Photophysics and photochemical studies of 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives

The absorption and fluorescence properties of nifedipine (NPDHP), felodipine (CPDHP) and a series of structurally related 1,4-dihydropyridines were studied in aqueous solution and organic solvents of different properties. The absorption and fluorescence spectra were found to depend on the chemical nature of the substituents at the position 4 of the 1,4-dihydropyridine ring (DHP) and on solvent properties. In aqueous solution, the fluorescence spectra of 4-phenyl substituted compounds are blue-shifted with respect to the alkyl substituted compounds. The more fluorescent compound is CPDHP. Nifedipine is not fluorescent. All compounds, with the exception of CPDHP, present monoexponential fluorescence decay with very short lifetime (0.2-0.4 ns). CPDHP showed a biexponential emission decay with a long-lived component of 1.7 ns; this behavior is explained in terms of different conformers because of the hindered rotation of the phenyl group by the ortho-substitution. Analysis of the solvent effect on the maximum of the absorption spectrum by using the linear solvent-energy relation solvato-chromic equation indicates the redshifts are influenced by the polarizability, hydrogen bonding ability and the hydrogen bond acceptance of the solvent. Whereas, the fluorescence characteristics (spectra, quantum yields and lifetimes) are sensitive to the polarizabilty and hydrogen bond ability of the solvents. Photo-decomposition of nifedipine is dependent on the solvent properties. Faster decomposition rates were obtained in nonprotic solvents. The 4-carboxylic derivative goes to decarboxylation. Under similar conditions, the other DHP compounds did not show appreciable photodecomposition.     

Photophysical and Photochemical Studies of Pyridoxamine

The absorption and fluorescence emission of pyridoxamine were studied as function of pH and solvent properties. In the ground state, pyridoxamine exhibits different protonated forms in the range of pH 1.5–12. Fluorescence studies showed that the same species exist at the lowest singlet excited state but at different pH ranges. The phenol group is by ca. 8 units more acidic in the excited state than in the ground state. On the other hand, the pyridine N‐atom is slightly more basic in the lowest excited state than in the ground state. Excitation spectra and emission decays in the pH range of 8–10 indicate the protonation of the pyridine N‐atom by proton transfer from the amine group, in the ground and singlet excited states. Spectroscopic studies in different solvents showed that pyridoxamine in the ground or excited states exhibits intramolecular proton transfer from the pyridine N‐atom to the phenol group, which is more favorable in solvents of low hydrogen‐bonding capacity. The cationic form with the protonated phenolic group, which emits at shorter wavelength, is the dominant species in nonprotic solvents, but, in strong proton‐donor solvents, both forms exist. The fluorescence spectra of these species exhibit blue shift in protic solvents. These shifts are well‐correlated with the polarity and the H‐donor ability of the solvent.     

Fluorescence quenching phenomena facilitated by excited-state hydrogen bond strengthening for fluorenone derivatives in alcohols

Spectroscopic studies on benzo[b]fluorenone (BF) solvatochromism in several aprotic and alcoholic solvents have been performed to investigate the fluorescence quenching by hydrogen bonding and proposed a weaker ability to form intermolecular hydrogen bond of BF than fluorenone (FN). In this work, the time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) method was used to study the excited-state hydrogen bonding of both FN and BF in ethanol (EtOH) solvent. As a result, it is demonstrated by our theoretical calculations that the hydrogen bond of BF–EtOH complex is almost identical with that of FN–EtOH. Moreover, the fluorescence quantum yields of FN and BF in the alcoholic solvent is efficiently dependent on the energy gap between the lowest excited singlet state (fluorescent state) and ground state, which can be used to explain the fluorescence quenching by the excited-state hydrogen bond strengthening.     

吡嗪二羧酸-三聚氰胺双组分水凝胶的制备及性能

以3,6-二甲基-2,5-吡嗪二羧酸(P)和三聚氰胺(M)为组分,采用不同的摩尔比(1∶1,1∶2,1∶3)混合配制了3个样品PM11,PM12和PM13,并对其凝胶性能进行了测试.实验结果表明,PM能在水中及部分含水有机溶剂中形成稳定的凝胶,这些凝胶对酸碱具有良好的响应性能.采用扫描电子显微镜分析了3种水凝胶的微观形貌,均为纤维状的网络结构;红外光谱及紫外光谱测试结果表明氢键是形成凝胶的关键驱动力;XRD测试结果显示凝胶为层状结构.对PM12在不同pH值的水中的凝胶性能测试结果表明,在pH=3~11的范围内PM12均能形成凝胶.测试了PM12在混合溶剂中的凝胶性能,并将测试结果与混合溶剂的Hansen溶解度参数关联,以便用于分析溶剂与凝胶因子间的相互作用,所得结果亦表明氢键在凝胶形成的过程中起重要作用.     

Spectral Properties of Fluorescein in Solvent-Water Mixtures: Applications as a Probe of Hydrogen Bonding Environments in Biological Systems

Although fluorescein is a widely used fluorescent probe in the biosciences, the effect of solvent environment on its spectral properties is poorly understood. In this paper we explore the use of fluorescein as a probe of the state of hydrogen bonding in its local environment. This application is based on the observation, originally made by Martin ( Chem. Phys. Lett . 35, 105–111, 1975), that the absorption maximum of fluorescein undergoes substantial shifts in organic solvents related to the hydrogen bonding power of the solvents. We have extended this work by studying the spectral properties of the dianion form of the probe in solvent–water mixtures. We show that the magnitude of the shift correlates with the α and β parameters of Kamlet and Taft ( J. Am. Chem. Soc . 98, 377–383; 2886–2894, 1976), which provide a scale of the hydrogen bond donor acidities and acceptor basicities, respectively, of the solvents. In solvent–water mixtures, these shifts reflect general effects of the solvents on the hydrogen bonding environment of the fluorescein through water–solvent hydrogen bonding and specific effects due to fluorescein–solvent hydrogen bonding. Indeed, both the absorption and fluorescence properties appear to be dominated by these effects indicating that the spectral shifts of the dianion can be used as an indicator of its hydrogen bonding environment. We discuss the application of fluorescein as a probe of hydrogen bonding in the microenvironment immediately surrounding the fluorophore, and we illustrate the effect with reference to the fluorescein–antifluorescein antibody complex where it appears that antibodies selected during the immune response possess binding sites that are increasingly dehydrated and hydrophobic.     

Effects of organic and aqueous solvents on the electronic absorption and fluorescence of chloroaluminum (III) tetrasulphonated naphthalocyanine

The effects of various solvents on the ground and excited states of chloroaluminum (III) tetrasulphonated naphthalocyanine (AlNcS(4)) were studied. Both the absorbance and fluorescence spectra were found to be influenced by the hydrogen bond donating ability of various solvents. As the hydrogen bond donating ability of the solvent increased, hypsochromic and bathochromic shifts in the absorbance and fluorescence spectra were observed in protic and aprotic solvents respectively. Plots of the absorbance and fluorescence maxima versus the E(T)(30) solvent parameter showed linear relationships in binary mixtures of protic-protic (methanol-H(2)O) and aprotic-protic (DMSO-H(2)O) solvents. Aggregation was indicated by a broad band in the ground state absorption spectra and a low quantum efficiency 0.04 relative to the efficiency observed in organic solvents. A face-to-face conformation of the monomeric subunits of the dimer is suggested due to the red-shifted absorbance band. The acid-base properties of the dye were studied and were indicative of a multi-step process. In acidic conditions (pH 1), protonation of the bridging nitrogen atoms was identified by a broad band appearing red-shifted to those obtained at higher pH values. Under slightly acidic conditions a pKa value of 6.7 was determined for one of the meso-nitrogen. In alkaline conditions a pKa of 11.5 was determined for another meso-nitrogen and a second fluorescence band emerged at 804 nm, red-shifted to the emission maxima.     

香豆素衍生物的TICT态和荧光介质效应

研究了八种７－氨基香豆素衍生物在纯溶剂和二元溶剂体系中的荧光特性。这些衍生物因氨基上Ｈ的取代程度的不同，在溶液中可以形成两种不同的氢键。一种是由溶剂分子提供Ｈ，在香豆素环的２位氧原子上形成的氢键；另一种是由溶质分子提供Ｈ，在香豆素衍生物的７－氨基酸上形成的氢键。     

Photochemistry of 5-aminoquinoline in protic and aprotic solvents

Photophysical properties of 5-aminoquinoline (5AQ) have been investigated in various non-polar and polar (protic and aprotic) solvents using steady state and time resolved fluorescence. In aprotic solvents, the spectral maxima depend on the polarity. However, in protic solvents both the fluorescence intensity as well decay time show decrease depending on the hydrogen bonding ability of the solvent. The results suggest that photochemistry 5AQ is quite sensitive towards the polarity as well as protic character of the solvent.     

Dual fluorescence of ellipticine: excited state proton transfer from solvent versus solvent mediated intramolecular proton transfer

Photophysical properties of a natural plant alkaloid, ellipticine (5,11-dimethyl-6H-pyrido[4,3-b]carbazole), which comprises both proton donating and accepting sites, have been studied in different solvents using steady state and time-resolved fluorescence techniques primarily to understand the origin of dual fluorescence that this molecule exhibits in some specific alcoholic solvents. Ground and excited state calculations based on density functional theory have also been carried out to help interpretation of the experimental data. It is shown that the long-wavelength emission of the molecule is dependent on the hydrogen bond donating ability of the solvent, and in methanol, this emission band arises solely from an excited state reaction. However, in ethylene glycol, both ground and excited state reactions contribute to the long wavelength emission. The time-resolved fluorescence data of the system in methanol and ethylene glycol indicates the presence of two different hydrogen bonded species of ellipticine of which only one participates in the excited state reaction. The rate constant of the excited state reaction in these solvents is estimated to be around 4.2-8.0 × 10(8) s(-1). It appears that the present results are better understood in terms of solvent-mediated excited state intramolecular proton transfer reaction from the pyrrole nitrogen to the pyridine nitrogen leading to the formation of the tautomeric form of the molecule rather than excited state proton transfer from the solvents leading to the formation of the protonated form of ellipticine.     

Photophysics and photochemistry of nalidixic acid

The photophysics and photochemistry of nalidixic acid (NA) were studied as function of pH and solvent properties. The ground state of NA exhibits different protonated forms in the range of pH 1.8-10.0. Fluorescence studies showed that the same species exist at the lowest singlet excited state. Absorption experiments were carried out with NA and with the methylated analog of nalidixic acid (MNE) in different organic solvents and water pH 3, where the main species corresponds to that protonated at the carboxylic group. These studies and the DFT calculation of torsional potential energy profiles suggest that the most stable conformation of the NA in nonprotic solvents corresponds to a closed structure caused by the existence of intramolecular hydrogen bond. Absorption and fluorescence spectra were studied in sulfuric acid solution. The pK value (Ho -1.0) found in these conditions was attributed to the protonation of the 4' keto oxygen atom of the heterocyclic ring. Theoretical calculations (DFT/B3LYP/6-311G*) of the energies of the different monoprotonated forms of the NA and Fukui indexes (f(x)-) showed that the species with the proton attached to 4' keto oxygen atom is the most stable of all the cationic forms. MNE and enoxacin also showed the protonation of the 4' keto oxygen atom with similar pK values. The photodecomposition of NA is dependent on the medium properties. Faster decomposition rates were obtained in strong acid solution. In nonprotic solvents, a very slow decomposition rate was observed.     

The role of the ring nitrogen and the amino group in the solvent dependence of the excited-state dynamics of 3-aminoquinoline

The nonradiative rate in 3-aminoquinoline is found to exhibit anomalous solvent dependence, being rather fast in nonpolar solvents and remarkably slower in more polar and especially, more protic ones. The cause of such behavior is investigated by studying the dependence of fluorescence spectral and temporal parameters on the solvent properties such as polarity and hydrogen bonding ability. Complementary quantum mechanical calculations have been performed and the picture that emerges from these studies is that of an excited state with a short radiative lifetime due to the flipping of the amino group. This state is selectively populated in nonpolar, nonhydrogen bonding solvents, but is destabilized with respect to the more polar intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) state in polar solvents and even more so in protic solvents and dimethylsulfoxide. The slower nonradiative rates in the ICT state is attributed to the more restricted motion of the amino group in this state. The role of hydrogen bonding of the amino group and the ring nitrogen in stabilization/destabilization of the ICT state and therefore on the nonradiative rate is also explored.     

Solvent effects on the spectroscopic properties of 4-hexylresorcinol

A study was made on the spectroscopic properties of 4-hexylresorcinol (4HR) in several solvents at room temperature. Absorption and emission spectra were slightly affected by solvent polarity. Stokes' shifts were small (approximately 3000 cm(-1)) and the fluorescence quantum yields varied between 0.05 and 0.68, depending on the solvent. The spectral shifts were correlated with different solvent scales. Multiple regression analysis indicates that both non-specific solute-solvent interactions as well as specific solute-solvent interactions (such as hydrogen bonding) play an important role in the position of the Stokes' shift and on the fluorescence quantum yield in the solvents under study.     

4—甲基—7—羟基香豆素的发光特性研究

对比考察了多种溶剂介质中不同浓度４－甲基－７－羟基香豆素溶液的荧光光谱特性，发现其谱形状与峰位不仅随溶剂性质而异，且随浓度而变，在某些氢键溶剂中，激发光谱随浓度有很大变化，且发射光谱间存在某种内在联系。基于溶剂本身的性质及４－甲基－７－羟基香豆素在氢键溶剂中的二聚作用讨论了这种现象，本文还考察了这种香豆素衍生物在滤纸及聚酰胺膜基质上，以Ｐｂ（Ａｃ）２或Ｐｂ（ＮＯ３）２作重原子微扰剂时的室温磷光特性     

Photophysical Properties of the Cationic Form of Neutral Red

Abstract— Photophysical properties of the cationic form of neutral red (NRH⁺), a phenazine-based dye of biological importance, have been investigated in several protic and aprotic solvents using optical absorption, steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence and picosecond laser flash photolysis techniques. Absorption and fluorescence characteristics of the dye in protic solvents indicate the existence of intermolecular hydrogen bonding between the NRH⁺ and solvent molecules in the ground state as well as in the excited state. Measurements of the fluorescence lifetime in normal and heavy water also support the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonding. Time-resolved transient absorption spectra obtained in the picosecond laser flash photolysis experiments show only the absorption band due to the S_n← S₁ absorption. The picosecond transient absorption results do not indicate any spectral shifts attributable to the hydrogen bond formation dynamics between the excited NRH⁺ and the protic solvent molecules. It is inferred that the hydrogen bonding dynamics are much faster than the time resolution of our picosecond setup (∼35 ps).     

Rotational reorientation dynamics of oxazine 750 in polar solvents

The rotational reorientation dynamics of oxazine 750 (OX750) in the first (with pump pulse at 660 nm) and a higher excited state (with pump pulse at 400 nm) in different polar solvents have been investigated using femtosecond time-resolved stimulated emission pumping fluorescence depletion (FS TR SEP FD) spectroscopy. In both excited states, three different anisotropy decay laws have been observed for OX750 in different solvents. Only in acetone and formamide could the anisotropy decays of OX750 be described by single-exponential functions, whereas the anisotropy decays have been found to exhibit biexponential behavior in other solvents. The slower anisotropy decay observed in all of the solvents has been assigned to the overall rotational relaxation of OX750 molecules, and a quantitative analysis of this time constant has been performed using the Stokes-Einstein-Debye hydrodynamic theory and the extended charge distribution model developed by Alavi and Waldeck. In both methanol and ethanol, a faster anisotropy decay on the order of picoseconds and a slower anisotropy decay on the hundreds of picoseconds time scale are observed. The most likely explanation for the faster anisotropy involves the rotation of the transition dipole moment in the excited state of OX750 resulting from the electron transfer (ET) reaction taking place from the alcoholic solvents to the OX750 chromophore. As a possible explanation, the wobbling-in-the-cone model has been used to analyze the biexponential anisotropy decays of OX750 in dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The observed faster anisotropy decays on the hundreds of femtoseconds time scale in DMF and DMSO are ascribed to the wobbling-in-the-cone motion of the ethyl group of OX750, which is sensitive to the strength of the hydrogen bond formed between the solvent and the protonation site of OX750.     

Impact of Hydrogen Bonding on the Fluorescence of N‐Amidinated Fluoroquinolones

The fluorescence properties of AIE‐active N‐amidinated fluoroquinolones, efficiently obtained by a perfluoroaryl azide–aldehyde–amine reaction, have been studied. The fluorophores were discovered to elicit a highly sensitive fluorescence quenching response towards guest molecules with hydrogen‐bond‐donating ability. This effect was evaluated in a range of protic/aprotic solvents with different H‐bonding capabilities, and also in aqueous media. The influence of acid/base was furthermore addressed. The hydrogen‐bonding interactions were studied by IR, NMR, UV/Vis and time‐resolved fluorescence decay, revealing their roles in quenching of the fluorescence emission. Due to the pronounced quenching property of water, the N‐amidinated fluoroquinolones could be utilized as fluorescent probes for quantifying trace amount of water in organic solvents.     

Interaction of 2-hydroxy-substituted Nile red fluorescent probe with organic nitrogen compounds

The fluorescent properties of 2-hydroxy Nile red dye (HONR) proved to be highly sensitive to the basicity of hydrogen bond acceptors. Fluorescence quantum yields and fluorescence decay profiles were measured as the function of the concentration of organic nitrogen compounds in solvents of various polarities. The detailed mechanism and the kinetics of the fluorescence quenching were revealed with the combined analysis of the steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic data. The relative contribution of the competing reaction steps was found to be very sensitive to the basicity of the additive and to solvent polarity. The most profound change appeared in the unimolecular deactivation pathways of the excited hydrogen-bonded HONR, whereas the formation rate of this species varied to a lesser extent. The dissociation into excited HONR and ground-state base was able to compete with the energy dissipation only when 2,4,6-trimethylpyridine was used as hydrogen bond acceptor in toluene. The bimolecular quenching of the excited hydrogen-bonded complex played significant role in apolar solvents. Proton displacement along the hydrogen bond in the excited complex led to excited ion pairs in polar media.     

UV-vis, IR and 1H NMR spectroscopic studies of some 6-chloro,2-pyridyl hydrazones

The electronic absorption spectra of some 6-chloro,2-pyridyl hydrazones are studied in seven organic solvents of different polarity. The absorption bands are assigned to the corresponding electronic transitions and the effect of solvent parameters on the charge transfer energy (E(CT)) is investigated. The spectra in buffer solutions of varied pH are also studied and utilized for the determination of the acid dissociation constants of the compounds under study. The fluorescence spectra were recorded for one of the studied compounds in six solvents, the solvent effect on the photoquantum yield and spectral pattern are also studied. Bands of diagnostic importance in the IR spectra and signals in the (1)H NMR spectra are assigned. The results of the present investigation are supported by some MO calculations using the atom super position and electron delocalization molecular orbital theory (ASED-MO) and Gaussian 94 program. The geometry is optimized using the PM3 method.     

A TD-DFT study on the hydrogen bonding of three esculetin complexes in electronically excited states: strengthening and weakening

Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) method was used to study the excited-state hydrogen bonding of three esculetin complexes formed with aprotic solvents. The geometric structures, molecular orbitals (MOs), electronic spectra and the infrared (IR) spectra of the three doubly hydrogen-bonded complexes formed by esculetin and aprotic solvents dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), tetrahyrofuran (THF) and acetonitrile (ACN) in both ground state S(0) and the first singlet excited state S(1) were calculated by the combined DFT and TD-DFT methods with the COSMO solvation model. Two intermolecular hydrogen bonds can be formed between esculetin and the aprotic solvent in each hydrogen-bonded complex. Based on the calculated bond lengths of the hydrogen bonds and the groups involved in the formation of the intermolecular hydrogen bonds in different electronic states, it is demonstrated that one of the two hydrogen bonds formed in each hydrogen-bonded complex is strengthened while the other one is weakened upon photoexcitation. Furthermore, it is found that the strength of the intermolecular hydrogen bonds formed in the three complexes becomes weaker as the solvents change from DMSO, via THF, to ACN, which is suggested to be due to the decrease of the hydrogen bond accepting (HBA) ability of the solvents. The spectral shifts of the calculated IR spectra further confirm the strengthening and weakening of the intermolecular hydrogen bonds upon the electronic excitation. The variations of the intermolecular hydrogen bond strengths in both S(0) and S(1) states are proposed to be the main reasons for the gradual spectral shifts in the absorption and fluorescence spectra both theoretically and experimentally.     

The acid-base equilibrium constants of some azine compounds in various aqueous-organic solvent mixtures

The acid dissociation constants of the protonated form of some azine compounds (acridine, acridine orange and neutral red, BH+) were determined pH-metrically at 25 degrees C and at the constant ionic strength I = 0.1 mol l(-1) (KNO3) in pure water as well as in various aqueous mixtures having different proportions (w/w%) of organic solvents. The organic solvents used are methanol, ethanol (as amphiprotic solvents), N,N-dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide (as dipolar aprotic solvents) and acetonitrile (as a low basic solvent). The results obtained indicated that the pKa values decrease as the content of the organic solvent in the medium is increased. It is deduced that, the major effect responsible for this behaviour is the differences in stabilization of the free base (B) by dispersion forces and of the proton by its interaction with solvent and water molecules in aqueous-organic solvent mixtures (ion-solvent interaction). Moreover, it is concluded that the ability of the solvent to accept hydrogen bond from the protonated form (BH+) contributes significantly to the deprotonation process of the compounds.