9-Aryl-1,2-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-b]indolizin-3-one (Seoul-Fluor) as a smart platform for colorful ratiometric fluorescent pH sensors

In this communication, we report that 9-aryl-1,2-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-b]indolizin-3-one (Seoul-Fluor) can serve as a potential platform for colorful ratiometric fluorescent pH sensors by simple incorporation of pH responsive elements on Seoul-Fluor. Seoul-Fluor-based fluorescent pH sensors allow the emission- and pH-tuning ability upon protonation by varying their pK(a) values and electronic characteristics of substituents by a rational design.     

Solvent- and environment-dependent fluorescence of modified nucleobases

Fluorescent nucleosides with modified nucleobases are useful tools for detecting nucleic acids and probing their structures and functions. Nucleobases are suitable for modification because 1) intrinsically light-absorbing nucleobases can be converted to fluorescent chromophores by simple chemical modification, 2) attaching substituents to nucleobases at appropriately selected positions does not inhibit base pairing or duplex formation, and 3) duplex formation and protein interactions affect the environment of nucleobases, causing changes in their fluorescence intensities and/or wavelengths. This review summarizes recent fluorescent nucleosides and their photophysical properties, such as absorption wavelength, emission wavelength, and fluorescence quantum yield together with their solvent dependency.     

Systematic Exploration of Furoindolizine-Based Molecular Frameworks towards a Versatile Fluorescent Platform

The photophysical behaviors of fluorescent molecules largely determine their major utility in biological studies. Despite their well-defined characteristics, classical fluorophores have often been challenged by their limited synthetic methodology and tunability in adjusting intrinsic optical properties. A novel heterocyclic core equipped with modular functional groups could offer the flexibility to control its photophysical properties with a minimum synthetic effort. By conducting a systematic analysis guided by quantum calculations, we proposed the furoindolizine-based molecular framework as a unique fluorescent platform capable of providing versatile photophysical properties with minimal structural modification. A broad tunability of furoindolizine derivatives′ photophysical properties such as emission wavelength, Stokes shift, fluorescent brightness, and charge transfer characteristics was achieved through synergistic interaction between two functional moieties. Furthermore, this modular platform led to live-cell imaging probes with two distinct optical features simply by reorganizing a pair of functional moieties.     

Combinatorial discovery of full-color-tunable emissive fluorescent probes using a single core skeleton, 1,2-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-beta]indolizin-3-one

We developed a novel fluorescent core skeleton, 1,2-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-beta]indolizin-3-one, by complexity-generating one-pot reactions through 1,3-dipolar cyclization followed by oxidative aromatization. This fluorescent core skeleton can accommodate various wavelengths of emission maxima by changing the electronic properties of substituents, which was postulated by computational studies. The full-color-tunable emission maxima were achieved with a single core skeleton by changing the substituents using the combinatorial approach. These novel fluorophores have excellent photophysical and photochemical properties: moderate to excellent quantum yields, resistance to the photobleaching, pH-independent fluorescence, large Stokes shifts, druglike lipophilicity for membrane permeability, etc. Further, we successfully demonstrated the bioapplication of fluorophores B1 and B5 in the immunofluorescence for visualizing cellular compartments of HeLa cells.     

Donor and Ring-Fusing Engineering for Far-Red to Near-Infrared Triphenylpyrylium Fluorophores with Enhanced Fluorescence Performance for Sensing and Imaging

Fluorescent probes have become an indispensable tool in the detection and imaging of biological and disease-related analytes due to their sensitivity and technical simplicity. In particular, fluorescent probes with far-red to near-infrared (FR-NIR) emissions are very attractive for biomedical applications. However, many available FR-NIR fluorophores suffer from small Stokes shifts and sometimes low quantum yields, resulting in self-quenching and low contrast. In this work, we describe the rational design and engineering of FR-NIR 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium-based fluorophores ( TPP-Fluors ) with the help of theoretical calculations. Our strategy is based on the appending of electron-donating substituents and fusing groups onto 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium. In contrast to the parent TPP with short emission wavelength, weak quantum yields, and low chemical stability, the obtained novel TPP-Fluors display some favorable properties, such as long-wavelength emission, large Stokes shifts, moderate to high quantum yields, and chemical stability. TPP-Fluors demonstrate their biological value as mitochondria-specific labeling reagents due to their inherently positive nature. In addition, TPP-Fluors can also be applied to develop ratiometric fluorescent probes, as the electron-donating ability of the 2,6-phenyl substituents is closely correlated with their emission wavelength. A proof-of-concept ratiometric probe has been developed by derivatizing the amino groups of TPP-Fluor for the detection and imaging of nitroreductase in vitro and in hypoxic cells.     

Effective manipulation of the electronic effects and its influence on the emission of 5-substituted tris(8-quinolinolate) aluminum(III) complexes

The unique electron-transport and emissive properties of tris(8-quinolinolate) aluminum(III) (Alq(3)) have resulted in extensive use of this material for small molecular organic light-emitting diode (OLED) fabrication. So far, efforts to prepare stable and easy-to-process red/green/blue (RGB)-emitting Alq(3) derivatives have met with only a limited success. In this paper, we describe how the electronic nature of various substituents, projected via an arylethynyl or aryl spacer to the position of the highest HOMO density (C5), may be used for effective emission tuning to obtain blue-, green-, and red-emitting materials. The synthetic strategy consists of four different pathways for the attachment of electron-donating and electron-withdrawing aryl or arylethynyl substituents to the 5-position of the quinolinolate ring. Successful tuning of the emission color covering the whole visible spectrum (lambda=450-800 nm) was achieved. In addition, the photophysical properties of the luminophores were found to correlate with the Hammett constant of the respective substituents, providing a powerful strategy with which to predict the optical properties of new materials. We also demonstrate that the electronic nature of the substituent affects the emission properties of the resulting complex through effective modification of the HOMO levels of the quinolinolate ligand.     

Effect of metal centres and substituents on the structure and optoelectronic properties of diarylethene compounds: A theoretical study

Diarylethene derivatives are a class of fascinating photochromic materials because of their open and closed isomers with different absorption spectra and many other characteristics.To reveal the detailed structure and optoelectronic properties as well as the effect of metal centres and substituents on them,a systematic study on a series of diarylethene derivatives and their Re(I),Pt(II),and Ir(III) complexes was performed via theoretical calculation.The optimized geometries,electronic properties,frontier molecular orbitals,ionization potentials,electron affinities,reorganization energies,and absorption spectra for both of their open-and closed-isomers have been calculated and analyzed.Metal-coordination and substituents exhibit great influence on the photophysical,charge-injection and-transporting characteristics.In addition,the binding of F-with the boron atom of dimesitylboryl group through Lewis acid/base interactions also induces great changes of structural,photophysical and electronic properties for these diarylethene derivatives,and consequently the compound with the substituent of dimesitylboryl group can be used as selective near-infrared phosphorescent F-probe.     

Emission color tuning in AlQ3 complexes with extended conjugated chromophores

[reaction: see text] A new method for the synthesis of 5-arylethynyl-8-hydroxyquinoline ligands using Sonogashira-Hagihara coupling was developed. The electronic nature of arylethynyl substituents affects the emission color and quantum yield of the resulting Al(III) complex. Photophysical properties of the metallocomplexes correspond to the electron-withdrawing/-donating character of the arylethynyl substituents. Optical properties of such Al(III) complexes correlate with the Hammett constant values of the respective substituents. This strategy offers a powerful tool for the preparation of electroluminophores with predictable photophysical properties.     

Controlling phosphorescence color and quantum yields in cationic iridium complexes: a combined experimental and theoretical study

We report a combined experimental and theoretical study on cationic Ir(III) complexes for OLED applications and describe a strategy to tune the phosphorescence wavelength and to enhance the emission quantum yields for this class of compounds. This is achieved by modulating the electronic structure and the excited states of the complexes by selective ligand functionalization. In particular, we report the synthesis, electrochemical characterization, and photophysical properties of a new cationic Ir(III) complex, [Ir(2,4-difluorophenylpyridine)2(4,4'-dimethylamino-2,2'-bipyridine)](PF(6)) (N969), and compare the results with those reported for the analogous [Ir(2-phenylpyridine)2(4,4'-dimethylamino-2,2'-bipyridine)](PF(6)) (N926) and for the prototype [Ir(2-phenylpyridine)2(4,4'-tert-butyl-2,2'-bipyridine)](PF(6)) complex, hereafter labeled N925. The three complexes allow us to explore the (C/\N) and (N/\N) ligand functionalization: considering N925 as a reference, we investigate in N926 the effect of electron-releasing substituents on the bipyridine ligand, while in N969, we investigate the combined effect of electron-releasing substituents on the bipyridine ligand and the effect of electron-withdrawing substituents on the phenylpyridine ligands. For N969 we obtain blue-green emission at 463 nm with unprecedented high quantum yield of 85% in acetonitrile solution at room temperature. To gain insight into the factors responsible for the emission color change and the different quantum yields, we perform DFT and TDDFT calculations on the ground and excited states of the three complexes, characterizing the excited-state geometries and including solvation effects on the calculation of the excited states. This computational procedure allows us to provide a detailed assignment of the excited states involved in the absorption and emission processes and to rationalize the factors determining the efficiency of radiative and nonradiative deactivation pathways in the investigated complexes. This work represents an example of electronic structure-driven tuning of the excited-state properties, thus opening the way to a combined theoretical and experimental strategy for the design of new iridium(III) phosphors with specific target characteristics.     

Tuning the photoinduced electron-transfer thermodynamics in 1,3,5-triaryl-2-pyrazoline fluorophores: X-ray structures,photophysical characterization,computational analysis,and in vivo evaluation

A series of donor-substituted 1,3,5-triaryl-2-pyrazoline fluorophores were structurally characterized by X-ray analysis, and their photophysical properties studied by steady-state absorption and emission spectroscopy. The photoinduced electron-transfer thermodynamics of the derivatives was estimated on the basis of the spectroscopic data and redox potentials of the fluorophores. The aryl substituents in the 1- and 3-position of the pyrazoline ring influence the photophysical properties of the fluorophores in distinctly different ways. The excited-state equilibrium energy DeltaE(00) is primarily influenced by changes of the substituent in the 1-position, whereas the reduction potential of the fluorophore is essentially determined by the 3-aryl group. Density functional calculations were used to probe the electronic structure and energy ordering of the emissive and the electron-transfer state. The results from the computational analysis agree qualitatively well with the experimental data. In addition, we have evaluated a water soluble pyrazoline derivative in vivo as a potential intracellular pH probe. Membrane permeability, low toxicity, and high quantum yield render the fluorophore attractive for biological applications.     

Boron dipyrromethene analogs with phenyl, styryl, and ethynylphenyl substituents: synthesis, photophysics, electrochemistry, and quantum-chemical calculations

Seven fluorescent boradiazaindacene-based compounds with one or two phenyl, ethenylphenyl, and ethynylphenyl substituents at the 3- (or 3,5-) position(s) were synthesized via palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions with the appropriate 3,5-dichloroBODIPY derivative. The effect of the various substituents at the 3- (or 3,5-) position(s) on the spectroscopic and photophysical properties were studied as a function of solvent by means of UV/vis absorption, steady-state, and time-resolved fluorometry, and theoretical modeling. The emission maxima of the symmetrically 3,5-disubstituted dyes are shifted to longer wavelengths (by 30 to 60 nm) relative to the related asymmetrically 3,5-disubstituted ones. Introduction of styryl substituents causes the largest red shift in both the absorption and emission spectra. BODIPY derivatives with ethynylaryl groups also shift the spectral maxima to longer wavelengths compared to aryl-substituted ones but to a lesser degree than the styryl compounds. The quantum-chemical calculations confirm these trends and provide a rationale for the spectral shifts induced by substitution. The fluorescence quantum yields of the ethenylaryl and ethynylaryl analogs are significantly higher that those of the aryl-substituted dyes. The 3,5-diethynylaryl dye has the highest fluorescence quantum yield (approximately 1.0) and longest lifetime (around 6.5 ns) among the BODIPY dyes studied. The differences in the photophysical properties of the dyes are also reflected in their electrochemical properties where the symmetrically 3,5-disubstituted dyes display much lower oxidation potentials when compared to their asymmetric counterparts.     

Synthesis and the effects of substitution upon photochromic diarylethenes bearing an isoxazole moiety

A new class of unsymmetrical photochromic diarylethenes bearing an isoxazole moiety was synthesized and the effects of substitution on their optical and electrochemical properties were investigated systematically. Each of the compounds exhibited remarkable photochromism and functioned as a fluorescent photoswitch both in solution and in poly(methyl methacrylate) films. The electron-donating substituents effectively shifted the absorption maximum and the emission peak to a longer wavelength direction, while the electron-withdrawing substituents notably enhanced the fluorescent quantum yields and oxidation onsets of these diarylethene derivatives. As compared to the unsubstituted parent diarylethene, introduction of the electron-donating/withdrawing substituents could efficiently modulate the optical and electrochemical properties of the diarylethenes bearing an isoxazole moiety. All results indicated that the isoxazole moiety and the substitution effects played a very important role during the process of photochromic reaction for these diarylethene derivatives.     

Pyridine-Si-xanthene: A novel near-infrared fluorescent platform for biological imaging

A novel near-infrared fluorescent platform with intrinsic lysosome-targeting was reported capable of detecting cysteine in living cells and in vivo.     

Hetero-Substituted αβ-Fused BODIPY

Here, we report the synthesis and properties of heterosubtituted αβ-fused BODIPY fluorophores. The compounds were obtained in good yields by sequential and selective Stille cross-coupling reactions from 2,3,5,6-tetrahalo-BODIPY, allowing the introduction of different substituents at the 3,5 and 2,6 positions of the BODIPY ring. The final fused compounds were synthesized using oxidative cyclisation with ferrous chloride. The fully fused compounds show a strong bathochromically shifted emission along with a hyperchromic shift of the absorption maxima. The fluorescence quantum yields remain relatively large for compounds emitting in this wavelength range. Computational studies have been carried out to fully understand the photophysical behaviour of these dyes.     

Stiff-stilbene derivatives as new bright fluorophores with aggregation-induced emission

Stiff-stilbene derivatives have been widely explored as molecular rotors, molecular force probes and optical switches with excellent performance. However, their function as fluorophores is poorly understood. In the present work, we design three stiffstilbene derivatives and study their photophysical properties. These compounds exhibit very weak emission in solution but significantly enhanced monomer emission in viscous solvent, bright excimer emission in aggregates and at solid state. Detailed spectroscopic studies, single crystal structural analysis, powder X-ray diffraction(XRD) as well as effects of substituents have been carefully examined. They provide direct evidence that intermolecular interactions and molecular packing, which can restrict bond vibration and rotation, are responsible for the bright aggregation-induced emission.     

Photoswitchable “Turn‐on” Fluorescence Diarylethenes: Substituent Effects on Photochemical Properties and Electrochromism

A series of “turn‐on” fluorescence diarylethenes derived from 2,3‐bis(2‐methylbenzo[b]thiophen‐3‐yl)‐5,6‐dihydro‐4H‐thieno[2,3‐b]thiopyran‐4‐one ( 1 ) with alkyl and acetyl substituents were synthesized. The photochemical and photophysical properties of these derivatives, including the photoreaction of crystalline 1 , were thoroughly investigated to reveal substituent effects on their properties. The results indicated that alkyl substituents did not significantly affect the absorption and emission spectra of the diarylethenes. However, large absorption and emission wavelength shifts were observed for the diarylethene with an acetyl substituent due to extension of π–π conjugation. Significantly, all of the fluorescent ring‐closed forms of the compounds isomerized to their ring‐open forms in the presence of Cu²⁺ in the dark. EPR results provide clear evidence for the formation of the compound 1 radical cation intermediate that might be generated in the reaction between c‐ 1 and Cu²⁺. DFT calculations found that the ground‐state activation energy for ring‐opening of 1^.+ was approximately 9.2 kcal mol^?1 lower than that of 1 without Cu²⁺, such that a Cu²⁺‐catalyzed oxidative cycloreversion reaction at room temperature might be possible.     

Highly Substituted Δ3-1,2,3-Triazolines: Solid-State Emitters with Electrofluorochromic Behavior

Highly substituted Δ³-1,2,3-triazolines can be prepared by reaction of triarylvinyl Grignard reagents with functionalized organic azides. The heterocycles are fluorescent in the solid state, and—depending on the substituents—they can display aggregation-induced emission. Upon oxidation, the triazolines form stable radical cations with altered photophysical properties. Therefore, they represent rare examples of solid-state emitters with intrinsic electrofluorochromic behavior.     

Enhanced fluorescence cyanide detection at physiologically lethal levels: reduced ICT-based signal transduction

Three water-soluble fluorescent probes have been specifically designed to determine free cyanide concentrations up to physiologically lethal levels, >20 microM. The probes have been designed in such a way as to afford many notable sensing features, which render them unique with regard to signal transduction, photophysical characteristics, and their application to physiological cyanide determination and safeguard. The probes are readily able to reversibly bind free aqueous cyanide with dissociation constants around 4 microM3. Subsequent cyanide binding modulates the intramolecular charge transfer within the probes, a change in the electronic properties within the probes, resulting in enhanced fluorescence optical signals as a function of increased solution cyanide concentration. The ground-state chelation with cyanide produces wavelength shifts, which also enable the probes to sense cyanide in both an excitation and emission ratiometric manner, in addition to enhanced fluorescence signaling. This has enabled a generic cyanide sensing platform to be realized that is not dependent on fluorescent probe concentration, probe photodegradation, or fluctuations in the intensity of any employed excitation sources, ideal for remote cyanide sensing applications. Further, the >600 nm fluorescence emission of the probes potentially allows for enhanced fluorescence ratiometric cyanide sensing in the optical window of tissues and blood, facilitating their use for the transdermal monitoring of cyanide for mammalian safeguard or postmortem in fire victims, both areas of active research.     

Fluoro‐protected carbazole main‐chain polymers as a new class of stable blue emitting polymers

The protection of the 3,6‐positions of 9‐alkyl‐9H‐carbazole repeat units with fluorine substituents in 2,7‐linked main‐chain polymers as well as in copolymers with triaryl amine repeat units affords blue emitting materials with enhanced electrolytic stability. The electronic conjugation of this new class of materials is more extended than that of the equivalent polymers where the 3,6‐positions are protected with methyl substitutions as a result of the smaller steric hindrance of their fluorine substituents. Attachment of fluorine‐protecting groups at the 3,6‐positions of carbazole repeat units in the homopolymers resulted in materials with relatively high ionization potentials (5.71 eV). However, introduction of triaryl amine comonomers as alternating repeat units provided carbazole/triaryl amine copolymers with a low ionization potential (5.25 eV), a very high quantum yield of fluorescence in solution (0.96), and narrow emission bands [full width at half maximum (FWHM) = 52 nm]. The preparation of this new class of materials together with a study of their electronic and photophysical properties is presented. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.