Writing 8 notes

#TD-DFT

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August 16, 2026 Chemistry understanding traceable

How the donor closes the gap: para-substituent effects in a minimal push-pull dye

A four-point series of para-X-benzylidenemalononitriles (X = H, F, NH₂, NMe₂) shows how donor strength moves the HOMO and LUMO, and explains why para-fluorine acts as a weak net donor in this minimal push-pull scaffold.

#computational chemistry#frontier orbitals#TD-DFT#push-pull chromophores#Hammett constants
August 16, 2026 Chemistry understanding traceable

How the acceptor closes the gap: acceptor-strength effects in para-methoxy push-pull dyes

A three-point series of para-methoxy push-pull dyes with CN, DCV, and TCF acceptors shows how acceptor strength moves the HOMO and LUMO, and how the HOMO-LUMO gap closes as the acceptor strengthens.

#computational chemistry#frontier orbitals#TD-DFT#push-pull chromophores
August 13, 2026 Chemistry understanding traceable

One dye, one transition: how DCDHF-Me2 earns the two-level picture

The blinking-to-absorption note modeled a fluorescent dye as two levels and named what that hides. Computing the actual excited-state manifold of DCDHF-Me2 — a push-pull dye engineered for single-molecule imaging — gives a sharper answer than we planned. Its visible absorption is essentially one transition, and the rest of the manifold lives in the deep UV; benzene, the dye's own parent ring, shows the opposite arrangement for a reason symmetry makes plain.

#spectroscopy#TD-DFT#excited states#push-pull chromophores#single-molecule spectroscopy#computational chemistry
July 5, 2026 Chemistry

One donor, one acceptor, one new band: push–pull chromophores and charge transfer

Aniline and nitrobenzene each absorb only in the ultraviolet. Bolt the amino donor and the nitro acceptor onto the same ring and a new band appears that neither parent owns — lower in energy and brighter than anything either shows alone. This post computes that emergence with TD-DFT, measures the charge-transfer character directly, and uses it to stress-test two density functionals against a failure mode one of them is famous for.

#quantum chemistry#TD-DFT#charge transfer#push-pull chromophores#UV-Vis#psi4#CAM-B3LYP
March 25, 2025 Chemistry

AI Assisted Computational Tools for TDDFT Analysis of Chromophores Supplemental Information

A suite of Python-based computational tools for efficient geometry optimization, TD-DFT calculations, and spectral visualization of chromophores, providing a systematic approach to predicting electronic transitions and optical properties.

#computational chemistry#excited states#TD-DFT#chromophores#photochemistry
March 25, 2025 Chemistry

AI Assisted Computational Tools for Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory Analysis of Chromophores

A suite of Python-based computational tools for efficient geometry optimization, TD-DFT calculations, and spectral visualization of chromophores, providing a systematic approach to predicting electronic transitions and optical properties.

#computational chemistry#excited states#TD-DFT#chromophores#photochemistry
March 22, 2025 Chemistry

Mathematical Frameworks and Basis Sets in Excited State Calculations

A comprehensive explanation of the mathematical principles underlying excited state calculations, including TD-DFT, EOM-CCSD, ADC, and CASSCF methodologies, as well as detailed discussions on basis set selection, computational considerations, and practical applications.

#quantum chemistry#excited states#TD-DFT#EOM-CCSD#basis sets#ADC#CASSCF#benchmark studies
March 21, 2025 Chemistry

Comparative Analysis of TD-DFT Functionals for Formaldehyde Excited States

A systematic comparison of different DFT functionals for predicting formaldehyde excited states, revealing significant variations in excitation energies and oscillator strengths across methods.

#computational chemistry#excited states#TD-DFT#formaldehyde#photochemistry