Further Insight into the Photostability of the Pyrene Fluorophore in Halogenated Solvents

Pyrene fluorophores of pyrene‐functionalized CdSe quantum dots (QD@Py), as well as alkylpyrene and pyrene itself (Py), undergo fast degradation in aerated chloroform under ultraviolet‐A (UV‐A, 316<λ<400 nm) illumination. Steady‐state fluorescence studies of irradiated chloroform solutions of QD@Py show formation of new bands, red‐shifted compared to that of the pyrene moiety. Similar behaviour is observed for pyrene and the alkylpyrene system. Column chromatography of the pyrene photolysate in chloroform allowed us to isolate photoproducts arising from pyrene degradation, and to obtain information on the structure of the photoproducts responsible for the emission bands. The most predominant photoproducts were those originating from the reaction of pyrene with dichloromethyl radicals. The phototransformation of QD@Py and the alkylpyrene involves mainly detachment of the alkyl chain from the aromatic ring, induced also by dichloromethyl radicals, and oxidation of the alkyl chain at the benzylic position was detected as well. By contrast, these pyrene systems show a high photostability in aerated dichloromethane. Transient absorption measurements showed formation of both pyrene triplet and pyrene radical cation for all pyrene systems in these halogenated solvents. The yield of pyrene radical cations for Py is higher than for QD@Py and the alkylpyrene. In addition, pyrene radical cations were longer‐lived in dichloromethane than in chloroform. The reason for the pyrene photostability in dichloromethane is the different reactivity of chloromethyl and dichloromethyl radicals towards pyrene and oxygen. These studies show that the use of dichloromethane can be a suitable alternative to chloroform when the good solubility properties of these halogenated solvents are needed to dissolve pyrene when this chromophore is used as a fluorescent probe.     

Sulfonated Pyrene as a Photoregulator for Single-Stranded DNA Looping

Controlling the conformation and function of biomolecules through photoregulators holds great promise as a spatiotemporally controllable tool for disease control. In addition, introducing photoregulators into biomolecules has also found applications in constructing smart nanomaterials. In spite of the astonishing advances that have been made in the past few years, realizing highly controllable and efficient regulation over the conformation and function of biomolecules under physiological conditions is still challenging. Herein, sulfonated pyrene SPy was synthesized and used as a photoregulator to control the looping of single-stranded DNAs (ssDNAs) in aqueous solution. Due to its water solubility, SPy merits use in the study of biomolecules in aqueous solution. The looping of the doubly SPy -modified ssDNAs is stimulated by irradiation and regulated by SPy . Photoionization generates the radical cation of SPy ( SPy ^.+). The association of SPy ^{. +} with its neutral counterpart, SPy , gives rise to the dimer radical cation of SPy ( SPy₂ ^{. +} ). During the association process, the stabilization energy released to form SPy₂ ^{. +} provides a driving force for the looping of ssDNAs. Conversely, the formed loop conformations were trapped by the formation of SPy₂ ^{. +} , and this allowed the looping dynamics to be investigated. The results reported herein suggest potential of SPy as a photoregulator for controlling the conformation and function of biomolecules under physiological conditions.     

Synthesis and Spin‐Trapping Properties of a Trifluoromethyl Analogue of DMPO: 5‐Methyl‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐1‐pyrroline N‐Oxide (5‐TFDMPO)

The 5‐diethoxyphosphonyl‐5‐methyl‐1‐pyrroline N‐oxide superoxide spin adduct (DEPMPO?OOH) is much more persistent (about 15 times) than the 5,5‐dimethyl‐1‐pyrroline N‐oxide superoxide spin adduct (DMPO?OOH). The diethoxyphosphonyl group is bulkier than the methyl group and its electron‐withdrawing effect is much stronger. These two factors could play a role in explaining the different half‐lifetimes of DMPO?OOH and DEPMPO?OOH. The trifluoromethyl and the diethoxyphosphonyl groups show similar electron‐withdrawing effects but have different sizes. We have thus synthesized and studied 5‐methyl‐5‐trifluoromethyl‐1‐pyrroline N‐oxide (5‐TFDMPO), a new trifluoromethyl analogue of DMPO, to compare its spin‐trapping performance with those of DMPO and DEPMPO. 5‐TFDMPO was prepared in a five‐step sequence by means of the Zn/AcOH reductive cyclization of 5,5,5‐trifluoro‐4‐methyl‐4‐nitropentanal, and the geometry of the molecule was estimated by using DFT calculations. The spin‐trapping properties were investigated both in toluene and in aqueous buffer solutions for oxygen‐, sulfur‐, and carbon‐centered radicals. All the spin adducts exhibit slightly different fluorine hyperfine coupling constants, thereby suggesting a hindered rotation of the trifluoromethyl group, which was confirmed by variable‐temperature EPR studies and DFT calculations. In phosphate buffer at pH 7.4, the half‐life of 5‐TFDMPO?OOH is about three times shorter than for DEPMPO?OOH and five times longer than for DMPO?OOH. Our results suggest that the stabilization of the superoxide adducts comes from a delicate balance between steric, electronic, and hydrogen‐bonding effects that involve the β group, the hydroperoxyl moiety, and the nitroxide.     

Effect of the Substitution Pattern on the Intramolecular Charge‐Transfer Emissions in Organoboron‐Based Biphenyls,Diphenylacetylenes, and Stilbenes

Three series of organoboron‐based molecules, including biphenyls 1a , 1b , 1c , diphenylacetylenes 2a , 2b , 2c , and stilbenes 3a , 3b , 3c , in which the electron‐accepting boryl and the electron‐donating amino groups are introduced at different positions, have been comprehensively investigated to explore the effect of the substitution pattern on the intramolecular charge‐transfer emissions. In cyclohexane solution, the change of substitution pattern from p,p′ to o,p′ by introduction of boryl at the lateral o‐position rather than the terminal p‐position leads to bathochromism in the absorption and emission spectra. With further variation of the amino position from the terminal p′‐position in o,p′‐substitution to the lateral o′‐position in an o,o′‐substitution pattern, a blueshift was observed in the absorption owing to the less‐efficient conjugation extension of the amino group as the result of sp³ hybridization. It is notable that the emission of the three series of molecules changes with completely different trends. Only the emission of the biphenyl is redshifted further from o,p′‐substituted 1b to o,o′‐substituted 1a , whereas o,o′‐substituted diphenylacetylene 2a maintains almost the same spectrum as that of o,p′‐substituted diphenylacetylene 2b and the fluorescence of o,o′‐substituted stilbene 3a is even blueshifted compared with o,p′‐substituted stilbene 3b . As a result, the o,o′‐substituted biphenyl 1a shows the longest emission wavelength despite the limited conjugation of the parent biphenyl skeleton. The long emission wavelength of 1a may arise from its extremely twisted structure, which would cause a significant structural relaxation in the exited state. In the solid state, 1a still keeps almost the longest emission wavelength. In addition, its quantum yield is also among the highest. The unusual properties, intense solid‐state emission together with long emission wavelength, and particularly large Stokes shift, which are difficult to attain by structural modification of other parent π‐conjugated frameworks, have been achieved by the introduction of boryl and amino groups at the o,o′‐positions of the biphenyl skeleton.     

Effect of peripheral substitution on the electronic absorption and fluorescence spectra of metal-free and zinc phthalocyanines

The effect of substituents on the position and intensity of the electronic absorption and fluorescence spectra of phthalocyanines (Pcs) was examined for 35 Pc compounds. When electron-releasing groups are bound to four alpha-benzo positions of the Pc skeleton, the B and Q bands shift to longer wavelength. Relative to this shift, the effect of introducing the same electron-releasing groups at the other four alpha positions amounts to about 1.6-2.0. Although the effect is not always clearly seen, introduction of electron-releasing groups in the beta-benzo positions of the Pc skeleton generally shifts the Q band to shorter wavelength. The effect of electron-withdrawing groups is exactly the opposite with respect to the alpha and beta positions. These effects can be reasonably explained by considering the magnitude of the atomic orbital coefficients of the carbon atoms derived from molecular orbital (MO) calculations. In addition, the following intriguing phenomena were observed in the experiments, although not all were explained theoretically: 1) the splitting of the Q band of metal-free Pcs decreases with increasing wavelength of the Q band, 2) the ring currents of Pcs with Q bands at longer wavelength are generally smaller, and 3) the absorption coefficients of the Q band of Pc compounds with 16-electron-releasing substituents are larger than those of the corresponding tetra- and octasubstituted Pcs by several tens of percent. 4) Our PPP calculations suggested that the absorption coefficient of the Q band of Pcs with more strongly electron releasing substituents is larger. 5) The second HOMO of the Pcs with the Q band at longer wavelength has b(1u) symmetry, as opposed to the a(2u) symmetry of normal Pcs. 6) Pcs showing S1 emission maxima at wavelengths longer than about 740 nm generally have quantum yields of less than 0.1.     

EPR characterisation of Cu(II) complexes of poly(propylene imine) dendromesogens: using the orienting effect of a magnetic field.

Liquid-crystalline derivatives of poly(propylene imine)dendrimers of the 0th, 1st and 2nd generations, complexed with copper(II) ions, were studied by EPR spectroscopy. The structures of copper (II) complexes with different Cu(II) loadings x per dendrimer ligand L (x = Cu/L) were determined. At the lowest concentration, the Cu(II) ions form monomeric complexes with approximately square-planar N2O2 coordination of both carbonyl oxygen and amido nitrogen atoms. At higher copper content, two kinds of Cu(II) complex sites with different geometries exist. The orienting effect of a high magnetic field was used to investigate the structure and magnetic properties of the copper(II) complexes. This effect, for the first time in dendrimers, allowed the resolution of five nitrogen super-hyperfine lines on g(z) components with the unusual coupling constant of a(Nz)= 35.9 x 10(-4) cm(-1). The combination of the magnetic parameters and the orienting effect indicates the presence of a monomeric complex with pseudotetrahedral N2O2 coordination of the Cu(II) ion, as well as a "dimer" structure with fivefold coordination, presumably due to an N3O2 environment. Higher copper loadings lead to increased exchange coupling between the complex sites.     

Magnetic Resonance and Mössbauer Studies of Superparamagnetic γ‐Fe2O3 Nanoparticles Encapsulated into Liquid‐Crystalline Poly(propylene imine) Dendrimers

We present the first results of electron magnetic resonance (EMR) and Mössbauer spectroscopy studies of γ‐Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles (NPs) incorporated into liquid‐crystalline, second‐generation dendrimers. The mean size of NPs formed in the dendrimers was around 2.5 nm. A temperature‐driven transition from superparamagnetic to ferrimagnetic resonance was observed for the sample. Low‐temperature blocking of the NP magnetic moments has been clearly evidenced in the integrated EMR line intensity and the blocking temperature was about 60 K. The physical parameters of magnetic NPs (magnetic moment, effective magnetic anisotropy) have been determined from analyses of the EMR data. The effective magnetic anisotropy constant is enhanced relative to bulk γ‐Fe₂O₃ and this enhanced value is associated with the influence of the surface and shape effects. The angular dependence of the EMR signal position for the field‐freezing sample from liquid‐crystalline phase showed that NPs possessed uniaxial anisotropy, in contrast to bulk γ‐Fe₂O₃. Mössbauer spectroscopy determined that fabricated NPs consisted of an α‐Fe core and a γ‐Fe₂O₃ shell.     

Photoswitchable “Turn‐on” Fluorescence Diarylethenes: Substituent Effects on Photochemical Properties and Electrochromism

A series of “turn‐on” fluorescence diarylethenes derived from 2,3‐bis(2‐methylbenzo[b]thiophen‐3‐yl)‐5,6‐dihydro‐4H‐thieno[2,3‐b]thiopyran‐4‐one ( 1 ) with alkyl and acetyl substituents were synthesized. The photochemical and photophysical properties of these derivatives, including the photoreaction of crystalline 1 , were thoroughly investigated to reveal substituent effects on their properties. The results indicated that alkyl substituents did not significantly affect the absorption and emission spectra of the diarylethenes. However, large absorption and emission wavelength shifts were observed for the diarylethene with an acetyl substituent due to extension of π–π conjugation. Significantly, all of the fluorescent ring‐closed forms of the compounds isomerized to their ring‐open forms in the presence of Cu²⁺ in the dark. EPR results provide clear evidence for the formation of the compound 1 radical cation intermediate that might be generated in the reaction between c‐ 1 and Cu²⁺. DFT calculations found that the ground‐state activation energy for ring‐opening of 1^.+ was approximately 9.2 kcal mol^?1 lower than that of 1 without Cu²⁺, such that a Cu²⁺‐catalyzed oxidative cycloreversion reaction at room temperature might be possible.     

Molecular recognition: comparative study of a tunable host-guest system by using a fluorescent model system and collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometry on dendrimers

Host-guest interactions between the periphery of adamantylurea-functionalized dendrimers (host) and ureido acetic acid derivatives (guest) were shown to be specific, strong and spatially well-defined. The binding becomes stronger when using phosphonic or sulfonic acid derivatives. In the present work we have quantified the binding constants for the host-guest interactions between two different host motifs and six different guest molecules. The host molecules, which resemble the periphery of a poly(propylene imine) dendrimer, have been fitted with an anthracene-based fluorescent probe. The two host motifs differ in terms of the length of the spacer between a tertiary amine and two ureido functionalities. The guest molecules all contain an acidic moiety (either a carboxylic acid, a phosphonic acid, or a sulfonic acid) and three of them also contain an ureido moiety capable of forming multiple hydrogen bonds to the hosts. The binding constants for all 12 host-guest complexes have been determined by using fluorescence titrations by monitoring the increase in fluorescence of the host upon protonation by the addition of the guest. The binding constants could be tuned by changing the design of the acidic part of the guest. The formation of hydrogen bonds gives, in all cases, higher association constants, demonstrating that the host is more than a proton sensor. The host with the longer spacer (propyl) shows higher association constants than the host with the shorter spacer (ethyl). The gain in association constants are higher when the urea function is added to the guests for the host with the longer spacer, indicating a better fit. Collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometry (CID-MS) is used to study the stability of the six motifs using the corresponding third generation dendrimer. A similar trend is found when the six different guests are compared.     

Rapid and efficient enzyme encapsulation in a dendrimer silica nanocomposite

We report the entrapment of horseradish peroxidase and quantitative encapsulation of glucose oxidase within silica nanoparticles by utilizing an amine-terminated dendritic template. Our improved strategy employs a water-soluble biomimetic template which is able to catalyze the condensation of Si(OH)(4) to silica nanoparticles while trapping an enzyme inside the mesoporous material. Kinetic analysis shows enzyme functionality to be mostly unchanged. Also, the role of pI and ionic strength within the encapsulation environment was found to strongly influence encapsulation. These results suggest that the electrostatic manipulation of a strong supramolecular silica-precipitating complex of enzyme and dendrimer has the potential of adding a vast array of chemical and biological activity to hybrid materials. [image: see text] Enzyme immobilization within a silica nanocomposite.     

Synthesis and photochemical investigations of tetrasubstituted alkenes as molecular switches--the effect of substituents

Molecular switches based on helical tetrasubstituted alkenes, substituted with either electron-withdrawing (CF(3), F, CN; 2a-c, 3a,c) or -donating substituents (Me, OMe; 2d,e), have been synthesized from acyclic precursors 4 and 5 in a domino carbopalladation/Stille reaction. This palladium-catalyzed process allowed the rapid assembly of two C-C bonds, two six-membered rings, and the tetrasubstituted double bond in a completely diastereoselective fashion. The electronic effects of the substituents on the overall switching process were investigated by alternating irradiation of two different wavelength regions. Although the substituents had only a small influence on the absorption maxima, drastic differences in the switching behavior were observed.     

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.     

Torsional barriers in aromatic molecular clusters as probe of the electronic properties of the chromophore.

We present a computer program that is capable of fitting n-fold torsional barriers Vn (n = 2-6) and torsional constants F simultaneously to high- and low-resolution spectroscopic data of different isotopomeric internal rotors. The program has been utilized to fit independently barriers and torsional constants for both electronic states of several aromatic clusters. The constant F of the ammonia moiety in the phenol-ammonia cluster is shown to decrease upon electronic excitation, thus imaging the formation of a hydrogen-bonded complex between the phenoxy radical and the NH4 radical in the excited state. In contrast, for the naphthol-ammonia 1:1 clusters no change of F of ammonia could be found. For phenol-methanol cluster we found a decrease of F upon excitation which points to a stronger hydrogen bond between phenol and methanol in the excited state. A strong reduction of the torsional barrier upon excitation points to the formation of a methoxonium radical in a similar photoreaction as in phenol-ammonia cluster. For the phenol-water system we postulate the same mechanism, a photoreaction, which leads to a translocated hydrogen atom in the S1 state what can be deduced from the change of the torsional constant upon electronic excitation.     

Controlling Emissive Properties by Intramolecular Hydrogen Bonds: Alkyl and Aryl meso-Substituted Porphycenes

Porphycene, a porphyrin isomer, is an efficient fluorophore. However, four-fold meso substitution with alkyl groups decreases the fluorescence quantum yield by orders of magnitude. For aryl substituents, this effect is small. To explain this difference, we have synthesized and studied a mixed aryl-alkyl-substituted compound, 9,20-diphenyl-10,19-dimethylporphycene, as well as the 9,20-diphenyl and 9,20-dimethyl derivatives. Analysis of the structural, spectroscopic, and photophysical data of the six porphycenes, combined with quantum chemical calculations, shows a clear correlation between the strength of the intramolecular NH⋅⋅⋅N hydrogen bonds and the efficiency of the radiationless depopulation of the lowest-excited singlet state. This result led us to propose a model in which the delocalization of the inner protons in the cavity of the macrocycle is responsible for the nonradiative deactivation channel. The applicability of the model is confirmed by the literature data for other alkyl- or aryl-substituted porphycenes. The finding of a correlation between structural and emissive characteristics enables a rational design of porphycenes with desired photophysical properties.     

Design Strategy of Decorating Phenylcarbazole with a Donor and Acceptor for Blue-Shifted Emission in Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescent Emitters

A series of blue thermally activated delayed fluorescent (TADF) emitters of 1′′-(4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-9,9′′-diphenyl-9H,9′′H-3,3′:9′,4′′-tercarbazole (TrzCz1) and 3′,6′-di-tert-butyl-1-(4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-9-phenyl-9H-4,9′-bicarbazole (TrzCz2) were synthesized through a molecular design approach to decorate phenylcarbazole with a donor and an acceptor. The 1- and 4-positions of the phenylcarbazole core were modified with a diphenyltriazine acceptor and a bicarbazole or tert-butylcarbazole donor, respectively, through a synthetic strategy to introduce Br at the 1-position and F at the 4-position. The TrzCz1 and TrzCz2 emitters showed maximum photoluminescence emission bands at λ=443 and 433 nm, which were blueshifted relative to those of the corresponding TADF emitters with the same donor and acceptor, respectively. In the device application, the TrzCz1 emitter showed a maximum external quantum efficiency of 22.4 %, with a color coordinate of (0.16, 0.21), and the TrzCz2 emitter showed a maximum external quantum efficiency of 9.9 %, with a color coordinate of (0.14, 0.09). This work proved that the design strategy of decorating phenylcarbazole with a donor and an acceptor is effective at blueshifting the emission of TADF emitters.     

Conformational Control of Oligo(p‐phenyleneethynylene)s with Intrinsic Substituent Electronic Effects: Origin of the Twist in Pentiptycene‐Containing Systems

Dependence of the backbone planarity of oligo(p‐phenyleneethynylene)s (OPEs) on the intrinsic electronic character of substituents and on the nature of the solvent has been experimentally demonstrated with a series of center‐symmetrical five‐ring systems, pentiptycene‐pentiptycene‐arene‐pentiptycene‐pentiptycene, differing in the substituents on the central arene. In frozen 2‐methyltetrahydrofuran (MTHF), the adjacent pentiptycene units prefer to be in a mutually twisted orientation when the substituents are electron‐withdrawing (F and amido), resulting in a TPPT or TTTT conformation, whereas a planarized PPPP backbone is favored in the case of electron‐donating substituents (alkyl and alkoxy). The propensity to adopt the PPPP form is generally enhanced by replacing MTHF with either methylcyclohexane or mixed ethanol/methanol as solvent. These observations reveal that the twist between adjacent pentiptycene units in OPEs is a consequence of the electronic rather than steric effects of iptycenyl substituents. The electronic effect of iptycenyl substituents is manifested in decreased phenylene π polarizability as the net effect of both electron‐donating hyperconjugation and an electron‐withdrawing inductive effect. Variable‐temperature electronic absorption and emission spectroscopies are the critical tools for this work. Our findings provide important guidelines for conformational and electronic engineering of OPEs and for the design of novel iptycene‐based organic electronic materials.