Electronic spectra of oxygen containing polycyclic hydrocarbon cations and the protonated analogues

The electronic transitions of 9-fluorenone FL+ and 2,3,6,7-dibenzotropone DBT+ cations were detected in 6 K neon matrices following a mass-selective deposition. The absorptions at 649.2 and 472.2 nm are assigned to the 2 2B1←X̃2A2 FL+ and 22A′←X̃2A′ DBT+ transitions. Absorption spectra of protonated 9-fluorenone H+-FL and 2,3,6,7-dibenzotropone H+-DBT have also been measured. Protonation of the oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is carried out in a hot cathode source via in situ produced protonated ethanol. Vibrationally resolved absorptions commencing at 423.3 nm of H-FL+ and two band systems of H-DBT+ with origins at 502.4 and 371.5 nm are assigned to the 21A′←X̃1A′ electronic transition of 9-hydroxy-fluorenyl cation and 1 1A←X̃1A, 2 1A←X̃1A of 2,3,6,7-dibenzocycloheptenol cation. The assignments are based on vertical excitation energy calculations with time dependent density functional theory, symmetry adapted cluster configuration interaction, and MS-CASPT2 methods.