer exhibits pi-stacking with favorable intermolecular interactions. NLO results agree with the role of the intramolecular charge-transfer feature in the asymmetric samples. These results furthermore exalt the role of conformational flexibility in the disubstituted compounds and reveal an unexpected nonlinear optical activity for symmetric molecules. Regarding the electronic structure, the interpretation of the vibrational data reflects the balanced interplay between aromatic and quinoid forms, finely tuned by the chain length and substitution pattern. The electronic and structural properties are consistent with the semiconducting properties exhibited by these materials in thin film transistors (TFTs).

In this work, the interactions between heteroatoms (S, Se, and Te) and conjugated skeletons are analyzed. The study is carried out by using electronic absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies, electrochemistry, vibrational Raman spectroscopy, and theoretical calculations in the framework of DFT and TD-DFT theories. Optical spectra are described in terms of one-electron promotions between orbitals around the energy gap. Electrochemistry, in the framework of the Koopman's approach, is also interpreted. The vibrational Raman spectra are assigned to molecular modes and the evolution changing the heteroatom is addressed and an effective tuning of these properties is found. Part of this modulation is associated with local electronic interactions depending on the relative S, Se, and Te electronegativities. Unconventional long-range heteroatom-heteroatom interactions have been proposed which arise from the existence of effective pi-conjugated channels. The molecular level understanding of structure-property relationships in these organic/inorganic semiconductors are of great interest in the interdisciplinary area of material science.

Herein, a Raman spectroscopic study of a new family of 2,5-di(2-thienyl)phospholes and thienyl-capped 1,1'-diphospholes is presented. The Raman spectra have been carefully assigned with the help of density functional calculations. For di(2-thienyl)phospholes, two well-differentiated groups of Raman bands exist that arise either from the central phosphole ring or from the outer thiophene substituents. These data reveal a segmentation of the electronic structure. This paper reports interesting relationships between geometrical data such as the BLA (bond-length alternation) parameter and Raman band wavenumbers. These correlations are unprecedented in the chemistry of phospholes and have been used to interpret the evolution of the electronic structure (aromaticity=pi-conjugation) upon 1) substitution of the central sulfur atom of terthiophene by phosphorus and 2) P-functionalization. Increasing the coordination number of the phosphole ring results in intramolecular charge transfer. The best scenario for phosphole aromaticity is found for 1,1'-diphospholes.

In this paper, we analyze the degree of intramolecular charge transfer in a push-pull pi-conjugated system, 5-(dimethylamino)-5'-nitro-2,2'-bithiophene, from changes in frequencies and relative intensities of its strongest Raman scatterings in a bunch of solvents with different polarities. Density functional theory (DFT) was used as a support of the experimental study. Solvent effects on the molecular and electronic structures and on the vibrational properties were estimated by performing B3LYP/6-31G calculations within the framework of the polarized continuum model (PCM) developed by Tomasi. Calculations reveal that the molecule is highly polarized in the ground state and behaves as a very efficient photoinduced push-pull system. The polarization of the molecule strongly increases with solvent polarity and determines that the profile of the Raman spectra greatly changes from one solvent to another and in going to the solid. The strongest Raman scattering associated with the nu(sym)(NO(2)) stretching undergoes a downshift of 48 cm(-1) in passing from CCl(4) to the solid. DFT calculations provide a comprehensive interpretation of the evolution of the Raman spectra with solvent polarity.

This paper presents a combined experimental Raman and density functional theory (DFT) study of a series of oligothiophenes with variable pi-core lengths and substituted at the alpha,omega- and beta,beta'-terminal positions with perfluorohexyl, perfluorohexylcarbonyl, perfluoroarene, and cyano groups. The study covers the neutral and the electrochemically oxidized samples. The spectra have been assigned with the help of B3LYP/6-31G** calculations and interpreted by the predictions of effective conjugation coordinate (ECC) theory. Direct relationships between the bond length alternation (BLA) parameters and the Raman wavenumbers of the two most important bands of the spectra have been outlined showing the collective character of their electronic and vibrational properties. It is found that the topology of the thienyl electronic structure is not uniform along the conjugated core with the external rings more aromatic, whereas for the innermost part the pi-electron delocalization is greater and extends with the increment of chain length. Perfluorohexyl substitution finely tunes the electronic properties via negative inductive effects. The beta,beta' isomers exhibit larger conformational distortion, which strongly modifies the mean conjugation length. Oxidation provokes electronic structure quinoidization spreading over the whole system but more marked in the central part of the pi-core. The Raman features associated to quinoidization in the oxidized species have been interpreted in relation to the oligomer core length and the substitution regiochemistry.

In this article, we investigate a series of alpha,omega-dicyano end-capped oligothiophenes NC(C(4)H(2)S)(n)()CN ranging in length from the dimer to the hexamer (n = 2-6), in the neutral state as pure solids, by means of Fourier transform IR and Fourier transform Raman (FT-Raman) spectroscopies. The cyclic voltammetry analysis of the compounds in dichloromethane reveals that most of them show two oxidation and two reduction waves (i.e., a dual or amphoteric electrochemical behavior), associated with the injection of either positive or negative charges into the pi-conjugated system. The doped species are characterized by in situ vis-near-IR and FT-Raman spectrochemistries. Density functional theory calculations have been also performed, at the B3LYP/6-31G level, to assess information about the molecular geometries and vibrational features of the neutral and doped species and about the topologies of the molecular orbitals involved in the main electronic transitions that appear for the neutral forms in the visible spectral region and for the doped species in the near-IR region.

In this paper, we study three symmetrical D-pi-D chromophores containing dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]thiophene (DTT) as the pi-center and various donor end moieties, by means of UV-vis-NIR and FT-Raman spectroscopy and in situ spectroelectrochemistry. The compounds display dual redox properties: all exhibited two oxidations and single stable reduction peaks contrarily to the one or two oxidations and none reduction which could be anticipated in view of their chemical structures. We analyze the possible electronic modulation by the pi-conjugated DTT relay in the redox process and electronic coupling between the two electron donor (D) units attached through conjugation to opposite sides of the pi-linker. To this end, the UV-vis-NIR and FT-Raman spectra of the neutral compounds and of the charged species generated upon in situ p- or n-doping have been recorded and interpreted with the help of Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. The analysis of the peculiar Raman features of these pi-conjugated chromophores is guided by the formalism of the Effective Conjugation Coordinate (ECC) theory. This research shows that the Raman spectroscopic characterization of this type of D-pi-D structures is a powerful tool to derive information about their pi-conjugational properties in the pristine and doped states.

A series of nonlinear optical (NLO) donor-acceptor (D-A) chromophores containing a fused terthiophene, namely dithienothiophene (DTT), as the electron relay, the same donor group, and acceptors of various strengths, has been investigated by means of infrared and Raman spectroscopies, both in the solid state as well as in a variety of solvents, to evaluate the effectiveness of the intramolecular charge transfer from the electron-donor to the electron-acceptor end groups. The Raman spectral profiles of these NLO-phores measured from their dilute solutions have been found to be rather similar to those of the corresponding solids, and thus their intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) shows very little dependence on the solvent polarity. The experimental results obtained for the DTT-containing NLO-phore with a 4-(N,N-dibutylamino)styryl end group as the donor and a 2,2-dicyanoethen-1-yl end group as the acceptor differ from those previously obtained for two parent "push-pull" chromophores with the same D-A pair but built-up around either a bis(3,4-ethylenedioxythienyl) (BEDOT) or a bithienyl (BT) electron relay. Vibrational spectroscopy shows that DTT is significantly more efficient as an electron relay than BT (which has the same number of conjugated C=C bonds) or BEDOT (which can be viewed as a rigidified version of BT on account of noncovalent intramolecular interactions between heteroatoms of adjacent rings). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have also been performed on these NLO-phores to assign their main electronic and vibrational features and to obtain information about their structures. An additional merit of these molecular materials was revealed by the infrared spectra of the DTT-based NLO-phores recorded at different temperatures. Thus, spectra recorded between -170 and 150 degrees C did not show any substantial change, indicating that the materials have a high thermal stability, which is of significance for their use as active components in optoelectronic devices.

Two types of push-pull chromophores built around thiophene-based pi-conjugating spacers rigidified by either covalent bonds or noncovalent intramolecular interactions have been analysed by means of IR and Raman spectroscopical measurements in the solid state as well as in a variety of solvents. Comparison of the Raman features of NLO-phores based on a covalently rigidified dithienylene (DTE) spacer with those of their open chain DTE analogues shows that the bridging of the central double bond of DTE with the nearest beta-positions of the thienyl units through two ethylene bridges significantly improves the intramolecular charge transfer. This also occurs for NLO-phores based on a 2,2'-bi(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (BEDOT) spacer as compared with their corresponding parent compounds based on an unsubstituted bithiophene (BT) spacer. For NLO-phores based on a BEDOT spacer, noncovalent intramolecular interactions between sulfur and oxygen atoms are responsible for the rigidification of the spacer. The Raman spectra of these NLO-phores obtained in the form of solutes in dilute solutions reveal two different behaviours: i) chromophores based on covalently bridged or open chain DTE spacers display Raman spectral profiles in solution quite similar to those of the corresponding solids, with a very little dependence on the polarity of the solvent, while ii) larger spectral changes are noticed for NLO-phores built around BEDOT or BT spacers on going from solids to solutions. In the second case, spectral changes must be ascribed not solely to conformational distortions of the donor and acceptor end groups with respect to the pi-conjugated backbone mean-square-plane (as for the DTE-based NLO-phores) but also to distortions of the thienyl units of the pi-conjugating spacer from coplanarity. The insertion of vinylenic bridges between the thienyl units of the pi-conjugating spacer and between the spacer and the donor and acceptor end groups is a suitable strategy to reach a fairly large intramolecular charge transfer both in polar and nonpolar solvents. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been carried out to assign the relevant electronic and vibrational features and to derive useful information about the molecular structure of these NLO-phores.