Exploring the Mechanisms Behind Non Aromatic Fluorescence with Density Functional Tight Binding Method

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Mirón, Gonzalo Díaz, Lien-Medrano, Carlos R., Banerjee, Debarshi, Morzan, Uriel N., Sentef, Michael A., Gebauer, Ralph, Hassanali, Ali
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Mirón, Gonzalo Díaz
Lien-Medrano, Carlos R.
Banerjee, Debarshi
Morzan, Uriel N.
Sentef, Michael A.
Gebauer, Ralph
Hassanali, Ali
author_facet Mirón, Gonzalo Díaz
Lien-Medrano, Carlos R.
Banerjee, Debarshi
Morzan, Uriel N.
Sentef, Michael A.
Gebauer, Ralph
Hassanali, Ali
contents Recent experimental findings reveal non-conventional fluorescence emission in biological systems devoid of conjugated bonds or aromatic compounds, termed \textit{Non-Aromatic Fluorescence} (NAF). This phenomenon is exclusive to aggregated or solid states, remaining absent in monomeric solutions. Previous studies focused on small model systems in vacuum show that the carbonyl stretching mode along with strong interaction of short hydrogen bonds (SHBs) remain the primary vibrational mode explaining NAF in these systems. In order to simulate larger model systems taking into account the effects of the surrounding environment, in this work we propose using the density functional tight-binding (DFTB) method in combination with non-adiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) and the mixed quantum/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach. We investigate the mechanism behind NAF in the crystal structure of L-pyroglutamine-ammonium, comparing it with the related non-fluorescent amino acid L-glutamine. Our results extend our previous findings to more realistic systems, demonstrating the efficiency and robustness of the proposed DFTB method in the context of NAMD in biological systems. Furthemore, due to its inherent low computational cost, this method allows for a better sampling on the non-radiative events at the conical intersection which is crucial for a complete understanding of this phenomenon. Beyond contributing to the ongoing exploration of NAF, this work paves the way for future application of this method in more complex biological systems such as amyloid aggregates, biomaterials and non-aromatic proteins.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2401_09990
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Exploring the Mechanisms Behind Non Aromatic Fluorescence with Density Functional Tight Binding Method
Mirón, Gonzalo Díaz
Lien-Medrano, Carlos R.
Banerjee, Debarshi
Morzan, Uriel N.
Sentef, Michael A.
Gebauer, Ralph
Hassanali, Ali
Chemical Physics
Recent experimental findings reveal non-conventional fluorescence emission in biological systems devoid of conjugated bonds or aromatic compounds, termed \textit{Non-Aromatic Fluorescence} (NAF). This phenomenon is exclusive to aggregated or solid states, remaining absent in monomeric solutions. Previous studies focused on small model systems in vacuum show that the carbonyl stretching mode along with strong interaction of short hydrogen bonds (SHBs) remain the primary vibrational mode explaining NAF in these systems. In order to simulate larger model systems taking into account the effects of the surrounding environment, in this work we propose using the density functional tight-binding (DFTB) method in combination with non-adiabatic molecular dynamics (NAMD) and the mixed quantum/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach. We investigate the mechanism behind NAF in the crystal structure of L-pyroglutamine-ammonium, comparing it with the related non-fluorescent amino acid L-glutamine. Our results extend our previous findings to more realistic systems, demonstrating the efficiency and robustness of the proposed DFTB method in the context of NAMD in biological systems. Furthemore, due to its inherent low computational cost, this method allows for a better sampling on the non-radiative events at the conical intersection which is crucial for a complete understanding of this phenomenon. Beyond contributing to the ongoing exploration of NAF, this work paves the way for future application of this method in more complex biological systems such as amyloid aggregates, biomaterials and non-aromatic proteins.
title Exploring the Mechanisms Behind Non Aromatic Fluorescence with Density Functional Tight Binding Method
topic Chemical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.09990