Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), involving reversible electron transfer between a fluorescing S1 state and a magnetically responsive charge-separated (CS) state, constitutes a sensitive probe of the spin-chemical dynamics in the CS state as well as of the local magnetic molecular environment. With (Cl)TAA-mB-PDI and SQA-pB-PDI-featuring a Cl-substituted triarylamine ((Cl)TAA) or a squaraine unit as electron donors, meta-benzene (mB) or para-benzene (pB) bridges, and a perylene diimide (PDI) unit as electron acceptor-we introduce two novel triads with sufficiently small S1-CS energy gaps to enable TADF. Their excited state properties were investigated by femtosecond and nanosecond time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy as well as nanosecond time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy at variable temperatures and in variable magnetic fields. The variable temperature data were used for a full kinetic and thermodynamic characterization of the reversible electron transfer in the excited state. The magnetic-field-dependent kinetic data were thoroughly analyzed using three models of increasing complexity that explicitly include the role of the S1 state: a purely classical model, a mixed quantum - classical model, and a fully quantum-dynamical model. It is shown that the magnetic-field-dependent decay of the total CS state population is well approximated by a mono-exponential function with a magnetic-field-dependent rate constant k CSS(B). Furthermore, the delayed fluorescence proves to be a reliable indicator of the spin-dependent dynamics of the CS state. Together with two structurally related triads lacking TADF, the magnetic field effects of the new systems are placed into a broader framework that categorizes such effects using three characteristic parameters: the resonance field B res = 2J, the resonance line width (fwhm), and the relative magnetically induced kinetic range R k of k CSS(B). We demonstrate how these characteristic parameters depend on the kinetic properties of the systems.

Adiabatic pulses are widely used in magnetic resonance techniques, and their development and refinement remain very relevant. Adiabatic inverting pulses are highly robust for radiofrequency or microwave magnetic field inhomogeneities and enable manipulation of spins over a large frequency range. In this work, new inverting pulses for spin 1/2 are proposed which combine the adiabaticity remaining constant for the single isochromat throughout the pulse and the same adiabaticity for all isochromats in a given bandwidth, but only at the single instant of time when the frequency of the pulse coincides with the frequency of the isochromat. The dependence of inversion performance of these pulses on peak amplitude of RF field, while preserving the pulse shape, is studied. These pulses may be useful for a number of MRI techniques where inverting pulses are an integral part. A comparison with other widely used adiabatic inverting pulses reveals performance improvements, achieving up to 30-40 % enhancement in inversion efficiency.

This study presents a numerical simulation approach to investigate singlet-triplet interconversion effects in organic materials with rigid molecular structures that facilitate the photogeneration of charge-separated (CS) states, such as zwitterions resulting from intramolecular electron transfer. Our approach enables the detailed modeling of electron and nuclear spin-dependent observables, including magnetic field-affected reaction yields (MARY) and chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP). The equilibrium solution of the stochastic Liouville equation can be obtained with simple algebraic manipulation by noting the relationship between the Laplace transform of the density operator and the time-domain representation of the same operator. Experimental MARY and CIDNP data are modeled as functions of key external and internal system parameters, such as magnetic field strength, hyperfine interactions, and exchange couplings. This allows for exploring processes that are otherwise experimentally inaccessible, providing deeper insights into the spin dynamics of the photoinduced CS state. Understanding these interconversion processes is not only essential for the fundamental photochemistry studies but also for the rational design and development of novel organic materials for photovoltaics and photocatalysis. Our results demonstrate the significant impact of singlet-triplet interconversion on the overall efficiency of charge separation and recombination processes, highlighting the importance of spin dynamics in the design of next-generation organic photovoltaic materials.

Four new donor-acceptor dyads, featuring triarylamine donors and perylene diimide acceptors, were synthesized to investigate the influence of the g-tensor on the magnetic field-dependent spin dynamics of the resulting radical pairs. These pairs are characterized by the exchange interaction 2J being larger than the effective isotropic hyperfine coupling aeff. To control the isotropic g-factor and g-tensor anisotropy of the radical anion generated via photoinduced electron transfer, the perylene diimides were functionalized with phenyl chalcogen ethers. In dyads containing oxygen, sulfur, and selenium ether substituents, not only was the characteristic 2J-resonance observed but also a pronounced high-field effect in the charge recombination kinetics, extending up to B = 10 T. Quantum dynamics simulations based on the stochastic Liouville equation revealed that this effect is primarily driven by g-tensor anisotropy-induced relaxation, which increases along the chalcogen ether series. Additionally, we derived an exact analytical solution describing the impact of g-factor differences and g-tensor anisotropy on spin relaxation in the high-field limit. These findings highlight the critical role of g-tensor-induced relaxation in radical pairs at high magnetic fields, offering new insights for the molecular design of materials with potential applications in quantum information science, where incoherent relaxation processes should be avoided.

Volatile metabolites can be lost during the preanalytical stage of metabolomic analysis. This work is aimed at the experimental and theoretical study of mechanisms of volatile substance evaporation and retention in the residues during the drying of extract solutions. We demonstrate that solvent evaporation leads to the unavoidable loss of nondissociating volatile metabolites with low boiling points and high vapor pressures (such as acetone and ethanol). The retention of dissociating volatile compounds (primarily organic acids RH) during the evaporation depends on the presence of buffer salts in solution, which are responsible for maintaining the neutral pH. An acid remains in the solution as long as it is present predominantly in the dissociated R- state. At the very last stage of solvent evaporation, buffer salts precipitate, forming a solid matrix for metabolite trapping in the residue. At the same time, buffer precipitation leads to a decrease of the solution pH, increase of the portion of RH in associated state, and acceleration of RH volatilization. The RH recovery is thus determined by the competition between the solute volatilization in the associated RH form and metabolite trapping in the solid matrix. The retention of volatile acids in the residue after extract drying can be improved either by adding buffer salts to maintain high pH or by incomplete sample drying.

The use of parahydrogen - the isomer of molecular hydrogen with zero nuclear spin - is important for promising and actively developing methods for spin hyperpolarization of nuclei called parahydrogen induced polarization (PHIP). However, the dissolved parahydrogen in PHIP experiments quickly loses its spin order, resulting in the formation of orthohydrogen and reduction of the overall nuclear polarization of the substrate. This process is due to the difference of chemical shifts of hydride protons, as well as spin-spin couplings between nuclei, in the intermediate catalytic complexes, and it has not been rigorously explained so far. We proposed a new experimental technique based on magnetic field cycling for measuring the rate of molecular hydrogen para-ortho conversion in solution and applied it for non-hydrogenative PHIP Signal Amplification By Reversible Exchange (SABRE) experiments. The para-ortho conversion rate was measured over a wide range of magnetic field from 0.5 mT to 9.4 T. It was found that the conversion rate strongly depends on the magnetic field in which the reaction occurs, as well as on the concentrations of reactants. The rate decreases with increasing the concentration of pyridine ligand and increases with increasing the concentration of iridium catalyst. The model, which takes into account the reversible exchange of molecular hydrogen with the catalyst, nuclear spin-spin interaction of hydride protons with nuclei of ligands within catalytic complex and nuclear Zeeman interactions, qualitatively describes the experimental data. Two types of complexes with different spin system symmetry contribute to the molecular hydrogen conversion. In asymmetric complexes possessing hydride protons with different chemical shifts due to the presence of chlorine anion ligand the para-ortho conversion rate increases with magnetic field, while for symmetric complexes this mechanism is not operable. In the magnetic field where level anti-crossing occurs the resonant feature for the rate of para-ortho conversion is found. The results of this work can be utilized for finding the optimal conditions for obtaining the maximum hyperpolarization in the experiments employing parahydrogen.

Based on the (differential) Encounter theory developed in the literature, which describes the change in the internal quantum states of particles encountered in liquid dilute solutions due to stochastic (diffusion) molecular motion, closed kinetic equations for the temporal change in the concentration of free radicals recombining at encounters were obtained. The recombination rates from singlet and triplet states are often different, the recombination products from these states may also be different, i.e., the recombination process is spin-selective. The radical spins experience any quantum spin interactions including Zeeman interaction with external magnetic fields and hyperfine couplings with magnetic nuclei and the processes of longitudinal and transverse spin relaxation. In general, recombination can occur both from singlet and triplet states. The rates of such recombination are not limited by the traditional contact model, implying that recombination occurs only at the radicals contact, and, like any spin interactions, are not assumed to be spherically symmetric. Under these general conditions, an unambiguous relationship has been established between the bulk recombination rate constant and the recombination yields of the corresponding geminate reaction from the singlet and triplet states. In the particular case of the same spatial dependence of the rates of singlet and triplet recombination, the rate constant can be expressed only through the singlet recombination yield for a singlet precursor or through the triplet recombination yield for a triplet precursor, despite the fact that recombination occurs from both spin states. The particular case of spherically symmetric recombination probability of the freely diffusing radical pairs in liquid solution, which is the most common one in the literature, is also considered.

Determining the stability constant of the complex formed by an organic ligand with a protein is the first stage in the screening of new drugs. Nuclear spin long-lived states, in particular the singlet state, can be used to study the reversible binding of ligands to proteins. In a complex with a protein, the spins of the ligand interact with the spins of the protein, the system of protein and ligand nuclei can relax by a dipole-dipole mechanism, and the lifetime of the singlet state is strongly reduced. In this theoretical study, a system of encounter theory equations with the condition of fast relaxation in free protein was solved to determine the lifetime of the LLS in the presence of protein. It was shown that in the limit of fast chemical exchange, the relaxation of the LLS of the ligand nuclei due to dipole interaction with the protein nuclei is reduced to relaxation by the mechanism of dipole interaction with one proton of the protein, which is located at some effective distance from the ligand nuclei. Numerical calculations were made to test the applicability of the approximations used to process the experimental lifetime dependencies on the ligand concentration and external field, and it was shown that these approximations coincide with the limit of fast exchange in strong and weak magnetic fields, but not in the medium field. An analytical expression for the lifetime of the singlet state of ligand nuclei in an arbitrary magnetic field in the absence of protein was obtained.

A series of triads consisting of a triarylamine electron donor and a perylene diimide electron acceptor which were attached to two different wings of a triptycene bridging unit was investigated...

Intramolecular rotations modulate exchange interaction ( J ) as well as electronic couplings through variable π-overlap, affecting the rate constants of photoinduced charge separation and recombination in electron-donor-bridge-acceptor triads.

The influence of magnetic fields on chemical reactions, including biological ones, has been and still is a topical subject in the field of scientific research. Experimentally discovered and theoretically substantiated magnetic and spin effects in chemical radical reactions form the basis of research in the field of spin chemistry. In the present work, the effect of a magnetic field on the rate constant of the bimolecular spin-selective recombination of radicals in the bulk of a solution is considered theoretically for the first time, taking into account the hyperfine interaction of radical spins with their magnetic nuclei. In addition, the paramagnetic relaxation of unpaired spins of the radicals and the non-equality of their g-factors that also influence the recombination process are taken into account. It is found that the reaction rate constant can vary in magnetic field from a few to half a dozen percent, depending on the relative diffusion coefficient of radicals, which is determined by the solution viscosity. It is shown that the consideration of hyperfine interactions gives rise to the presence of resonances in the dependence of the rate constant on the magnetic field. The magnitudes of the magnetic fields of these resonances are determined by the hyperfine coupling constants and difference in the g-factors of the recombining radicals. Analytical expressions for the reaction rate constant of the bulk recombination for magnetic fields larger than hfi (hyperfine interaction) constants are obtained. In general, it is shown for the first time that accounting for hyperfine interactions of radical spins with magnetic nuclei significantly affects the dependence of the reaction rate constant of the bulk radical recombination on the magnetic field.

The time-resolved CIDNP method can provide information about degenerate exchange reactions (DEEs) involving short-lived radicals. In the temperature range from 8 to 65 °C, the DEE reactions of the guanosine-5′-monophosphate anion GMP(-H)− with the neutral radical GMP(-H)•, of the N-acetyl tyrosine anion N-AcTyrO− with a neutral radical N-AcTyrO•, and of the tyrosine anion TyrO− with a neutral radical TyrO• were studied. In all the studied cases, the radicals were formed in the reaction of quenching triplet 2,2′-dipyridyl. The reorganization energies were obtained from Arrhenius plots. The rate constant of the reductive electron transfer reaction in the pair GMP(-H)•/TyrO− was determined at T = 25 °C. Rate constants of the GMP(-H)• radical reduction reactions with TyrO− and N-AcTyrO− anions calculated by the Marcus cross-relation differ from the experimental ones by two orders of magnitude. The rate constants of several other electron transfer reactions involving GMP(-H)−/GMP(-H)•, N-AcTyrO−/N-AcTyrO•, and TyrO−/TyrO• pairs calculated by cross-relation agree well with the experimental values. The rate of nuclear paramagnetic relaxation was found for the 3,5 and β-protons of TyrO• and N-AcTyrO•, the 8-proton of GMP(-H)•, and the 3,4-protons of DPH• at each temperature. In all cases, the dependences of the rate of nuclear paramagnetic relaxation on temperature are described by the Arrhenius dependence.

The exact solution was found for inverting pulses with constant adiabaticity for spin ½. The analytical relationship between the time-varying frequency of the microwave resonant field (or RF field in the case of NMR) and its amplitude time dependence such that the adiabaticity parameter remains constant for the single isochromat throughout the pulse is found. Comparison with EPR (hyperbolic tangent)-(hyperbolic secant) pulse method was carried out. On the basis of the analytical solution the pulses with different dependences of the microwave field amplitude conserving the constant adiabaticity have been constructed. The pulses exhibit rather sharp inversion selectivity that can be used in the field of EPR, NMR and MRI.

The effect of ultrahigh magnetic field (UMF; tens of Tesla) on the recombination kinetics of short-lived radicals in the liquid phase is studied. The influence of the well-known radical-pair mechanism of the magnetic field effect (MFE) in radical chemical reactions and the mechanism of equilibrium thermodynamic alignment of spins of the unpaired electrons of the radicals in UMF on the rate of spin-selective radical recombination is considered. For both mechanisms, the recombination rate constants were calculated using the theory of diffusion-controlled reactions in solution. The contributions of the two mechanisms to the experimentally observed MFE in the recombination of NO• radical and the superoxide radical anion affording peroxynitrite in 18 T magnetic field are estimated.

The peer review history for this article is available at https://publons.com/publon/10.1002/mrc.5207.

Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is an important cofactor in many light-sensitive enzymes. The role of the adenine moiety of FAD in light-induced electron transfer was obscured, because it involves an adenine radical, which is short-lived with a weak chromophore. However, an intramolecular electron transfer from adenine to flavin was revealed several years ago by Robert Kaptein by using chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (CIDNP). The question of whether one or two types of biradicals of FAD in aqueous solution are formed stays unresolved so far. In the present work, we revisited the CIDNP study of FAD using a robust mechanical sample shuttling setup covering a wide magnetic field range with sample illumination by a light-emitting diode. Also, a cost efficient fast field cycling apparatus with high spectral resolution detection up to 16.4 T for nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion studies was built based on a 700 MHz NMR spectrometer. Site-specific proton relaxation dispersion data for FAD show a strong restriction of the relative motion of its isoalloxazine and adenine rings with coincident correlation times for adenine, flavin, and their ribityl phosphate linker. This finding is consistent with the assumption that the molecular structure of FAD is rigid and compact. The structure with close proximity of the isoalloxazine and purine moieties is favorable for reversible light-induced intramolecular electron transfer from adenine to triplet excited flavin with formation of a transient spin-correlated triplet biradical F⚫--A⚫+. Spin-selective recombination of the biradical leads to the formation of CIDNP with a common emissive maximum at 4.0 mT detected for adenine and flavin protons. Careful correction of the CIDNP data for relaxation losses during sample shuttling shows that only a single maximum of CIDNP is formed in the magnetic field range from 0.1 mT to 9 T; thus, only one type of FAD biradical is detectable. Modeling of the CIDNP field dependence provides good agreement with the experimental data for a normal distance distribution between the two radical centers around 0.89 nm and an effective electron exchange interaction of -2.0 mT.

A detailed experimental study on reversible photo-induced intramolecular charge separation is presented based on nuclear magnetic resonance detection of chemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization. From variation of such polarization with the external magnetic field, the coupling constants of isotropic and anisotropic hyperfine interactions at individual 13C sites are measured in the short-lived charge separated state of dyad molecules composed of donor-bridge-acceptor parts. The objects of study were rigid donor-bridge-acceptor dyads, consisting of triarylamine as a donor, naphthalene diimide as an acceptor, and a meta-conjugated diethynylbenzene fragment as a bridge. By systematic variation of side groups in the bridging moiety, their influence on the electron withdrawing strength is traced. In combination with similar data for the 1H positions obtained previously for the same compounds [I. Zhukov et al., J. Chem. Phys. 152, 014203 (2020)], our results provide a reliable basis for the determination of the spin density distribution in the charge separated state of such dyads.

Spin quantum beats prove the quantum nature of reactions involving radical pairs, the key species of spin chemistry. However, such quantum beats remain hidden to transient absorption–based optical observation because the spin hardly affects the absorption properties of the radical pairs. We succeed in demonstrating such quantum beats in the photoinduced charge-separated state (CSS) of an electron donor–acceptor dyad by using two laser pulses—one for pumping the sample and another one, with variable delay, for further exciting the CSS to a higher electronic state, wherein ultrafast recombination to distinct, optically detectable products of singlet or triplet multiplicity occurs. This represents a spin quantum measurement of the spin state of the CSS at the time instant of the second (push) pulse.