Water-vapochromic behavior of a mononuclear Pd(II) complex of piroxicam: A DFT and TD-DFT study

The vapochromic behavior of a mononuclear Pd(II) complex with piroxicam ligands (trans-[Pd(Pir)₂] (Pir^- is piroxicam anion)) in the presence of water vapor has been theoretically investigated using the time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). The structure of Pd(II) complex interacting with different number of water molecules (n = 1-5) was optimized, separately. The electronic absorption spectra of the optimized structures were calculated using the TD-DFT method and the changes in the absorption spectrum of complex with the increase in the number of water molecules were followed. Comparison of the absorption spectrum of bare Pd(II) complex with those of its hydrated forms with different numbers of water molecules showed a considerable change in the region of 360-400 nm including the change in the intensity and peak position. The main electronic configurations of the intense absorption lines in the related absorption spectra were determined so that the molecular orbitals involved in these absorption lines were determined. The natural bonding orbital (NBO) analysis was performed to assign the NBOs contributing to these molecular orbitals and to see how the NBO composition of the involved molecular orbitals in the electron excitation change with the number of water molecules. It was observed that the change in the intensity and position of the inter- and intraligand π→π∗ transitions are responsible for the color change. Also, based on the NBO results, the contribution of the electronic transitions involving the Pd(II) ion in the color change of the complex was absent.