Resonance Raman analysis of nonlinear solvent dynamics: Betaine-30 in ethanol

Resonance Raman profiles for 14 vibrational modes of betaine-30 in ethanol at room temperature were measured at wavelengths within the first charge-transfer absorption band. The absorption spectrum and resonance Raman profiles were analyzed using time-dependent theory and a Brownian oscillator model modified to account for nonlinear solvent response; i.e., dependence of the solvent reorganization energy on the electronic state of the solute. As in our previous study of betaine-30 in acetonitrile, the solvent reorganization energy for the excited electronic state, determined from resonance Raman spectroscopy, was found to be smaller than that for the ground electronic state, determined from the absorption spectrum. The mode-dependent internal reorganization energies of betaine-30 in ethanol were found to be slightly larger than those of betaine-30 in acetonitrile. Temperature-dependent solvent reorganization energies for the ground electronic state were determined from analysis of the absorption line shape from 279 to 332 K and were found to decrease with increasing temperature. The influence of hydrogen bonding on the solvent and internal reorganization energy of betaine-30 is considered, and the physical basis for nonlinear solvent response is discussed. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.