Molecules, Vol. 29, Pages 1752: A Portrait of the Chromophore as a Young System & mdash;Quantum-Derived Force Field Unraveling Solvent Reorganization upon Optical Excitation of Cyclocurcumin Derivatives

Molecules, Vol. 29, Pages 1752: A Portrait of the Chromophore as a Young System—Quantum-Derived Force Field Unraveling Solvent Reorganization upon Optical Excitation of Cyclocurcumin Derivatives Molecules doi: 10.3390/molecules29081752 Authors: Raúl Losantos Giacomo Prampolini Antonio Monari The study of fast non-equilibrium solvent relaxation in organic chromophores is still challenging for molecular modeling and simulation approaches, and is often overlooked, even in the case of non-adiabatic dynamics simulations. Yet, especially in the case of photoswitches, the interaction with the environment can strongly modulate the photophysical outcomes. To unravel such a delicate interplay, in the present contribution we resorted to a mixed quantum–classical approach, based on quantum mechanically derived force fields. The main task is to rationalize the solvent reorganization pathways in chromophores derived from cyclocurcumin, which are suitable for light-activated chemotherapy to destabilize cellular lipid membranes. The accurate and reliable decryption delivered by the quantum-derived force fields points to important differences in the solvent’s reorganization, in terms of both structure and time scale evolution.
Source: Molecules - Category: Chemistry Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research