Solvent-mediated vibrational energy relaxation from Vaska's complex adducts in binary solvent mixtures

A vibrational pump-probe and FTIR study was performed on two different adducts of Vaska's complex in two different sets of binary solvent mixtures. The carbonyl vibrational mode in the oxygen adduct exhibits solvatochromic shifts of ∼10 cm^-1 in either benzyl alcohol or chloroform relative to benzene-d₆, whereas this vibration is nearly unchanged for the iodine adduct for the same three solvents. The width and center frequency of the carbonyl stretch for each adduct are compared to its vibrational lifetime in binary mixtures of benzene-d₆ with either benzyl alcohol or chloroform. In neat solvents, the trends in line width, frequency, and vibrational lifetime are consistent for the two adducts, but complex relationships emerge when the trends in each property are compared as a function of mixed solvent composition. ν_CO is more sensitive to the solvation environment around the trans ligand, whereas the line width and lifetime depend on the environment around the CO group itself. The carbonyl frequency and width vary nonlinearly across the two binary solvent series, indicating preferential solvation. In contrast, the vibrational lifetime changes linearly with solvent composition and is correlated with the mole fraction of chloroform but anticorrelated with the mole fraction of benzyl alcohol. The results are explained by differences in the densities of solvent modes that affect intermolecular relaxation of the carbonyl mode.