Electronic excitations in pyrrole: A test case for determination of chromophores in the chromogenic effects of neurotoxic hydrocarbons by time-dependent density functional theory and single-excitation configuration interaction methods

Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) and single-excitation configuration interaction (CIS) calculations on the electronic excitations in pyrrole have been performed to examine the reliability of these first-principles electronic structure methods in predicting electronic excitation spectra of pyrrole-containing compounds. Both the TD-DFT and CIS calculations led to satisfactory results when compared to available experimental data, particularly for low-lying excited states. The TD-DFT and CIS calculations provide lower and upper limits of the excitation energies, respectively, for low-lying singlet excited states. These results suggest that these methods can be used for the prediction of the excitation spectra, particularly the excitation energies for low-lying excited states, of chromophores responsible for the chromogenic effects of neurotoxic hydrocarbons, which are believed to be substituted pyrroles and their adducts with proteins. As an example of a practical application, the spectrum of the widely used 2,5-dimethylpyrrole has been calculated. It is shown that the 2,5-dimethylpyrrole molecule does not have an absorption in the region of the visible spectrum (400-700 nm), suggesting that the absorption observed at 530 nm and the color of 2,5-dimethylpyrrole is due to another species, probably a product of possible 2,5-dimethylpyrrole autoxidation. This suggests that the conclusions from previously reported experimental studies of biochemical reactions of neurotoxic γ-diketones need to be reexamined in terms of the relationship of chromogenicity to neurotoxicity.