Les facteurs de réponse UV-visible sont des éléments clés utilisés en chimie analytique afin d'évaluer les proportions des différents constituants d'un mélange. Particulièrement prisés par le monde de l'industrie, ces facteurs sont le plus souvent difficiles à obtenir, surtout lorsque les composés mis en jeu sont des impuretés difficiles à isoler ou à synthétiser. Dans ce contexte, la chimie théorique, et plus particulièrement la Théorie de la Fonctionnelle de la Densité Dépendant du Temps peut devenir un atout non négligeable, capable d'apporter des réponses en un minimum de temps. Afin de parvenir à ce type d'informations, une étude approfondie de la spectroscopie UV-visible est nécessaire. Cette étude met en lumière les capacités de la TD-DFT à simuler, non seulement la position des bandes d'absorption d'un spectre, mais également à être utilisée pour faire de la quantification de composés. À ce titre, plusieurs nouvelles fonctionnelles de la densité ont ici été développées afin de tenter d'améliorer la précision de la méthode, à la fois d'un point de vue structural, et d'un point de vue de la simulation de propriétés comme les énergies d'excitations. En somme, plusieurs modèles ont été éprouvés, dont certains développés, tous visant principalement à reproduire au mieux la structure parfois complexe des bandes d'absorption d'un spectre UV-visible. Non seulement centrée sur le processus d'absorption, cette étude s'étend également au processus de fluorescence, montrant et démontrant l'utilité de la chimie théorique en science et dans l'industrie.

This thesis presents and uses the techniques of computational chemistry to explore two different processes induced in human skin by ultraviolet light. The first is the transformation of urocanic acid into a immunosuppressing agent, and the other is the enzymatic action of the 8-oxoguanine glycosylase enzyme. The photochemistry of urocanic acid is investigated by time-dependent density functional theory. Vertical absorption spectra of the molecule in different forms and environments is assigned and candidate states for the photochemistry at different wavelengths are identified. Molecular dynamics simulations of urocanic acid in gas phase and aqueous solution reveals considerable flexibility under experimental conditions, particularly for for the cis isomer where competition between intra- and inter-molecular interactions increases flexibility. A model to explain the observed gas phase photochemistry of urocanic acid is developed and it is shown that a reinterpretation in terms of a mixture between isomers significantly enhances the agreement between theory and experiment , and resolves several peculiarities in the spectrum. A model for the photochemistry in the aqueous phase of urocanic acid is then developed, in which two excited states governs the efficiency of photoisomerization. The point of entrance into a conical intersection seam is shown to explain the wavelength dependence of photoisomerization quantum yield. Finally some mechanistic aspects of the DNA repair enzyme 8-oxoguanine glycosylase is investigated with density functional theory. It is found that the critical amino acid of the active site can provide catalytic power in several different manners, and that a recent proposal involving a SN1 type of mechanism seems the most efficient one.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:36:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3320.pdf: 3222328 bytes, checksum: ec733300947b8d1faf9aaf3771257686 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-29 / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / The photochemical and photophysical properties of the cis-[Ru(α-diimine)2(4Apy)2]2+ complexes where 4Apy= 4-aminopyridine, α-diimine = 1,10 -phenanthroline (phen) (1), 4,7 -diphenyl-1,10 -phenanthroline (Ph2phen) (2), 2,2 -bipyridine (bpy) (3) and 4,4 -dimethyl-2,2 -bipyridine (Me2bpy) (4) are reported. The four complexes have been characterized using HPLC, 1H NMR, UV-vis and emission spectroscopy. The Xray structure of complexes 1 and 3 were also obtained. The complexes are thermally stable throughout the course of many hours in non-aqueous and aqueous solution and highly colored. The absorptions are characterized by two broad shoulders for the phen derivatives complexes and one peak and one shoulder for the bpy derivatives. The four complexes show two emissive states at room temperature in fluid solution; their emission lifetimes (Tem) are solvent (CH3CN and DMF), excitation wavelength and α-diimine ligand dependents and are assigned to the population of two different MLCT (3MLCT and 1MLCT) excited states. Upon photolysis in acetonitrile solution, accompanied by spectroscopic techniques (UV-vis, luminescence, 1H NMR, HPLC), these cis-[Ru(α-diimine)2(4Apy)2]2+ complexes undergo 4Apy dissociation to give the mono-acetonitrile complex (for 2, 3 and 4) and the bis-acetonitrile complex (for 1).The substitution quantum yield (Osubs) (Yirr = 420 nm) was high for 1 (0.233) but decreased for complexes 2 (0.044), 3 (0.145) and 4 (0.152); the range of kobs (rate constant for the substitution reaction) values is seven times higher in magnitude from the slowest photochemical reaction 2 to the fastest one 1. Our spectroscopic data show and DFT/TD-DFT calculations confirm that both α-diimine ligand and 4Apy ligands act as a good electron donor ligand. Among the α- diimine ligand studied the phenanthroline is the electron-richest ligand, which behaves as a good α-donor toward the Ru(II) atom in complex 1 compared to Ph2phen, bpy and Me2bpy in complexes 2, 3 and 4 respectively. On the basis of this data is reasonable to assume that the Ru-4Apy bond would make weaker the XVIII ruthenium atom becomes more electron rich favoring its labilization. Indeed, the NBO (Natural Bond Orbital) charge analysis indicate a strong variation of the charge on the ruthenium ion, that is, +0.287 (1), and ~+0.63 in complexes 2, 3 and 4. The negative charge on the phen ligand is also significantly reduced to ~0.12 (1) and slightly reduced ~0.05 in complexes 2, 3 and 4 suggesting a stronger α-donation and weaker back-donation in complex 1 compared to complexes 2, 3 and 4. As a consequence the ligand field of the complex is decreased, which decreases the energy differences between the t2g and eg* of Ru(II). Doing so, the MLCT and MC states will approach increasing the photoreactivity of the complex. The feasibility of 4Apy release in 1 can be explained by the near proximity of the two low lying energy MLCT/MC states at 3.74 eV (demonstrated by TD-DFT calculations) which can be easily populated by light irradiation. This is probably the key of the photodissociation mechanism of 4Apy in this molecule and its derivatives. / Neste trabalho estão descritas as propriedades fotoquímicas e fotofísicas de complexos do tipo cis-[Ru(α-diimina)2(4Apy)2]2+ em que 4Apy = 4-aminopiridina, α- diimina = 1,10 -fenantrolina (phen) (1), 4,7 -difenil-1,10 -fenantrolina (Ph2phen) (2), 2,2 -bipiridina (bpy) (3) e 4,4 -dimetil-2,2 -bipiridina (Me2bpy) (4). Os quatro complexos foram caracterizados utilizando as técnicas espectroscópicas de RMN de 1H, UV-vis, emissão e de HPLC. As estruturas de Raio-X dos complexos 1 e 3 foram obtidas e são descritas. Os quatro complexos são térmicamente estáveis por muitas horas em solução aquosa e não aquosa e são coloridos. Os espectros de absorção eletrônica são caracterizados por dois ombros largos para os complexos derivados do ligante phen e por um pico e um ombro para os complexos derivados do ligante bpy. Os quatro complexos apresentaram dois estados excitados emissivos a temperatura ambiente em solução fluida; os tempos de vida de emissão (Tem) são dependentes do solvente (CH3CN e DMF), do comprimento de onda de excitação e do ligante α-diimina usado e são atribuídos a população de dois estados excitados de MLCT com spins tripleto e singleto (3MLCT e 1MLCT). Os experimentos de fotólise contínua em acetonitrila para os complexos cis-[Ru(α-diimina)2(4Apy)2]2+, acompanhada pelas técnicas espectroscópicas (UV-vis, luminescência, RMN de 1H e HPLC), levaram a dissociação do ligante 4Apy produzindo o complexo monoacetonitrila (para 2, 3 e 4) e o complexo bis-acetonitrila (para 1). O valor obtido para o rendimento quântico de substituição (subs) para irradiação com luz de 420 nm foi significativo para o complexo 1 (0,233), mas diminuiu para os demais complexos: 2 (0,044), 3 (0,145) e 4 (0,152). A análise da cinética da reação fotoquímica mais lenta (complexo 2) para a mais rápida (complexo 1) resulta em um valor de kobs (a constante de velocidade para a reação de fotossubstituição) sete vezes maior para o complexo 1 em relação ao complexo 2. Nossos dados espectroscópicos e os cálculos de DFT/TD-DFT confirmam que ambos os ligantes α-diimina e 4Apy atuam como bons doadores α-. Entre os ligantes XVI α-diimina estudados, o ligante phen é o que apresenta o maior comportamento doador α- para o átomo de Ru (II) (no complexo 1) quando comparado com os outros ligantes Ph2phen, bpy e Me2bpy (nos complexos 2, 3 e 4, respectivamente). Com base nestes dados é razoável supor que quanto maior a densidade eletrônica sobre o Ru(II) mais fraca fica a ligação Ru-4Apy favorecendo a labilização deste ligante. De acordo com estas considerações experimentais e da análise computacional de distribuição de cargas NBO (do inglês, Natural Bond Orbital) sobre o átomo de Ru(II) é alta para o complexo 1 (+0,287) e relativamente baixa para os complexos 2, 3 e 4 (~+0,63). Esta análise mostra também que a carga negativa sobre o ligante phen é significativamente reduzida para ~0,12 (1) e ~0,05 nos complexos 2, 3 e 4 sugerindo, como esperado, uma doação α forte e retro-doação fraca no complexo 1 quando comparado com os outros complexos. Como consequência, o campo ligante do complexo 1 diminui, o que leva a uma diminuição nas diferenças de energia entre os orbitais t2g e eg* do centro metálico de Ru(II). Desta maneira, espera-se que os estados excitados de MLCT e MC se aproximem aumentando a viabilidade de fotolabilização do ligante 4Apy no complexo 1. A liberação do ligante 4Apy em 1 é também demonstrada pela proximidade dos dois estados excitados de menor energia de MLCT/MC a 3,74 eV (demonstrados por cálculos de TD-DFT) os quais podem ser facilmente populados pela absorção de luz visível. Esta é, provavelmente, a chave do mecanismo de fotodissociação do ligante 4Apy no complexo 1 e em seus derivados.

Dans la problématique de l'utilisation de nouvelles énergies non polluantes, l'hydrogène est l'un des principaux carburants verts du futur. Les dérivés d'hydrazine et de borane sont potentiellement intéressants pour le stockage chimique de l'hydrogène. Les complexes entre hydrazines ou nitriles avec des boranes ou des alanes sont à la base de cette étude. Ces composés ont été synthétisés afin d'étudier leur structure électronique avant et après la création de la liaison entre les acides et les bases de Lewis. La spectroscopie photoélectronique à rayonnement UV (UV-SPE) est utilisée comme outil principal de caractérisation fournissant des énergies d'ionisation (IE). L’interprétation des résultats expérimentaux est supportée par des calculs quantiques comme ΔSCF + TD-DFT, OVGF, P3 et SAC-CI. Des simulations et des expériences par Flash Vacuum Thermolysis (FVT) ont été effectuées, portant sur l’élimination d'hydrogène à partir de dérivés d'hydrazine borane. / Within the problematic of the use of new non-polluting energies, hydrogen is one of the main green fuels of the future. Hydrazine borane derivatives are potentially interesting chemical hydrogen storage materials. Complexes between hydrazines or nitriles with boranes or alanes are the basis of this study. These compounds were synthesized in order to study their electronic structure before and after creation of the bond between the Lewis acids and bases. Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UV-PES) is used as a main characterization tool, providing Ionization Energies (IE). The interpretation of the experimental results is supported by Quantum Chemical Calculations as ΔSCF+TD-DFT, OVGF, P3 and SAC-CI methods. Simulations and experiments by Flash Vacuum Thermolysis (FVT) were carried out on hydrogen release from hydrazine borane derivatives.

Le travail présenté dans ce manuscrit est basé sur l’utilisation de la modélisation moléculaire, de la simulation et de la chimie théorique pour l’étude de la photosensibilisation de l’ADN ; c’est à dire l’augmentation de la sensibilité de l’ADN vis-à-vis de la lumière au travers de l’action d’agents photosensibilisants. Premièrement, les voies photophysiques et photochimiques de plusieurs molécules connues telles que nile bleu, nile rouge, BMEMC ou une base modifiée endogène, Pyo, ont été étudiés dans le but de comprendre leurs mécanismes de photosensibilisation. Les phénomènes associés qui ont été mis en évidence sont des transferts d’électrons et d’énergie, la production d’électrons solvatés et l’activation à deux photons. De plus, deux outils pour l’étude des interactions entre les molécules et l’ADN ont été dévellopés; i) un protocole calculatoire capable de fournir l’énergie libre d’interaction de drogues dans leurs poches; ii) un outil basé sur l’hamiltonien semi-empirique de Frenkel qui permet de modéliser le spectre de dichroïsme circulaire électronique de biomacromolécules. Ensuite, les effets de photolésions sur la structure et la flexibilité de l’ADN ont été étudiés ; i.e. les dimères de pyrimidines, la pyrimidine(6-4)pyrimidone (6-4PP) et les clusters de sites abasiques. Finalement, la reconnaissance de brins d’ADN lésés par des protéines de réparation et le rapport avec leurs activités enzymatiques a été analysé. Le lecteur peut se référer à la première partie de ce manuscrit pour une présentation vulgarisée du contexte de ce projet / The work presented in this manuscript is based on the use of molecular modeling, simulation and theoretical chemistry in order to study the photosensitization of DNA; i.e. the enhancement of the sensitivity of DNA to light through the action of a photosensitizing agent. A first aspect has been to study the photophysical and photochemical pathways of several known sensitizers such as nileblue, nilered, BMEMC or an endogenous modified nucleobase, Pyo, in order to understand their mechanisms of photosensitization. The related phenomena that have been observed are electron transfers, triplet-triplet energy transfers, production of solvated electrons and two-photons activations. Moreover, two tools have been developed to study the interaction between photosensitizing agents and DNA; i) a protocol able to provide the binding free energy of drugs in their interaction pockets; ii) a tool based on the semi-empirical Frenkel Hamiltonian to model the electronic circular dichroism of biomacromolecular systems in a straightforward way. Then the effects of photoinduced lesions on the DNA structure and flexibility have been investigated; i.e. cylcopyrimidine dimers (CPD), pyrimidine(6-4)pyrimidone (6-4PP) and cluster abasic sites. Finally the recognition of damaged DNA strands by repair enzymes is presented and the implication on enzymatic activities has been highlighted. The reader can refer to the first section of the manuscript for a popularized presentation of the project context

Au cours des dernières années, l'intérêt pour les complexes métalliques à ligand nitrosyle n'a pas cessé de croître dans les communautés pharmaceutique, chimique et en science des matériaux. Cet intérêt s'explique par leurs uniques propriétés physico-chimiques, plus concrètement par leur réponse aux perturbations lumineuses. Sous irradiation, ces composés sont capables de libérer NO, molécule qui a un rôle important dans le système vasculaire, ainsi que dans d'autres systèmes physiologiques importants. Ce n'est donc pas surprenant que de telles molécules aient attiré l'attention de la communauté médicale par sa potentielle application dans le traitement par photothérapie dynamique de plusieurs maladies tel que le cancer. La libération d'oxyde nitrique peut aussi être contrôlée par des réactions redox sans aucune perturbation électromagnétique. La réduction de la partie M-NO peut déclencher le départ de NO. En effet, les molécules qui présentent des bandes de transfert de charge depuis un ligand vers la partie M-NO dans leurs spectres d'absorption UV-Vis ont des rendements quantiques de photolibération plus élevés que celles qui n'en présentent pas. Ces transferts de charge peuvent être considérés comme une réduction de la partie M-NO. Une autre propriété extraordinaire de ces complexes métalliques à ligand nitrosyle est leur réponse photochromique à l'irradiation électromagnétique. Dans un cristal, le changement de couleur est dû à un réarrangement du ligand NO entre sa forme nitrosyle (lié par l'azote) et sa forme isonitrosyle (lié par l'oxygène). Avec la longueur d'onde appropriée, le sens de la photoisomérisation d'enchainement (aller et retour) peut être contrôlé. Cette caractéristique est vraiment intéressante pour la conception des nouveaux dispositifs optiques de stockage massif. Un des objectifs fondamentaux de cette thèse concerne la modélisation des mécanismes de réactions qui décrivent les phénomènes de photoisomérisation et photolibération de NO dans les complexes de ruthénium à ligand nitrosyle. Pour éclaircir la nature de ces processus, une caractérisation complète des structures électroniques ainsi que des surfaces d'énergie potentielle de l'état fondamental et des états excités de plus basse énergie est nécessaire. Des calculs réalisés avec la Théorie de la Fonctionnelle de la Densité ont permis de rationaliser le mécanisme de photoisomérisation d'enchainement du trans-[RuCl(NO)(py)4]2+, un complexe qui permet d'obtenir un taux de photoconversion (ca. 100%) parmi les plus élevés dans cette famille de complexes. La caractérisation de l'état fondamental singulet et de l'état excité triplet de plus basse énergie ainsi que l'identification de plusieurs croisements ont permis d'établir un mécanisme séquentiel à deux photons, avec un intermédiaire métastable d'hapticité deux. / Over the last few decades, metal-nitrosyl complexes have gained an ever-growing interest among the pharmaceutical, chemical and material-science communities. This interest arises from their unique physicochemical properties, namely their response to light perturbation. Upon light irradiation, these compounds are able to release the nitric oxide radical, a signaling molecule in the vascular and other important physiological systems. It comes as no surprise that molecules with such properties have drawn the attention of the medical community for its potential use in photodynamic therapy treatment of several diseases such as cancer. This liability of nitric oxide can also be controlled with purely chemical redox reactions, with no electromagnetic perturbations. Reduction of the metal-nitrosyl moiety may trigger the cleavage of NO. Indeed, molecules that show charge transfer bands from a ligand to the metal-nitrosyl moiety in their UV-Vis absorption spectra afford photorelease quantum yields orders of magnitude larger than those who do not. This charge transfer may be considered as a M-NO reduction. Another important property shown by these metal-nitrosyl complexes is their extraordinary photochromic response to electromagnetic irradiation. In solid crystals, the changing color is due to a rearrangement of the NO ligand, going back and forth from the nitrosyl (N-bound) to the isonitrosyl (O-bound) forms. With the appropriate wavelength, the direction of the photoinduced linkage isomerization (forward and backwards) can be controlled. This feature is very appealing for the design of new high-capacity optical storage devices. One of the main goals of this PhD is to unravel the photochemical mechanisms behind both the photoisomerization and the photorelease phenomena of ruthenium-nitrosyl complexes. In order to shed some light into these processes, a full characterization of the electronic structures and potential energy surfaces of the ground and lowest excited states is required. Density Functional Theory calculations have proven to be suitable for the rationalization of the full photoinduced linkage isomerization mechanism of the trans-[RuCl(NO)(py)4]2+ molecule, a complex that yields one of the highest photoconversion rates (ca. 100%) observed among this family of complexes. The full characterization of the singlet ground state and of the lowest triplet excited state, as well as the identification of multiple crossings, allowed the establishment of the sequential two-photon absorption mechanism, involving a sideways-bonded metastable state. This predicted mechanistic picture has been confirmed by very recent experimental data.

Les travaux décrits dans cette thèse ont porté sur l'application de méthodes de la chimie quantique à l'étude de différents types et familles de composés chimiques, à savoir, des clusters encapsulant des anions et des complexes inorganiques de métaux de transition. On s'est particulièrement intéressé à la structure géométrique, la structure électronique et aux relations structures-propriétés optiques de systèmes moléculaires stables et bien caractérisés. / The work reported in this manuscript deals with the applications of quantum chemistry tools on several types and families of chemical compounds, i. e., clusters entrapping anions and transition metals inorganic complexes. We have mainly focused our attention on the geometrical structure, the electronic structure and on the relationship between structure and optical properties of stable molecules which have been synthesized and characterized.

Dans cette thèse, les propriétés optiques de biomolécules importantes ont été étudiées en utilisant une approche théorique et, dans un cas, aussi expérimentale. La Théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité (DFT) et la timedependent-DFT (TD-DFT) sont les principales méthodes de chimie quantique utilisées dans cette thèse. Plusieurs spectroscopies ont été étudiées (au niveau théorique et, dans certains cas, également au niveau expérimental) : absorption électronique linéaire (absorption à un photon, OPA) et non-linéaire (absorption à deux ou trois photons, TPA et 3PA), dichroïsme circulaire électronique (DCE) et spectroscopie de fluorescence. Les effets de l’environnement, particulièrement importants dans des systèmes biologiques, ont été pris en compte, pour les propriétés de l’état fondamental et des états excités en utilisant une méthode multi-échelles QM/MM appelée Polarizable Embedding (PE). L’échantillonnage des conformations a été pris en compte avec des simulations de dynamique moléculaire (MD) qui sont basées sur la mécanique classique. Deux thématiques ont été étudiées dans cette thèse : le cholestérol et le design in silico de ses analogues fluorescents ainsi que la caractérisation des coudes de type β dans différentes conformations grâce à la simulation des spectres DCE. La simulation de plus d’une spectroscopie a été importante dans l’étude des états excités du cholestérol dans des solutions organiques. Le design in silico a suggéré un nouveau stérol-polyénique (P-stérol) qui montre despropriétés optiques améliorées pour le mécanisme d’excitation à trois photons par rapport au déhydroergostérol (DHE), une sonde du cholestérol déjà très utilisée. Ce nouveau P-stérol a été suggéré pour la synthèse. L’étude des spectres de DCE des coudes β en différentes conformations a mené une double conclusion : même si deux allures de DCE pour les conformations des coudes β étudiées (4) ont été trouvées (dans la majorité des cas), la spectroscopie de DCE doit toujours être associée à d’autres techniques spectroscopiques dans la caractérisation en solution des coudes β. / In this thesis, the optical properties of important biomolecules were studied using a theoretical approach and, in one case, also an experimental one. Density Functional Theory (DFT) and time-dependent-DFT (TD-DFT), were the principal quantum chemical methods adopted in this thesis.Various spectroscopies were studied (theoretically and, in some cases, also experimentally) : linear (one-photon, OPA) and non-linear (two- and three-photon, TPA and 3PA) electronic absorption, electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and fluorescence spectroscopy. The environment effects, which are particularly important in biological systems, were taken into account, for both ground and excited states properties, using a multiscale QM/MM method called Polarizable Embedding (PE). The sampling of conformations was addressed by Molecular Dynamic (MD) simulations based on classical mechanics. Two topics were studied in this thesis: cholesterol and the in-silico design of its fluorescent analogues, and the characterization of β-turns in different conformations by simulations of their ECD spectra in aqueous solutions. The simulation of more than one spectroscopy resulted to be important when studying the electronic excited states of cholesterol in organic solutions. The in-silico design study suggested a novel polyene-sterol (P-sterol) which shows improved optical properties for the three-photon excitation mechanism with respect to dehydroergosterol (DHE), an already widely used cholesterol probe. This new P-sterol was thus suggested for synthesis. The achievement from the study of ECD spectra for different β-turn conformations is two-fold: even if two ECD patterns for the β-turn conformations studied (4) were found (in most of cases), ECD spectroscopy should be always associated with other spectroscopic techniques when trying to characterize the β-turn conformations in solutions.

This work tries to show the significant competence and functionality of density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) as theoretical approaches, supporting experimental measurements in various fields of physics from astrophysics to surface science, to study the electronic structure and spectroscopic properties of molecules and clusters: Silicon nanocrystals: Due to their optical properties, silicon nanocrystals have attracted considerable attention in astrophysics. In this work, the optical properties of H-passivated silicon nanocrystals are determined by the energetics of the frontier orbitals and their dependence on the deformation in the relaxed excited state, using DFT and TD-DFT. The Jahn-Teller effect in the lowest excited state results in a distortion toward tetragonal symmetry, contributing significantly to the red shift of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra. Therefore, the deformation in the relaxed excited state consists of a symmetry conserving part and of a symmetry-breaking distortion from Td toward D2d. For nanocrystals up to a diameter of 1.5 nm, we project the deformations at the minima of the excited state potential surface onto the different symmetries, allowing for a discrimination of the respective contributions to the total Stokes shift. The results show a quantitative agreement between the TD-DFT calculations of PL gap and the observed PL energies better than 0.2 eV. It is also seen that the large PL linewidth is the fundamental property of each cluster, not of ensemble average over clusters of different size. 2,3-Benzofluorene: We have presented new theoretical results on the absorption spectroscopy of 2,3-benzofluorene (Bzf) for the transition from the ground state, S0, to the first electronically excited singlet state, S1, to support the measurements of S1(1A´) <- S0(1A´) absorption spectrum of jet-cooled Bzf. The potential energy surfaces (PESs) of the S(n=0,1,2) states of Bzf have been investigated with calculations based on DFT and TD-DFT. At the B3LYP/TZ level of theory, TD-DFT does not deliver a realistic difference between the excited S1 and S2 potential energy surfaces, a problem which can be avoided by introducing a reference geometry (q*) where this difference coincides with the observation. In this geometry, an expression for the Herzberg-Teller corrected intensities of the vibronic bands is proposed, allowing a straightforward assignment of the observed a′ modes below 900 cm−1, including realistic calculated intensities. In spite of the difficulties caused by the small energy difference between the S1 and S2 states, we have obtained a reasonable theoretical absorption spectrum based on a TD-DFT approach applied to the slightly modified molecular geometry. Although the agreement between the theoretical and observed spectra is very good only for vibrational modes with frequencies lower than 900 cm−1, we consider our calculations to be the best approach to an ab initio study realized for Bzf until now since only parametrized force fields had been used before. (Ni–, Pd–, Pt–) Phthalocyanine: We studied the HOMO–LUMO gap shrinking in order to investigate the tip-induced polarization in scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) of d8 (Ni, Pd, and Pt) phthalocyanines. By means of DFT, the electronic structure and vibronic properties of single neutral NiPc, PdPc, and PtPc and their singly and doubly ionized cations and anions have been calculated. Interestingly, the position of the HOMO decreases systematically with increasing the atomic number of the central metal atom. The first ionization energies of neutral molecules increase by changing the central metal atom, while the electron affinities remain constant. This causes an increase in the HOMO–LUMO gap. These results show a clear correlation to experimental observations. Furthermore, partitioning of the reorganization energy, corresponding to the photoelectron spectra of the first and second ionizations of studied molecules, into normal mode contributions shows that the major contributions are due to several vibrational modes with a1g symmetry and energies lower than 1600 cm−1. The results reveal that the reorganization energy due to the singly positive ionization in the studied molecules is about one order of magnitude less than other reorganization energies, which makes these metal–phthalocyanines more attractive as electron donor for intramolecular electron transfer in electron acceptor–donor systems.

Actuellement, les photochromes photoréversibles présentent un intérêt important en vue de leurs applications éventuelles comme interrupteurs optiques ou pour le traitement et le stockage de données. L’objectif principal de ce travail de thèse a été d’évaluer les 3-­-(2-­-benzylbenzoyl)-­-4-­-quinolones en tant que système photochromique photoréversible. Afin d’étudier la relation entre la structure chimique et le comportement photochromique de ce système, une série de nouvelles 3-­-(2-­-benzylbenzoyl)-­-4-­-quinolones à substitution variée a été préparée à l’aide de procédures connues ainsi qu’élaborées lors de ce travail. La photoréaction de ces nouveaux molecules étant très complexe, une méthode d’étude a été établie avec des 2-­-benzyl-­-3-­-benzoyl-­-4-­-quinolones photoénolisables au comportement plus simple. Leurs spectres d’absorption modélisés à l’aide de fonctions pekariennes ont été comparés avec les résultats des calculs quantiques. Le mécanisme selon lequel la réaction de décoloration se fait par l’ionisation des photoénols fortement acides via protonation des molécules du solvant a été établi. Enfin, la troisième partie est consacrée à l’étude des nouveaux dérivés de quinolones. D’après l’analyse de leurs spectres d’absorption, ainsi que les résultats des calculs quantiques, nous proposons un mécanisme où le transfert d’hydrogène photo-­-induit conduirait à la formation d’un intermédiaire biradicalaire, capable de se cycliser en dibenzo[b]acrydinones hydroxysubstituées. Un tel mécanisme expliquerait la forte influence qu’ont la nature des substituants en positions 1 et 2, ainsi que la température et la présence d’oxygène sur la régio-­- et stéréo-­-sélectivité de cette photoréaction. / Photoreversible photochromic compounds are currently of considerable interest from the point of view of their potential applications as molecular switches and for data storage and processing. The main target of the present investigation is to evaluate the scope and limitations of 3-­-(2-­-benzylbenzoyl)-­-4-­-quinolones as a photoreversible photochromic system. In order to investigate the relationship between quinolone chemical structures and photochemical behavior, a large series of new 3-­-(2-­-benzylbenzoyl)-­-4-­-quinolones with different substituents has been prepared using known as well as newly elaborated synthetic procedures. In the second part of the work a series of simpler photoenolizable 2-­-benzyl-­-3-­-benzoyl quinolones is studied by the means of fitting their UV-­-Vis absorption spectra and comparison with the results of quantum mechanical calculations at the TD DFT level. It was concluded that the mechanism of the reverse reaction involves ionization of the strongly acidic photoenols via protonation of the solvent molecules. The third part of the work includes investigation of the new quinolone derivatives. From the analyses of their absorption spectra and the results of quantum mechanical calculations, we propose a tentative mechanism, according to which the photoinduced hydrogen transfer yields a biradical, capable of cyclization into the hydroxy substituted dibenzo[b]acrydinones. This mechanism accounts for the observation that the nature of substituents in positions 1 and 2, the temperature and the presence of oxygen strongly affect regio-­- and stereoselectivity of the cyclization.