Fluorescence Prediction through Computational Chemistry

With the growing demand for diverse fluorescent dyes, it is imperative to find a more efficient methodology by which to synthesize dyes. Our research group has found a computational method that can efficiently predict the optical properties of a molecule before it is synthesized. By evaluating different semi-empirical methods, we have found a way to predict the fluorescence maxima. With the new ability of Hyperchem 7.5 to geometrically optimize a molecule in an excited state, we can predict not only the absorption maxima, but we can also predict the fluorescence maxima within 25 nm of the actual fluorescence. With this new ability to use computational chemistry to replace the traditional laboratory research, we can remove the tedious process of trial and error, and focus on compounds that have the desired optical properties that we need