10254 J. Phys. Chem. B, Vol. 108, No. 29, 2004
Chowdhury et al.
studies is corroborated. A more comprehensive comparison is,
however, required and is currently being undertaken.
Conclusions
Our results are generally consistent with those of previous
3
4-39
workers,
but there are significant discrepancies in the
average solvation times reported for some ionic liquids, most
likely arising from the determination of the longer-lived
dynamics. Solvation times obtained from the spectral-resolution
and the single-wavelength methods are compared. Our stimulated-
emission experiments with sub-picosecond time resolution are
the first to probe directly the initial rapid solvation component
that had been suggested in the earlier studies. They yield a time
constant in the range of 40-70 ps (Figure 5, Table 2).
Nevertheless, fluorescence-upconversion measurements indicate
that the presence of excited-state absorption increases this time
by approximately a factor of 8 from its value as obtained by
monitoring spontaneous emission directly. Consequently, while
stimulated-emission measurements can be useful in indicating
general trends, direct measurements of spontaneous emission
and use of spectral reconstruction methods are required for
quantitative work. These results lead one to inquire into the
nature and the number of the excited states contributing to this
absorption since their presence could profoundly affect the
interpretation of solvation dynamics data. Finally, a comparison
of the solvation times in the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium ionic
liquids with that of butylimidazole itself (and methylimidazole)
leads us to consider the role of the polarizability of the cationic
partner in giving rise to the initial rapid solvation component.
+
-]
6
Figure 10. Solvation correlation functions, CSR(t), for [BMIM ][PF
solid line) and butylimidazole (dashed line). The correlation functions
(
+
-
6
], 0.14 exp-
are well described by the following forms: [BMIM ][PF
-t/7 ps) + 0.86 exp(-t/160 ps); butylimidazole, 0.09 exp(-t/7 ps) +
.91 exp(-t/72 ps). It is likely that the relative amplitude of the short
(
0
component in these correlation functions is reduced with respect to
those obtained from stimulated-emission measurements owing to the
poorer time resolution of ∼1 ps.
scenario is that the cation motions dominate the contribution
of the initial fast relaxation upon excitation. To elucidate the
nature of the fast relaxations, a realistic model of C153 in RTILs
will be needed. Znamenskiy and Kobrak have recently per-
formed molecular dynamics simulations of the dye betaine-30
in [BMIM ][PF6 ]. They obtain radial distribution functions
indicating the proximity of the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium ring
to the dye, which is consistent with our experimental observa-
tions for coumarin.
Analysis Based upon Fluorescence-Upconversion Results.
Finally, we wish to comment on the relative merits of using
stimulated-emission measurements, single-wavelength construc-
tion of C(t), and direct fluorescence measurements. The
comparison provided here, in particular the data presented in
Figures 6-9, indicate that while the stimulated-emission
measurements provide a good qualitative picture of the dynam-
ics, they deviate considerably from the fluorescence-upconver-
sion measurements. We have already noted the discrepancies
in the sub-nanosecond and nanosecond time regimes using
single-wavelength and “complete” spectral data from photon-
counting measurements (Figure 6). The fluorescence-upcon-
version measurements permit us to make this comparison in
the picosecond time regime. Examination of the traces at 480
and 560 nm indicates that there is at least one absorbing species
that contributes to the stimulated-emission signal. In the absence
of absorption, the two techniques should give identical results.
+
- 56
Acknowledgment. D.W.A. was supported by NIH Grant
RO1 GM53825-08. We thank Dr. Ranjan Das for technical
assistance in collecting the fluorescence-upconversion data.
Edward Castner and Mark Maroncelli provided stimulating
comments. We thank the latter for sharing his Kerr-gated
fluorescence data with us before publication.
References and Notes
(
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(
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(
(
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+
-
But in fact, for [BMIM ][PF6 ] and butylimidazole, excited-
state absorption causes the stimulated-emission kinetics at 480
and 560 nm to decay and rise, respectively, slower than those
of their spontaneous-emission counterparts. This translates into
an overestimation of the time scale for solvation by a factor of
(9) Wasserscheid, P.; Keim, W. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2000, 39, 3772.
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(
9
(
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(
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∼
8. Deviations are also apparent for methanol. In particular,
while the fluorescence-upconversion trace in methanol decays
essentially to zero, the stimulated-emission trace levels off at
about 40 ps to a steady-state value of about 20% of the initial
signal intensity, again indicating the presence of one or more
absorbing states.
S. Anal. Chim. Acta 2002, 453, 89.
(15) Grodkowski, J.; Neta, P. J. Phys. Chem. A 2002, 106, 5468.
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(
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+
-
Figure 10 presents the CSR(t) for [BMIM ][PF6 ] and
butylimidazole obtained from the data in Figures 7 and 8,
respectively. These solvation correlation functions can both be
fit to the same initial rapid component of 7 ps, and as such, the
role of the organic cation suggested by the stimulated-emission
(
2
(