Comment on “Acid-induced tunable white light emission based on triphenylamine derivatives”

We comment the recent paper which reported a series of TPA derivatives to show acid-induced tunable white light emission.     

Synthesis and properties of new tetrazines substituted by heteroatoms: towards the world's smallest organic fluorophores

New tetrazines substituted by heteroatoms have been synthesized and their electrochemical and photochemical properties investigated. All compounds are reversibly electroactive with standard potentials shifting cathodically according to the donor character of the substituent. The tetrazine derivatives are also fluorescent with maximum emission wavelengths in the range 550-575 nm. Some of them show very long fluorescence lifetimes (several tens of ns) and remain fluorescent in the solid state without major changes in the spectral features. The fluorescence of one of the derivatives can be efficiently quenched by the presence of electron-rich compounds such as triphenylamines, phenol or anisole, which make them very promising compounds for sensor applications.     

Fluorimetric determination of titanium with 2-methyl-3-ethyl-5-hydroxychromone

Titanium reacts with 5-hydroxychromone and eleven of its derivatives to form water-insoluble yellow complexes, which exhibit yellow-green fluorescence on extraction into carbon tetrachloride. An investigation of the substituent effect on the fluorescence intensity of the titanium complexes of these reagents showed that the best fluorescent reagent for the determination of titanium is 2-methyl-3-ethyl-5-hydroxychromone. The maximum wavelengths of the excitation and emission spectra of 2-methyl-3-ethyl-5-hydroxychromone complex are 395 nm and 513 nm, respectively. The titanium complex shows constant fluorescence intensity when extracted from a solution of pH 6.5–8.5. When extraction is done with 10ml of carbon tetrachloride, 0.5–5.0 μg of titanium can be determined. The effects of diverse ions and of substituent position in the reagents are discussed.     

A Dual Emissive Coumarin–urea Derivative with an Electron-withdrawing Substituent in the Presence of Acetate Anion

We investigated the fluorescent properties, including the excited-state intermolecular proton transfer, of urea derivatives comprising a coumarin ring, which is a widely used fluorophore. We prepared two different coumarin–urea derivatives, 6CU and 7CU, which bear a urea-based substituent at the 6 and 7 positions of a coumarin ring, respectively. In the presence of the acetate ion, 7CU showed additional tautomer fluorescence emission with respect to 6CU, indicating that tautomer formation depends on the positions of the urea-based substituent on the coumarin ring. Thus, the resonance structures of urea derivatives might play an important role in the behavior of dual fluorescence, which is an important phenomenon applicable to photochemical anion sensing. Moreover, in order to further improve the fluorescence properties of the mentioned derivatives, a CF₃ group was introduced in a phenyl ring opposite to a coumarin ring. The fluorescence quantum yield of 7CUCF₃ thus synthesized was 65 times as large as that of 7CU, an observation that renders 7CUCF₃ a suitable anion sensor candidate. The results of this study will contribute to the development of new molecular designs for highly fluorescent sensing.     

可聚合1,8-萘酰亚胺衍生物掺杂聚硅氧烷复合材料的合成及荧光特性

合成了3种可聚合的1,8-萘酰亚胺衍生物, 并研究了其在二甲基亚砜(DMSO)溶液中的光物理性质. 这些化合物表现出的光物理性质与其电子环境有关. 通过溶胶-凝胶法制备了可聚合1,8-萘酰亚胺衍生物与硅氧烷的共聚物. 尽管3种萘酰亚胺衍生物C-4位的取代基不同, 但在3-氨丙基三乙氧基硅烷(APTES)固凝胶中摩尔分数为0.06%时荧光强度均最大. 利用 ²⁹Si MAS NMR对合成材料进行了表征, 结果表明, 硅氧烷的缩聚程度影响材料的荧光强度, 说明材料中荧光单元的分子运动对材料的荧光性能有重要影响.     

A new series of 2,5-bis(4-methylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives: their synthesis and fluorescence properties for anion sensors

A new series of 2,5-bis(4-methylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives containing various substituted groups on the ortho-position to oxadiazole ring was synthesized and their fluorescent sensor properties were investigated. The fluorescent sensor molecules showed UV absorption shift as well as fluorescence emission shift upon exposure to fluoride anion in DMF solution, which was considerably dependent on the substituent attached on the phenyl group. The new sensory compound, 1d can be used as a fluoride anion sensor in terms of naked-eye detection and fluorescent sensing with high selectivity.     

溶剂效应和取代基效应对2-(2-氨基苯基)苯并噻唑光谱性质及激发态分子内质子转移的影响

合成了多种2-(2-氨基苯基)苯并噻唑(APBT)氨基氢原子被供电子及吸电子基团取代的衍生物, 并用紫外光谱﹑荧光光谱等方法和密度泛函理论(DFT)计算研究了溶剂效应和取代基效应对衍生物的光谱性质及激发态分子内质子转移(ESIPT)的影响规律. 结果表明, 相比于非极性溶剂环己烷, 随溶剂极性的增加及APBT-溶剂分子间氢键的形成, APBT的紫外-可见最大吸收峰和荧光最大发射峰均发生了一定程度的红移, 并对APBT的ESIPT产生了影响. 在APBT分子的氨基氮原子上引入不同的吸电子或斥电子取代基, 对氮原子的电荷性质有较大的影响. 在环己烷溶剂中, 甲基取代后的APBT仅有单重荧光发射峰, 体系未发生ESIPT过程; 而COCH₂Cl等吸电子基团能促进APBT的ESIPT, 其荧光发射光谱出现了明显的双重峰, 表明体系发生了激发态分子内质子转移反应. 量子化学的理论计算较好地验证了光谱实验结果.     

A unique NH-spacer for N-benzamidothiourea based anion sensors. Substituent effect on anion sensing of the ICT dual fluorescent N-(p-dimethylaminobenzamido)-N'-arylthioureas

A series of N-(p-dimethylaminobenzamido)-N'-(substituted-phenyl)thioureas (substituent = p-CH3, H, p-Cl, p-Br, m-Br, m-NO2, and p-NO2) were designed as anion sensors in order to better understand the -NH-spacer via a substituent effect investigation. In these molecules the dual fluorescent intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) fluorophore p-dimethylaminobenzamide as the signal reporter was linked to the anion-binding site, the thiourea moiety, via an N-N single bond. Correlation of the NMR signals of the aromatic and -NH protons with substituents in these molecules indicated that the N-N single bond stopped the ground-state electronic communication between the signal reporter and the anion-binding site. Dual fluorescence was observed in highly polar solvents such as acetonitrile with the former five derivatives. The fact that the CT emission wavelength and the CT to LE emission intensity ratio of the sensors were independent of the substituent existing in the anion-binding moiety suggested that the substituent electronic effect could not be communicated to the CT fluorophore in the excited-state either. Yet in acetonitrile both the CT dual fluorescence and the absorption of the sensors were found to be highly sensitive toward anions. A conformation change around the N-N bond in the sensor molecules was suggested to occur upon anion binding that established the electronic communication between the signal reporter and the anion-binding site. The anion binding constants of the N-(p-dimethylaminobenzamido)thiourea sensors were found higher than those of the corresponding traditional N-phenylthiourea counterparts and the substituent effect on the anion binding constant was much higher than that in the latter. "-NH-" was shown to be a unique spacer that affords N-benzamidothiourea allosteric anion sensors.     

Highly intense fluorescent diarylboron diketonate

Diarylboron diketonates were successfully prepared by the reaction of 1,3-diketone derivatives and arylboron compounds such as triphenylborane [BPh3] and fluorobis(pentafluorophenyl)borane diethyl etherate [(C6F5)2BF x OEt2]. The fluorescent emission of their complexes took place depending on the substituent of the arylboron moiety. In particular, a boron 1,3-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,3-diketonate chelated by a strong electron-withdrawing C6F5 group exhibited the most intense fluorescence.     

含有三苯胺单元的萘酰亚胺化合物的合成及其荧光调控研究

通过在1,8-萘酰亚胺发光单元上引入三苯胺单元, 合成了含三苯胺单元的萘酰亚胺化合物(TNP和TNM). 吸收光谱、稳态及瞬态的荧光光谱证实了该体系不仅存在着Förster-type单线态能量转移, 同时存在着光诱导电荷转移(PIET), 正是由于PIET导致目标化合物TNP和TNM的荧光发生严重淬灭, 其淬灭超过99%. 通过加入酸将三苯胺中心氮原子进行质子化, 切断其PIET过程, 可实现荧光的淬灭与恢复的可逆性荧光调控. 该体系的荧光切断与恢复的过程可用于荧光开关的设计.     

Ratiometric dual fluorescent receptors for anions under intramolecular charge transfer mechanism

A series of the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) dual fluorescent receptors with anion binding site in the electron acceptor were designed and synthesized. These receptors exhibited dual fluorescence in acetonitrile and the charge transfer (CT) emission energy was found to correlate linearly with the Hammett constant of the substituent existing in the electron acceptor, which is the basis for anion sensing. Dual fluorescence of these receptors was found to be sensitive to the presence of anions such as fluoride and acetate and the receptors can be employed as ratiometric fluorescent sensors for anions.     

Highly Fluorescent and Water‐Soluble Diketopyrrolopyrrole Dyes for Bioconjugation

The preparation of highly water‐soluble and strongly fluorescent diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) dyes using an unusual taurine‐like sulfonated linker has been achieved. Exchanging a phenyl for a thienyl substituent shifts the emission wavelength to near λ=600 nm. The free carboxylic acid group present in these new derivatives was readily activated and the dyes were subsequently covalently linked to a model protein (bovine serum albumin; BSA). The bioconjugates were characterized by electronic absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy and MALDI‐TOF mass spectrometry, thus enabling precise determination of the labeling density (ratio DPP/BSA about 3 to 8). Outstanding values of fluorescence quantum yield (30 % to 59 %) for these bioconjugates are obtained. The photostability of these DPP dyes is considerably greater than that of fluorescein under the same irradiation conditions. Remarkably low detection limits between 80 and 300 molecules/μm² were found for the BSA bioconjugates by fluorescence imaging with a epifluorescence microscope.     

Fluorescence properties and antiproliferative effects of mono-, bis-, and tris- thiophenylnaphthalimides: results of a comparative pilot study

A series of mono-, bis- and trisnaphthalimides with different substituents on the naphthalimide ring system was prepared. For compounds containing a thiophenyl substituent fluorescence spectroscopic measurements were performed and unexpectedly showed an increase in fluorescence emission for the bis- and trisnaphthalimide derivatives in phosphate buffered saline. Additional fluorescence microscopic experiments indicated an efficient cellular uptake of the thiophenyl substituted compound 1c into cultured tumor cells. Experiments on the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation were performed in MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma and HT-29 colon carcinoma cells and confirmed derivatives containing a nitro substituent as the most active compounds. Compound 1c demonstrated potential as photoinducable antitumor agent.     

Excited State Intramolecular Proton Transfer in Ethynyl‐Extended Regioisomers of 2‐(2′‐Hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole: Effects of the Position and Electronic Nature of Substituent Groups

Although the organic dyes based on excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) mechanism have attracted significant attention, the structure‐property relationship of ESIPT dyes needs to be further exploited. In this paper, three series of ethynyl‐extended regioisomers of 2‐(2′‐hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole (HBT), at the 3′‐, 4′‐ and 6‐positions, respectively, have been synthesized. Changes in the absorption and emission spectra were correlated with the position and electronic nature of the substituent groups. Although 4′‐ and 6‐substituted HBT derivatives exhibited absorption bands at longer wavelengths, the keto‐emission of 3′‐substituted HBT derivatives was found at a substantially longer wavelength. The gradual red‐shifted fluorescence emission was found for 3′‐substituted HBT derivatives where the electron‐donating nature of substituent group increased, which was opposite to what was observed for 4′‐ and 6‐substituted HBT derivatives. The results derived from the theoretical calculations were in conformity with the experimental observations. Our study could potentially provide experimental and theoretical basis for designing novel ESIPT dyes that possess unique fluorescent properties.     

Achieving Molecular Fluorescent Conversion from Aggregation-Caused Quenching to Aggregation-Induced Emission by Positional Isomerization

In this work, we synthesized a pair of positional isomers by attaching a small electron-donating pyrrolidinyl group at ortho- and para-positions of a conjugated core. These isomers exhibited totally different fluorescent properties. PDB2 exhibited obvious aggregation-induced emission properties. In contrast, PDB4 showed the traditional aggregation-caused quenching effect. Their different fluorescent properties were investigated by absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, density functional theory calculations and single-crystal structural analysis. These results indicated that the substituent position of the pyrrolidinyl groups affects the twisted degree of the isomers, which further induces different molecular packing modes, thus resulting in different fluorescent properties of these two isomers. This molecular design concept provided a new accurate strategy for designing new aggregation-induced emission luminogens.     

Theoretical investigations on electronic structures and photophysical properties of novel bridged triphenylamine derivatives

It has been proved that triphenylamine (TPA) derivatives can be excellent candidates for hole‐transporting materials in organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). To improve on the thermal and morphological stability, a fully diarymethylene‐bridged TPA derivative (FATPA) which has been proven to enhance electroluminescent (EL) efficiency was synthesized. On the basis of FATPA, two series of novel bridged TPA derivatives have been designed by using diarylmethylene (Series A) or dimethyfluorene (Series B) as the linkage between the ortho‐positions of the phenyl rings in this work (see Fig. 1 ). To reveal the relationships between electronic structures and photophysical properties of these novel functional materials, an in‐depth theoretical investigation was elaborated via quantum chemical calculations using the density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) methods. In addition, the feasibility of using these bridged TPA derivatives as host in the device of ITO/MoO₃/NPB/mCP/host:Ir(ppy)₃/TAZ/LiF/Al was also evaluated, which including the discussion to their energy levels match with adjacent layers and energy transfer from host to guest. These calculated results show that photophysical properties can be easily tuned by the introduction of various substituent groups into the bridged TPA derivatives, such as the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs), the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMOs), the energies difference between the HOMOs and LUMOs (Δ_H‐L), the lowest singlet (E_S) and triplet (E_T) excitation energies, ionization potentials (IPs), electron affinities (EAs), reorganization energies (λ) and the absorption and emission spectra, indicating that these bridged TPA derivatives have great potential applications for OLEDs. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012     

Synthesis of benzanthron derivatives for selective detection by fluorescence of copper ions

The paper reports on the synthesis of two new benzanthron derivatives with intense yellow-orange fluorescence and their copolymers with styrene. The photophysical characteristics of the new low and high molecular weight fluorescent compounds have been studied in organic solvents of different polarity. The effect of the chemical nature of the C-3 substituent on the photophysical properties of the new dyes is discussed. The complexes formed between the benzanthron fluorophores and metal cations in solution have been studied with regard to potential applications as fluorescent sensors for metal ion contamination. The results show that the C-3 substituent determines a selective response to the presence of Cu²⁺ cations. In the case of copolymers the effect of the metal cations on the fluorescence intensity is negligible.     

Heteroaromatic alanine derivatives bearing (oligo)thiophene units: synthesis and photophysical properties

A series of new benzoxazolylalanine derivatives bearing (oligo)thiophene units at the side chain were synthesized in good yields. The photophysical characterization of these amino acids was performed by UV-vis absorption and fluorescence emission studies and revealed that some of the compounds display high fluorescent quantum yields, making them good candidates for application as fluorescent probes.     

Intensely Fluorescent Azobenzenes: Synthesis,Crystal Structures,Effects of Substituents,and Application to Fluorescent Vital Stain

2‐[Bis(pentafluorophenyl)boryl]azobenzenes bearing hydrogen, methoxy, dimethylamino, trifluoromethyl, fluoro, n‐butyl, and tert‐butyldimethylsiloxy groups at the 4′‐position or methoxy and bromo groups at the 4‐position have been synthesized. The 4‐bromo group of the 2‐boryl‐4‐bromoazobenzene derivative was converted to phenyl and diphenylamino groups by palladium‐catalyzed reactions. The absorption and fluorescence properties have been investigated using UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. The 2‐borylazobenzenes emitted an intense green, yellow, and orange fluorescence, in marked contrast to the usual azobenzene fluorescence. The 4′‐siloxy derivative showed the highest fluorescence quantum yield (0.90) among those reported for azobenzenes to date. The correlation between the substituent and the fluorescence properties was elucidated by studying the effect of the substituent on the relaxation process and from DFT and TD‐DFT calculations. An electron‐donating group at the 4′‐position was found to be important for an intense emission. Application of fluorescent azobenzenes as a fluorescent vital stain for the visualization of living tissues was also investigated by microinjection into Xenopus embryos, suggesting these compounds are nontoxic towards embryos.     

环己烷中苯甲酰苯胺的双重荧光--分子内电荷转移的直接光谱证据

自从O Connell等［1］报道苯甲酰苯胺(BA)在EPA玻璃体中异常的长波长荧光发射特性以来, 已有众多学者尝试解释该"异常"荧光的发射态性质［2～12］. Kasha等［2～7］认为长波长荧光是质子转移(PT)和电荷转移(CT)两种激发态发射的叠加, 而Azumaya等［8］则认为发射态只包含分子内扭转电荷转移(TICT)态. 应该指出的是, 在上述研究中, 电荷转移态的指认并无有力的实验事实, 而主要是依据与具有CT双重荧光的对二甲氨基苯甲氰［13,14］的类比. 显然, 有关苯甲酰苯胺的长波长荧光发射态的准确性质仍待实验阐明