Spectroscopic signatures and structural motifs in isolated and hydrated xanthine: a computational study

The conformational landscapes of xanthine and its hydrated complex have been investigated by MP2 and DFT methods. The ground state geometry optimization yield five lowest energy conformers of xanth1-(H2O)1 complex at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory for the first time. We investigated the low-lying excited states of bare xanthine by means of coupled cluster singles and approximate doubles (CC2) and TDDFT methods and a satisfactory interpretation of the electronic absorption spectra1 is obtained. The difference between the S0-S1 transition energy due to the most stable and the second most stable stable conformation of xanthine was found to be ~ 859 $\wn$. One striking feature is the coexistence of the blue and red shift of the vertical excitation energy of the optically bright state S1 of xanthine upon forming complex with a water at C2=O and C6=O carbonyl sites, respectively. The lowest singlet $\pi\pi$ excited-state of the xanth1-(H2O)1 complex involving C2=O carbonyl are strongly blue shifted which is in agreement with the result of R2PI spectra of singly hydrated xanthine. While for the most stable and the second most stable xanth1-(H2O)1 complexes involving C6=O carbonyl, the lowest singlet $\pi\pi$ excited-state is red shifted. The effect of hydration on S1 excited state due to bulk water environment was mimicked by a combination of polarizable continuum solvent model (PCM) and conductor like screening model (COSMO), which also shows a blue shift in accordance with the result of electronic absorption spectra in aqueous solution.\footnote{J. Chen and B.Kohler, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2012,14,10677-1068.} This hypsochromic shift, is expected to be the result of the changes in the $\pi$-electron delocalization extent of molecule because of hydrogen bond formation. The optimized structure of xanthine dimer, computed the first time by MP2 and DFT methods. The binding energy of this dimer linked by double N-H…O=C hydrogen bonds was found to be 88 kj/mole at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. Computed IR spectra is found in remarkable agreement with the experiment and the out of phase (C=O)2 stretching mode shows tripling of intensity upon dimerisation. The vertical excitation energy of the optically bright state S1 of xanthine monomer upon forming dimer is shifted towards red as well as blue