A gelable pure organic luminogen with fluorescence-phosphorescence dual emission

Pure organic luminogens with room temperature phosphorescence(RTP) have drawn much attention due to their fundamental importance and promising applications in optoelectronic devices, bioimaging, sensing, etc. Fluorescence-phosphorescence dual emission at room temperature, however, is rarely observed in pure organic materials. Herein, we reported a metal-and heavy-atom free pure organic luminogen with tert-butyl groups, DtBuCZBP, which is ready to form organogels in dimethylsulfoxide(DMSO).It emits prompt and delayed fluorescence, as well as RTP, namely dual emission in as-prepared solid, gels and polymeric films.To the best of our knowledge, it is the first example of metal-and heavy-atom free pure organic gelator with RTP emission. Such unique RTP and moreover dual emission properties in different states make DtBuCZBP a potential material for diverse applications.     

7-(2-Methoxycarbonylvinyl)-3-hydroxychromones: new dyes with red shifted dual emission

7-(2-Methoxycarbonylvinyl)-3-hydroxychromones have been synthesized using Heck coupling reaction from the corresponding 7-bromo-3-hydroxychromones. Introduction of the electron acceptor (2-methoxycarbonylvinyl) group at 7-position of 3-hydroxychromone results in a 30-40 nm red shift in absorption and >50 nm red shifts of both bands in emission. This derivatization allowed us to develop dyes with absorption maxima reaching 480 nm and dual emission in the red region of the spectrum. In comparison to the parent dyes, 7-acryl-3-hydroxychromones demonstrate significantly stronger solvatochromism. This is due to the acceptor group at 7-position, which increases the transfer character of the excited state of the dyes. The new dyes are highly prospective for the development of new fluorescent probes in biological research.     

Helicity Control in the Preparation of Chiral Co-crystals from Tryptamine and Achiral Carboxylic Acids by Pseudo-seeding

Abstract

Chiral crystals of tryptamine and achiral carboxylic acids such as p-chlorobenzoic acid, cinnamic acid, p-chlorocinnarnic acid and p-methylcinnamic acid were prepared by crystallization from the solutions of both components. All the crystals belonged to typical chiral space group P2₁2₁2₁. The crystal chirality is generated through the formation of a unidirectional twofold helix between the two components through quaternary ammonium salt interaction and hydrogen bonding in the lattice. This kind of spontaneous crystallization necessarily gives crystals of both clockwise and counterclockwise helicites. Here, pseudo-seeding based on utilizing these crystals as seed crystals was examined, resulting in successful helicity control in crystallization from solutions of tryptamine and different carboxylic acids.     

Antiferroelectric liquid crystal from a banana-shaped achiral molecule

A new banana-shaped achiral compound, 1,3-phenylene bis[4-(3-fluoro-4-n-octyloxyphenyliminomethyl)benzoate] (PBFOB) was synthesized and its antiferroelectric liquid crystallinity determined. The PBFOB was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffractometry in the small and wide angle regions, and polarizing optical microscopy; its polarization and antiferroelectric properties were also investigated. The presence of a lateral fluoro-substituent in the banana-shaped achiral molecules containing a Schiff's base mesogen induced a decrease in melting temperature and formation of the switchable smectic B₂ phase in the melt. The spontaneous polarization for PBFOB was about 250 nC cm^-2 and the polarization of this phase switched on the reversal of an applied electric field.     

Four organic crystals displaying distinctively different emission colors based on an ESIPT-active organic molecule

Multi-colored fluorescence which covering pure K^* emission, E^*&K^* emission and pure E^* emission was obtained by controlling the preparation conditions of a simple ESIPT-active molecule.     

Modulation of spontaneous emission characteristics of Alq3 in three‐dimensional PMMA photonic crystals

The effect of the photonic stop bands (PSBs) on the spontaneous emission from tris(8‐hydroxyquinolinato)aluminum (Alq3) doped in the beads of polymethylmethacrylate opal photonic crystals (PCs) is investigated in detail. The structure of PSBs in PCs has been analyzed. The steady emission data exhibits that the first‐ and second‐order PSB could effectively influence the spectral characteristics of Alq3 through changing the incident angles. The emission dynamic data is also investigated by using the Kohlrausch strengthened exponential model, which shows that the emission decay rate of Alq3 can be decelerated as the PSB of PC approaches the emission peak of Alq3. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2014 , 52, 842–847     

Development of an automated dual‐mode supercritical fluid chromatography and reversed‐phase liquid chromatography mass‐directed purification system for small‐molecule drug discovery

We report the development of a dual‐mode mass‐directed supercritical fluid chromatography and reversed‐phase liquid chromatography purification system. The addition of a third pump allows for flexible mobile phase control between the two techniques, and enables operation of either chromatography mode within minutes by activation of a set of switching valves on a single system. Software control, fluidic pathways, interface to the mass spectrometer, and fraction collection have been modified for compatibility between both separation methods. The conditioning solvent and tuning parameters for the mass spectrometer were adjusted to achieve an ideal signal trace in either mode with good linearity (r² > 0.970) over a range of concentrations and minimal noise for accurate peak detection and isolation. The registration success rate is 90% and overall sample recovery for either technique is 80?90%. Combining two orthogonal separation and purification modes in one single system has improved the purification throughput of complex mixtures and has been a valuable, cost‐saving tool in our laboratory.     

Studies on monoxide emission spectrometry of rare-earth elements. IV. Simultaneous determination of Sm, Eu, Gd in Sm---Eu---Gd concentrates by the dual wavelength method

This paper reports the determination of samarium, europium and gadolinium by Sm and Gd monoxide emission and Eu atomic emission. The enhancement effect of other rare earth elements on Sm, Eu and Gd emission was studied. Large amounts of lanthanum (La) were used as enhancing reagents and chemical interference inhibitors and the dual wavelength method was introduced to eliminate spectral interference, in which the analytical wavelengths used were Sm 651.0 nm, Eu 459.4 nm and Gd 461.6 nm and the reference wavelengths were Sm 651.4 nm, Eu 459.8 nm and Gd 461.2 nm. The method has been applied to the assay of Sm, Eu and Gd in synthetic Sm---Eu---Gd concentrates with satisfactory results.     

Applications of gas chromatography with an atomic emission detector

An atomic emission detector for gas chromatography has been developed which is, in principle, capable of detecting selectively any element (except helium) which can elute from a gas chromatographic column. Software methods have been developed so far for 23 elements and on isotope, including all of the organic elements along with mercury, lead, tin, silicon, and deuterium. Element-specific analyses are shown for several petroleum, environmental, and aroma samples. A table for the detector's element-specific detection limits, selectivities, and linear dynamic ranges is given for 12 elements and deuterium.     

Capillary electrophoretic system incorporating an UV/CL dual detector

We developed a capillary electrophoretic system incorporating an ultra-violet absorption (UV)/chemiluminescence (CL) dual detector, taking advantage of the CL reaction of luminol-hydrogen peroxide and the batch-type CL detection cell. UV detection was carried out using the on-capillary method while CL detection was performed using the end-capillary method. Examination of isoluminol isothiocyanate (ILITC) as a model sample revealed two main peaks with UV detection and one main peak with CL detection. The first peak in the UV detection data corresponded to the main peak in the CL detection data. We then determined that the ILITC sample included natural ILITC as well as an impurity that had absorption behavior but did not have CL properties and labeling ability. Furthermore, the components of a mixture containing glycine, glycylglycine and glycylglycylglycine, all labeled with ILITC, were well separated and detected using the present system. The present system easily, rapidly, and simultaneously produces useful information due to the presence of both UV and CL detectors.     

Improving the predictive quality of time-dependent density functional theory calculations of the X-ray emission spectroscopy of organic molecules

The simulation of X-ray emission spectra of organic molecules using time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) is explored. TDDFT calculations using standard hybrid exchange-correlation functionals in conjunction with large basis sets can predict accurate X-ray emission spectra provided an energy shift is applied to align the spectra with experiment. The relaxation of the orbitals in the intermediate state is an important factor, and neglect of this relaxation leads to considerably poorer predicted spectra. A short-range corrected functional is found to give emission energies that required a relatively small energy shift to align with experiment. However, increasing the amount of Hartree–Fock exchange in this functional to remove the need for any energy shift led to a deterioration in the quality of the calculated spectral profile. To predict accurate spectra without reference to experimental measurements, we use the CAM-B3LYP functional with the energy scale determined with reference to a Δself-consistent field calculation for the highest energy emission transition.     

Dual emission of singlet and triplet states boost the sensitivity of pressure-sensing

Pressure-related sensing materials in mechanochromic luminescent materials have received wide attention. However, at present, most piezochromic luminescence (PCL) materials have problems such as aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect due to the presence of powder form, complicated preparation methods and fluorescence quenching effect under high pressure. To solve these problems, we employ three components containing carbon dots (CDs), layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to construct the CDs-LDHs/PVA film. The LDHs can provide a rigid environment for CDs and improve the luminescent efficiency of CDs. The film shows high sensitivity, stability and reversibility. Moreover, the compressed film can recover to its original state by heating. Therefore, the PCL film with dual emission (fluorescence and phosphorescence) characteristic is constructed, which boosts the sensitivity of pressure-sensing.     

Ab initio computational study of positron emission tomography ligands interacting with lipid molecule for the prediction of nonspecific binding

Nonspecific binding is a poorly understood biological phenomenon of relevance in the study of small molecules interactions in vivo and in drug development. Nonspecific binding is thought to be correlated in part to a molecule's lipophilicity, typically estimated by measuring (or calculating) octanol-water partition coefficient. This is, however, a gross simplification of a complex phenomenon. In this article, we present a computational method whose aim is to help identify positron emission tomography (PET) ligands with low nonspecific binding characteristics by investigating the molecular basis of ligand-membrane interaction. We considered a set consisting of 10 well-studied central nervous system PET radiotracers acting on a variety of molecular targets. Quantum mechanical calculations were used to estimate the strength of the interaction between each drug molecule and one phospholipid molecule commonly present in mammalian membranes. The results indicate a correlation between the computed drug-lipid interaction energy and the in vivo nonspecific distribution volume relative to the free tracer plasma concentration, calculated using standard compartmental modeling for the analysis of PET data. Significantly, the drugs whose interaction with the lipid molecule more favorably possessed, in general, a higher nonspecific binding value, whereas for the drugs taken in consideration in this study, the water-octanol partition coefficient, log P, did not show good predictive power of the nonspecific binding. This study also illustrates how ab initio chemical methods may offer meaningful and unbiased insights for the understanding of the underlying chemical mechanisms in biological systems.     

A ratio-metric fluorescent sensor design platform with red emission of Europium(III) as built-in fluorescence correction

A Eu^III-containing single molecule BCR-Eu as design platform for ratio-metric fluorescent sensor which includes a blue-emitting coumarin dye, a green-emitting BODIPY fluorophore and a Eu^III moiety as the origin of red light has been designed and synthesized. The compound BCR shows only green emission with large stoke shift when excited in 400 nm due to good fluorescence resonance energy transfer from coumarin to BODIPY. After embedding Eu^III complexes in the molecule, BCR-Eu exhibits dual emission which is equal in magnitude and independent of each other, when excited at the range of 305–365 nm. An emission from Lanthanide complexes as the stable built-in standard fluorescence peak offers a promising opportunity to enhance the precision of bioimaging and also an ideal design platform for future ratio-metric fluorescent sensor.     

Ternary zero-dimensional hybrid metal halides with dual emission

Bulk assemblies of zero-dimensional (0D) metal halides with ‘host-guest’ system provide a promising platform for rationally structural tunability and photoluminescence modulation. In this work, we first report a series of ternary 0D metal halides, (bmpy)₉[Pb₃Cl₁₁](MnCl₄)_2-2x(SbCl₅)_2x (bmpy⁺ = 1-buty-1-methylpyrrolidinium⁺, C₉NH₂₀⁺), where the organic cation bmpy⁺ cocrystallizes with [Pb₃Cl₁₁]^5- trimer clusters, [MnCl₄]^2? tetrahedra, and [SbCl₅]^2? pyramids. The emission color of (bmpy)₉[Pb₃Cl₁₁](MnCl₄)_2-2x(SbCl₅)_2x can be easily tuned from green to warm white and finally to orange-red by controlling the excitation wavelength or the [SbCl₅]^2?/[MnCl₄]^2? molar ratio, promising its potential for application in multicolor light-emitting devices or even in encrypting multilevel optical codes. This work presents a novel structural modulation strategy to fabricate superior ordered single-crystalline multicomponent materials with multifunctionalities of 0D luminescent metal halides.     

DABCO-based ionic liquids:Green and efficient catalysts with a dual catalytic role for aza-Michael addition

Four recoverable and reusable ionic liquids based on 1,4-diazobicyclo[2.2.2]octane(DABCO) have been synthesized to catalyze the aza-Michael addition of secondary amines to a,b-unsaturated compounds.Among the catalysts tested,[DABCO-PDO][OAc] was found to be most suitable for the reaction of a wide range of cyclic substrates without any solvent at room temperature,and afford the products in good to excellent yields within an appropriate amount of time.The proposed mechanism for the dual activation of the catalyst was supported by experimental results as well as the DFT calculation.In addition,the ionic liquids used can be regenerated and recycled several times without any loss of activity.     

Perspective: Aggregation-induced emission as an emerging strategy for exploring pharmacokinetics of oral polysaccharides

Clinical application of polysaccharides is severely limited by their various pending and controversial pharmacokinetics problems. Thus, it is urgent to develop accurate detection methods for polysaccharides and their metabolites. Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) is a unique photophysical phenomenon of propeller-shaped molecules. Currently, AIE has been successfully used to realize visualization for gelation process of polysaccharides, and accurate monitoring of spatiotemporal drug release of doxorubicin. In particular, authors found that aggregation event always happens during the pharmacokinetic process. Therefore, it is proposed that AIE can be a promising method for accurate detection of polysaccharides as well as elucidation of their bioavailability.     

Synthesis of polystyrene beads loaded with dual luminophors for self-referenced oxygen sensing

Dispersion polymerization has been successfully applied to synthesize monodisperse polystyrene beads loaded with SiOEP and PtOEP for self-referenced oxygen sensing. The polystyrene beads became larger in size as the concentration of initiator was increased due to the reduction of primary particles precipitated from the polymerization medium. The dual luminophors showed similar absorption spectra but two distinctive emission spectra with peaks at 580 and 650 nm for SiOEP and PtOEP, respectively. While the emission of SiOEP exhibited no response to oxygen, the luminescence intensity of PtOEP was monotonically dependent on the concentration of oxygen. From the Stern-Volmer plot, we observed a linear correlation between the intensity ratio of SiOEP at 580 nm to PtOEP at 650 nm and the concentration of oxygen, which could be used to reliably monitor the partial pressure of oxygen in a system.     

Field and photo-field electron emission from self-assembled Ge–Si nanostructures with quantum dots

Monolayer and multilayer Ge nanocluster structures were prepared on Si(1 0 0) using molecular beam epitaxy. The cluster size was 10 nm and cluster density was 10¹⁰ cm⁻². A stable field electron emission was obtained from these structures, showing current peaks in the current–voltage characteristics, which may be attributed to the resonant electron tunneling via the energy levels of the nanocluster potential well. For cluster multilayers, the current–voltage curves also showed current peaks with a complex shape. The cluster multilayer structures had a considerable temperature sensitivity, as well as photosensitivity, in the wavelength range from 0.4 to 10 μm.