Evidence of coupled photoinduced proton transfer and intramolecular charge transfer reaction in para-N,N-dimethylamino orthohydroxy benzaldehyde: Spectroscopic and theoretical studies

Steady state and time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations have been used to study excited state properties of para-N,N-dimethylamino orthohydroxy benzaldehyde (PDOHBA). Spectral characteristics of PDOHBA support the existence of both donor-acceptor charge transfer (CT) and proton transfer (PT) reaction in the excited state. Structural calculations at Hartree Fock and Density Functional Theory (DFT) levels and theoretical potential energy surfaces (PESs) along the proton transfer and donor twisting coordinates using DFT and Time Dependent Density Functional Theory point towards the possibility of barrierless PT and CT reaction in the first excited state of PDOHBA.