Nonadiabatic ab initio molecular dynamics with PME-ONIOM scheme of photoisomerization reaction between 1,3-cyclohexadiene and 1,3,5-cis-hexatriene in solution phase

- Ultra-fast CHD/HT photoisomerization was simulated in solution for the first time.
- Nonadiabatic ab initio MD simulations were combined with PME-ONIOM scheme.
- The excited state dynamics in S1 and S2 were examined.
- The dynamics was affected by the affinity with solvent in ultra-fast isomerization.
- Lifetimes, product branching ratio and major molecular motions were investigated.

The ultra-fast photoisomerization reactions between 1,3-cyclohexadiene (CHD) and 1,3,5-cis-hexatriene (HT) in both hexane and ethanol solvents were revealed by nonadiabatic ab initio molecular dynamics (AI-MD) with a particle-mesh Ewald summation method and our Own N-layered Integrated molecular Orbital and molecular Mechanics model (PME-ONIOM) scheme. Zhu-Nakamura version trajectory surface hopping method (ZN-TSH) was employed to treat the ultra-fast nonadiabatic decaying process. The results for hexane and ethanol simulations reasonably agree with experimental data. The high nonpolar-nonpolar affinity between CHD and the solvent was observed in hexane solvent, which definitely affected the excited state lifetimes, the product branching ratio of CHD:HT, and solute (CHD) dynamics. In ethanol solvent, however, the CHD solute was isomerized in the solvent cage caused by the first solvation shell. The photochemical dynamics in ethanol solvent results in the similar property to the process appeared in vacuo (isolated CHD dynamics).

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