INTRAMOLECULAR EXCIPLEX FORMATION IN Nα-ACETYL-1-PYRENYLALANYL-1-METHYLTRYPTOPHAN METHYLESTER

Abstract— The synthesis, absorption and emission properties of erythro (e) and threo (t) Na-acetyl-1-pyrenylalanyl-1-methyltryptophan methylester (APTE) are reported. From the dependency of the exciplex emission maximum on the solvent polarity, the exciplex dipole moment of erythro and threo APTE were calculated. The evolution of the ratio of the quantum yield of exciplex emission and the quantum yield of emission from the locally excited state is correlated with solvent polarity and with the tendency of the solvent to interact with the peptide chain through hydrogen bonding. It is shown that solvents, inert towards the peptide function, shift the equilibrium between the two ground state conformations towards C₇, in which an exciplex geometry can be reached. Hydrogen accepting solvents shift the conformational equilibrium towards C₅, which cannot form an exciplex directly within the lifetime of excited pyrene.