Abstract

Proton transfer along a pre-existing intramolecular hydrogen bond represents an elementary photoreaction of aromatic compounds which frequently occurs on ultrafast time scales. The drastic changes of the electronic and the vibrational spectra with the formation of a new molecular geometry allow femtosecond optical studies providing insight into the reaction dynamics and their underlying microscopic mechanisms. In this paper, pico- and femtosecond experiments on intramolecular proton transfer and closely related processes of vibrational redistribution are presented for benzotriazole and -thiazole compounds in the electronic ground and excited state.

© 1994 Optical Society of America