Unique hydrophobic interactions of pyrene in aqueous solution as effected by polyelectrolytes and surfactants

Pyrene substituents covalently bounded to polyelectrolytes show not only excited-state interactions but also unique ground-state interactions in aqueous solution. The pyrene moieties in pyrenesubstituted ionic molecules also show these interactions when aqueous solutions of these molecules are treated with polyelectrolytes or surfactants well below their critical micelle concentrations. These hydrophobic interactions are revealed by changes in absorption, fluorescence, and excitation spectra. The well-resolved vibrational bands in the absorption and excitation spectra of pyrene become somewhat diffuse, whereas monomer fluorescence is reduced and replaced by excimer fluorescence. The rationale for these results is that the pyrene moieties in these ionic solutions seek out hydrophobic locations on the polyelectrolytes or surfactants, where pyrene aggregation is responsible for these interactions and the corresponding changes in spectra.