EXCITED STATE PERTURBATIONS OF 7-AZAINDOLE MEDIATED THROUGH MICRO-SOLVATION.

Abstract

7-azaindole readily forms water clusters when seeded into a molecular beam. Interestingly, the addition of water considerably perturbs the excited state of 7-azaindole: the electronic origin of 7-azaindole(H$_2$O) is shifted drastically to lower energy, ~1290 \wn, relative to the origin of the bare molecule; furthermore, recent evidence indicates that 7-azaindole(H$_2$O) is of \textit{L$_a$} character, contrary to the bare molecule. \textbf{128}, 214311 (2008).} In this work, high resolution electronic spectra of 7-azaindole(H$_2$O) were measured in the presence of an external electric field , as a means to study water induced changes in the electronic distribution of 7-azaindole. Furthermore, the \textit{L$_a$/L$_b$} character of the excited state of 7-azaindole(H$_2$O) was examined by recording similar spectra of isotopically labeled species.