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Internal conversion is a transition from a higher to a lower electronic state in a molecule or atom.A general and quantitative discussion of intramolecular radiationless transitions is the subject of an article by M. Bixon and J. Jortner (''J. Chem. Phys.'', 48 (2) 715-726 (1968)). It is sometimes called "radiationless de-excitation", because no
Internal conversion is a transition from a higher to a lower electronic state in a molecule or atom.A general and quantitative discussion of intramolecular radiationless transitions is the subject of an article by M. Bixon and J. Jortner (''J. Chem. Phys.'', 48 (2) 715-726 (1968)). It is sometimes called "radiationless de-excitation", because no photon
A photon () is an elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field, including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force. Photons are Massless particle, massless ...
s are emitted. It differs from intersystem crossing Intersystem crossing (ISC) is an isoenergetic radiationless process involving a transition between the two electronic states with different spin multiplicity.
Excited Singlet and Triplet States
When an electron in a molecule with a singlet groun ...
in that, while both are radiationless methods of de-excitation, the molecular spin state for internal conversion remains the same, whereas it changes for intersystem crossing.
The energy of the electronically excited state is given off to vibrational modes of the molecule. The excitation energy is transformed into heat.
Examples
A classic example of this process is thequinine
Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to '' Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg ...
sulfate fluorescence
Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, the emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore a lower photon energy, ...
, which can be quenched
In materials science, quenching is the rapid cooling of a workpiece in water, oil, polymer, air, or other fluids to obtain certain material properties. A type of heat treating, quenching prevents undesired low-temperature processes, such as ...
by the use of various halide
In chemistry, a halide (rarely halogenide) is a binary chemical compound, of which one part is a halogen atom and the other part is an element or radical that is less electronegative (or more electropositive) than the halogen, to make a f ...
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quanti ...
s. The excited molecule can de-excite by increasing the thermal energy of the surrounding solvated ions.
Several natural molecules perform a fast internal conversion. This ability to transform the excitation energy of photon into heat can be a crucial property for photoprotection by molecules such as melanin
Melanin (; from el, μέλας, melas, black, dark) is a broad term for a group of natural pigments found in most organisms. Eumelanin is produced through a multistage chemical process known as melanogenesis, where the oxidation of the amin ...
. Fast internal conversion reduces the excited state lifetime, and thereby prevents bimolecular reactions. Bimolecular electron transfer always produces a reactive chemical species, free radicals
In chemistry, a radical, also known as a free radical, is an atom, molecule, or ion that has at least one unpaired valence electron.
With some exceptions, these unpaired electrons make radicals highly chemically reactive. Many radicals spon ...
. Nucleic acids (precisely the single, free nucleotides, not those bound in a DNA/RNA strand) have an extremely short lifetime due to a fast internal conversion.
Both melanin and DNA have some of the fastest internal conversion rates.
In applications that make use of bimolecular electron transfer the internal conversion is undesirable. For example, it is advantageous to have a long lived excited states in Grätzel cells (Dye-sensitized solar cells).
See also
*Fluorescence spectroscopy
Fluorescence spectroscopy (also known as fluorimetry or spectrofluorometry) is a type of electromagnetic spectroscopy that analyzes fluorescence from a sample. It involves using a beam of light, usually ultraviolet light, that excites the elect ...
*Förster resonance energy transfer
Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), fluorescence resonance energy transfer, resonance energy transfer (RET) or electronic energy transfer (EET) is a mechanism describing energy transfer between two light-sensitive molecules (chromophores). ...
References
{{reflist Photochemistry Spectroscopy Fluorescence