A Portrait of the Chromophore as a Young System. Quantum-Derived Force Field Unraveling Solvent Reorganization Upon Optical Excitation of Cyclocurcumin Derivatives

The study of fast non-equilibrium solvent relaxation in organic chromophores is still challenging for molecular modeling and simulation approaches, and is often overlooked, even in the case of non-adiabatic dynamics simulations. Yet, especially in the case of photoswitches, the interaction with the environment can strongly modulate the photophysical outcomes. To unravel such a delicate interplay, in the present contribution we resorted to a mixed quantum-classical approach, based on quantum mechanically derived force fields. The main task is to rationalize the solvent reorganization pathways in chromophores derived from cyclocurcumin, suitable for light-activated chemotherapy to destabilize cellular lipid membranes. The accurate and reliable decryption delivered by the quantum-derived force fields points to important differences in the solvent reorganization, which further justify the different photo-isomerization quantum yields.