GROUND-STATE ANION FORMATION AND PICOSECOND EXCITATION DYNAMICS OF 3-HYDROXYFLAVONE IN FORMAMIDE

The spectroscopic characteristics of 3-hydroxyflavone (3-HF) in formamide are shown to differ from those in other polar and nonpolar solvents. This is attributed to ground state intermolecular solvent-mediated proton transfer that leads to formation of the ground state anion of 3-HF. A study is presented of the picosecond dynamics of the excited state intramolecular proton transfer and the dynamics of the excitation transients of the anionic species of 3-HF. It is shown that in the excited state, intramolecular proton transfer is the dominant process without any apparent intervention of the anionic potential, in contrast to the dominance of anion formation in the ground state for 3-HF in formamide. © 1990.