Abstract
The absorption spectra and excited state dipole moments of four differently substituted fulvenes have been investigated both experimentally and computationally. The results reveal that the excited state dipole moment of fulvenes reverses in the first excited singlet state when compared to the ground state. The oppositely polarized electron density distributions, which dominate the ground state and the first excited singlet state of fulvenes, respectively, reflect the reversed π-electron counting rules for aromaticity in the two states (4n + 2 vs. 4n, respectively). The results show that substituents indeed influence the polarity of fulvenes in the two states, however, cooperative interactions between the substituents and the fulvene moiety are most pronounced in the ground state.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 28 |
| Pages (from-to) | 12912-12919 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| ISSN | 1463-9076 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 28 Jul 2011 |