Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Vol.104, No.38, 8649-8659, 2000
Structure and dynamics of 9(10H)-acridone and its hydrated clusters. II. Structural characterization of hydrogen-bonding networks
The present paper represents fluorescence-detected infrared measurements of 9(10H)-acridone (AD) and 10 of its fluorescent hydrated clusters, AD-(H2O), (n = 1-5 and more), which have been performed by monitoring the fluorescence from their (1)(pi,pi*) electronic origin transitions reported in paper I. In the n = 1 and 2 clusters, free N-H stretching band has been identified in addition to O-H stretching bands characteristic to water molecules acting as single proton donors. As the next solvation step, the II-bonded O-H stretches are further developed in the red-shifted region and the N-H stretch becomes involved in the hydrogen-bonds for the n = 3-5 clusters. For n greater than or equal to 6, more than one pair of double-donor O-H stretches appear. These spectral features are well correlated to the stepwise evolution in the hydrogen-bonding networks in AD-(H2O)(n), which have been predicted by the (pi,pi*) spectral-shift analysis and DFT calculations presented in paper I: water units are bound to the C=O site for n = I and 2, a single water chain bridges between the C=O and N-H sites above the AD aromatic rings for n = 3-5, and water bridges become branched for n greater than or equal to 6 and probably form three-dimensional cages at higher aggregation levels. Differences in hydrogen-bonding topologies, stabilities, and dynamical behaviors among the conformers are discussed on the basis of the experimental observations, the DFT calculations, and comparison with other hydrated aromatic clusters.