Relation between bond-length alternation and second electronic hyperpolarizability of conjugated organic molecules.

Marder, S R; Gorman, C B; Tiemann, B G; Perry, J W; Bourhill, G; Mansour, K · Science · 1993

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The solvent dependence of the second hyperpolarizability, gamma, of a variety of unsaturated organic compounds has been measured by third harmonic generation at 1907 nanometers. It is seen that the measured gamma is a function of solvent polarity. These solvent-dependent hyperpolarizabilities are associated with changes in molecular geometry from a highly bond-length alternated, polyene-like structure for a formyl-substituted compound in non-polar solvents, to a cyanine-like structure, with little bond-length alternation, for a dicyanovinyl-substituted compound in polar solvents. By tuning bond-length alternation, gamma can be optimized in either a positive or negative sense for polymethine dyes of a given conjugation length.