Preface
This book aims to offer an introduction to photochemistry for students with a
minimal background in physical chemistry and molecular quantum mechanics. The
focus is on the theoretical side and particularly on excited state dynamics. We
describe the main conceptual models of the photochemical and photophysical
processes that are the basis to interpret both the classical steady-state experimental
results (essentially product branching ratios and quantum yields) and the wealth of
information about excited state dynamics revealed in the last decades by
time-resolved spectroscopies. A significant but not major space will be devoted to
the computational techniques offered by quantum chemistry and molecular
dynamics.
The expected readers are students of master and of last year of bachelor courses
in Chemistry or researchers at their first approach to this field. This book differs
from most introductory textbooks in photochemistry in being more theoretically
oriented. The famous textbook by Klessinger and Michl (Excited States and
Photochemistry of Organic Molecules, Wiley, 1995) provides theoretical explanations for many photochemical reactions, focussing on the potential energy surfaces and properties of the excited states. Our book will concentrate more on the
modeling of dynamical aspects, as can be seen from the contents.
Finally, we would like to thank Davide Accomasso, Neus Aguilera Porta, and
Meilani Wibowo who carefully read the manuscript, providing corrections and very
valuable comments.
Pisa, Italy
Maurizio Persico
January 2018
Giovanni Granucci
vii
This book aims to offer an introduction to photochemistry for students with a
minimal background in physical chemistry and molecular quantum mechanics. The
focus is on the theoretical side and particularly on excited state dynamics. We
describe the main conceptual models of the photochemical and photophysical
processes that are the basis to interpret both the classical steady-state experimental
results (essentially product branching ratios and quantum yields) and the wealth of
information about excited state dynamics revealed in the last decades by
time-resolved spectroscopies. A significant but not major space will be devoted to
the computational techniques offered by quantum chemistry and molecular
dynamics.
The expected readers are students of master and of last year of bachelor courses
in Chemistry or researchers at their first approach to this field. This book differs
from most introductory textbooks in photochemistry in being more theoretically
oriented. The famous textbook by Klessinger and Michl (Excited States and
Photochemistry of Organic Molecules, Wiley, 1995) provides theoretical explanations for many photochemical reactions, focussing on the potential energy surfaces and properties of the excited states. Our book will concentrate more on the
modeling of dynamical aspects, as can be seen from the contents.
Finally, we would like to thank Davide Accomasso, Neus Aguilera Porta, and
Meilani Wibowo who carefully read the manuscript, providing corrections and very
valuable comments.
Pisa, Italy
Maurizio Persico
January 2018
Giovanni Granucci
vii