Orthogonally aligned cyclic BODIPY arrays with long-lived triplet excited states as efficient heavy-atom-free photosensitizers

In photosensitizers, long triplet excited state lifetimes are key to their efficient electron transfer or energy transfer processes. Herein, we report a novel class of cyclic trimeric BODIPY arrays which were efficiently generated from easily accessible meso-mesityldipyrrinone and arylboronic acids in one pot. Arylboronic acid, for the first time, was used to provide a boron source for BODIPY derivatives. Due to the well-defined and orthogonally aligned BODIPY cores as verified by X-ray crystallography, these BODIPY arrays show strong exciton coupling effects and efficient intersystem crossings, and are novel heavy-atom-free photosensitizers with a long-lived triplet excited state (lifetime up to 257.5 μs) and good reactive oxygen species generation efficiency (up to 0.72) contributed by both ¹O₂ and O₂⁻˙ under light irradiation.

Cyclic BODIPY trimers showed strong exciton coupling in singlet excited states and long-lived triplet excited states, and generated both singlet oxygen and superoxide radicals under light irradiation, giving good reactive oxygen quantum yields and promising PDT results in vitro.     

Influence of solvent on the yield of singlet oxygen upon the chloride ion-catalyzed decomposition of dimethyldioxirane

The excitation yield of the singlet molecular oxygen ¹Δ _g [φ(¹O₂)] in the reaction of the dimethyldioxirane with the chloride ion in benzene, acetone, methylene chloride, and acetonitrile solutions has been determined. The φ(¹O₂) value depends on the solvent nature and is in the range 50–84%. Correlation between the value of the singlet oxygen yield and the Kamlet-Taft parameter (α) characterizing the acidity of the solvent as a hydrogen bond donor has been established: the higher the α value, the higher the ¹O₂ yield.     

Rational Design of Emissive NIR‐Absorbing Chromophores: RhIII Porphyrin‐Aza‐BODIPY Conjugates with Orthogonal Metal–Carbon Bonds

The facile synthesis of Group 9 Rh^III porphyrin‐aza‐BODIPY conjugates that are linked through an orthogonal Rh?C(aryl) bond is reported. The conjugates combine the advantages of the near‐IR (NIR) absorption and intense fluorescence of aza‐BODIPY dyes with the long‐lived triplet states of transition metal rhodium porphyrins. Only one emission peak centered at about 720 nm is observed, irrespective of the excitation wavelength, demonstrating that the conjugates act as unique molecules rather than as dyads. The generation of a locally excited (LE) state with intramolecular charge‐transfer (ICT) character has been demonstrated by solvatochromic effects in the photophysical properties, singlet oxygen quantum yields in polar solvents, and by the results of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In nonpolar solvents, the Rh^III conjugates exhibit strong aza‐BODIPY‐centered fluorescence at around 720 nm (Φ_F=17–34 %), and negligible singlet oxygen generation. In polar solvents, enhancements of the singlet‐oxygen quantum yield (Φ_Δ=19–27 %, λ_ex=690 nm) have been observed. Nanosecond pulsed time‐resolved absorption spectroscopy confirms that relatively long‐lived triplet excited states are formed. The synthetic methodology outlined herein provides a useful strategy for the assembly of functional materials that are highly desirable for a wide range of applications in material science and biomedical fields.     

A fullerene core to probe dendritic shielding effects

Dendrimers with a C₆₀ core have been obtained by cyclization of dendritic bis-malonate derivatives at the carbon sphere. The resulting bis-methanofullerene derivatives have been characterised by electrospray (ES) and/or MALDI-TOF mass spectrometries. UV-VIS absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra, and fullerene singlet excited state lifetimes have been determined in solvents of different polarity (toluene, dichloromethane, acetonitrile). These data suggest a tighter core/periphery contact upon increase of solvent polarity and dendrimer size. In all the investigated solvents, the fullerene triplet lifetimes are steadily increased with the dendrimer volume, reflecting lower diffusion rates of O₂ inside the dendrimers along the series. Measurements of quantum yields of singlet oxygen sensitization indicate that longer lived triplet states generate lower amounts of singlet oxygen (¹O₂^∗) in dichloromethane but not in apolar toluene suggesting a tighter contact between the dendritic branches and the fullerene core in CH₂Cl₂. In acetonitrile, the trend in singlet oxygen production is peculiar. Effectively, enhanced singlet oxygen production is monitored for the largest dendrimer. This reflects specific interactions of excited ¹O₂^∗ molecules with the dendritic wedges, as probed by singlet oxygen lifetime measurements, possibly as a consequence of trapping effects.     

Aza‐BODIPY Derivatives: Enhanced Quantum Yields of Triplet Excited States and the Generation of Singlet Oxygen and their Role as Facile Sustainable Photooxygenation Catalysts

A new series of aza‐BODIPY derivatives ( 4 a – 4 c , 5 a , c , and 6 b , c ) were synthesized and their excited‐state properties, such as their triplet excited state and the yield of singlet‐oxygen generation, were tuned by substituting with heavy atoms, such as bromine and iodine. The effect of substitution has been studied in detail by varying the position of halogenation. The core‐substituted dyes showed high yields of the triplet excited state and high efficiencies of singlet‐oxygen generation when compared to the peripheral‐substituted systems. The dye 6 c , which was substituted with six iodine atoms on the core and peripheral phenyl ring, showed the highest quantum yields of the triplet excited state (Φ_T=0.86) and of the efficiency of singlet‐oxygen generation (Φ_Δ=0.80). Interestingly, these dyes were highly efficient as photooxygenation catalysts under artificial light, as well as under normal sunlight conditions. The uniqueness of these aza‐BODIPY systems is that they are stable under irradiation conditions, possess strong red‐light absorption (620–680 nm), exhibit high yields of singlet‐oxygen generation, and act as efficient and sustainable catalysts for photooxygenation reactions.     

Laser flash photolytic determination of triplet yields via singlet oxygen generation

The efficiency φ_Δ of the generation of singlet oxygen ¹O₂* via oxygen quenching of triplets of a number of substrates of photochemical and photobiological interest was studied by 337.1 nm laser flash photolysis using 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran as the monitor for ¹O₂*. For all-trans retinal and two polyenals related to retinal as lower and higher homologues the φ_Δ data agree well with the triplet yields reported in the literature, suggesting that mechanisms involving charge transfer or spin exchange (at twisted configurations) leading to non-production of ¹O₂* are unimportant in the oxygen quenching of the triplets of these polyenes. Similar conclusions are also drawn for pyrene-1-aldehyde and tris(bipyridine)ruthenium(II) triplets where observation of quantitative production of ¹O₂* suggests energy transfer to be the dominant pathway. In support of some previous reports, the singlet oxygen yield in benzophenone triplet quenching by oxygen in benzene is found to be much less than unity (0.4).     

Change of Boron Substitution Improves the Lasing Performance of Bodipy Dyes: A Mechanistic Rationalisation

Bodipy laser dyes are highly efficient but degrade rapidly in solution by reacting with in situ generated singlet oxygen (¹O₂). To increase the lasing lifetimes of these dyes, we have designed and synthesised two different congeners of the widely studied Pyrromethene 567 (PM567) by substitution at the boron centre and/or at both the boron centre and the meso position. The two new dyes showed high lasing efficiencies with increased photostability. The results of theoretical and pulse radiolysis studies revealed that the substitution at the boron centre reduced the ¹O₂ generation capacity of these dyes as well as their rate of reaction with ¹O₂, thereby enhancing their lifetimes even under lasing conditions.     

Doubly N‐Confused Calix[6]phyrin Bis‐Organopalladium Complexes: Photostable Triplet Sensitizers for Singlet Oxygen Generation

Triplet photosensitizers that generate singlet oxygen efficiently are attractive for applications such as photodynamic therapy (PDT). Extending the absorption band to a near‐infrared (NIR) region (700 nm≈) with reasonable photostability is one of the major demands in the rational design of such sensitizers. We herein prepared a series of mono‐ and bis‐palladium complexes ( 1‐Pd‐H₂ , 2‐Pd‐H₂ , 1‐Pd‐Pd , and 2‐Pd‐Pd ) based on modified calix[6]phyrins as photosensitizers for singlet oxygen generation. These palladium complexes showed intense absorption profiles in the visible‐to‐NIR region (500–750 nm) depending on the number of central metals. Upon photoirradiation in the presence of 1,5‐dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) as a substrate for reactive oxygen species, the bis‐palladium complexes generated singlet oxygen with high efficiency and excellent photostability. Singlet oxygen generation was confirmed from the characteristic spectral feature of the spin trapped complex in the EPR spectrum and the intact ¹O₂ emission at 1270 nm.     

Singlet oxygen and photooxidation of polymers

The rates of accumulation of oxygen-containing species in photooxidation have been determined for a series of polymers such as polystyrene, polyisoprene, and polybutadiene in a wide range of singlet oxygen stationary concentrations in the polymers. An increase in singlet oxygen (¹O₂) concentration was achieved by introducing a dye which is a ¹O₂ donor into a polymer and by irradiating a sample with an additional source of light absorbed by the dye only. To decrease ¹O₂ concentration, 1,2,5-trimethyl-4-hydroxyphenylpiperidine, which is a quencher of ¹O₂, was introduced into a sample. The ¹O₂ stationary concentration in an oxidized polymer was measured via singlet oxygen oxidation of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-oxypiperidine which leads to the formation of the corresponding nitroxyl radical. The photooxidation rate has been found to vary only slightly with ¹O₂ concentration, even when the concentration changes 10–25-fold. Thus, ¹O₂ does not participate appreciably in the process of polymer photooxidation. It may be due to the lowering of ¹O₂ reactivity toward unsaturated groups in the polymer matrix as compared with that in solution.     

Solvent effect on the photogeneration of singlet molecular oxygen by copper tetra(tert-butyl)phthalocyanine

The photogeneration of the singlet molecular oxygen (¹O₂) by copper tetra(4-tert-butyl) phthalocyanine in organic solvents of different nature was substantiated. The apparent quantum yields of ¹O₂in benzene and pyridine were determined. The data obtained indicate an influence of the coordinating properties of the solvent on the ¹O₂yield. However, this factor is not “critical” as in the case of photogeneration of ¹O₂by copper tetra(5-tert-butylpyrazino)porphyrazine.     

PHOTOPHYSICAL AND PHOTOSENSITIZING PROPERTIES OF BENZOPORPHYRIN DERIVATIVE MONOACID RING A (BPD-MA)*

The photophysical properties of benzoporphyrin derivative monoacid ring A (BPD-MA), a second-generation photosensitizer currently in phase II clinical trials, were investigated in homogeneous solution. Absorption, fluorescence, triplet-state, singlet oxygen (O₂(¹Δ_g)) sensitization studies and photobleaching experiments are reported. The ground state of this chlorin-type molecule shows a strong absorbance in the red (λ≈ 688 nm, ?≈ 33 000 M^?1 cm^?1 in organic solvents). For the singlet excited state the following data were determined in methanol: energy level, E_s= 42.1 kcal mol^?1, lifetime, Φ_f= 5.2 ns and fluorescence quantum yield, Φ_f= 0.05 in air-saturated solution. The triplet state of BPD-MA has a lifetime, τ_f >. 25 ns, an energy level, E_T= 26.9 kcal mol^?1 and the molar absorption coefficient is ?_T= 26 650 M^?1 cm^?1 at 720 nm. A dramatic effect of oxygen on the fluorescence (φ_f) and intersystem crossing (φ_T) quantum yields has been observed. The BPD-MA presents rather high triplet (φ_T= 0.68 under N₂-saturated conditions) and singlet oxygen (φ_Δ= 0.78) quantum yields. On the other hand, the presence of oxygen does not significantly modify the photobleaching of this photostable compound, the photodegradation quantum yield (φ_Pb) of which was found to be on the order of 5 × 10^?5 in organic solvents.     

Intracellular Modulation of Excited‐State Dynamics in a Chromophore Dyad: Differential Enhancement of Photocytotoxicity Targeting Cancer Cells

The photosensitized generation of reactive oxygen species, and particularly of singlet oxygen [O₂(a¹Δ_g)], is the essence of photodynamic action exploited in photodynamic therapy. The ability to switch singlet oxygen generation on/off would be highly valuable, especially when it is linked to a cancer‐related cellular parameter. Building on recent findings related to intersystem crossing efficiency, we designed a dimeric BODIPY dye with reduced symmetry, which is ineffective as a photosensitizer unless it is activated by a reaction with intracellular glutathione (GSH). The reaction alters the properties of both the ground and excited states, consequently enabling the efficient generation of singlet oxygen. Remarkably, the designed photosensitizer can discriminate between different concentrations of GSH in normal and cancer cells and thus remains inefficient as a photosensitizer inside a normal cell while being transformed into a lethal singlet oxygen source in cancer cells. This is the first demonstration of such a difference in the intracellular activity of a photosensitizer.     

Photoinduced Electron Transfer‐based Halogen‐free Photosensitizers: Covalent meso‐Aryl (Phenyl,Naphthyl, Anthryl,and Pyrenyl) as Electron Donors to Effectively Induce the Formation of the Excited Triplet State and Singlet Oxygen for BODIPY Compounds

Pristine BODIPY compounds have negligible efficiency to generate the excited triplet state and singlet oxygen. In this report, we show that attaching a good electron donor to the BODIPY core can lead to singlet oxygen formation with up to 58 % quantum efficiency. For this purpose, BODIPYs with meso ‐aryl groups (phenyl, naphthyl, anthryl, and pyrenyl) were synthesized and characterized. The fluorescence, excited triplet state, and singlet oxygen formation properties for these compounds were measured in various solvents by UV/Vis absorption, steady‐state and time‐resolved fluorescence methods, as well as laser flash photolysis technique. In particular, the presence of anthryl and pyrenyl showed substantial enhancement on the singlet oxygen formation ability of BODIPY with up to 58 % and 34 % quantum efficiency, respectively, owing to their stronger electron‐donating ability. Upon the increase in singlet oxygen formation, the fluorescence quantum yield and lifetime values of the aryl‐BODIPY showed a concomitant decrease. The increase in solvent polarity enhances the singlet oxygen generation but decreases the fluorescence quantum yield. The results are explained by the presence of intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer from the aryl moiety to BODIPY core. This method of promoting T₁ formation is very different from the traditional heavy atom effect by I, Br, or transition metal atoms. This type of novel photosensitizers may find important applications in organic oxygenation reactions and photodynamic therapy of tumors.     

Comparative Photostability Studies of BODIPY and Fluorescein Dyes by Using Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy

In single‐molecule applications, the photostability of fluorescent molecules is a key parameter. We apply fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to compare the photostability of four fluorescein and four borondipyrromethene (BODIPY) dyes of similar structure but different triplet yields. The latter class of dyes are more stable. In the kinetic analysis the, diffusion and photobleaching are treated as competitive processes. Corrections, which account for saturation and for experimental artefacts, are achieved solely by using experimental data. Photobleaching is found to occur mainly through the first excited singlet state S₁, in contrast to previous findings.     

Quenching of singlet oxygen by hindered amine light stabilisers. A flash photolytic study

Rate constants for the quenching of singlet oxygen (¹O₂, ¹δ_g) for a series of piperidines, piperidine-N-oxyl free radicals and some commercially used hindered amine light stabilisers (HALS) have been measured by a laser flash photolysis method. Quenching rate constants are in the order: piperidine-N-oxyl free radicals ≤ secondary piperidines < tertiary piperidines. For some commercial HALS, ¹O₂ quenching rate constants and the light protective effect towards polypropylene photo-oxidation have been compared. No correlation has been found between the stabilizing action and the quenching efficiency towards ¹O₂. The data obtained point to little contribution of singlet oxygen to the key steps of polyolefin photo-oxidation.     

Effect of the Media on the Quantum Yield of Singlet Oxygen (O2(1Δg)) Production by 9H‐Fluoren‐9‐one: Solvents and Solvent Mixtures

We have investigated the effect of a series of 18 solvents and mixtures of solvents on the production of singlet molecular oxygen (O₂(¹Δ_g), denoted as ¹O₂) by 9H‐fluoren‐9‐one (FLU). The normalized empirical parameter E derived from E_T(30) has been chosen as a measure of solvent polarity using Reichardt's betaine dyes. Quantum yields of ¹O₂ production (Φ_Δ) decrease with increasing solvent polarity and protic character as a consequence of the decrease of the quantum yield of intersystem crossing (Φ_ISC). Values of Φ_Δ of unity have been found in alkanes. In nonprotic solvents of increasing polarity, Φ_ISC and, therefore, Φ_Δ decrease due to solvent‐induced changes in the energy levels of singlet and triplet excited states of FLU. This compound is a poor ¹O₂ sensitizer in protic solvents, because hydrogen bonding considerably increases the rate of internal conversion from the singlet excited state, thus diminishing Φ_Δ to values much lower than those in nonprotic solvents of similar polarity. In mixtures of cyclohexane and alcohols, preferential solvation of FLU by the protic solvent leads to a fast decrease of Φ_Δ upon addition of increasing amounts of the latter.     

Charge reversal of the conjugate base of formamide

Charge reversal collisional activation mass spectremetry of negative ions has been used in conjunction with positive ion collisional activation to investigate several isomeric [H₂, C, N, O]⁺ ions. Generation of m/z 44 ions from formamide, acetamide, JV-methylformamide, acetaldoxime and by charge reversal of the [M–1]^? ion formed from formamide yields several different isomeric structures. Charge reversal of the conjugate base of formamide appears to yield a mixture of singlet and triplet H₂NC?O⁺ ions; experiments with deuterium-labeled compounds have been used to support this. Ab initio molecular orbital calculations indicate that the triplet ion is a stable structure, existing in a potential minimum 390.6 kJ mol^?1 above the ground state singlet.     

Ergosterol (provitamin D2) triplet state: an efficient sensitiser of singlet oxygen, O2(1 delta g), formation

The triplet state of ergosterol (provitamin D2) has been produced in benzene by pulse radiolysis and characterised in terms of absorption spectrum, lifetime, self-quenching properties and relaxed triplet energy. The amount of singlet oxygen, O₂(¹Δ_g), produced as a consequence of the oxygen quenching of this species has been determined by kinetic infrared emission spectroscopy. Ergosterol is significantly more efficient as a singlet oxygen sensitiser in benzene than is naphthalene, the absolute standard employed in this work.     

Room-Temperature Near-Infrared Metastable Species Measured by Phase-Sensitive Lock-in and Fourier Transform Techniques

An ultrasensitive detecting system coupled with either a lock-in or Fourier transform technique has been used to detect near-infrared (1000-2500 nm) metastable species in room temperature solutions. These species include O₂(¹Δ_g), O₂(¹σ⁺_g), the solvent induced satellite peak of molecular singlet oxygen (¹Δ_g) emission, and the triplet state of bis(triisobutylsiloxy)silicon-2,-3-naphthalocyanine (SilNC). Using the O₂(¹Δ_g) emission in benzene as a standard, the quantum yield and radiative decay rate of SiINC triplet state have been determined. Depending on types of spectral acquisition, special techniques such as phase-distinguishing and step scan capabilities were utilized. Their advantages and disadvantages are discussed.     

Exploiting radical-pair intersystem crossing for maximizing singlet oxygen quantum yields in pure organic fluorescent photosensitizers

Fluorescent photosensitizers (PSs) often encounter low singlet oxygen (¹O₂) quantum yields and fluorescence quenching in the aggregated state, mainly involving the intersystem crossing process. Herein, we successfully realize maximizing ¹O₂ quantum yields of fluorescent PSs through promoting radical-pair intersystem crossing (RP-ISC), which serves as a molecular symmetry-controlling strategy of donor–acceptor (D–A) motifs. The symmetric quadrupolar A–D–A molecule PTP exhibits an excellent ¹O₂ quantum yield of 97.0% with bright near-infrared fluorescence in the aggregated state. Theoretical and ultrafast spectroscopic studies suggested that the RP-ISC mechanism dominated the formation of the triplet for PTP, where effective charge separation and an ultralow singlet–triplet energy gap (0.01 eV) enhanced the ISC process to maximize ¹O₂ generation. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated the dual function of PTP as a fluorescent imaging agent and an anti-cancer therapeutic, with promising potential applications in both diagnosis and theranostics.

Maximizing singlet oxygen quantum yields of a fluorescent photosensitizer for realizing approximately 100% utilization of excitons by precisely controlling the molecular symmetry.